can first time cruisers board early

[DT1304]

I am planning on boarding as early as possible.

 

I know there is the scheduled boarding but I cant remember if it is based on your loyalty status or cabin deck?

 

I am taking first time cruisers with on my account but booked 1 deck above me. Would they be able to board with me?

[Lionesss]

Back to back get on first since they are returnees.and star class first to board.

 

 

Then wedding parties. lead on

 

Then depending on ship

 

Sky, Sea class escorted on with Pinnacles where applicable on newer ships

 

other older ships

 

B2b first

Then suites with Pinnacles.

Then down the pecking order

D+, D Emerald, platinume, gold and then newbies.

 

So unless your in a suite, or other as listed, you would be the newbie and last.

 

Enjoy

[cruzgryphon]

Keep in mind "last" is a relative term.Ignore any emails etc. about boarding by deck and stuff like that. Royal never enforces them. I'm not an early boarder but from what I've heard people have been checking in around 11am and getting on board by around 11:30am to 11:45. You might get some more specific information if you let us know the ship and embarkation port.

[Ocean Dancer]

You should be aboard about 30 to 45 minutes after they start boarding. Have a wonderful cruise :D

[xcell]

Does it really matter? Everyone will be on the same cruise for 7 days anyways (or more, or less)

[Merion_Mom]

I am planning on boarding as early as possible.

 

I know there is the scheduled boarding but I cant remember if it is based on your loyalty status or cabin deck?

 

I am taking first time cruisers with on my account but booked 1 deck above me. Would they be able to board with me?

Radiance out of Sydney? Just get there when check in starts, check in together, sit together, and soon you will all be on board. :)

[Dennis#1]

I am planning on boarding as early as possible.

 

I know there is the scheduled boarding but I cant remember if it is based on your loyalty status or cabin deck?

 

I am taking first time cruisers with on my account but booked 1 deck above me. Would they be able to board with me?

 

As a general rule, boarding is based on C&A loyalty status. There are separate lines for Suites/Pinnacle/Diamond+, Diamond, etc. When you show the attendant your Set Sale Pass, they will direct you to the correct line. All of your guests should stay together to board at the same time.

[Hogbay]

As a general rule, boarding is based on C&A loyalty status. There are separate lines for Suites/Pinnacle/Diamond+, Diamond, etc. When you show the attendant your Set Sale Pass, they will direct you to the correct line. All of your guests should stay together to board at the same time.

 

I think first time cruises should not jump into D+ or Suites Line :confused:

 

They will not run out of food

[yuvraj]

Based on experience, they specify a time for you to arrive and check-in but don't enforce it. So as a first timer, you would join the big line while others will have dedicated priority line based on the loyalty status or because they are in a suite.

 

After you have checked-in and gone through security, there is a seating area where you wait until boarding commences. Typically boarding starts at 11:00am but sometimes it is delayed a little.

 

Very much like boarding a plane, there is a priority as others have explained. New cruisers come last in the priority so you board after everyone in a suite or have a higher loyalty status.

 

A lot of people arrive after boarding has already started. For them it is usually a process of boarding the ship straight after check-in and security with no waiting. For me this is a better experience.

 

One other thing to note is that your cabin is usually not ready until 1:00pm so be prepared to carry around your hand luggage until then. A good tip is not to have too much hand luggage.

[Suzieanna]

A couple of time I have noticed the "priority" line is longer than the new cruisers one!

 

When you are new though, it's all too exciting! Of course they want to get on as quickly as they can. I know I did.

[spookwife]

I am planning on boarding as early as possible.

 

I know there is the scheduled boarding but I cant remember if it is based on your loyalty status or cabin deck?

 

I am taking first time cruisers with on my account but booked 1 deck above me. Would they be able to board with me?

 

 

in order:

 

b2B cruisers from the last cruise

wedding parties

Pinnacles and Suite Class

by boarding number

 

depending on ship and embarkation port, you may have to wait until the last boarding number in your party is called if you wish to board together. they will not let non suites board with suites as a general rule( minor children in nearby cabins excepted , obviously)

[spookwife]

I think first time cruises should not jump into D+ or Suites Line :confused:

 

They will not run out of food

 

 

well our first cruise was in a suite, so we 'jumped' into the suite line and felt zero guilt about doing so.

[MrYellowDuck]

On our first ever cruise we were passenger three and four to board. The ship had delayed boarding due to a gastro incident and us poor foreigns were hustled to the front of the line since the US immigration staff wanted to process us so that they could go home; this worked for me very nicely.

 

Generally it makes almost no difference what time you arrive. Status really only makes a difference getting off at the other end where suite and other especially loved passengers don't have to queue at all.

[kawagama]

Being new to RCI, when do we get an email telling us when to board? We sail on Oct. 14 out of Venice. And if they tell us when we get to board, why do they ask us in on-line check in when we plan to be at the pier?

[cb at sea]

The "boarding status" is only in place when they first START to board. If you arrive around 11:30am, then boarding will have started, the early "status" folks will have been boarded, and from that point on, it's 1st come, 1st served. No worries. Don't arrive much earlier than that, or you'll be standing around, waiting.

 

You don't HAVE to do the "online check in"...but it does make the check-in process shorter by about 5 mins.

[Lionesss]

Does it really matter? Everyone will be on the same cruise for 7 days anyways (or more, or less)

 

 

 

OMG

 

It did matter for us.

 

The excitement of being # 1-2-3 to board from the suite waiting lounge this summer and lead the pack on the Allure sailing in August. (The returnees and bridal parties were long gone), we were the start of official boarding.

 

It was unbelievable.

 

No one on the ramp ahead of us.......................

 

We did not walk or run, I think we were so thrilled we did not know how we got up there.

 

Then when we looked in at the promenade empty.......

 

Yup Kodak moment (or selfie)

 

Guess you have to experience it to believe it.

 

Safe travels.

[fla gang]

We are Emerald and we were just on the Harmony. I was taking photos in the promenade at 10:45.

[fla gang]

We have done the Oasis,Allure and Harmony. We enjoyed the Harmony the most!

[Ocean Dancer]

Being new to RCI, when do we get an email telling us when to board? We sail on Oct. 14 out of Venice. And if they tell us when we get to board, why do they ask us in on-line check in when we plan to be at the pier?

This isn't Carnival!

[legaljen1969]

Keep in mind "last" is a relative term.Ignore any emails etc. about boarding by deck and stuff like that. Royal never enforces them.

 

I can definitely see the back to back folks and the wedding parties getting first priority. But after that, even with loyalty levels- it's not like they are going to prevent your first timers from boarding just because ALL Of the folks in a higher tier loyalty level are not there. In other words, if you were there as a first timer at 11:00 and there were say 200 diamond members- the diamonds might get boarding before you but they aren't going to hold you up from getting on the ship if you are there are 11:00 and the 200 diamonds don't arrive until 2:00. Does that make sense?

 

It's not set up so that ALL people in the loyalty levels above you have to be on the ship before your level can board.

[legaljen1969]

Does it really matter? Everyone will be on the same cruise for 7 days anyways (or more, or less)

 

So true. But some people like to start their celebrating as quickly as possible since they have paid for "x" number of days. If they don't get their whole day, they get cranky.

[legaljen1969]

I think first time cruises should not jump into D+ or Suites Line :confused:

 

They will not run out of food

 

I can see how, if there are a lot of D, D+ or Suite passengers in the terminal waiting to be boarded- that would be inconsiderate for a new cruiser to jump into a loyalty line- but if there is no one waiting, or the line is relatively short and the check in personnel tell them it is okay to get in line together then I wouldn't complain.

 

That goes both ways. They aren't going to run out of food if a new cruiser gets in line to check in with her stateroom mate who is a D+.

 

I don't line jump myself. We are "merely" platinum members but the lines are never that prohibitive that one or two people newbies checking in ahead of me with an experienced cruiser would make me lose my cool.

[legaljen1969]

A lot of people arrive after boarding has already started. For them it is usually a process of boarding the ship straight after check-in and security with no waiting. For me this is a better experience.

 

One other thing to note is that your cabin is usually not ready until 1:00pm so be prepared to carry around your hand luggage until then. A good tip is not to have too much hand luggage.

 

Great tip about not having a lot of hand luggage. It can be hard enough to find a spot to have that first lunch onboard without having to worry about where to put extra luggage that you may be carrying around. If you are one who wants to hit the pool as soon as you board, you may want to wear your suit under your clothes so you can "change" right away- i.e. use your suit as your undergarments. For men, wear your bathing suit bottom as your shorts to board.

 

Whatever happens, just have fun.