Nightmare in Tampa

[frankdp]

I'm in a Lyft car, in line to board Connie.  Been in line for over an hour barely moving.  

People getting impatient and getting out of their ride vehicles and walking the rest of the way, suitcases in tow.  Mid 80s, sun shining bright and hot.

I hope they get this fixed before these oldsters start dropping.

 

 

 

[hrhdhd]

It is the first cruise from Tampa for the Constellation after returning this morning from its transatlantic. They're probably ironing out some kinks.

 

Hope you get onboard soon!

[Arizona Wildcat]

8 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

It is the first cruise from Tampa for the Constellation after returning this morning from its transatlantic. They're probably ironing out some kinks.

 

Hope you get onboard soon!

We arrived in Tampa on a TA.  Took 5 hours for passengers to clear customs.  The another 2 as all the crew needs to clear, the CDC or a similar agency needs to do health and the USCG a complete safety inspection.  It was after 2pm before passengers started boarded the year we were there.  CBP had 2 supervisors walking around and 2 agents clearing people until 10am when a 3rd agent arrived.

Boarding will go quickly once the ship is cleared.  Nothing Celebrity can do.  Not their fault.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Arizona Wildcat

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, frankdp said:

I'm in a Lyft car, in line to board Connie.  Been in line for over an hour barely moving.  

People getting impatient and getting out of their ride vehicles and walking the rest of the way, suitcases in tow.  Mid 80s, sun shining bright and hot.

I hope they get this fixed before these oldsters start dropping.

 

 

 

 

We just got off. It was a bit chaotic and time consuming to get off the ship. The cruise terminal was pretty swamped with people. We had 5-6 customs and immigration stations open to process us. I'm sure that put you guys behind schedule. 

 

[frankdp]

OP here.  We are onboard.  Took just short of 2 hours from arriving at the terminal to exit the Lyft car.  

The reasons above explain the situation.  

I'm at the Martini Bar just finishing a beer so, I'm just fine.

[Nashna]

6 minutes ago, frankdp said:

OP here.  We are onboard.  Took just short of 2 hours from arriving at the terminal to exit the Lyft car.  

The reasons above explain the situation.  

I'm at the Martini Bar just finishing a beer so, I'm just fine.

Curious  here...were you charged more by the Lyft driver?  Glad you made it to the bar.

[Smmessineo]

59 minutes ago, Nashna said:

Curious  here...were you charged more by the Lyft driver?  Glad you made it to the bar.

That's what i was wondering. I feel bad for the driver if they were stuck *this close* to their destination without recompense. 

[Ipeeinthepools]

5 minutes ago, Smmessineo said:

That's what i was wondering. I feel bad for the driver if they were stuck *this close* to their destination without recompense. 

 

How much should you compensate the Lyft driver for waiting an extra 2 hours?

[someguyfl]

19 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

How much should you compensate the Lyft driver for waiting an extra 2 hours?

Consider that this is a large amount of time taking away from their working day, and they may be using that money as their sole source of income. Keep in mind a taxi does charge by the mile or by the minute in stopped traffic ...

I think a $20 tip is easily warranted for that. Maybe even $50.

[radarcruiser]

1 hour ago, frankdp said:

OP here.  We are onboard.  Took just short of 2 hours from arriving at the terminal to exit the Lyft car.  

The reasons above explain the situation.  

I'm at the Martini Bar just finishing a beer so, I'm just fine.

Say helllo to Dana and Dewa at the Martini Bar.  Both great bartenders.  Dewa does a great Martini show.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

Curious  here...were you charged more by the Lyft driver?  Glad you made it to the bar.

 

I've had a really bad backup once due to an accident and like a  taxi the charge starts going up from what was first quoted.  I don't recall what the additional amount was for each 5 minutes but it was the same that they charge for Wait time.

[hrhdhd]

2 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

We arrived in Tampa on a TA.  Took 5 hours for passengers to clear customs.  The another 2 as all the crew needs to clear, the CDC or a similar agency needs to do health and the USCG a complete safety inspection.  It was after 2pm before passengers started boarded the year we were there.  CBP had 2 supervisors walking around and 2 agents clearing people until 10am when a 3rd agent arrived.

Boarding will go quickly once the ship is cleared.  Nothing Celebrity can do.  Not their fault.

My "they" wasn't directed at Celebrity.

[DirtyDawg]

2 hours ago, frankdp said:

OP here.  We are onboard.  Took just short of 2 hours from arriving at the terminal to exit the Lyft car.  

The reasons above explain the situation.  

I'm at the Martini Bar just finishing a beer so, I'm just fine.

The usual cure for a nightmare is three beers. Get drinking and cure thyself! 🍻🍺

😉

[Smmessineo]

49 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

How much should you compensate the Lyft driver for waiting an extra 2 hours?

I don't use ride services, so i have no idea.  I was wondering if it's built into their rates, does the amount due go up if they are delayed through no fault of the driver?  

 

[Smmessineo]

21 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I've had a really bad backup once due to an accident and like a  taxi the charge starts going up from what was first quoted.  I don't recall what the additional amount was for each 5 minutes but it was the same that they charge for Wait time.

Thanks for answering this!  

[Jim_Iain]

Just now, Smmessineo said:

Thanks for answering this!  

Interesting article from January where a man on a $200 ride got stuck in a huge mess for 9 hours.   He left the driver a $100 tip and later found out his total bill was $700.  He disputed and Uber refunded due to the terrible ordeal and assured him the driver's earnings would not be affected

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/01/06/uber-interstate-95-andrew-peters-refund/

[ShelleyQT]

At the end of our Sept. 24th cruise on the Solstice, when we got outside the terminal in San Pedro, it was bedlam.  There was no line setup for cabs, no marked place for Uber, no room to stand on the sidewalk in any case...just a mess.  Finally, we decided to walk the short distance outside the gated area and across the street to an apartment house, where we called an Uber and waited in the parking lot.  The driver really appreciated not having to work his way through the long backup to get to the ship (our ship was the last in line for approaching vehicles) and we appreciated not having to fight our way to the curb to see if our car had arrived.  Obviously this won't work for people with mobility issues, but for others, I highly recommend this!