Worst Embarkation Ever....

[Gracie115]

My first Princess cruise......

 

On the Regal this past Tuesday...short 5 day cruise.....

 

I will write short review at some point. Many nice things about Princess.

 

BUT

 

It was the WORST embarkation we've had in over 25 cruises, from a multitude of ports and countries. We've cruised out of Ft. Lauderdale many times....

 

We arrived at 12:30 and spent half an hour just getting to the point we could unload our bags...and THEN the fun began. We stood in line for 90 minutes....with about 4-500 other people...ugh....what a nice way to start...by the time we got on board for our "lunch" it was nearly 3:00.....just a half hour before the muster drill...so we ate fast...and ran to the drill.... It was NOT a good way to start the cruise.....:eek:

 

Is this normal? If we cruise Princess again do we need to plan to arrive at 10AM to board by Noon, or should we wait till 3PM and skip lunch?

Edited November 8, 2015 by Gracie115

[IdRatherBCruisin]

I was also on that cruise and I have to agree. A seasoned cruiser myself, I also found it to be the worst. Spent 2.5 hours in line waiting to get on ship. The funniest thing was, when we did get on and headed to top deck it was only to find live opera music concert on the outdoor movie screen! Wrong kind of music for a cruise to the Caribbean.

 

That said, it was also the BEST disembarkation ever. Walked right off ship early.

[southpawsdakota]

You arrived on the 1st day of the International boat show so that might account for the traffic. I got off the ship the day before.

[IdRatherBCruisin]

No road traffic. Just craziness at terminal :)

[Coral]

I think this is the first cruise of the season in the Caribbean. The ship was formerly in Canada NE and before that Europe. I wonder if the ship had to go through a surprise employee immigration visit or something similar when the ship first arrives in FLL (though usually that happens right after being in Europe). Sometimes there are things behind the scenes beyond Princess's control.

 

----Adding what someone else (AZBeachboy) mentioned - possible Coast Guard Inspection. These things often happen on the first cruise out of a port.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Coral

[AZbeachboy]

Our very first trip was on Carnival out of Cape Canaveral. It took hours to get on the ship. Most passengers were in the terminal by the time boarding started. It was horrendous. That is not a very large terminal. What we found out was the ship had been in dry dock and was undergoing an extended Coast Guard Inspection.

[Grego]

I think this is the first cruise of the season in the Caribbean. The ship was formerly in Canada NE and before that Europe. I wonder if the ship had to go through a surprise employee immigration visit or something similar when the ship first arrives in FLL (though usually that happens right after being in Europe). Sometimes there are things behind the scenes beyond Princess's control.

 

I tend to agree. Port Everglades embarkations are usually the best organized and efficient from our experience. I do wonder if there was some situation regarding immigration beyond the control of Princess that might account for the delays.

 

Another factor could be the staggered boarding schedule they are using which may have bunched up a lot more passengers than normal. We leave in less than 2 weeks and will get there early and see what happens.

[Gracie115]

I was also on that cruise and I have to agree. A seasoned cruiser myself, I also found it to be the worst. Spent 2.5 hours in line waiting to get on ship. The funniest thing was, when we did get on and headed to top deck it was only to find live opera music concert on the outdoor movie screen! Wrong kind of music for a cruise to the Caribbean.

 

That said, it was also the BEST disembarkation ever. Walked right off ship early.

 

Yes, disembarkation was a breeze...thank HEAVANS!! It was just a REALLY lousy way to begin my first experience on Princess....

[Gracie115]

I tend to agree. Port Everglades embarkations are usually the best organized and efficient from our experience. I do wonder if there was some situation regarding immigration beyond the control of Princess that might account for the delays.

 

Another factor could be the staggered boarding schedule they are using which may have bunched up a lot more passengers than normal. We leave in less than 2 weeks and will get there early and see what happens.

 

Frankly we have cruised out of Pt. Everglades many times.....the staff guiding people seemed very disorganized and did not keep lines moving the way they should have...... I've cruised on Oasis out of this port, a MUCH bigger ship and had no issue...we always board around the same time...this was just no fun, especially since one in our party is diabetic and the wait was more difficult for him..... I did keep an open mind for the rest of the cruise, but what is usually such a HAPPY moment walking on the ship was just one of great relief that the lines were finally done.....:eek:

Edited November 8, 2015 by Gracie115

[nukesubsailor]

With over 20 Princess cruises under my belt I think they have a pretty good understanding of how to quickly and efficiently get people aboard. On the occasions when there have been delays, it has been because of the notoriously inefficient government or a special cleaning due to a noro virus outbreak.

One time we were delayed boarding because it took so long for the off-going passengers to disembark. That was caused by most of the Customs people not showing up on time. Two other times we were delayed due to special cleaning after a noro outbreak.

[moki'smommy]

A great deal has to do with what happened during the disembarkation before.

 

Example (from another line)

We did a trans-Atlantic that ended in San Juan. Supposedly the cruise line had requested 12 Customs and Immigration agents...there were 6. And when their break times rolled around, we watched them leave their stations and take their breaks! Normal disembarkation requires everyone to be off the ship by 9 and the terminal is normally cleared by 10. On this cruise, due to the large number of non-US passengers disembarking and the inadequate number of agents, we did not get off the ship till 10:30 and thru immigration till 12:30. Our Dutch friend who was cruising with us was delayed another 45 minutes.

 

SO, it was at least 1:15 before they were able to start embarkation rather than the normal 10:30 We heard horror storied from those waiting to board for the next cruise.

 

Again, NONE of this was the fault of the cruise line.

 

I don't know what happened to mess up your embarkation, but I'd guess it was something similar. These things seem to happen at the first US port after the ship is elsewhere for months.

[ms.sunburn]

I was on this sailing and had the exact same experience. Horrible lines at embarkation, smooth & easy debark. From sitting in the lounge waiting for our tags to be called to sitting at our gate at FLL it was 50 mins in total.

[hpeabody]

I just completed a Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess. I have to say embarkation went as well as it could have for me (But, I have preferred boarding) I arrived around 11:10 am and there was a short "Preferred" line, but went fast. We were then shown to the elite area. We were advised by a representative of the outsource port company we would be delayed due to a Coast Guard inspection requirement. We watched them go out and they returned fairly quickly. He kept coming back with updates too. I was impressed with him. Initially we were told boarding would likely begin at 1:00 pm, but actually we boarded at 12:30 pm.

 

Upon return, I could not believe how well disembarkation went. My group had just been called when I arrived 10 minutes prior to my assigned time, so I went straight to the gangway and off the ship. Customs and border patrol moved at a great pace and I was all the way outside the terminal in less than 20 minutes. I believe we were at terminal 19. Quite a difference for me since my previous time was nearly 4 hours to get out of the building, UGH!!!!!

[Gracie115]

I was on this sailing and had the exact same experience. Horrible lines at embarkation, smooth & easy debark. From sitting in the lounge waiting for our tags to be called to sitting at our gate at FLL it was 50 mins in total.

 

disembark didn't take 15 minutes...it was great...

 

and I am aware that it was most likely NOT Princess's fault....all too familiar with the odd and unexplained happenings of different ports....but it was unfortunate none the less and a bad way to begin our 1st Princess cruise.

 

The cruise itself was fine, the ship is beautiful....wonderful stateroom, albeit under a VERY noisy dining area(my fault for picking it) one of the best stateroom attendants EVER....

 

Princess' version of "anytime dining".....well.....is ANYTHING but that....not a good experience at all.....can't imagine ANY of the staff in that dining room likes it either.....ugh....but will speak more on that in actual review....

[Pam in CA]

Princess' version of "anytime dining".....well.....is ANYTHING but that....not a good experience at all.....can't imagine ANY of the staff in that dining room likes it either.....ugh....but will speak more on that in actual review....

Have to agree with you there. I stupidly keep trying Anytime, and have since it was introduced in 2001, and now just stick to late Traditional.

 

Something must have happened or there was a reason why embarkation was disorganized. Generally, it's painless and very organized. Keep in mind that the staff you see in the terminal are not Princess employees even though they have a Princess uniform. The day before, they could have been HAL and the next day another cruise line. :)

 

Last Spring, I did the BVE on the Crown in San Pedro and boarding was delayed, lines were backed up, there were crowds everywhere... all due to 2-3 passengers doing a B2B who didn't think the instructions to get off and go through Immigration applied to them. They couldn't be found on the ship for an hour which meant that the ship couldn't be cleared for embarkation until they'd disembarked. It was a mess and a wedding was delayed. I felt so sorry for them as their guests were boarding the ship only for the ceremony and their time was severely limited due to 2-3 selfish passengers. The Princess officers were furious.

[dcrow72]

We just boarded today and it was a disaster as well. Nothing like New York Brooklyn. Didn't set right with me at all. Agree

[hm9912]

I just completed a Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess. I have to say embarkation went as well as it could have for me (But, I have preferred boarding) I arrived around 11:10 am and there was a short "Preferred" line, but went fast. We were then shown to the elite area. We were advised by a representative of the outsource port company we would be delayed due to a Coast Guard inspection requirement. We watched them go out and they returned fairly quickly. He kept coming back with updates too. I was impressed with him. Initially we were told boarding would likely begin at 1:00 pm, but actually we boarded at 12:30 pm.

 

Upon return, I could not believe how well disembarkation went. My group had just been called when I arrived 10 minutes prior to my assigned time, so I went straight to the gangway and off the ship. Customs and border patrol moved at a great pace and I was all the way outside the terminal in less than 20 minutes. I believe we were at terminal 19. Quite a difference for me since my previous time was nearly 4 hours to get out of the building, UGH!!!!!

 

We've cruised a few times out of Ft. Lauderdale and usually arrive around 10 AM to get a good spot near the elevator and stairway in the parking deck. On our last 5 day cruise to Mexico on the Caribbean Princess we were in the dining room having lunch by 12:30 PM. No problems whatsoever.

 

Howard

[Gracie115]

We just boarded today and it was a disaster as well. Nothing like New York Brooklyn. Didn't set right with me at all. Agree

 

Well....THIS is interesting....sort of negates all those saying it was because our sailing was because it was first one in Florida this season....:eek:

[Scrappygrrl]

Just got off same cruise. Easy disembark, off ship by 645 and at FLL by 715. I was so worried about our 10:20 flight but turned out fine.

 

Not sure what happened on embarkation. We arrived approx 10:40, waited outside terminal until about 11:10. Checked in and seated by 11:30. First groups started boarding approx 12:10, we were on by 12:30. Maybe just hit with a lot of volume at one time?

 

 

On a positive note, we loved the cruise! Not perfect, first night anytime dining took almost 2 hours. But every evening after that was incredibly speedy!

 

Full review forthcoming.

[Gracie115]

We've cruised a few times out of Ft. Lauderdale and usually arrive around 10 AM to get a good spot near the elevator and stairway in the parking deck. On our last 5 day cruise to Mexico on the Caribbean Princess we were in the dining room having lunch by 12:30 PM. No problems whatsoever.

 

Howard

 

Just got off same cruise. Easy disembark, off ship by 645 and at FLL by 715. I was so worried about our 10:20 flight but turned out fine.

 

Not sure what happened on embarkation. We arrived approx 10:40, waited outside terminal until about 11:10. Checked in and seated by 11:30. First groups started boarding approx 12:10, we were on by 12:30. Maybe just hit with a lot of volume at one time?

 

 

On a positive note, we loved the cruise! Not perfect, first night anytime dining took almost 2 hours. But every evening after that was incredibly speedy!

 

Full review forthcoming.

 

2 hours from parking to boarding....is WAY too long.....our normal arrival to ship is about 30 minutes...... so is 2 hours normal for Princess ships?

[capriccio]

2 hours from parking to boarding....is WAY too long.....our normal arrival to ship is about 30 minutes...... so is 2 hours normal for Princess ships?

 

If you intentionally arrive before they begin the boarding process (usually around 11 am give or take - on our cruise last month it was 11:10), you are obviously going to wait. If you arrive early and are not designated a preferred passenger (BVE, wedding parties, suites, elite and platinum loyalty levels) you may have to wait until at least some of the preferred passengers are processed (on our cruise we - we're elite - entered the terminal at 11:20 or 11:25 and they weren't allowing regular passengers into the terminal yet; we were waiting in the lounge by 11:35). Actual boarding usually starts around noon. Arrive after the initial lines have been processed and walk right on.

 

In our experience all bets are off if the ship has to go through any type of immigration inspection of the crew or coast guard inspection of the ship but I've seen threads this season that Princess has notified passengers in advance (at least in some cases) of delayed boarding.

[ceba]

Are these types of embarkations becoming the norm? Could this be one of the reasons Princess is encouraging the staggered boarding times?

[Gracie115]

If you intentionally arrive before they begin the boarding process (usually around 11 am give or take - on our cruise last month it was 11:10), you are obviously going to wait. If you arrive early and are not designated a preferred passenger (BVE, wedding parties, suites, elite and platinum loyalty levels) you may have to wait until at least some of the preferred passengers are processed (on our cruise we - we're elite - entered the terminal at 11:20 or 11:25 and they weren't allowing regular passengers into the terminal yet; we were waiting in the lounge by 11:35). Actual boarding usually starts around noon. Arrive after the initial lines have been processed and walk right on.

 

In our experience all bets are off if the ship has to go through any type of immigration inspection of the crew or coast guard inspection of the ship but I've seen threads this season that Princess has notified passengers in advance (at least in some cases) of delayed boarding.

 

okay...I understand the early boarding thing...that's the main reason we never arrive before noon ...oh well ...guess it was just one of those days...but it sure wasn't fun....especially since the outdoor temps were close to 90....

[PurpleHays]

Last Spring, I did the BVE on the Crown in San Pedro and boarding was delayed, lines were backed up, there were crowds everywhere... all due to 2-3 passengers doing a B2B who didn't think the instructions to get off and go through Immigration applied to them. They couldn't be found on the ship for an hour which meant that the ship couldn't be cleared for embarkation until they'd disembarked. It was a mess and a wedding was delayed. I felt so sorry for them as their guests were boarding the ship only for the ceremony and their time was severely limited due to 2-3 selfish passengers. The Princess officers were furious.

 

They should have kicked them off the next one. Teach them to be inconsiderate.

[jgd3rdbcfd]

Several years ago, my wife and I took a cruise on PCL out of Ft Lauderdale. Boarding was delayed until 130PM because of a Coast Guard inspection which is a annual requirement after it returned from Europe. If the ship is 'squared away' it goes quick, if not ......