Concierge class boarding

[doghog]

15 minutes ago, seattle-steve said:

While the OP was asking specifically about priority boarding for a group (some of which were Concierge Class, some of which were not), I wanted to address several of the comments that say there is no priority/early boarding for Concierge Class:

 

We have our first Celebrity cruise in a couple weeks in a Concierge Class stateroom. I was concerned about missing the embarkation day lunch (one of the Concierge Class perks) because -- even though I checked in within hours of check-in becoming available -- we ended up with a 1:00-1:30 embarkation time, because that was the earliest available. With that embarkation time, at best we might make it to the tail end of the lunch...

 

FWIW, I just got off the phone with Celebrity's help line and was assured that regardless of our scheduled embarkation time, we will be allowed to embark early, so as not to miss it the embarkation day lunch.

 

If what the agent told me turns out to be true, it sounds like even though early embarkation is not listed as an official Concierge Class perk, it is apparently a de-facto perk because of the lunch.

Not to rain on your parade, but the Celebrity call center reps have no idea what happens at the embarkation port. Also your 1-1:30 time is your check in time, not your boarding time. No one size fits all at each embarkation port. 

[seattle-steve]

19 minutes ago, doghog said:

Not to rain on your parade, but the Celebrity call center reps have no idea what happens at the embarkation port. Also your 1-1:30 time is your check in time, not your boarding time. No one size fits all at each embarkation port. 

doghog: I'm well aware that what I was told by Celebrity support may not turn out to be the case. (See the last paragraph of my comment starting with "If what the agent told me turns out to be true...") I was simply sharing some concrete information that others may or may not find useful. None of the other comments here regarding Concierge Class priority boarding provided any evidence to support their claims...

 

Regarding "check-in time" vs. "boarding time": that sounds to me like you are making a distinction without difference. In my experience, on embarkation day you "check in" and then you board....

[doghog]

2 minutes ago, seattle-steve said:

doghog: I'm well aware that what I was told by Celebrity support may not turn out to be the case. (See the last paragraph of my comment starting with "If what the agent told me turns out to be true...") I was simply sharing some concrete information that others may or may not find useful. None of the other comments here regarding Concierge Class priority boarding provided any evidence to support their claims...

 

Regarding "check-in time" vs. "boarding time": that sounds to me like you are making a distinction without difference. In my experience, on embarkation day you "check in" and then you board....

And I was sharing actual experiences with you, concerning both subjects. No need to take offense. Welcome to CC. 

[cruisestitch]

You hope that there is but a moment’s difference between check-in time and boarding time, but there can be all sorts of delays that find you sitting in one of the large waiting rooms in the terminal waiting until you are allowed to move onto the ship.

[seattle-steve]

2 hours ago, doghog said:

And I was sharing actual experiences with you, concerning both subjects. No need to take offense. Welcome to CC. 

Thank you for the welcome and no offense taken. However, your comments did come across as dismissive and pedantic. And, frankly, you did not share your experience -- you just made a couple statements without any supporting evidence.

 

As we've established, what Celebrity support tells you and the reality on embarkation day may be two very different things. Beyond that, do you have personal experience that you can share as a Concierge-or-below class passenger embarking earlier than your "ship check-in" time? 

[doghog]

11 hours ago, seattle-steve said:

Thank you for the welcome and no offense taken. However, your comments did come across as dismissive and pedantic. And, frankly, you did not share your experience -- you just made a couple statements without any supporting evidence.

 

As we've established, what Celebrity support tells you and the reality on embarkation day may be two very different things. Beyond that, do you have personal experience that you can share as a Concierge-or-below class passenger embarking earlier than your "ship check-in" time? 

Wrong assumption on your part concerning my comment. Wrong assumption again. What I shared was/has been my experiences. 

 

March 2023 Apex. DPV stateroom. Check in time 12:00-12:30. Port Everglades. Arrived at the port at ~10:30. Checked in at 11:00. Onboard at 11:30

 

October 2023 Eclipse. Standard Balcony. Check in time 12:00-12:30. San Pedro. Arrived at the port at ~10:45 Checked in at 11:00. Onboard 11:50.

 

Both cruise we had to wait before boarding after we were checked in. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

On 3/23/2024 at 10:18 AM, kajasmin said:

Can my kids be in the room themselves it seemed like no...

 

 

[seattle-steve]

1 hour ago, doghog said:

Wrong assumption on your part concerning my comment. Wrong assumption again. What I shared was/has been my experiences. 

 

March 2023 Apex. DPV stateroom. Check in time 12:00-12:30. Port Everglades. Arrived at the port at ~10:30. Checked in at 11:00. Onboard at 11:30

 

October 2023 Eclipse. Standard Balcony. Check in time 12:00-12:30. San Pedro. Arrived at the port at ~10:45 Checked in at 11:00. Onboard 11:50.

 

Both cruise we had to wait before boarding after we were checked in. 

No need to take offense, I was just explaining how your unsupported statements came across. And the only assumptions here were yours: that others would take your unsupported statements as your experience. 

 

Your latest comment does include the supporting information of your past boarding experience, which is very useful. Thanks for sharing that.

[AlpinVogelsong]

We boarded on Sunday (we are Concierge Class.) Two separate state rooms with 2 separate afternoon boarding times. We decided to go early @ 11 am with no problem. All got on early. No one cared or comment on later scheduled time, not crowded. It was eazy breezy and made it to enjoy the Concierge lunch. 

[doghog]

14 minutes ago, seattle-steve said:

No need to take offense, I was just explaining how your unsupported statements came across. And the only assumptions here were yours: that others would take your unsupported statements as your experience. 

 

Your latest comment does include the supporting information of your past boarding experience, which is very useful. Thanks for sharing that.

No offense taken. I didn't post anything I couldn't back up. Unsupported statement, 🤣. I was only talking to you and not others. I nor you can say how others would take my post. Just pointing out your assumption. Come back when you can post your actual experiences cruising with Celebrity. Enjoy your first Celebrity cruise. 🍻

[Ferry_Watcher]

As someone who checks-in passengers in Seattle, I can tell you that @doghog's experiences are spot on with the embarkation in Seattle.  Celebrity passengers begin their embarkation process basically once the terminal building opens.  Upper suite guest are met outside and are escorted to check-in.  Sky Suite passengers are directed to the suite entrance.  All other passengers (except ADA passengers) are directed thru the regular entrance as they arrive.

 

Once thru check-in, Seattle suite passengers have a small sitting area with light refreshments, and the ADA passengers have a small waiting area.  For everyone else, after being checked-in they are directed to a large waiting area.  I think the first couple hundred of passengers/staterooms receive a numbered boarding group card.  This helps with the orderly line up to get on the ship.  After that, it is a general line up and open boarding.  In Seattle, the ship can be ready for boarding anywhere from as early as 10:30, to 11:15 AM.  Honestly, probably more than half the passengers are already on board by 12:30 PM for a 4 PM sailing.

 

How is this all possible?  During the shut down (2020) many of the cruise lines like Celebrity and Royal, upgraded their check-in systems.  The new system allows the passengers to pre-check on-line, which expedites their in-person  pier check-in process.  Also, having the stateroom card keys waiting for the passenger outside their stateroom also contributed to a quick embarkation.. 

 

After the pandemic, there was a push to keep passengers from spending lots of time congregating  in large waiting areas.  The cruise lines worked hard to open up the ship's public areas so passengers could spread out once they got on the ship. So now many of the passengers are able to go from Uber drop off, to walking on to the ship (car to bar).  Some lines, like Celebrity allow passengers to pick up their room key cards and drop off their carry-on bags even though their stateroom isn't quite ready.

 

I would encourage folks to fill out your on-line registration completely.  If you don't register a credit card, or an emergency contact phone number, then you will be sent to a counter agent. Little things like that makes the overall process just flow better for everyone.

 

 

[doghog]

7 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

I would encourage folks to fill out your on-line registration completely.  If you don't register a credit card, or an emergency contact phone number, then you will be sent to a counter agent. Little things like that makes the overall process just flow better for everyone.

 

Excellent advise and glad to hear it from someone who actually does this. Once our cruises are booked, I always double check what is on record, edit if necessary. No matter the embarkation port we have always had positive experiences with the crew checking us in.  We've cruised out of Seattle before and like the embarkation center.  We'll be back this coming September.

[seattle-steve]

35 minutes ago, doghog said:

No offense taken. I didn't post anything I couldn't back up. Unsupported statement, 🤣. I was only talking to you and not others. I nor you can say how others would take my post. Just pointing out your assumption. Come back when you can post your actual experiences cruising with Celebrity. Enjoy your first Celebrity cruise. 🍻

"Just pointing out your assumption." 🤣 No assumptions here, just calling them as I see them... Come back when you can share your experience upfront instead of making dismissive, unhelpful, and unsupported statements. 

[cruisestitch]

1 hour ago, AlpinVogelsong said:

We boarded on Sunday (we are Concierge Class.) Two separate state rooms with 2 separate afternoon boarding times. We decided to go early @ 11 am with no problem. All got on early. No one cared or comment on later scheduled time, not crowded. It was eazy breezy and made it to enjoy the Concierge lunch. 

And this was where?

[doghog]

18 minutes ago, seattle-steve said:

"Just pointing out your assumption." 🤣 No assumptions here, just calling them as I see them... Come back when you can share your experience upfront instead of making dismissive, unhelpful, and unsupported statements. 

Reread post # 31. 🙃 

[seattle-steve]

14 minutes ago, doghog said:

Reread post # 31. 🙃 

Reread comment #26  🙃

[doghog]

1 minute ago, seattle-steve said:

Reread comment #26  🙃

No need to. I know exactly what I said and all based on experiences cruising with Celebrity. 🙄

[Ferry_Watcher]

@seattle-steve, my friend (and fellow PNWer), as someone who works at Pier 91, I can say that @doghog's #26 post is accurate.  The reality is each port / terminal is run a bit differently, and the folks at the call centers may know what the 'official' policy is, but the situation at the pier/terminal is quite different.

 

Example, your assigned arrival time is 1 PM, but in reality it's been 'open boarding' since 11:30 AM.  As with most cruise lines, having the assigned arrival times does help with the passenger flow, the congestion in the ground transportation area, and helps with the back ups in the security screening areas.  That said, the combination of Celebrity's check-in program, the robust terminal staffing levels, the high percentage of passengers who do their on-line check-in, and the fact that the ship is usually ready for boarding around 11 AM, together allows passengers to arrive whenever and generally not experience long wait times. 

 

Now this is Seattle, and we are only in operation during the 5-6 month Alaska cruising season, so we may have a little more leeway, but I think Celebrity tends to treat their embarking passengers like responsible adults, and if they are there early, they are taken care of.  That said, not everyone arrives early.  We have passengers flying into Seattle the day of their cruise, and we can be still checking in the last arriving passengers at 3:29 PM for their 4 PM sailing.

[seattle-steve]

1 hour ago, doghog said:

No need to. I know exactly what I said and all based on experiences cruising with Celebrity. 🙄

🤣

[seattle-steve]

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@seattle-steve, my friend (and fellow PNWer), as someone who works at Pier 91, I can say that @doghog's #26 post is accurate.  The reality is each port / terminal is run a bit differently, and the folks at the call centers may know what the 'official' policy is, but the situation at the pier/terminal is quite different.

 

Example, your assigned arrival time is 1 PM, but in reality it's been 'open boarding' since 11:30 AM.  As with most cruise lines, having the assigned arrival times does help with the passenger flow, the congestion in the ground transportation area, and helps with the back ups in the security screening areas.  That said, the combination of Celebrity's check-in program, the robust terminal staffing levels, the high percentage of passengers who do their on-line check-in, and the fact that the ship is usually ready for boarding around 11 AM, together allows passengers to arrive whenever and generally not experience long wait times. 

 

Now this is Seattle, and we are only in operation during the 5-6 month Alaska cruising season, so we may have a little more leeway, but I think Celebrity tends to treat their embarking passengers like responsible adults, and if they are there early, they are taken care of.  That said, not everyone arrives early.  We have passengers flying into Seattle the day of their cruise, and we can be still checking in the last arriving passengers at 3:29 PM for their 4 PM sailing.

Thank you for taking the time to provide details of your past experience and observations. This is very helpful!

 

(Hopefully others here will follow your example by providing details about their own experience instead of just posting dismissive, unsupported comments -- the type of comments which the internet and forums like this one are sadly filled with.) 

[jwlane]

4 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

where?

She's on Reflection.

[hcat]

hate theads where 2 or more parties get into a bickering match. waste of everyone's  time!

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

hate theads where 2 or more parties get into a bickering match. waste of everyone's  time!

I'm usually one of the combatants, so this is a refreshing change for me. 🤪

[mahdnc]

I liked reading that (according to Ferry Watcher) doghog has spots!.