Royal Suite Check In issues

[arubagirl07]

We were met by a sweet lady who escorted is to check in with Mary Beth. Needless to say, Mary Beth was having a bad day. She was not only rude to her fellow co workers but also to us as well. When one tried to help her out and explain, she all but told us to keep quiet. Not a great way to start your vacation. It pays to be nice!!!

[wwcruisers]

Sounds like MaryBeth needs to find another line of employment -- she doesn't sound like much of a 'people person'. You'd think that X would have the 'best of the best' handling check-in for the top-tier suites!🤨

[Orator]

All passengers should be treated with respect whether in a top suite or inside cabin. For most first time cruisers the initial impression of the line begins at check in. Mary Beth needs to be replaced!

[Cruise it or lose it]

Are the people who check you in employed by the port or the cruise line? I've met more than a few clueless people at the port.

[CYNSport]

3 minutes ago, Cruise it or lose it said:

Are the people who check you in employed by the port or the cruise line? I've met more than a few clueless people at the port.

I think most of the people we’ve encountered were port employees. There are some Celebrity supervisors around to handle big problems.

[Orator]

The people who check you in wear Celebrity name tags. This would lead most passengers to see them as Celebrity employees even if they aren't. Officers from the ship are also present.

[BEAV]

Since you were in a RS, was Mary Beth the person who escorted you onto the ship?  If so, I think she would have been a Celebrity employee. If she only scanned your passport, credit card and gave you your Sea Pass card (but didn't escort you onboard), then I would assume she was an employee of the local port. 

[C-Dragons]

Two years ago we had a similar situation when we went to check in at the Suite line at the port in Fort Lauderdale. An older man who I assumed worked for the Port asked to see our printed Sea Pass. He apparently didn’t see the word “Suite” on the Sea Pass so he told us quite loudly, while pointing, to proceed to the far end of the check in counter. I quietly told him that we were indeed booked in a Suite and that we were in the correct line. The man raised his voice again, while pointing again, and ordered us to move to the opposite end to check in. We decided to just enter the Suite line and as we did he said in a loud voice, “Go ahead, see if they'll even help you!” I was shocked. It was the very first time anyone, at any port, had been rude. Guess he was having a bad day.

[Cruise it or lose it]

37 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Two years ago we had a similar situation when we went to check in at the Suite line at the port in Fort Lauderdale. An older man who I assumed worked for the Port asked to see our printed Sea Pass. He apparently didn’t see the word “Suite” on the Sea Pass so he told us quite loudly, while pointing, to proceed to the far end of the check in counter. I quietly told him that we were indeed booked in a Suite and that we were in the correct line. The man raised his voice again, while pointing again, and ordered us to move to the opposite end to check in. We decided to just enter the Suite line and as we did he said in a loud voice, “Go ahead, see if they'll even help you!” I was shocked. It was the very first time anyone, at any port, had been rude. Guess he was having a bad day.

A few years ago we were in a suite leaving from Bayonne. We were in a line for Sky and Celebrity suites. The woman behind the desk kept putting her hand up to stop us from approaching her and taking the people behind us. And the people behind us were just fine with it. I guess she didn't think we were in a suite. After it happened twice we went up to her and asked her what she was doing. She had no answer.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, BEAV said:

Since you were in a RS, was Mary Beth the person who escorted you onto the ship?  If so, I think she would have been a Celebrity employee. If she only scanned your passport, credit card and gave you your Sea Pass card (but didn't escort you onboard), then I would assume she was an employee of the local port. 

In our experience the desk agents do not escort you aboard.   For the upper suites they have a pool of ship staff that does this.   We have had Butlers, Future Cruise Agents, Excursion Agents,  etc escort us aboard never a Check In agent. 

[C-Dragons]

5 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

In our experience the desk agents do not escort you aboard.   For the upper suites they have a pool of ship staff that does this.   We have had Butlers, Future Cruise Agents, Excursion Agents,  etc escort us aboard never a Check In agent. 

Right after our unpleasant experience with the port agent, Bogdan, the Suite Manager, came down the escalator, greeted us and escorted us to Michael's Club. All's well that ends well. 😊

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've had shore excursion personnel, spa personnel and future cruise staff escort us on board. We were told several years ago that the shoreside staff were employees of the port.  If you think about it, it makes sense. There are some ports that Celebrity only uses on a seasonal basis and only one ship sailing from that port weekly.  Seward and Port Liberty come to mind.  Makes more sense that the check in staff are port employees.

Edited May 17, 2019 by CHEZMARYLOU

[Straughn]

52 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

In our experience the desk agents do not escort you aboard.   For the upper suites they have a pool of ship staff that does this.   We have had Butlers, Future Cruise Agents, Excursion Agents,  etc escort us aboard never a Check In agent. 

In the handful of times we have been in a suite large enough to get an escort, it has always been a ship’s staff person who has done that.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Straughn said:

In the handful of times we have been in a suite large enough to get an escort, it has always been a ship’s staff person who has done that.

 

I think the OP is talking about the check-in person.  Not someone who actually escorted them to the suite.  

[lovecruzin]

What ship are you on arubagirl07?

[arubagirl07]

The person I was referring to was at the counter printing our passes. We were never rude to her but if customers before us were, that is still no reason to act the way she did. After these posts, I would think she was a port employee.

 

The concierge that greeted us and took us aboard was excellent and everyone has been friendly and helpful onboard. BTW, we are traveling with another couple who is not in a suite, so with X you get the"Royal" treatment regardless of your location! 

 

Thank you all for the feedback! 

[BEAV]

3 hours ago, arubagirl07 said:

The person I was referring to was at the counter printing our passes. We were never rude to her but if customers before us were, that is still no reason to act the way she did. After these posts, I would think she was a port employee.

 

Thanks for clarifying. I agree with you the person was most likely an employee of a company contracted by the local port vs a direct Celebrity employee. 

 

We encountered an over zealous port-contracted employee once in San Francisco. We were checking in for an all-inclusive Crystal cruise where there are no restrictions what you are allowed to bring aboard alcohol-wise. But a port employee tried her best to deter us from carrying 4 bottles of wine aboard we were planning for a special occasion. I kept my cool, knowing Crystal’s policy was on my side, but it took her supervisor’s intervention to resolve the matter. The employee certainly could have handled the situation with a little more tact, but she was determined she was in the right.