New Boarding Times on Allure?

[kimber88]

We are boarding the Allure on Sunday and just received this email from our TA per Royal Caribbean.

 

Royal Caribbean International would like to provide the following times to better enhance the check in and boarding experience. Check-in at the terminal will take place between 12:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. We strongly encourage and recommend that guests arrive at the following designated times to limit queues and wait times.

 

Guests on decks 3, 10 & 14 should arrive for check in at 1:30 P.M.

Guests on deck 7 should arrive for check in at 2:00 P.M.

Guests on deck 11, & 12 should arrive for check in at 2:30 P.M.

Guests on deck 8 should arrive for check in at 2:45 P.M.

Guests on decks 6 & 9 should arrive for check in at 3:00 P.M.

 

Suite, Pinnacle, Diamond Plus, Diamond, Emerald and Platinum guests can check-in and board anytime at their convenience between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Additionally, any guest who purchased flights and/or transfers through Royal Caribbean International may check in anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Gold members are asked to refer to their assigned check-in time.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our guests, and thank them for their cooperation and understanding.

 

We are not in a suite and were planning to arrive around 11:00. We have to be out of our hotel by 11:00. What are we to do with luggage until 2:00? Has anyone encountered this information before? Thank you in advance for any advice offered.

[Clarea]

They are not enforcing boarding times. Go to the terminal whenever you want.

[dbali]

What is a "gold member"?

 

I bet they let you check in anyway.

[Clarea]

What is a "gold member"?

 

I bet they let you check in anyway.

A gold member is a past Royal cruiser.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I can't imagine why Royal would be starting this floor-by-floor check in process which appears to be much slower than than what they have been doing all along. For one thing, they should want as many folks on board as soon as possible so the passengers can start buying drinks, signing up for drinks packages and premium restaurants, etc.

 

I just can't see any advantage in slowing down the whole check-in process to make it more orderly when it seemed to work very well most of the time.

[kimber88]

Thank you all. I hope you are right. Otherwise, we will be sitting at the terminal, luggage in hand, waiting to board!

 

Leaving tomorrow . . . Ready to sail into paradise!!

[BobbyD]

This is new. I was on the July 4th week cruise and this was not the policy on that cruise. We were at the terminal at 10:45 and on the ship by 11:30. Enjoyed an extra day on the big lady!

[BillOh]

Thank you all. I hope you are right. Otherwise, we will be sitting at the terminal, luggage in hand, waiting to board!

 

Leaving tomorrow . . . Ready to sail into paradise!!

 

You should be able to drop off your luggage before you get to the point they find you are there to early, so worst case your just sitting. For the most part everyone who wants to be on by 1pm usually is. I've gotten on at 11:30 and 11:45 so far.

[bionicman97]

...Check-in at the terminal will take place between 12:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m....

 

That's a pretty broad range of time. I guess some people want to watch the ship as it arrives :D;):)

[sauvichick]

Ignore ignore ignore!

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

[04cruises]

They probably had a large group coming in. We had that happen on the Freedom once. 1800 jewelry sales people. Probably a one time thing.

[IrvSp]

We got off the Allure this Sun. We're Diamond and according to the e-mail can board at any time. Our DD and family traveling with us is Gold and we were all on Deck 9, 3PM boarding. TA told us not to worry, but C&A on the phone told us the decision to allow them to board with us would be up to the pier side support team. DD wanted to get the iPhones and they sold out fast. We arrived at 1PM so if they had to sit it would not be more than 2 hours. We ALL boarded with NO questions or delay (other than to get picture taken and kids wristband). I didn't see anyone 'forced' to sit and wait and boarding was fast. Too late to get the iPhones though, couple ahead of DD got the last ones.

 

Doesn't seem to be anything more than getting some people who adhere to that e-mail stretching out the boarding process more evenly?

[leisuretraveler223]

I wonder if they're at least trying to encourage people no to race to the port. I see so many reports around here of "I get there at 10:15" etc... Maybe they're just putting this out there to try and counter the trend.

 

Personally, I like to have a nice lunch on shore- get some fresh seafood, since I won't have any on board. And head to the port around 2pm. That way I can go straight to my room and unpack and get settled.

[FTLcruisers]

They are just trying to encourage people to come at different times rather than everyone showing up early. They will not prevent you from boarding no matter what time you show up.

 

Marianne

[LinnyLou23]

Kimber88 were you able to get on board early? I just received this same message (apparently this is how they do it now) and our transport is scheduled to drop us off at 12:30, but we aren't supposed to board until 3!! Definitely annoying as that an extra meal we didn't plan on spending money on… Called rc and can't get a straight answer about whether we'll be allowed to board which leads me to believe we will be. What was your experience?

[PCWalton1]

I wonder if they're at least trying to encourage people no to race to the port. I see so many reports around here of "I get there at 10:15" etc... Maybe they're just putting this out there to try and counter the trend.

 

Personally, I like to have a nice lunch on shore- get some fresh seafood, since I won't have any on board. And head to the port around 2pm. That way I can go straight to my room and unpack and get settled.

 

Personally I like getting on board as soon as I can since I am paying for that day. Can't see paying for a meal on shore when I have already paid for it on the ship.

[ryano]

Personally I like getting on board as soon as I can since I am paying for that day. Can't see paying for a meal on shore when I have already paid for it on the ship.

 

Totally agree. I get my fresh seafood fix the night before.

Edited November 5, 2014 by ryano

[debbs0723]

I'm going in 2 weeks and will arrive much earlier than 3pm which is the deck 9 time. First of all, it would seem completely unfair for others get early, while I've got to wait till 3. The first timers might fall for this. I am not. 😊

Edited November 7, 2014 by debbs0723

[just erica]

I am sailing on the FOS on Sunday and I got the same email yesterday. We had already booked our shuttle service to arrive at the terminal by 10:30/11:00am and I am not going to change it.

I posted this on our roll call board and they assured me that they will not enforce it so I am going with that!

[insidecabin]

They have been trying this in Southampton to try and ease congestion on the roads and in the terminals.(not just RCI)

 

Not heard of any enforcement

 

After the Oasis fiasco for the TA they need to spread people out in case there are delays starting boarding.

 

The issue is there are so many diamond suites and people with flights that those left that can/want to be flexible limit how many more will change to later times.

[emerald444]

we are boarding the allure on sunday and just received this email from our ta per royal caribbean.

 

Royal caribbean international would like to provide the following times to better enhance the check in and boarding experience. Check-in at the terminal will take place between 12:30 a.m. And 4:00 p.m. We strongly encourage and recommend that guests arrive at the following designated times to limit queues and wait times.

 

Guests on decks 3, 10 & 14 should arrive for check in at 1:30 p.m.

Guests on deck 7 should arrive for check in at 2:00 p.m.

Guests on deck 11, & 12 should arrive for check in at 2:30 p.m.

Guests on deck 8 should arrive for check in at 2:45 p.m.

Guests on decks 6 & 9 should arrive for check in at 3:00 p.m.

 

Suite, pinnacle, diamond plus, diamond, emerald and platinum guests can check-in and board anytime at their convenience between the hours of 11:30 a.m. And 3:00 p.m. Additionally, any guest who purchased flights and/or transfers through royal caribbean international may check in anytime between 11:30 a.m. And 3:00 p.m. Gold members are asked to refer to their assigned check-in time.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our guests, and thank them for their cooperation and understanding.

 

We are not in a suite and were planning to arrive around 11:00. We have to be out of our hotel by 11:00. What are we to do with luggage until 2:00? Has anyone encountered this information before? Thank you in advance for any advice offered.

 

just go check in when you want!

[True Texan]

I got the same message. 3 emails and 4 texts and one recorded message phone call all within 10 minutes. Supposed to board at 3:00 but will be there by 11:15.

[rusty nut]

My guess is that they've received way too many complaints about the Windjammer and other food venues backing up with guests. Spacing out the boarding times could alleviate some of the problems.

[CORKY_Q]

My guess is that they've received way too many complaints about the Windjammer and other food venues backing up with guests. Spacing out the boarding times could alleviate some of the problems.

 

I agree, we had a 3:00 boarding time when we cruised Allure in September. We were there at 11:20 and at 11:45 we were eating Roast Beef Sandwiches at Park Café.

 

I suggest that you ignore the info.

[Haber]

This thread was active in July and then again this week. So...is this only an occasional thing or just nobody commented Aug-Oct? I thought one of the bragging points of the Oasis class is that they can move people through that Ft Lauderdale terminal super quick so there wouldn't seem to be any need for this there. (Obviously not talking about the recent TA)

 

I know people are saying to just ignore the suggested time but I'm afraid between now and March they'll start enforcing.

 

We're a family of four on deck 9 (3:00 check in) who are going to get kicked out of our hotel at 11:00. I don't want to go for a "nice lunch" on shore, having to request a table for 8 to hold all our luggage. I don't want to be stuck checking in with the gamblers who booked Saturday flights, those who drove from 3 states away that morning and those who had snow delays from Friday.

 

I want to have lunch out of the way by 1:30, settle into our rooms, get on the zip line while there is no line up, go to the open house at the kids club to register them (ends at 3:30), find a good spot for sail away at 4:00 and calmly stroll down to our muster drill location for 4:30.

 

I don't think it's too much to ask that our cruise not start in a frenzied panic because we happened to get short end of the stick and don't even get on board until just before sail away time.