Not impressed with Port of Galveston

[bus man]

I sailed out of Galveston on the Navigator of the Seas on April 13th. We (my family and I) got there just before 1:00 p.m., and after a few minutes, were assisted by a bored, listless, not particularly friendly porter. And then we joined the looooooooooooooooooooooong line that stretched all the way across the entire front of the terminal.

 

When at long last we finally got inside the building, what did we see but another painfully long line, snaking its way through the building. It took us a full two hours to get nearly to the head of the line . . . only to have the building's power go out. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and for a moment I feared the worst -- a panicked crowd can get ugly in a big hurry. But thankfully, there was no panic, just resigned acceptance. However, not once did anyone in authority attempt to inform us as to the nature of the outage or its expected duration.

 

Finally, an hour later, the power came back on, and we were checked in by an exceptionally friendly RCI agent. (She was the lone bright spot in our check-in experience.) When I asked her why the wait was so long, she said it was because there were so many Mexicans checking in, and their paperwork often needed extra attention. (I later found out that our passenger count included about 1,800 Americans and about 1,700 Mexicans. Is this typical?)

 

When at last we were allowed to board the ship, we followed the direction of a staffer who was sending people out onto the dock, to board through the lower cargo gangways. But then another employee came up and angrily demanded to know what the first one was doing. We were told to go back and join the line heading up the "regular" way up the escalator. And so we did, and ended up getting stuck waiting inside the boarding walkway, tantalizingly close to the ship. I looked down onto the dock to observe a tractor pulling a line of luggage carts, with suitcases falling off on either side. At last the driver noticed, and stopped . . . only to have another cart come along and run into him, spilling some of his own load.

 

By the time we'd gotten on board and dropped off our stuff in the cabin, it was almost time for the muster drill. We ended up not getting a single bite to eat from when we had breakfast at our pre-cruise hotel until we had dinner on the ship.

 

This was my first time cruising out of Galveston, and it will be my last.

 

At least I do have a happy ending to report. When we came back, I took the advice I had learned right here on Cruise Critic and procured a porter. In less than 10 minutes after getting our luggage, she had gotten us around the huge line, cleared through customs, out the door, and into a taxi. She earned every penny of her tip! Big thank-you to my fellow Cruise Critics! :)

[zdcatc12]

 

When I asked her why the wait was so long, she said it was because there were so many Mexicans checking in, and their paperwork often needed extra attention. (I later found out that our passenger count included about 1,800 Americans and about 1,700 Mexicans. Is this typical?)

 

No, it's not typical. You made the mistake of going during Holy Week, think of it as a spring break for Mexican nationals!! I live in San Antonio and last week everywhere you went, there were Mexican registered vehicles. There was even an article in the paper here about how they buy new suitcases while they are here to take back everything that they buy and leave their old ones in the motel rooms. A manager at one of the hotels said that they fill up a dumpster during the week with just old suitcases!!

 

Words of wisdom--don't go to central or south Texas during Holy Week.

[crazy4themouse]

I've read this post three times, and read your continued complaints on the RCI board, but still haven't figured out what was so awfully horrible about your embarkation...

 

First off, you got there pretty late. We're usually at the terminal by 10:30ish and boarding by 11 or shortly thereafter. Minimal lines. Second, most of the rude people you encountered are Union workers. 'Nuff said on that. Last cruise, when we were fogged out and didn't make it in until around 2pm, only 3 of the 30 porters showed up for work because they knew it was going to be a zoo. Awesome work ethic.

 

And while it would have been nice for them to announce something about the power outage, they probably had nothing to announce but "Sorry, folks, the power seems to be out." With that sort of thing, usually the problem is fixed long before the cause or nature of the issue is determined. And really, you "feared the worst"?? Where on earth have you been, where the lights went out in public and the crowd just immediately freaked out? :confused:

 

Just curious, but how much of the beautiful, fascinating, historical island itself did you actually get to see? Did you take your kids to see Moody Gardens, or the pirate exhibits, or to look for seashells? Did you drive around and see the gorgeous architecture all over the island? Or did you just go straight to the cruise terminal, later than you should, having done zero research as to it being Holy Week in Mexico, and from all that decided that you're never sailing from Galveston again?

 

People amaze me... :rolleyes:

 

 

 

-gina-

[Chmie]

We spent 3 days touring Galveston before our cruise a few years ago and had a great time. Our port experience was the opposite of the OP.

We had priority boarding on the Magic and it took a whole 30 minutes from arrival to being onboard and in our room. Disembarking, on the other hand, took almost 3 hours even with a porter to help. :)

[bus man]

And while it would have been nice for them to announce something about the power outage, they probably had nothing to announce but "Sorry, folks, the power seems to be out." With that sort of thing, usually the problem is fixed long before the cause or nature of the issue is determined. And really, you "feared the worst"?? Where on earth have you been, where the lights went out in public and the crowd just immediately freaked out? :confused:

 

"Sorry, folks, the power seems to be out" would have been a welcome start. It would at least show that the terminal authorities were interested enough in the welfare of their guests to communicate with them, even if only to tell us what we already knew. A follow up of "We're working as fast as we can to get the power back on, and we thank you for your patience" would have been great too. A little bit of communication goes a long way.

 

Crowd behavior in a potential crisis situation is of more than passing interest to me, as I happen to be the Fire Marshal in my high-rise office building. I've never been in a disaster, thank God, but I've read plenty about them -- not lurid novels, but scholarly accounts of actual events written by the likes of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Fire Protection Association. When disasters have struck places of public assembly, there have often been panics, and they usually start when the lights go out. To be sure, there was no disaster occuring at the terminal. But when the lights went out, I didn't know that the power failure wasn't the start of a disaster -- and neither did anyone else there. That's why my first instinct was to fear the worst, and mentally prepare myself for what I would do. Thankfully, there was no panic or disorder of any kind. But again, in the first couple of seconds, in the almost total darkness of a huge, very crowded room, I didn't know that.

 

Just curious, but how much of the beautiful, fascinating, historical island itself did you actually get to see? Did you take your kids to see Moody Gardens, or the pirate exhibits, or to look for seashells? Did you drive around and see the gorgeous architecture all over the island? Or did you just go straight to the cruise terminal, later than you should, having done zero research as to it being Holy Week in Mexico, and from all that decided that you're never sailing from Galveston again?

 

I truly do regret that I didn't get to see but a tiny sliver of Galveston. We did visit Moody Gardens, and loved it. But time simply did not permit more extensive sightseeing (we only get so much time off work, and the kids off school), and I wish it could have been otherwise. You will search my posts in vain for any disparaging remark about Galveston itself; my issues stem entirely from its port. I liked what little bit of the city I saw, and would welcome the opportunity to explore more of it.

 

The fact that Holy Week is a major vacation period in Mexico was completely unknown to me. Yes, I suppose I should have researched this more carefully. But it simply never occurred to me, and if you don't know what questions to ask, you're not likely to ask them. I knew that it was my kids' spring break, and I knew that it was not the spring break for Texas' schools; but that's as far as my research into that issue took me. Live and learn, as they say.

[zdcatc12]

Second, most of the rude people you encountered are Union workers. 'Nuff said on that.

 

People amaze me...

 

 

You amaze me by your generalization that someone is rude because they are a union worker.

You mean the workers for the unions that were formed in the first place because of horrible working conditions. The reason that most people work 8-hour days and 40-hour weeks and get overtime if more is thanks to the unions. Workers who get retirement and health care from their employer is because of unions. The corporations were exploiting their workers prior to unions. Kind of a broad statement saying that the people were rude because they are union workers.

 

Yes, I was in a union, but retired in management and still feel this way.

[DALSAL]

Where are the like buttons??? :D

 

I agree about the union comments. I would venture to say those workers are not near as excited about our cruise as we are. Im sure they have "life" going on. That doesn't give them a pass, but it happens far more than "union" folks!

[ssb]

I sailed out of Galveston on the Navigator of the Seas on April 13th. We (my family and I) got there just before 1:00 p.m., and after a few minutes, were assisted by a bored, listless, not particularly friendly porter. And then we joined the looooooooooooooooooooooong line that stretched all the way across the entire front of the terminal.

 

When at long last we finally got inside the building, what did we see but another painfully long line, snaking its way through the building. It took us a full two hours to get nearly to the head of the line . . . only to have the building's power go out. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and for a moment I feared the worst -- a panicked crowd can get ugly in a big hurry. But thankfully, there was no panic, just resigned acceptance. However, not once did anyone in authority attempt to inform us as to the nature of the outage or its expected duration.

 

Finally, an hour later, the power came back on, and we were checked in by an exceptionally friendly RCI agent. (She was the lone bright spot in our check-in experience.) When I asked her why the wait was so long, she said it was because there were so many Mexicans checking in, and their paperwork often needed extra attention. (I later found out that our passenger count included about 1,800 Americans and about 1,700 Mexicans. Is this typical?)

 

When at last we were allowed to board the ship, we followed the direction of a staffer who was sending people out onto the dock, to board through the lower cargo gangways. But then another employee came up and angrily demanded to know what the first one was doing. We were told to go back and join the line heading up the "regular" way up the escalator. And so we did, and ended up getting stuck waiting inside the boarding walkway, tantalizingly close to the ship. I looked down onto the dock to observe a tractor pulling a line of luggage carts, with suitcases falling off on either side. At last the driver noticed, and stopped . . . only to have another cart come along and run into him, spilling some of his own load.

 

By the time we'd gotten on board and dropped off our stuff in the cabin, it was almost time for the muster drill. We ended up not getting a single bite to eat from when we had breakfast at our pre-cruise hotel until we had dinner on the ship.

 

This was my first time cruising out of Galveston, and it will be my last.

 

At least I do have a happy ending to report. When we came back, I took the advice I had learned right here on Cruise Critic and procured a porter. In less than 10 minutes after getting our luggage, she had gotten us around the huge line, cleared through customs, out the door, and into a taxi. She earned every penny of her tip! Big thank-you to my fellow Cruise Critics! :)

 

The fact that you had an uneventful disembarkation,

should tell you..... you're embarkation experience was circumstantial!

Edited April 23, 2014 by ssb

[TC1957]

"Sorry, folks, the power seems to be out" would have been a welcome start. It would at least show that the terminal authorities were interested enough in the welfare of their guests to communicate with them, even if only to tell us what we already knew.

 

Just curious...how did you expect this to be done in a large crowded building with no power? Stand on the counter and scream at the top of their lungs?

 

A follow up of "We're working as fast as we can to get the power back on, and we thank you for your patience" would have been great too. A little bit of communication goes a long way.

 

Uh...THEY (RCI) weren't working on it, it would have been either the utility provider or port employees. In fact, they may have been in the dark (pun intended) as well.

 

Crowd behavior in a potential crisis situation is of more than passing interest to me, as I happen to be the Fire Marshal in my high-rise office building. I've never been in a disaster, thank God, but I've read plenty about them -- not lurid novels, but scholarly accounts of actual events written by the likes of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Fire Protection Association. When disasters have struck places of public assembly, there have often been panics, and they usually start when the lights go out. To be sure, there was no disaster occuring at the terminal. But when the lights went out, I didn't know that the power failure wasn't the start of a disaster -- and neither did anyone else there. That's why my first instinct was to fear the worst, and mentally prepare myself for what I would do. Thankfully, there was no panic or disorder of any kind. But again, in the first couple of seconds, in the almost total darkness of a huge, very crowded room, I didn't know that.

 

Disaster? Really? The lights went out. Did you think it was Al Qaeda? Seems to me the first instinct of a first responder would be to stay calm and assess the situation at hand. I am not a first responder but have taken several emergency preparedness course and advanced first aid. First thing they all said was to not hurry up and do anything...slow down and do everything.

 

I truly do regret that I didn't get to see but a tiny sliver of Galveston. We did visit Moody Gardens, and loved it. But time simply did not permit more extensive sightseeing (we only get so much time off work, and the kids off school), and I wish it could have been otherwise. You will search my posts in vain for any disparaging remark about Galveston itself; my issues stem entirely from its port. I liked what little bit of the city I saw, and would welcome the opportunity to explore more of it.

 

The fact that Holy Week is a major vacation period in Mexico was completely unknown to me. Yes, I suppose I should have researched this more carefully. But it simply never occurred to me, and if you don't know what questions to ask, you're not likely to ask them. I knew that it was my kids' spring break, and I knew that it was not the spring break for Texas' schools; but that's as far as my research into that issue took me. Live and learn, as they say.

 

Lastly...Holy Week is a rather significant vacation period around the world for Christians. You should have been expecting large crowds and long lines everywhere, not just during embarkation.

[ssb]

Disaster and crisis situation and dark .

 

It was 1:00 in the afternoon. .

Sounds like a overblown media hype!!

[bus man]

Just curious...how did you expect this to be done in a large crowded building with no power? Stand on the counter and scream at the top of their lungs?

 

A megaphone, perhaps?

 

Disaster? Really? The lights went out. Did you think it was Al Qaeda? Seems to me the first instinct of a first responder would be to stay calm and assess the situation at hand. I am not a first responder but have taken several emergency preparedness course and advanced first aid. First thing they all said was to not hurry up and do anything...slow down and do everything.

 

I didn't say it was a disaster. I said it was a potential crisis situation (emphasis on "potential") and then used examples from disasters to illustrate some of the things that shot through my mind during those initial couple of seconds.

 

Lastly...Holy Week is a rather significant vacation period around the world for Christians. You should have been expecting large crowds and long lines everywhere, not just during embarkation.

 

I'm aware of the significance of Holy Week, and I did expect long lines. What I didn't expect was that many of the folks in those lines would be from Mexico, and their documents apparently would not exactly match what was needed, and thus their check-in would take much longer.

 

The fact that you live in Texas would suggest that you are probably more familiar with Mexico and its people than I, who live in Maryland, would be. So while the Holy Week travel patterns of Mexicans may well be common knowledge where you live, I can assure you that up here, it is not.

 

Disaster and crisis situation and dark .

 

It was 1:00 in the afternoon. .

Sounds like a overblown media hype!!

 

Turn off the lights in a building with almost no windows, and it's almost as dark at 1:00 in the afternoon as it is at 1:00 in the morning. Just sayin'.

[dcikon2]

We will never leave out of Galveston again after our experience.

[Galveston Cruiser]

Your loss, our gain. Stuff happens everywhere.

Would never think of damning a place over one incident.

Hope all your travels are trouble free.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Seatender6]

For Bus Man.

Our experiences were similar to yours: Endless waiting at The Port of Galveston; Inept and aggressively rude governmental officials. The worst port authority management I've ever seen. Delays at disembarkation bad enough to jeopardize our return flight home. Like you, I shall never return to Galveston to board any ship. Our cruise preceded your's by one year and evidently nothing changed in between.

[CGBCruiser]

For Bus Man.

Our experiences were similar to yours: Endless waiting at The Port of Galveston; Inept and aggressively rude governmental officials. The worst port authority management I've ever seen. Delays at disembarkation bad enough to jeopardize our return flight home. Like you, I shall never return to Galveston to board any ship. Our cruise preceded your's by one year and evidently nothing changed in between.

 

Funny thing about this...we live over here in SE Texas and sail from Galveston all the time (as does Galveston Cruiser and SSB). We have only had a wait at the port for embarkation one time and that was due to a ship coming into port from a transatlantic sailing. Have I experienced rude government officials? Certainly no more than I have at the airports going through customs. The port officials cannot change ANY of those customs agents. We also have sailed from other ports outside of Texas and nothing has been different anyplace else than what I experience in Galveston. Well, I will say I think the people in Texas are more friendly than most other places!

[ssb]

[quote

 

At least I do have a happy ending to report. When we came back, I took the advice I had learned right here on Cruise Critic and procured a porter. In less than 10 minutes after getting our luggage, she had gotten us around the huge line, cleared through customs, out the door, and into a taxi. She earned every penny of her tip! Big thank-you to my fellow Cruise Critics! :)

--------------------------------------------

 

Seems to me changes have been made by these comments.

He also didn't mention rude customs government officials.

 

Incident on embarkation was circumstancial.

 

 

Hope all your travels are trouble free in all your other ports.

Edited April 28, 2014 by ssb

[Galveston Cruiser]

Odd that someone posted a negative comment regarding a cruise from Galveston over a year ago, but only has two posts on CC:confused:

 

There must be a lot of cruisers that don't have a problem as Carnival is bringing in a third ship and RCI is bringing in the second largest ship in the world.

 

Don't think they will be sailing empty:cool:

[rvsullivan]

And some/many of us that are from Texas opt to cruise right on by and go on to New Orleans. None of these issues over there!!!! In the 60+years I've been going to or living outside of Galveston it has certainly changed. It seems that after the hurricane things changed. Not the same place anymore. Houston or New Orleans seem to be better choice now. Houston does have the same fog issue that Galveston has. New Orleans does not get fogged out. Great thing is we all have choices.

[CGBCruiser]

And some/many of us that are from Texas opt to cruise right on by and go on to New Orleans. None of these issues over there!!!! In the 60+years I've been going to or living outside of Galveston it has certainly changed. It seems that after the hurricane things changed. Not the same place anymore. Houston or New Orleans seem to be better choice now. Houston does have the same fog issue that Galveston has. New Orleans does not get fogged out. Great thing is we all have choices.

 

The coast of Louisiana does experience fog...any city on the coast experiences fog at one time or another.

Edited April 28, 2014 by CGBCruiser

[TC1957]

And some/many of us that are from Texas opt to cruise right on by and go on to New Orleans. None of these issues over there!!!! In the 60+years I've been going to or living outside of Galveston it has certainly changed. It seems that after the hurricane things changed. Not the same place anymore. Houston or New Orleans seem to be better choice now. Houston does have the same fog issue that Galveston has. New Orleans does not get fogged out. Great thing is we all have choices.

 

NOLA has probably changed since Katrina...just sayin'. Galveston wasn't hit as hard with one hurricane, but the area has been hit three times since Katrina.

 

This Texan will sail out of Galveston and not New Orleans. The exact same cruise is only $80 per person cheaper out of NOLA (but on a one class smaller ship...soon to be two classes smaller). However, it would cost me $59 more in gas and the hotel (same chain for comparison) is $94 more. So for my wife and I we would save a whole $7 by cruising out of NOLA...but that would be at the expense of an additional seven hours in the car. My time is worth A LOT more than $1 per hour.

[LostAgain]

Stood in line at Port of Galveston for about three hours this past Sunday upon our return from Navigator. Heard many people in line saying they will never go through Galveston again. We agree. Too many other ports and ships to bother with that inefficiency and inconvenience.

[DALSAL]

I guess it could happen,but I have NEVER stood inline for 3 hours in Galveston. Especially when I come back, because the FIRST thing I do, is secure that beloved porter! Once, my embarkation was held up a hour or so because of fog. They gave us a box lunch. We were happy.:D

[rvsullivan]

The coast of Louisiana does experience fog...any city on the coast experiences fog at one time or another.

 

 

Too funny!! Of course they get fog, however, the Mississippi River does not close down for any fog. Two years ago you couldn't see the bow of the ship at sail away, normal speed all the way down the river. Because of the width of the ship channel, Galveston/Houston gets closed by the Coast Guard for fog.

[rvsullivan]

NOLA has probably changed since Katrina...just sayin'. Galveston wasn't hit as hard with one hurricane, but the area has been hit three times since Katrina.

 

This Texan will sail out of Galveston and not New Orleans. The exact same cruise is only $80 per person cheaper out of NOLA (but on a one class smaller ship...soon to be two classes smaller). However, it would cost me $59 more in gas and the hotel (same chain for comparison) is $94 more. So for my wife and I we would save a whole $7 by cruising out of NOLA...but that would be at the expense of an additional seven hours in the car. My time is worth A LOT more than $1 per hour.

 

 

Not close to being about how much it costs, however, you are right that it is cheaper out of NO. I will say, it is more about the experience. No one could ever say that Galveston has the opportunities to see and do the things that NO has. We don't go to NO to save money. We go to experience NO and all that it has to offer and we NEVER get fogged out. The ships leave and return on time every time.

[CGBCruiser]

Not close to being about how much it costs, however, you are right that it is cheaper out of NO. I will say, it is more about the experience. No one could ever say that Galveston has the opportunities to see and do the things that NO has. We don't go to NO to save money. We go to experience NO and all that it has to offer and we NEVER get fogged out. The ships leave and return on time every time.

 

On that same note...I've been sailing out of Galveston since 2005 and I've never been fogged out either!