Summit Express Disembarkation - Come On Celebrity, You Can Do Better (At Least Try)!

[carlos_once_a_year]

Just returned from the Summit 22 Apr Repositioning Cruise where we "took advantage" of Celebrity's Express Disembarkation in Bayonne as we had a 1215 PM flight to catch. We were told to meet at the Rendez-vous Lounge for 0815 AM on D-Day, which we did. By that time, the lounge was full and the line-up for "Express" disembarkation extended through the Casino half the length of the ship. Needless to say, the process that day was a frustrating experience with little or no obvious control or passage of information.

 

For Captain Kate and the Hotel Director (if you read these posts), here's a suggestion. When someone registers for Express Disembarkation, why not ask for a valid reason and issue only those needing early departure a luggage tag indicating their status. Then allow only those with the tag to enter the lounge or any resulting line. You issue all other passengers a tag, why not control early departure the same way.

 

Celebrity Summit gets a failing grade on this one from us. We would be interested to hear from any others who tried early disembarkation that day or from anyone with good ideas on how to prevent a recurrence. By the way, in case you think we might be complainers or disgruntled cruisers - not the case. This Summit Repositioning cruise was one of the most enjoyable we have taken in many years - too bad it had to end the way it did. Also, we appreciate that the one-hour delay in docking the ship at Bayonne was beyond the ship's control, but it does point to why Celebrity needs to place some controls on "Express Disembarkation".

 

"Seize the Day", Captain Kate!.......sincerely....Carlos

[gold1953]

after a repositioning cruise all the crew must be cleared before any passengers.

Also if there are 2000 passengers there could easily be 400 who booked flights by noon so this becomes very difficult. Then say if 300 needed off quickly then that is a very long line. Of course others get tired of waiting and get in line too. I have been where you are.

The hold up is with customs.

There is really no place on a ship for a long line and Celebrity requests that people wait in designated places.. but they don't

[carlos_once_a_year]

Greetings, Gold1953 and thanks for the comments. The Summit was repositioning from one US port (San Juan PR) to another (Bayonne NJ) so there was no customs and immigration of crew that day. There was, however, a cargo ship in our docking area which caused a one hour delay and caused more people to "join the line" as you note.....Carlos

[Arzeena]

We were tag #1. We had no problem disembarking. It was quick and painless, everything moved fast. Our waiting area (Elite) was in the Cosmopolitan restaurant deck 4, where the shorex tours were also waiting. I heard some confusion with the shorex customers not receiving their tour stickers, but crew was sorting it out. Our tag was also asked to disembark with the shorex people. Line moved very fast. After we went inside the terminal, the shorex people had to go to the right in their area and we went straight to our bags. I had no complaints, but I will point out the following:

 

I saw that the Rendezvous lounge and Martini Bar were packed like sardines. People were sitting on the main stairs (mid) and blocking them for others who wanted to get up and down, shamelessly refusing to move to let anyone even pass bye. There should have been some kind of crowd control there to disperse people in different areas. The front of the ship was very quiet. Everyone seemed to be packed in the middle.

[carlos_once_a_year]

Thanks, Arzeena for your comments. That was the first time we tried Express Disembarkation. Sounds like you had a much better experience. Lesson learned for us about booking an early flight, I suppose......Carlos

[Arzeena]

Thanks, Arzeena for your comments. That was the first time we tried Express Disembarkation. Sounds like you had a much better experience. Lesson learned for us about booking an early flight, I suppose......Carlos

 

Carlos,

 

Hope you made your flight without further stress and got home safe. I would have been a wreck if I had an early flight. But we are only an hour away from port and took a cab.

[A Sixth?]

..... Lesson learned for us about booking an early flight, I suppose......Carlos

 

Did you make your flight?

[Saab4444]

In the past express debarkation was done only by few people who were able to handle their luggage well. it always worked fast and easy.

 

Now everyone does it and even passengers with walking issues and several big bags stand in line. This has become a nightmare especially in US ports. The cruise lines like it because it is less work for the crew regarding bag handling.

 

However, they have to implement some restrictions like a maximum number of guests for this program and they have to stop the people with several bags and limited mobility.

 

 

 

 

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[donaldsc]

Just returned from the Summit 22 Apr Repositioning Cruise where we "took advantage" of Celebrity's Express Disembarkation in Bayonne as we had a 1215 PM flight to catch. We were told to meet at the Rendez-vous Lounge for 0815 AM on D-Day, which we did. By that time, the lounge was full and the line-up for "Express" disembarkation extended through the Casino half the length of the ship. Needless to say, the process that day was a frustrating experience with little or no obvious control or passage of information.

 

For Captain Kate and the Hotel Director (if you read these posts), here's a suggestion. When someone registers for Express Disembarkation, why not ask for a valid reason and issue only those needing early departure a luggage tag indicating their status. Then allow only those with the tag to enter the lounge or any resulting line. You issue all other passengers a tag, why not control early departure the same way.

 

Celebrity Summit gets a failing grade on this one from us. We would be interested to hear from any others who tried early disembarkation that day or from anyone with good ideas on how to prevent a recurrence. By the way, in case you think we might be complainers or disgruntled cruisers - not the case. This Summit Repositioning cruise was one of the most enjoyable we have taken in many years - too bad it had to end the way it did. Also, we appreciate that the one-hour delay in docking the ship at Bayonne was beyond the ship's control, but it does point to why Celebrity needs to place some controls on "Express Disembarkation".

 

"Seize the Day", Captain Kate!.......sincerely....Carlos

 

There are several problems with carry off disembarkation

 

1) there are many people who know that they are so important and their time is so valuable that they have to be off early

 

2) there are many people who think that they are mobile and who that they can hand carry off all their stuff when the aren't and can't

 

3) there are many people who are dumb enough to schedule and early flight to either save a few bucks or to get home early.

 

If you eliminated all the people in these 3 groups, carry off disembarkation would work as it is supposed to. However, they will not make any effort to control carry off disembarkation and it will never work as it is supposed to.

 

DON

[Fishkillbill]

We were in group 18. We sat in the Casino and watched the fiasco going on in the Rendezvous Lounge. The "walk off" gang looked like the "carry on" group now on airplanes. I also saw a number of people pulling the Disney World trick and demanding wheel chairs. This way they got in front of everyone, especially through Customs.

[A Sixth?]

....The Summit was repositioning from one US port (San Juan PR) to another (Bayonne NJ) so there was no customs and immigration of crew that day. ......Carlos

 

.....This way they got in front of everyone, especially through Customs.

 

 

Huh?

 

Were there customs agents or not slowing things down?

[Fish Lover]

You stated, almost as an after thought, that the ship docked an hour late. It stands to reason that this may back things up for everyone. People have fights, people meeting them, other plans etc. Your reasons are not any more important than anyone else's. I simply have no sympathy with folks trying to catch an early flight. You've known for a very long time how close you were cutting the time. If something goes slightly amiss you could miss your flight. This isn't Celebrity's fault. They make best efforts to be on time, but the unpredictable can intercede. It's really up to you to plan better if you don't want to risk being inconvenienced.

[Fish Lover]

I also saw a number of people pulling the Disney World trick and demanding wheel chairs. This way they got in front of everyone, especially through Customs.

 

This accusation is unfounded and disgraceful. Last year I could walk anywhere on the ship, because I was able to sit and take a brief rest multiple times/as needed. However, the walk onto the ship and off, plus waiting in line, was absolutely unmanageable. I had to use a wheelchair. You are making assumptions with zero evidence and it is disgraceful.

[ClaudiaB]

There are several problems with carry off disembarkation

 

1) there are many people who know that they are so important and their time is so valuable that they have to be off early

 

2) there are many people who think that they are mobile and who that they can hand carry off all their stuff when the aren't and can't

 

3) there are many people who are dumb enough to schedule and early flight to either save a few bucks or to get home early.

 

 

 

If you eliminated all the people in these 3 groups, carry off disembarkation would work as it is supposed to. However, they will not make any effort to control carry off disembarkation and it will never work as it is supposed to.

 

DON

That's a tad harsh. We almost always do self-disembarkation and we nearly always have a flight in the morning. We ARE able to carry our bags ourselves with zero help and we ARE able to do it efficiently and quickly. We DO want to "save a few bucks" on the airfare and time, as in most cases getting a later flight is hundreds more and many hours later. We are NOT dumb, we do NOT think we are self-important. When our cruise is over, my husband, who runs a company and needs to get back to work, benefits greatly by not wasting an entire day getting back. We couldn't cruise if he couldn't get back quickly and if he couldn't stay in touch via internet while gone.

What we do - every single time - is line up about 45 minutes to an hour ahead of time in the designated spot. We're nearly always in the first handful to get off the ship. Not because we're too important or too cheap to get a different flight. Because we want to, need to, and can. We get in no one's way, we don't block traffic or go against the rules. We just get ourselves out of the cabin and in line early, and we're off.

 

And yes, of course, we do have contingency plans in case customs slows things down and the ship is late letting people off and we could miss a flight. Hasn't happened yet.

[carlos_once_a_year]

Arzeena and A Sixth, yes we made our flight, but we shared our cab with a couple from Fort Lauderdale who seemed destined to miss theirs - I hope they made it.

 

Saab44, wise words - I wonder if Celebrity is reading?

 

Donald, count us in your Dumb category as we booked an early flight - I really thought 1215 PM was achievable, and it was.

 

Fishkillbill, you made me laugh - although it didn't seem funny at the time!

 

A Sixth, the Agents in the terminal were not the problem - very smooth once off the ship.

[dkjretired]

Another point is that self debarkation is just getting more popular even for those who are not in a rush. I'm an early riser and just prefer it.

[Straughn]

I am amused by the some of the people who use early disembarkation and complain about the number of others who are using it and therefore slowing them down. Why-because they are often the same people who want to know how early they can board on embarkation and complain when others (suites, Aqua, etc) board first. I chalk it up to Type A personalities who are only interested in themselves. Before I get attacked by those who say they have a valid reason, I realize that is very true and every person's situation is different. My question is, what would you do if there was no self disembarkation?

 

I watched the self disembarkation crowd on my recent Silhouette cruise. (We were not part of that group.) I saw the elderly trying to lug a large suitcase and a carry on down stairs. I saw families with small children. Those children could roll their suitcase, but manage it down stairs was a real challenge. There were many more folks using self disembarkation than the elevators could have accommodated, so they used the stairs. I think the cruise lines fail to make it VERY clear to passengers using that if using that service, they are on their own. Elevators will be limited and there is no help. If you need the elevator, you probably shouldn't be using self disembarkation. I heard one elderly lady ask her husband "aren't there porters to help us carry our suitcases."

 

I also think they need to limit the number of folks who can do self disembarkation. When you get to the point where 300-400 people are in line, that is too many. To use the earlier reference to Disney, when the fast passes are gone, well too bad.

[Nic6318]

Hi there

 

We are going to be on the Summit in 3weeks :D. We don't want to do self debarkation. We don't need to catch a flight. If we can avoid the crowds that would be great.

 

What I was wondering from those of you who were there. I realize you were delayed docking from the start. What time did you actually start debarkation? What time do you figure would the "self assist" crush have finished and the regular debarkation started? With so many people trying to get off first would the buffet areas have been a good place to wait patiently? My wife is in a wheelchair, so we have to use an elevator...any good strategies? This will be my first Celebrity cruise.

 

Oh yes, what is traffic like at that time going west on a Sunday morning.

 

Thanks for any insights

[Jade13]

I didn't think 12:15pm was considered early.

 

 

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[davidhurt]

Hi Carlos!

 

Here's some additional perspective from table 452. The number one interest of any cruise ship at disembarkation is to get everybody off as quickly as possible. Therefore, they will never tell anyone, "No, you can't get off the ship yet. Wait your turn." Therefore, no "express disembarkation" program will work perfectly. Glad you made your flight. We were able to catch an earlier train than what we had reserved, even without express disembarkation.

[davekathy]

...I wonder if Celebrity is reading?

 

Have you contacted Celebrity directly with your complaint? The Summit docked an hour later due to circumstances beyond Captain Kates control and you still were able to make your flight on time. :rolleyes:

Edited May 2, 2017 by davekathy

[carlos_once_a_year]

We have learned our lesson and will not participate in Express again, although we do prefer to keep and walk off with the small bags (carry-on size) we normally pack for cruises......Carlos

[carlos_once_a_year]

Davekathy, yes I have written an e-mail to Celebrity acknowledging that the 1-hour delay was unavoidable but asking if some procedures were missed that day to cause the situation with Express Disembarkation. If I get a reply, I will post it. I think the purpose of these Discussion Boards is to help others. If the contributions to this thread have helped someone in their cruise planning, then I think we should all be happy......Carlos

[awhcruiser]

Where is the like button?

There are several problems with carry off disembarkation

 

1) there are many people who know that they are so important and their time is so valuable that they have to be off early

 

2) there are many people who think that they are mobile and who that they can hand carry off all their stuff when the aren't and can't

 

3) there are many people who are dumb enough to schedule and early flight to either save a few bucks or to get home early.

 

If you eliminated all the people in these 3 groups, carry off disembarkation would work as it is supposed to. However, they will not make any effort to control carry off disembarkation and it will never work as it is supposed to.

 

DON

[Fishkillbill]

It was truly funny watching the people push their bags around in circles. It was like a merrygoround. All those people and those in groups 1 to 5, stumbled over each other. We were in group 18. It took up less than five minutes to walk from the casino to having our bags. The large holdup was with Customs. They didn't have nearly enough people.