Past AOS cruisers... How was check-in at the pier in San Juan?

[QueensChick]

Just a few questions...

 

Generally, how early do they start boarding? How is the terminal set up? Are there comfortable waiting areas? How many steps in the check-in process? Did you line up by last name or deck number? Were there ample cruiseline employees giving clear directions? Any refreshments served while waiting?

 

 

This is my first Royal Caribbean cruise and I'm just wondering how things will be. Thanks in advance. Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."

-Marcus Aurelius Antonius

[Got2Cruise]

Queenschick, I am from Queens, too. We were on the 7/11 AOS. Checkin is simple. When you arrive at the pier, you give your luggage to a porter, keep your carryon. Then you go into the building, your carryon goes through security, and you show your documents. Then you go on the line according to your deck number. This is where you give your credit card and are given your sea passes. If the ship is ready, you can go right up to your cabin. If not, you wait in white patio chairs that are neatly lined up in sections. There is a lady in charge who runs things and nobody dares goes against what she says. ;) When the ship is ready for embarkation, the chairs are called in row order. After all the people in the chairs leave, then everyone after that goes directly from checkin to the ship. Most of the time they start allowing people on the ship around 1 p.m. Sometimes there is a problem with immigration and it takes longer for people to disembark. We had a wait, but they served lemonaid and cookies while we waited. There also are nice bathrooms in the terminal. Once you start to embark the ship the last thing you do is get your photo taken for security purposes. You are going to love the AOS.

[bphman]

It was awful!

 

We arrived at the pier around 12 since we had to check out of our hotel at that time. We waited for 2 gours in the broiling heat until they opened the doors and then it was a long wait to get in. We were close to the front of the line. We spoke to some who were in the back of the line and it took the over 2 hours to get in. Some people who arrived before us were able to wait inside and out of the heat. We finally got on the ship at 2:30. It would probably be better to arrive after 4 and walk right on.

 

People were still leaving the ship at 2 pm. We were told the delay was due to immigration problems but our waiter said there were a number of passengers with later flights who refused to leave the ship. I don't know what was the right story.

[Sea Island Lady]

We arrived at 10:15, third in line and were in the terminal by 11:00. Front row of chairs, first on board because of our JS suites. In the stateroom by 12:00 (this was before the new 1:00 rule).;)

[SeaBaby]

Our experience was more like Got2Cruise describes. We arrived at 12:00 and were allowed to board around 1:15. We sat in the white patio chairs until they were ready for us to board. Being Diamond members, we were allowed to board first (before they called by row), and DH and I were actually the very first two people up the escalator to the ship :D ! We've done 3 cruises on AOS and they were all pretty much similar experiences at the pier.

 

SeaBaby

[trbutler]

From what I have been reading it depends on which itin. you are on. If you are on the Barbados route it sounds like you get on a lot quicker since the Aruba route's last stop in St Thomas and they already cleared customs. So if you are on the Aruba route you have to wait for this group to clear customs before boarding.

[Got2Cruise]

We were on the Aruba itinerary. But it is not every time that there is a long wait. Our sailing also had the disaster in St. Thomas. It all depends on U.S. Customs and Immigration. I would say this. . .if you are flying in a day early then stay at the hotel, even if you have to check out and have them store your bags. But if you are going directly from the airport, there is nothing you can do, but hope for the best. After you get on the ship, have a drink or two, you won't even remember waiting on line, the ship takes your breath away.:)

[jrm9999]

I was on the Aruba route in June. We arrived a little after 11:00. There was a long line to get inside to check in and the doors were closed as they still had people getting off. I want to say that they started opening the doors around 12:30-1:00 to let people on.

 

While we had to wait in line, I am glad we got there when we did. We were relatively close to the front of the line which extended the entire length of the terminal building by the time they opened the doors.

[glentally]

Is there any possibility of checking your luggage with the porters before checking in? All of our luggage will have the RCL tags on them with our room #.We did that as soon as we got out of the cab in Tampa. That way all we had to deal with was the carryon.

 

Is there bars or restaurants within walking distance from the dock?

 

Glen

[Michele Noel]

I was on the AOS a year ago and there was a big mixup getting off the ship. The immigration was very slow and people could not get off the ship. They fed us lunch, pizza and sandwiches. Then we went to the pool and took a nap because we had been out late and had to vacate our cabins so early. I have never had lunch on disembarkation day so it was fun for us to stay onboard a little bit longer. When we finally got off at 2PM, there was a horrendous line of people waiting to get on the ship. The immigration was also awful in St. Thomas. It took us until 11:45 to get through the line at immigration and there was only one immigration officer on board to handle all of the people. The cruise is spectacular so enjoy.

[Kimi2]

We arrived at 10:15, third in line and were in the terminal by 11:00. Front row of chairs, first on board because of our JS suites. In the stateroom by 12:00 (this was before the new 1:00 rule).;)

 

We are in a JS on 1/23/05; do the JS get suite priority at check in? (I thought it was just the GS & higher?)

 

Thanks for your input.