Terrible Check-in So Far for the Edge

[PTC DAWG]

18 minutes ago, KKB said:

If one books late (or checks in sometime after checkin opens...), they may not have that option.

I get that..showing up at 10 AM doesn’t help anything, regardless..I’m out on this..happy sailing to all. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[cruisemom42]

42 minutes ago, latserrof said:

People may be arriving from anywhere in the world so may not be able to predict their arrival time with pinpoint accuracy. People might anticipate first-cruise complications, snafus and delays at check-in and may be allowing extra time to deal with that. Celebrity should have anticipated this and also the likelihood that many of these passenger have been chomping at the bit to get on a ship.

 

Sorry, but when people are expressly told that if they show up to the port early they may face long wait times in unpleasant heat -- and then show up anyway -- how is this Celebrity's fault?

 

Take some responsibility for your own choices. I would -- and have -- waited in an airport lounge or restaurant, hotel lobby, external restaurant, etc. rather than arrive somewhere 2 hours in advance only to stand in the hot sun.

 

[grandgeezer]

31 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Sorry, but when people are expressly told that if they show up to the port early they may face long wait times in unpleasant heat -- and then show up anyway -- how is this Celebrity's fault?

 

Take some responsibility for your own choices. I would -- and have -- waited in an airport lounge or restaurant, hotel lobby, external restaurant, etc. rather than arrive somewhere 2 hours in advance only to stand in the hot sun.

 

If you are going to flame somebody, at least have the facts straight. According to the first post, she arrived 30 minutes early, but you expanding it to two makes for a better jab. Lastly, do you really think that nobody else would have come, in that extra 30 minutes that things would have been any different??

[cruisemom42]

3 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

If you are going to flame somebody, at least have the facts straight. According to the first post, she arrived 30 minutes early, but you expanding it to two makes for a better jab. Lastly, do you really think that nobody else would have come, in that extra 30 minutes that things would have been any different??

 

This discussion has expanded beyond the OP -- who noted that some people had arrived starting at 10:00 am.

[Gracie115]

Sort of sounds like the "honeymoon for cruises" is over and some are back to just complaining.....

 

I would be more than happy to stand in that line.....and if I was foolish enough to show up early I'd have a bottle of water and a hat and whatever else I needed for the wait.

 

This is what, the 3rd or 4th Edge cruise in 16 months....of course, everything should be absolutely perfect....of course.......🤪🤪

[goofysmom99]

This thread has certainly helped me solidify plans for an upcoming Equinox departure in two weeks.  The shore staff will have had two more weeks of OJT but it will be the ship's first go-round.  I'm going to uber to the pier rather than shuttle to have greater control over ETA.  Can also check traffic beforehand.  Guess I'll wear long sleeves and throw-in a bottle of water along with my little fold-up umbrella that's usually saved for Europe in the Spring, all in case I have to wait in the sun.  Standing is a serious issue but I can lean on my rollaboard in lieu of a cane; however, sun is my true enemy (lupus).  I really hope they do a better job since I won't be in a suite this time.

[hcat]

Can someone go over the processes of what happens once you go through the doors into the terminal..for both suite and non suite guests.  What  slows things down prior to being able to board ? Is it testing, doc review, temps?

Thanks

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, natefish95 said:

I just think it's funny that there is another post of someone who boarded today and arrived at almost the same time, but was onboard 30 minutes later. Looks like Celebrity transfer folks directed OP to the wrong line, but when something seemed amiss, OP never double checked what line they were in. 

I really feel for @GeorgiaPeach51 she truly did what she thought was right and followed instructions but suffered as a result.     I hope things turned around and you are enjoy a relaxing cruise you deserve.

 

A good example of why the Celebrity Transfer may not be the best choice for now and the future.  I learned years ago that Uber for 2 was less expensive and more convenient for 2

[PTC DAWG]

47 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

This thread has certainly helped me solidify plans for an upcoming Equinox departure in two weeks.  The shore staff will have had two more weeks of OJT but it will be the ship's first go-round.  I'm going to uber to the pier rather than shuttle to have greater control over ETA.  Can also check traffic beforehand.  Guess I'll wear long sleeves and throw-in a bottle of water along with my little fold-up umbrella that's usually saved for Europe in the Spring, all in case I have to wait in the sun.  Standing is a serious issue but I can lean on my rollaboard in lieu of a cane; however, sun is my true enemy (lupus).  I really hope they do a better job since I won't be in a suite this time.

Also sailing on Aug 1….

[PTC DAWG]

37 minutes ago, hcat said:

Can someone go over the processes of what happens once you go through the doors into the terminal..for both suite and non suite guests.  What  slows things down prior to being able to board ? Is it testing, doc review, temps?

Thanks

I THINK most everything is done before hand on the app…hopefully someone will chime in…

[Straughn]

Most cruisers are not on CC and therefore do not have access to the info shared here. They are doing what they have always done which is to show up to board whenever. The arrival times have always been suggested; now they are being enforced. So people are arriving when it suits their plans only to discover that now times are being enforced and they are being made to wait. Hence the long lines for non suite passengers.
 

It sounds like it only took a few posts on CC and a couple of social media sites for suite passengers to learn that boarding times weren’t being enforced  for them. Consequently, suite passengers who might have waited for their scheduled time are now showing up ASAP.  That lunch in Luminae matters!

Celebrity needs to email all passengers and clearly state that boarding times are now being enforced and that boarding begins at noon or whenever. There also needs to be posts on various social media sites and on their website stating that if you  show up well in advance, you will be required to wait until your time frame. Make it applicable to suite passengers as well. While this won’t solve 100% of the problem, it might reduce the long lines and waits in the heat/sun.

[terrydtx]

12 minutes ago, Straughn said:

Make it applicable to suite passengers as well. While this won’t solve 100% of the problem, it might reduce the long lines and waits in the heat/sun.

One of the benefits of booking a suite on Celebrity is priority check-in and boarding so that they do not have to wait in lines at the terminal. If Celebrity wants to enforce this new policy then all Retreat guests should get the noon to 12:30pm priority check in times. Not being elitist but this is the reality and advantage of booking a suite.

Edited July 18, 2021 by terrydtx

[mafig]

I'm not being snarky,,,,I'm trying to understand this.  Why are people being given specific boarding times?  Is it so that they do not congregate closely together?  OK.  Now if they all come early anyway, aren't they still congregating closely together?  Was this a big problem before when they were sailing with a full ship?

[helen haywood]

11 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

One of the benefits of booking a suite on Celebrity is priority check-in and boarding so that they do not have to wait in lines at the terminal. If Celebrity wants to enforce this new policy then all Retreat guests should get the noon to 12:30pm priority check in times. Not being elitist but this is the reality and advantage of booking a suite.

One of the benefits of booking a Concierge Class cabin is priority boarding as well.  For the short run at least, everyone needs to adhere to their checkin time and there won’t be these long lines.

[mom says]

10 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

One of the benefits of booking a suite on Celebrity is priority check-in and boarding so that they do not have to wait in lines at the terminal. If Celebrity wants to enforce this new policy then all Retreat guests should get the noon to 12:30pm priority check in times. Not being elitist but this is the reality and advantage of booking a suite.

Stop and think about what you just wrote. You don't want to wait in a line and want to arrive whenever you please, because you're  special. If all suite guests are allowed to arrive before or at noon, then exactly how do you avoid standing in a long line made up of equally special suite guests? You can't have your cake and eat it too. 

[mafig]

2 minutes ago, mom says said:

 If all suite guests are allowed to arrive before or at noon, then exactly how do you avoid standing in a long line made up of equally special suite guests? You can't have your cake and eat it too. 

Why not?  What has changed?  Maybe Celebrity needs more personnel for checking in.

[Oxo]

21 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

One of the benefits of booking. Not being elitist but this is the reality and advantage of booking a suite.

Apparently, with current conditions, this is not an advantage. Sorry.

Enjoy your cruise even though you may have stood in line. Small price to pay to be cruising now. 

Happy cruising.

[jg51]

16 minutes ago, Straughn said:

Most cruisers are not on CC and therefore do not have access to the info shared here. They are doing what they have always done which is to show up to board whenever. The arrival times have always been suggested; now they are being enforced. So people are arriving when it suits their plans only to discover that now times are being enforced and they are being made to wait. Hence the long lines for non suite passengers. ...

.

At last, somebody figured it out.  Thank you, "Straughn," for posting one of the very things that we have been saying (privately) since the moment "GeorgiaPeach51" started this thread, yesterday -- namely ...

 

None of the "umpteen" bashings of the people that arrived between 10 AM and Noon should have been posted on this thread.  Everyone  should have stopped to realize what you (Straughn) and we realized:  Those "earlybirds" are NOT CruiseCritic members, so they did not know what a problem they were going to cause themselves!  They had no idea that assigned boarding times were TRULY going to be enforced.

 

For fifteen years, we have been getting messages from cruise lines, suggesting that we arrive after 1:00 or after 2:00 to board --  each of which messages caused us to "roll our eyes."  We knew that, in reality, one was usually able to enter the building by 11:00 (sometimes even earlier than that).  Those people waiting outside, this weekend, knew (in the past) that they had been able to enter early, and they expected to be able to do the same thing this week.  Why?  Because they do not visit CruiseCritic and did not know any differently!  They mistakenly assumed that they could ignore what "X" had told them this time too!  We cannot criticize them.

.

5 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

One of the benefits of booking a suite on Celebrity is priority check-in and boarding so that they do not have to wait in lines at the terminal. If Celebrity wants to enforce this new policy then all Retreat guests should get the noon to 12:30pm priority check in times. Not being elitist but this is the reality and advantage of booking a suite.

.

Hello, "terrydtx," and thanks for your intelligent comment!

 

We have never booked a suite (and probably never will), but we have ZERO animosity towards suite users ... so we do not mind their receiving the "kid-glove" treatment that they deserve for having paid a lot more to cruise. 

 

We think that "GeogiaPeach51" should have been able to board immediately upon arrival -- without having been forced to wait in any line.  What about the fact that she arrived ahead of her boarding time?  Nonsense!  For suite guests (of whom there are relatively few [according to one source, potentially only 176 of 2908 on Edge], there ought never to have been boarding times!  All suite guests should be allowed to enter immediately upon arrival -- which (until yesterday) had happened on the Apex and the Edge since cruising was re-started!

 

Now, having stated the above, we hope to come back later with a couple of additional opinions about this whole mess -- and the suggestion of radical changes that Celebrity needs to make to fix the situation for next weekend.

.

[wrk2cruise]

Someone asked what happens once you enter the terminal.   You are met by a port worker with an iPad where they scan your XPass and confirm you vaccination status, taking a photo of your card.  They also confirm you did the health assessment on the app.  Their software seemed to be a bit confusing to the new people being trained and that seemed to slow things down a bit.   We were in the suite line a couple of weeks ago and they seemed to be able to process about 3 groups in parallel.  It took at least 3-5 minutes for each group.  We were in the front of the line so we were onboard in about 15 minutes.

 

I think the goal is to have very few people in the terminal for a very short period of time.  People are going to either be outside or on the ship.

Edited July 18, 2021 by wrk2cruise

[cruisemom42]

10 minutes ago, jg51 said:

Those "earlybirds" are NOT CruiseCritic members, so they did not know what a problem they were going to cause themselves!  They had no idea that assigned boarding times were TRULY going to be enforced.

 

Oh for heaven's sake. We have just experienced the first pandemic in 100 years, one that has been responsible for the deaths of at least 600k deaths in the US alone. Shouldn't anyone with half a brain realize that things may have changed? Celebrity certainly points it out under their "Healthy Sail" information which -- I suggest -- people should stop taking so cavalierly. I mean, Celebrity also states that you need to be vaccinated or have a recent negative test -- are you going to disregard that because you haven't been on Cruise Critic to confirm it?  It wasn't needed before, after all.... 🙄

 

Doesn't it occur to anyone that terminals may have restrictions on the number of people who can be inside at any one time? (I know my company does. And further, cruise lines are having to do additional checks on passengers while maintaining recommended social distancing to the extent possible. Thus, the logical conclusion is that there is less space inside for lines of people to stand waiting for their chance to board.

 

 

[mafig]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Can someone go over the processes of what happens once you go through the doors into the terminal..for both suite and non suite guests.  What  slows things down prior to being able to board ? Is it testing, doc review, temps?

Thanks

Good question.  What's going to happen when they go to full passenger loads?

[bucfan2]

9 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

. 

Doesn't it occur to anyone that terminals may have restrictions on the number of people who can be inside at any one time? 

 

 

Common sense applied by the average citizen (who isn’t on CC) would assume an airport terminal’s protocols to be similar to those in the cruise terminal.   Can’t blame them at all assuming unlimited pax anytime, IMO. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by bucfan2

[C-Dragons]

We boarded the Edge yesterday too. Our check in time was 12:00-12:30. We arrived at the terminal at 11:45 am. A long line of people was already in place. It was very confusing as there didn’t appear to be a separate line for suite guests, which we were.

As we stood in line there were a couple of older people, maybe volunteers, maybe staff,  who were working their way through the line asking to see people's Express passes on their phones, or a printed copy of it. When the people checking documents found someone who was not in a suit, they pulled them out of line and sent them to another line just beside ours on the right. When some of those in the suite line began to question if people were lined up according to the Celebrity appointment time slots (those with 12:00 pm first, etc.,) some of the staff literally started shouting, “All the suites get on FIRST!”. It was a little strange.

Imo, either the staff did not receive more extensive instructions from X on how to handle the process or they just chose to avoid any potential confrontations from those in line by ignoring the scheduled time slots, and telling everyone in a suite they were “getting on first”.

We finally walked into the lounge waiting area, where they checked our vaccination paperwork and passports and were on the ship at 12:40pm. One thing we found odd was that they never took our temperatures which was supposed to be the final check in requirement.

Edited July 18, 2021 by C-Dragons

[Silkroad]

13 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

We finally walked into the lounge waiting area, where they checked our vaccination paperwork and passports and were on the ship at 12:40pm. One thing we found odd was that they never took our temperatures which was supposed to be the final check in requirement.

Thanks so much for your post! It sounds as though many people on your sailing had a very odd boarding experience. Am I correct in thinking you only made it into the lounge at about 12:30? Others have mentioned that X seemed to have many trainees that day, which may explain the fact that they missed taking your temps. Please say hi to Mr. Edge for me, and perhaps lift and shift a cocktail or two while wandering through the haunted forest😜 I hope you have a wonderful cruise😊

[jg51]

Sorry.  Will have to start over.  Posted prematurely.

Edited July 18, 2021 by jg51
DELETING ... WILL TRY AGAIN.