It got ugly in San Diego at 3:30pm today

[ekerr19]

I think everyone needs to get to the pier early.

 

Even when you fill out the online form there is no guarantee it is going to show up in HAL's computers as correct.

 

Having that extra time will help ensure that any errors or ommissions can be rectified in a timely manner.

[DizzyDallasDi]

One thing did strike me as humorous in the post.Who stops for a bite to eat just before boarding a cruise ship that is stocked for 24/7 eating for a week?

 

Charlie

 

I was wondering the same thing!

 

Diane

[98Charlie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 98Charlie

One thing did strike me as humorous in the post.Who stops for a bite to eat just before boarding a cruise ship that is stocked for 24/7 eating for a week?

 

Charlie

 

I was wondering the same thing!

 

Diane

That was one expensive club sandwich:eek:

[crzfrnds]

I'm cruising and will be sure to double and triple check. I haven't cruized HAL but Carnival is there sister line and I don't believe that with their website this would have been able to happen because you have to check off your citizenship in order to process your fun pass COMPLETED. I would be in tears if this happened to me and the next day I'd probably be filing for divorce.

[crzfrnds]

Pardon my type-o's that's what happens when you type at after 2 in the morning....

[Taxguy7]

I don't feel fully relaxed :( until I'm onboard and see our luggage in the room.:) After a couple of beers, unpacked, watching the dock move slowly away from the ship, that's the time!:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Although it was another beautiful day here, mild temperatures and sunny skiies, the few who arrived "late" for today's Oosterdam sailing were in for a BIG surprise.

About a dozen guests, some children, were denied boarding due to the "90 minute" rule.....EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD COMPLETED THEIR DOCUMENTS ONLINE, because apparently some did not put any reply in the "Nationality" space.

This showed up on the ship's report to be submitted to CBP that their nationality is "unknown".

Whether it be a typo in entering you passport number, birthdate, etc. you can only protect yourself by having checked in at the pier at least 90 minutes before sailing. Have your room key in you hand at least one and a half hours before sailing!

I heard that one family today arrived in two cars, some in time to get their missing information into the computer at the check in station and the others not so lucky. The result was a heartbreaking experience for the HAL staff and the affected guests. You guessed it....one child and the father denied boarding, and the mother and other kids onboard. Not good.

Two other guests now have opted to pay to fly to Cabo San Lucas and pay the $400 per person fine, in order to meet relatives onboard for a reunion or birthday or whatever (I forget).

Another passenger dropped off his cabinmate and then went himself to park the car. Guess what....he'll be alone tonight and so will she.

Two other people were having a bite to eat at Anthony's at 3:45pm just 100 yards from the ship, (as I saw the Oosterdam luggage tags on their bags). I was hoping that they had already checked, but just a few minutes late they entered the terminal only to find out that they, too, had not completed one critical portion of their pre-registration. They joined the others....in frustration, and misplaced anger aimed at the HAL check in staff.

At this point, it was apparent to me that I need to reiterrate on this board....the minute that I get home....of the necessity to get to the pier on time. If you haven't allowed enough time to park the car, grab a bite to eat or whatever....you may have serious consequences awaiting you.

No one affected will get a refund, and those returning home be the airlines will be charged a rebooking fee plus whatever the current rate is for a new booking.

It was very, very sad, and the worst part is that it was completely avoidable.

The silly thing was that it was said that it was "HAL's fault for not notifying" these guests of the consequences of a minor typographical input error or omission.

It really doesn't matter who's to blame....it's an unpleasant ending to an otherwise nearly perfect day.....and as I said....completely avoidable.

David

 

Guess some people just think they can do whatever they want to, whenever they want to.

Sad for all involved.

[Jade13]

Which cruise is this, 7 nights, etc., and I would like the follow-up on how many of the passengers flew to the next port to catch up, including the family that was separated?

[cusyl]

How very sad....seems they all learned an expensive lesson here. This should also be a reminder to those who plan to arrive by air the day of the cruise to get the earliest flight possible.

We always arrive at the pier no later than 11:30 for a cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Which cruise is this, 7 nights, etc., and I would like the follow-up on how many of the passengers flew to the next port to catch up, including the family that was separated?

 

Oosterdam -- 7 day Mexican Riviera.

[Travalerie]

This is probably a futile point on this thread, but I will make it anyway....

People who are in the position of being informed, organized, privelaged seem to show a lack of compassion for those who are not. Believe me, I understand personal responsibility, but these arguments have a tinge of pride and arrogance IMO. Ultimately it is the fault of the passengers who missed the cutoff. But not everyone obsesses over things like most of us on this message board. My husband would never read the details of the cruise contract. Good thing, I am the opposite! As others have mentioned, the system should not let you continue or print docs unless they are complete/all necessary sections are filled out. For some of these folks, there was nothing that could have prevented this.

[98Charlie]

This is probably a futile point on this thread, but I will make it anyway....

People who are in the position of being informed, organized, privelaged seem to show a lack of compassion for those who are not. Believe me, I understand personal responsibility, but these arguments have a tinge of pride and arrogance IMO. Ultimately it is the fault of the passengers who missed the cutoff. But not everyone obsesses over things like most of us on this message board. My husband would never read the details of the cruise contract. Good thing, I am the opposite! As others have mentioned, the system should not let you continue or print docs unless they are complete/all necessary sections are filled out. For some of these folks, there was nothing that could have prevented this.

I agree that the registration system seems to have a problem. Other lines just won't let you finish until all of the required information is filled in. Hopefully, HAL will fix the situation.

 

OTOH there is no substitute for personal responsibity.

 

JMHO,

 

Charlie

[Big Al B.]

On our Eurodam TA this August, the boarding form was only one-page long.

 

Perhaps the fine mentioned might be one that has to do with the law concerning cruising from US-US port.

[world~citizen]

GarySuzy, you squarely hit the nail on the head. So many look for others to blame for their own failings. And then they want someone else to make it right. :rolleyes: I am sorry they missed sailing, and I know it was heartbreaking for all involved. But if they had paid attention it could have been avoided.

 

Yes. life has got much harder, hasn't it?

[RedmondCruiser]

If you arrive on time and fill out your immigration questionaire on line you will not have problems. The 90 minute rule is there for everyone to see and the on line check in will not let you go to the next page unless your information is complete.

[~Jo~]

Wow, I don't think this could EVER happen to us and I'll tell you why. My husband ALWAYS makes sure that we are the FIRST ones in line to board the ship. It is so embarrassing. We lived close to NYC. For a 4 or 5pm departure, we have to get up at the crack of dawn. My daughters and I get so exasperated with him, he is like a little kid on Christmas morning. But godforbid, if something went wrong with the paperwork...he would immediatly blame me, he would never think to blame the cruise line system. It hasn't happened yet. On our next cruise with Hal, we are flying out one day ahead, DH would have liked to go 2 days ahead JUST TO BE SURE!

~Jo~

[98Charlie]

If you arrive on time and fill out your immigration questionaire on line you will not have problems. The 90 minute rule is there for everyone to see and the on line check in will not let you go to the next page unless your information is complete.

So, how did these passengers get "Unknown" as their Nationality?

 

Charlie

[Snorkel2Much]

So, how did these passengers get "Unknown" as their Nationality?

 

Charlie

I just did a test drive of this function on our booking. "Unknown" is the default answer for nationality. If you neglect to answer this question, you get a warning message but it allows you to continue.

"Please note: You have not yet completed this form, some data is still missing. Please scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Proceed". You may come back at a later time to complete this questionnaire and qualify for an Signature Preferred Boarding Pass."

 

When you look at the status of your check-in it shows as "saved only / edit", while a properly completed entry would show "complete / edit".

 

I suggest that a better word choice by HAL would be "incomplete / edit", but I'm not trying to excuse the folks who failed to show on time.

[RedmondCruiser]

So, how did these passengers get "Unknown" as their Nationality?

 

Charlie

 

Well if you look at HAL's web site for "On Line Check In" there are hundreds of countries listed but no country called "Unknown". The program will not let you past until you fill in the blank. ---- You can leave it blank on the manual immigration form but not the on line form.

[FoxyTerrier]

Although it was another beautiful day here, mild temperatures and sunny skiies, the few who arrived "late" for today's Oosterdam sailing were in for a BIG surprise.

About a dozen guests, some children, were denied boarding due to the "90 minute" rule.....EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD COMPLETED THEIR DOCUMENTS ONLINE, because apparently some did not put any reply in the "Nationality" space.

This showed up on the ship's report to be submitted to CBP that their nationality is "unknown".

David

 

How awful for these people.

 

Shouldn't the online form REQUIRE and answer in the Nationality question so it can not be left blank?

 

I'm going to go back and double check mine even though I plan on boarding next Saturday at 11am.

[Snorkel2Much]

Well if you look at HAL's web site for "On Line Check In" there are hundreds of countries listed but no country called "Unknown". The program will not let you past until you fill in the blank. ---- You can leave it blank on the manual immigration form but not the on line form.

I'm looking at it right now, the fourth line down is the entry:

* Country Of Residence - with the default answer of "Select a Country".

If you fail to answer, it saves your status as "Unknown". The function I cannot test yet is to see if you can print your "Signature Preferred Boarding Pass". I suspect you cannot do this, but someone else will have to test it. :)

[98Charlie]

I just did a test drive of this function on our booking. "Unknown" is the default answer for nationality. If you neglect to answer this question, you get a warning message but it allows you to continue.

"Please note: You have not yet completed this form, some data is still missing. Please scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Proceed". You may come back at a later time to complete this questionnaire and qualify for an Signature Preferred Boarding Pass."

 

When you look at the status of your check-in it shows as "saved only / edit", while a properly completed entry would show "complete / edit".

 

I suggest that a better word choice by HAL would be "incomplete / edit", but I'm not trying to excuse the folks who failed to show on time.

 

Well if you look at HAL's web site for "On Line Check In" there are hundreds of countries listed but no country called "Unknown". The program will not let you past until you fill in the blank. ---- You can leave it blank on the manual immigration form but not the on line form.

So the bottom line is that you can finish the form but it would be "incomplete". Back to the personal responsibility of the passenger.

 

Thanks,

 

Charlie

[Snorkel2Much]

So the bottom line is that you can finish the form but it would be "incomplete". Back to the personal responsibility of the passenger.

 

Thanks,

 

Charlie

It would be functionally incomplete, but would show the pax a status of "saved only". I agree with your pax responsibility thoughts, but HAL would be well served to tighten up this functionality and wording, given the consequences/fallout from pax errors.

[giustot]

The on line check in system is flawed. The same thing almost happened to me. I filled out what I thought was all the required information a month ago. It showed saved only/edit. I did not know that meant it was incomplete. I thought the information was saved and I could edit it if necessary.

 

Only when I went to print my boarding pass did I realize the information was not complete and it was that same nationality question that tripped me up. The system needs to be improved. Tom.

[CC Help Michell]

When we did our online registration last summer it wouldn't let me print the Signature Boarding Pass until I had completed the full registration process correctly. There were something like four steps, and once I'd finished them all, there was a message that said something like "congratulations, you are now qualified for the signature boarding pass." There was a link or a button to click to go to it and print it (it's been a few months so I can't recall exactly).

 

As I registered online I was aware that the goal was to fill in all the blanks so I could print my Signature Boarding Pass -- the materials made clear that then all I'd need to board the ship was that pass and my passport. I'm not sure what more HAL could do, since they already make it clear you aren't "finished" until you do the final step -- just like with e-filing of your tax return, it's not "done" until you do the last step and get verification.

 

Also, when we received our documents there was a separate card in there noting the Homeland Security rules about the time to be onboard, and since we sailed from Vancouver (the rule doesn't even apply there) I would think that means HAL puts that paper in every ticket packet.

 

Even the best systems aren't immune from user error. I didn't find HAL's particularly difficult to follow or use -- to me the directions were clear and easy to follow. There is also the final fail safe of not letting the boarding pass print if the forms aren't complete, as the poster above me experienced --that was his/her cue go fix the error. I wonder if those denied boarding didn't try to print their boarding passes?