When does Cunard typically assign the boarding times?

[Megabear2]

37 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

This nonsense was supposed to be only for last weeks QA maiden , it's not so much for being able to board early , priority was more about 'Checking-in' and not standing in long lines outside.

 

Cunard need to kick this in the head in the future if they are considering accepting priority only for Grills & Club.  

 

I'm  waiting with interest to see if it's only Queen Anne.  My next two voyages are QM2 and QE with QV end of the year.  I'm just assuming it's volume but I was disappointed in a way that Diamond didn't even warrant the Priority line at my check in time.  

[Poole Boy]

59 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Can I ask do you have 'Priority' across the boarding card you have just printed off .  

No, for the Maiden it did, presumably as I was in PG, for tomorrows cruise I am in a Britannia cabin, with no mention of priority only diamond on the boarding card. I have had this on previous cruises,  priority is stamped on the boarding card after check in.

[Bell Boy]

2 hours ago, Poole Boy said:

No, for the Maiden it did, presumably as I was in PG, for tomorrows cruise I am in a Britannia cabin, with no mention of priority only diamond on the boarding card. I have had this on previous cruises,  priority is stamped on the boarding card after check in.

Ah ! If you have 'Diamond on your Boarding card' you can also show this to the agents standing outside ( they are very accommodating and understand that means a high loyalty )   I have experienced  this on one or two occasions ( post pandemic)   and it works the same as priority - Do try it ! 😉

 

Edited to add;    You should be directed to the line that has  the clear signage - 'Priority - Grills Britannia Club -  Diamond & Platinum'.

very clear signage at the Mayflower Terminal . 👍  

Edited May 23 by Bell Boy

[Megabear2]

2 hours ago, Poole Boy said:

No, for the Maiden it did, presumably as I was in PG, for tomorrows cruise I am in a Britannia cabin, with no mention of priority only diamond on the boarding card. I have had this on previous cruises,  priority is stamped on the boarding card after check in.

Terms state:

• Priority check-in at New York and Southampton.⁵   

 

Footnote 5 states : Where operationally possible.

 

Hence my assumption too many Diamond and Platinum to accomodate on this voyage.

 

Bell Boy does that mean when my lift drops me off tomorrow which will be before my boarding time you think I may be able to approach someone even though it doesn't say priority? I'll be dropped off about 45 minutes before my time.

Edited May 23 by Megabear2

[Bell Boy]

5 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Terms state:

• Priority check-in at New York and Southampton.⁵   

 

Footnote 5 states : Where operationally possible.

 

Hence my assumption too many Diamond and Platinum to accomodate on this voyage.

 

Bell Boy does that mean when my lift drops me off tomorrow which will be before my boarding time you think I may be able to approach someone even though it doesn't say priority? I'll be dropped off about 45 minutes before my time.

See my edited comment above  👍

 

Plus If there are too many Diamond on your QA trip 'have you been awarded' and additional $35 OBC to cover the disappointment of a complimentary lunch in the Veranda ( as on the maiden)  

[Megabear2]

1 minute ago, Bell Boy said:

See my edited comment above  👍

 

Plus If there are too many Diamond on your QA trip 'have you been awarded' and additional $35 OBC to cover the disappointment of a complimentary lunch in the Veranda ( as on the maiden)  

I've been awarded nothing so assume I'll get told when I get onboard.  

 

Being able to not stand around outside when my friend drops me off will be the bonus. Thanks for the information.

[Pushpit]

37 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Bell Boy does that mean when my lift drops me off tomorrow which will be before my boarding time you think I may be able to approach someone even though it doesn't say priority? I'll be dropped off about 45 minutes before my time.

See also my post 18, but if you arrive after about 13:00 hrs or so, there may be a bit of a huddle outside the doors (often from people trying to extricate their boarding pass from somewhere) but you can simply walk to the doors, show your status on the boarding pass and head left-ish to the priority check in areas. If you didn't have status then Priority has to be marked for those in Club and the Grills, but Diamond and Platinum makes it obvious.

 

Despite what it says in your quote from the website, priority / Diamond / Platinum is offered in many other locations apart from Southampton and Brooklyn. Altona, Steinwerder, Hafen City, Barcelona, Le Havre, Rome, Hong Kong and Melbourne to my certain knowledge. I tend to take Cunard's written advice on many issues as somewhere between a statement of intent and guidance, the real Cunard is much more friendly and easygoing, thankfully.

[Megabear2]

29 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

See also my post 18, but if you arrive after about 13:00 hrs or so, there may be a bit of a huddle outside the doors (often from people trying to extricate their boarding pass from somewhere) but you can simply walk to the doors, show your status on the boarding pass and head left-ish to the priority check in areas. If you didn't have status then Priority has to be marked for those in Club and the Grills, but Diamond and Platinum makes it obvious.

 

Despite what it says in your quote from the website, priority / Diamond / Platinum is offered in many other locations apart from Southampton and Brooklyn. Altona, Steinwerder, Hafen City, Barcelona, Le Havre, Rome, Hong Kong and Melbourne to my certain knowledge. I tend to take Cunard's written advice on many issues as somewhere between a statement of intent and guidance, the real Cunard is much more friendly and easygoing, thankfully.

Thank you. My friend is dropping me around 1.15/30 as he has an appointment he has to keep once he gets back home so it will help very much if I don't have to queue outside. 

 

P&O let me have a seat inside the hall but wouldn't let me go up to check in, but at least I didn't get wet like everyone else. I was an hour early on that one and made to wait until 4.00pm.

 

Good to know about the ports, that is very helpful.  Thank you very much.

[aaaaa]

Upon check-in, a message reads that, even if you download your boarding pass, "Your arrival time and terminal for boarding will be allocated close to sailing day."

[Host Hattie]

4 minutes ago, aaaaa said:

Upon check-in, a message reads that, even if you download your boarding pass, "Your arrival time and terminal for boarding will be allocated close to sailing day."

Do you have a cabin number assigned? Usually that message only appears when no cabin number is allocated. 

[aaaaa]

40 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Do you have a cabin number assigned? Usually that message only appears when no cabin number is allocated. 

Yes -- we have a confirmed cabin.  But I now see that, elsewhere in "My Cunard," a "terminal arrival time" appears even though we haven't checked in.

[Pushpit]

13 minutes ago, aaaaa said:

Yes -- we have a confirmed cabin.  But I now see that, elsewhere in "My Cunard," a "terminal arrival time" appears even though we haven't checked in.

The screen on my.cunard can sometimes be slow, it defaults to "allocated close to sailing date" but then may update after a few seconds to something more meaningful.

 

If you have gone to get the boarding pass (which means you have checked in, hence I'm puzzled by the sentence above) you will get a block on the page with "Please arrive no earlier than..." and then the details.

[aaaaa]

The pier-arrival time shows in the "My Cunard" section (where the reservation details appear).  The message that "arrival time and terminal for boarding will be allocated close to sailing day" appears during the check-in process, immediately upon entering the "boarding pass" step (which I haven't completed yet).  But no worries here.  Thanks for your replies.

[Pushpit]

You only need to get the credit card into that check-in menu then the boarding pass should become available, the photo isn't essential. Once that happens then the boarding pass is crystal clear as to when you should be at the cruise terminal.

[Meliador]

On this topic, we took a hotel package from Cunard that includes porterage and transfers to Red Hook…does that mean that Cunard will pick the time? And will it be later? With another cruiseline, we took that type of  transfer only once, as we ended up boarding at about 3pm. We are sailing QG (Q5), in case this might make a difference. Thank you in advance for your insights! 

[Pushpit]

3 hours ago, Meliador said:

On this topic, we took a hotel package from Cunard that includes porterage and transfers to Red Hook…does that mean that Cunard will pick the time? And will it be later? With another cruiseline, we took that type of  transfer only once, as we ended up boarding at about 3pm. We are sailing QG (Q5), in case this might make a difference. Thank you in advance for your insights! 

As Grill passengers you are likely to have an earlier time, from what I've seen. I would expect it to be no later than 2pm and probably nearer 1pm, 1:30pm. At Red Hook a big factor is getting everyone off the ship, and the hold-up there is getting everyone, including any transit passengers, through the CBP checks. I've not personally had a hold up there, but they often get reported elsewhere. But either way you will get 3 weeks notice of the published time.

[Meliador]

Thank you Pushpit, much appreciated! This will be our first Cunard cruise, so I’m a little apprehensive. That being said, I learn so much through this forum, I don’t know where I would otherwise get all this info. Thank you again!! 

[BklynBoy8]

29 minutes ago, Meliador said:

This will be our first Cunard cruise, so I’m a little apprehensive. That being said, I learn so much through this forum, I don’t know where I would otherwise get all this info. Thank you again!! 

 

Cruise Critics is a valuable and informative forum with opinions, comments and suggestions from those "Newbies" and Veteran Cunarders with vast experience.

 

Being a Brooklynite and user many times of the BCT, I appreciate the closeness than in the past experiencing the Manhattan terminal.

 

Being a Grill passenger as we have in the past, you will have to experience the typical check in at the door of documents for the sailing, security both for your self and also the carry on luggage. Making those directing you in the Terminal after security aware of your status Grill (also viewing your paperwork) you will be directed to the Grill, Platinum, Diamond Check In Line. Totally separate from other passengers check in. True, if you arrive on that line, there maybe others of your status which maybe abit long. Compared to the other lines, these do move better. After your Document Check In you will be directed to the Grill Lounge to wait or directed to ship depending the number of passenger directed to avoid a pileup..

 

We do appreciate the BCT being close to home and not as the other terminals in the city with the size of other ships.

 

[Meliador]

Thank you @BklynBoy8! This was another unknown for us! That’s in part why we took the Cunard hotel/transfers this time…Just wanted to have less things to worry about, and have Cunard manage those for us. And this is also why I will do Luggage Forward 2 weeks ahead, as I don’t want to wrestle with my big suitcases of gowns and cocktail dresses (huge draw for us….the dress code on Cunard, which I am super excited about)!!