What's The Best Cruise Port Terminal, What's The Worst?

[sail7seas]

We have sailed out of NYC, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, Montreal, Tampa, Port Canaveral, Seattle, Piraeus, Civitevecchia, San Juan, Copenhagen, Rotterdam and I can't remember where else :) but our most tedious experience was NYC.

 

Edited June 26, 2015 by sail7seas

[TxShipShape]

Guess there are two parts, one is getting to the front door and the other after you get in. Galveston is bad for fly-in because of the long (expensive) drives. drive ups very sometimes its quick sometimes the traffic is bad. but not too many ports have hotels close enough that you could walk to the port. but once you get in the long lines move quickly. remember going out of longbeach. long drive and because the ship was late getting in long wait, mulptial lines and nobody could tell us which one we should be in. Did not see the Houston Bayport mention. still has the long drive issue but the drop off/ parking is great. inside was very nice also. Vancouver new port was packed and had to walk a lot to disembark. Found the Alaska ports to be very easy to get in and out of, again you have a very long drive.

[Badger-Badger]

We've sailed from San Juan, Barcelona, Miami and Port Everglades. Except Port Everglades they were all basically walk right up to desk and right on to ship. And we don't check luggage so disembarking is always easy for us. There wasn't even a customs line in San Juan. The best though was Barcelona.

[fishywood]

Once I am on the ship I tend to not even think about whether my experience in the terminal was good, bad or indifferent. The only truly passenger-unfriendly experience I can dig out of my memory was way back in 2000 in San Francisco. Even disembarking a 1200 passenger ship there were lines everywhere and dispatch of the buses to the airport was chaos; we barely made our 1:30 flight. I understand things are a bit better now.

 

I guess I would give the current North American 'Worst' prize to Montreal. Cramped, low-ceilinged hall, portable space dividers with HAL posters crudely affixed for some fake ambiance. And the bus from the airport pulled up to the left curb, forcing us to negotiate a very high step with no assistance and walk down the middle of the driveway to the curb.

 

But the absolute pits was in Buenos Aires. Appears to be an old fishing port; passengers from four ships in port that day (two turning around, two on day calls) all stumbling over each other in one hangar-like booking hall. Announcements for tour dispatch and those for boarding groups never specifying which ship they referred to.

[scorpluvsdolphins]

Worst: Galveston and I drove there.

Disembark Nightmare. Total chaos!

 

Best: Port Canaveral

 

 

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[SPacificbound]

Interesting topic, good to know Barcelona is good since it is our next embarkation port. :)

 

We haven't had a bad embarkation, or a bad disembarkation yet.

 

I guess we've been lucky.

[Putterdude]

San Diego has been the worst for us and Port Everglades likely the best. For a new terminal Seattle's Pier 91 probably looses for having to spend so much time in the rain waiting for a cab and the old terminal in San Francisco was designed for the Ark.

[DRS/NC]

San Francisco's new Pier 27 -- great!

 

I did a RT to Hawaii on Princess in Feb/Mar. this year. Both embarkation & debarkation were very easy (except for the long zig-zag walk on the ship's ramps into the terminal). Baggage claim was a breeze.

[frank808]

Port canaveral terminal 1.

[jocap]

Barcelona is excellent; Carnival Co's Ocean Terminal at Southampton is slick and efficient; Nightmare at Fort Lauderdale- will never return; the facilities at Sharm el Sheikh were a hut and a cup of cold water, but it was quick.

[BruceMuzz]

Nearly all terminals in US Ports are pretty awful.

Despite the Million of dollars that cruise ships bring to those ports, the cities are either unwilling or unable to provide civilized facilities for visitors.

 

Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kobe terminals are great.

Barcelona is wonderful.

All the major Italian terminals are very old - but at least user-friendly.

 

Shanghai terminal looks like a giant flying saucer. Very modern and a great location.

 

Langkawi is very good.

Penang is very good.

Singapore has 2 terminals. Both are very good.

 

Canada Place at Vancouver is good - so long as there is only one ship.

[navybankerteacher]

Best: Fort Lauderdale tied with Seattle. Worst: Bayonne, NJ. - a terribly laid out tent at the end of a badly marked, long, narrow road with abysmal confusion as cars enter and leave bringing embarking passengers as disembarking passengers are leaving, then the need to take a bus to the ship: the whole exercise is a

dog's breakfast.

[port msp]

Best? Probably Ft. Lauderdale. San Juan has been fairly quick for us, the three times we've cruised from there, but the facility itself is nothing to write home about. Seattle Pier 91 was extremely slow to get into. Thankfully we got a flat rate towncar at the airport instead of a metered cab. We sat in line to drop off for 30+ minutes. That would have been expensive in a cab! Cruise Port of the Americas by downtown Seattle was fine. Miami was slow, but not too big a deal, and a fairly nice facility.

 

Worst experience? Canada Place in Vancouver. My expectation was to arrive by noon and be on the ship by 2p at the latest, just like every other cruise port I've been through. We arrived at the port around noonish, and got on the ship at 5-ish. There were two ships in port and it gridlocked the facility. Ft. Lauderdale handles what, up to 9 ships at a time?

It just isn't a good facility from a physical standpoint. Their PA system was a speaker on a stand, like you'd see at a school event. Coupled with a cavernous, warehouse-like waiting room, it was difficult to hear what was being announced, especially with the large overhead doors open and forklifts and box trucks coming in and out. Their air handling system didn't clear out the exhaust from the vehicles very well. Their system of handing out pieces of paper with letters to denote your boarding group was positively byzantine. It's a poorly conceived process, badly executed. And the steep, ladder-like stairs that had to be negotiated to get to security proved to be quite a problem for the older passengers that I was grouped with.

 

The staff was completely over-matched by the task at hand. Although I was frustrated, I felt for them. They could only do what their poorly conceived workflow allowed them to do. The powers that be really need to take a lesson from other cruise terminals. Granted, having to go thru Canadian security, followed by US Customs, to get to the actual cruise company desk, takes a long time. But the sitting and waiting in the cavernous hall for 3+ hours, prior to all that, was maddening.

 

But would I sail out of Vancouver again? Absolutely! The Inside Passage, north and south, is breathtaking and worth the embarkation hassle. Now that I know what to expect there, I won't let it bother me. Most of my frustration came from not knowing the process, not being able to hear the announcements, and dealing with staff that didn't have any answers. I appreciate they don't control the below decks process at security/customs/check-in, but had I been told that I'd have to sit and wait for three+ hours, I'd have gone and gotten something to eat, got out my ipad, and read a book. Tell me what to expect and I'll roll with the punches. Also, Vancouver Airport is nice, and the light rail to the port is quick and cheap.

[cjdixon4]

My favorite is Port Canaveral, with Tampa (the RCI terminal anyway) being a close second. Vancouver and Seattle were bad.

 

I hate hearing that about Vancouver/Seattle...what didn't work well there? I'd like to know because I'm hoping to book an Alaska sailing in 2017 eventually, and they all seem to sail out of those two ports. Curious...

[celebrity]

Best: Fort Lauderdale tied with Seattle. Worst: Bayonne, NJ. - a terribly laid out tent at the end of a badly marked, long, narrow road with abysmal confusion as cars enter and leave bringing embarking passengers as disembarking passengers are leaving, then the need to take a bus to the ship: the whole exercise is a

dog's breakfast.

 

Cape Liberty has been refurbished and you no longer have to take a shuttle to the ship.

Check in and take an escalator to the ship. Easy Peasey!

[celebrity]

Interesting topic, good to know Barcelona is good since it is our next embarkation port. :)

 

We haven't had a bad embarkation, or a bad disembarkation yet.

 

I guess we've been lucky.

 

Enjoy! Barcelona is one of my favorite cities on earth. :)

[loubetti]

We have sailed out of NYC, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, Montreal, Tampa, Port Canaveral, Seattle, Piraeus, Civitevecchia, San Juan, Copenhagen, Rotterdam and I can't remember where else :) but our most tedious experience was NYC.

 

 

LOL! I was waiting for someone to mention the west side piers in NYC! :D

The only good thing about them is the cruise down the Hudson and all the sights to see.

 

Okay, there is some serious history there too. Otherwise, :eek:

[port msp]

I hate hearing that about Vancouver/Seattle...what didn't work well there? I'd like to know because I'm hoping to book an Alaska sailing in 2017 eventually, and they all seem to sail out of those two ports. Curious...

 

Oh, they'll both be fine. Ask CCers to complain about something, and we will :o Just expect a long wait at Canada Place and plan accordingly. As I posted, even with a frustrating, nearly 5 hour embarkation slog, I'd sail out of Vancouver again. The scenery on the east side of Vancouver Island is worth it!

I've spent a lot of time in Seattle and love the area. It has a lot to offer. Seattle doesn't have the best cruise terminals, but they aren't the worst either. I've spent no time in Vancouver, but have heard nothing but good things about it. I hope to take a trip there soon.

Of the dozen cruises I've taken, 11 have had fairly easy and quick embarkations. My expectation for Vancouver was the same. Next time I'll know that Canada Place will be slow. I'll relax, and know that I'll get on the ship eventually.

 

Enjoy your planning for Alaska!

[leaveitallbehind]

Regarding RCI and our experience, Best - Baltimore, Worst - Miami

[GottaKnowWhen]

. . .But the absolute pits was in Buenos Aires. Appears to be an old fishing port; passengers from four ships in port that day (two turning around, two on day calls) all stumbling over each other in one hangar-like booking hall. Announcements for tour dispatch and those for boarding groups never specifying which ship they referred to.

 

 

When was your BA experience? We boarded Infinity there in Feb, we were one of four ships loading that day. About an hour, maybe less, from arrival at the terminal to sipping wine at the pool. Had no issues in San Juan either. Southampton on the other hand was horribly disorganized with many apologies - Adventure was leaving out of a back-up pier so Oasis (?) could dock at Adventure's usual spot.

[cruiseapril]

We like sailing from Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral.

[cjdixon4]

Oh, they'll both be fine. Ask CCers to complain about something, and we will :o Just expect a long wait at Canada Place and plan accordingly. As I posted, even with a frustrating, nearly 5 hour embarkation slog, I'd sail out of Vancouver again. The scenery on the east side of Vancouver Island is worth it!

I've spent a lot of time in Seattle and love the area. It has a lot to offer. Seattle doesn't have the best cruise terminals, but they aren't the worst either. I've spent no time in Vancouver, but have heard nothing but good things about it. I hope to take a trip there soon.

Of the dozen cruises I've taken, 11 have had fairly easy and quick embarkations. My expectation for Vancouver was the same. Next time I'll know that Canada Place will be slow. I'll relax, and know that I'll get on the ship eventually.

 

Enjoy your planning for Alaska!

 

Thanks. We've got a little time yet before Alaska sailing planning takes place, but you've calmed me a bit. ;)

[JimAOk1945]

Worst - Galveston, TX

 

Best - Seward, Alaska

[marco]

While I've not experienced sailing in and out of every port, I'd rate the Manhattan cruise ship terminal as "the best" and San Juan, "the worst".

[Arzeena]

Cape Liberty has been refurbished and you no longer have to take a shuttle to the ship.

Check in and take an escalator to the ship. Easy Peasey!

 

Agree. It's really nice now.