Staggered embarkation coming to NOLA

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

Staggered check-in is a work around for the packed terminal problems and long lines, but I think Carnival should find a consultant and invest in major improvements to the efficiency of its terminals and boarding process (more entry points to the ship). If Royal Caribbean can efficiently get 5,000 people onto one of it's "Condo of the Seas" ships then Carnival shouldn't have a problem getting 2,000 - 3,000 on it's ships. This can't be a new problem since most of Carnival's ships have been around for 10+ years.

[BeachChik]

Staggered check-in is a work around for the packed terminal problems and long lines, but I think Carnival should find a consultant and invest in major improvements to the efficiency of its terminals and boarding process (more entry points to the ship). If Royal Caribbean can efficiently get 5,000 people onto one of it's "Condo of the Seas" ships then Carnival shouldn't have a problem getting 2,000 - 3,000 on it's ships. This can't be a new problem since most of Carnival's ships have been around for 10+ years.

 

I hate it when people think they are funny with the play on names. Condo of the sea, Walmart Cruise line. It's passive aggressive and obnoxious.

 

Sailed on the freedom of the seas and the port was a mess. No one directing people and confusion of where lines were.

 

I think forced staggered embarkation is a great idea. And I find it amusing that someone threatens to cancel over something so petty. I would hate to see how some people handle real problems if they are in such a tizzy over possibly boarding a ship 2 hours later than they prefer.

 

This is the consequence of thread after thread telling people to ignore the emails with a time and that it was ok to show up at 9am.

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

I hate it when people think they are funny with the play on names. Condo of the sea, Walmart Cruise line. It's passive aggressive and obnoxious.

 

Ummm ok :rolleyes: You have your opinion and I have mine, just leave it at that...

Edited December 15, 2015 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[kindatravelsavy19]

There is no reason why anyone that knows about the process should be complaining. You have a heads up. JH has already stated that this is going to be rolled out and that times will be strictly enforced. I can see people who have no earthly clue and will find out the hard way, but you're amongst the ones that's already booked and aware of the policy.

 

The old emails were sent to everyone. They didn't weed out those with FTTF. Regardless it didn't work. Most didn't listen and ignored it. It was funny to be so dismissive. Me, me, me. Well....hence the new process.

 

We are aware this process exist but as to when they ALL roll out on our booked departure port is the big question. As others who were clueless perhaps they did their online check-in early as we have. But knowing this now I am checking every few days so I don't miss the roll out. I booked my cruise almost a year out and FTTF was sold out in less than a day. I saw a heads up here and went to get one and they were sold out in a few hours. So I would be beyond pissed off if I were left with only a 3pm boarding time.

 

As for JH posts I see MOSTof them almost everyday as well. But FB some how doesn't show all of his post in order nor right away. I only read about the NOLA roll out here.

If you booked with a TA they get the emails... as stated by JH. So you may not get the email... and we have paid off our cruise so we would likely be less priority for a notification from our TA.

 

I agree that once everyone knows about this new process there is no reason for complaints when people just show up early and get upset. I wonder if Carnival should have set an official roll out of this new process further out like mid or late '17 or even '18. Those who book these cruises from the start would be better informed. Seeing how you can select a time when you book a cruise. In addition these cruises are not likely sold out. Unlike ships departing in less than 90 days. As I am sure many leaving NOLA Jan.24 will be clueless. Not sure the time frame people fill out their online booking info. But for sure 90 days out we filled this stuff out. I only know about this because of CC.

[IUHoops]

We are booked for a NOLA cruise in March 2016. I went to my booking and have already done my on-line check in, but have not made final payment yet. I was able to select a time slot for check in, which shows up in my cruise details on my on-line booking information with Carnival. Am I good for the check in time slot selected, or do I have to make final payment before I can lock in for my selected time? When I tried to print the boarding pass, it indicated reservation must be paid in full to receive boarding pass. My Booking Summary document says "Boarding Time 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM". This is not the time I selected for our check in time. Are the "Check In" and "Boarding Time" the same thing? We typically like to get to the terminal and on-board as quickly as possible. We really don't mind waiting in the terminal......everyone is usually in a good mood and it makes for good people watching!

[WPTNGirl]

I chose the check-in time and it appears on both mine and my DH boarding passes.

[WPTNGirl]

I must amend my previous post. I checked my boarding passes right after I chose my time and it appeared on both passes. When I checked just now, it only appeared on my DH and mine had the dash.

[broberts]

How do you feel about flying.......if I have to drive all day to get to an airport can I demand they allow me to get onto the airplane when I arrive because after all I bought the ticket.

...

My point is, Carnival is doing this because it should of always been done this way. Times should of always been adhered too. If you want an early time book early, pay it off sooner and get an earlier time. It's that simple.

 

False equivalence. According to Carnival, if one arrives early one is not allowed into the cruise terminal. Airports generally allow people to enter at any time. Airlines usually let people check-in and wait in the departure lounge up to 3 hours before boarding.

 

If staggered boarding "should of always been done", isn't it amazing that somehow Carnival survived and thrived for more than 40 years without doing so?

[packard89]

I'm curious how they will handle the sailings departing on Mardi Gras weekend. One of which I'm booked on. My check in time luckily is 10:00-10:30, which is perfect. The problem is, parades will be rolling in the area and streets will be closed making it nearly impossible to get to the port. Especially for those who are not locals. I hope they allow everyone to arrive before noon....if not, good luck!

[Indytraveler83]

If staggered boarding "should of always been done", isn't it amazing that somehow Carnival survived and thrived for more than 40 years without doing so?

 

We also survived just fine long before cruise ships were invented. We survived just fine before the wheel was invented for that matter. Things change. And to be honest, anything to reduce the crowds is a good attempt.

 

Wouldn't you rather wait at a restaurant or coffee shop for a few hours, then have a pleasant check in, rather than just jam into a line while listening to other people complain about how terrible the process is?

 

Get a grip people. Seriously. Every time Carnival makes any changes this place goes to arms. Try it out, see how it works, then comment based on experience. Haven't seen nearly the complaints out of Galveston since they made the changes, so it's obviously fixing some problems.

[BeachChik]

False equivalence. According to Carnival, if one arrives early one is not allowed into the cruise terminal. Airports generally allow people to enter at any time. Airlines usually let people check-in and wait in the departure lounge up to 3 hours before boarding.

 

If staggered boarding "should of always been done", isn't it amazing that somehow Carnival survived and thrived for more than 40 years without doing so?

 

Yes but an airport is much larger than a cruise terminal. People can spread out, walk around, eat, relax. You can't do that in a cruise terminal.

 

I don't get why people are making such a big deal of this. Select an early boarding time. Problem solved.

 

Life is ever changing. Carnival may have been ok keeping it the same but this is an improvement. Going from 3k people trying to get into the terminal at the same time to a few hundred will make a more pleasant experience for everyone.

 

Honestly I feel the ones complaining are probably the people that show up at 8am so they can brag how they were the first to board and are now upset thinking that someone else might board before them.

[StolidCruiser]

 

I agree that once everyone knows about this new process there is no reason for complaints when people just show up early and get upset. I wonder if Carnival should have set an official roll out of this new process further out like mid or late '17 or even '18. Those who book these cruises from the start would be better informed. Seeing how you can select a time when you book a cruise. In addition these cruises are not likely sold out. Unlike ships departing in less than 90 days. As I am sure many leaving NOLA Jan.24 will be clueless. Not sure the time frame people fill out their online booking info. But for sure 90 days out we filled this stuff out. I only know about this because of CC.

 

Why on earth would someone think it reasonable to expect a solution to a problem now (whether real or perceived) be implemented in 2-3 years?

 

Once again, a "poor me" defense from those who will piss and moan about not having that feeling of accomplishment by being first on the ship.

 

If someone has no patience for waiting, perhaps cruising (or leaving the house) isnt for them.

Edited December 15, 2015 by StolidCruiser

[fuddrules]

Everyone that reads these boards knows that Carnival has been attempting for well over a year to get people to voluntarily stagger their boarding times and to not hit the pier in droves at 9am. Everyone also knows that the consensus on these boards was "what the hey, Carnival ain't going to tell me when I can start my vacation". And now, everyone has to pay the piper because of those who have been conspicuously self centered in the past and figured that nothing would come from them "ignoring" Carnival's earlier requests. Guess Peeps are getting their just rewards.

 

I find it odd though, at least in NO.

 

We did a NYE cruise out of there last year so it was sold out. We couldn't have been there before 9:30 (I don't recall exactly) and probably closer to 10 am and the place was a ghost town. By the time we boarded it was crowding up but nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seemed to be working very well and running smoothly.

 

How many workers at check-in are Carnival workers vs. port workers? Could this be a staffing issue allowing Carnival to not have to staff for peak levels?

[My6Dogs]

I just looked at our September 2016 cruise out of NO and 10:00 - 10:30 was one of the "check in" choices. We normally arrive around this time, even if we have FTTF.

If they actually enforce the check in times, I'm thinking this might save me from a FTTF purchase...

 

Mike

[Indytraveler83]

I find it odd though, at least in NO.

 

We did a NYE cruise out of there last year so it was sold out. We couldn't have been there before 9:30 (I don't recall exactly) and probably closer to 10 am and the place was a ghost town. By the time we boarded it was crowding up but nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seemed to be working very well and running smoothly.

 

How many workers at check-in are Carnival workers vs. port workers? Could this be a staffing issue allowing Carnival to not have to staff for peak levels?

 

NOLA does seem to be one of the better organized terminals. But I wonder if they are hitting the ports with less ships first to iron out the kinks. They likely are saving the big ports for last. Nothing worse than an issue coming up and having 2 or 3 ships affected at the same time.

 

Could be staffing too. It's hard to balance appropriate staffing for crowd surges. If you know exactly when people will be there, you know when to schedule people to help them.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Indytraveler83

[Elaine515]

If or when it comes to Florida ports if I book a cruise and FTTF is sold out and they want to give me a check in time after 1 pm then I would cancel. I'm not driving all day to get to a port to sit and wait. You have to leave earlier than the trip would take to account for car trouble, flat tires, etc. and praying all goes well and you get there a few hours ahead of time why in the world should you sit around and wait. I won't. But even now with FTTF they say you have priority and send you an email saying show up at 1:30..:rolleyes: um NO ..I just gave you 50 or 60 bucks..I'm showing up when I get there and boarding as soon as possible. It's not being rude or mean..I just have expectations....and waiting forever isn't an expectation I have.

 

 

 

Don't book Early Saver... would hate to see you lose money if you can't get FTTF or an early boarding time and have to cancel ...

[untailored bostonian]

Thanks. We cruise on the 24th from NOLA on the Dream. We have FTTF so I know it won't impact us this time, but wondering what do people do that get "turned away" for showing up early? I am only referring to NOLA because this is the only port we've sailed from.

 

Guessing they can return to their parked cars and sit or is there someplace closer to sit?:confused: ...or are they even allowed in to park?

 

I expect that once they are there they will stay there. If you get out of a cab with 2 suitcases I wonder if they will be allowed to hand them off to the porters? I'd assume a bit of chaos and strained nerves.

 

We have FTTF but also signed up yesterday for 10:30 to 11:00.

[StolidCruiser]

I expect that once they are there they will stay there. If you get out of a cab with 2 suitcases I wonder if they will be allowed to hand them off to the porters? I'd assume a bit of chaos and strained nerves.

 

We have FTTF but also signed up yesterday for 10:30 to 11:00.

 

Thanks for taking up an early spot even though you don't need it. Thoughtful and considerate of you. More demonstration of the 'me' sense of entitlement.

[jwjax]

I just wanted to share a recent experience, and ask a question.

 

Question: Just what does VIFP/FTTF Priority guests can always board at their leisure.. mean???

 

The boarding pass printed time is meaningless?

 

No one will enforce the time on the boarding pass for priority quests??

 

It depends on the informed or uninformed rent a cop, or CCL staff to use their discretion to enforce the time??

 

How many rent a cops or for that matter, CCL embarkation staff even know what Priority means on a boarding pass??

 

Experience: On Dec 5th, we arrived at JaxPort at 10:30am, our normal arrival time for most cruises (unless delayed by weather etc.).

 

JaxPort requires everyone that enters the port to check in first with the security guard at the gate.

 

Guard looked at the Priority boarding passes, which did have a 12:30pm boarding time printed on them. Which we never even noticed??

Guard says .."Oh...you can't enter the port until 12:30pm...per your boarding pass!" We countered, it says Priority boarding!! He says, doesn't matter??? (JaxPort is not yet on the enforcement list for staggered boarding!!) Point is, that there are many misinformed CCL and Port Security staff about the new staggered boarding.....:confused::confused:

 

So...after the uninformed guard encounter, we just turned around and re-entered the port in a different lane and were directed right to the drop off and check in area?? Go figure??

Conclusion:

I can't wait to hear about the cab fares and late checkout fees resulting from this attempt to save on CCL staff $$ at check in.

 

We have sailed the Oasis, walked in at 10:30am in FLL, onboard by 11:45... No staggered check in notice???

 

I RCCL can check in 6000pax in 3-4hrs, why can't CCL handle 2-3.5k in the same amount of time??:cool:

 

In our 14 or so CCL cruises, with the exception of San Juan, we have never experienced issues during check in, even before we were Platinum! So we are not seeing the reasoning behind the staggered check in as anything but a cost saving feature!!:)

 

I would be willing to wager, that there are hardly any complaints compared to total embarkations, regarding check in and boarding??:confused:

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

Thanks for taking up an early spot even though you don't need it. Thoughtful and considerate of you. More demonstration of the 'me' sense of entitlement.

 

If the staggered process is meant to control the amount of people and the efficiency of the passenger flow during embarkation, then technically they did the right thing by choosing the earlier time slot. Because using FTTF or not, they are still counted as a passenger and would be calculated into the new boarding capacity model.

 

But I do get what you're saying so don't flame me :)

[cruizinisthebest]

Thanks for taking up an early spot even though you don't need it. Thoughtful and considerate of you. More demonstration of the 'me' sense of entitlement.

To me, this is the only flaw I see with the new process. If I am priority and can show up "at my leisure," then why do I have to choose a time slot? Perhaps these priority folks don't count toward the slot availability. Who knows. But I think it's a little unfair to call the poster selfish for doing as instructed. If they want to check in at that time then it seems to me that they should pick that time if it's available.

 

By Carnival enforcing these new rules which I agree with 200%, They are putting a halt to that self centered mentality when it comes to boarding. Not so many posts now of people saying they will still just show up when they want!

 

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

[WPTNGirl]

I agree with the idea that if you have Prioity boarding, you should not have to choose a check-in time since you will have a dedicated checkin line at the terminal anyway. There should be a option for Priority boarding to choose and that would free up more slots for those without Priority. However, since I did not have that option, I chose the early time slot I wanted. I'm sorry that I am taking a time slot someone else wants but I'm not going to try to figure out which time is the least wanted.

[tkportersat]

You sound a little testy. They need a head count, as Platinum we have to sign up per Carnival's instructions (I received at least 3 emails)....their system not mine. If that is not the case than someone needs to clarify that we are not to sign up. :confused:

 

Thanks for taking up an early spot even though you don't need it. Thoughtful and considerate of you. More demonstration of the 'me' sense of entitlement.

[kteachcruiser52]

We also survived just fine long before cruise ships were invented. We survived just fine before the wheel was invented for that matter. Things change. And to be honest, anything to reduce the crowds is a good attempt.

 

Wouldn't you rather wait at a restaurant or coffee shop for a few hours, then have a pleasant check in, rather than just jam into a line while listening to other people complain about how terrible the process is?

 

Get a grip people. Seriously. Every time Carnival makes any changes this place goes to arms. Try it out, see how it works, then comment based on experience. Haven't seen nearly the complaints out of Galveston since they made the changes, so it's obviously fixing some problems.

 

I don't have to worry because I can go anytime, but I see why some people are upset. It is great if it is a port where you can drop off your luggage and then go to a coffee shop or shopping, but some ports in FL do not have anything close enough for many people to walk to. Unless hotel shuttles in FL change their schedules, many have the last free shuttle to the port at 11:30. I can't see them changing that because they want the people out of their hotel so they can get ready for the next guests. They obviously don't want their lobbies clogged with cruisers and all their luggage. In some of the hotels we have stayed in, the cruisers and their luggage for one shuttle fill up the lobby. I hope it works, but I believe there will be problems with many, many people waiting outside in terminals where there is no alternative things to do that are within walking distance to the terminal.

[broberts]

Yes but an airport is much larger than a cruise terminal. People can spread out, walk around, eat, relax. You can't do that in a cruise terminal.

 

I don't get why people are making such a big deal of this. Select an early boarding time. Problem solved.

 

Life is ever changing. Carnival may have been ok keeping it the same but this is an improvement. Going from 3k people trying to get into the terminal at the same time to a few hundred will make a more pleasant experience for everyone.

 

Honestly I feel the ones complaining are probably the people that show up at 8am so they can brag how they were the first to board and are now upset thinking that someone else might board before them.

 

So what is really being said is that rather than build adequate facilities it's a good thing to increase the confusion outside the cruise terminal and inconvenience passengers who for numerous reasons, (most of which have nothing to do with ego), are early.

 

Consider those flying in day of. Arriving on the earliest flight possible. Unable to get an early boarding time. Where are they supposed to wait before entering the cruise terminal?

 

The argument that it is going to make things easier and more pleasant because several thousand people are not all in a terminal at the same time ignores human nature and the realities of the situation. Most passengers are still going to arrive when they want. Even those with a passing intention of arriving within their window are going to tend to arrive early. Since most are traveling some distance and their arrival time is dependent on factors well outside their control, what is really going to happen is that those not inside the terminal are simply going to be milling around outside the terminal.

 

Disagreeing with something is not making a "big deal" of it. Cavalier dismissal of potential problems is to my mind cheer leading. There will be those who are unable to simply select an earlier boarding time. There will be those with travel arrangements beyond their control. Pointing this out is not making a big deal, it is simply pointing out potential difficulties. I have yet to see any positive suggestions on how those issues can be resolved. The suggestion that these problems are easily solved by selecting an earlier time verges on nonsense. It certainly ignores the fact that earlier time slots are more likely to close quickly.

 

Ships take years to plan an build. While the fleet has grown, sadly Carnival has not seen fit to make similar investments improving shore-side facilities.