RCIfan1912 Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 So our first cruise out of this God awful pandemic is late July on Adventure OTS. Check in is finally here tomorrow on the 11th. What will be different about checking in now in this era? You have to upload your vaccine card? The biggest question I think is this, is checking in super early recommended? Like should I wait till midnight exactly and check in right away? Does check in literally open at midnight exactly? Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyHav Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 It does open 12:01 am. That is up to you if want to do it at midnight. You can probably still get the time you want if you do it early in the morning. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPS Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 Yes, you will need to upload your vaccine cards. However, you will need to bring the physical card with you on embarkation day. Checking in as soon as it is available is really just to get a preferred early arrival time, if that matters to you. If an early time is what you want, you can just do the arrival time selection after midnight and then come back later to finish check-in. FYI: Earlier arrival times may become available later. This past December I grabbed a Noon-12:30 arrival time on check-in day. A week later, 11:00-11:30 times became available. The app allows you to change your arrival time to earlier or later times as long as slots are available. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 Remember that it opens up at midnight in the time zone in which you are embarking. So if you live in a different time zone, be sure to note the difference. RCIfan1912, Okgladgal, Keanoknick and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 We checked in at a "normal" time, about 8 AM on the first day, and we secured a 11 AM boarding time. It took me a few tries to get my passport scanned - my wife had to look up instructions on her phone while I used mine. You need to line up the passport page in portrait with with a bar that appears on your phone camera screen (the passport bar code lined up with the phone bar). I found this counter-intuitive -- I initially tried landscape. Uploading vaccine cards is easy. Have a great cruise! We hope to sail next week. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted June 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 Oh wow, a wealth of great info. It is certainly a bit different than pre crappy Covid. We do like a very, very early check in. Actually as you check in times meant nothing before Covid. You could show up wherever and get on board. This sailing is the first I've been on that left at 3:00 PM so pretty early. I kinda like that a lot. We live in NJ and sailing from NJ so the time zone shouldn't be an issue. I was and am worried about the vaccine upload process and not being able to figure it out but great tips guys, great tips. My son will be 9 for sailing and he is vaccinated. We are going to Canada which I thought he had to be to sail to Canada but now I'm not sure but he is so no problem either way. Thanks again for the tips and info! Appreciate it very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Diego Garrett Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 The main reason to check in early is you cannot reserve shows or specialty restaurants until you get on board. You'll want to be able to reserve as much as you can before they sell out. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted June 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 9 minutes ago, San Diego Garrett said: The main reason to check in early is you cannot reserve shows or specialty restaurants until you get on board. You'll want to be able to reserve as much as you can before they sell out. We already have Giovanni's booked for day 3. All good there. Just want a very early boarding time. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitsmom Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 We were suppose to be able to check in on our Harmony cruise on June 1st however, it was June 3 before it would let us. I have read that a few others had the same issue for their cruise. Just keep checking. We uploaded our Vax cards on June 3rd and it is still pending validation. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid4c4 Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 We were on the EOS for a March sailing which was our first cruise after the pandemic shutdown. Personally I found the new way to check-in using the app and uploading documents to be very easy, quick and a real time saver at embarkation. I had no trouble with any of the documents and was able to get our preferred boarding time. I checked us in the evening after our check in opened and had no problems. I checked in early just to get it done which would also allow time to make corrections should there be any problems. This was without a doubt the easiest and quickest embarkation of our 69 cruises. I'm looking forward to our check in on July 4th, 2022 for our upcoming AOS sailing from Port Liberty. Bill RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 4 hours ago, San Diego Garrett said: The main reason to check in early is you cannot reserve shows or specialty restaurants until you get on board. You'll want to be able to reserve as much as you can before they sell out. Adventure doesn’t have entertainment venues that require reservations. At least not last week when I was on it. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted June 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 4 hours ago, Pattycruise said: Adventure doesn’t have entertainment venues that require reservations. At least not last week when I was on it. How is Adventure looking these days? Our Honeymoon cruise was on Explorer so we will always have a special place in our hearts for this class of Royal ships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickie95 Posted June 10, 2022 Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 Our check in was on the 9th. I live central time zone, so around 11pm, I launched the app and saw that my check in had opened. I haven't ever done this before, so no clue on what's changed, but I got green checks after completing all of my travel info and arrival time selection. I took pics of our vaccination cards for each respective vaccination section, but it is now gray, has an hourglass, and says "We are validating your record." The only area on there is Health & Safety, which can't be done until embarkation day. As a result, it has an orange bar at the bottom that says "Not yet cleared to board." RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted June 11, 2022 Report Share Posted June 11, 2022 5 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said: How is Adventure looking these days? Our Honeymoon cruise was on Explorer so we will always have a special place in our hearts for this class of Royal ships. It sailed.....that's all I need! LOL My first time on it was 2012 and then again this past August out of the Bahamas, then May 31 for Halifax. I love the ship. I remember being so lost the first time onboard. I've since learned where to book my cabin to be able to find it off an elevator easily. The casino is confusing, lots of smoking sections for the slots, I could not tell where the non smoking section began and the casino host is locked away behind a door....so my August sailing, when I gambled, I had no idea to look for a host to ask questions! Overall, I still love the ship and my next favorite is Oasis class, big difference between the 2 WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted June 11, 2022 Report Share Posted June 11, 2022 5 hours ago, Chickie95 said: Our check in was on the 9th. I live central time zone, so around 11pm, I launched the app and saw that my check in had opened. I haven't ever done this before, so no clue on what's changed, but I got green checks after completing all of my travel info and arrival time selection. I took pics of our vaccination cards for each respective vaccination section, but it is now gray, has an hourglass, and says "We are validating your record." The only area on there is Health & Safety, which can't be done until embarkation day. As a result, it has an orange bar at the bottom that says "Not yet cleared to board." even when you do the final step "health and safety" you will still not be cleared to board.....they will ask you at the port if there were any changes to those questions..... Chickie95 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted June 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2022 Alright, just woke up (working OT today) and checked out the check in process. It looks fairly easy to complete but at was suggested I just did the arrival time and got the earliest, 10:30. The rest we will finish later. I'm very happy with they arrival time. Now we upload our vaccination cards and passports which I think is really cool and should make things nice and easy. They check both of the physical copies of those things at the terminal correct? How long does an this take now at the terminal? We used to check in and then sit for a while with a bunch of people before actually boarding. That was pre Covid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted June 11, 2022 Report Share Posted June 11, 2022 2 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said: Alright, just woke up (working OT today) and checked out the check in process. It looks fairly easy to complete but at was suggested I just did the arrival time and got the earliest, 10:30. The rest we will finish later. I'm very happy with they arrival time. Now we upload our vaccination cards and passports which I think is really cool and should make things nice and easy. They check both of the physical copies of those things at the terminal correct? How long does an this take now at the terminal? We used to check in and then sit for a while with a bunch of people before actually boarding. That was pre Covid. 10:30am is a great appointment time in current times. For the July RoyalCaribbeanBlog group cruise on Mariner in July they didn't open appointment times when check in opened. It was several days later when they made appointment times available and at first they started at 11am. Several days after that they added the 10:30am slots. So the lesson learned is to check in when it first becomes available but if you seek a different time keep checking to see if new times have been added. In terms of how long you will sit at the terminal that still depends on CBP for US embarkations. Royal doesn't control the process, CBP decides when the ship is clear and when new guests can commence boarding. If the departing guests included some unusually complex immigration cases that can cause CBP to be slower on a particular day. We the cruising public never know that, we just know they haven't started the embarkation process yet. What can slow down the check in experience is when guests ahead of you don't have all their documents ready for inspection. New cruisers who are on their first sailing don't know what to do and sometimes they don't have all the documents ready for presentation. I print everything and have it in a plastic folder cover ready for presentation. My test results, my vaccine card, my passport and my setsail pass are all together in a plastic retainer ready for presentation. I'm not fumbling through my phone trying to bring up my test results, then switching to the app for the setsail pass, then rummaging through my backpack trying to find my vaccine card and passport, it's all together ready to go. That makes check in for me measured in seconds so the folks in line behind me benefit from me being prepared. If everyone was prepared check in would be faster for everyone. However people are human and don't know what to do if they haven't cruise before so it is what it is. With a 10:30am check in time there is the possibility you may have some sitting and waiting in the terminal before the ship begins boarding just like old times. RCIfan1912 and Paid4c4 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swar Posted June 11, 2022 Report Share Posted June 11, 2022 23 hours ago, ChessE4 said: We checked in at a "normal" time, about 8 AM on the first day, and we secured a 11 AM boarding time. It took me a few tries to get my passport scanned - my wife had to look up instructions on her phone while I used mine. You need to line up the passport page in portrait with with a bar that appears on your phone camera screen (the passport bar code lined up with the phone bar). I found this counter-intuitive -- I initially tried landscape. Uploading vaccine cards is easy. Have a great cruise! We hope to sail next week. You can also type in the passport information. Just hit the scan passport line. Then select the choice at the bottom to manually enter info. ChessE4 and RCIfan1912 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted June 12, 2022 Report Share Posted June 12, 2022 16 hours ago, twangster said: 10:30am is a great appointment time in current times. For the July RoyalCaribbeanBlog group cruise on Mariner in July they didn't open appointment times when check in opened. It was several days later when they made appointment times available and at first they started at 11am. Several days after that they added the 10:30am slots. So the lesson learned is to check in when it first becomes available but if you seek a different time keep checking to see if new times have been added. In terms of how long you will sit at the terminal that still depends on CBP for US embarkations. Royal doesn't control the process, CBP decides when the ship is clear and when new guests can commence boarding. If the departing guests included some unusually complex immigration cases that can cause CBP to be slower on a particular day. We the cruising public never know that, we just know they haven't started the embarkation process yet. What can slow down the check in experience is when guests ahead of you don't have all their documents ready for inspection. New cruisers who are on their first sailing don't know what to do and sometimes they don't have all the documents ready for presentation. I print everything and have it in a plastic folder cover ready for presentation. My test results, my vaccine card, my passport and my setsail pass are all together in a plastic retainer ready for presentation. I'm not fumbling through my phone trying to bring up my test results, then switching to the app for the setsail pass, then rummaging through my backpack trying to find my vaccine card and passport, it's all together ready to go. That makes check in for me measured in seconds so the folks in line behind me benefit from me being prepared. If everyone was prepared check in would be faster for everyone. However people are human and don't know what to do if they haven't cruise before so it is what it is. With a 10:30am check in time there is the possibility you may have some sitting and waiting in the terminal before the ship begins boarding just like old times. It would be great if they had a line for the “prepared” passenger, and if someone wasn’t prepared on that line they should be Escorted to the back of a different line. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demac Posted June 12, 2022 Report Share Posted June 12, 2022 Our cruise leaves 4/1/2023, when will the app open open so we can select a boarding time? RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted June 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2022 57 minutes ago, Demac said: Our cruise leaves 4/1/2023, when will the app open open so we can select a boarding time? It says 90 days but that is not correct for at this time. Ours just opened yesterday for a July 26th sailing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Pats Posted June 12, 2022 Report Share Posted June 12, 2022 1 hour ago, Demac said: Our cruise leaves 4/1/2023, when will the app open open so we can select a boarding time? Used to be 90 days out, but it's 45 now. If you open the app and tap the person figure at the top right, the app will tell you the date when your cruise's check in opens. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted June 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2022 We will have a 7 month old on our cruise, do you think we should bother with the picture from the phone with him? I just think when we get to the port they are gonna take his picture again anyway. Honestly they might redo all our pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted June 12, 2022 Report Share Posted June 12, 2022 5 hours ago, Demac said: Our cruise leaves 4/1/2023, when will the app open open so we can select a boarding time? So much can change between now and April 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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