What is the Priority Check-In Lounge like?

[winddawn]

Don't laugh....I've only been on two Carnival Cruises with my third booked for 2017. But I was just wondering what it's like. Sure, I want to dream BIG! Thanks

 

Don't dream too big. Carnival's "VIP" lounges aren't at all fancy, and I've been in lots of them. I've been platinum for 9 years. The last few years some of the lounges have become so crowded, it ends up being standing room only before embarkation begins. Usually there are some comfortable chairs and a table set up with pastries, cookies, ice water, juice, and coffee. And that's about it. The up-side is really just being able to embark early, and the lounges themselves aren't anything to write home about. It's basically just a segregated holding area that makes it easier for staff to carry out priority embarkation. In some embarkation ports though, priority guests are checked-in in the lounge, and then directed out to sit in the same hard chairs as everyone else until embarkation starts. So don't build it up in your mind that the priority check-in lounges are anything special.

[DallasGuy75219]

In Jacksonville on the Elation last month I really enjoyed the priority lounge check in. Someone guided me directly to a room with no wait and took my boarding pass and passports and invited us to sit on a couch. There were both drinks and snacks. We sat on the couch until called and the only thing they had to do was take our pictures and hand us our cards. We were then guided to the priority waiting area and about fifteen minutes later invited to board. That perk alone was not something I would get a suite for, but we very much enjoyed the difference.

My experience in JAX in January was pretty much the polar opposite. Yes, I got to sit on a couch in the "lounge" while waiting to get checked in.

 

After that I was ushered outside to a waiting area of row upon row of hard plastic chairs cordoned off from the rest of the general check-in/waiting area. The Carnival chair ****s were filling each row, chair by chair and passengers shoulder-to-shoulder, after people checked in in the lounge. The rows of chairs were placed so close together you couldn't help but play footsie with the person seated directly across from you. Meanwhile a Carnival drill sergeant who I can only describe as a b**** with no concept that we were paying customers was barking out orders to the entire check-in/waiting area.

 

It was a pretty crappy experience overall (about as enjoyable as the muster drill, except seated in hard plastic chairs), not a good start to the cruise, and not anything close to a priority experience.

 

JAX is one port where Carnival has no business claiming any kind of priority experience if they're going to sell that many FTTFs and then accommodate Diamonds, Plats, and FTTF as they do.

 

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[nutterbutter818]

Don't laugh....I've only been on two Carnival Cruises with my third booked for 2017. But I was just wondering what it's like. Sure, I want to dream BIG! Thanks

 

I agree with the others that there really isn't anything special. Our nicest experience was on NCL out of NOLA. The lounge still had just a bunch of chairs but they had a nice variety of snacks/pastries and coffees/sodas/bottled water. Our concierge met us there with our room keys as well as our butler that took our luggage for us. I like priority just because it gets us on board faster.

[mcbridedori]

I honestly can't remember which one it was (DH says NOLA) but it was definitely different from the main waiting area.

 

A large room with tables set up with pastries and coffee. A separate check in desk. Sofas and upholstered arm chairs. Much more comfortable than the main area.

 

Others have not left an impression so probably nothing to write about.:p

 

Last time we sailed from Lauderdale (first time we would have been able to go in there) we were with others that could not.

 

Will have to start paying better attention. Maybe take the camera out BEFORE we start walking on the ship.

 

 

 

Yes NOLA was like this at one time. Not sure if it’s still like that now

 

 

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[RWolver672]

In Tampa, the terminal we cruised out of had one big area. By the escalators, they had the Priority area right out in the open. There was a rope separating them. The FTTF people sat on the other side of that rope but there was nothing separating FTTF from the rest of the people. A worker stood in the Priority area making sure you were in the right spot. When they started boarding, he checked all boarding passes to make sure you weren't sneaking in when you weren't suppose to.

[Flip2cruise]

How about Mobile? Do they have a nice lounge? Haven't been there since the Elation sailed from there.

 

 

 

They don’t have one at all.

[Lottacruises]

Just to mention, in Galveston terminal two has a roped off area, terminal one has a separate room.

[Ralphinsc]

The older Miami VIP room was nice with sofas and easy chairs. It got crowded there after FTTF started and more cruisers achieved platinum status.

 

The newer, larger MIA VIP is more functional with regular chairs.

 

The VIP room in FLL was a joke, felt like an inner city class room. Hopefully that gets updated soon.

 

The VIP wait lounges are simply holding areas, nothing special.

 

When we went out of Miami a couple of weeks ago, the FTTF had a separate waiting area that was not in the lounge. They did use the same priority check in lines and priority screening lines (I really liked how smoothly those worked). But once upstairs, they had a separate seating area. Never saw the inside of the priority lounge. Hopefully, that's newer and is eliminating some of the lounge corwds.

[mdsgu]

Sailed out of NOLA in November (and will be doing so again in June). Priority waiting was "meh." We didn't get a special check-in desk; we just queued with the "regular" folk. Then we were shown to the VIP waiting room, which had a few couches and a few chairs in the first part, and fewer couches and chairs in a second part. The second room had some juice and water. They finally called for VIP boarding and it was absolute chaos with everyone jostling to get out the one door and over to the boarding photo and then to the skywalk to the ship. Better than the straight-back chairs in the regular waiting area, but not something I would pay extra for.

 

(And I'm not knocking Carnival here; I like Carnival. That's why I keep sailing with them. Just saying their VIP waiting room in NOLA isn't "all that.")

[lukeduke07]

Its kinda like when you're in elementary school. The teachers lounge is a magical forbidden place that kids are not allowed to enter or even look in. I always wondered what went on in there. Now that I remodel schools i go into teachers lounges all the time and they are nothing more than a couple of tables, a microwave, and a vending machine that's sold out of diet cokes.

 

We used to see the priority lounge and wish we could go in there and once we did, we dont really care about it anymore.

[stargate fan]

Don't laugh....I've only been on two Carnival Cruises with my third booked for 2017. But I was just wondering what it's like. Sure, I want to dream BIG! Thanks

Most are posting that the VIP lounge isn't anything special. I disagree. Starting the cruise with fresh cookies, before even getting on the ship, is HUGE!

[txmom11]

I'll add my 2 cents.

 

Port Canaveral has a nice VIP lounge with comfortable furniture.

 

Miami has an okay lounge with just plan chairs after get checked in.

 

New Orleans has really improved their lounge, it's larger and you are called up to the desk by name, but then go out to the big seating area to the roped off VIP area.

 

Galveston is my homeport and favorite the lounge and waiting area is completely separate, has 3 agents and comfortable seating.

 

I was about the type the same thing for Galveston. San Juan has a private room with pastries and coffee (and lemonade) with couches and chairs.