Priority Boarding - out of Vancouver - what does it practically mean?

[HeyImOnABoat]

Sailing on Koningsdam this July out of Vancouver. Our boarding passes say "priority boarding" but to check back 2 weeks before sailing for a specific time. I suspect we are showing priority boarding because we purchased Club Orange. Does priority boarding mean you will get an early boarding time (or can show up at your leisure anyhow regardless of time)? Or does it mean you could still end up with a late time, but just have a shorter/separate set of lines to wait in at that later assigned time?

[martincath]

3 minutes ago, HeyImOnABoat said:

Sailing on Koningsdam this July out of Vancouver. Our boarding passes say "priority boarding" but to check back 2 weeks before sailing for a specific time. I suspect we are showing priority boarding because we purchased Club Orange. Does priority boarding mean you will get an early boarding time (or can show up at your leisure anyhow regardless of time)? Or does it mean you could still end up with a late time, but just have a shorter/separate set of lines to wait in at that later assigned time?

Probably both an earlier choice of slot, plus alternate queues... but neither actually guarantee avoiding the biggest source of the delays that all the folks complain about!

 

HAL can give you priority - but only over other HAL pax... they will have multiple lines for check-in, so if you arrive at the worst time (depends on pax load, but generally 11am-1pm is always busy) you might have a short first queue while others are stuck in a longer one... but frankly so many people have 4*+ status on HAL that I've lost count of how many reports I've read along the lines of 'my priority queue was longer than the Regular Joe queue!' on HAL (and Princess, where I've cruised on ships that are 75% Platinum pax!) When lots of pax are 4* Mariners that also get 'priority' then any priority queue that is shared with high status folks becomes pretty meaningless! Someone else who's cruised more recently with HAL may be able to share specific info about whether Club Orange get a separate, even higher priority, queue... or have to share with the many hundreds of other priority people 😉

 

Regardless though, at least your priority MIGHT be useful at this stage - but after that HAL have zero control: Security and CBP Preclearance at the pier are is shared by everyone embarking that day. CBP 'rule the roost' for AK cruises - NOBODY gets to start embarking until they say they're ready to start prescreening boarding pax. Once CBP say they're good to go, it's up to HAL which of their pax get to leave the HAL area first - but maybe Princess, Celebrity, Royal etc. are more organized with emptying their vessels, so even the very first HAL pax might have some or all the priority people from other lines in front of them! And if the CBP room gets too full, nobody else is allowed in until they say so again - which means that the line back to Security stops moving, and so on like reverse dominos. Unsurprisingly, it's the sudden stopping of a line (for no visible reason unless you are caught just outside CBPs area) that really causes frustration...

 

If you arrive early (say before 10:30am) you probably won't wait too long in security and CBP, but then the ships are generally still not ready to accept folks actually boarding so you lurk in yet another part of the pier - a ship-specific lounge area, which will at least have chairs - until the ship is ready for you. There may be another chance for your priority to kick in here, snacks and drink the plebs don't get offered for example! In short - show up early and you are guaranteed to wait a long time, probably 90-120mins total, before you get onboard with, ironically, the earliest of the early people waiting the longest. Still, better to wait sitting down then to show up at Peak Pax Time (noonish) when you may wait just as long to board, but while standing in queues which seem to randomly just stop for a time before shuffling forward again...

 

Regardless of Status, class of room booked etc. though - show up among the last pax to board and you won't wait for anything, plus you get to hang out in one of the best cities on the planet for several extra hours - more than enough time to take a tour, visit a large site or several smaller ones, get some cheaper shopping done etc. Don't cut it too close though! CBP take a hard line with late arrivers - you should be at the pier 2 full hours before the planned sailaway time of your ship. I suggest saving Gastown or Coal Harbour sightseeing, or perhaps the FlyOverCanada ride right on the pier, for the last hour or so before you plan to board so there's no risk of traffic delays etc. causing you a problem.

[julia]

OMG....  I love this answer SOOO much!!  There is absolutely zero "priority" when you're talking about 4* and 5* and CO, and on and on! 

I totally wish we had requested a late check out from our beautiful Vancouver hotel last September and boarded the NA later. Lesson learned. 

[martincath]

51 minutes ago, julia said:

OMG....  I love this answer SOOO much!!  There is absolutely zero "priority" when you're talking about 4* and 5* and CO, and on and on! 

I totally wish we had requested a late check out from our beautiful Vancouver hotel last September and boarded the NA later. Lesson learned. 

Or even better Julia - an EARLY checkout from hotel, go drop bags at the pier, then spend another 5 or 6 hours shopping, sightseeing, visiting a local spa to pay a smaller number in a weaker currency (for savings of about 50% overall...) and a much better lunch than you could possibly get onboard (use those spa savings!) before boarding at 3pm and sauntering casually through all the lines while pretending to be Lisa Simpson ("Velvet ropes....") until you arrive in your cabin to find your bags are most definitely there waiting for you.

 

Far preferable to waiting, walking, waiting, walking, waiting, then boarding only to find that your bags still aren't there and you forgot to pack your cozzie in your carryon so you can't even camp out in the hot tub while they're empty and more sanitary than any other time in the whole cruise dagnabbit!!!

[visagrunt]

Here's the deal (based on my experience of the day before yesterday).

Regardless of how you arrive at Canada Place your bag drop is on P2.  If you arrive on foot, you will have a queue to take the elevator down to baggage drop.  From there is a straight line walk to a different elevator to take you up to the level where you check in.  So far, no distinction between priority and others; and no reference to check in times.

The signage will lead you to the check in hall.  Priority Boarding has a separate queue for check in.  We were the only passengers in that line and were immediately seen.  It took longer to follow the path out of the check in hall than it took to check in.

The prescribed path will lead you down to security (where you are mixed with all other ships' passengers and no priority distinction).  We faced a similar lack of delay where it took longer to walk through the stanchion maze than it did to clear security. 

Pre-clearance was functioning perfectly at capacity.  No one was queued ahead of us (though every passport kiosk was in use) but as soon as we reached the "please wait here" point a kiosk opened as if on cue.  Scanning and button mashing follows.

If you have accomplished all of this before boarding has actually commenced you will be sent to a holding area.  Priority boarding are separated from others here to ensure that you get to the ship first.

However, once boarding commences, it may be a direct walk from the exit of pre-clearance to the gangway.

It took us about an hour to get on board--but about half an hour of that was spent seated in holding areas.  One of our companions boarded about three quarters of an hour later and had a complete walkthrough of the process.

[Crew News]

From the HAL website, "Priority access: Exclusive, shorter check-in lines on embarkation day; special lines at guest services and shore excursions; priority specialty restaurant reservations; priority tendering and last-day disembarkation."

 

The above does not mention anything about priority boarding, just "check-in."  The upper right corner of your "boarding pass" should say, "Priority Check-in".

 

I have sailed with Club Orange on five cruises since 2019.  It is my experience that other than priority check-in, your real Club Orange benefits begin after you board the ship.. 

 

Just for clarification, HAL will provide you a "check-in" time and not a true "boarding" time.  Priority boarding has nothing to do with "check-in" time.  As a 5 Star Mariner, I have priority boarding but my "check-in" time for the Vancouver terminal last month was in the fourth group (D).  Don't be fooled by the title "Boarding Pass".  The small print says only "check-in" time. 

 

Currently, ship boarding for HAL in Vancouver starts a bit before noon in the following priority:  Pinnacle Suites, mobility issues with families, and then by seated rows of those in Neptune Suites with 4 & 5 Star Mariners. After the latter have boarded, the remaining passengers, in the order of their check-in time by seated row, are called. 

 

In May, I arrived in Hall C 20 minutes before my assigned "check-in" time and entered the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam Hall right on time.  Nobody looked at the "check-in" time on my "boarding pass". 

 

I will not recommend you also arrive early but if you do, you will not be turned away.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Crew News

[Sea-n-Ease]

On 6/5/2023 at 2:04 AM, Crew News said:

From the HAL website, "Priority access: Exclusive, shorter check-in lines on embarkation day; special lines at guest services and shore excursions; priority specialty restaurant reservations; priority tendering and last-day disembarkation."

 

The above does not mention anything about priority boarding, just "check-in."  The upper right corner of your "boarding pass" should say, "Priority Check-in".

 

I have sailed with Club Orange on five cruises since 2019.  It is my experience that other than priority check-in, your real Club Orange benefits begin after you board the ship.. 

 

Just for clarification, HAL will provide you a "check-in" time and not a true "boarding" time.  Priority boarding has nothing to do with "check-in" time.  As a 5 Star Mariner, I have priority boarding but my "check-in" time for the Vancouver terminal last month was in the fourth group (D).  Don't be fooled by the title "Boarding Pass".  The small print says only "check-in" time. 

 

Currently, ship boarding for HAL in Vancouver starts a bit before noon in the following priority:  Pinnacle Suites, mobility issues with families, and then by seated rows of those in Neptune Suites with 4 & 5 Star Mariners. After the latter have boarded, the remaining passengers, in the order of their check-in time by seated row, are called. 

 

In May, I arrived in Hall C 20 minutes before my assigned "check-in" time and entered the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam Hall right on time.  Nobody looked at the "check-in" time on my "boarding pass". 

 

I will not recommend you also arrive early but if you do, you will not be turned away.

For a Vancouver departure, what is meant here by “by seated row”?

 

“After the latter have boarded, the remaining passengers, in the order of their check-in time by seated row, are called.”

[Ferry_Watcher]

31 minutes ago, Sea-n-Ease said:

For a Vancouver departure, what is meant here by “by seated row”?

 

When we sailed out of Vancouver last May '23, we had stayed at the Pan Pacific and decided to just head down early to start the boarding process.  We had no priority status and the terminal wasn't busy yet.  After going thru the check-in, CBP, and security screening, it was still early and we were directed to a waiting area.  The directional agents showed us to the 'next available row, where we told to take take the next empty seat until that row was filled, and then the next row was filled, and so on. 

 

When a passenger who had CO, or was in a suite, or had a higher (*) status, then those passengers were sent to a seating area closer towards the gangway.  When it came time for the actual boarding, the passengers seared in the 'priority / ADA seating were sent on first, then the directional staff would stand near a row of passengers, allow them to head towards the gangway, then have then row after them stand then walk towards the ship.  It's kinda' like when you are exiting a church after a wedding or funereal and the ushers are having each row stand and leave in an orderly fashion.

 

The process in Vancouver is all very orderly and calm.  It's isn't necessarily fast, but it is orderly.

[Sea-n-Ease]

Ahh, ok.  So it's not "sit where you want".  Does sound orderly.  Thanks.

[Crew News]

To update, check-in times are no longer assigned for Vancouver passengers rather all passenger are given a "boarding time" of noon.  This could translate into a big surge around 11:00 AM.   For those without "priority boarding," it means more sitting until those with priority boarding finish boarding (estimated 12:30 PM).

 

Since boarding continues for several hours after noon and to avoid sitting in the terminal, an informed choice would be to begin the HAL check-in process at 1:00 PM.  You should be able to just walk onboard after that time.  Of course, you may turn in your luggage starting around 10:00 AM at the cruise terminal entrance. 

 

For those boarding after 1:00 PM, there will be access to all of the same dining venues as those boarding at noon, since HAL has closed the MDR for Embarkation Day lunch.

[Toad]

So just so I understand, 4* and 5*, and club orange get priority in the same line, but do Neptune suites also go in that line?

[rwethereyet1969]

As a first time cruiser, I find this thread very informative.  It had not "clicked" for me previously that check-in and boarding times were separate things.

 

If I am understanding correctly, is the following a plausible scenario?

 

-If staying at Pan Pacific or Fairmont Waterfront which offers luggage service, we could use this service to drop off our large bags for the ship.

 

-Check-out of the hotel taking our carry-ons with us.  Go eat lunch in the hotel or somewhere nearby.

 

-Around 1:00pm, we would proceed to check-in, then follow all of the "steps" to clear customs and security. Once completed, we could possibly avoid the "sitting in rows waiting" and just breeze through to board around 1:30ish. 

 

 

I would gladly give up my already included lunch onboard if it means not sitting awkwardly in close quarters with masses of people. 

 

[Crew News]

33 minutes ago, rwethereyet1969 said:

As a first time cruiser, I find this thread very informative.  It had not "clicked" for me previously that check-in and boarding times were separate things.

 

If I am understanding correctly, is the following a plausible scenario?

 

-If staying at Pan Pacific or Fairmont Waterfront which offers luggage service, we could use this service to drop off our large bags for the ship.

 

-Check-out of the hotel taking our carry-ons with us.  Go eat lunch in the hotel or somewhere nearby.

 

-Around 1:00pm, we would proceed to check-in, then follow all of the "steps" to clear customs and security. Once completed, we could possibly avoid the "sitting in rows waiting" and just breeze through to board around 1:30ish. 

 

 

I would gladly give up my already included lunch onboard if it means not sitting awkwardly in close quarters with masses of people. 

 

Sounds like a good plan to me. 

 

If you are staying in either hotel, I recommend visiting the food court in the basement of the Fairmont Hotel for breakfast/lunch or for things you forgot to pack before your cruise.  From the Pan Pacific Hotel, there is a down escalator in the Convention Center lobby that goes under the street to get to the Fairmont Hotel Food Court.  Of course you can use the crosswalk in front of the Convention Center.

 

It must be noted that there are onboard lunch places to eat no matter what time you board.

Street entrance to Fairmont Hotel Food Court

Edited April 18 by Crew News

[rwethereyet1969]

Great info, thanks!  We are coming from Wisconsin so central time zone.  We tend to eat an early lunch and early dinner.  Planning to do our specialty dining on embarkation day to avoid the MDR and Lido chaos of day 1.  Thinking of a reservation at Tamarind for 5:30 so having lunch around 11 or 11:30am feels more ideal.

 

I don't mind waiting and I am a pro at wasting time on my phone BUT.....I really don't like close quarters sitting next to and across from people with bad manners.  Coughing, sneezing, etc. and not properly covering their mouths.  I can get through it on an airplane by having the air nozzle blowing in my face.  But from the pictures I have seen of the waiting area at CP, it gives me the willies.

[Haljo1935]

43 minutes ago, rwethereyet1969 said:

...I don't mind waiting and I am a pro at wasting time on my phone BUT.....I really don't like close quarters sitting next to and across from people with bad manners.  Coughing, sneezing, etc. and not properly covering their mouths.  I can get through it on an airplane by having the air nozzle blowing in my face.  But from the pictures I have seen of the waiting area at CP, it gives me the willies.

You seem to have a solid grasp of the process.😊

And based on your "willies" comment, I think you have a fairly good idea of port conditions. 😏

The good news is, it WILL be behind you and you'll be onboard a BHB for a fabulous cruise!

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, rwethereyet1969 said:

Great info, thanks!  We are coming from Wisconsin so central time zone.  We tend to eat an early lunch and early dinner.  Planning to do our specialty dining on embarkation day to avoid the MDR and Lido chaos of day 1.  Thinking of a reservation at Tamarind for 5:30 so having lunch around 11 or 11:30am feels more ideal.

 

I don't mind waiting and I am a pro at wasting time on my phone BUT.....I really don't like close quarters sitting next to and across from people with bad manners.  Coughing, sneezing, etc. and not properly covering their mouths.  I can get through it on an airplane by having the air nozzle blowing in my face.  But from the pictures I have seen of the waiting area at CP, it gives me the willies.

FWIW HAL has now actively advertised "Steak Night" in the Lido Market on Embarkation Day to relieve the stress on the MDR.  In actuality, the menus are the same in both venues but the Lido Market is packed on the first night.  This means that the first MDR night is not that bad.

 

The Tamarind is a good choice for Embarkation Day.

[oaktreerb]

On 4/17/2024 at 4:24 PM, Toad said:

So just so I understand, 4* and 5*, and club orange get priority in the same line, but do Neptune suites also go in that line?

yes

[Toad]

2 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

yes

Thank you Oaktree.  I guess you can’t win😏

[oaktreerb]

11 hours ago, Toad said:

Thank you Oaktree.  I guess you can’t win😏

Neptune Suites also receive Club Orange dining perks.  When boarding the ship with priority status you sometimes have to politely remind port staff that you have priority boarding.  If you print your boarding pass you can easily show the “priority” designation when you ask if you are in the correct line.

[Toad]

Thanks Oaktree.  If you are in the main dining room do you get the extra club orange entrees on the menu or do you need to ask?

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, Toad said:

Thanks Oaktree.  If you are in the main dining room do you get the extra club orange entrees on the menu or do you need to ask?

If you have paid  for Club Orange or if you are in a Neptune Suite on a ship that does not have a CO dining room you will have a separate priority entry line to the main dining room.   I don’t know if you will get a special CO menu (you should) but if you don’t see the CO entree listed, just ask your server what the CO entree is.   Even when eating in a CO dining room on the Koningsdam the servers sometimes had to tell us what the special was.  

[Toad]

Thanks again. We are in a NS on a ship with no CO dining room so this will help, knowing to ask.