Beware Disembarkation Blues on Princess

[Phillip Toddy]

Be warned - you need to plan you disembarkation day if you travel with Princess.

 

We left Sapphire in Osaka last month. We had arranged transfer to the airport with Princess to catch our 21:30 flight.

 

They booted us off the ship by 09:00, took us to the ANA hotel near the airport, but nowhere near almost anything else, and just left us there with a couple of hundred other fellow ex-passengers and some light beverages. We were there from around 10:00 to 15:30.

 

There was a railway station adjacent but it was not possible to obtain any coherent information about where it went, when etc. (None was made available on the ship either).

 

Also there was nowhere to secure our hand luggage. There was a fair bit of that luggage, at least partly because Princess insisted that we put our check in luggage out for collection before dinner the night before. (One was still expected to dress for dinner, you know).

 

Then they took as to the airport, reunited us with our checkable luggage and left. We then found that we could not actually check in until 19:00. So there we were feeling abandoned and separated from all items of interest as tehy were all airside of checkin.

 

The cruise was marvelous from the moment we boarded from Beijing until we left in Osaka. Then we got thefeeling that Princess now saw us a just so much more waste from the cruise to be dumped in Osaka with no more than token care (in return for the $120 or so transfer fee).

 

So - if you are thinking of cruising because it is easy - think again (or at least ahead).

 

Regards to all

 

Phillip

[Toto2Kansas]

This has always happened to us, especially when traveling home from Asia after the cruise.

Sorry you were uncomfortalbe with their procedure.

 

I may suggest that you never think about sailing in Tahiti with Princess as if you think the mess was bad in Asia, Tahiti is even worse. :(

[Joe and Ivan]

In general, Princess does not manage disembarkation very well. The larger ships can present special challenges during disembarkation. Also, many Princess cruises have a high proportion of cruisers over 70, many of whom are disabled and require wheelchairs and special assistance. It would be nice if Princess would arrange special procedures for disembarking these passengers. Otherwise, the disabled passengers can be caught in a push-and-shove match that they may be ill prepared to navigate.

 

Princess seems to basically forget you once you are off the ship. Even knowing this, however, we still continue to book cruises with Princess because they offer great value while you're still on the ship. You do need to carefully consider what may happen as you disembark. If you have travel insurance, that should cover your extra expenses if you miss your flight home (up to $250 or so). Just be sure to get receipts for everything, including extra cab fares and meals.

 

Ivan

South Padre Island, Texas

[Joe and Ivan]

Access America typically allows up to $500 per person for trip delay expenses. - Ivan

[spongerob]

I agree that the disembarkation process and people in charge could stand a LOT of improvement, and not just in Asia or Tahiti. The last impression we have had on a few occasions is that, "We're done with you, now please get out of our sight." I expect it is even more difficult to avoid the feeling of abandonment when you are disembarking in a port that is used infrequently.

[Crowsie]

We had the complete opposite experience while disembarking in Bangkok from the Sapphire.

 

We had to leave the hotel at 3am to catch our 6am flight. Princess provided us with a continental breakfast at the hotel and motorcoach transfer to the airport. The guide stayed with us all the way thru check in, directed us to the area where our baggage was stored, helped us collect it, get porters and walk to the check in counter and helped us pay our departure tax. He didn't leave until we had all passed thru security and were in the gate area. We had just enough time to shop the duty free stores then board the plane. The entire process was smooth as Thai silk!

[KeriW]

Hi there! We are traveling with a large group, and our TA has hired an agent to smooth over the transition for us when we disembark in London from the ship. Hopefully he/or she will be able to help smooth things over for us since we have almost 20 people going. :)

 

Keri

1st cruise-Golden Princess-June 1, 2005-Western European Capitals

[cruzinchris]

DH and I were totally turned off to Celebrity after disembarkation from the Horizon in San Juan. We hadn't been overly impressed with this cruiseline to begin with, but the kicker came following that deep Caribbean voyage.

 

After disembarking with our luggage, passengers were directed toward waiting buses. We stood in line in blazing midmorning heat for almost two hours while bags were checked and loaded (read: thrown) onto ramshackle trucks. Then we were herded onto the buses according to our airline. We didn't understand why our bags couldn't be put on the bus with us and worried that our luggage wouldn't get onto the right plane.

 

I faint very easily and become nauseous in extreme heat, and DH went searching for a water vendor. There was no shade, and I was forced to sit on the concrete to keep from passing out. We were not happy campers, and we certainly didn't feel that we were treated "famously."

 

As for Princess, disembarkation was smooth until we sailed on the CB in January. The terminal is simply not large enough to accommodate baggage from 3,400 passengers. We were frantic trying to locate our bags before boarding the bus to the airport. Next January, I will remember to bring some brightly colored ribbon to mark our bags - learned that tip on these boards.

 

Bon Voyage!

Chris

[JimC]

Are Platinum members given any priority in disembarkation?

[Joe and Ivan]

Are Platinum members given any priority in disembarkation?

 

 

There is a Platinum Disembarkation Lounge, but it just means you get to sit in, say, the Wheelhouse Bar, with orange juice, coffee, and pastries, and you still wait for your color, letter, and number of ticket to disembark.

 

Elite members are able to get on tenders without waiting for their number or color to be called, but this is for excursions rather than disembarkations.

 

Ivan

South Padre Island

[Phillip Toddy]

Do we suppose that the cruise companies read these boards?

 

I have never seen any (attributed) responses from them.

 

For example, if we are wrong (most of us) in feeling that Princess has done with us as soon as we disembark ,wouldn't you think Princess would respond to our expressed concerns?

 

Better still they could do something about it - they certainly have had many, many opportunities to try!

 

Regards to all

 

Phillip

[Joe and Ivan]

Do we suppose that the cruise companies read these boards?

 

The only cruise line for which I've seen an online response is Oceania, and then it was actually the CEO, Frank del Rio. That seemed really neat to me, but the cruise company has to be willing to risk almost any wisecrack from the "madding crowd."

 

Ivan

[Totally Addicted]

My first thought when seeing the title to this thread was.. have another cruise booked! Ok, it's late, best go to bed now! :D

[Howlev34]

With all due respect to the cruisers who have been on many more cruises than I have (2, one on Princess), I was advised by others never to book a transfer. I can see when you are in an unfamiliar place and you would want it but I have seen the results firsthand of others booking a transfer and I do agree with posters on this thread. We flew into San Juan a day early and saw a huge crowd of people waiting in a line at the airport. We found out that they were waiting for transfers to hotels(they were RCL cruisers). Then we saw the line for Princess cruisers. Same thing. We simply by-passed all of them and got into a taxi. I researched the taxi system in San Juan and it was as stated on the San Juan website- very organized and simple to use. On disembarkation day from Golden Princess. we observed the same problems that Cruisinchris saw on Celebrity: very disorganized lines for busses, luggage being tossed, etc. Again, we by-passed the line and took a taxi. Now, I know that I can't talk about Asia or other foreign ports but I do know that, here in the U.S., imho,I would not want to take a cruise line's transfer.

[Leilac]

When we disembarked in Galvaston, we were sent to a handicap lounge, (one of the diningrooms) because my mom used a wheelchair some of the time. She/we filled out paperwork on Thursday, stating our need. They then organized the process, pushed the wheelchair for us, and carried her hand luggage. The cruise person stayed with us until we were all the way out of the terminal.

 

I couldn't ask for more. They were very accomodating.

 

leilac

[Cruisin' Chick]

The only real negative we had about our last cruise was the disembarkation at the pier in Seattle. It was like a cattle call where we had to stand en masse under a canopy in the rain until we got to the front of the taxi line. I wrote to Princess with an idea to improve the process (of catching land transportation) and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are considering the idea.

[Blamar]

I so agree with Howlev34 in saying skip the transfer's and make your way on your own. A little easy research can make like alot easier. We were leaving the Star Princess in Barcellona last July and were told not to leave the boat until 10am but they wanted us out of our room at 8am. Keeping in mind that neither Marla or I do mornings very well, we managed to find coffee and a hiding place in a public area to store ourselves and our bags. But once ten o'clock came we were off to the Barcellona airport bags in hand. Yes, we carry our own luggage. That would be my only reason why transfers would be better than DIY. Sometime trucking about two weeks of clothes, souvieneers and memories can be a bit of a hassle, even if it is just off the ship and into a taxi.

 

Now departing at Barcellona airport at the same time that three other full size loaded cruise ships are disembarking is a full fledged nightmare. We stood in line for three hours to be twenty minutes late for our airplane to London.

 

Acckkk!

 

Blake

[Phillip Toddy]

This extracted from another board:

 

JohnLauben vbmenu_register("postmenu_3723638", true);

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: May 2000

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Posts: 134

 

 

Just Back - SAPPHIRE PRINCESS 4/23-5/11

 

The final day (Wednesday 5/11) was not at all what one should expect from PRINCESS (I hope). Since departing Juneau, nautical miles divided by maximum knots equals "we're going to be late"! We were ... we docked in Seattle just after 9 AM, although disembarkation was scheduled to commence at 6:45 AM! Baggage claim was not laid out too well, and too many people were in the hall at one time, making it difficult to find your luggage and move through customs. The airport transfer folks didn't show any sense of urgency about getting folks to the airport for the "flights before noon" groups. Then, when the buses arrive at SEA-TAC airport, they drop you off at a bus terminal (where you most likely will have to rent a luggage cart), one long hill away from the long string of airline terminals. Needless to say, just about everyone missed their flights! :mad: It was obvious (from the buffet in the Horizon Court) that the cupboards were running bare ... the ship had run out of many items (the SAPPHIRE is now in "WET DOCK" until Sunday, 5/15). There was a room set aside for PLATINUM and ELITE disembarkation, but none of the amenities (coffee, pastries, etc.) were present. (Is this CARNIVAL rearing its ugly head??)