How early to board post drydock??

[923libra]

Hello All! We are sailing on the Emerald 12/20/09 and she will fresh out of drydock. We are wondering, if those of you that have had experience with this simular situation; would comment about how early they would allow boarding. She will not have previous passengers to speak of, do they allow earlier boarding in this case

[katisdale]

We have only been on one ship post dry-dock. We were on the old Royal leaving from Rome. The dry-dock was done in Genoa. The ship was late leaving Genoa and encountered high winds outside Rome. Since we had purchased a pre-cruise stay and transfers from Princess we were informed that our transfer from the hotel to the ship would be delayed from 11 AM to 3 PM. This allowed us extra time to sight see in Rome. We actually arrived at the dock about 5:30 PM where we boarded and were then immediately directed to dinner.

[Colo Cruiser]

No early boarding, just normal times starting around Noon.

[where2next]

Hi!

I was on the Star Princess 2nd cruise out from drydock...

the cruise before us did have a delay..

Also, by the time our cruise rolled around they still had quite a bit more to do in the new lobby, international cafe etc etc...the didn't measure right for the gelato, so no gelation..the espresso machine wasn't working..
just little stuff like that.

so be prepared that not every little glitch has been worked out when you board...Hopefully, it will be..but at least be aware of my experience
so you aren't totally dissapointed.

[BruceMuzz]

Due to the incredibly high costs of drydocks today, many cruise lines - including Princess - have been far too optimistic about how much work can be done in a short time. As a result, many ships in dry dock recently were not ready at the appointed time. Many passengers arriving for the first post-drydock sailing were actually delayed in boarding the ship. You would be safe to expect this as well.

No previous passengers you say???
Technically that is true.

But there have been thousands of contractors on your ship for several weeks before you arrived. Where do you think they were sleeping and eating?

It wasn't at the Holiday Inn down the street. Too expensive.
The ship has been fully booked with contractors during the dry dock.
The dining rooms have been full every meal period.

These people are not quite as clean or tidy as American vacationeers. The ship's crew must clean up a major mess in each passenger cabin - after they get the contractor and his tools out on the final morning, and before you get onboard.

[923libra]

Hello All! I appreciate your responses to my query. I have read many of the post drydock comments in the past and they have mentioned contractors/laborors etc staying on the ship post drydock so I should have used different verbage. I was referring to the paying passenger, sorry.

We arrive in Ft Lauderdale one day early so I am not feeling rushed to get on or anything, just excited for this trip that we booked one year ago. Regardless of the things that are not back to 100% post drydock, this vacation is going to be exceptional because we are going to make it that way!

My parents are both in their late 70's and our kids are 18, 17 and 16....we dont know if any of us will be able to do a trip like this again or if any of them may want to.
Thanks again for your many responses!!

[capnjack]

We were recently on the Coral Princess on the first cruise post drydock. I don't know when boarding actually started but we arrived at terminal around noon and walked right on.

As other have mentioned even though there are no paying passengers leaving the ship there is still a lot to do on turn-around day. The contractors were probably still working the night before and they will need to clean up from that as well as disembark any remaining contractors. In addition the normal loading of supplies and luggage will still need to be done.

You may able to start boarding a little earlier than usual, but if there is any hiccup at any point in the process and you may find that boarding actually starts later than usual. You pay your money and take your chances.

[dcl1710]

Here is my question: the Emerald is a new ship. It has been properly made into the Princess model and does not need the significant face lift that say the CB needed last year. What does a new ship need to have in drydock, or is Princess lying that this is a "new" ship? I only ask because I would not have booked the cruise first one out of drydock. Learned to many lessons from these posts on CC.

[capnjack]

Originally Posted by dcl1710

Here is my question: the Emerald is a new ship. It has been properly made into the Princess model and does not need the significant face lift that say the CB needed last year. What does a new ship need to have in drydock, or is Princess lying that this is a "new" ship? I only ask because I would not have booked the cruise first one out of drydock. Learned to many lessons from these posts on CC.

Since the Emerald is, as you say, the model for the Princess ships with the Vines, the Sanctuary, MUTS and International cafe already present, I suspect that the dry dock will consist of more maintenance type items - replacing carpet and upholstery, refinishing decks, re-plaster pools, painting the hull, swapping out the propellers - that kind of thing.

I don't have any inside information so this all a guess.

Take a look at the work done on some recent Princess dry docks to get an idea of some of the behind the scenes work that is done here, here and here.

[923libra]

Hello All! "geoherb" recently posted live from the Emerald 11/22/09 and inquired about what was to be done at dry dock and the response was:

"assistant head waiter talked about the dry dock, he said this was a routine dry dock with nothing major planned. They will go over all of the ship’s systems—electrical, plumbing, communications, emergency, etc.—to make sure things are working right. They’ll also be touching up areas and changing some of the carpet."We saw them changing the carpet in one of the cabins on our first day at sea."

[rdsqrl]

Originally Posted by dcl1710

Here is my question: the Emerald is a new ship. It has been properly made into the Princess model and does not need the significant face lift that say the CB needed last year. What does a new ship need to have in drydock, or is Princess lying that this is a "new" ship? I only ask because I would not have booked the cruise first one out of drydock. Learned to many lessons from these posts on CC.

You're onto their little game! They turned the odometer back, slapped some new white paint on her, and are passing it off as a new ship. Here's the "before" photo of the Emerald:

[Pam in CA]

Originally Posted by dcl1710

Here is my question: the Emerald is a new ship. It has been properly made into the Princess model and does not need the significant face lift that say the CB needed last year. What does a new ship need to have in drydock, or is Princess lying that this is a "new" ship? I only ask because I would not have booked the cruise first one out of drydock. Learned to many lessons from these posts on CC.

The Emerald Princess is two years old -- not brand new any more. Most cruise ships are scheduled for routine wet dock maintenance every two years. Is the Emerald Princess scheduled for a dry dock or a wet dock? There's a big difference. Dry docks are used when underwater maintenance is done, i.e., scraping and repainting the bottom of the ship and applying new coats of silicone and paint that make it sail more efficiently. They also examine the engines, propellers, thrusters, etc. to make sure everything is working correctly. Usually, dry docks are also used for structural changes/modifications. Wet docks, on the other hand, are used for interior work, "soft goods" replacement (everything from bedding to lounge chairs), carpeting replacement, and other work that can't be done while passengers are onboard. Sometimes, a ship will have a dry dock and then be moved to a wet dock. The cost for the use of a dry dock is very high and the schedules are very tight, usually with a wait list of ships needing the dock.

A ship as new as the Emerald will not need much mechanical maintenance unless there is a specific reason for one. It's most likely the time will be used for soft goods, carpet replacement, etc. FYI, during a cruise, the crew are constantly performing maintenance, doing painting, carpet replacement, etc. but they use the time in a wet dock to do cabins, hallways and lounges all at once.

[where2next]

Originally Posted by rdsqrl

You're onto their little game! They turned the odometer back, slapped some new white paint on her, and are passing it off as a new ship. Here's the "before" photo of the Emerald:

This is truly one of your funniest posts EVER!

[dcl1710]

To Rdsgrl: BEST POST EVER!!!! I laughed off my computer stool. Thank you for putting me in the right place.
To Pam in CA: your insights are always welcome. Thanks for posting. I did not know the Emerald was 2 years old. The Princess site still says it is a new ship. But 2 years it will need some fixing. I am not going to worry. Being in the sun in December makes it worth it. If there are construction workers and work being done, so be it. There will be a spot to veg out and get a drink with an umbrella and spend time with family and that is all what matters.

[Carolyn R]

I was on the Caribbean Princess the first cruise after dry dock last January. Embarkation was delayed for about six hours to clean up the construction debris and clean the ship. Passengers were brought to the convention center in San Juan and boarding did not actually start until after 5 p.m. with many people not getting on board until after 8 p.m. It can happen. It was a fiasco!

I would suggest checking out of your hotel at check out time and taking a taxi to the port to drop off your luggage, check out the boarding situation, and if boarding is delayed, keep the taxi and spend the day in Old San Juan. I must say that I will never sail a ship on the first run after a wet dock or dry dock.

[Infi]

Originally Posted by rdsqrl

You're onto their little game! They turned the odometer back, slapped some new white paint on her, and are passing it off as a new ship. Here's the "before" photo of the Emerald:

Easily one of the funniest posts I have ever read on CC! Thanks for the laugh, rdsgrl!