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What exactly is "priority check-in"?


RCIfan1912

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What exactly is "priority check-in" because I didn't notice anything different at Cape Liberty when checking in a few weeks ago. When we don't entered the terminal there was a lady that said suite guests and The key and then sent us to the lines to the left which I assume is the check in line for everyone else. We are Emerald, not that I'm blowing my own horn, it's not that big a deal but you are supposed to get priority check in. Just out of curiosity what is it exactly and did we just go into the regular line for check in?

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2 minutes ago, mworkman said:

I guess it's all subjective to who and where you're at.  For us, we were taken to an area next to the suite waiting location and after 30 minutes of sitting there one of the employees came to us and told us to report to whatever level we were under the C&A program.

I should say we didn't say we were Emerald but no asked either. I guess next time we will say it even though I find that tacky a bit. Next time we'll make it known. We are on Oasis from NJ next May where it could be a cluster before of the extra passengers and other ships in port. 

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3 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I should say we didn't say we were Emerald but no asked either. I guess next time we will say it even though I find that tacky a bit. Next time we'll make it known. We are on Oasis from NJ next May where it could be a cluster before of the extra passengers and other ships in port. 

It really can depend on the port.  NJ - every time I am there it is a mess. And this has been with several cruise lines, Carnival, Royal, Celebrity.  I think sometimes it depends n the port authority and who is running things on land.  BUT once on board its all good! ?

 

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I'll just add my usual comment that priority checkin is only a useful thing if you get to the terminal and checked in before boarding has actually started (meaning you're arriving around 10AM).  You might get a nicer seating area or some refreshments depending on the port but once they are ready to start boarding, you get called based on priority (some preplanned order of suites, key, weddings, and descending order of C&A level).  If boarding has already started by the time you finish checking in, then priority checkin means NOTHING.  You just go get on the ship.

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1 hour ago, RCIfan1912 said:

What exactly is "priority check-in" because I didn't notice anything different at Cape Liberty when checking in a few weeks ago. When we don't entered the terminal there was a lady that said suite guests and The key and then sent us to the lines to the left which I assume is the check in line for everyone else. We are Emerald, not that I'm blowing my own horn, it's not that big a deal but you are supposed to get priority check in. Just out of curiosity what is it exactly and did we just go into the regular line for check in?

AAA likes to give us a "priority check in" coupon, which these days, has no value.  There was a time, before Career Planner and the App, that lines could be long, etc.  So we used it once or twice to get in a better line.  Now, every line seems to move quickly.   Have a great cruise!

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Honestly, I do not think that Royal has anything called "priority check-in".  It seems that the only 2 options for true "priority" are suites/pinnacles and the Key.  There are different lines for C&A status but they are basically all the same priority.  To my knowledge, only Suites/Pinnacles and  The Key get any kind of special handling (exception....Star Class, but not every port even has Star Class).

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1 hour ago, Atlantix2000 said:

I'll just add my usual comment that priority checkin is only a useful thing if you get to the terminal and checked in before boarding has actually started (meaning you're arriving around 10AM).  You might get a nicer seating area or some refreshments depending on the port but once they are ready to start boarding, you get called based on priority (some preplanned order of suites, key, weddings, and descending order of C&A level).  If boarding has already started by the time you finish checking in, then priority checkin means NOTHING.  You just go get on the ship.

except at Port Everglades, they didn't allow us to just "get on the ship."  we arrived around 1030am (we are emerald), and even though we had totally completed online checkin and didnt have to stand in line at a desk, they told us "loyalty has already boarded" and we were directed to the seating corrals and told to have a seat until they called our section.

this seemed stupid to me ... surely they can't believe that every C&A status guest will have arrived by that time to take advantage of the "loyalty boarding." 

maybe this was just a one-off and Port Everglades being curmudgeons about it.

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We did get there at 10:15 and we did check in quickly. I'm not complaining at all, I'm just curious what priority check in is because I didn't notice anything different. I seemed to be in the regular check in line so I'm guessing there really is not priority check in. 

On another note diamond and above plus The key only boarded a few minutes before we did. When I saw that I was very glad I didn't buy "The Key" because that was the one thing I thought was the best thing, priority boarding. Also disembarkation was absolutely incredible! We waited till 8:30 and were off the ship in minutes. We got our bags and did that face recognition thing which we had never done before and were out of the terminal. The longest part or slowest part was paying for the parking garage. That was maybe 10-15 minutes. Then out of the garage and home in 30 minutes. Can't beat sailing from Cape Liberty for us. 

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I already shared this in another thread.  I’m Platinum and while waiting to board on the Ovation in Seattle, I noticed some small signs indicating where the different classes of guests should be seated. But when boarding time came, I was “herded” in the same horde as the Suite and Key guests. Being alone and skipping the pre-boarding photo shoots, I quickly got to the front of the first wave of boarding passengers.  This Platinum cruiser was one of the first aboard the ship.

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On 9/30/2019 at 11:37 AM, RCIfan1912 said:

Just out of curiosity what is it exactly and did we just go into the regular line for check in?

Essentially, it is a special line to expedite the actual check-in process. The idea is these people have completed all the steps online, so you can meet with an agent, they can review your things and be on your way. 

Priority check-in has no impact on boarding, just checking in.

I've used it a few times now in Port Canaveral and PortMiami and it saves a few minutes compared to the regular check-in line. Think of it like having an EZ Pass on the highway versus stopping to pay cash at the toll.

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We got to Cape Liberty at 10:15, we were on pace to get there at 10 exactly but got a little messed up. Pretty nice time to get there. We were on the ship before 11 AM. We will do that going forward on cruises. 

Oasis next might be crazy with the extra passengers and like 3 other ships sailing from Cape Liberty. 

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I am usually there early and none of the lines are that busy or slow. I would hate to guess how many lines or check in windows there are. One line can service half a dozen check in windows. You simply que up and go to the next available window.  Some windows/lines may be marked with signage as some sort of express for Diamond or whatever. The lines do seem to be a bit shorter for these sometimes. Usually there are RCCL terminal folks standing along the way that will look at your documentation and funnel you the right way. Some times I think things are moving so smoothly and quickly that the line you end up in does not matter that much.  I think the terminal guides are very much aware of bottle necks or areas that are moving quickly and may direct  you down the path of least resistance regardless if it is "express" or not.

I think one time we sat in a holding area for 10-15 minutes before proceeding on. Every other time it check through the various stations, a relatively short shuffle through one line or another , verify documentation and start the long walk through the photographers, ramps, up to the boarding point. It seems many times the walk onto the ship was longer than the check in.

Bottom line, once the bags hit the curb it all goes pretty quickly and before you know it  you are trying to decide what to do first on board.

Like I said, I am usually there early, around 10am give or take a bit. Later on it might be more crowded and take a bit longer.

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