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Online checkin questions...


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We are sailing in 30 days and I'm wondering about online check in. Specifically, it asks for your form of documentation and I am still waiting on the passport for a few passengers (some might be close only arriving 1-2 weeks before). 

My main question is about choosing your boarding time, I see various timeslots available starting at 11:30 and I'm wondering of those boarding times "sell out" so to speak. Or if they even matter (will we be denied boarding earlier than our chosen slot?). My concern is if I wait until close to sailing time to finish everything once I have the passport numbers, then they'll be out of earlier time slots. Since I want to try and book a sold out item that I was told will have some slots held back to sell on the boat I want to get there as early as possible. 

Any advice? Would it cause any problems if I put down birth certificate and drivers license for our documentation and then show up and use a passport? Or do the time slots not fill up and this is all irrelevant?

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With Royal the boarding time slots don't matter. If your SetSail shows a later time than you arrive they'll let you check in/board "early".

 

Now the only place where time slots are held back are for the various reservations and dining times if applicable.

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10 hours ago, greenline627 said:

I forget if you have to take them off at the pier what they take your photo

As @rjac said, you’re fine wearing prescription glasses if you need them, and this is true at the port as well (just sailed out of Florida in March and kept mine on for my pic). But no sunglasses, and no sun hats / baseball caps / other head covering.

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13 hours ago, chadcf said:

We are sailing in 30 days and I'm wondering about online check in.

Chad,

Give us more info, ie, ship, itinerary, number of folks in your group and port of embarkation. That way we can give you more tips and info. You will find there are many very experienced and knowledgeable cruisers on this message board that always help out no matter what the questions are. BY the way, welcome to the board!:27_sunglasses:

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We are sailing on Harmony of the Seas out of Port Everglades. There will be six of us, we're all arriving the day before and staying at the fairfield inn by the airport. My mom is driving down in her van and will meet us at the hotel and then we'll all drive over to the port in the van so we'll be parking there. Any tips are welcome! Our last royal carribean cruise as a real mess (out of Seattle to Alaska). The port of seattle was a real nightmare, getting on took forever (this was a few years ago and I don't think online checkin and photo upload was an option), but getting off was the worst. They just unloaded everyone's luggage into a giant room for everyone to search through which took forever, and then they had only 3 shuttle vans which could hold maybe 20 people each trying to transport 2 ships worth of people to the parking lot. Took us hours just to get out of there!

 

From what I've read Everglades is much much better though we do plan to do the "self disembark" option this time to avoid the luggage issues, and we'll hope they have better parking shuttle service...

 

We plan to arrive at the port at the suggested 10:30 - 11:00 timeframe. I'm mostly deciding the best place to park and best way to disembark to avoid our previous RC nightmare. The Park and Go by the port has really good reviews and sounds promising... But we're looking for mostly least hassle rather than cheapest (do NOT want to be stuck in a line for hours to get a shuttle to parking again)

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Yep already have it downloaded!

 

Also from looking at maps it looks like there are no shuttles required at port everglades, is that right? It looks like parking is close enough that you could just walk to your car, though it's kind of hard to tell the scale from maps.

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2 hours ago, chadcf said:

They just unloaded everyone's luggage into a giant room for everyone to search through which took forever

I’m afraid Port Everglades isn’t any better, at least in Terminal 29 where I disembarked from FotS this past April. Big warehouse-like area that all the luggage is brought to, grouped by the number you were given on your next to last night. Still have to search through your assigned pile to find your stuff. At least it’s in discrete smaller piles.

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Something I completely forgot about, no customs form on the May 12th sailing on Harmony. Was just verbally asked the declaration questions. Not sure if they are following the Port Canaveral lead or not.

As such, no mobile passport or Global Entry lines that I was aware of.

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No customs forms at the Tampa port after our February cruise either.    We were informed that they have been discontinued.  Two or three  questions with the customs agent and we were done.  Getting to the terminal between  10 and 10:30 a.m. allows you to get a close up or lower level parking spot. Most everyone from the arriving cruise has disembarked and left.  And those leaving won`t be there for a while.  It is also very worthwhile to do walk off where you take your luggage with you and disembark as soon as the ship has been cleared by customs.  We just love that option.   No more waiting for a number to be called.  

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6 hours ago, chadcf said:

Yep already have it downloaded!

 

Also from looking at maps it looks like there are no shuttles required at port everglades, is that right? It looks like parking is close enough that you could just walk to your car, though it's kind of hard to tell the scale from maps.

this depends twice my ship freedom and indy were on pier 29 which is a long way from the ship there are courtesy shuttles that run often but central parking is a long way from the ship and I have been told there is no customer parking at 29 

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12 hours ago, KathyC said:

You may want to consider downloading the mobile passport app.  Saved us time standing in line when we got off in Port Everglades last September. 

mobile passport app?

Is it  the one called Royal Caribbean International?

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7 hours ago, Jerry C said:

mobile passport app?

Is it  the one called Royal Caribbean International?

Mobile Passport is a separate app authorized by US Customs and Border Protection.  It is not associated with Royal Caribbean (or any cruise line) and can be used when flying at some airports as well.  It's been used for air travel for some time and just recently (2017) Port Everglades was added as the first cruise port.

IMG_0408.jpg.b5c0adf06b58f86033551ec10a0ffa93.jpg

 

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