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Great Idea for HAL


cruisen cracker
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Thanks everyone for the information. 

We are staying at a beach hotel the night before and I believe it is only 15 mins to the port that morning. It will be nice to relax getting ready but still be able to go when we are, instead of waiting until 1pm.

I’m so excited now I don’t even want to imagine if I was waiting practically where I could see the ship! 
Sorry to the original poster, I didn’t mean to hijack your thread when I agreed with you about dragging carry on luggage.

Now we both know that will not be an issue with HAL

Yay!

 

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Receiving your checked bags in 1 hour is a rare instance.....so is winning the MegaMillions.....but it can happen, too.

 

In most cases 2,000-4000 pieces of luggage need to be properly transferred, screened, onloaded, sorted, and delivered.

 

A reasonable expectation would be 3 hours or less.

 

David

 

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8 hours ago, TheJurea said:

Thanks everyone for the information. 

We are staying at a beach hotel the night before and I believe it is only 15 mins to the port that morning. It will be nice to relax getting ready but still be able to go when we are, instead of waiting until 1pm.

I’m so excited now I don’t even want to imagine if I was waiting practically where I could see the ship! 
Sorry to the original poster, I didn’t mean to hijack your thread when I agreed with you about dragging carry on luggage.

Now we both know that will not be an issue with HAL

Yay!

 

 

In Feb/19, we stayed at a beach hotel in FLL, it should have been about ten/fifteen minutes from the port.  It took over an hour due to traffic congestion!  No word of exaggeration there, either. It was later than I would normally leave (we were on a HAL transfer) but traffic was so bad crossing the bridge and entering the port, many were later than normal.  The traffic turning right into the port had an easier  time of it than those of us turning left.  Part of the delay was due to vehicle inspections by the port authorities. Of course, the number of ships in port had an impact.

 

Check in wasn't too bad because we're four star so got to skip at least one lineup.  I think we were onboard at 2 pm after leaving the beach hotel at noon or 12:15.  We missed lunch in the MDR and the Mariner reception (because we needed lunch more than a glass of wine).

 

For our next cruise, I purposely booked our usual, non beach, hotel from which we can turn right into the port.  That and an early departure will hopefully avoid any chaos like last year.  

 

 

Edited by Alberta Quilter
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50 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Part of the delay was due to vehicle inspections by the port authorities.

 

I had always used taxis or Uber so was stuck in those long slow lanes every time.  Last cruise I took the hotel shuttle and we zipped right through a dedicated lane!  Didn’t need to show the gate officer boarding passes, passports, or anything.  I asked the driver why and he said it’s because he is the one responsible for checking the docs.  Fastest entry into PE ever!

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3 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

 

In Feb/19, we stayed at a beach hotel in FLL, it should have been about ten/fifteen minutes from the port.  It took over an hour due to traffic congestion!  No word of exaggeration there, either. It was later than I would normally leave (we were on a HAL transfer) but traffic was so bad crossing the bridge and entering the port, many were later than normal.  The traffic turning right into the port had an easier  time of it than those of us turning left.  Part of the delay was due to vehicle inspections by the port authorities. Of course, the number of ships in port had an impact.

 

Check in wasn't too bad because we're four star so got to skip at least one lineup.  I think we were onboard at 2 pm after leaving the beach hotel at noon or 12:15.  We missed lunch in the MDR and the Mariner reception (because we needed lunch more than a glass of wine).

 

For our next cruise, I purposely booked our usual, non beach, hotel from which we can turn right into the port.  That and an early departure will hopefully avoid any chaos like last year.  

 

 

 

After that kind of traffic, I would need the wine more than the lunch! 

 

I remember the days of dragging around the carry-ons until rooms were ready. It's so much better when you can drop things off right away.

 

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10 hours ago, DAllenTCY said:

Receiving your checked bags in 1 hour is a rare instance.....so is winning the MegaMillions.....but it can happen, too.

 

In most cases 2,000-4000 pieces of luggage need to be properly transferred, screened, onloaded, sorted, and delivered.

 

A reasonable expectation would be 3 hours or less.

 

David

 

Most ports are much more effective than San Diego in this regard.  😏 Fort Lauderdale  consistently does it with 6 or 7 ships in port. So do a lot of ports in Europe.  

Edited by taxmantoo
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9 minutes ago, cruisen cracker said:

Not hiding, just taking it all in.  Our last HAL cruise was a 2019 TA and the cabins were not ready.  Have a spring TA scheduled and hope there won't be any delay.  If so my suggestion will be mute.  If not, a inexpensive cure.

 

 

Wow, that is really unusual.  What ship were you on?

 

Wondering if it was returning from a time away from the U.S. and had to have inspections?  

 

Inspections and deep cleaning (for Noro) are the only times I’m aware when the cabins were not ready.  Otherwise, they are.

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I've sailed multiple times from Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Long Beach, San Pedro, Galveston, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, New York as well as San Diego.


I have never had my checked luggage delivered in an hour....nor would I expect it.

 

 

David

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1 hour ago, DAllenTCY said:

I've sailed multiple times from Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Long Beach, San Pedro, Galveston, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, New York as well as San Diego.


I have never had my checked luggage delivered in an hour....nor would I expect it.

 

 

David

 

Sorry David, 

 

but it has not been unusual at all for us to have our luggage delivered faster than an hour.

We don’t expect it nor require it but it is often there quickly.  And I do mean fast!  15 minutes for a piece, and the others ready.  One time we weren’t on board yet and they were all there.

 

Are your experiences on HAL ?

 

I’m not sure how checked luggage migrated to this thread when the OP was talking about carry on but it is what it is.

 

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1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

Sorry David, 

 

but it has not been unusual at all for us to have our luggage delivered faster than an hour.

We don’t expect it nor require it but it is often there quickly.  And I do mean fast!  15 minutes for a piece, and the others ready.  One time we weren’t on board yet and they were all there.

 

Are your experiences on HAL ?

 

I’m not sure how checked luggage migrated to this thread when the OP was talking about carry on but it is what it is.

 

 

I agree, we have sometimes had our luggage - or at least most of it - within an hour too.  Much depends on what time you board, but often we are on the ship around 11:30 am.    We have also sailed from multiple ports, on HAL.  Only once has our cabin not been ready but we simply went for lunch in the MDR and it was all done when we had finished there.  I think it was due to a deep cleaning.

Edited by T8NCruise
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19 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Correct as usual S7S! 

 

Oh dear, I hate to argue this one with you Copper 10-8, as you are a fund of information, but last year on the Zaandam we went to the Pinnacle Grill immediately after lunch in the MDR on embarkation day, to 1) check a reservation time, and 2) made an additional reservation. 

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4 minutes ago, T8NCruise said:

 

I agree, we have sometimes had our luggage - or at least most of it - within an hour too.  Much depends on what you board, but often we are on the ship around 11:30 am.    We have also sailed from multiple ports, on HAL.  Only once has our cabin not been ready but we simply went for lunch in the MDR and it was all done when we had finished there.  I think it was due to a deep cleaning.

 

Thinking back, the ONLY place we had slow delivery was San Diego.  But that whole embarkation was a disaster.

 

We’ve embarked out of FLL, Civi, Lisbon, Sydney, BCN to name a few.  The only time we had an issue was San Diego.

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3 minutes ago, T8NCruise said:

 

Oh dear, I hate to argue this one with you Copper 10-8, as you are a fund of information, but last year on the Zaandam we went to the Pinnacle Grill immediately after lunch in the MDR on embarkation day, to 1) check a reservation time, and 2) made an additional reservation. 

 

You can go there after to make reservations/check but they are not open for embarkation day for lunch which I think was the jist of the post. (And the same I made earlier).

 

The PG staff often help the mobility challenged with boarding.

 

I have never seen them open for Lunch.  Open after once embarkation is done to book, sure. 😉 JME thought 

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2 hours ago, T8NCruise said:

 

Oh dear, I hate to argue this one with you Copper 10-8, as you are a fund of information, but last year on the Zaandam we went to the Pinnacle Grill immediately after lunch in the MDR on embarkation day, to 1) check a reservation time, and 2) made an additional reservation. 

 

Copy that and I do know someone is usually manning the podium at the PG's entrance for reservations and stuff like that, but did you have lunch in the PG on embarkation day? 😉 

 

The main reason they are not open for lunch is because, several years ago, someone behind a desk had a brilliant light bulb come on and, as a result, a decision was made to have the PG staff, the same individuals who bring a petite filet mignon to your table, recruited as wheelchair pushers for both disembarking as well as embarking guests on the always busy turnaround day. 

Edited by Copper10-8
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3 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Copy that and I do know someone is usually manning the podium at the PG's entrance for reservations and stuff like that, but did you have lunch in the PG on embarkation day? 😉 

 

The main reason they are not open for lunch is because, several years ago, someone behind a desk had a brilliant light bulb come on and, as a result, a decision was made to have the PG staff, the same individuals who bring a petite filet mignon to your table, recruited as wheelchair pushers for both disembarking as well as embarking guests on the always busy turnaround day. 

 

Oh sorry, I misunderstood you.  I thought you meant they were not open for booking reservations on the first day.
 

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13 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

The main reason they are not open for lunch is because, several years ago, someone behind a desk had a brilliant light bulb come on and, as a result, a decision was made to have the PG staff, the same individuals who bring a petite filet mignon to your table, recruited as wheelchair pushers for both disembarking as well as embarking guests on the always busy turnaround day. 

Copper, is that when they also decided to have the Security staff help the room stewards on turn-around days 😉

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6 minutes ago, retafcruiser said:

Copper, is that when they also decided to have the Security staff help the room stewards on turn-around days 😉

 

 

Close! 😉 The Seattle manager in charge of Beverage made a site visit and came up with the brilliant decision to have the security team, on their busiest day of a cruise (turnaround day) and usually up since 0500, "man" the ship's "naughty rooms" for confiscated liquor purposes  

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2 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Close! 😉 The Seattle manager in charge of Beverage made a site visit and came up with the brilliant decision to have the security team, on their busiest day of a cruise (turnaround day) and usually up since 0500, "man" the ship's "naughty rooms" for confiscated liquor purposes  

 

That should be a beverage staff job. It makes sense to have someone from security there to look serious and discourage passengers from whining or arguing. But the rest of the tasks (which I guess means mainly bookkeeping and giving receipts) don't need to be done by security.

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My response was to a reply on this thread.

 

Unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment.

 

 

As 5 Stars you have benefits that the rest of us do not get.

 

Priority delivery is just one of them.

 

 

I'm here to advise that the remaining 90% should not expect luggage delivery in less than 1 hour....regardless of the port....or how many ships are there.

 

 

David

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 hours ago, DAllenTCY said:

My response was to a reply on this thread.

 

Unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment.

 

 

As 5 Stars you have benefits that the rest of us do not get.

 

Priority delivery is just one of them.

 

 

I'm here to advise that the remaining 90% should not expect luggage delivery in less than 1 hour....regardless of the port....or how many ships are there.

 

 

David

 

 

 

Is priority luggage delivery a 5* perk? Baggage tags for my upcoming cruise in a NS are marked "priority." I think it's because of the suite, because I'm not 5*.

 

I care about priority boarding, but I don't care about priority luggage delivery. I don't know how quickly my luggage is usually delivered. I board, drop the carry-ons and go to the MDR for a leisurely lunch. Then buy the spa pass, maybe get my bearings on the ship by strolling around. After all of that my bags are waiting for me. I've always had my bags before muster drill and I unpack very quickly, so that's good enough for me. 

 

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