Cruise Lines Can't Do Versus Can Do !

[EDLOS]

I am told by Princess Cruise Lines that 5 hours and 20 minutes between docking at 6 AM, that they cannot get me to the airport that is 90 minutes away to catch my flight at 11:20 AM by their transfer.

Help me understand the NEW customer service standard that exists today !! Get in line ! Shut Up !

YUK!

[cdnguy]

What airport are you talking about?

[CruisingJs]

You might dock at 6:00 but they can't guarantee what time you'll be cleared to leave the ship. There are some things like customs they just can't control. Then they have to wait for the bus to fill before it can head to the airport. Plus some airports like LAX require you to be there two hours before your flight and three hours for international flights. For tight flight times like you have it's best to hire private transportation.

[Colo Cruiser]

Princess has their set safe time parameters for matching transfers with flights.

Nothing says you can't book your own private transportation.

Why get PO'd at Princess?

[beg3yrs]

Looks like an 11:20 departure is not within Princess' guidelines no matter what time you arrive or what airport you use.

 

 

Right from the Princess web-site: http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/travel_transportation_faq/flight_guideline_ports/newyork_flight_guidelines.html

 

 

Disembarking Passengers

For voyages arriving in New York City at 5:00 and/or 7:15 am, the earliest flight departures are as follows:

 

• LaGuardia: 1:15 pm for international flights, 12:15 pm for domestic flights
  
• John F. Kennedy: 2:15 pm for international flights, 1:15 pm for domestic flights
  
• Newark: 2:15 pm for international flights, 1:15 pm for domestic flights
  

[jenseib]

The Ship "may" dock at 6. Maybe earlier and maybe later. But it all depends on customs clearance. I have been on a ship that didn't clear it till 9 AM. I would not book a flight that early for an airport that far away and we usually drive or have our own transportation to and from the ports.

[Ethel5]

I am told by Princess Cruise Lines that 5 hours and 20 minutes between docking at 6 AM, that they cannot get me to the airport that is 90 minutes away to catch my flight at 11:20 AM by their transfer.

Help me understand the NEW customer service standard that exists today !! Get in line ! Shut Up !

YUK!

 

As stated, depending where your ship is coming from, it has to clear customs. then the crew has to be cleared. Then all the luggage has to be sniffed. Then the agents have to have breakfast. It is not just "let's tie up and everybody get off." It has nothing to do with customer service. Once the ship has docked, it's all in the hands of customs and immigration and not Princess in control.

[icat2000]

I am told by Princess Cruise Lines that 5 hours and 20 minutes between docking at 6 AM, that they cannot get me to the airport that is 90 minutes away to catch my flight at 11:20 AM by their transfer.

Help me understand the NEW customer service standard that exists today !! Get in line ! Shut Up !

YUK!

 

Sounds like you booked your flight too early and outside the recommended times by Princess.

 

If you should be upset with anyone, let at be with yourself. Take some responsibility and look to see if you can reschedule your flight or just hope you can make it.

Edited August 18, 2014 by icat2000

[Working 2 Cruise]

It's amazing that people don't do their research, then blast Princess for their lack of research and lack of understanding...

 

There are many variables with any disembarkation... you might get lucky, dock on time and no traffic between the pier and the airport and then again, there are such things as customs, Coast Guard inspections, etc, not to mention traffic and accidents...

[MSN-Travelers]

I am told by Princess Cruise Lines that 5 hours and 20 minutes between docking at 6 AM, that they cannot get me to the airport that is 90 minutes away to catch my flight at 11:20 AM by their transfer.

Help me understand the NEW customer service standard that exists today !! Get in line ! Shut Up !

YUK!

 

My guess is you have never used a Princess Transfer before. If you had, you would know that they typically use a large multi-passenger vehicle, like a bus, and don't leave the port until the bus is full.

 

Nobody EVER uses cruise line transfer services if they are in a hurry to make a flight. You may do the personnel bag drag but the other 20-30 people riding the bus with you won't be in such a hurry.

 

Look for a private van/shuttle service that will work with your time requirements.

[MJSailors]

Sounds like you booked your flight too early and outside the recommended times by Princess.

 

If you should be upset with anyone, let at be with yourself. Take some responsibility and look to see if you can reschedule your flight or just hope you can make it.

 

Agreed!

Pay attention to the Princess guidelines,

Try to change your flight plans or get a cab and hope you arrive at the airport in time for your flight.

Princess has dealt with transportation to airports for years

They know the drill.

Why try to change their service to fit your selected flight?

Get with the program!

[IECalCruiser]

I am told by Princess Cruise Lines that 5 hours and 20 minutes between docking at 6 AM, that they cannot get me to the airport that is 90 minutes away to catch my flight at 11:20 AM by their transfer.

 

Help me understand the NEW customer service standard that exists today !! Get in line ! Shut Up !

 

YUK!

As others have stated, just because your ship docks at 6:00am doesn't mean you can get off the ship then. Many tasks must be completed before passengers are allowed to disembark and some of those are not controlled by Princess. Although not absolutely guaranteed, Princess is picking a time that, based upon clearance of the ship to disembark, the time for customs and immigration and worst case traffic, they will get you to the airport to make your flight.

 

In the U.S. self disembarkation usually doesn't start until around 7:30am to 8:00am and varies from cruise to cruise. It might be quick, or it might take 30 minutes to clear immigration and customs. You can grab a cab and hope there are no traffic delays and you make your flight. Princess won't take that chance with a bus load of people that want to make their flights.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[cdngrl]

I had a cruise that arrived 7 hours late to our final port;

I've had one that we arrived on time but it took the only 2 customs agents sent until 5pm to clear the passengers;

I've arrived on time, gotten a princess transfer and been at the airport by 8:30am.

you just never know!

[MSN-Travelers]

It's amazing that people don't do their research, then blast Princess for their lack of research and lack of understanding...

 

There are many variables with any disembarkation... you might get lucky, dock on time and no traffic between the pier and the airport and then again, there are such things as customs, Coast Guard inspections, etc, not to mention traffic and accidents...

 

The OP is on Diamond, is an elderly solo traveler dragging his bags with a cane and is looking to avoid using the Japanese train system between the port (Yokohama) and the airport (unknown). Full taxi fare is roughly $150 USD and he was hoping Princess Xfer would get him there on time for cheaper.

 

Any more advice that involves arrival in a US port is a waste of your time.

Edited August 18, 2014 by MSN-Travelers

[Ethel5]

The OP is on Diamond, is an elderly solo traveler dragging his bags with a cane and is looking to avoid using the Japanese train system between the port (Yokohama) and the airport (unknown). Full taxi fare is roughly $150 USD and he was hoping Princess Xfer would get him there on time for cheaper.

 

Any more advice that involves arrival in a US port is a waste of your time.

 

All the more reason he should have done his homework! Sounds like he got himself in a pickle and wants Princess to bail him out.

[icat2000]

The OP is on Diamond, is an elderly solo traveler dragging his bags with a cane and is looking to avoid using the Japanese train system between the port (Yokohama) and the airport (unknown). Full taxi fare is roughly $150 USD and he was hoping Princess Xfer would get him there on time for cheaper.

 

Any more advice that involves arrival in a US port is a waste of your time.

 

Well he would need a minimum of 2 hours check-in for an international flight. It might just be worth to cough up the $US 150 for the taxi and put it down as a learning experience.

[Pam in CA]

My guess is you have never used a Princess Transfer before. If you had, you would know that they typically use a large multi-passenger vehicle, like a bus, and don't leave the port until the bus is full.

 

 

 

Nobody EVER uses cruise line transfer services if they are in a hurry to make a flight. You may do the personnel bag drag but the other 20-30 people riding the bus with you won't be in such a hurry.

 

 

 

Look for a private van/shuttle service that will work with your time requirements.

This generality is just not true or applicable to all ports. I've found that taking an early transfer to the airport fills quickly and I'm at the airport within a reasonable period of time. The transfers to avoid are the later ones. In some ports, private van/shuttle service can be quite expensive.

 

As for the OP, I agree that more research should have been done. If the ship docks at 6am, that doesn't mean disembarkation will start immediately. It doesn't. It could start at 7-7:30am. Add 90 minutes' time to the airport plus the recommended three hours before an international flight time check in, and you have little chance of making your flight.

[caribill]

All the more reason he should have done his homework! Sounds like he got himself in a pickle and wants Princess to bail him out.

 

Quite often overseas flights to the desired destination are not scheduled for later in the day at a time which would meet the guidelines.

 

This makes the alternative to the flight being an overnight stay to catch a flight the next day.

[icat2000]

If I was the OP I would be contacting the airline or TA whoever he booked the flight through to see if its possible to change to a later flight or a flight that goes the next day. Could end up being a lot cheaper than missing an international flight.

Edited August 18, 2014 by icat2000

[skynight]

If you mention which cruise and port, which airport, and where you are flying to, maybe some on this site could offer some options based on lots of experience.

[FawnRiver]

Princess does make suggestions for a reason, even then some things happen beyond their control.

 

On our last TA cruise, we ended up in port 7 hours early due to a medical emergency. Next morning, only two customs agents showed up to clear people coming off the ship. We booked our flight after the recommended time (albeit not by much) and would have missed our flight, except for the Princess agent in the terminal who went through the crowd, asking for people who had international flights leaving soon. We told him when our flight was due to depart and he pulled us out of line and moved us up to where a third customs agent had showed up.

 

Of course, we didn't know that our flight would end being delayed too :rolleyes:, but at least we were there and not flipping out in a cruise ship terminal.

[flamomo]

After having the displeasure of standing in an immigration line after a TA for 2+ hours because only 2 immigration officers showed up for work that day ........ And that was in FLL, where dismbarkation usually goes pretty smoothly. Except, of course, when it doesn't!

[FritzG]

On a Princess transfer to La Guardia a couple of years ago one of the transfer company's employees allowed an elderly man who left his passport in the cabin safe to go back to the ship--leaving his luggage on the bus. Everyone on the bus tried to get her to take his luggage off the bus since we knew it could take him a very long time. She ignored us. Then we got to see her and the bus driver get into a heavy duty verbal battle because the driver wanted to leave.

Something like this is out of Princess's control and is another reason you should leave enough time to get to the airport.

[TheCruisingBrewers]

It would much harder to travel via train for someone elderly riding on Japan's crowded trains if he is using a cane and pulling luggage, even though they are safe and some of the most efficient in the world. So private transfer may likely be the best choice for him, especially if the flight is early.

[bcnvcanada]

Giving the port the op is leaving from it is impossible unless the airport is

Haneda. A taxi will work, though not cheap. Yes, the train would

work, but with cases and time of day not go. Japanese authorities

clear the ship on a timely maner, health check if coming from another

country. Also with the trafic daily between port and aiport if Nartia it is

impossible.