Early boarding fee on Carnival - Princess far behind?

[kywildcatfanone]

The point some of us are making is that even if you paid $50 to board with the Platinum/Elite, you're still boarding at the same time as hundreds of other people. There's little or no difference or benefit other than you board a few minutes before general boarding. You're still with the masses. As for priority tendering, all it does is avoid getting a tender ticket. You still get in the back of the line with the masses. After my Star cruise last March, there were so many Platinum/Elite with priority disembarkation that they had to make a second lounge available (with no coffee or anything other than a place to sit) and there were still Platinum/Elite milling around outside the lounges, unable to get in. Absolutely no benefit there.

 

It's a false notion that getting on or off the ship with priority at embarkation, disembarkation or tendering means you avoid crowds, stress or anxiety. This is why, IMHO, there's no benefit to Princess following suit nor would it be worth spending your money. It's nice to be able to say you have it but the reality and my personal experience says otherwise.

 

My point is they could very easily, for a fee, push back elite/platinum boarding and have an earlier class of boarding for a fee, and then elite/platinum, etc. They still keep their Captains Circle privilege intact (sort of), and Princess increases revenue... Wouldn't surprise me a bit in the fee hungry travel world....

 

Mike

[travelbaybee]

Wow...amazing. ANYTHING to make a buck! Corporations. Sigh. Thanks for the info!

[Astro Flyer]

Most of my Princess priority boardings begin around 11:30 with others reporting that after about 1:00 there are rarely any lines, so for those who worry about waiting for several hours it's not routine & probably caused by a problem with boarding procedures.

 

Princess & Carnival are both CCL companies but are managed differently & marketed to different clientele so I'm doubtful this would be implemented on Princess with so many frequent repeat passengers. They're both owned by CCL yet something as simple as cabin availability is much different...immediately on Princess & after 1:00 on Carnival. Wine & champagne policy is different, repeat passenger benefits are different & there's a long list of other differences between Princess & Carnival.

 

Obviously it 'could' happen but think the chances of it happening on Princess are 'slim & none'.

[tarheelmjfan]

The point some of us are making is that even if you paid $50 to board with the Platinum/Elite, you're still boarding at the same time as hundreds of other people. There's little or no difference or benefit other than you board a few minutes before general boarding. You're still with the masses. As for priority tendering, all it does is avoid getting a tender ticket. You still get in the back of the line with the masses. After my Star cruise last March, there were so many Platinum/Elite with priority disembarkation that they had to make a second lounge available (with no coffee or anything other than a place to sit) and there were still Platinum/Elite milling around outside the lounges, unable to get in. Absolutely no benefit there.

 

It's a false notion that getting on or off the ship with priority at embarkation, disembarkation or tendering means you avoid crowds, stress or anxiety. This is why, IMHO, there's no benefit to Princess following suit nor would it be worth spending your money. It's nice to be able to say you have it but the reality and my personal experience says otherwise.

 

Not to start an argument, but this is assuming those paying $50 to board early would be boarding with Plat./Elite/suite passengers. In that case, it would be a waste of money. All we can do it speculate, but I seriously doubt they would try to sell early boarding like this. It's much more likely that those paying for the excursion would board first. Boarding 40 to 50 people first wouldn't make that big of an impact on others boarding. Having to board with 400 to 500 people would make the excursion a very difficult sell. If they decide to implement this on Princess, they'll realize they need to make the benefit worth the price. By boarding those paying extra first, they may even get some of the Plat./Elite/suite passengers to pay the extra also. It would make absolutely no sense at all to board these people with the Plat./Elite/suite passengers. If the purpose is to bring in extra revenue, this would result in a major fail. As for this not being necessary on Princess, those who don't get priority boarding otherwise may disagree.

[tarheelmjfan]

My point is they could very easily, for a fee, push back elite/platinum boarding and have an earlier class of boarding for a fee, and then elite/platinum, etc. They still keep their Captains Circle privilege intact (sort of), and Princess increases revenue... Wouldn't surprise me a bit in the fee hungry travel world....

 

Mike

 

I agree. This scenario is much more likely, if Princess introduces this on their ships.

[Wehwalt]

Not to start an argument, but this is assuming those paying $50 to board early would be boarding with Plat./Elite/suite passengers. In that case, it would be a waste of money. All we can do it speculate, but I seriously doubt they would try to sell early boarding like this. It's much more likely that those paying for the excursion would board first. Boarding 40 to 50 people first wouldn't make that big of an impact on others boarding. Having to board with 400 to 500 people would make the excursion a very difficult sell. If they decide to implement this on Princess, they'll realize they need to make the benefit worth the price. By boarding those paying extra first, they may even get some of the Plat./Elite/suite passengers to pay the extra also. It would make absolutely no sense at all to board these people with the Plat./Elite/suite passengers. If the purpose is to bring in extra revenue, this would result in a major fail. As for this not being necessary on Princess, those who don't get priority boarding otherwise may disagree.

 

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that they limited it to 50, did it out of the sight of other passengers, and allowed only Plat/Elite/suite to book restaurants and deck chairs until 2 p.m. Would it still be an issue if they were physically boarded ahead of other passengers? If they don't make a production of it?

[1 HappyCruiser]

My point is they could very easily, for a fee, push back elite/platinum boarding and have an earlier class of boarding for a fee, and then elite/platinum, etc. They still keep their Captains Circle privilege intact (sort of), and Princess increases revenue... Wouldn't surprise me a bit in the fee hungry travel world....

 

Mike

 

Even IF Princess decided to initiate the early boarding idea and allowed then to board before the Elites & Platinum's what would people actually do? The cabins aren't ready until around 11 AM, the lunch doesn't start before 11:30 at the buffet & noon in the dining room. Unless you're wearing your bathing suit under your clothing there's not much doing.

[CRUZER2012]

You may be right, but never say never. Besides if it should happen on Princess which I suspect is unlikely, priority boarding will stay intact with early boarding. You could still be considered as priority boarding after early boarding and before everyone else.

 

My point is they could very easily, for a fee, push back elite/platinum boarding and have an earlier class of boarding for a fee, and then elite/platinum, etc. They still keep their Captains Circle privilege intact (sort of), and Princess increases revenue... Wouldn't surprise me a bit in the fee hungry travel world....

 

Mike

 

 

And that was my point.

[CRUZER2012]

Wow...amazing. ANYTHING to make a buck! Corporations. Sigh. Thanks for the info!

 

 

I think the ultimate is an airline that charges for checked and also for carry-on luggage. :eek:

[Pia1913]

I think the ultimate is an airline that charges for checked and also for carry-on luggage. :eek:

 

 

 

They seem to be getting away with it. Assume you mean Spirit.

[CRUZER2012]

Not to start an argument, but this is assuming those paying $50 to board early would be boarding with Plat./Elite/suite passengers. In that case, it would be a waste of money. All we can do it speculate, but I seriously doubt they would try to sell early boarding like this. It's much more likely that those paying for the excursion would board first. Boarding 40 to 50 people first wouldn't make that big of an impact on others boarding. Having to board with 400 to 500 people would make the excursion a very difficult sell. If they decide to implement this on Princess, they'll realize they need to make the benefit worth the price. By boarding those paying extra first, they may even get some of the Plat./Elite/suite passengers to pay the extra also. It would make absolutely no sense at all to board these people with the Plat./Elite/suite passengers. If the purpose is to bring in extra revenue, this would result in a major fail. As for this not being necessary on Princess, those who don't get priority boarding otherwise may disagree.

 

 

Did I miss something?

One of the major differences, in this context, between Carnival and Princess is that when a Princess passenger boards, they can go directly to their made-up cabin. On Carnival, passengers board, but must wait for a time period before they can go to their made-up cabin.

The early boarding on Carnival, I thought, was a paid privilege of boarding first and being able to go to your made-up cabin. This is something not currently available on Carnival.

[CRUZER2012]

They seem to be getting away with it. Assume you mean Spirit.

 

 

Your assumption is correct.

I should have known one of my Royal buddies would know this.

[tarheelmjfan]

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that they limited it to 50, did it out of the sight of other passengers, and allowed only Plat/Elite/suite to book restaurants and deck chairs until 2 p.m. Would it still be an issue if they were physically boarded ahead of other passengers? If they don't make a production of it?

 

There will always be someone who will complain. Hopefully, most people would eventually understand it's a business decision not personal. Everyone would be free to book the excursion, if it was that important to them for no one to board the ship prior to them. That said, if they didn't allow those booking excursions to book special dining, Sanctuary, etc., when they board, that would remove a lot of the value of the excursion. It would then be a difficult sell & most likely fail. They definitely wouldn't get any Plat./Elite/suite passengers to book the excursion. We would still consider it only to save my knees from standing in line. I doubt most people would.

 

Did I miss something?

 

One of the major differences, in this context, between Carnival and Princess is that when a Princess passenger boards, they can go directly to their made-up cabin. On Carnival, passengers board, but must wait for a time period before they can go to their made-up cabin.

 

The early boarding on Carnival, I thought, was a paid privilege of boarding first and being able to go to your made-up cabin. This is something not currently available on Carnival.

 

 

 

If there was more to the excursion than getting into your cabin early, it could be an easy sell. Like I said, we would consider it, because of my knee & back problems. For most people, they would probably need to allow those booking the excursion to book dining, Sanctuary, etc., as soon as they board. Otherwise, people wouldn't see the value in paying extra for the excursion. One could board first, take care of booking those things that have to be booked onboard, then go to lunch. Personally, I think an excursion like this would most likely sell out on every cruise that isn't dominated by platinum & elite passengers like the repositioning cruises seem to be.

[mr green]

A several months back, Princess was trying out boarding the ship by deck, IMO a disaster. Lets not fool about any more with new boarding suggestions, since Princess knows much better than we, how to foul things up!:rolleyes:

 

john

[kywildcatfanone]

Even IF Princess decided to initiate the early boarding idea and allowed then to board before the Elites & Platinum's what would people actually do? The cabins aren't ready until around 11 AM, the lunch doesn't start before 11:30 at the buffet & noon in the dining room. Unless you're wearing your bathing suit under your clothing there's not much doing.

 

If I read the article right, for folks that purchase this on Carnival, their cabins are available, it's part of the "excursion". I'm sure if this idea came to Princess and they boarded early, their cabins would be ready, and food would be available to these boarding early. You have to get something for the cost of boarding early.

 

Mike

[bdjam]

One of the major differences, in this context, between Carnival and Princess is that when a Princess passenger boards, they can go directly to their made-up cabin. On Carnival, passengers board, but must wait for a time period before they can go to their made-up cabin.

 

The early boarding on Carnival, I thought, was a paid privilege of boarding first and being able to go to your made-up cabin. This is something not currently available on Carnival.

That's how I read it too - those who board Carnival ships may not be able to immediately go to their cabins. With this system, Carnival will know which cabins to make up first and people who buy it will be able to go directly to their cabins. You can already do this without extra charge on Princess - so I don't see any reason for them to go along with this policy.

 

There are some things I wouldn't pay extra for. Boarding a plane early is one of them. I can sit & wait to board a plane.

Don't knock it until you've tried it - it is so much easier to get on a plane and get carry on luggage, etc. situated when there's no one standing in the way waiting for someone else to do the same so they can get to their seat. And any time I've paid extra to "board early" I've also gotten extra perks - like legroom, food choices, etc.

[tarheelmjfan]

Don't knock it until you've tried it - it is so much easier to get on a plane and get carry on luggage, etc. situated when there's no one standing in the way waiting for someone else to do the same so they can get to their seat. And any time I've paid extra to "board early" I've also gotten extra perks - like legroom, food choices, etc.

 

Oh, I'm not knocking. It doesn't matter to me either way. If someone wants to pay more to board early, more power to them. It's just not something I'm personally willing to pay for. OTOH, if I could board a ship early, & be first in line for Chef's table, & other things that you can only book onboard, I'd happily give them my money. IMHO, options are a good thing. We can choose what's important to us, & pass are the things that aren't.

[swedish weave]

I wouldn't pay for early boarding !! As long as I am on the ship before it sails, I will keep the fifty bucks in my pocket !!

 

Priority anything is nice, but not worth the price !

[jnky]

Coming to Princess as a newbie this November, this is an interesting thread to me...to note the differences in cruiselines within the same Parent Company. I had the same experience when sailing HAL for my first cruise and then Carnival for my second. Big difference.

As it turns out, I booked the Imagination for September 10 this afternoon, which is one of the ships for this pilot program, and yes...I jumped at the chance to not have to stand in line, schlep luggage all over the place, and be able to get to my cabin immediately. 50 bucks for the both of us? It was a no brainer at this point with one more cruise to go to attain Platinum.

When you book your cruise, this program is actually classified as an excursion, which is where you book it. It's capacity controlled, so when whatever magical quota is met, that's it.

I'll let you know how it goes !

 

Cheers!

JNP

[1 HappyCruiser]

That's how I read it too - those who board Carnival ships may not be able to immediately go to their cabins. With this system, Carnival will know which cabins to make up first and people who buy it will be able to go directly to their cabins. You can already do this without extra charge on Princess - so I don't see any reason for them to go along with this policy.

 

 

 

Maybe Carnival doesn't have their cabins prepared as quickly as Princess but as I see it, it's a total waste of money since we're always on the ship before 11:30 anyway.

Food on Princess can't be prepared any sooner than 11:30 unless they want to let you eat breakfast before they cleanup for lunch. :D

Now considering the staggered boarding they had at SF a few months ago I think a few people might have sprung for it in that situation.

[Stevesan]

No, 12 cruises all with Princess. I started the thread just to show that cruise lines are getting creative about fees, since the airlines have made billions from it.

Also, to assume that "it's not necessary on Princess" is based upon Princess' current policy about boarding, but we all know that changes can be implemented rather quickly if there is revenue to be made.

My point is simply that the Carnival Corporation is looking for more ways to earn money, and if they are successful with this on Carnival and view it as a moneymaker, they will figure out how to implement it on other brands including Princess.

 

Mike

 

I book mostly independent shorex, so I guess I'd pay a fee for early tender boarding.

[Jana60]

I was waiting on things like this to start... I searched but didn't see it posted on the Princess forum. Anyone heard of this happening on Princess?

Mike

 

Looks like they are just "purchasing" VIP status for purposes of boarding and tenders but the Carnival site says they will still board AFTER platinum and diamond guests. I will be platinum on my next cruise so I guess I already paid for my "faster to the fun" "excursion" on my other 9 carnival cruises! :p

[Jana60]

What I'm referring to is our latest booking; Carnival Imagination for Sept. 3rd. It's only four nights, but nobody even mentioned or offered the option of an additional fee which is listed above in the OP article. I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that we have more than ten Carnival cruises, even though the last one was way back in 2006.

 

Yes. It would be stupid for you to PAY to get what you are already getting and you will get priority over even the people who take this "excursion". The site says they are limiting the number of people who can take this "excursion" AND that they will still board, tender, etc.... AFTER platinum and diamond guests. So if you are just dying to give them an Extra $50 just head for the Casino! :D

[Astro Flyer]

Looks like they are just "purchasing" VIP status for purposes of boarding and tenders but the Carnival site says they will still board AFTER platinum and diamond guests. I will be platinum on my next cruise so I guess I already paid for my "faster to the fun" "excursion" on my other 9 carnival cruises! :p

Thanks for that info which is how I thought it would be handled. The airlines don't board those paying for 'priority' ahead of their high level FF passengers so I didn't expect Carnival to put those paying ahead of their loyal frequent passengers.

[tarheelmjfan]

Yes. It would be stupid for you to PAY to get what you are already getting and you will get priority over even the people who take this "excursion". The site says they are limiting the number of people who can take this "excursion" AND that they will still board, tender, etc.... AFTER platinum and diamond guests. So if you are just dying to give them an Extra $50 just head for the Casino! :D

 

In that case, I agree with most posters here. That would be a very difficult sell on Princess. IMO, they would need to change that for an excursion like this to sell well.