SMS International Shore Operations at San Pedro

[BoughtMyPoints]

Size12Stilettos wrote previously of their December 2019 embarkation at San Pedro on the Joy:

"SMS International Shore Operations was the company facilitating the embarkation process at the dock. They are the most unprofessional group of people I have ever witnessed. It took 3 hours to get onboard and for some 5-6 hours - the longest of the dozen or so cruises I’ve taken over the years. SMS employees were guarding the door like we were refugees trying to invade their border. There were handicap people waiting for wheelchairs for hours showing visible signs of pain. One woman with no teeth was yelling at people when they asked simple questions. Another with a lazy eye kept asking for management to come out and get order and provide information. That never happened. They even had ship representatives coming outside in full uniform not saying a word. I had to learn from scuttlebutt talk in line that the delay was likely the result of the Norovirus outbreak over the past 2 weeks which was reported by the local news. They were likely running late because they were sanitizing the ship. The only problem with this? Why wasn’t this communicated to us in advance to help manage our expectations? Why have us arrive at 1 PM to wait 2-3 hours? Why couldn’t we wait inside the terminal where there were hundreds of empty seats available? Want to know how bad it was? They had people fully checked in that morning around 11 AM, then they fooled them by telling them to go outside to get fresh air, they then locked them out and made them wait in line all over again. We’re talking about people who had turned in their health form and gotten their room key card. CRAZINESS!"
 

On January 17, 2020 it got even worse.  My experience :
 

The January 17 boarding for the Joy was at best, chaotic.  Thanks go to the disembarking passengers who posted they were late getting clearance.

 

I arrived at 11.30, a line in the sun that was not moving.  I and my 20 year old son moved further away from the entrance and found a shaded bench.  We had drinks, WiFi and were quite prepared to sit out the next 2 hours, as the line got longer and then much longer.

 

I saw a lady with a Haven paddleboard and she said strictly Haven only.  Fair enough.   My son went to the nearby food truck for snacks as we settled in.

 

Then after circa. 1 hour,  an older gentleman came by with a Concierge Class paddleboard, working for security sub contractors, SMS International Shore Operations.
Well, that's us!  We are in a Concierge cabin.
 

3 times, he shined me and my son on, after we identified ourselves as "Concierge Class". Each time, moving away from us down the line towards the food truck.  After refusing to accept our printed boarding passes,   I started telling him off, he pushed me forcefully down into a flowerbed. After slowly getting up, he pushed me again. Bleeding profusely, police were called, besides paramedics.
 

No handcuffs for "Bob".  No offer of assistance or apologies at any point.   Cruise line is in SOP CYA mode.
 

He did me a favor. I am no longer fighting off the gang of 4 robbers from last October's robbery in a Paris hotel in my idle thoughts at night. My fighting days are well and truly over.  But I don't go cruising to get into fights.
 

Eventually we were escorted by a supervisor, given the "Haven" treatment. I like it.

Absolutely no explanation from anyone as to why this SOB would not do his simple job of escorting Concierge Class passengers.  In an attempt by my son and 2 by me, we acted normally, actually chilled.   He demanded boarding passes then would not accept them, just staring at them.
  
Look, I have been subject to a 12 hour delayed boarding in New York.    I am quite sanguine about these things, so long as the ship is not steaming away without me.   And to be clear,  I never touched the perp.  Not a finger.  And I never saw him escort anyone.   What was he doing there?

In other news,  Concierge Class, unique to the Joy, is brilliant.  I hope to stay on for the next 12 day cruise.
 
 

Edited January 20, 2020 by BoughtMyPoints

[2+2]

Although I am a little confused by how your bad experience all went down.  I  do sympathize with you.   I  had experienced an out of control employee than was overreacting to passengers. I  could tell he had the potential to  flip out, so I  did my best to ignore him. 

    What trigger him to physically harm you.  

[BoughtMyPoints]

1 hour ago, 2+2 said:

Although I am a little confused by how your bad experience all went down.  I  do sympathize with you.   I  had experienced an out of control employee than was overreacting to passengers. I  could tell he had the potential to  flip out, so I  did my best to ignore him. 

    What trigger him to physically harm you.  

After 3 attempts to enlist his assistance and his ignoring me, I got in his face.  Rather than take a step backward or request me to do the same, he took matters into his own hands.

I don't think he lost his temper.  This was his SOP.