Check In Staff

When you check in there are probably close to 20 Princess staff members in the terminal doing various things. Since ships do not depart daily and the job only lasts about 4 hours where are they the rest of the time? Are they actually onboard staff?

Nope it's an agency that Princess hires for the day. I'm sure you will see the same people checking in other cruise lines. How do I know? I asked one day when I was in San Pedro. Was thinking of a part time job. :)

It will vary from port to port. Most of the people handling check-in are not onboard staff. Many of them are part-time employees. If you check-in for another cruise line on a different day, you may find some of the same people.

The only ship's crew I usually see are people at the liquor check-in table and waiters providing refreshments in the lounge. At some ports, refreshments are actually provided from the ship.

Thanks. Both answers seem logical.

I have always thought that it is a pretty exciting job.

Ship's crew are not allowed to work in the terminal due to labor agreements. For instance, if someone is in a wheelchair, port staff will wheel the chair to the gangway, not onto the ship. Ship's crew wheels the chair from the gangway onto the ship. They are not allowed to push a chair in the terminal.

Ship officers such as the Captain's Circle Host are allowed to "work" in the terminal but not crew.

Check-in people, those directing passengers to sections in the terminal, etc. are part-time workers hired for a few hours, even if they look like they work for Princess. Today, they are Princess; tomorrow, they could be Holland America or Cunard.

Ship's crew are not allowed to work in the terminal due to labor agreements. For instance, if someone is in a wheelchair, port staff will wheel the chair to the gangway, not onto the ship. Ship's crew wheels the chair from the gangway onto the ship. They are not allowed to push a chair in the terminal.

 

Ship officers such as the Captain's Circle Host are allowed to "work" in the terminal but not crew.

 

Check-in people, those directing passengers to sections in the terminal, etc. are part-time workers hired for a few hours, even if they look like they work for Princess. Today, they are Princess; tomorrow, they could be Holland America or Cunard.

they must have a different rule in Australia because the princess staff can wheel disabled people out to the car park if necessary

the staff that work in the terminal can bring disabled people on and off the ship too

they must have a different rule in Australia because the princess staff can wheel disabled people out to the car park if necessary

 

the staff that work in the terminal can bring disabled people on and off the ship too

I wondered about that as well. In Vancouver Port we were able to get a ship (HAL) crew member to wheel my mom's chair all the way off the ship, through customs and to the cab where we could transfer Mom into the vehicle.

We had assistance in Fort Lauderdale. Had someone take our wheel chair from the ship atrium to baggage claim then outside. Not sure who the person was. Could have been a port worker or a crew member.

I'm one of those people you think only work 4 hours a day at the pier. We are there for debark before the ship even gets in and then switch to embark duties. Eight to ten hours a day is the norm for us. We may technically work for a contract company but most of us consider ourselves as working for Princess, HAL, Celebrity, NCL, etc. because when each ship comes in, that is OUR ship, not a third party ship. When you check in at an airline, are you aware or even care that it often isn't really an airline employee looking after you but a 'sub-contractor'? We have some fantastic people on our teams and a few not so fantastic but we try our best. There will always be a learning curve for newbies at any job.

We always know we are starting our vacation when we see your smiling faces at the pier. Thanks for being there. :)

It would appear that the labor agreements vary, even within the US. At the end of our cruise in Seattle last summer an assistant waiter took my mother from a lounge on the ship all the way through customs and out to the door of the shuttle bus.

We always know we are starting our vacation when we see your smiling faces at the pier. Thanks for being there. :)

Thank you for your kind words! It's people like you who put those smiles there!

Ship's crew are not allowed to work in the terminal due to labor agreements. For instance, if someone is in a wheelchair, port staff will wheel the chair to the gangway, not onto the ship. Ship's crew wheels the chair from the gangway onto the ship. They are not allowed to push a chair in the terminal.

Being someone who uses a wheelchair or now a scooter I can confirm that Princess staff assists my wife and myself from the terminal entrance all the way to our cabin. And the same staff assists us from the lounge through baggage claims to the bus or taxi. Now that I use a scooter they assist with our carryon bags from the security check point to our cabin.

Being someone who uses a wheelchair or now a scooter I can confirm that Princess staff assists my wife and myself from the terminal entrance all the way to our cabin. And the same staff assists us from the lounge through baggage claims to the bus or taxi. Now that I use a scooter they assist with our carryon bags from the security check point to our cabin.

My experience is in Ft. Lauderdale and San Pedro. The local unions are pretty darned strict.

Interesting, my experience was San Pedro (2008), Seattle (2009), Venice 2011, Civitavecchia (2011), Vancouver (2012), Whittier (2012 Debarkation and Embarkation), Vancouver (2012), Fort Lauderdale (2013), Venice (2013), Civitavecchia (2013), and Southampton (2014).

While it seems most of my cruises have been outside the US. I have done San Pedro, Seattle, Whittier and Fort Lauderdale. Whittier may have been the one port that our pushers were from the terminal (but they took us off the ship from the lounge and brought us back onto the ship after our land tour). I only say that because they wore white dress shirts not the standard housekeeper attire that our other port pushers wore.

Don't know if this had an effect in San Pedro but we were not in the main terminal but a side terminal that looked like a temporary building.

Ship's crew are not allowed to work in the terminal due to labor agreements. For instance, if someone is in a wheelchair, port staff will wheel the chair to the gangway, not onto the ship. Ship's crew wheels the chair from the gangway onto the ship. They are not allowed to push a chair in the terminal.

In Ft. Lauderdale, it is junior waiters and buffet stewards

pushing wheelchairs. From the ship, to/from vehicle drop-off.

You can see them hanging around outside the terminal,

waiting for anyone who needs help. They are often

wearing 'safari top' -- which is the daytime lido

uniform.

(I was going to say -- by the payphones -- but they have been

gone for 10 years -- so probably not a good landmark)

They are part of 'embark team', which includes people from

dining directing you to the elevators in the ship, etc.

You will also see AP and computer officer helping as needed

with checkin; F&B manager on the pier checking deliveries,

etc.

I'm one of those people you think only work 4 hours a day at the pier. We are there for debark before the ship even gets in and then switch to embark duties. Eight to ten hours a day is the norm for us. We may technically work for a contract company but most of us consider ourselves as working for Princess, HAL, Celebrity, NCL, etc. because when each ship comes in, that is OUR ship, not a third party ship. When you check in at an airline, are you aware or even care that it often isn't really an airline employee looking after you but a 'sub-contractor'? We have some fantastic people on our teams and a few not so fantastic but we try our best. There will always be a learning curve for newbies at any job.

I say Thank You to all of you in all of the embarkation/debarkation ports. It is a lot of hard work and almost always done with a smile on your face as well as wishes for a great cruise. You deserve more respect than you often receive. My DH and I often get strange looks from other passengers as we try to greet each of you with a Good Morning, Afternoon, etc no matter how stressful a day it may be.

A friend of my sisters works at the the Ft Lauderdale Pier. Although they are not a staff member for Princess, they do get discounted cruises.

I'm one of those people you think only work 4 hours a day at the pier. We are there for debark before the ship even gets in and then switch to embark duties. Eight to ten hours a day is the norm for us. We may technically work for a contract company but most of us consider ourselves as working for Princess, HAL, Celebrity, NCL, etc. because when each ship comes in, that is OUR ship, not a third party ship. When you check in at an airline, are you aware or even care that it often isn't really an airline employee looking after you but a 'sub-contractor'? We have some fantastic people on our teams and a few not so fantastic but we try our best. There will always be a learning curve for newbies at any job.

Hi SQ,

I will also chime in here and say a great big Thank You for all you do to get the thousands of anxious passengers through the terminal. Most have flown a long way, and like me, running on lack of sleep because like a kid the night before an exciting event I am SO excited and wanting to see my ship! I will never take for granted the hard work everyone does to make their vacation a happy one. OH My......our next cruise is not for 6 months and just talking about it has me bubbling with excitement!

I can imagine what it is like getting dressed in the morning...Let's see...am I princess..Hal...RCl...today???

I can imagine what it is like getting dressed in the morning...Let's see...am I princess..Hal...RCl...today???

Ha! You are exactly right, especially if we are looking after more than one line at a time! Thanks for the many kind words about the staff - it's good to know that we are appreciated and not always thought of as 'fake' employees! We make mistakes but hopefully we learn from them so your debark/embark experiences are as painless as possible. Happy cruising everyone!

I have begun to recognize the employees working the terminal at both San Pedro and Ft. Lauderdale. There is a gentleman who always escorts

Elite passengers to elevator upstairs to Elite lounge in terminal 2, Ft. Lauderdale. I know my fun begins once we see him. He tells jokes, comes into the lounge and keeps us laughing while we wait to board.

I am sure some of you know who I am talking about(white hair, little on the round side).

We have close friends who work in Seattle every week during cruise season for Princess Cruises (and very occasionally for Holland America when they need help). Our friends leave home shortly after 4:30am on Saturdays and Sundays, drive to Pier 91 and arrive home at around 6:00pm. Luckily it doesn't get dark until around 10:00pm so we can still play on the weekends.

I salute all of these hard working people who greet us with smiles of welcome and goodbye .. I've heard stories that would curl your hair about how badly some of them are treated by passengers.. And they continue to smile..

I want to chime in here and mention all the wonderful folks who greet us in San Pedro. You help to make a very hectic morning very tolerable. You're always smiling and moving all of us right along.

I know when I've seen you guys at the pier that a truly wonderful experience is about to begin.

I've gotten to know some of you through the years enough to hug and kiss hello.

THANK YOU, for all that you do to get me started on my cruise. ♥