Priority Tendering for Elite members. How do they handle it?

[geoherb]

The good news is that there are fewer Elite passengers on Alaskan cruises. I'm thinking there will be close to a thousand on my cruise to Greenland since Princess does not offer it very often. The last time we had a tender port, the instructions were in the Patter. On a previous cruise, the instructions were on the info sheet received by Elites at the beginning of the cruise. On my last cruise, Elites met in one of the dining rooms, people on excursions met in the theater, and others picked up tender tickets in the atrium and listened for an announcement. They were trying to avoid having people congregate in one place. I took an excursion there (Belize), and they were also spacing us out in the theater as well.

[Guest ldtr]

20 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

People showed their elite ticket in Skagway last week and didn’t matter.    
I watched a bunch get sent to the back of the line on discovery.  

Not sure what you mean by line.

 

Usually, at least on the 6 cruises (3 different ships) I have been on this year,  there are two locations, one for Elite and one for everyone else.  At each location people are given a tender ticket.  As groups are released the line up to board the tender.  Elites are given priority when being sent down, but when they reach the tender boarding area they join the end of whatever line exists for that tender.  They do not get to jump the line, only get priority in when they are sent down to join the line.

[Ptroxx]

21 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Not sure what you mean by line.

 

Usually, at least on the 6 cruises (3 different ships) I have been on this year,  there are two locations, one for Elite and one for everyone else.  At each location people are given a tender ticket.  As groups are released the line up to board the tender.  Elites are given priority when being sent down, but when they reach the tender boarding area they join the end of whatever line exists for that tender.  They do not get to jump the line, only get priority in when they are sent down to join the line.

This line on the return.    
I didn’t notice 2 lines when leaving the ship. As I had a ship excursion and had no wait.   

[Guest ldtr]

7 minutes ago, Ptroxx said:

This line on the return.    
I didn’t notice 2 lines when leaving the ship. As I had a ship excursion and had no wait.   

Elite benefit only applies when leaving ship, does not apply when returning to ship.  Never has.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I’ve experienced it being handled 2 different ways. Sometimes they tell Elites to just join the moving line going right down to the tender platform. That’s our favorite method. Sometimes they have you go to the meeting room like the dining room, and you go right to the front of the line (next group). 

[cr8tiv1]

The issue with "just go down" is that there are passengers coming down the stairs AND getting off the elevators with no one monitoring the lines.  There's got to be a better method.  I know they have two launch decks, but you are funneled through the same line.  I'm all for fairness.  Ship personnel should be stationed in several places to make sure the line is orderly.  I have no problem with "waiting my turn", but would like "my turn" to be a reasonable amount of time.

[bjkTX]

A quick related question.  It's been 4 years since we cruised and the first under the Medallion system.  The last time we cruised we had tickets left in our cabin for any tender ports we had - did they stop doing that with the Medallion?  I haven't seen any reference to the tickets which is why I ask 🙂  Thanks.

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, bjkTX said:

A quick related question.  It's been 4 years since we cruised and the first under the Medallion system.  The last time we cruised we had tickets left in our cabin for any tender ports we had - did they stop doing that with the Medallion?  I haven't seen any reference to the tickets which is why I ask 🙂  Thanks.

Last time we sailed (just before Covid), ship staff handed out a different series of tickets to Elites for early shuttle departures.  As I recall, they would call a range of Elite numbers and a range of regular numbers to head from the mid-ship DR down to the shuttles.  I believe later in the day when demand wanes, you just head downstairs.

[Thrak]

On 8/8/2022 at 9:30 PM, LovetheSea said:

Thrak ... It took many years for me to finally get to the Elite tier. You should not recent people who are just getting the perks from the loyalty program that are offered.

 

What gives you the idea that I resent people for being Elite? We became Elite after our 13th cruise. I merely don't like it when people seem to feel "entitled" or "better than others" simply because they have obtained a specific status level with the cruise line. I tend to envy first time cruisers as you only get that amazing WOW factor of your first cruise one time.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Thrak

[geoherb]

My estimate of nearly a thousand Elites on my cruise to Greenland last month was close. We had 836. The info sheet that was in my cabin said that Elites could meet in the Crown Grill for tendering. They changed their minds without telling us, however, before the first tender port. We met in the Explorers Lounge instead. No one was in the Crown Grill when I went. I asked one of the assistant cruise directors, and he directed me there.

When I got to the Explorers Lounge at our first port, Valeria, the loyalty and events manager, radioed down asking if they had room for one more. She sent me immediately down with a tender ticket. No one asked for it, though.

 

I had a nice hike in Nanortalik, almost all the way up the big hill/little mountain. I was in port for about 3 hours and headed back to the ship with just a brief wait. When I got back to the ship, I stopped by the International Cafe for a bit. I noticed a lot of people milling about. They were waiting for tenders--and had been for several hours. The worst wait I heard about was three and a half hours to get off the ship and two hours to get back on. I talked with one woman who saw the huge line of people waiting to get a tender back to the ship. She decided to stay on the tender. It was a pretty ride past the icebergs.

 

I knew from reading about people's experiences in 2019 on this itinerary that getting up early was the way to go. 

 

 

[UpcountryTravelers]

Only 9 cruises as Elite (25 total).  Never seen any difference in tendering.  I suppose it depends on the ship.  We were always just in line with everyone else (nothing wrong with that, just don't like false advertising).

[UpcountryTravelers]

Sorry for the multiple posts. CC said to try again, but still said we can't post.

Edited September 13, 2022 by UpcountryTravelers

[UpcountryTravelers]

Only 9 cruises as Elite (25 total).  Never seen any difference in tendering.  I suppose it depends on the ship.  We were always just in line with everyone else (nothing wrong with that, just don't like false advertising).

[UpcountryTravelers]

delete

Edited September 13, 2022 by UpcountryTravelers

[Mike45LC]

@UpCountry:  Whether there is priority seems to depend on the time and the port.  The tender port I know best is Cabo San Lucas (Mexican Riviera cruises).

 

For the first couple of hours, Elites are told to meet up in a restaurant or lounge, from whence we are taken to the tender and given priority.  In the meantime, non-Elites meet elsewhere and are given their tender tickets on a first come first served basis.  

 

Once the initial rush has been handled, the ship stops using tickets and the Elites are just bundled in with the non-Elites.  

 

By the time my wife has finished breakfast and completed her preparations to go ashore, we are normally well after the rush, and we just head down to the tender to get in a relatively short line with everyone else.  

 

Coming back to the ship, no priority has been promised by Princess (read the Elite benefits carefully!) and everyone just lines up.  

 

I don't consider this a failure on Princess' part to live up to their commitments.  We are given priority in disembarking at the tender  port until the lines have been dealt with!

[skynight]

1 hour ago, UpcountryTravelers said:

Only 9 cruises as Elite (25 total).  Never seen any difference in tendering.  I suppose it depends on the ship.  We were always just in line with everyone else (nothing wrong with that, just don't like false advertising).

Around 30 cruises as an elite. Yes there is priority tendering ship to shore. It is accomplished different ways depending on the ship and port.

a) meet in separate location. staff member advises when you can go to the pontoon

b) meet with everyone else, but get into a separate line which pretty much goes fairly quickly

c) just show your ID and walk down to the tender. This is the least used.

At all ports shore to ship is just get into a line. At some point in the morning tender tickets are no longer required and everyone can just walk to the tender.