4 PM check-in for a 5 PM sail away?

[ExpatBride]

HAL just sent my boarding time and this seems to be cutting it a bit close. I know that muster drill is DIY now, but still! One hour before sailaway?

 

Is this the new normal?

 

I don't need to be one of the first ones on the ship, but I do like to be unpacked (I don't check a bag) and have a lay of the land before we sail.

[Mary229]

I would not wait that long.   That sounds like a mistake.  

[ExpatBride]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I would not wait that long.   That sounds like a mistake.  

That's what I was thinking. I was shocked to see it was that late.

 

[Florida_gal_50]

I have doubts about it being a mistake.  I would contact hal to see if you can move it up if you are not comfortable with the time.  On my last cruise I had a Neptune suite and I’m a five star.  I was pretty far down the list in boarding times.  Usually I’m in the first group.  I booked late so I assumed that was the reason.

[horseymike]

I would contact HAL and discuss this with them, it seems to be cutting it too close for comfort.

Let us know how it goes.

 Thanks 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

5 minutes ago, horseymike said:

I would contact HAL and discuss this with them, it seems to be cutting it too close for comfort.

Let us know how it goes.

 Thanks 

I agree with you ..

[Torquer]

Of course, as has been discussed numerous times on this board, the boarding times are never enforced.  You can show up whenever you want, and if I were you, I would get there much earlier than an hour before sailaway.

[Tampa Girl]

Doesn't HAL have to submit its manifest within an hour or so of sailing?

[OlsSalt]

Boarding times were meant to ease embarkation back-ups and coordinate with having cabins ready.

 

Go ahead and ignore them, but keep in mind the potential consequences of disrupting this intended crowd control and cabin readiness flow.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

How far away is your cruise? if it is this weekend I would just show up earlier but if you are a few weeks out then do not worry, you will get several more updates and different times. Definitely not worth wasting you time calling HAL since the Reps will not help.Best to skip that frustration.

[ExpatBride]

1 minute ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

How far away is your cruise? if it is this weekend I would just show up earlier but if you are a few weeks out then do not worry, you will get several more updates and different times. Definitely not worth wasting you time calling HAL since the Reps will not help.Best to skip that frustration.

 

I sail in about 2 weeks. I sent them an email and the auto-reply said to expect an answer in 10-14 days 🤣

I'm just going to show up at some time after 2 PM. I think that's reasonable.

[horseymike]

10 minutes ago, ExpatBride said:

 

I sail in about 2 weeks. I sent them an email and the auto-reply said to expect an answer in 10-14 days 🤣

I'm just going to show up at some time after 2 PM. I think that's reasonable.

I wouldn’t hold my breath 

[sciencewonk]

13 hours ago, Torquer said:

Of course, as has been discussed numerous times on this board, the boarding times are never enforced.  You can show up whenever you want, and if I were you, I would get there much earlier than an hour before sailaway.

This is not true.  On my last cruise, boarding times in San Diego were strictly enforced.  Despite having priority boarding for a Neptune Suite, we were not allowed to board until our printed boarding time.  We had to stand in the hot sun for over an hour to board.  From discussions on this forum, this policy appears to be port specific, with others calling out San Diego as well.  My information is from last October and may be out of date.

[Haljo1935]

7 hours ago, sciencewonk said:

This is not true.  On my last cruise, boarding times in San Diego were strictly enforced.  Despite having priority boarding for a Neptune Suite, we were not allowed to board until our printed boarding time.  We had to stand in the hot sun for over an hour to board.  From discussions on this forum, this policy appears to be port specific, with others calling out San Diego as well.  My information is from last October and may be out of date.

We sailed out of San Diego Nov 26 on Koningsdam and were allowed to simply go through the check in, security and boarding process with no regard to assigned times.

We were prepared to wait (not in the sun!), but didn't have to.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Mary229]

8 hours ago, sciencewonk said:

This is not true.  On my last cruise, boarding times in San Diego were strictly enforced.  Despite having priority boarding for a Neptune Suite, we were not allowed to board until our printed boarding time.  We had to stand in the hot sun for over an hour to board.  From discussions on this forum, this policy appears to be port specific, with others calling out San Diego as well.  My information is from last October and may be out of date.

 

24 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

We sailed out of San Diego Nov 26 on Koningsdam and were allowed to simply go through the check in, security and boarding process with no regard to assigned times.

We were prepared to wait (not in the sun!), but didn't have to.

Timing may be everything.  If you show up prior to noon there may be issue with mass entry of passengers and security and customs control.  If you wait until after noon, in most ports, you can waltz right in. 

[ExpatBride]

23 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

We were prepared to wait (not in the sun!), but didn't have to.

 

I'm prepared to wait if it means getting onboard more than an hour before sailaway. I'm sailing out of Copenhagen, so I'll be thrilled if I have the opportunity to wait in the sun. Danes are pretty laid back and averse to confrontation, so I'm hopeful that as long as we show up at a reasonable time, they'll be reasonable in return. 

[Haljo1935]

10 minutes ago, ExpatBride said:

 

I'm prepared to wait if it means getting onboard more than an hour before sailaway. I'm sailing out of Copenhagen, so I'll be thrilled if I have the opportunity to wait in the sun. Danes are pretty laid back and averse to confrontation, so I'm hopeful that as long as we show up at a reasonable time, they'll be reasonable in return. 

Flexible and reasonable certainly are key to enjoying a cruise (well, let's be honest, most things), so you're definitely packing the essentials!! Port and ship likely impact how tight (or loose) the boarding windows are enforced. I only mentioned San Diego as I saw it mentioned here in another response; your port could operate entirely differently.

You certainly would not have gotten that time if HAL didn't intend for it to work w/the planned departure time as I do believe their goal is to leave with every paid passenger on board!! 🥴

[ExpatBride]

5 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

You certainly would not have gotten that time if HAL didn't intend for it to work w/the planned departure time as I do believe their goal is to leave with every paid passenger on board!! 🥴

Considering they're in the vacation business, they'd do well to consider the stress factor of asking passengers to check in an hour before departure. It takes time to find the cabin, complete the safety briefing, etc. I'm sure their plan isn't to leave without anyone, but it seems poor form to expect passengers to jump onto the ship as it's pulling away from the dock (hyperbole).

The latest I've seen in my experience is 3 PM for a 5 PM sailaway, which seemed reasonable.

[Haljo1935]

3 minutes ago, ExpatBride said:

Considering they're in the vacation business, they'd do well to consider the stress factor of asking passengers to check in an hour before departure. It takes time to find the cabin, complete the safety briefing, etc. I'm sure their plan isn't to leave without anyone, but it seems poor form to expect passengers to jump onto the ship as it's pulling away from the dock (hyperbole).

The latest I've seen in my experience is 3 PM for a 5 PM sailaway, which seemed reasonable.

Thanks for the laugh - maybe they're setting us up to watch a whole new category of Pier Runners!!

[ExpatBride]

I've just noticed that in the Navigator app, it says, "All guests must be on board one hour prior to the published sailing time." 🤣

 

Make it make sense 🤦‍♀️ 

 

Come, on HAL... do better!

[sciencewonk]

10 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

We sailed out of San Diego Nov 26 on Koningsdam and were allowed to simply go through the check in, security and boarding process with no regard to assigned times.

We were prepared to wait (not in the sun!), but didn't have to.

😃It can sometimes get pretty hot in San Diego in November!  In October, we boarded during a Santa Ana heat wave.