After having breakfast at the hotel we went downstairs to wait for our car to find out he was already there...15 min early! Zaky with Luxor Limo was an excellent driver and we learned a little about him while he took us to Bayonne. The cruise terminal road is kind of strange. You kind of look like you are going into an industrial park and then all of the sudden, there is the ship. The road is terrible to get there and the area is just overall kind of run down since its industrial. I wasn't impressed.
I should probably note that this will be a comparison between
DCL and RCL. With 4 DCL under our belts, we found ourselves saying "Point Disney or Point Royal" so we actually started to keep score. We chose this diversion from DCL because we wanted to see NYC and Bermuda and at the time, DCL didn't provide that for us so we thought we'd give RCL a try after 11 years. I have ported out of PC 3 times and Vancouver once so you will notice that I will have a lot of DCL comparisons throughout this report because well, we are on the Disboards and I assume most of you have taken at least one DCL cruise or have one booked and would like to know the differences.
We had no idea what embarkation would be like. As much as I tried, the information about how to board in Bayonne was lacking. So when Zaky dropped us off, it was very early...9:50 and I saw several people loading up to leave the ship and I wasn't' sure that I could check in yet since it was SO early. You know, cause we are all used to the 10:30 time at PC with the lines super long to get in, right? Nothing like that. So Zaky drops us off at where we think we should go and I leave the Hubby and kid to stay with the bags while I walk inside to try to figure out what we do. I go inside to see a large group of crew members (CM) huddled around something and a few with ipads. I had read that we would be checked in on ipads so I walk over to one of them and ask if I was too early to check in. He looks at me, says "No, you aren't too early" in the most boring voice ever and then walks away. Didn't say you should walk over there or give me a second and I'll help you. Just walks away. So still unsure of what to do I go back outside to get the fam and all come in with our bags to again, attempt to figure it out. There aren't signs with check in on them or anyone with a big mickey hand pointing you in the right direction. So once we are all in, someone yells over to us "Hey, are you checking in?" I say yes then they yell back "then get over here, what are you doing over there?". Um I don't know, no one told me what I was suppose to do?! So far, the customer service isn't off to a great start. We go thru security with no interaction, get told that I go to this switchback line to check in (still no signs) and then get yelled at that I'm following the switchbacks instead of just going under the ropes because again, I was early was one of the first ones to check in. Again, so warming of the employees.
We reach a desk, the check in was quite smooth. You complete everything ahead of time, picture included. So we were done with checkin in about 3 min. Much faster than DCL but not nearly as friendly as DCL. She begins to tell me that I need to go "over there" to another unmarked areas to board the ship. I ask what my boarding number is and she looks at me like I'm a crazy person and says "just go over there and they will tell you what to do" in your most annoyed voice. We walk "over there" to this sea of chairs(no pun intended) and see a lady telling us that we should go to row 6. We learned that the first 4 rows are for those Diamond and Diamond Plus members, then 5 starts us regular folk on a first come first serve basis. So those in row 5 got there before us and would embark before us. Seems logical even if I felt like I was being herded. I guess it rewards those who get there early instead of just getting your boarding number thru your check in process like DCL. And everyone had a seat where at PC you sometimes have to jockey for a seat. But the seats are NOT for luggage or backpacks and if you get up from your seat to walk your 18 month old around as someone next to us did, then you will be yelled at that you should be sitting in your seat. And all chairs belong to people not luggage so don't take a seat with your backpacks sir. So again, their attitudes were not all that friendly or inviting. At this point its about 10:10 so we go thru everything quickly and I had read that sometimes they start boarding at 10:30. Sure enough at 10:32, they called rows 1-2, then 3-4 shortly after because 1 and 2 were filled but 3 had 2 families in it then they called row 5. Row 6 came shortly after and we were on our way to the ship by 10:45. We were stopped halfway down the jetway to get the kid's mandatory wrist band that tells a CM her muster station in case of an emergency and she's not with us. I'm not sure at what age this stops but our 8 yo had to have one and keep it on the whole time. She did not go to the kids club at all on this trip so I'm not sure what kind of kids band (if any) she would have needed for that but we got our green band and when on our way. We were on the ship by 10:55.
So how do I feel RCL and DCL compared? I would say its a tie with a slight advantage to DCL. DCL is more clearly marked on where to go and there is always a FRIENDLY person to tell you where to go if you don't know. And although it might take a little longer to get on the ship, I think that might be better because RCL wasn't ready for the onset of all the passengers getting on at 11...more on that later. So maybe waiting in the port isn't all bad. You also entertain yourself with pictures with the characters, no one yells at you if you want to get up to use the restroom or walk around with your kiddo. But the crowding around the Mickey ears at boarding time is a little annoying but being herding like cattle wasn't any more pleasant. So I still say a tie.
Here is a picture of the check in desk area from the seating area that I was not suppose to get up from but I'm a rule breaker I guess.