Early Boarding on Princess....is this something new?

I just read a review from someone on a Alaska Cruise on the Ruby & when checked in they were told that they could board right away as this was a new policy for Princess.

Here's what they mentioned, "There was a postcard in our cabin explaining that Princess was trying a new early boarding procedure, and that we should enjoy the ship, but understand that the stewards might still be getting our rooms ready."

Anyone heard or experienced this?

Tom😎

I just read a review from someone on a Alaska Cruise on the Ruby & when checked in they were told that they could board right away as this was a new policy for Princess.

Here's what they mentioned, "There was a postcard in our cabin explaining that Princess was trying a new early boarding procedure, and that we should enjoy the ship, but understand that the stewards might still be getting our rooms ready."

 

Anyone heard or experienced this?

Tom😎

Good news if it's true. I haven't heard anything about it yet.

Tony

Interesting. Hope you can provide the link for that review.

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There have been several times that we have boarded when our stateroom was not yet ready, but the boarding was at the normal starting times around noon.

I think what is new is that the overworked cabin stewards can no longer get all of the cabins ready by the normal boarding time.

I just read a review from someone on a Alaska Cruise on the Ruby & when checked in they were told that they could board right away as this was a new policy for Princess.

What time did they board? Was it any earlier than normal boarding time in the past?

Interesting. Hope you can provide the link for that review.

 

 

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http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2533305&page=2

Tom😎

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2533305&page=2

Tom

The cruiser thought they needed to wait until an assigned boarding time of 1 PM. To him/her, any time boarding before the suggested time of 1 PM was early.

What caught my eye was eating in a dinning room that normally doesn't open until 12 noon.

From my experiences they usually don't open the MDR until 12 noon.

Tom😎

The cruiser thought they needed to wait until an assigned boarding time of 1 PM. To him/her, any time boarding before the suggested time of 1 PM was early.

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They can only turn the ship around for embarkation and a zero count so fast.

I think 11:30 to noon for boarding is it.

So nothing new.

We have been able to sit down for embarkation lunch in the DR around at 11:45 a couple of times.

Usually the doors are closed until Noon as with any other meal times.

Normal hours are Noon to 1:30pm.

For the several times that we've gotten to the terminal early enough, passengers start walking aboard the ship at 11:30 every time. Previously, cabins would be ready by then. On our most recent cruise, February 2017 aboard the Ruby, there was a postcard denoting that the cabin may not be ready right away.

My take on it is that even with everyone out of the cabins by 8:00, it's not feasible for the stewards to do their entire job by 11:30 if it's not due to be done until 2:00 any other day. There could also be contention for resources that's just not easily solved except to spread out the refresh window past 11:30. So in a sense, they're just slipping ever so slightly from the previous "all will be ready by 11:30" plan.

Does anyone know if the cabin is not ready you can still leave your luggage there until it is?

What caught my eye was eating in a dinning room that normally doesn't open until 12 noon.

From my experiences they usually don't open the MDR until 12 noon.

Tom😎

Exactly! The MDR has never normally opened until NOON anyway.

Does anyone know if the cabin is not ready you can still leave your luggage there until it is?

Yes you can.

Does anyone know if the cabin is not ready you can still leave your luggage there until it is?

The few times that we have found the cabin not quite ready the room steward has always basically said: "Go ahead and leave the luggage. I am almost done." I think he may just finish off the cabin at that point because we showed up even though he is doing several at one time. So to answer your question, yes. :)

Exactly! The MDR has never normally opened until NOON anyway.

On embarkation day we have shown up at around 11:45 on more than one occasion and they let us in and seated us. We were not the first to arrive as others were already seated in the dining room.

Sorry to be a party pooper but when Emerald Princess docked in Vancouver early May after a 35 day trip I would imagine 50% of passengers and crew had had or still had the Upper Respiratory/throat infection.I caught it twice.

Am against early boarding because I personally feel they do not have time and employees to sanitize the ship thoroughly.

Yes I know passengers and crew can bring infections on board but at least there is a better chance that the current on board infection maybe eradicated.

Sorry to be a party pooper but when Emerald Princess docked in Vancouver early May after a 35 day trip I would imagine 50% of passengers and crew had had or still had the Upper Respiratory/throat infection.I caught it twice.

Am against early boarding because I personally feel they do not have time and employees to sanitize the ship thoroughly.

Yes I know passengers and crew can bring infections on board but at least there is a better chance that the current on board infection maybe eradicated.

Good Point !

May lead to taking short cuts in cabin preparation ?

Sorry to be a party pooper but when Emerald Princess docked in Vancouver early May after a 35 day trip I would imagine 50% of passengers and crew had had or still had the Upper Respiratory/throat infection.I caught it twice.

Am against early boarding because I personally feel they do not have time and employees to sanitize the ship thoroughly.

Yes I know passengers and crew can bring infections on board but at least there is a better chance that the current on board infection maybe eradicated.

I think you're confusing "delayed boarding due to deep cleaning for norovirus outbreaks" with "variations on exactly what to expect when initially boarding the ship at the 'usual' time". Yes, occasionally there's a norovirus outbreak, and if that happens, all boarding is delayed a few hours while they deep clean public areas of the ship. However, when there isn't a norovirus outbreak, some people are reporting that all cabins are ready by 11:30, and some are reporting that postcards let them know that their cabin won't be ready right at 11:30.

I think you're confusing "delayed boarding due to deep cleaning for norovirus outbreaks" with "variations on exactly what to expect when initially boarding the ship at the 'usual' time". Yes, occasionally there's a norovirus outbreak, and if that happens, all boarding is delayed a few hours while they deep clean public areas of the ship. However, when there isn't a norovirus outbreak, some people are reporting that all cabins are ready by 11:30, and some are reporting that postcards let them know that their cabin won't be ready right at 11:30.

This was not a norovirus outbreak.It was a very nasty debilitating Upper Respiratory Chest Infection...Sore throat then cough which can make one throw up.Medical Department overflowing with passengers.

What would all of you prefer early embarkation or later with a thorough cleansing?

This was not a norovirus outbreak.It was a very nasty debilitating Upper Respiratory Chest Infection...Sore throat then cough which can make one throw up.Medical Department overflowing with passengers.

What would all of you prefer early embarkation or later with a thorough cleansing?

Neither - I'd prefer you stayed on-topic for what the thread is about. No denying that you had a cough, but that's not what we're discussing here.

Neither - I'd prefer you stayed on-topic for what the thread is about. No denying that you had a cough, but that's not what we're discussing here.

Two points:

1. Oooo--a topic policeman. Do you shop all the threads to make sure they are on topic?

2. Besides, it seems to me this is part of the topic--reasons why there may be a delay boarding.

One does occasionally get a party pooper joining a thread.I have been around a while so;p;p to party pooper.

Oh dear now I am honestly off the thread:D

I was on a Celebrity cruise and do let you get on the ship around 10:30 but, your room is not ready till 2 or 3.

I think the typical 11:00/noon is reasonable. Too early, like someone else said, could result in rushed cabin turnaround, which could result in more germs. Too late, well that's just not fun. 11:00/noon is a good compromise.

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