The Journey home for Princess Staff

[xlxo]

> Helping our teammates get home amidst the global pandemic, travel restrictions and individual country quarantine protocols has been challenging. But through it all, our onboard teammates have been an inspiration with their positive attitudes.

 

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

Love it!

[rkacruiser]

xlxo, thank you for posting this.  God bless these good people who serve us guests with a smile.

[Gimer]

Crown Princess just arrived in Manila Bay, joining 8 other Princess ships waiting out their time in quarantine.   Island Princess also arrived in Jakarta to drop off Indonesian crew and will head toward Manila Bay, for it's 14 days quarantine.  Total of 25 cruise ships anchoring in Manila Bay right now.  Here's a photo taken earlier.   

[Belle]

One of the reason why so many ships there. After their 14 days quarantine....only PORT that's letting the crews fly

to their homes from the city airport.. Other ports still day no even with ships not having the virus.

[voljeep]

17 minutes ago, Gimer said:

Crown Princess just arrived in Manila Bay, joining 8 other Princess ships waiting out their time in quarantine.

are all Princess ships still under quarantine waiting to disembark crew ?  or are some, just 'hanging out' ?

[snoozecrooze]

3 minutes ago, voljeep said:

are all Princess ships still under quarantine waiting to disembark crew ?  or are some, just 'hanging out' ?

According to this, most ships are still undergoing a lengthy disembarking and transferring process in Manila to let off members who've been onboard, possibly transfer some crew between ships for other repatriation voyages, and also replace essential manning crew. 

[Loucat]

Great video and thank you for posting. You can see the number of Princess ships anchored off Manila on the Princess webcam site. Many there for long periods of time with more  enroute. It makes me wonder how long it would take for crew members to return before sailing begins. It has to be so hard for those on ships for extendede periods of time!

[Gimer]

voljeep---  Ship arrive on different days and then the Philippines Public Health and Coast Guard will board and do their inspection and then the 14 days quarantine starts.  Cruise ships will anchor in Manila Bay for 2 to 3 days and then they head out to the South China Sea and make fresh water and return and drop anchor.  Here is a posting by Sea Princess Captain, and here what he did.  Real cool stuff..........

[Cruzinnana47]

Thanks so much for posting.....great to see something positive and upbeat!👍

 

The chart by Capt. Ruggero is incredible.

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, Cruzinnana47 said:

Thanks so much for posting.....great to see something positive and upbeat!👍

 

The chart by Capt. Ruggero is incredible.

 

It's an example of making lemonade out of lemons.  Creative thinking!

[Gimer]

Here's another fresh water track.   

[skynight]

Believe the narrator on this video is Mat "O." Wish him and all the others well. Matt was one of the A+ CD's we have encountered.

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, Gimer said:

Here's another fresh water track.   

 

Maybe the Deck Officers are getting bored?🙂

[Gimer]

I think you are correct.  But they are creative.  

[Flyboy Ed]

How many Princess crew members are still stuck on ships waiting for the OK to travel home?  I realize there are many complications in the process, but this has been going on for a very long time.  Just wondering how many more crew members are stuck and what is the schedule to get them home?

[Gimer]

Today, there are 22 cruise ships anchored in Manila Bay, waiting out their 14 days quarantine.  There are 10 Princess ships there.    They are Sea, Sun, Pacific, Ruby, Golden, Sapphire, Diamond, Crown, Royal, and Majestic.  Then the Island Princess is one day out.  Just heard from crew member onboard.  They have 800 Filipino crew members and 600 other nationalities from Sky & Regal Princess and 2 Holland ships.  Two days ago in Jakarta, they had 22 Filipino crew from Rotterdam transferred onboard.  That's a lot of crew.  Every day crew from those anchored ships are released back into the Philippines for another 14 days quarantine or fly home.  It's sure a very long process to get home.  My friend's contract ended on March 30 and it's taking him over 3 months to get home.  He's been onboard for 345 days.   

Edited June 13, 2020 by Gimer

[Gimer]

6 minutes ago, Gimer said:

Today, there are 22 cruise ships anchored in Manila Bay, waiting out their 14 days quarantine.  There are 10 Princess ships there.    They are Sea, Sun, Pacific, Ruby, Golden, Sapphire, Diamond, Crown, Royal, and Majestic.  Then the Island Princess is one day out.  Just heard from crew member onboard.  They have 800 Filipino crew members and 600 other nationalities from Sky & Regal Princess and 2 Holland ships.  Two days ago in Jakarta, they had 22 Filipino crew from Rotterdam transferred onboard.  That's a lot of crew.  Every day crew from those anchored ships are released back into the Philippines for another 14 days quarantine or fly home.  It's sure a very long process to get home.  My friend's contract ended on March 17 and it's taking him over 3 months to get home.  He's been onboard for 345 days.   

 

[Gimer]

Sorry for double posting.  Had to correct his contract ending date.

[Gimer]

Another neat tracking by Sea Princess.......

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Gimer said:

My friend's contract ended on March 30 and it's taking him over 3 months to get home.  He's been onboard for 345 days.   

 

This is absolutely unconscionable.   

[Flyboy Ed]

Actually, my question Friday was addressed to ALL the Princess ships still carrying crew members, not just the 10 at Manila.  My friend's contract on the Coral Princess expired on March 17th, but he is still on board, first the Coral and now the Emerald Princess, now in Rotterdam.  Again, I am sure this is an extremely complex and difficult diplomatic situation to return all these people home.  It sounds like Princess is doing the best they can, but my friend has a family in India and they are approaching three months overdue for his return.

I have had three future cruises cancelled since March 12th, and I am still waiting on credit card refunds for all of them.  I am willing to wait longer if Princess can re-direct resources processing refunds and direct them to getting these crew members home.  Realize that may not be possible due to the types of staff required to work these two different tasks, but wanted to put it out there as one person's view as to which issue is the higher priority.

[BirdTravels]

41 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

This is absolutely unconscionable.   

Early on, many had arranged charter flights home and clearances to go home. It was the United States of America that imposed unrealistic terms to transfer crew from the gangway directly to awaiting charter flights. Blame the United States. 

[MamaFej]

Thanks to those who shared the creative navigation pictures. Captain Kate McCue of the Celebrity Edge does similar things with her ship and it always brings a smile to my face when she posts them. 

[Flyboy Ed]

Just heard from my friend who was on the Emerald.  He has just arrived back in India, 12 weeks late!  He now has more quarantine ahead, but at least he is in his home country!