Royal Caribbean is warning guests on two late-October transatlantic crossings that boarding in Europe could take a lot longer than usual. The EU's new biometric Entry/Exit System means every passenger, regardless of citizenship, must clear a face-to-face immigration check with fingerprint and facial scans inside the terminal after check-in and before boarding, and the line says the wait could exceed 90 minutes.
The affected sailings are Odyssey of the Seas departing Civitavecchia (Rome) on October 25 for a 14-night crossing to Bayonne, New Jersey, and Explorer of the Seas departing Barcelona on October 31 for a 13-night crossing to Port Canaveral. The cruise line is asking guests to arrive only at their pre-selected check-in time, and to bring a passport book rather than a card, valid at least six months past the end of the cruise.