Email about staggered embarkation

[cruiser fanatic]

I get those emails almost every cruise. I laugh and then delete it. Carnival sends those emails for crowd control. Show up when you want.

[figdu]

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with assigned boarding times but they have to get their computers accurate first. If they can't get people in the same stateroom together the same time or differentiate between p/d/s/fttf first, then why would I be inclined to follow a suggested time? In addition, for ports located in a city, traffic is too unpredictable to even suggest a 3 pm boarding time.

 

I think this is the exact reason why most ignore the email and I absolutely agree!

[love my grandkids]

I get those emails almost every cruise. I laugh and then delete it. Carnival sends those emails for crowd control. Show up when you want.

 

We do the same

[marshhawk]

When you purchase FTTF and print out your boarding pass, the time of arrival is between 11-12. Stated right there. In print-on the boarding pass.

 

The email BLAST goes out to everyone regardless of their status, because the cruise line doesn't want everyone to show up at 11 a.m. Yes, you do want to get on the ship, but you will board, once they are ready, with Platinum, Diamond, Suites, Wedding Parties, FTTF, and people with Disabilities, and then you-so you can choose, to wait a long time at port, or you can choose to have a late calm breakfast-arrive after the major crowd, and walk right on-but it is exciting to be there-to get that vacation started! Maybe we should rethink about when that vacation starts-does it start with the "ding" or does it start with the ship's horn?

[cruzeluver]

Have some of you ever been on a cruise? We arrive when we please and have never had to stand out in the hot sun or wait in any long lines to embark. Never happened. Once (last year on Carnival Fantasy) we were checked in and had to wait maybe 10 minutes for embarkation to start, and we were indoors.

 

Again, if those emails were rules that Carnival expected to be followed, ALL guests would get one (and those in the same cabin would get the same boarding time :rolleyes:) and they would be sent more than a day or two prior to embarkation as people make their boarding plans further in advance then that.

[ZanziBarred]

Have some of you ever been on a cruise? We arrive when we please and have never had to stand out in the hot sun or wait in any long lines to embark. Never happened.

 

So because it has never happened to you, it has never happened to anyone? Awesome reasoning!

 

There have been posts here about people being forced to wait outside in the hot Florida sun because the lines at security were so long or the port facility was at capacity (I believe it was Miami?) that they could not enter and had to wait outside until boarding started. I personally have had the pleasure of waiting outside in the rain in Baltimore in November because the line at security was so backed up it went outside the building.

[cruzeluver]

So because it has never happened to you, it has never happened to anyone? Awesome reasoning!

 

Of course not. You are making that deduction. Only stating my experience and that if Carnival had any expectation that those emails were rules to be followed they would do a far better job of conveying the information.

[cruiser fanatic]

Have some of you ever been on a cruise? We arrive when we please and have never had to stand out in the hot sun or wait in any long lines to embark. Never happened. Once (last year on Carnival Fantasy) we were checked in and had to wait maybe 10 minutes for embarkation to start, and we were indoors.

 

 

Just because it has never happened to YOU doesn't it mean that it doesn't happen. I have been on a lot of cruises and this has happened to me before.

[Tutontow]

To me I don't care whether I get on the ship at 10 AM or five minutes before it sails. The way I see it I am going to be on the ship for 5 to 10 days an extra couple of hours onboard really doesn't matter to me.

 

Having said that I always arrive at the port at least a couple of hours early. After planning and preparing for months I am not going to risk a flat tire or a traffic jam ruining my cruise. My rule of thumb is we drive from Tampa to a port in Florida. I am going to allow enough time that a call to AAA and a wrecker will still get me to the port.

 

I have no problem waiting at a restaurant close to the port until they let me on.

 

Beside my vacation doesn't start until I am sitting at a Blackjack table.

[bruadhin]

So because it has never happened to you, it has never happened to anyone? Awesome reasoning!

 

There have been posts here about people being forced to wait outside in the hot Florida sun because the lines at security were so long or the port facility was at capacity (I believe it was Miami?) that they could not enter and had to wait outside until boarding started. I personally have had the pleasure of waiting outside in the rain in Baltimore in November because the line at security was so backed up it went outside the building.

 

So, is sending out a random email to people the answer? Or should perhaps the terminal be appropriately sized to the ship?

 

We were one of the first people in the terminal in Miami for the Breeze. We of course waited as we were way too early. Unfortunately that is when our travel plans got us there. The terminal was deserted when we arrived, but rather crowded by the time we boarded.

 

Arriving later means I would have been more likely to be the one standing outside waiting, versus waiting inside.

 

You seem rather bitter about all this. Perhaps there is something you would enjoy more?

 

Ultimately the problem is the ports, not Carnival nor the fellow passengers. During debarkation, the cruise director kept emphasizing not to leave until your zone was called. He didn't want people waiting in the terminal for their luggage. All the luggage was already there, we had an early zone and saw luggage for some of the last zones on the ship. CBP is simply unable to process people as fast Carnival can unload them and their luggage. They do not have enough space and personal. The same is true of embarkation, the terminal simply is not big enough for the ship. Once it started, it seemed to move well.

[cruzeluver]

Just because it has never happened to YOU doesn't it mean that it doesn't happen. I have been on a lot of cruises and this has happened to me before.

 

Of course not. All any of us can do is share our experiences. I did not state it has never happened to anyone else.

 

But even if waiting in long lines in the hot sun for hours on end happened regularly, this approach of randomly sending emails to some passengers a day or two prior to embarkation is not going to fix it.

[bell777]

When we lived in Orlando we always left at 6am to get to the port by 10am no matter what letter we received, mainly in case of traffic and good thing we did as one time they closed the turnpike on our way to the port and almost missed the ship. We will continue to go early even if we have to wait.

 

Your pay for 7 days which means noon on sailing including lunch, why should you not board by noon. Do you think they will issue credits for missed lunch cause they do stop the buffet after 2 i believe. If they are having problems with meeting their full day they need to hire more people at the port to handle all the people instead of cutting the trip short. I personally have never had issues getting onboard before 12 neither Miami or Port Canaveral, I have only seen bad lines in Port Everglades, what does that tell you.

 

Nonetheless if you feel the need to follow instructions, do so and stop and pay for lunch (party of 4 is about $40)and then you can start your vacation in the evenings after the drill which is mandatory. But dont ridicule people for coming early or on time should i say.

[Gardeneroflove]

With disney you select a boarding time. It really helps the flow and lines, ime. I forgot Carnival didn't do that.

 

Selecting or being assigned a time makes perfect sense to help with the flow of people.

[ZanziBarred]

Your pay for 7 days which means noon on sailing including lunch, why should you not board by noon. Do you think they will issue credits for missed lunch cause they do stop the buffet after 2 i believe.

 

So, just curious, what would you do if you did not board until after 2 due to one of many issues that could and has happened in the past (customs inspection of crew ran long, a repair project took longer than expected, fog delayed the ship from docking from previous cruise until later in the day)?

[bell777]

Those are unforeseen delays which is totally different but they can control how many paid agents are at the port on embarkation day.

[bruadhin]

So, just curious, what would you do if you did not board until after 2 due to one of many issues that could and has happened in the past (customs inspection of crew ran long, a repair project took longer than expected, fog delayed the ship from docking from previous cruise until later in the day)?

 

I would have to agree with you on this one. The cruise starts once you take with the embarkation picture, which in my experience has always been right before walking onto the gangway to board the ship. If you didn't get lunch, oh well.

 

By the same logic, does the cruise ship own you a refund if you don't eat lunch on a port day? What about if you eat in the steakhouse instead of the MDR, do you get a refund for the MDR meal?

 

To me, the worse time to arrive is probably around 11am. By that point, there are a number of people checked in, but boarding hasn't started yet so there is a huge line ahead of you waiting to board. I would think by 12:30 or 1 that would start to clear out.

[ZanziBarred]

I would have to agree with you on this one. The cruise starts once you take with the embarkation picture, which in my experience has always been right before walking onto the gangway to board the ship. If you didn't get lunch, oh well.

 

By the same logic, does the cruise ship own you a refund if you don't eat lunch on a port day? What about if you eat in the steakhouse instead of the MDR, do you get a refund for the MDR meal?

 

To me, the worse time to arrive is probably around 11am. By that point, there are a number of people checked in, but boarding hasn't started yet so there is a huge line ahead of you waiting to board. I would think by 12:30 or 1 that would start to clear out.

 

I think it comes down to that heated opinionated topic of "when does the cruise really begin?" Does it start at check-in? Boarding? 90 minutes before departure? At departure? Everyone differs I guess - which is why some believe if they don't get lunch they are getting jipped.

[Maraprince]

I will only say that sometimes there is a legitimate reason that the e-mail is sent out (inspections, wedding party, Chamber/Travel Agents visit of the ship, etc.). Of course, there will always be passengers who will choose to ignore it and get to the port early and then complain about having to wait to board. If there does turn out to be a delay...you were advised accordingly.

 

If the ship isn't ready to board, it does not matter if you purchased FITF or not. Your cruise starts as soon as you are processed in the port and your have your room key in hand.

 

MARAPRINCE

[ZanziBarred]

I will only say that sometimes there is a legitimate reason that the e-mail is sent out (inspections, wedding party, Chamber/Travel Agents visit of the ship, etc.). Of course, there will always be passengers who will choose to ignore it and get to the port early and then complain about having to wait to board. If there does turn out to be a delay...you were advised accordingly.

 

If the ship isn't ready to board, it does not matter if you purchased FITF or not. Your cruise starts as soon as you are processed in the port and your have your room key in hand.

 

You said it nicer than I did. :-)

[sotuffexecutive]

As someone who is familiar with the hotel industry, I understand the time and effort that it takes to clean rooms and set up lunch. Now that F2F is being offered there is even more pressure on the crew to turn over rooms on the ship. So from the standpoint of Carnival I totally understand the effort to stagger check in times in order to insure that guests have a clean, ready room, a properly set up lunch buffet, and an organized well flowing check in for guests.

 

As a long time Carnival cruiser I am anxious to get on the boat and start my vacation....especially for the 3 day cruises. It is why when we are not booked in a suite, we opt for F2F.

 

My concern with the embark. emails is that there does not seem to be much rhyme or reason as to assignment times. Too many posters here seem to be assigned times that conflict with their VIP status, suite status or F2F. This says to me that Carnival has not thought this out. Is a computer program randomly choosing booking numbers to embark. times?

 

We live in Central FL and do not drive in the night before when leaving from a FL port unless we are going out of Miami. We leave around 10 am just in case there may be traffic issues as well. While we do not expect to hop right on the ship, we do expect to be able to park and always bring something to read to keep us occupied while we wait.

[figdu]

Just looked at my boarding documents for a cruise later this month. It says 1-3 for me out of Miami. My last non priority cruise was in 2011 and 10 cruises ago. No chance of me paying attention to that.

 

Carnival really needs to get this straightened out.

[josiemartinez]

When I booked my February 2016 cruise on the Conquest last Saturday, 05/30, I was told that boarding times were between 1:30-3:00 PM. I had to call Carnival to book the cruise because the web site was malfunctioning and I wanted to make sure I booked the cruise with the $50/pp deposit (I always book a cruise on line). I'm also going to be sent an email and/or text prior to the cruise as a reminder. I can see the problem if you fly in the same day but because I'm in the Southwest, I always fly in a day early. Don't want to wave goodbye to my ship.