Platinum and Diamond now have to show up at check-in appt slot

[gsilva]

Imagine that. Showing up at your assigned (the slot you chose) time slot. Platinum and diamond get to check in a couple days before the "regular" folk. So just pick a time and then show up. Stop slowing down the process by showing up when you feel like it.

[jsglow]

I vividly remember when arrival time-slots were first introduced long before Covid, back at a time I was part of the unwashed masses. It was a brilliant innovation that spread out the crowd so long as it was enforced. I remember fully adhering in Galveston once when our shuttle got there 20 minutes early and not minding waiting outside at all for that brief delay. Proper enforcement is the key.

 

I also like the Long Beach system where everyone.... EVERYONE..... is required to enter their respective time-slot queue. Hopefully that becomes the overall model at each embarkation port. Thousands of people need to board. And it happens literally one person at a time as you 'ding' entering the ship.

[Eli_6]

15 hours ago, gsilva said:

Imagine that. Showing up at your assigned (the slot you chose) time slot. Platinum and diamond get to check in a couple days before the "regular" folk. So just pick a time and then show up. Stop slowing down the process by showing up when you feel like it.

Yeah, sometimes the stars don't align for that to happen.  There's traffic, delayed flights, lost luggage, a taxi/uber that doesn't arrive on time, etc., etc.  People want the priority they have earned/paid for. 

[stobe1]

So a quick update before I lose all cell service and turn my phone off. We arrived at the pier here in NOLA this morning about 11:10. Our checkin appointment time was 10 to 10:30. We were ushered thru the Plat/Diamond priority line with no issues and went thru security checked in and were on the ship 15 minutes later. We went thru so fast that I didnt have a chance to spy on other people's boarding passes to see if the port agents were adhering to selected times for regular non-proirity passengers or not. 

 

 

[Purvis1231]

I am sure ths will be enforced just like the elegant night dress code. 

[jamscckmc]

I’m going on my first Journeys cruise and didn’t know that there is no priority embark, disembark or tender. Bummer.☹️

[hurricane0226]

On 8/4/2023 at 3:43 PM, odis said:

Miss your designated hour time slot?  Sorry, no cruise for you.  🤣

And also no soup for you!

[iria64]

On 8/4/2023 at 3:24 PM, wemjam said:

Since restart we has stuck with the arriving only during the window we selected.

 

It amazed me how many times I have seen them waving through everyone and anyone with later times though.

 

We were the first arrival window on the last 2 cruises, and arrived toward the end of the 30 minute window and kid you not there was already probably 200-300 people in the terminal and I was glancing at boarding passes and they were most certainly there early. 

200-300 in the terminal before boarding starts does not seem unreasonable.  Let's say you have 3000+  passengers with port times starting at 10 with the last at 2 or 3.  That gives 8-10 arrival slots.  You would need to have 300 or more passengers for each slot and if boarding does not start until 11 that is easily 600 passengers in the terminal.

 

On our cruise last year they did seem to be enforcing port times.  We had 10:30 and there was a line of people waiting for 11 to arrive.  I have heard though that arrival times are enforcement may vary by port.

[wemjam]

16 minutes ago, iria64 said:

200-300 in the terminal before boarding starts does not seem unreasonable.  Let's say you have 3000+  passengers with port times starting at 10 with the last at 2 or 3.  That gives 8-10 arrival slots.  You would need to have 300 or more passengers for each slot and if boarding does not start until 11 that is easily 600 passengers in the terminal.

 

On our cruise last year they did seem to be enforcing port times.  We had 10:30 and there was a line of people waiting for 11 to arrive.  I have heard though that arrival times are enforcement may vary by port.

Ya, I would buy that theory, except for the fact that EVERY single boarding pass I saw in line around me was a later boarding time.  There were at least 10-15 people I watched get waved through while we were trying to get in and all their boarding times were much later (we waited patiently and I could see the boarding passes they were flashing at the gate agent).

[ProgRockCruiser]

1 hour ago, iria64 said:

200-300 in the terminal before boarding starts does not seem unreasonable. 

 

44 minutes ago, wemjam said:

Ya, I would buy that theory, except for the fact that EVERY single boarding pass I saw in line around me was a later boarding time.  There were at least 10-15 people I watched get waved through while we were trying to get in and all their boarding times were much later (we waited patiently and I could see the boarding passes they were flashing at the gate agent).

I can kind of understand situations where you could be letting in some of the earlier-than-planned arrivals, though - if sufficient legitimate early-slot people are late (for whatever reason, within or outside their control), then the terminal could otherwise be near-empty, so you let in those "oops, too early" people to help keep the flow of people moving (and reduce impact later on when the accidentally-late crowd shows up).

 

Now, if that isn't the case, then the "oops, too-early" arrivals should be made to wait, to alleviate crowding in the terminal.

[Ferry_Watcher]

On 8/5/2023 at 6:44 PM, VentureMan_2000 said:

The Plat/Diam's seem to be totally screwing themselves with their self-serving attitude.

So true!

[Ferry_Watcher]

The other thing that passengers can do to speed up the process is to have completely fill out the online registration, including having a credit card on file.  

It make the checking-in process go so much faster.

[momof3cruisers]

21 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

Yeah, sometimes the stars don't align for that to happen.  There's traffic, delayed flights, lost luggage, a taxi/uber that doesn't arrive on time, etc., etc.  People want the priority they have earned/paid for. 

While Carnivals language isn’t clear, it seems that their intent is that you can’t show up prior to your window. So let’s say I picked 1:00 but then on the morning of, decide I want to just show up at 10:30. They would in theory, make me wait. Of course, we certainly don’t know what will happen in every circumstance but so far, the anecdotal evidence seems to be that after your arrival time, you still get sent to the priority line.

[Eli_6]

55 minutes ago, momof3cruisers said:

While Carnivals language isn’t clear, it seems that their intent is that you can’t show up prior to your window. So let’s say I picked 1:00 but then on the morning of, decide I want to just show up at 10:30. They would in theory, make me wait. Of course, we certainly don’t know what will happen in every circumstance but so far, the anecdotal evidence seems to be that after your arrival time, you still get sent to the priority line.

I don't have a problem with that.  I usually pick the first or second time slot.  What I don't want to have to do is lose my priority privilege if I happen to get there 5 minutes past my time slot because traffic was bad.  

 

[Eli_6]

Let me also add for all of you acting like plats and diamonds have self-serving privilege is that one reason that they do priority boarding/debark for frequent cruisers (much like they do with frequent flyers) is we know how the drill goes.  We come prepared with our correct documents.  We do everything we can ahead of time online like setting up our billing service.  We know the drill for our 12 pack of sodas and 2 bottles of wine.  We know better than to try to sneak on illegal substances or extra alcohol (unless in Europe).  So we get through the process much faster than the folks who don't have a clue what is going on and end up holding up the line. While the golds on here may know better, I think almost all of us have at one time seen some first time cruiser holding up the line because they don't have the proper documents or were trying to sneak something on (or simply didn't know they couldn't bring something on) they aren't supposed to have.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Eli_6

[hard_eight]

Like the mountains of fruit juice I see off to the side that people try to bring on. EVERY DAMN TIME

[coldinkansas]

We have always picked 1:00-1:30 times since rooms are ready and you can drop off your stuff. We will be platinum this trip but with a Journeys cruise I read there is no benefit.  We will have to be out of hotel by 11:00 so we will pick an earlier time if possible. Don't want to sit in the terminal and wait like we did once several years ago. Waited for probably 45 minutes to an hour before we got on the ship and still had to lug around carry on stuff!!  Happy Cruising everyone

[momof3cruisers]

5 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I don't have a problem with that.  I usually pick the first or second time slot.  What I don't want to have to do is lose my priority privilege if I happen to get there 5 minutes past my time slot because traffic was bad.  

 

I totally get that! I think my reading comprehension was suffering before I had caffeine this morning. 😉

[mamiamjo]

On 8/8/2023 at 12:40 PM, Eli_6 said:

I don't have a problem with that.  I usually pick the first or second time slot.  What I don't want to have to do is lose my priority privilege if I happen to get there 5 minutes past my time slot because traffic was bad.  

 

When we sailed from Galveston in November 2022, we (Platinum) arrived slightly later than our assigned time (I believe it was 15 minutes late) because we were with another party that had a slightly later arrival time, and we were made to wait in the "early/late arrivals" line, while they went in the Current Arrival Time line. The extra wait wasn't long and didn't make a huge difference, but did split up our party.

Edited August 24, 2023 by mamiamjo

[Chief93]

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 PM, AtSeaWithChris said:

I’m pretty sure this is just in Galveston 

Galveston is the worst.  There is no place to wait so everyone that got there early is milling around, and the lines are never marked.  Once you get to the front you are informed you were in the wrong line all along.

 

As an added bonus, you apparently have to have been alive during the Taft administration to work there.

[jimbo5544]

50 minutes ago, Chief93 said:

Galveston is the worst.  There is no place to wait so everyone that got there early is milling around, and the lines are never marked.  Once you get to the front you are informed you were in the wrong line all along.

 

As an added bonus, you apparently have to have been alive during the Taft administration to work there.

or, we can do like other cruise lines embarkation and show up at the time slot.

[Eli_6]

1 hour ago, mamiamjo said:

When we sailed from Galveston in November 2022, we (Platinum) arrived slightly later than our assigned time (I believe it was 15 minutes late) because we were with another party that had a slightly later arrival time, and we were made to wait in the "early/late arrivals" line, while they went in the Current Arrival Time line. The extra wait wasn't long and didn't make a huge difference, but did split up our party.

See...that's BS.  

[pohlerbear]

On 8/8/2023 at 2:40 PM, hard_eight said:

Like the mountains of fruit juice I see off to the side that people try to bring on. EVERY DAMN TIME

In a book of faces group I am in, someone posted a picture of a left behind crock pot someone was trying to get onboard. That was a new one for me.  

[john91498]

Oh no, we have to show up at the appointed time and have to wait till 1:30 for our suites to be ready...🤪

[Chief93]

6 hours ago, pohlerbear said:

In a book of faces group I am in, someone posted a picture of a left behind crock pot someone was trying to get onboard. That was a new one for me.  

There should be a thread dedicated to just this topic.