To enhance your check-in and boarding experience......

[yankee 7]

To anyone's knowledge, is this being enforced? I am not happy about this and I have never not been happy about anything do with my Celebrity cruising experience. Within a span of 2-3 minutes, I received an automated phone call, a text message, and an email.

 

Thanks, Steve

 

Hello, this is Celebrity Cruises. We would like to provide you with important information regarding your sailing on November 15, 2014, onboard Celebrity Reflection. To enhance your check-in and boarding experience, we ask that you arrive to the terminal based on your assigned decks. 12:00 to 12:30 PM = Deck 14, Deck 12, & Deck 11; 12:30 to 1:00 PM = Deck 10; 1:00 to 1:30 PM = Deck 9; 1:30 to 2:00 PM = Deck 8; 2:00 to 2:30 PM = Deck 7; 2:30 to 3:00 PM = Deck 6 & Deck 3. We invite our Suites, Zenith, Aqua, and Elite Plus guests to arrive anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Reflection.

[WpgCruise]

We've had some really long drawn out check in lines, and perhaps Celebrity is trying to stagger check in to make it quicker.

 

Another possibility is the ship may be going through an inspection limiting the resources available to process people.

 

While I appreciate it may frustrate some not to be able to be first on sometimes a little patience goes a long way in making the process easier for all of us.

 

But then again, we're Cruise Critics and those rules...........well really they're for the "Wee People":) So what if they have to wait because we show up in their check in time, right ?

[riandei]

To anyone's knowledge, is this being enforced? I am not happy about this and I have never not been happy about anything do with my Celebrity cruising experience. Within a span of 2-3 minutes, I received an automated phone call, a text message, and an email.

 

Thanks, Steve

 

Hello, this is Celebrity Cruises. We would like to provide you with important information regarding your sailing on November 15, 2014, onboard Celebrity Reflection. To enhance your check-in and boarding experience, we ask that you arrive to the terminal based on your assigned decks. 12:00 to 12:30 PM = Deck 14, Deck 12, & Deck 11; 12:30 to 1:00 PM = Deck 10; 1:00 to 1:30 PM = Deck 9; 1:30 to 2:00 PM = Deck 8; 2:00 to 2:30 PM = Deck 7; 2:30 to 3:00 PM = Deck 6 & Deck 3. We invite our Suites, Zenith, Aqua, and Elite Plus guests to arrive anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Reflection.

 

interesting for people flying in from out of town and coming from the airport... which is just about everyone

[yankee 7]

We've had some really long drawn out check in lines, and perhaps Celebrity is trying to stagger check in to make it quicker.

 

Another possibility is the ship may be going through an inspection limiting the resources available to process people.

 

While I appreciate it may frustrate some not to be able to be first on sometimes a little patience goes a long way in making the process easier for all of us.

 

But then again, we're Cruise Critics and those rules...........well really they're for the "Wee People":) So what if they have to wait because we show up in their check in time, right ?

 

Interesting the order of the staggering, though......

[jelayne]

Have had this before at ports that are or can be congested & little space for passengers such as Southampton.

 

Also have had a similar messages when sailing out if Miami- there are days with 6 or 7 ships disembarking and embarking passengers. I think they are trying to make the process smoother and avoid folks standing in lines for long periods of time.

 

After the first couple of cruise we decided getting on at 11 or 11:30 isn' t for us. There are too many people trying to find a place to sit while running into each other with their luggage & flying backpacks. ( nothing like having the guy next to you at the buffet turn & hit you in the head with his backpack)

 

We now go around 1-1:30. Cabin are generally open by the time we board so we drop our luggage & start our trip stress free.

[penang32]

Leaving on the Solstice this Saturday from Auckland.

Can anyone advise when and how we could drop off our luggage at the terminal then head of to look around Auckland, returning to go on board around 2.00 p.m. or so.

I understand some cruise lines have the facility to drop off your bags well before you have to board.

Thanks

[nijh]

When we left from Auckland on Solstice a few months ago the luggage was being collected outside of any secure area. So you can just go there, drop the bags, turn round and walk back off the pier. It's about 3 minutes walk along the pier to where they collect the luggage.

[billy10]

got the same email text & phone call I called captains club & asked what I should do if I have early flight arrival she said if I arrive earlier I will not be allowed to board even if I'm elite I said so what am I suppose to do for 5 or6 hours she said whatever I want so I'll b there at 11

[spookwife]

most people ignore it..which is why you get all the complaints about how terrible the boarding priocess is.

[Sloop-JohnB]

To anyone's knowledge, is this being enforced? I am not happy about this and I have never not been happy about anything do with my Celebrity cruising experience. Within a span of 2-3 minutes, I received an automated phone call, a text message, and an email.

 

Thanks, Steve

 

Hello, this is Celebrity Cruises. We would like to provide you with important information regarding your sailing on November 15, 2014, onboard Celebrity Reflection. To enhance your check-in and boarding experience, we ask that you arrive to the terminal based on your assigned decks. 12:00 to 12:30 PM = Deck 14, Deck 12, & Deck 11; 12:30 to 1:00 PM = Deck 10; 1:00 to 1:30 PM = Deck 9; 1:30 to 2:00 PM = Deck 8; 2:00 to 2:30 PM = Deck 7; 2:30 to 3:00 PM = Deck 6 & Deck 3. We invite our Suites, Zenith, Aqua, and Elite Plus guests to arrive anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Reflection.

 

You are not the first to report this here on CC

 

Speculation is it has to do partly with the Projected Port Load (Comings & Goings) for that day

 

Agree tho... It could be a potential pain for some who are flying in early but find they are boarding later

 

 

Interesting the order of the staggering, though......

 

Don't really understand your comment (care to elaborate ?)

 

Staggering goes from top of the ship to bottom.

 

People tend to pay more in that order as well (top to bottom). Also priority remains in place for those Classes that have that listed as a perk (they can arrive anytime)

 

And lastly... It makes sense to load the lower decks last as that is the most hectic areas during E-Day (gangway could be anywhere from Deck 2 to Deck 5 depending on which Port)

 

Cheers!

Edited November 10, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[WpgCruise]

most people ignore it..which is why you get all the complaints about how terrible the boarding priocess is.

 

Yup, some folks just don't get it do they?

 

They are told when to arrive, they show up when they feel like it, wait in line, then complain the line was so long.

 

[yankee 7]

Yup, some folks just don't get it do they?

 

They are told when to arrive, they show up when they feel like it, wait in line, then complain the line was so long.

 

 

I never complain on line length. I understand that large crowds produce long lines and I do not complain as I am thankful that I am fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to have such as great vacation. I have been cruising since the early 90's and have waited on many (long) lines. However I travel a long distance to arrive at the departure Port and I will arrive when I get there. I am very unassuming and accommodating, however I will not be taken advantage of.

[yankee 7]

You are not the first to report this here on CC

 

Speculation is it has to do partly with the Projected Port Load (Comings & Goings) for that day

 

Agree tho... It could be a potential pain for some who are flying in early but find they are boarding later

 

 

 

 

Don't really understand your comment (care to elaborate ?)

 

Staggering goes from top of the ship to bottom.

 

People tend to pay more in that order as well (top to bottom). Also priority remains in place for those Classes that have that listed as a perk (they can arrive anytime)

 

And lastly... It makes sense to load the lower decks last as that is the most hectic areas during E-Day (gangway could be anywhere from Deck 2 to Deck 5 depending on which Port)

 

Cheers!

 

I have cruised some, but not as often as most. I understand that based on what I pay, this will dictate, to a reasonable degree, my on board privileges.... And I have cruised for many years and I have arrived at the port and I have boarded, some times quickly and sometimes not so quickly. However, I do spend hard earned dollars to vacation and I do travel thousands of miles to arrive at port. So, when I arrive, I will go to the port, board, and enjoy my vacation, in my assigned cabin, along with my assigned privileges.

[sford75]

We are leaving on the 29th and this is going to be a problem for us as well. We have arranged for my BIL to take us to the port and they have to be at work at 2:00pm (we are on the 6th deck), so waiting until 2:30pm is not an option. We had planned to arrive at noon. I am curious to know if this is enforced. We really don't have any other options, so I guess if we have to wait, we have to wait.

 

This is our first Celebrity cruise, though we are Elite because of our RCCL status. This is something that they should tell you when you book, not the week of departure. Bad customer service in my opinion and a lack of respect for their passengers who need to make arrangements which is most.

[Beanb41]

My arrival time listed in my E Docs and don't they get sent out or made available about 6 weeks out from cruise start date. Cruise lines cant be held accountable if a passenger wants to turn up at a particular time which is inconvenient to the ship. Imagine the chaos if 3000 passengers all turned up at 11.00 am to get on board for a 8.00pm sailing. Staggering arrival or embarkation times is there to relieve stress levels not create them .

Time people started to chill out a bit

[paradiseawaitsme]

To anyone's knowledge, is this being enforced? I am not happy about this and I have never not been happy about anything do with my Celebrity cruising experience. Within a span of 2-3 minutes, I received an automated phone call, a text message, and an email.

 

Thanks, Steve

 

Hello, this is Celebrity Cruises. We would like to provide you with important information regarding your sailing on November 15, 2014, onboard Celebrity Reflection. To enhance your check-in and boarding experience, we ask that you arrive to the terminal based on your assigned decks. 12:00 to 12:30 PM = Deck 14, Deck 12, & Deck 11; 12:30 to 1:00 PM = Deck 10; 1:00 to 1:30 PM = Deck 9; 1:30 to 2:00 PM = Deck 8; 2:00 to 2:30 PM = Deck 7; 2:30 to 3:00 PM = Deck 6 & Deck 3. We invite our Suites, Zenith, Aqua, and Elite Plus guests to arrive anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Reflection.

Hi all, since this is my first cruise and is a total AI pkg (including chartered flight) offered to Canadians by Celebrity, our flight times and transfers are all made by Celebrity. I believe we will be arriving at the port by around noon. Any suggestions where we can sit and relax with a cocktail while we wait for our boarding time, which looks to be around 2:30? :confused:

[royalcruz]

We prefer deck 6 and we like to arrive at 11:30 so that we can spend all day on vacation. It seems that something that we paid for is being taken away when we are told to arrive later. Captain's Club Elite have always had priority boarding but no longer. We have patiently stood or sat on the concrete floors for 3 hrs to wait for boarding due to clearance after transatlantics and cleanings after noro outbreaks. Now this? You are micromanaging your passengers. Thumbs down.

[Mr. Click]

Did they get this idea from the airlines? I don't know how it will work out and we are not sailing until May 2015 but I will rank it now as rotten and them not giving me any captain's club points for a cruise last May that we had to cancel at the last minute for medical issues. They got to keep the money, I got nothing from them but a "gee, sorry" when I called ....

[sasset]

We prefer deck 6 and we like to arrive at 11:30 so that we can spend all day on vacation. It seems that something that we paid for is being taken away when we are told to arrive later. Captain's Club Elite have always had priority boarding but no longer. We have patiently stood or sat on the concrete floors for 3 hrs to wait for boarding due to clearance after transatlantics and cleanings after noro outbreaks. Now this? You are micromanaging your passengers. Thumbs down.

 

So, when everyone arrives 'early', like 1130, there are complaints about how long the boarding process takes. We board late. It's nice to be able to dump our carryon in our cabin and then get around the ship...the buffet will still be open.

 

Boarding in April, after Infinity had a real Noro issue, getting on the ship a little late ruins some folks whole cruise. Heard things like 'They've had all day to clean the rooms'.

 

It's vacation. Chill!

 

Now if I can only find a new way to hide my iron in my luggage.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Due to transfer delay from the airport, we boarded Constellation 45 minutes before the cut-off time. No-one in front of us to drop luggage and no-one in front of us to check-in - straight on to the ship - MAGIC 😄

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[The_Big_M]

Same sort of arrangement in Sydney for the past couple of years.

 

Been working okay so far.

[CCC's]

We cruised on Celebrity Solstice in November 2013 from Sydney. These arrangements were in place then. We dropped our luggage off at the terminal about 11am then spent next 3 hours visiting Manly then Sydney Zoo. Great way to kill a few hours. We returned about 2.15pm boarded immediately with no delays whatever. Very civilised way to start any cruise holiday.

[bobsfamily]

All cruise lines do this, and all cruise lines expect people to show up early.

It's not just Celebrity...

If even 20% of the "crowd" adheres to the request (notice, request) it reduces the lines to a more manageable size.

SO do what you want but do expect crowds early and easy breezy no problems late!

Edited November 11, 2014 by bobsfamily

[roxette]

How about those with airport transfers booked with Celebrity? Families with one cabin on deck 10 and one on deck 6?

 

Some people seem to think, and I'm not saying you're wrong, that it's not okay to arrive too early. But how about those who are late for their deck?

 

Some people will be early, some late. At the end of the day I don't think they should change too much about this.

 

Btw, I'm going on a b2b, first Eclipse followed by NCL EPIC. EPIC holds a lot more passengers than Eclipse. Also leaves from Miami. Weird they can handle the boarding...

[Beanb41]

Hi all, since this is my first cruise and is a total AI pkg (including chartered flight) offered to Canadians by Celebrity, our flight times and transfers are all made by Celebrity. I believe we will be arriving at the port by around noon. Any suggestions where we can sit and relax with a cocktail while we wait for our boarding time, which looks to be around 2:30? :confused:

 

There are a number of cafes and bars within a few minutes walk of the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Directly opposite where the ship ties up is the Sydney Opera House which is a lovely place to sit down and watch the ferries go by with one's favourite tipple