Splendor Embarkation

[Rosefloater]

This is the info I was needing! Thanks Koiman!

 

That seems like a fast turn around. My docs state "Arrive in LB at 9:00AM".

Can they really get everyone and their baggage off the ship that fast?

 

On past cruises, RCCL out of San Pedro, we were still waiting to disembark at 9:00 when ship was docked at 7:00. :confused:

 

FYI - If you are parking at the pier, they will prorate the day. So, if you get there at 9am like CCL is suggesting, and then disembark after 9am, you will be charged the extra time.

 

Carnival tells people to arrive at different times to ease the congestion at check-in. Just get there when you feel like it.

[Durangler]

FYI - If you are parking at the pier, they will prorate the day. So, if you get there at 9am like CCL is suggesting, and then disembark after 9am, you will be charged the extra time.

 

Carnival tells people to arrive at different times to ease the congestion at check-in. Just get there when you feel like it.

 

Rosefloater, Thank you for the info. But I think I totally screwed up my last post.:o

What I meant was, My docs state, our cruise arrives at 9:00 AM, (end of cruise). So assuming the previous cruise arrives back to LB (end of cruise) at 9 am, that seems like a quick turn around.

Laffin here, thinking I better gather my thoughts before I post again. :o:confused:

My appologies.

[Rosefloater]

Rosefloater, Thank you for the info. But I think I totally screwed up my last post.:o

What I meant was, My docs state, our cruise arrives at 9:00 AM, (end of cruise). So assuming the previous cruise arrives back to LB (end of cruise) at 9 am, that seems like a quick turn around.

Laffin here, thinking I better gather my thoughts before I post again. :o:confused:

My appologies.

 

That's ok. I guess I didn't understand that you meant your debarkation. I thought you were talking about an email that you received from Carnival stating to arrive at 9 for check-in.

[Durangler]

I thought you were talking about an email that you received from Carnival stating to arrive at 9 for check-in.

 

From looking at my poorly worded post, I can see how you could arrive at that conclusion. :)

[scoundrellv]

what would be the best strategy. check-in at 9:30 (hopefully) with our luggage and come back for boarding? or check-in at 9:30 w/o our luggage come back at 11:00 or so for boarding with our luggage? I'm trying to move as light as possible so i'm not waiting around awhile having to lug our gear while waiting to board.

 

Thanks in advance.

Mark

[Durangler]

what would be the best strategy. check-in at 9:30 (hopefully) with our luggage and come back for boarding? or check-in at 9:30 w/o our luggage come back at 11:00 or so for boarding with our luggage?

 

Great question. Now you've got me pondering as well! :D

 

Perhaps take any bags you want to check with you to early check-in, then your carry-ons when you board.

Either way, with my plan it would be 2 trips to the port terminal. But I'm planning on staying at Hotel Maya, a stones throw from terminal.

[ronrythm]

Rosefloater, Thank you for the info. But I think I totally screwed up my last post.:o

What I meant was, My docs state, our cruise arrives at 9:00 AM, (end of cruise). So assuming the previous cruise arrives back to LB (end of cruise) at 9 am, that seems like a quick turn around.

Laffin here, thinking I better gather my thoughts before I post again. :o:confused:

My appologies.

Actually, you normally tie up to the dock before 7:00 a.m., dependent mainly on weather (fog can make you really late coming in.) When debarkation begins depends on a whole list of things: how many immigration officials are available, is it one of the days when they have to check the crew documentation, did this one get picked for a random drug sweep of the luggage and about a hundred other factors. I've been off the ship as early as 7:00 and as late 11:30 (done this run about a dozen times.) Boarding has started as early as 10:00 and as late as 3:30 (fog) No mattter how you figure it, that's a quick turn around.

Enjoy

Ron

[Durangler]

Actually, you normally tie up to the dock before 7:00 a.m., dependent mainly on weather (fog can make you really late coming in.) When debarkation begins depends on a whole list of things: how many immigration officials are available, is it one of the days when they have to check the crew documentation, did this one get picked for a random drug sweep of the luggage and about a hundred other factors. I've been off the ship as early as 7:00 and as late 11:30 (done this run about a dozen times.) Boarding has started as early as 10:00 and as late as 3:30 (fog) No mattter how you figure it, that's a quick turn around.

Enjoy

Ron

 

Thanks Ron, more good info!

 

Now that I think about it, when on the Mariner of the Seas in December, it was still dark as the ship sailed into port the last day.

So it was well before 7 AM. Then it was a couple hours later before we disembarked.

[dsneymom]

I'm so confused. Some folks are saying the check in is at the dome, some are saying the queen. Which is it? We are on the 5/22 sailing and are very excited. Could someone please tell me what the behind the fun tour is and where we might go to sign up?

[Durangler]

I'm so confused. Some folks are saying the check in is at the dome, some are saying the queen. Which is it? We are on the 5/22 sailing and are very excited. Could someone please tell me what the behind the fun tour is and where we might go to sign up?

 

I'm struggling with your first question as well. I'm sure someone knows.:)

 

Behind the Fun is a tour of the behind the scenes workings of the ship.

I understand it's limited to 14 to 16 people per tour and only 2 tours are available.(correction may be needed)

One stop is the Bridge, another the Galley. It's on the last sea day, runs 3 1/2 to 4 hours and costs around $95 pp.

Sign up at excursion desk ASAP. I understand it will sell out fast.

[ronrythm]

I'm so confused. Some folks are saying the check in is at the dome, some are saying the queen. Which is it? We are on the 5/22 sailing and are very excited. Could someone please tell me what the behind the fun tour is and where we might go to sign up?

Early check in can be in the QM, but regular check in is always in the dome. For the Splendor, they normally do early check in outside, but use the QM in bad weather. Paradise they tend to use the QM for early.

Enjoy

Ron

[mom2boys97]

This is the info I was needing! Thanks Koiman!

 

That seems like a fast turn around. My docs state "Arrive in LB at 9:00AM".

Can they really get everyone and their baggage off the ship that fast?

 

On past cruises, RCCL out of San Pedro, we were still waiting to disembark at 9:00 when ship was docked at 7:00. :confused:

 

Hey Durangler, come on over and check out our roll call we have for the Oct 30th sail away on the Splendor...

[RedRover96]

Ok as you seasoned Carnival travelers have always said, go with the flow. Well my thoughts have been rearranged. Long story short, our son is engaged to a great California girl and we have never met her parents, we’re from NC. It has been suggested that instead of driving up early Sunday from San Diego that we drive a couple hours north of LA Friday after we fly in to San Diego and spend the weekend meeting her parents.

 

So now my thought pattern has changed from arriving early Sunday or even spending the night on the Queen Mary Saturday night, to driving down Sunday, arriving mid-afternoon. To miss the middle day embarkation crowds what time is good to arrive and not be a “pier runner” before we even get aboard?

 

RedRover96

 

Bump, What is a good time to arrive in the afternoon, not be too late and become a pier runner, however to have the lines down to a manageable level? I saw from a previous post from Host Mach that there is a 90 minute cut off time to board, does that mean that it’s 3:00, since CCL website say’s the Splendor departs at 4:30?

[Payd]

For our Splendor cruise - we all woke up at the crack of dawn.

 

We took our time and still arrived at the port by 9:15. It was a cool and drizzly kind of morning.

 

We luckily had VIP status (platinum) so we were actually the first to check in at the VIP area. The lady at the door had to make sure the computers were operational.

 

We registered and were told to come back at about 1:30. With a dozen cruises under our belts we figured 1:30 was too late.

 

Headed over to the QM with our carry on...spent at least 1.5 hours touring around (the kids had never been there). Around 11 or 11:30 we went back to VIP check in area. Got the last seats and waited....and waited...and you guessed it...waited.

 

It was likely 12:30 before we were taken to line up outside. Another 15 or twenty minutes before being allowed inside to have our carry on screened. I bet it was 1 or 1:15 pm before we were on the lido.

 

I still hear about how heavy that carry-on was. It did have a bottle of champagne and a couple of big sodas:D.

 

If I had to do it over again...Would arrive at the port no sooner than 11:00 am.

[Cavners5]

Thank you Payd....we will be arriving from Anahiem, and have been wondering what time to arrive at port. It is so confusing. There will be five of us, but I am most worried about my DD-6. She is a special needs child, and do not want to get there too early, nor too late. So I have been scouring these boards to find the optimal time, so she does not have a break-down. Are there places to sit at the pier?

[Miastar]

We took the 4/17/11 cruise on the Splendor and the embarkation was a nightmare.

 

It was nearly four hours standing in lines. I don't care whose fault it was (we were told four different reasons), Carnival or the Long Beach Terminal management, but I blame Carnival. I was a Carnival convert after my first cruise last August, but I'm done with them. Even though the cruise was just fine, I'm not going to deal with a company that can't even get the passengers on the boat in a reasonable amount of time and in a respectful and professional manner. I can't take a chance that my six-year-old child and I would be put through that again.

[Rosefloater]

Thank you Payd....we will be arriving from Anahiem, and have been wondering what time to arrive at port. It is so confusing. There will be five of us, but I am most worried about my DD-6. She is a special needs child, and do not want to get there too early, nor too late. So I have been scouring these boards to find the optimal time, so she does not have a break-down. Are there places to sit at the pier?

 

There are seating areas around the planters outside the dome (check-in area).

[garagesalegran]

Splendor 8/21/11 will be our first West Coast cruise. Galveston, TX Carnival has their embarkation down to a science - so easy and quick if you get there around 10-1100.

 

Suggestions for us would be helpful in making this West Coast embarkation more enjoyable than what some others have experienced.

 

Thanks!!!!!

 

p.s. come to Texas - you won't regret it.

[Winterstale]

Wow - not sure what's happened to the Splendor embarkation process in the last couple of years -- we drove down from Burbank and got to LB at around 10:30am in November of '09 for our cruise - we were on and having lunch by noon.

[Nemspy]

We took the 4/17/11 cruise on the Splendor and the embarkation was a nightmare.

 

It was nearly four hours standing in lines. I don't care whose fault it was (we were told four different reasons), Carnival or the Long Beach Terminal management, but I blame Carnival. I was a Carnival convert after my first cruise last August, but I'm done with them. Even though the cruise was just fine, I'm not going to deal with a company that can't even get the passengers on the boat in a reasonable amount of time and in a respectful and professional manner. I can't take a chance that my six-year-old child and I would be put through that again.

 

The problem with this cruise was that customs were being extremely thorough due to a major event (Grand Prix) happening in Long Beach and the disembarking process took much longer than usual.

 

We were on the same cruise, but it wasn't too bad for us. We came over from Queen Mary early in the morning, got our zone 1 pass and came back over at noon and were on board by 2PM.

 

As we got on board it was clear that customs had been the issue - boarding went smoothly and then when we returned yesterday we were in our car within 15 mins of leaving the ship (less intense customs this week).

[Nemspy]

I think there are a few reasons why embarkation at Long Beach can be a bit of an issue compared to other ports.

 

1 - Customs are much more zealous here than at other ports. When I leave a ship in San Diego I simply drop my customs form into a basket and walk out. At Long Beach I get asked all sorts of questions by customs officers. Carnival is very much at the mercy of customs here.

 

2 - Photography - Long Beach takes the "slaughterhouse run photography" to new levels in that there's no easy way to bypass them. Perhaps the slowing of the lines this causes helps the embarkation process by having a trickle feed, but I think it's more about potential revenue. They also have a huge bottle-neck just after you get your sail and sign photo taken at the start of the bridge for yet another photo opportunity.

 

3 - People suck - The check-in area at Long Beach really could use some better organisation because people can't be trusted to do the right thing. On our 17th of April cruise Zone 1's waiting area had more people WAITING TO GREET RELATIVES HOME FROM THEIR CRUISE than Zone 1 passengers. It was ridiculous - Passengers were constantly being asked to move so people who had been waiting since 9AM could "see their relative the second they emerged from the terminal" - these people should have their own area away from the embarkation area.

 

Also, as the time to board drew near the open area in front of zone 1 gradually filled up with bodies as about 17 different "lines" began to form - 20 mins before boarding it was wall to wall people, from all Zones, just crammed in there hoping to be the first on board. Carnival really needs to get some wranglers in to keep people in their proper places.

[jbobst]

I had a question about boarding the Splendor...specifically the boarding photos they try to take of you and your party. We have sailed out of San Pedro and San Diego quite a few times, but never from Carnival's Long Beach terminal. Since we never buy any of the ships photos, we just walk right past the photo people when we board our cruises and right onto the ship. We often get strange looks from some of the passengers waiting for their photo to be taken (looking at us like, where are you going and why aren't you getting your photo taken), as the cruise lines kind of make everyone feel obligated to get this photo taken. But I have never been told that this boarding photo is mandatory, so we just skip it. Can we also skip this at the Long Beach pier while boarding the Splendor?

 

By the way, I am not referring to the security photos they take, I am referring to the welcome aboard photos, where they have some sort of back drop to stand in front of and then they post the photo in the photo gallery for purchase during the cruise. I know we have to take the little USB camera photo at the check in desk.

[Nemspy]

Can we also skip this at the Long Beach pier while boarding the Splendor?

 

You can not have your photo taken just like at any terminal, however, as I posted above, one of the issues at Long Beach is they have a cattle run sort of setup which requires you to physically pass through one of two entrances through the photo taking "stages" - in order to walk past you're either going to have to push past someone who has stopped to have their photo taken or wait your turn and dash past as the photographers try to get you to stop for a photo. There's no possibility to "go around"

[Rosefloater]

We have sailed out of San Pedro and San Diego quite a few times, but never from Carnival's Long Beach terminal. Since we never buy any of the ships photos, we just walk right past the photo people when we board our cruises and right onto the ship. Can we also skip this at the Long Beach pier while boarding the Splendor?

 

I am referring to the welcome aboard photos, where they have some sort of back drop to stand in front of and then they post the photo in the photo gallery for purchase during the cruise. I know we have to take the little USB camera photo at the check in desk.

 

After you check-in, just before the "cattle call welcome aboard" pix, there is an elevator on the right. Take it and you will bypass the photo.

 

FYI - There is also a photog at the beginning of the gangway. I just walk by them.

 

Actually the photo that is taken for the S&S card is taken on the 2nd level of the terminal just before the gangway.

[jbobst]

Looks like another negative review popped up today on the Splendor and the embarkation/debarkation process. I wonder if Carnival has anyone working on whatever the problem is. I know often it is not something they can control, but it sure seems like a embarkation confusion is a common problem with this ship/port.