Airlines Used By O for Lima Sailings

Wait a minute, Mandy. I am one who freely admits that some people get preferred treatment on Oceania -- if you pay for a suite you get benefits that non-suite passengers don't get. But that's quite different from hiring a local guide in a port and then accusing Oceania of favoritism. People who book a transfer to the ship with Oceania probably get driven up to the front door as well. I'd be surprised if they don't.

But that is far from being the same thing as booking a local tour. Those companies PAY the port to get the advantage of driving into the port. When we hired our guide for Machu Picchu we had no idea that we'd be saved standing in line to board the ship.

I have to say this is the first embarkation port where we saw such an incredible line. Rather than blaming Oceania (or any other cruise line), perhaps you should blame the Lima Port Authority.

those who are willing to exchange money for preferred treatment.

Since my parents passed, I haven't been able to find anyone who has been willing to provide me with preferred treatment without my having exchanged money for it.

Seems unreasonable to expect strangers, who are after all working for a living, not volunteering, to do so.

Hardly a reason to boycott a city :confused:

I do blame the Lima Port Authority, Mura, but it seems strange that Oceania would continue to include Lima in its itineraries if their passengers are treated so shoddily. I did read also that no one on Oceania even acknowledged the terrible conditions. If this had happened to me I definitely would not be booking another cruise from that city and I cannot imagine that anyone reading these reports would either. This can't be good for Oceania and their cruises that use the port.

When I referred to money exchanging hands for prefential treatment I was not referring to different passengers on the ship receiving special treatment according to their accommodations. I was referring to a report someone wrote who said he saw money changing hands in the line with the result that the persons passing money to “officials” were moved to the front of the line.

I was referring to a report someone wrote who said he saw money changing hands in the line with the result that the persons passing money to “officials” were moved to the front of the line.

The best Guides in Istanbul and St Petersburg regularly grease the wheels with public officials in order to get "their groups" early, or sole admittance to certain museums.

Should those cities be boycotted as well?

The best Guides in Istanbul and St Petersburg regularly grease the wheels with public officials in order to get "their groups" early, or sole admittance to certain museums.

Should those cities be boycotted as well?

Perhaps I wasn't clear about this. It wasn't a Guide who was bribing officials. It was one of the fellow passengers standing in line with the others who gave money to be moved to the front of the line. The conditions were miserable and other passengers saw this happen right in front of them, so one can probably imagine their feelings. What if others tried a bribe, what if a number of the others did? Anger, chaos. I just don't want to be involved in something like this and won't. Yes, bribes obviously happen in some countries and obviously what happened in line was not the fault of Oceania.

But, I did read that no Oceania staff was present to explain what was happening or in any way interact with the waiting unhappy passengers. Nor, was any acknowledgement or apology made once everyone eventually boarded.

This is what I find strange, but I don't want to continue to prolong this discussion. This was not my intention. We have friends who travel with Oceania and they are very pleased, so I will look at other Oceania itineraries and find one better suited.

Lynn

Thanks for the further explanations, Lynn. I had a very different impression of your first post, obviously. I can't believe someone openly slipped money in front of other passengers to skip the line! I'm surprised the other passengers didn't mob him (or her)!

Mura

On 1/17/2018 at 11:02 AM, sammiedawg said:

Two years ago Oceania used Marriott Miraflores. We did not stay there so I have no opinion.

 

We booked our own air and were surprised Jet Blue flies into Lima. FYI for any independents.

we live in reno and have booked Jetblue as well They fly from reno to JFK to fort Lauderdale to lima and on the return for us nonstop JFK to reno

We are doing Papeete to Lima and staying on for the Lima to New York leg.  We have a city tour booked for Lima and have been instructed to meet at the port gates.  Does anyone know the arrangements for getting off and on the ship if you are on a Grand Voyage?  Hoping to bypass the long lines.

No actual intel to add.  We will be boarding in Lima.

I have a completely unfounded theory: the long lines/waits at Callao may be related to a lunch break by the port workers and shuttle bus drivers.  This would match most of the available information but might be completely wrong lol.

I think we will aim for arriving at Callao 2pm ish and see how it goes.  Will report back after the cruise.

On 11/30/2018 at 12:32 PM, seascot said:

We are doing Papeete to Lima and staying on for the Lima to New York leg.  We have a city tour booked for Lima and have been instructed to meet at the port gates.  Does anyone know the arrangements for getting off and on the ship if you are on a Grand Voyage?  Hoping to bypass the long lines.

We did this trip 3 or 4 years ago on Marina. Like you we had a day tour booked in Lima. We left the ship at 8 am to be greeted by a very long queue for the bus to the port gate. There was only 1 bus which, in theory, held about 30 people but the luggage hold didn’t have space for that many cases which meant the bus took 12 people per journey. It took us 90 minutes to get to the gate. There was a lot of pushing and queue jumping. There was no priority for any passengers, no matter what room you were in or how long a trip you had taken. All in all, it wasn’t a pleasant end to the cruise. Fortunately it was overcast so we didn’t get roasted alive!  Added to that, I had a problem with my case on the flight back to London. 

On the plus side, the day tour in Lima was really good!

We are doing the Lima to NY cruise on Marina,March 18th, and have booked a six day pr cruise excursion. We will have time to do a city tour on departure day. Could you let me know which company did your city tour and drop off to cruise port?

We did the 6 day pre-cruise trip prior to boarding with Kuoda Travel in May 2015.  They included a city tour in Lima on the  we boarded and drove us up to the ship.  We were astounded at the long lines waiting to board the ship in the heat which we were delighted to avoid.

For the record Kouda Travel was wonderful and has been highly recommended by others here (not necessarily in this thread!).  You might try contacting them to see if they would do the city tour for you on the day you board.  Their customer service email is  travel@kuodatravel.com.

If your are using another agency you should ask them if they can do a city tour on boarding day.

Good luck!

I have to say we loved our pre-cruise visit (also 6 days as I recall).  It was spectacular.

Mura

On 3/7/2019 at 7:13 PM, Mura said:

We did the 6 day pre-cruise trip prior to boarding with Kuoda Travel in May 2015.  They included a city tour in Lima on the  we boarded and drove us up to the ship.  We were astounded at the long lines waiting to board the ship in the heat which we were delighted to avoid.

 

For the record Kouda Travel was wonderful and has been highly recommended by others here (not necessarily in this thread!).  You might try contacting them to see if they would do the city tour for you on the day you board.  Their customer service email is  travel@kuodatravel.com.

 

If your are using another agency you should ask them if they can do a city tour on boarding day.

 

Good luck!

 

I have to say we loved our pre-cruise visit (also 6 days as I recall).  It was spectacular.

 

Mura

 

 

Ded

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I wonder if there is now a cruise terminal.

Will definitely check with our tour director to facilitate boarding,and hopefully link it with a morning tour of Lima

My view of Oceania and Lima is simple.  Callao is a commercial port not a cruise port.  The port gives low priority to cruise ships.  This was made clear to us when we took a Celebrity transition cruise, three years ago.  The Port cancelled our ship's docking reservation due to over congestion and construction!  One can think, well skip Lima, but the other ports, North and South, don't have the infrastructure to handle debarkation and embarkation mainly the airport

I do place some blame on Oceania.   On our  Marina Papette to Lima cruise, the following year,  Oceania was mum on how handle the debarkation when one was not using Oceania arrangements.    Immigration, baggage handling requirements to exit the port (basically carry your bags onto and off the bus) were not described in detail.  Bottom line you were on your own.  We did have a pick up at the port Gate which we were able to contact by cell phone, so we had good ending, but what a nightmare.  Hopefully Oceania has improved v s v Lima over the last three years.

14 minutes ago, Skye 1 said:

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I wonder if there is now a cruise terminal.

Will definitely check with our tour director to facilitate boarding,and hopefully link it with a morning tour of Lima

That is worth checking out.  From what I have read here on CC recently I don't think so ... but I didn't make note of the dates of the cruises that were referenced.  Everyone I read seemed to be saying that the situation was as I remembered.  (As I said, our cruise was in 2015.)

Good luck!

Mura

On 2/17/2018 at 9:45 PM, MandyPuppy said:

I must admit I am really discouraged with Oceania based upon this and other threads describing this horrible situation in Lima. Even if my husband and I were to book a tour that would deliver us direct to the ship, we could easily have been in that line, and the fact that Oceania would accept their passengers being treated that way is unacceptable. With no criticism toward you, Mura, clearly there is some kind of preferential treatment given to people who deal with locals or, as reported in one message, to those who are willing to exchange money for preferred treatment. If this is the norm in the port in Lima, itineraries should be changed accordingly.

I agree, and hope this changes before our 2020 cruise.  I will monitor and look for improvements

I readily understand your objections to the treatment of cruise passengers at the Lima port and had I been standing in that long line I'd have been extremely unhappy.too.  We had no idea of the situation when we booked our pre-cruise tour (indeed with a local agency but that wasn't deliberate by any means) so it was just as big a surprise to us to see that long line as it was to those poor people who were standing in it.  For us it was the luck of the draw.  Had we not opted for the city tour before going to the port no doubt we would have been standing there.

Someone earlier pointed out (I believe recently) that this is a commercial port which doesn't give much consideration to cruise traffic.  If that's the case, then I'm not sure we can blame Oceania for "allowing" their passengers to be treated this way.  (Or any other cruise line.)  It doesn't sound like cruise ships have much clout in dealing with the port.

You know, it's not all that unusual for taxis and the like not to be permitted inside a port.  There have been a number of times when we booked a local tour and discovered that some of them have access to the port but others do not.  Sometimes it can be a rather long walk just to get out onto the street.  I think we can thank current security conditions for that ... or perhaps it was always that way.

Mura

Understrand your frustration.  Oceania's competition has a better solution for the port problem in Lima. I wish they would follow Azamara's example:

IMPORTANT EMBARKATION INFORMATION FOR AZAMARA PURSUIT GUESTS SAILING FROM LIMA, PERU ON DECEMBER 1, 2018

We look forward to welcoming you to Lima, Peru. Prior to your arrival, Azamara Club Cruises would like to make you aware of important information concerning your check-in and boarding.

Since the cruise terminal in Lima (Callao) port is under development, we have arranged to receive you at the JW Marriott Hotel Lima in order to enhance your experience. We ask you to please check in between 11:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. at the following address:

JW Marriott Hotel Lima
Malecon De La Reserva 615
Miraflores, Lima 15074, Peru

Upon arrival at the Hotel, please enjoy the facilities available, including refreshments, snacks, and free Wi-Fi. Our staff will be on hand to collect your luggage, pre-check your cruise documents, and provide you with the necessary forms for boarding the ship.

Once the ship is ready for embarkation, one of our complimentary transfer shuttles will take you from the hotel to the port of Lima (Callao). The commute will take approximately 45 minutes. When you arrive at the port, a full document check will be conducted by the port authority in order to clear your entrance. You will then be able to board the Azamara Pursuit, where your check-in will be finalized and your ship KeyCard issued.

Please have the following documents in hand for the port entrance clearance:

• Cruise Documents
• Passport

After checking in, you will be able to enjoy the facilities on board. An announcement will be made to inform you when your staterooms are ready. In the meantime, please contact one of our team members should you have any questions or require further assistance.

Azamara Club Cruises® Team in Peru

Our experience boarding Marina in Lima on Mar 15, 2019 - we took a pre-booked car service to the port (Taxidatum, I would highly recommend them).  There were 2 full-sized shuttle buses waiting when we arrived at about 11:45 (which was slightly earlier than we were aiming).  The first bus filled up (luggage hold to capacity, more like 20-30 people on the full-sized bus), we boarded the second bus.  There were plenty of port workers there (slightly bossy but helpful).  By the time our bus left, another one had pulled in behind us.  We talked to one couple who had taken a taxi from their hotel to the port gate, and the taxi took them to a part of Callao near the port but not anywhere near the gate - they made it okay, but it took extra time and effort.

Once we reached the ship, we didn't have to handle our checked luggage.  We exited the bus, filled out our health questionnaire and handed it in on the dock under a tent, then boarded and checked in (hand over passport, collect world card, give credit card for incidentals) in the Marina lounge.  There were a couple of vendors with souvenirs on the dock at the ship as well.  The bus had a high first step from the ground, there were folks on hand to help but be prepared if you have mobility issues (was easier at port gate as there was a curb there).

This may or may not be helpful, but my wife and I have taken a fair number of both HAL (10) and Oceania (3) cruises, along with several Silversea and Seabourn cruises. We recently did a 30-night HAL Volendam round-trip from San Diego to Lima, with three full days in Lima. HAL provided free round-the-clock shuttle buses all three days from the ship to Lima (dropping us off and picking us up at the J.W. Marriott in Maraflores) which we took full advantage of. If HAL is doing this again in 2020 or 2021, I would recommend it. You'll get to see Lima in-depth, without the airport and boarding nightmares described in this thread. You'll also go to two other ports in Peru, one in Ecuador, along with a lot of others in Mexico and Central America (no repeats). Of course, it's not a Tahiti cruise, but it's an interesting and unusual one. 

And, yes, Callao is one of the most dangerous parts of the Lima area. Our cab driver in Lima, who took us on a three-hour tour one day, refuses to take anyone there. Seeing it from the bus, though, was quite interesting.

We also resolve these boarding issues by not showing up to the ship until 2:30-3:00. No lines, cabin ready for occupancy upon arrival, no hassles. 

I’ve seen people leave the hotel at 9:00 and before to go stand in line to board. In PPT, we had people showing up at 7:30 in the morning. They thought they could eat breakfast aboard and hang out at the pool all day! 

We did Lima to NYC a couple of years back and I don't remember having any issues. Taxi from the hotel to the port and boarded. Certainly nothing that stuck in my mind. Lima is a big working port, so it isn't "pretty".

On 11/29/2018 at 11:11 AM, dkurz said:

we live in reno and have booked Jetblue as well They fly from reno to JFK to fort Lauderdale to lima and on the return for us nonstop JFK to reno

That sounds like a nightmare to ME.  I could fly Reno to Houston to Lima on UA.  That's how we get to Rio.  One stop.

On 1/18/2018 at 1:44 PM, janecambridge said:

A few days ago,we flew Miami to Lima with American Airlines.Absolutely dreadful.Worse check in,security,organiastion,flight,food,passengers and staff.

We booked our own hotels and flights,saving a ton of money,but takes time to book and organize etc.

We did a similar trip and I concur re the flights from Miami, absolutely awful.

After spending time in Lima we flew to Cusco with Latam which were fine.

Our tours were organised thru our TA and much more tailored to our needs and cheaper than using the cruise lines land offering.

Fortunately from the reports on this thread, we returned Cusco to Lima and Lima to Santiago, boarding the ship in Valparaiso.