Help with boarding priority. Been away from Princess

[lazycruzer]

I am a Platinum member traveling in balcony. I have been sailing with other cruise lines for several years.

Sister /BIL traveling in a full suite, not mini-suite,

SIL and Family in Premium balcony but only Ruby member.

Can we all board together with Suite, platinum members or does Ruby member have to check-in later?

We are all sailing on Grand to Alaska out of San Francisco in June.

Thanks in advance.

[skynight]

I am a Platinum member traveling in balcony. I have been sailing with other cruise lines for several years.

Sister /BIL traveling in a full suite, not mini-suite,

SIL and Family in Premium balcony but only Ruby member.

Can we all board together with Suite, platinum members or does Ruby member have to check-in later?

We are all sailing on Grand to Alaska out of San Francisco in June.

Thanks in advance.

Maybe - ask at the pier.

 

Full Suites and Club Class Minis get priority check in & boarding. All other cabin classes get standard check in and boarding or check in and boarding according to your loyalty status. In any case even if you are not permitted to board together, you should be on board fairly soon after the full suite and elite passengers board. The Ruby member does not have to check in later, just maybe at a different check in line. After their check in they will be placed in a group and will board when that group is called. Once boarding begins it goes very quickly.

[f-mattox]

I've been in this situation many times; we stay together as a group and the person with the suite announces that we are traveling together. Only one time were we separated.

[Pam in CA]

It depends. There are so many Platinum and Elite passengers these days that the waiting room to board is too full for even those who have priority embarkation. It's not unusual to have over 1,000 (sometimes over 1,500) with priority boarding. You can ask but your SIL and family might be told to do general boarding.

[easyboy]

The guideline does not allow it. But it really depends on the discretion of the staff at the door. There were a number of times where some friends were allowed to board with us. Worth a try.

 

 

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[john watson]

IMHO check-in and boarding is dictated largely by how you made your booking/s. So everybody on the same booking checks in together in as a group. Whosoever is a priority boarder can take all others on the booking as a group early. This could be an Elite status cruiser with others on the same booking or it could be a first time cruiser who has booked a suite with others on the same booking. If one of the passengers is a first time cruiser and booked separately then they cannot be included in the priority group. This is how it works in the UK but far fewer passengers are high status over here. I can see problems with proliferation of Elite passengers cruising out of the USA.

 

Regards John

[waltd]

You certainly can all board together if you want to all hang around together until the Ruby members are called. What's the rush?

[toescat]

We had to wait with our Ruby friends. We did not mind as we still go on the ship fairly early anyway. We always have priority boarding but when we are with friends that are not at our level we don't push it as we are their to have fun.

[fishywood]

Can we all board together with Suite, platinum members or does Ruby member have to check-in later?

 

Remember that check-in and boarding are two separate events (and check-in comes first).

 

The rest of the party may be able to glom on to the Suite passengers in the priority check-in line.

Though they may not want to as the "regular" check-in line often is shorter.

 

 

But if you arrive before boarding has commenced, only the Suite passengers will be in a priority group, and be allowed to wait in the designated area. Platinum will be eligible for the next group after Suite/Eltie, but Ruby in a balcony will get the first available regular group number.

 

If you all wish to board at the same time your choices are to forego priority boarding for those eligible, or wait to arrive at the pier until the early arrivals have cleared and you all can just head straight for the gangway after check-in.

[elliair]

You certainly can all board together if you want to all hang around together until the Ruby members are called. What's the rush?

 

I agree, didn't we all "earn" this perk the right way? That would be like me not earning it but latching on to someone who has earned the perks and paid for them like a full suite. IMHO, it's not fair to those who earned and are anxious to get on board, settled in and ready to enjoy what we've paid thousands of dollars to enjoy and what Princess has given us for being loyal cruisers with them. I don't want to get going with the horror stories so I'll stop right here.

[lazycruzer]

As I am PLatinum and Sis is in full suite, all booking are linked. Ruby is in premium balcony next to suite. Will make decide at embarkation.

Thanks for all your input.

[Pam in CA]

Having the bookings linked only applies to dining and has nothing to do with boarding. The full suite passengers will have priority boarding. The Platinum passengers will probably be in the next group along with other Platinum passengers. The Ruby passengers will be general boarding.

 

You can ask if you can all be boarded together but look around you and if the area is full, anyone who isn't eligible for priority boarding is taking space/seating from those who have earned the perk. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Elite passengers having to stand because guests are there.

 

You have two nother options: you can all board together with no problem during general boarding. Or, you can arrive at the port later and board when there are no lines.