RCCL holding back passengers from getting off

[lovesthebeach2]

I didn't know how else to describe the Title.

 

Has anyone sailed with RCCL where passengers getting off the ship at a sightseeing port call have been held back to let the RCCL sponsored excursions disembark first before other passengers (not on RCCL sponsored excursions) disembark?

 

RCCL states on their website, they give priority disembarkation to those on "their" excursions.

 

I have some private excursions planned with tight time frames and I don't want RCCL telling me I can't get off before "their" excursions have disembarked.

 

They did that on one of our cruises. They gave out group numbers with the earliest excursions getting off first. Don't worry you will not be prevented from getting there in time.

[PhoenixCruiser]

The only time we noticed was at Bermuda. The ship arrived late and because our group had a ship sponsored excursion we were escorted off first. Lots of dirty looks and nasty comments.

 

Other ports we just got off when we were ready, much later than everyone else.

 

###

[ram42953]

This is SOP in tender ports, but it can (and does!) happen in docked ports also.

 

We just got off the Celebrity Constellation to the Baltics and St. Petersburg. I had read a lot about ships trying to hold independent passengers back in order to get ship tours through the lengthy Russian immigration process first, and I had also read time and time again that independents have just as much right as ship tours to disembark since there isn't a tendering process. Anyway, here's what happened on our cruise...

 

We docked around 6:30 on the day we arrived in St. Petersburg, and my whole group met near Café Al Bacio at 6:45 so we could get off the ship together. About 7:15 when there hadn’t been any announcements, my husband went and looked out the window and saw there were people getting off the ship at the forward gangway…they were bringing Celebrity tours out first from the theater while the rest of us waited patiently for an announcement. We quickly got off the ship using the forward gangway and were through immigration in about 20 minutes, so our tour left on time. People who stayed and waited for the announcement had a 30 minute wait to get off the ship, and a much longer wait for immigration. The staff at the exit never asked to see our tour ticket or a sticker, but it looked to us like that was Celebrity’s (sneaky) way of getting their tours off first.

 

This seems to be pretty common practice across cruise lines in certain ports. Just be aware it can happen and verify whether or not disembarking has started. They will NOT try to keep you on the ship if you get in the line to get off...they just don't necessarily want people on independent tours to know the ship is cleared for disembarking!:p

Cindy, we are getting ready to do a Baltic Cruise including St Pete. Did you post a review for your cruise?

[RSLeesburg]

How does that work with suite guests - they have priority disembark too. Is that still allowed even if they are not on an excursion?

[spookwife]

On tender ports absolutely, on dock ports no.

 

 

even at docked ports if you pull in late. priority does go to ship excursion at all times.

[Saving Up To Be Eccentric]

What kind of timeframe difference does this make for Navigator's Grand Cayman tendering? If the ship docks at 8am, there's a lot of night owls still roosting. But 11 is a reasonable time for everyone except high school teens, so I'd imagine that's something like 3k people all at once. Should I consider a short city tour or something just to see some of the sites and get off the ship before picking up an independent trip out to see the stingrays?

[Ocean Boy]

While on the ship you must follow crewmembers instructions regardless of what you want. However I don't think you will have a problem if you just get in line when the tours are departing.

 

On Allure they had crew blocking stairways and asking to see tour tickets before they let them through to the deck with the gangway. If you did make it by them then no one on the gangway deck was re-checking.

[poncho1973]

I will just chime in and agree. Very common tendering. Somewhat common in busy ports, but even when it happens when you are at a dock... it very rarely is a big deal. Maybe 10 minutes extra, as someone stated. That's fair.

 

Their ship, their special guests. They have to have some way to tempt you into spending more money on their tours. This is a FOR PROFIT enterprise we're talking about. I don't begrudge them trying to make their choice the one with all the extra perks they can control.

[Paulxyz2004]

How does that work with suite guests - they have priority disembark too. Is that still allowed even if they are not on an excursion?

 

Priority disembarkation has nothing to do with getting on and off in ports of call. There is no priority there for Suite guests, except when it´s a tender port they might have priority tender tickets available through the Concierge. However those will only get you ahead of the line from the Independent travellers, not ahead of time of the shore excursions.

[threetowner14]

We have tours booked with ALLA in SPB just had an email changing the meeting time of the tour on day one to an hour later, with day two being and hour earlier,so that should according to the t/a should be quieter,we will see..Seems RCI have had their fingers rapped for holding back individual travellers.in the past by the port authorities.To me its a form of blackmail by the cruise company, to try an make you use their excursions.

[cruiserhal]

I didn't know how else to describe the Title.

 

Has anyone sailed with RCCL where passengers getting off the ship at a sightseeing port call have been held back to let the RCCL sponsored excursions disembark first before other passengers (not on RCCL sponsored excursions) disembark?

 

RCCL states on their website, they give priority disembarkation to those on "their" excursions.

 

I have some private excursions planned with tight time frames and I don't want RCCL telling me I can't get off before "their" excursions have disembarked.

 

We have been on 42 cruises on different lines and it has always been the cruise line tours first. The way of cruising life.

[Cindy]

Cindy, we are getting ready to do a Baltic Cruise including St Pete. Did you post a review for your cruise?

 

Not yet...we just got home Tuesday afternoon and I'm still trying to sort through pictures, etc. If you have specific questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them!

[Scotty G]

Seems RCI have had their fingers rapped for holding back individual travellers in the past by the port authorities.

 

Doubt that ever happened! Since we live by Port Canaveral I stay abreast of all the actions taken by the port authority to ensure cruise lines stay here. No way they do anything to annoy the companies bringing cash carrying customers to the port. They in fact bend over backwards to ensure they are kept happy. Our community benefits greatly from the port as an embarkation port and as a port of call.

 

When you sign the RCI contract to cruise with them (or any other cruise line) you agree to abide by their rules. If you don't like the rules then choose some other form of holiday. The rules are not likely to change.

[poncho1973]

Seems RCI have had their fingers rapped for holding back individual travellers.in the past by the port authorities.To me its a form of blackmail by the cruise company, to try an make you use their excursions.

 

I somehow missed this until ScottyG quoted it, but yeah...

 

I'll take "Things that never happened" for $200, please Alex.

[A Pisces]

I have been on ships where they let the people who are on early tours, leave first. It isn't to be mean, they are just trying to get these people on their tour on time.

[FLACRUISER99]

Priority disembarkation has nothing to do with getting on and off in ports of call. There is no priority there for Suite guests, except when it´s a tender port they might have priority tender tickets available through the Concierge. However those will only get you ahead of the line from the Independent travellers, not ahead of time of the shore excursions.

I disagree on my last cruise the Suite Concierge would escort suite and D+ passengers to the tenders and cut the tender line, no tickets required. This took place before any tender tickets numbers were called.

[threetowner14]

Scotty G it is terms and Condition you accept when you sign your contract not rules..and in the UK bookings terms and conditions there is no mention of passengers on the ship excursion getting off first..

[BillOh]

This happened on Allure this past March. We left Nassau 4 hrs late and got into St. Thomas Late. Everyone wanted off of that ship at the same time and they were holding people back until they got RCI sponsored excursion people off first. It was a total CF.

 

When the OP posted the question, I thought that the last place this would be an issue would be with Oasis/Allure because they dock and on all 3 of the ports on the east itinerary they use both the aft and forward gangways to disembark and it went to smooth.

 

The only time I got priority status was on Navigator tending into Belize where it is such a long ride and we had an early excursion booked through RC. We were moved ahead to the next tender. Ironically we got to the excursion meeting point and the excursion never came and was canceled.

[CI66774]

Scotty G it is terms and Condition you accept when you sign your contract not rules..and in the UK bookings terms and conditions there is no mention of passengers on the ship excursion getting off first..

 

Doesn't matter whether it's in the rule, T&Cs, luncheon menu, whatever - it's the cruise line's boat and they can disembark passengers as they see fit. Just like the airlines allow first and business class off first - then coach. SOP for all industries. That's the "price" you pay for private excursions (especially at tender stops). You pay less but will have to wait. Seems fair to me.

[Bailey & Sophie]

I didn't know how else to describe the Title.

 

Has anyone sailed with RCCL where passengers getting off the ship at a sightseeing port call have been held back to let the RCCL sponsored excursions disembark first before other passengers (not on RCCL sponsored excursions) disembark?

 

RCCL states on their website, they give priority disembarkation to those on "their" excursions.

 

I have some private excursions planned with tight time frames and I don't want RCCL telling me I can't get off before "their" excursions have disembarked.

We usually take ship sponsored excursions. You'd better believe that I expect to disembark on a priority basis.

[Mrs.Dukes]

When we were on Liberty of the Seas in December, we had a Royal excursion in Belize, which is a tender port. We were some of the first people off the ship, and the first hour of tendering seemed to be mainly people with Royal sponsored excursions.

[ElginSparrowHawk]

I disagree on my last cruise the Suite Concierge would escort suite and D+ passengers to the tenders and cut the tender line, no tickets required. This took place before any tender tickets numbers were called.

I think this is a bit unfair if you ask me.

[homeschoolmama]

If you paid 6000$ for your room for a week you wouldn't. I bet you did everything you hoped to do in the port, regardless of if you were first off the ship or not.

 

Sent from my SCH-I915 using Forums mobile app

[Merion_Mom]

This is SOP in tender ports, but it can (and does!) happen in docked ports also.

 

We just got off the Celebrity Constellation to the Baltics and St. Petersburg. I had read a lot about ships trying to hold independent passengers back in order to get ship tours through the lengthy Russian immigration process first, and I had also read time and time again that independents have just as much right as ship tours to disembark since there isn't a tendering process. Anyway, here's what happened on our cruise...

 

We docked around 6:30 on the day we arrived in St. Petersburg, and my whole group met near Café Al Bacio at 6:45 so we could get off the ship together. About 7:15 when there hadn’t been any announcements, my husband went and looked out the window and saw there were people getting off the ship at the forward gangway…they were bringing Celebrity tours out first from the theater while the rest of us waited patiently for an announcement. We quickly got off the ship using the forward gangway and were through immigration in about 20 minutes, so our tour left on time. People who stayed and waited for the announcement had a 30 minute wait to get off the ship, and a much longer wait for immigration. The staff at the exit never asked to see our tour ticket or a sticker, but it looked to us like that was Celebrity’s (sneaky) way of getting their tours off first.

 

This seems to be pretty common practice across cruise lines in certain ports. Just be aware it can happen and verify whether or not disembarking has started. They will NOT try to keep you on the ship if you get in the line to get off...they just don't necessarily want people on independent tours to know the ship is cleared for disembarking!:p

 

IMO, not "sneaky". Clever! :)

[Creepella]

Private excursion companies know how these things work. They don't expect you to be first off the ship and adjust their expectations if the ship is late or late being cleared.