What to expect at Miami disembarkation

[Izzy'sMoms]

We will be disembarking at the Miami cruise port in February. Delta moved our 1PM flight to noon 😣 What is the average time for getting off the ship and then getting through customs? From what I have read on this board disembarking can be a very slow, unorganized mess. Does Customs allow Global Entry or use facial recognition technology?

[golfguyhhi]

Moms,

 

We've disembarked O cruises in Miami a dozen times.  We only fly Delta and have easily made our 10:15 AM flight every time.  Delta has curbside check in -- use it (and don't forget to tip).  Delta only has a few flights a day and terminal H is small -- means short lines at TSA pre-check.  You will have no problem making your noon flight.  Even if there is a delay getting off the ship.

Here's an additional tip: when you step off the ship's gangway (presuming you are at Terminal J) turn right and go down the steps to the luggage claim area.  Passport control is fast and the line for cabs is always short with empties rolling in as fast as the full ones roll out.  The big delay complaints recently have to do with the number of people using the elevator.  The airport is a quick 15-20 minutes away.  We've never gotten to the airport after 9 AM - always before.

[Izzy'sMoms]

Thank you golf guy. I really appreciate the helpful tips & info!

 

[mauibabes]

I do not know if you are able but you can really improve your hasty exit by rolling your own bags off the ship, then you are not waiting for the color coded guest release process. As was said, it can be quick or a disaster if the ship does not get cleared quickly by Miami Security. If you are “schlepping” you are allowed to immediately exit ahead of the others whose bags are in the holding area and then it is straight to Customs and the Cab Stand and Miami Airport. We have experienced both 🤪🤬

Mauibabes 

[ToxM]

Our disembarkation from O last week was terrible. This was down to passenger selfishness and O ineptitude. We always ask for the latest possible disembarkation time as we are generally off to a hotel rather than the airport and thus take our time to get off the ship. 

 

The CD called all the colours and numbers in quick succession and after waiting a bit as our colour and number had been called we thought it a good idea to make our way to the disembarkation deck. Lines from both sets of lifts circled around the deck, through Martinis and moved really slowly, ,merging in several areas. 

 

O should have halted calling numbers to allow the queues to go down, we weaved past the GM’s office and she was hiding in there, and we later heard she had evacuated the area due to unhappy passengers. 

 

I’ve never had such a terrible disembarkation from an O ship, and it was sad because if that’s my last memory from a great trip it’s not good. 

 

The port itself only had one lift working (it’s a large lift) and they weren’t allowing people to use the stairs or escalators, but this didn’t really hold up as much as the line to get off the actual ship. 

 

Luggage pickup and taxi line were very efficient. 

 

The fault in the terrible disembarkation lies squarely at a very poorly thought out disembarkation by O. Maybe this is the first or one of the first times the ship has been full and they weren’t paying attention and just working to rote as they sometimes default to. 

[LHT28]

We have had the same issues  for a few years 

everyone wants off  at the same time

The luggage is offload by the tag colour  also  so you are not getting out of the terminal until your bags are off loaded

 

they should let the line form down the grand hallway  & not come from all directions

Pax do not follow instructions either

they stand blocking the line with their bags 

go sit someplace & wait for your tag to be called

YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL

 

we usually try for the  9 am time slot  but with pax still lined up we now ask for 8:30  then we may be off by 9 or 9:15

 

[schmerl]

WOW! This doesn't sound good. 

This is one of the reasons we are spending two days in Florida after our cruise. No need to rush off to the airport and worry about time schedules. 

We will choose the latest disembarkation time available. 

[marieps]

We are driving and in no rush.  Sounds as though disembarking Riviera next month we will take our time and let the que wane.  Thanks for the advice. 

[Hanoverian]

Disembarkation seems to be the Achilles' heel of all cruise lines.  Last fall, we disembarked Sirena in Lisbon, spent five days in Cascais, and then took the Silversea "Silver Moon" on a TA to Bridgetown.  I do not remember any particular problems disembarking Sirena.  However, despite a marvelous time on the Silver Moon TA, disembarkation in Bridgetown was a nightmare.  All for the usual reasons that have been cited: no one from the cruise line in charge; no signage; very few line employees in the terminal; and luggage misplaced by the port handlers.  In addition, we were on a ship's excursion for those with flights later in the day but we could not find two of our bags in the terminal which the Luggage Forward guy was waiting for outside.  A Silversea employee with a clipboard was screaming that we were holding up the excursion, did we want to cancel our reservation, but offering zero help to find the missing bags.  Finally, the terminal porter saw them all by themselves for some unknown reason, leaning up against a wall thirty feet away from all the other bags.  We quickly sorted it all out and got on the excursion bus after a twenty minute delay.  Why cruise lines refuse to do anything to bring some order and discipline to disembarkation is a mystery to us and something that we have encountered about 50% of the time since our first cruise in 2006.  It is a terrible and unnecessarily frustrating way to end a good cruise.  I would say that it is best to assume that it is an industry norm and a problem that one should always be prepared for, not just on Oceania.   

Edited January 11, 2023 by Hanoverian

[LHT28]

just an observation from past  disembarkations

 Have rarely seen ship's crew in the port areas   it is usually the port employees  perhaps  a union rule that only port baggage handlers  etc  allowed

The crew from the ships  & not just Oceania  usually are doing  clean up  & once the bins of luggage leave the ship it is not up to them  anymore

JMO

 

[pinotlover]

Elevators go up and down. Elevators carry passengers up, they carry them down. How much cognitive ability is required to grasp that? Is it beyond some’s cognitive grasp?

 

Oceania is the only cruise line I’ve sailed in the past decade where the above is an issue. The elevator will ding and certain , often geriatric, passengers will stand right in front of elevator door blocking those within from exiting. Additionally, they’ll try pushing their way in while others are trying to exit. How stupid is that?

 

Attend a Captain’s Reception or Repeater Party, on a R ship, and instead of getting in line going down the hallway, people will block the forward elevator and stairwell and just stand there. Bizarre!

 

So here comes Disembarkation Day, and people expect the same exact people with identifiable low cognitive abilities to not block the elevators and stairwell? Really?

 

What should happen is that Oceania, IF they cared about an organized disembarkation, would station people at those points and force the flow out and around into organized lines to facilitate the disembarkation process. The above “ IF” is obviously not on Oceania’s radar and has never been so.

 

Does anyone else realize how Stupid allowing some to block elevators and stairwells is?

[ORV]

You would think after doing this for the last 20 years they would figure out a system that works. 

 

Reminds me of an AI we went to in Jamaica that had a catamaran cruise 2 or 3 days a week. The operators have been doing this for years, yet when they sail the boat in the cove and are parking and anchoring it you would think it was the first time they'd been there. But those folks there have an excuse, I think they wake up every day with a joint in their mouth and just go from there. Ya' Mon, no problem. 

[vaitape]

Never understood those who stand right in front of elevator doors and barge in before those who are IN the elevator have a chance to exit.

These are the same people who treat the buffet area in Terrace like it is a battlefield offering the last bite of food they will ever have.

 

[Charleyben]

On the flip side.  How long will they allow you to stay on board if you have a later flight?

[ToxM]

14 minutes ago, Charleyben said:

On the flip side.  How long will they allow you to stay on board if you have a later flight?

Disembarkation information indicated that US Customs required that the ship to have  everyone off by 9am. 

[schmerl]

They just changed the disembarkation time for our March 2 cruise from 7 AM to 6 AM. Maybe to leave enough time for a more orderly disembarkation??

[PhD-iva]

4 hours ago, schmerl said:

They just changed the disembarkation time for our March 2 cruise from 7 AM to 6 AM. Maybe to leave enough time for a more orderly disembarkation??

Do you mean disembarkation time time or port arrival time?

[schmerl]

Just now, PhD-iva said:

Do you mean disembarkation time time or port arrival time?

 

Arrival time, but may have been changed to allow more time for disembarkation?

 

Several arrival and departure times have been changed in the ports for our cruise. 

[PaulMCO]

There is never a guarantee of when you will start disembarkation.  Bags have to be off loaded, CBP persons in place and ship being cleared.  Normal time is 8AM.  Last Riviera trip (pre COVID) was delayed until 0845.  So you should plan this way. 

 

Now if you have a pre stop in San Juan as some O cruises are doing, you will clear CBP in San Juan which will be a zoo, and Miami should be easy.  Customs does only a spot check on luggage with no formal line.  Did this on Regent at Terminal J last month.

Edited January 14, 2023 by PaulMCO

[GregoryPaul]

42 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

There is never a guarantee of when you will start disembarkation.  Bags have to be off loaded, CBP persons in place and ship being cleared.  Normal time is 8AM.  Last Riviera trip (pre COVID) was delayed until 0845.  So you should plan this way. 

 

Now if you have a pre stop in San Juan as some O cruises are doing, you will clear CBP in San Juan which will be a zoo, and Miami should be easy.  Customs does only a spot check on luggage with no formal line.  Did this on Regent at Terminal J last month.

The March 2nd cruise on Riviera does stop in San Juan, however that is on the way out and she stops in 5 or 6 more countries on the way back. So it looks like CBP in Miami.

[ToxM]

CBP on our disembarkation consisted of an officer asking if w had an ESTA after glancing at our US passports, was a very casual affair. 

[amusea]

I agree about Port of Miami.  We disembarked Seabourn Sojourn from Terminal D on January 6th and the passport control was very rapid and casual.  The passport official just glanced at the passport but Miami does not yet have facial recognition (however for our November Celebrity disembarkation at Los Angeles San Pedro the facial recognition was operational).  Our small ship had only 400 passengers and Seabourn didn't even announce numbers or colors.  It was all on the honor system and you just disembarked on or about the pre-determined time. There was no line so it was a breeze.

[jonthomas]

very easy and fast in Miami on Jan 14....

 

not so when we had to do it in San Juan in November....no one could get back on ship until all were cleared...took hours....

[Jim and Monika]

We just got off Riviera on Saturday in Miami and our flight was at 10:15 am. We had early luggage tags delivered for a 7:30 am time slot which was the same as if we carried off our own luggage. We chose to carry off our own and avoided having to find our luggage. We arrived at the airport before 8:30 am.

 

When we sailed last year, our Uber driver to the port was unaware of the location of Terminal J, and drove around the circle. When we got off the ship last year, we were instructed to cross the street for ride share.

 

This year the ride share is on the same side as the Taxi line. We tried to get an Uber and it seemed they were always 5 minutes out, and we believe they couldn't get to Terminal J. We ended up taking a Taxi after waiting about 10 minutes and still had plenty of time to spare.

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, Jim and Monika said:

We just got off Riviera on Saturday in Miami and our flight was at 10:15 am. We had early luggage tags delivered for a 7:30 am time slot which was the same as if we carried off our own luggage. We chose to carry off our own and avoided having to find our luggage. We arrived at the airport before 8:30 am.

 

 

YIKES   you got lucky

one year  we did not even get off the ship until 10 am  due to immigration  people

good thing the airport  is close by  we made the chink in  at MIA just in time for 12: 15 flight