VIP checkin in Galveston

[sailor_jimc]

Does anyone know if they have changed the VIP check in proceedure in Galveston? It been a couple of years since we sailed from there and I have been hearing that there is no seperate line for VIP until you are well into the terminal.

 

Any VIPs able to share their experience with me so I know what to expect?

[*Mach*]

I am Platinum and sail from Galveston frequently. There have been few real changes. Check in for VIPs is pretty lame.

Once at the cruise terminal you proceed up the same escalator as everyone else. At the top you wind through some of those dumb movie theater like retractable tape barrier and come to a spot that says VIP. You get to wait in an area that's literally just a hallway with chairs for a dozen or so folks lining the walls. Most of us had to stand. When they decide you can move on you go to VIP security check and on to the VIP check in. It's a small, cramped room with seats for perhaps ten people where you fill out your health form and wait to be called to check in by the one or two folks assigned to do that function. It's slow, it's uncomfortable. I've had a number of my non-VIP friend make it through check in before me.

Once clear of all that you go to the far end of the room, park in the VIP area and wait to board. Wedding parties board first followed by guest who need assistance and then VIPs.

The good news is that with the changes coming to accommodate the Carnival Magic all this is supposed to change for the better.

:)

[sailor_jimc]

Thanks Mach!

 

That doesn't sound optimal. Not much better than Long Beach. There you get to go check in at the VIP check in room. Which is nice, but then you go sit with everyone else waiting for boarding. Good news was at least they called VIPs (after weddings and needs assistance) and you weren't left to fight your way on with the crowd, but still...

 

I'm going to be there next week... I'll let you know if anything has changed yet.

[LHP]

We have only cruised out of there once..... and it was not the best situation.

 

It was HOT and the line outside was all the way to that Seafood Restaurant.

[*Mach*]

Thanks Mach!

 

That doesn't sound optimal. Not much better than Long Beach. There you get to go check in at the VIP check in room. Which is nice, but then you go sit with everyone else waiting for boarding. Good news was at least they called VIPs (after weddings and needs assistance) and you weren't left to fight your way on with the crowd, but still...

 

I'm going to be there next week... I'll let you know if anything has changed yet.

 

 

Great! I'd really like to hear from you about this. Also, take a peek around the terminal for any signs of new construction! They supposed to have already started work on the changes for the Magic...

:)

[Soonerbaby]

What changes are those? And, since you have traveled from Galveston far more than I have, please tell me what time to get to the terminal so our wait is minimal. :) We tried to be there by 10:30 last time, but someone else beat us to the early shuttle, so we got there around 11:00 or so, and the line was sooooooooooo long by then.

[*Mach*]

What changes are those? And, since you have traveled from Galveston far more than I have, please tell me what time to get to the terminal so our wait is minimal. :) We tried to be there by 10:30 last time, but someone else beat us to the early shuttle, so we got there around 11:00 or so, and the line was sooooooooooo long by then.

 

 

The largest physical change will be a new gangway. The current one can't accommodate the Magic... same problem we had in New York with the Dream.

On the interior the report is an additional escalator to handle VIP traffic. Currently, VIPs aren't separated until you're rather far into the terminal making VIP embark little different than general embark.

As for time to arrive... no later than 10:30. Folks get to the cruise terminal early! I prefer 10 AM, that's when the doors open...

:)

[Soonerbaby]

The largest physical change will be a new gangway. The current one can't accommodate the Magic... same problem we had in New York with the Dream.

 

On the interior the report is an additional escalator to handle VIP traffic. Currently, VIPs aren't separated until you're rather far into the terminal making VIP embark little different than general embark.

 

As for time to arrive... no later than 10:30. Folks get to the cruise terminal early! I prefer 10 AM, that's when the doors open...

 

:)

 

Awesome! Thanks!

[JRock59]

The largest physical change will be a new gangway. The current one can't accommodate the Magic... same problem we had in New York with the Dream.

 

On the interior the report is an additional escalator to handle VIP traffic. Currently, VIPs aren't separated until you're rather far into the terminal making VIP embark little different than general embark.

 

As for time to arrive... no later than 10:30. Folks get to the cruise terminal early! I prefer 10 AM, that's when the doors open...

 

:)

 

 

LOVED the VIP when we went on the Destiny out of Miami in February 2010. When you got to the main door going into the building and showed your VIP status on the boarding pass you were directed to a line that took you straight up to the security screening. The screeners took you ahead of everyone once you got there. And the VIP check in area up stairs was 2 nice size rooms. They were already boarding when we got there so not sure where they seat you if you need to wait. Would like to see Galveston do something like this.

But Galveston has Debarkation over Miami VIP's got off first but had to wait wait at a baggage turn table for our bags and than get in the same lines as the folks taking their own luggage off even with a porter. No lines for the porters only or for those with passports it was a mess.

[usrbphi]

Galveston is the worst for VIP's. We were on the Conquest in Feb that spent the night in port due to fog. We had to sit in the "VIP" waiting area for 5 hours waiting to board due to the ship arriving late due to fog. Only seating is hard chairs. No refreshments of any kind. Hope they improve before March bloggers cruise.

[misguidedangel]

I went thorugh Galveston in February of 2008. The VIP boarding was relatively quick and painless, but it was probably becausde we were there at 10-1030am to check in and there was only a small line upo. I said we were VIP and we were walked to a scanner and bumped everyone else out of the way and then up to the office to check in and luckily they were just finishing up with a wedding party (all decked out in gowns n such) and then we walked the long walk to the end of the terminal to wait with the other VIP's and special boarding. The only difference between the non-vip and vip was the posted barriers they put up between the rows of seats for non-vip and vip. They held the wedding party in the office and as soon as they got the word they let the VIP's on. We were onboard at 1115am.

 

Long Beach--I agree, the VIP office is nice, but you still have to wait outside the dome to get onboard and then they line up the VIP's. I stayed overnight at the Queen Mary so I was there and checking in early. Unfortunately I didn't get the email that a crew check was going to be done and that boarding would be a little delayed...The last people walked off shortly after noon and they let us in the building to board at 1230. It took a good 15-20 minutes to clear security and then up to the gangway I went.....I must admit, there wasn't much space to wait and concrete can be hard on the butt......

 

I'll be on the Magic at the end of November, so hope everything is completed..

[sailor_jimc]

Ok Mach, here is what I observed from our Conquest cruise last week-

 

We did get there as early as possible. (10:15 I think).

 

We walked down to the end of the terminal building and into the entrance. We showed our VIP fun passes to the person in front of the security checkpoint lines and she directed us into the VIP rope line entrance. (but we could have walked right up to the scanners since there really wasn't anyone in the general boarding area at the time) Once we got to the xray scanner the lines seemed to merge again but I can't be certain since there were so few people there. They may do a thing were the run the VIP people through the xray line as a priority over general boarding when there is a crowd, but I don't know. It may end up to be a VIP only xray scanner. All this happened on the first floor (last time we were there we didn't go through a xray check until we got upstairs). After XRAY they put the merged general/VIP people on the same escalator to go upstairs but I did notice a newer/second escalator behind the xray machine at the end of the VIP entrance line. Maybe that will be for VIPs in the near future. At the top of the escalator, the VIPs were sat in a large room seperate from the general boarding people as check in had not opened yet. After about 15 mins of waiting there they called us out and sent us to the check in area. The check in area was on the other side of where the general boarding people were waiting, so this put all the VIPs behind the non VIPs... it didn't make much sense to me but since there were not that many people yet it did not seem to make much difference. and if we had not been there before check in had opened they may have sent over to the VIP check in desk anyway. There were only 4 groups of VIPs and we were the second ones to make it to the VIP check in office. (very small waiting room here). Once they checked us in and gave us our S&S cards we were told to walk down to the VIP waiting area until boarding started. I was expecting the little hallway you described, but found they had built a new walled off area where we sat and waited for boarding. It was obviously recently built since the drywall had not been painted yet and the doors were still missing knobs. But it was a large area that sat all the VIPs that showed up after us. There were a couple of wedding parties that got put on and then they sent the VIPs on board. I think we were on the ship by 11:30.

 

However, it was obvious they had started making changes for the Magic. The VIP waiting area was one and they were working on the gangway entrance area (no new gangway yet). Assuming the gangway shows up on time, I saw no reason why it would not be ready by November.

 

So in short it was obvious they were in the middle of making changes. VIP boarding does look like it is changing over how you described it, but it was hard to say how much it will change. BUT from what I saw I want to believe they were setting up to have a completely separate VIP line ala Port Canavreal which would be sweet as that is how it should be set up. We will have to wait until the Magic gets here to find out though.

[*Mach*]

Ok Mach, here is what I observed from our Conquest cruise last week-

 

We did get there as early as possible. (10:15 I think).

 

We walked down to the end of the terminal building and into the entrance. We showed our VIP fun passes to the person in front of the security checkpoint lines and she directed us into the VIP rope line entrance. (but we could have walked right up to the scanners since there really wasn't anyone in the general boarding area at the time) Once we got to the xray scanner the lines seemed to merge again but I can't be certain since there were so few people there. They may do a thing were the run the VIP people through the xray line as a priority over general boarding when there is a crowd, but I don't know. It may end up to be a VIP only xray scanner. All this happened on the first floor (last time we were there we didn't go through a xray check until we got upstairs). After XRAY they put the merged general/VIP people on the same escalator to go upstairs but I did notice a newer/second escalator behind the xray machine at the end of the VIP entrance line. Maybe that will be for VIPs in the near future. At the top of the escalator, the VIPs were sat in a large room seperate from the general boarding people as check in had not opened yet. After about 15 mins of waiting there they called us out and sent us to the check in area. The check in area was on the other side of where the general boarding people were waiting, so this put all the VIPs behind the non VIPs... it didn't make much sense to me but since there were not that many people yet it did not seem to make much difference. and if we had not been there before check in had opened they may have sent over to the VIP check in desk anyway. There were only 4 groups of VIPs and we were the second ones to make it to the VIP check in office. (very small waiting room here). Once they checked us in and gave us our S&S cards we were told to walk down to the VIP waiting area until boarding started. I was expecting the little hallway you described, but found they had built a new walled off area where we sat and waited for boarding. It was obviously recently built since the drywall had not been painted yet and the doors were still missing knobs. But it was a large area that sat all the VIPs that showed up after us. There were a couple of wedding parties that got put on and then they sent the VIPs on board. I think we were on the ship by 11:30.

 

However, it was obvious they had started making changes for the Magic. The VIP waiting area was one and they were working on the gangway entrance area (no new gangway yet). Assuming the gangway shows up on time, I saw no reason why it would not be ready by November.

 

So in short it was obvious they were in the middle of making changes. VIP boarding does look like it is changing over how you described it, but it was hard to say how much it will change. BUT from what I saw I want to believe they were setting up to have a completely separate VIP line ala Port Canavreal which would be sweet as that is how it should be set up. We will have to wait until the Magic gets here to find out though.

 

 

Excellent, James! Thanks so much for the report. It seems like things may be improving over there. Good news!

:)