Current Sojourn sailors

[PaulaJK]

 Over the decades we have sailed many lines and never has registering been

as convoluted as on SS Source…….multiple emails, no ability to print ticket

until 3 days ahead when you may be traveling, changing of boarding times,

late boarding times ( friend has 3:40) which consumes first day, and those

awful paper to-be-.assembled luggage tags. Feels more hassling than

a luxury experience should ( or does on Regent and SS). Certainly far away 

from a welcome lunch.

 

How do folks handle 12 noon hotel check out and the interval 

until 3:40? I don’t recall any cafes nearby dock area.

[nancygp]

28 minutes ago, PaulaJK said:

How do folks handle 12 noon hotel check out and the interval 

until 3:40? I don’t recall any cafes nearby dock area.

Recently sailed on the quest out of Manhattan.  We had a 3:00 boarding time and couldn’t extend our hotel checkout past12:30.  We arrived at the terminal around 1:00 and prepared to wait.  We didn’t have to wait and absolutely no one inquired about our boarding time.  We were on the ship in less than 10 minutes.

 

Nancy

[cruiseej]

4 hours ago, PaulaJK said:

those awful paper to-be-.assembled luggage tags

 

This should be a non-issue for everyone. They take a few seconds to fold once you see how to do it, and if you're at a hotel before going to the ship, you can always get tape or a stapler to put them on. Otherwise, just go to the port and the staff will come up with tags and affix them. they've been doing it this way for a year and a half now, so they know how to make it work. So it's not worth any worry/concern/angst about the luggage tags. 🙂 

 

Similarly, you don't need to have a printed boarding pass. If you do, there's a good chance they won't even ask for it or want to see it; your name and passport will get you aboard in no time.

 

And in terms of boarding time, I wouldn't say to disregard the assigned time entirely, but if your travel plans don't align with the assigned time, don't sweat it. The purpose of the assigned times is simply to not have everyone show up at the same time and have a large gathering of people in the boarding area. So if everyone disregards the times and tries to get to the ship by 1 pm, there can be a problem. But if many people try to come close to their assigned time, and a few people show up earlier than their assigned time, it doesn't create a traffic jam, and everything runs smoothly. (Depending, of course, on the local staff who do most of the work at the terminal boarding area.)

 

For many years, we've enjoyed boarding early and having lunch onboard to start our cruise experience, but the entire luxury experience doesn't go away if you simply miss out that first lunch. And if that lunch is important to you, go ahead and show up earlier than your assigned boarding time, knowing that (a) you are likely to be processed and onboard eating your lunch in no time, but (b) there's always the possibility that they will have you wait if there's a crush of people arriving at the same time (such as if you arrive just after a bus from he airport or overnight hotel).

[Mr Luxury]

Just turn up with your passport,no luggage tags needed as the port staff put more robust tags on anyway.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Mr Luxury