NCL Joy: incompetent Portland disembarkation ruins excursion

[Snowrose]

I'll start by saying DH and I are Gold status and will be Platinum at the end of this cruise. We waited thru 3 covid cancellations to take this cruise.

 

I am American and DH is Canadian. In the 15 years we've been cruising with Norwegian we've never had an issue with any embarkations. DH would always get off with me and the the Americas because that was what we'd been told to do on our first cruise. We never had any issues.

 

Well, this time we are on a cruise involving both our nations. We had no issues with either excursions, or disembarkation/embarkation in Canadian ports. But today as we crossed into Portland, ME, USA, everything fell apart. US Immigration decided they wanted to see everyone face to face, even if you weren't getting off the ship. The ship sent out a paper showing disembarkation for those with excursions beginning at 12:30 - but US citizens were to go to Cagneys and non-US were to go to then port terminal (even if passengers weren't getting off the ship).

 

As I'm mobility challenged and our excursion was to meet at 1:15 at the theater on Deck 7 that was a big problem for us, so DH called 00 as offered on the letter to find out what would be the best option for us. The NCL person said that we should go to the terminal with the non-US and we could meet up with our tour there, as they would be meeting at the terminal before boarding our bus to Kennebunkport. There was only one problem, they started calling excursion passengers BY DECK and citizenship, but only 2 decks at a time. They started with Decks 5, 8, and 15. Then much later 9 and 14. Then they announced they would pause the US citizen disembarkation because it was getting overwhelmed. We waited past the 1:30 meeting time for our excursion, knowing the excursion would wait for us. At 1:45 they finally called the US-citizens for excursions for decks 11 and 12. Then they got back and said that non-US citizens shouldn't go to the gangway. At 2PM, they opened things up to all US-citizens wishing to go ashore. Still no call for non-US citizens from floors 11 and 12 with excursions! (Let me assure you we were listening to the announcements on the TV, so there was no way we missed the announcement.)

 

At that point DH called 00 again. He was told that ALL excursions had been called at the same time at the very beginning - which was totally untrue! They'd been calling excursions by floors and had made that point with each announcement. At that point we gave up following the announcements and went down to the gangway. We waited in line with the non-US citizens as more than half an hour slipped by.

 

At 3PM we finally stood in front of Immigration. He was shocked to see me in that line, being a US citizen. We told him how NCL had been calling excursions by long separated decks and so we were pretty sure we had missed our 1:30 excursion.

 

The CBP agent told us : "Next time you tell the ship that CBP says you need to be at the beginning of the non-citizen line."

 

Long story not at all short, our excursion was long gone thanks to the Joy releasing excursion passengers by decks instead of by excursion time. We talked to an excursion official at the terminal. Estzher said she would refund our excursion fees.

 

It better be in On Board Credit!

[ggTexasGal]

4 minutes ago, Snowrose said:

I'll start by saying DH and I are Gold status and will be Platinum at the end of this cruise. We waited thru 3 covid cancellations to take this cruise.

 

I am American and DH is Canadian. In the 15 years we've been cruising with Norwegian we've never had an issue with any embarkations. DH would always get off with me and the the Americas because that was what we'd been told to do on our first cruise. We never had any issues.

 

Well, this time we are on a cruise involving both our nations. We had no issues with either excursions, or disembarkation/embarkation in Canadian ports. But today as we crossed into Portland, ME, USA, everything fell apart. US Immigration decided they wanted to see everyone face to face, even if you weren't getting off the ship. The ship sent out a paper showing disembarkation for those with excursions beginning at 12:30 - but US citizens were to go to Cagneys and non-US were to go to then port terminal (even if passengers weren't getting off the ship).

 

As I'm mobility challenged and our excursion was to meet at 1:15 at the theater on Deck 7 that was a big problem for us, so DH called 00 as offered on the letter to find out what would be the best option for us. The NCL person said that we should go to the terminal with the non-US and we could meet up with our tour there, as they would be meeting at the terminal before boarding our bus to Kennebunkport. There was only one problem, they started calling excursion passengers BY DECK and citizenship, but only 2 decks at a time. They started with Decks 5, 8, and 15. Then much later 9 and 14. Then they announced they would pause the US citizen disembarkation because it was getting overwhelmed. We waited past the 1:30 meeting time for our excursion, knowing the excursion would wait for us. At 1:45 they finally called the US-citizens for excursions for decks 11 and 12. Then they got back and said that non-US citizens shouldn't go to the gangway. At 2PM, they opened things up to all US-citizens wishing to go ashore. Still no call for non-US citizens from floors 11 and 12 with excursions! (Let me assure you we were listening to the announcements on the TV, so there was no way we missed the announcement.)

 

At that point DH called 00 again. He was told that ALL excursions had been called at the same time at the very beginning - which was totally untrue! They'd been calling excursions by floors and had made that point with each announcement. At that point we gave up following the announcements and went down to the gangway. We waited in line with the non-US citizens as more than half an hour slipped by.

 

At 3PM we finally stood in front of Immigration. He was shocked to see me in that line, being a US citizen. We told him how NCL had been calling excursions by long separated decks and so we were pretty sure we had missed our 1:30 excursion.

 

The CBP agent told us : "Next time you tell the ship that CBP says you need to be at the beginning of the non-citizen line."

 

Long story not at all short, our excursion was long gone thanks to the Joy releasing excursion passengers by decks instead of by excursion time. We talked to an excursion official at the terminal. Estzher said she would refund our excursion fees.

 

It better be in On Board Credit!

It sounds like you had a dreadful experience.  Hopefully, you are fully refunded and I hope that all else goes well!

[Sailing12Away]

Walking off the ship without an excursion still took forever. The lines were long for both US (left side) as well as non US. We got off a little before 2pm only because we are in Haven. Never experienced something like this before.

[ggTexasGal]

Just now, Sailing12Away said:

Walking off the ship without an excursion still took forever. The lines were long for both US (left side) as well as non US. We got off a little before 2pm only because we are in Haven. Never experienced something like this before.

That is a terrible shame!  Hopefully, your day goes well!

[Snowrose]

2 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Walking off the ship without an excursion still took forever. The lines were long for both US (left side) as well as non US. We got off a little before 2pm only because we are in Haven. Never experienced something like this before.

 

When we got to the line (without our floor ever being called) there was no one on the US side and that side was being used for wheelchair access, for maybe 10 people in wheelchairs, over the time we were standing in line.

[ggTexasGal]

2 minutes ago, Snowrose said:

 

When we got to the line (without our floor ever being called) there was no one on the US side and that side was being used for wheelchair access, for maybe 10 people in wheelchairs, over the time we were standing in line.

Certainly seems like chaos... what a shame!

[PATRLR]

Just curious, is this the first NCL ship stopping in Portland this season?  

[shof515]

34 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

Just curious, is this the first NCL ship stopping in Portland this season?  

this is the first time the Joy is stopping at Portland and the Joy is entering the USA after visiting 4 Canada ports. Tomorrow the joy is scheduled to be in Boston then returning to New York on the 16

[1025cruise]

If this was the first US stop, then yes, a face to face is a requirement.

[kattybiz]

I'm also on this cruise, and I heard them call for all passengers with shore excursions, then for certain decks several times for both US and non-US citizens.  We're in the Haven and were done at 1pm.

[phillygwm]

4 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Just curious, is this the first NCL ship stopping in Portland this season?  

I've done two of these New England/Canada cruises, pre-pandemic, both on the Gem.  I also have one scheduled for next month on the Joy.  In the past, I don't recall there being an issue.  The US ports were first on my other two cruises, as I know they are for my next one. 

 

I never gave the order of itinerary any thought but I suppose clearing in NYC is a better option than Portland.  OTOH, disembarking in NYC should be smoother.

[Travelers56]

We will be on the Pearl next week from Quebec City,  and in the same boat (so to speak)....as our first US port is Portland.

Just being curious...... did anyone see if CBP had any Global Entry lanes for US Citizens?

I know-  I'm being terribly optimistic

[1025cruise]

In Bar Harbor where they come on the ship, it's just a walk pass them with your passport.

[Sailing12Away]

2 hours ago, Travelers56 said:

We will be on the Pearl next week from Quebec City,  and in the same boat (so to speak)....as our first US port is Portland.

Just being curious...... did anyone see if CBP had any Global Entry lanes for US Citizens?

I know-  I'm being terribly optimistic

Nope. Haven guests get to skip the line inside, but to go off the ship you have to get the blue sticker on your card. It's quick, they check your passport, say hi to you, and you're on your way.

 

After getting off the ship folks with the blue dot stay to the left to show their dot. Non US stay to the right and show documents in the terminal off the ship.

 

If you have a 1pm excursion though, common sense says to ignore the paper telling you to go at 2pm for immigration. 

[ZoeyRox]

It was definitely a confusing experience. The letter said all excursions go at the earliest time, but the cruise directors’ announcement made it seem like they were releasing the excursions by deck. We decided to ignore what she was saying and we’re able to bypass most of the nightmare. Also, the agent barely looked at our passports and seemed like they were just trying g to get through everyone. It didn’t seem very thorough. 
 

I really feel for the non-US citizens. Their process took forever and we still saw people waiting in line when we returned from exploring the area. The process wasted their day.
 

This is our first cruise so we didn’t know what to expect, but hope this is not the norm. 

[dandelpino]

22 hours ago, Snowrose said:

disembarkation for those with excursions beginning at 12:30 - [...] non-US were to go to then port terminal 

 

DH called 00 as offered on the letter to find out what would be the best option for us. The NCL person said that we should go to the terminal with the non-US and we could meet up with our tour there

 

There was only one problem, they started calling excursion passengers BY DECK and citizenship,

 

I don't mean to criticize since I can imagine it was a hectic day for everyone onboard. But I can't understand why you would choose to follow the general calls over the PA when you had already called guest services and requested a specific accommodation because the general instructions did not work for you. You asked for and received specific instructions from guest services that was applicable to your specific situation.

 

Why did you choose not to go to the terminal at 12:30 and then meet your excursion group at the terminal as instructed? Is it really fair to call the ship staff incompetent when you didn't follow the instructions given specifically to you for your unique situation?

Edited September 14, 2022 by dandelpino

[Snowrose]

16 hours ago, dandelpino said:

 

I don't mean to criticize since I can imagine it was a hectic day for everyone onboard. But I can't understand why you would choose to follow the general calls over the PA when you had already called guest services and requested a specific accommodation because the general instructions did not work for you. You asked for and received specific instructions from guest services that was applicable to your specific situation.

 

Why did you choose not to go to the terminal at 12:30 and then meet your excursion group at the terminal as instructed? Is it really fair to call the ship staff incompetent when you didn't follow the instructions given specifically to you for your unique situation?

 

They were calling those who were on excursions by deck number, no matter what your immigration status was. They had not called our deck yet and were constantly admonishing people not to go down before your deck was called.

 

The accomodation they gave us was for me to get off with the Canadians, but they still hadn't called our deck when we passed 2PM - even though the meeting time for the excursion was 1:30PM. Guess I wasn't clear on that.

 

We did end up getting off before we ever heard our deck called, but then we ended up in the Canadian line for another hour.

[Snowrose]

On 9/13/2022 at 6:20 PM, PATRLR said:

Just curious, is this the first NCL ship stopping in Portland this season?  

 

Yes, it was the first stopping at Portland.

[Snowrose]

On 9/13/2022 at 9:52 PM, kattybiz said:

I'm also on this cruise, and I heard them call for all passengers with shore excursions, then for certain decks several times for both US and non-US citizens.  We're in the Haven and were done at... 

 

Each call was for all passengers for shore excursions on deck numbers (whatever)... and then they would call the decks with shore excursions that were allowed to go ashore. 

 

That's what we heard.

[Snowrose]

20 hours ago, Travelers56 said:

We will be on the Pearl next week from Quebec City,  and in the same boat (so to speak)....as our first US port is Portland.

Just being curious...... did anyone see if CBP had any Global Entry lanes for US Citizens?

I know-  I'm being terribly optimistic

 

US citizens still had to leave according to deck - I think to ease congestion at the elevators. Except for Haven. Haven could get off when they wanted, I believe.

[Snowrose]

17 hours ago, ZoeyRox said:

It was definitely a confusing experience. The letter said all excursions go at the earliest time, but the cruise directors’ announcement made it seem like they were releasing the excursions by deck. We decided to ignore what she was saying and we’re able to bypass most of the nightmare. Also, the agent barely looked at our passports and seemed like they were just trying g to get through everyone. It didn’t seem very thorough. 
 

I really feel for the non-US citizens. Their process took forever and we still saw people waiting in line when we returned from exploring the area. The process wasted their day.
 

This is our first cruise so we didn’t know what to expect, but hope this is not the norm. 

 

Honestly, I count you as lucky. My experience with customs on either side of the border is you do exactly as you're told and always follow the rules. The CBP doesn't take kindly to people who don't follow rules, and when coming into the country even US citizens can be roughly treated if you don't follow the rules.

 

I don't want to be roughly treated and since I had been crossing the border often pre-covid, I didn't want to have any issues with them that would flag my passport to be looked at more closely every time I cross.

[Sailing12Away]

51 minutes ago, Snowrose said:

 

I don't want to be roughly treated and since I had been crossing the border often pre-covid, I didn't want to have any issues with them that would flag my passport to be looked at more closely every time I cross.

That's just silliness. As someone else said, the agents there were bored out of their minds and going through the motions because they had to. No one was going to flag your passport because you got on line outside of when your true deck number was called so you could catch an excursion.

[jsn55]

This must have been an extreme disappointment.  I am grateful to this thread so I'm mentally prepared for chaos when we hit the US after cruising from Quebec.  It just sounds like a huge kerfuffle caused by inexperienced crew, miscommunication and pax who haven't cruised in years because of the virus.  What a shame. 

[dandelpino]

18 hours ago, jsn55 said:

This must have been an extreme disappointment.  I am grateful to this thread so I'm mentally prepared for chaos when we hit the US after cruising from Quebec.  It just sounds like a huge kerfuffle caused by inexperienced crew, miscommunication and pax who haven't cruised in years because of the virus.  What a shame. 

 

And bad planning on NCL's part. Whoever decides the itinerary should know that trying to clear a 4,000 pax ship though immigration in a small port with limited facilities will be a nightmare and practically a wasted day for many who are just sitting around waiting their turn to go ashore. It's not like you can really start doing other activities when you could be called and have to go down to the gangway at any moment. 

[Sailing12Away]

13 minutes ago, dandelpino said:

 

And bad planning on NCL's part. Whoever decides the itinerary should know that trying to clear a 4,000 pax ship though immigration in a small port with limited facilities will be a nightmare and practically a wasted day for many who are just sitting around waiting their turn to go ashore. It's not like you can really start doing other activities when you could be called and have to go down to the gangway at any moment. 

We had 2900 on board, and most were cleared by 2pm with a 12pm arrival & 10pm departure.

 

For folks without an early excursion, there was no problem at all.