Neil, I was referring to being denied boarding due to the new boarding windows. Under these new guidelines, it would appear that holding the ship might no longer be an option (hence, the ambiguity).

Happy sailing,
LisaP

Lisa, I don't know this for sure but would imagine that holding the ship would mean rescheduling the departure time on the spot so they could widen the window to allow folks to board. That would require compliance by the Customs official at the pier who would have to stay to put his stamp on the finalized manifest when they did arrive. I just don't know and I'm sure the ambiguity is because the cruiselines don't know either. It is probably handled on a case by case basis until they get the bugs worked out of a new system. I'll let you know if I have an experience come up where a ship has been held and what happens.

Cheers, Neil

I have been reading these posts and I'm really nervous, so I called RCCI about the time issues. You have to be on board 90 minutes before sailing. Not in line to check in. My sister is sailing with me, but we are flying into Orlando separately, she arrives at 12:50, me at 10:55. I am told they will continue to transfer us ( we booked transfer thru RCCI )and guarantee on time at pier if she arrives by 1pm. What do you think? Is it safe to keep current travel plans? She is flying direct flight out of Houston, I have a connecting flight in Atlanta. Thanks for the replies

You are a little safer having booked your transfer through the cruiseline. It only takes about 40 minutes to get from the airport to the port, so you should be fine. Your sisters flight is a bit concerning, but is still doable provided there are no flight delays.

It this sort of worry and stress that has made me decide to always come in the day before a cruise unless it can't possibly be avoided. Yes, there is extra expense of the hotel, but its worth not having the stress before a vacation.

Hi Jim, thanks for the info and response. i think I will wait for documents, and hope for the best

As a cruise ship employee i know these rules. This is a government rule and has nothing to do with the cruise lines. If the cruise line lets a passenger on after the time stated they will be find and enormous amount of money. I am not talking just a few thousand dollars here....try up to $100,000. This is not the staff on boards fault so please do not shout at them. this is a regulation imposed by the american government and there is absoulutely nothing that can be done from a staff members point of view.

quote:

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.

Good morning Neil,
I know that this was first posted way back in March, but I wonder....did you ever hear how the lady and her daughter made out? Was the rest of their trip OK?
I know that we learned the hard way to always stay overnight near your sailing port after having left Toronto in snowy weather early in the morning and not getting to the ship in Miami till 4 PM. We were exhausted to say the least!

Hi travel bugs, love the name by the way.

It's been long enough I don't remember any other details at this point but that's a good sign. If there had been any further issues I would have remembered so I'm sure all worked out well after the initial problem.

Cheers, Neil

I am really surprised that this has not been more of a problem.

When I first heard the feds were eliminating the last minute folks getting onboard...I was really worried.

Looks like I worried for nothing...because I have heard of few incidents.

Neil - does the change in rules apply to European cruises? We are booked on a HAL cruise out of Civitavecchia in September and will be staying in a hotel about 2 hours away from the port the night before.

Hi Jane, it's always a very good idea to plan ahead enough for travel, customs or other delays on the day of your sailing from any port in the world. I'd check when the listed boarding times are for your sailing and arrive as early as practical, always plan to be at the pier a minimum of 2 hours before the scheduled sailing time. Give yourself some room for slow traffic or an accident on the highway ahead of you, etc. Plan for your cruise the way you'd plan for an international flight. You'd want to be at the airport early, no different with a cruise except if you missed a flight, there is probably another flight later in the day. If you miss your cruise, you can't board the next ship sailing for a fee.

Cheers, Neil