Since the new rules have been put into effect by Homeland Security and Customs it is imperavive that you arrive at the pier at least two hours early, they have to have you through check-in an hour before sailing. Not in line and hour before, on the ship! This morning I had my first client casualty since the new rules. I'm surprised it took this long to have one. Someone who did not heed the advice of verbal and email warnings about arriving late. Client had a flight booked way too close to cailing time and a flight delay in Detroit got her to the pier 45 minutes before sailing time. They not only would not allow boarding but would not even let them into the terminal area to plead her case. She and her daughter flying at their own expense to Grand Cayman to catch the ship.

That $150. lower priced non-refundable airline ticket that would get you to the pier on the day of the sailing at 12:45pm is not worth... The risk, hassle, add'l expense, missing the first day of your cruise, an add'l last minute (overpriced) airline ticket, emotional toll or any of the other issues it creates.

Come in the day before your cruise if you're flying and get a hotel room. If that's not possible, get there with as much cushion (5 hour window minimum) as possible. If you're driving, arrive very early. When you get near the terminal hit a Starbucks or other establishment of choice and relax with your coffee and laptop. Send a few emails letting friends and family you've arrived and all is well, many coffee shops have free WiFi hotspots for this. You'll enjoy your cruise a lot more with the peace of mind and time to relax.

Cheers, Neil

We are going out on Glory March 8. We live in Indiana and we're driving to Florida. Will spend Friday night on Cocoa, Fl and sail out of Port Canaveral on Sat. Port is 12 miles from hotel. How early can we get to the peir? We don't mind waiting around. We want to get every penny's worth out of this trip and want to board as early as possible.

They will open boarding somewhere between 11: and 11:30 am for a 4:00 pm sailing. Have fun and let us know how your trip was when you get back.

Cheers, Neil

Neil, would it be safe to assume that if you book the air through the cruiseline and there should be a delay, they would hold the ship rather than turn you away from the pier?

My situation is this: I purchased Princess Air and transfer for my Panama Canal cruise on April 6. My flight on AA arrives at Ft. Lauderdale at 2:20 for a 5:00 sailing. This is way out of my comfort zone but it is the only direct flight of the day from LAX and it is the flight Princess assigned me. I know the pier is very close to the airport, but any delay could be bad. What is likely to happen if the plane is late?

I know what kind of answer I'll get from Princess; I want to ask somebody who deals with this all the time.

Thanks Neil.

Rick

Rick, They have no written policy stating that they'll hold the ship for you but they often will if you've booked through their Air/Sea Dept direct or through your T/A. The un-written rule is, it depends on how many passengers they have on the flights affected and how long the delay will be. Seldom will they hold a ship for more than 2 hours but I know of a few circumstances where they have. In any event, if the delay is long enough that you miss the ship you won't like their policy from that point forward. The airline may offer to catch you up if they have the ability. Princess reply will be to ask if you have travel insurance. Then they'll refer you to their policy that distances themselves from any responsibility for flight delays and other circumstances beyond thier control. They will advise you to file a claim with your insurance provider. If you have no insurance, they'll tell you to take it up with the airline as it was the airline that did not meet their schedule and caused your issue.

BTW, the airline has similar disclaimers that their is no written or implied guarantee of arrival times and ask you if you have travel insurance. Again passing the buck and putting you in the same position you were in before.

It's pretty rare that you'd ever miss the ship with cruiseline air but it happens and it's really ugly when it does.

Cheers, Neil

quote:

She and her daughter flying at their own expense to Grand Cayman to catch the ship.

Neil, or our other TAs on-site - this is the part of the new procedure I found vague. If someone is not checked in at the start of the cruise, would that preclude him/her from checking in at another port once the cruise is underway? I hope this family isn't flying to the Caymans for nothing.

Thanks for the quick reply, Neil. I was so glad to get a direct flight I thought I'd take my chances. Last time I did this I had to take a red-eye out of L.A. with a 3 hour layover in Dallas.

I'm not too worried, for several reasons: it's the first flight out on a Sunday morning; a big percentage of those on the flight will be headed for the cruise; I've got good insurance; and I've been on many cruises that were delayed for this exact reason.

So thanks for the heads-up Neil; now I know what I'm dealing with.

Rick

Hi Lisa,

It has to be cleared in advance with Customs and the cruiseline and this has been done. They have clearance to check in with Customs at the airport and clearance from the cruiseline to board the ship when they arrive. We got all their ducks in a row before she booked the flight.

For anyone out there reading this who wonders what the big deal is with passports, this would not have been possible if they did not both have passports. They'd have missed their cruise completely.

Cheers, Neil

That's a relief, Neil. As I said, that was rather ambiguous to me from quick readings of the update.

Rick, that's good news that it's the first flight of the day and a non-stop. That time difference can be nasty, can't it? I just flew back from LAX on Wednesday night... 1:30 pm departure (PST), arriving in Boston at about 10:00 pm EST.

You're welcome Rick. You must have paid the air deviation fee to get a direct flight, that doesn't happen often with their normal air package. If you don't mind me asking, did they just charge you the $50. standard fee or did you have to pay an add'l cost diff to change the flight?

No Neil, no air deviation fee; didn't change a thing. Just bought the normal air package and that's what I got. Believe me, I was just as surprised as you.

Man Rick, you've obviously cruised enough with them to be a VIP! That kind of luck just doesn't happen often with cruiseline air. You need to visit the casino onboard with that luck, you may pay for your cruise!

Cheers, Neil

We had a close call when we went on the Mariner in 2006. We had RCCL transportation and our flight was on time. But, when we arrived there was a man in a wheel chair at the airport and RC could not find a bus where the lift would work to get him on the bus. They were very backed up and a group of us had to wait. He was and older gentlemen with a nurse, we all really felt bad for him. By the time we got to the ship the drill was already in progress....to top it off this was the cruise where a young man jumped over board in the middle of the night while we were at sea (he was very drunk). It was an adventure to say the least...but we still cruise and if we do leave the day of the cruise we are out of here at the crack of dawn!!!

Thanks Neil for posting this. What I have read has been ambiguous, as Lisa also noted. I was under the impression it pertained to passengers that had not pre-registered their information.

Dwayne

For anyone who has not done pre-registration the arrival time at the pier required is 3 hours prior to departure. Most lines now send emails or faxes to agents and I assume clients, for those booked direct, advising them when they're nearing their cruise if the line has not recieved the registration info. The email urgently requests that the client pre-register immediately to avoid issues at the pier or will be required at the pier the full 3 hours early.

Their websites may be ambiguous but their notifications are not. Princess has a leg up on the other lines in this area as they will take the info by phone for clients without computers or with other issues registerring online. The rest require the info online although most will accept a fax. The problem with their fax acceptance is, except for HAL who still sends a packet, the forms are all online. Folks without a computer, online access or a printer are still in a bad spot. I hope the other lines will adopt Princess policy of allowing the info to be called in.

Cheers, Neil

Everyone should check with their Travel Agent or the cruisline they are traveling on. The cruise lines seems to vary slightly in their rules. Royal Caribbean for instance says if you aren't checked in online then you need to be checked in two hours prior, and everyone must be checked in 90 minutes prior. See here.

The key is if everyone plans to get to the pier several hours earlier it will help eleviate stress in the event of delays. I always recommend flying in the day before.

The policy on each of these sites is somewhat mis-leading. It says "Must check-in" at least 90 minutes prior to departure. It does not say arrive at the pier 90 minutes prior. I'd copy the actual emils I've been recieving in mass that states clients must arrive a minimum of 3 hours prior if they have not completed online check-in but I don't think I'm supposed to copy and paste such info onto the forum. anyway, be careful of actual wording on such statements. It can get you in trouble if you cut things too close. Please plan ahead and be early whether flying or driving and do the online check-in if possible. The old term "Better safe than sorry" applies here.

Cheers, Neil

Perhaps this policy will force more people to complete their online check-in. Doing so makes life for everyone so much easier. Walk up to the counter with you passport, credit card, medical form completed & your done in less than 5 minutes.

There's a lot of information in this thread... so, to recap:

• DHS rules have tightened the embarkation timeline for passengers.
  
• All pax must be checked in and onboard the ship anywhere from 90 to 120+ minutes prior to the scheduled departure time at the embarkation port. This varies by cruise line, so check with the line you will be sailing.
  
• Pax who complete online check-in must do so at least several days prior to the cruise; again, this varies by cruise line.
  
• Pax who have not completed online check-in must check in with an agent at the pier at least two to three hours prior to the scheduled departure; again, this varies by cruise line.
  
• Take wait times into account when planning your arrival at the pier!!
  
• Should passengers be denied boarding due to missing one of the above, contact your TA, who will know what to do. If you are cleared to catch the ship later, you will pay the expenses to get there. (This is the part that was ambiguous to me upon my initial reading -- so TAs, please verify.)
  

quote:

If you are cleared to catch the ship later, you will pay the expenses to get there. (This is the part that was ambiguous to me upon my initial reading -- so TAs, please verify.)

Hi Lisa, in most cases this is correct. If you miss a ship and booked your own air you will be responsible for the cost of the flight to catch the ship. If you have cruiseline air, they will SOMETIMES hold the ship if the delay is expected to be a reasonable time time period(*They determine what is reasonable). Sometimes the airlines, if and only if they have caused you an unreasonable delay will provide assistance. Seldom will they pick up the tab but they have in a few cases where they believed they could be deemed negligent should something go to court. I'm not a lawyer, but treble damages can cost them three times the cost of fixing the situation if you were to win in court and they were held to be grossly negligent, very hard to prove. You have to follow the cruiseline guidelines for flights if you have insurance and want the cost to be covered for the flight delay issues and hotel and flight costs to catch up.

Cheers, Neil