Traveling with first timers

[cr8tiv1]

26 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

For me, I guess it would depend who it was.  After all, we got onto our first Princess ship all by ourselves.  If Princess didn't want the other couple with us (we have asked before and they have said no problem in Port Everglades), I would split up such that myself and one of the other couple are together in Elite boarding and the other two in regular. 

 

If I was sailing on a Caribbean itinerary and wanted Sanctuary, no way would I give up my first on the ship position.  LOL.

 

 

Now that is a great suggestion, unless you want to rush to the Sanctuary (lol).  I'll be sure to stay out of your way if we should ever be on the same cruise.  The image is just so vivid.  

 

BTW, those in the terminal are NOT Princess representatives.  I am sure they are not familiar with each and every cruise line's policies. 

 

My story....My medallion was (adjectives purposely left off) blue.  No matter how much I argued with the first person in the terminal, she would not allow me to obtain the coveted black pass.  I calmly let the next person guarding the lounge that not only was I in a suite, but also an Elite.  She smiled and I entered this sacred area.  Ironically, once in the lounge, a nice black suit guy approached us and said that he would be back nearer to 11 to escort us to our suite.  First (and last time) ever.  Was that to appease my first encounter?  Not really, I am sure it was Medallion Class related.  He had his ipad and made a beeline to us.  The story has been condensed to keep it simple.

[Steelers36]

43 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Now that is a great suggestion, unless you want to rush to the Sanctuary (lol).  I'll be sure to stay out of your way if we should ever be on the same cruise.  The image is just so vivid.  

 

BTW, those in the terminal are NOT Princess representatives.  I am sure they are not familiar with each and every cruise line's policies. 

 

My story....My medallion was (adjectives purposely left off) blue.  No matter how much I argued with the first person in the terminal, she would not allow me to obtain the coveted black pass.  I calmly let the next person guarding the lounge that not only was I in a suite, but also an Elite.  She smiled and I entered this sacred area.  Ironically, once in the lounge, a nice black suit guy approached us and said that he would be back nearer to 11 to escort us to our suite.  First (and last time) ever.  Was that to appease my first encounter?  Not really, I am sure it was Medallion Class related.  He had his ipad and made a beeline to us.  The story has been condensed to keep it simple.

Yes, I have read about this recently - the escorting to a Suite.  Now my vivid image has been thinking of me in that situation at T2 in Port Everglades about to depart for the Caribbean, and someone from the ship wants to do this.  I'd be like "Here, you escort my wife wherever, but I am off to the Sanctuary at double-time and I don’t think you will keep up."  In reality, this will never happen as we do not book Suites.  Ha ha.

 

The last time we were on a ship (2019) we were finally Elite, so I was actually the first person on board and did not need to hustle as much as in the Platinum days when I could out hustle most of the Elites up there even though they had a head start.  Never ran over anyone, but I used to run up the stairs instead of trusting an elevator.  Last time I could "stroll" up the elevator.  LOL.

 

 

 

Okay, so yes plenty of personnel in the terminal as outside help, but there is also personnel from the ship in the terminal, such as the fellow who was your escort.  It is pretty easy to spot ship personnel versus others.

 

 

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, suzyed said:

Even if they are your family members?

 

 

Yes.  Even if they were family members.  There is nothing to prevent you from being with them.  However your elite status belongs to you and not to your extended family.

 

DON

[caribill]

9 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

It's safe to assume that Princess knows how to turn people away from early boarding if they would like.   Why not leave it to Princess to implement their program?

 

The people in the terminal doing check-in and directing people to various pre-board waiting areas are port employees, not Princess employees.  If they allow those not with status to go to waiting areas requiring status, they are not properly following what Princess intended.

 

The Elite waiting area is also shared by those in full suites and a number of times in our experience that area has been full and even Elite and suite passengers who were entitled to be there were turned away as there was no room for them. Allowing those who are not Elite or full suite passengers to go there means even more passengers who had earned that privilege would be turned away.

 

The only exceptions I have seen purposely made is when the passengers without status were young children of the Elite/suite passengers or when the passenger without status is in the same cabin as the person with the status.

[SargassoPirate]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The people in the terminal doing check-in and directing people to various pre-board waiting areas are port employees, not Princess employees.  If they allow those not with status to go to waiting areas requiring status, they are not properly following what Princess intended.

 

The Elite waiting area is also shared by those in full suites and a number of times in our experience that area has been full and even Elite and suite passengers who were entitled to be there were turned away as there was no room for them. Allowing those who are not Elite or full suite passengers to go there means even more passengers who had earned that privilege would be turned away.

 

The only exceptions I have seen purposely made is when the passengers without status were young children of the Elite/suite passengers or when the passenger without status is in the same cabin as the person with the status.

I like to "eyeball" the respective "priority" lines/waiting areas and have had success on occasion with heading for the line for the steerage passengers and getting processed more quickly - not that it's a big race to board anyway.  Sometimes "priority" is not really priority, just like an upgrade is not necessarily an upgrade.

 

 

[Daniel A]

12 hours ago, tml1230 said:

Spot on! very well said!..... Daniel, using your logic ....can your friends use your free elite laundry perc?

I am at Platinum level, but if I had the laundry perk and Princess was aware that non Elite PAX were using it too and said it was OK, then I guess then it would be OK.  If you're sneaking it - well then that's a different story.  It's Princess' ship and they can permit whatever they want to permit.

[Mary loves to travel]

6 hours ago, caribill said:

The only exceptions I have seen purposely made is when the passengers without status were young children of the Elite/suite passengers or when the passenger without status is in the same cabin as the person with the status.

So.... the elite couple and their non-elite friends could have booked the cabins such that one elite & one non-elite was in each cabin.   Then the couples could do the "cabin switcheroo" after boarding.    Same result, more hassle for everyone 🙂

 

[MissP22]

29 minutes ago, Mary loves to travel said:

So.... the elite couple and their non-elite friends could have booked the cabins such that one elite & one non-elite was in each cabin.   Then the couples could do the "cabin switcheroo" after boarding.    Same result, more hassle for everyone 🙂

 

That also provides an Elite setup in each cabin. 😁

[Daniel A]

34 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

That also provides an Elite setup in each cabin. 😁

Hmmmm.  Does the non-Elite passenger in the cabin get to taste a drink from the Elite setup?  Maybe Princess should install cameras in those cabins so they can monitor who drinks from the Elite setup.  🧐

[cr8tiv1]

This thread is going in the wrong direction.  It started off with "Is a non-PES passenger/s allowed to board with Elite".  Its tentacles have reach out to "How to get around the Elite Status".  

 

Everyone has their threshold of honesty.  Those that will - will and those that won't - wont.  

 

THE     END

[MissP22]

9 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

This thread is going in the wrong direction.  It started off with "Is a non-PES passenger/s allowed to board with Elite".  Its tentacles have reach out to "How to get around the Elite Status".  

 

Everyone has their threshold of honesty.  Those that will - will and those that won't - wont.  

 

THE     END

Yea, but it teaches me new ways of scamming the system that I might not have thought of before. 

[Tak8]

And a few wonder why some perks are shrinking or disappearing.  

[donaldsc]

16 hours ago, tml1230 said:

Spot on! very well said!..... Daniel, using your logic ....can your friends use your free elite laundry perc?

 

No!

 

DON

[Mary loves to travel]

45 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

This thread is going in the wrong direction.  It started off with "Is a non-PES passenger/s allowed to board with Elite".  Its tentacles have reach out to "How to get around the Elite Status".  

 

Everyone has their threshold of honesty.  Those that will - will and those that won't - wont.  

 

THE     END

I see this is more similar to Dress Code threads.    

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

This thread is going in the wrong direction.  It started off with "Is a non-PES passenger/s allowed to board with Elite".  Its tentacles have reach out to "How to get around the Elite Status".

Obviously, the correct answer to the original question is "maybe."  It depends on where and when, just like almost every other policy on Princess.  "It depends on who you ask" or "it depends on which ship you are on..."

[caribill]

7 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

I like to "eyeball" the respective "priority" lines/waiting areas and have had success on occasion with heading for the line for the steerage passengers and getting processed more quickly - not that it's a big race to board anyway.  Sometimes "priority" is not really priority, just like an upgrade is not necessarily an upgrade.

 

 

 

Actually, the published Princess policy is to allow non-elite passengers to check-in with the elite passengers using the elite line. (Alhough as you point out, other lines for check-in may have less of a wait.)

 

The question posed by the OP is: After check-in, can the non-elite passengers wait in the elite waiting area until boarding starts?

[Bgwest]

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Everyone has their threshold of honesty. 

What a PERFECT summary   
 

Thank you @cr8tiv1  

 

I have no energy for any more of this. 

[toofewcruises]

22 hours ago, Daniel A said:

 

I see it as a benefit to the people who have earned the special perks.  If I am Platinum or Elite and my travel party has two people who have never sailed before, I would think permitting me to bring the 2 people with me at embarkation rather than making me stay with the 2 first time cruisers is actually extending to me the benefit I've earned.  I wouldn't leave family members to their own devices for their first embarkation.

 

Should someone who only booked an inside cabin be banned from joining friends on their suite's balcony?  After all, they didn't earn the right to use a private balcony...

Your reasoning here is flawed.  Sitting on anyone's balcony is not an earned perk.  Priority embarkation is.  No, OP should not take the newbies with them to the elite lounge.  The right thing to do is to wait with them in the general boarding area.  However, the exception to this rule is whether the newbies have their own cabins.  If they share a cabin with the elite member, then, yes, they can have priority embarkation.  I believe this is the Princess rule.  

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, toofewcruises said:

Your reasoning here is flawed.  Sitting on anyone's balcony is not an earned perk.  Priority embarkation is.  No, OP should not take the newbies with them to the elite lounge.  The right thing to do is to wait with them in the general boarding area.  However, the exception to this rule is whether the newbies have their own cabins.  If they share a cabin with the elite member, then, yes, they can have priority embarkation.  I believe this is the Princess rule.  

I think this sentence says it all...  Shows the underlying attitude.   😒

[toofewcruises]

6 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I think this sentence says it all...  Shows the underlying attitude.   😒

Not an attitude...  Just following the rules.  If you want to break them, go ahead!

[Daniel A]

27 minutes ago, toofewcruises said:

Not an attitude...  Just following the rules.  If you want to break them, go ahead!

If it's not an attitude, then why use a derogatory term to describe the first-time cruisers?  It's looking down on other people.  I'd classify that as exhibiting an attitude.

 

Done here.

Edited July 18, 2022 by Daniel A

[suzyed]

17 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The people in the terminal doing check-in and directing people to various pre-board waiting areas are port employees, not Princess employees.  If they allow those not with status to go to waiting areas requiring status, they are not properly following what Princess intended.

 

The Elite waiting area is also shared by those in full suites and a number of times in our experience that area has been full and even Elite and suite passengers who were entitled to be there were turned away as there was no room for them. Allowing those who are not Elite or full suite passengers to go there means even more passengers who had earned that privilege would be turned away.

 

The only exceptions I have seen purposely made is when the passengers without status were young children of the Elite/suite passengers or when the passenger without status is in the same cabin as the person with the status.

On our recent cruise, there was no one in the Elite lounge when we got to that point.  I asked where we were to wait.They had already been directed to board the ship.  They waved my family through with us without any discussion about it.

Edited July 19, 2022 by suzyed

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

I will chime in here with my experience, and my take.

 

Unless there is some reason why your travel partners might not be left alone there,  (not, mature, normal,l adults) I do not see any real obligation by Princess to let them board.   Easy enough for Elite to board, take care of any early boarding stuff/reservations, etc...  and simply meet their travel partners somewhere as planned.

 

In our case,  we are platinum, so we were able to board earlier.  But, we were traveling with our son, who was traveling solo... Cruising with us without a friend/girlfriend.  He had turned 18, but there is NO way that we were leaving him alone there.

 

We checked in at the counter, as he checked in with the rep next to us.  Our customer service rep, like some others we have seen, was very rude, and should not be working there in that position, at all.

She noticed that our son was there.   She told us to wait a second, disappeared, came back and handed us our boarding information.  We didn't realize it, but because of our son, she went and changed it to regular, non-priority boarding!!!  She did that on purpose, because she knew that we would boarding with our sone along with us. YES, THIS HAPPENED.

 

When we realized this, and they announced that  passengers with the early boarding pass could go forward, we realized we didn't have that pass.   I immediately got up and went to the first person that looked less hostile, and showed them that we were indeed platinum/elite.  Luckily she waved us thru, with our son right with us.  This meant that we could get reservation spots that we needed, etc...  that we would not have gotten without our priority boarding.

 

Bottom line, with things like this, it will depend on the situation and who you end up encountering at check-in and boarding.

 

[ojaidenny]

On 7/16/2022 at 11:01 AM, ojaidenny said:

We are elite passengers and we are traveling with first timers.  When checking in can we take them with us into the elite area for embarking?

Would hate to leave them behind if we don't have to. 

WoW! What a response to can we take them or we would hate to leave them.  Interesting perspectives but I think we will either leave on their own as they are grown adults or stay with them.  We have no reason to hurry on. 

[Bobbiegentry]

1 hour ago, ojaidenny said:

WoW! What a response to can we take them or we would hate to leave them.  Interesting perspectives but I think we will either leave on their own as they are grown adults or stay with them.  We have no reason to hurry on. 

Proud of you and your decision.

 

Post #35 says it all. 
 

On one will ever fault you for remaining with your  friends rather than justifying an attempt to game the system.