Boarding groups

[jimbo1683]

I am in boarding group A 11:00-11:30. Will that be the first group to board or is there an earlier group for people with status?

[nini]

In our experiences from last year, it does really matter. You will be put in a group:

1st to board is disabled

Then Elite

Then Platinum

Then Suites ( unless they are Elite or Platinum)

[Steelers36]

8 minutes ago, nini said:

In our experiences from last year, it does really matter. You will be put in a group:

1st to board is disabled

Then Elite

Then Platinum

Then Suites ( unless they are Elite or Platinum)

Sorry .. wrong info.  Suites and Elites are called together, but there may be more than one group, depending on numbers checking in prior to general boarding.  Platinum members follow.  And AFAIK, the Platinum group also includes Club/Reserve Class guests who are neither Elite nor Platinum.

 

[Steelers36]

47 minutes ago, jimbo1683 said:

I am in boarding group A 11:00-11:30. Will that be the first group to board or is there an earlier group for people with status?

No, there is no earlier Boarding Group (hence why you see "A").  Check-in opens well prior to 11:00am - typically 10:00am approx.  These days, many ships are ready to begin boarding by about 11:00am.  

 

Guests who are none of Suites, Elites, Platinums, Club/Reserve cabins, and who arrive prior to boarding are assigned groups that fall in order after the mentioned groups.  They could have ANY Princess App boarding group since the App Groups mean NOTHING. 

 

After general boarding commences, those in the waiting area are sent onto the ship in orders mentioned above, followed by anyone else (but everyone has a group card assigned according to order of check-in). In other words, a "nobody guest" who checks in at 10am will be called to board before a "nobody guest" who checks in at 10:30am.

 

Once the waiting crowd has all headed onto the ship, arriving guests at the terminal complete check-in and immediately head onto the ship in whatever order they exit the check-in process.  That said, there is a priority check-in line for those who qualify.

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Steelers36

[cfgrandma]

We are boarding the Royal Princess June 3rd in Seattle.  We were able to select Boarding Group A 11;00-11:30 am on the Princess App a few weeks ago.  I just printed the Travel Summary and it says boarding begins at 1:00 pm.

 

Anyone have an idea what time we will be able to board?

 

Thank you,

Carolyn

 

[Steelers36]

15 minutes ago, cfgrandma said:

We are boarding the Royal Princess June 3rd in Seattle.  We were able to select Boarding Group A 11;00-11:30 am on the Princess App a few weeks ago.  I just printed the Travel Summary and it says boarding begins at 1:00 pm.

 

Anyone have an idea what time we will be able to board?

 

Thank you,

Carolyn

 

As long as ship returns to port as scheduled and nothing special going on like a Coast Guard inspection, or a Norovirus cleaning, you may expect boarding to commence anytime after 11:00am.

 

[Teechur]

Four of us are traveling together. Only one is Elite. What are the chances we can all board with her (from Southampton)?

[Steelers36]

38 minutes ago, Teechur said:

Four of us are traveling together. Only one is Elite. What are the chances we can all board with her (from Southampton)?

Most of the time I have heard of this being successful is when an Elite couple is traveling with friend couple who are not Elite.  How many cabins are you all in?  All you can do is ask?  

 

Also, are you checking in early before boarding commences?  If not, it doesn't really matter.

[nini]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry .. wrong info.  Suites and Elites are called together, but there may be more than one group, depending on numbers checking in prior to general boarding.  Platinum members follow.  And AFAIK, the Platinum group also includes Club/Reserve Class guests who are neither Elite nor Platinum.

 

Thanks @Steelers36; I think you have corrected me on this before and I continue to be off. My main point is that a boarding time means nothing as you also stated in your next post.

All I could remember from boarding in Vancouver is that Handicapped went first, then Elite, then Platinum is how they grouped us. I am sure Suites were in there with Elite.

[jimbo1683]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry .. wrong info.  Suites and Elites are called together, but there may be more than one group, depending on numbers checking in prior to general boarding.  Platinum members follow.  And AFAIK, the Platinum group also includes Club/Reserve Class guests who are neither Elite nor Platinum.

 

Thanks. So I am Reseeve Class mini with Group A 11-1130 and no status. What time should i be arriving at the port terminal for earliest possible embarkation? (I want to try to get a sanctuary reservation)

[Teechur]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Most of the time I have heard of this being successful is when an Elite couple is traveling with friend couple who are not Elite.  How many cabins are you all in?  All you can do is ask?  

 

Also, are you checking in early before boarding commences?  If not, it doesn't really matter.

We have 4 cabins. We started out with two, and while I was booking them, Princess dropped the single supplement from 100% to 6%, so we each got our own. With the promotion that included $600 per cabin in onboard credit, we actually came out ahead. 👍

Not sure what time we will be boarding. Our pickup time is 9:30 am at Heathrow, then however long it takes the Princess shuttle to get us there. 1.5 hours?

We were allowed to board as a group in the past, but who knows today?

[Steelers36]

34 minutes ago, jimbo1683 said:

Thanks. So I am Reserve Class mini with Group A 11-1130 and no status. What time should i be arriving at the port terminal for earliest possible embarkation? (I want to try to get a sanctuary reservation)

You have not stated where sailing from, voyage type/destination.  Some parts of World and seasonality can mean low demand for Sanctuary.  If you are sailing the Caribbean in Winter, I'd be at the Terminal before 10am.

[Steelers36]

14 minutes ago, Teechur said:

We have 4 cabins. We started out with two, and while I was booking them, Princess dropped the single supplement from 100% to 6%, so we each got our own. With the promotion that included $600 per cabin in onboard credit, we actually came out ahead. 👍

Not sure what time we will be boarding. Our pickup time is 9:30 am at Heathrow, then however long it takes the Princess shuttle to get us there. 1.5 hours?

We were allowed to board as a group in the past, but who knows today?

If you are arriving inside the terminal at 11am or after, expect boarding to have begun and it isn't going to matter as much.  I would just held towards check-in together with Elite in the lead and that person can explain the situation and see where greeter directs you all.  I am not familiar with that terminal, but they all have priority check-in area versus regular.  No guarantees, but you can always ask.  Technically, the other three should be going into the regular check-in lines.

[jimbo1683]

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

You have not stated where sailing from, voyage type/destination.  Some parts of World and seasonality can mean low demand for Sanctuary.  If you are sailing the Caribbean in Winter, I'd be at the Terminal before 10am.

Scandanavia from Southampton

[caribill]

4 hours ago, cfgrandma said:

We are boarding the Royal Princess June 3rd in Seattle.  We were able to select Boarding Group A 11;00-11:30 am on the Princess App a few weeks ago.  I just printed the Travel Summary and it says boarding begins at 1:00 pm.

 

Anyone have an idea what time we will be able to board?

 

Thank you,

Carolyn

 

 

Boarding usually starts sometime between 11 and Noon.

 

The 1 PM you mention is what Princess has said for many years and does not reflect reality and never has.

[david63]

Be aware that other Carnival brands have recently started enforcing check in times at Southampton and those who arrive early have to queue outside the terminal, in some cases for an hour or more.

 

I don't know if this will apply to Princess or not.

[lx200gps]

8 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry .. wrong info.  Suites and Elites are called together, but there may be more than one group, depending on numbers checking in prior to general boarding.  Platinum members follow.  And AFAIK, the Platinum group also includes Club/Reserve Class guests who are neither Elite nor Platinum.

 

Technically, if there are any B2Bers on the trip, they are boarded before anyone else.  AFAIK, if there are special groups such as a wedding party, they are also accorded priority boarding before us PES types.

[david63]

23 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

Technically, if there are any B2Bers on the trip, they are boarded before anyone else.

Why? What is the difference between being B2B and just on a single cruise - after all you only embark once.

[lx200gps]

13 minutes ago, david63 said:

Why? What is the difference between being B2B and just on a single cruise - after all you only embark once.

No idea why, but it's a fact that they are allowed back on board before everyone else. On our last trip, in February, I was told there were 800 of them.

[gah_cruise]

20 minutes ago, david63 said:

Why? What is the difference between being B2B and just on a single cruise - after all you only embark once.

I think if you are on a B2B you are required to disembark and then embark again (passing thro immigration)......could be wrong though

[SCX22]

2 hours ago, david63 said:

Why? What is the difference between being B2B and just on a single cruise - after all you only embark once.

 

Immigration in some countries, like the U.S.A., require that there be a zero count of the ship's passengers to gain clearance to sail again.  Because the B2B passengers already have their belongings on board and have their Medallions (they use the same Medallion from the previous sailing), they are allowed to reboard as soon as the ship gains clearance again, which is generally before boarding of the new batch of passengers occurs, as to not inconvenience them too much.

 

In Fort Lauderdale on a B2B cruise, we were asked to meet at 09:30 to disembark the ship so it could gain a zero count.  We waited in the terminal for 15 minutes and by 09:45, we were allowed to reboard.  Boarding for the new passengers didn't start until 11:15.

 

 

[david63]

Sorry I had not allowed for the pita US Immigration service - the main reason that I do not visit the US anymore!

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, gah_cruise said:

I think if you are on a B2B you are required to disembark and then embark again (passing thro immigration)......could be wrong though

Not required in Europe. 

[wowzz]

8 hours ago, jimbo1683 said:

Thanks. So I am Reseeve Class mini with Group A 11-1130 and no status. What time should i be arriving at the port terminal for earliest possible embarkation? (I want to try to get a sanctuary reservation)

In my experience, Princess do not check your arrival times in Southampton.  They certainly didn't on our last cruise four weeks ago. 

Reserve Mini Suite passengers get priority boarding anyway. 

I would plan to be at the terminal just after 10am, but you may have to wait if check in is not yet open.

[PacnGoNow]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Not required in Europe. 

It WAS required for Barcelona in March.  They just started it.  Clear the ship and everyone had to get their passport stamped.  It was so new to them, it was a mess and they finally cleared the ship.

 

Took us b2b’s over 2 hours of waiting around.  We got on just before the new guests embarking.

 

Ft Lauderdale does a very good job of clearing and getting b2b’s back OB.

It’s the guests who don’t want to get off that hold us up. 😮