The issue seems to have been getting that request to the ship/steward. Not sure calling will make that process any more reliable than the previous online option where the feedback suggests it didn't get to them very often.
The entry ones at Bayonne I described were removed pre-COVID. With the COVID check in protocols, even sorta back to normal now, it’s just not possible to do what was happening in Bayonne back then.
You have the right link - instead of giving you that error, that stuck swirl might be the new norm when RU is not available (for a variety of reasons).
If you know for sure you'll buy $x amount of stuff in the planner, buy that much OBC. Then, if you need to cancel/re-buy because prices went down, you don't have to wait as the OBC is immediately available upon cancellation.
If you tell the staff directing traffic at toward the head of line (stay in left lane), they may let you cut through the alternate drop off lane (to skip the regular drop off line).
Not sure if other ports had it, but pre-COVID in Bayonne, they had facial recognition to help the check in staff. As you walked by the unit, it prompted the check in person about 30 ft ahead and pulled up your details. That's when 10 min from car to ship was a normal thing.
Unlikely, the equipment is probably similar but reception within the ship could vary wildly. Unlike on land where the hand off between cell towers is pretty good when you move, around the ship that may not be the case.