Worst debark/CBP process ever

[luckybecky]

Just off the Bliss this morning. I'm working on a very detailed day-by-day review that I'll start posting with photos soon, but for now want to comment on debarkation.

 

It took TWO HOURS from the moment we stepped off the elevator on deck 7, until we stepped out of the terminal into a cab.

 

I know this is not the fault of NCL. I wonder if this is typical at the Los Angeles port. Is there anything NCL could do to work with CBP to make sure they are prepared for 4000 passengers? When we arrived at the front of the line (finally!) there were 7 agents working. For almost 4000 passengers.

 

The entire scene was totally chaotic. We were stopped by the lifeboats on deck 7 in a long line with many others, for a long time from debarking, with no reason given. Then they finally let the line move forward, only for us to be stopped at the escalator down into the terminal for a long period of time because things were "backed up". Then, we had to cross over a line of many people to retrieve our luggage. Once found, back into a line to go through customs. Many people joining the line from every direction without regard to the many people already in line. It was a mob scene with no organization. 

 

I feel sorry for people who had relatively close flight times. They might have thought they had plenty of time but then it was much worse than expected. My advice is do NOT book a flight that is an even remotely close call. It is another 30 minutes or so depending on traffic to get to the airport so you need to allow at least 3 hours from scheduled debark time to arrive at the airport. 

 

We weren't in a big hurry so we had picked a 9am debark time. We did not get into a cab until exactly 2 hours later at 11am. This is the first time in 14 cruises that we did not do self assist. It is the last time.

 

I have never had this experience re-entering the country, either flying or cruising. From now on, we will do self assist and be off the ship at the first possible moment so we can hopefully avoid this chaos.

 

Thoughts?

[luckybecky]

 

[Karaboudjan]

9 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

Thoughts?

 

Maybe there was an IT system problem?  Were they using facial recognition?  LA is hardly a stranger to cruise ships so it's hard to believe that yours was the usual experience.

[laudergayle]

I wonder if the switch to DST created some absenteeism or tardiness with the CBP agents…you know…forgot to set the alarm clock forward.  Hope this is just a glitch.

[luckybecky]

4 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

Maybe there was an IT system problem?  Were they using facial recognition?  LA is hardly a stranger to cruise ships so it's hard to believe that yours was the usual experience.

 

They were not using facial recognition. It seemed as far as I could tell to be just a lack of staff. Seven agents for almost 4000 passengers. 

 

But the entire scene was just completely chaotic. 

 

Generally when we have re-entered the country there is a line for people with US passports, those with non US passports (who may take longer to process), and a line for Global Entry approved passengers. None of these were present here. Everyone in the same miles long line.

[laudergayle]

16 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

This is the first time in 14 cruises that we did not do self assist. It is the last time.

Also, your comment has helped me make a decision for our future Bliss cruise.  I’ve been looking at LAX flights with a 11:15 am departure time…and if we decide on that…we def need to do self assist walkoff…which we’ve never done before.

[www3traveler]

Typical Panama Cruise disembarkation in San Pedro.  Happens almost ever Panama Cruise arrival.  For some reason Panama Cruise disembarkation regardless of whether it is San Pedro, Miami or Vancouver, B.C. is a pain and has been been for years.

[www3traveler]

1 minute ago, laudergayle said:

Also, your comment has helped me make a decision for our future Bliss cruise.  I’ve been looking at LAX flights with a 11:15 am departure time…and if we decide on that…we def need to do self assist walkoff…which we’ve never done before.

I never book a flight out of LAX until mid afternoon.

[zzdoug]

6 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Also, your comment has helped me make a decision for our future Bliss cruise.  I’ve been looking at LAX flights with a 11:15 am departure time…and if we decide on that…we def need to do self assist walkoff…which we’ve never done before.

 

That seems very risky. If you weren't in a taxi by around 8 am, there is a decent chance of missing the flight.  If there are flights out of Long Beach, you could get there in time. 

 

[casofilia]

Another reason for taking it easy and for having an overnight hotel stop BEFORE your flight.

[MeHeartCruising]

Sorry the OP experienced this.  No idea what the problem was.  When we disembarked in February from the Joy, we got off the ship around 8:30 and walked continuously (no delays) thru the lengthy route to baggage claim.  We quickly found our bags and entered a short and fairly rapidly moving line up to the immigration checkpoint.  They had about 4 facial recognition stations set up and one person was guiding each person to a station as they reached the front of the line.  The facial recognition was very quick and there was a second person guiding people along on their way very efficiently.   The total time spent in the baggage claim/immigration building was probably 8 minutes or so. 
 

It sounds like the facial recognition was down and they were understaffed to deal with it. 

[julig22]

Can't find the post now but I saw something earlier about quite a few medical emergencies, including 2 today.  Pretty sure it was the Bliss.

 

[The Traveling Man]

23 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

Just off the Bliss this morning. I'm working on a very detailed day-by-day review that I'll start posting with photos soon, but for now want to comment on debarkation.

 

It took TWO HOURS from the moment we stepped off the elevator on deck 7, until we stepped out of the terminal into a cab.

 

I know this is not the fault of NCL. I wonder if this is typical at the Los Angeles port. Is there anything NCL could do to work with CBP to make sure they are prepared for 4000 passengers? When we arrived at the front of the line (finally!) there were 7 agents working. For almost 4000 passengers.

 

The entire scene was totally chaotic. We were stopped by the lifeboats on deck 7 in a long line with many others, for a long time from debarking, with no reason given. Then they finally let the line move forward, only for us to be stopped at the escalator down into the terminal for a long period of time because things were "backed up". Then, we had to cross over a line of many people to retrieve our luggage. Once found, back into a line to go through customs. Many people joining the line from every direction without regard to the many people already in line. It was a mob scene with no organization. 

 

I feel sorry for people who had relatively close flight times. They might have thought they had plenty of time but then it was much worse than expected. My advice is do NOT book a flight that is an even remotely close call. It is another 30 minutes or so depending on traffic to get to the airport so you need to allow at least 3 hours from scheduled debark time to arrive at the airport. 

 

We weren't in a big hurry so we had picked a 9am debark time. We did not get into a cab until exactly 2 hours later at 11am. This is the first time in 14 cruises that we did not do self assist. It is the last time.

 

I have never had this experience re-entering the country, either flying or cruising. From now on, we will do self assist and be off the ship at the first possible moment so we can hopefully avoid this chaos.

 

Thoughts?

Sorry you had such a bad experience, but this sort of thing is not limited to LA. 

 

Several years ago we got off the Breakaway in Manhattan.  As soon as we stepped off the gangway we were placed in a line outside the entrance to the terminal.  We were told that the delay was with baggage handling and that they hadn't arranged the luggage yet, so we had to wait to enter the arrivals hall.  We had chosen the "easy walk off" so we had our bags with us.  We could have walked right through the terminal to the cab stand, but no, they weren't letting anyone inside.  We stood around for almost an hour before they allowed us inside.

 

This past September we were on the Prima in Southampton.  When we got off the elevator on Deck 6, we saw a line of at least 1000 passengers waiting to exit.  It seems that UK Customs agents had boarded the ship and were checking passengers before they left the ship.  We were in line for more than an hour before we got to the Customs agent.  We had allowed more than an hour to get to the bus terminal for our ride to Heathrow.  On previous cruises to Southampton we had made the short ride to the bus station in 10 or 15 minutes, so an hour seemed like plenty of time.  It wasn't, of course, so we missed our bus.  The next scheduled bus was fully booked, and the one after that wouldn't get us to the airport in time.  A cab ride to Heathrow seemed like the only alternative at the time, and it cost over $175.

 

A couple of weeks ago we returned to Miami after a cruise to Panama and back on the Sky.  We managed to get off the ship and into the terminal building in short order, then the line of passengers ground to a halt.  It was about 90 minutes of stop and go inching along until we reached the US Customs agents who barely looked at our documents before allowing us to pass.

 

[gmbhardy]

We had a 9:45 am disembarkation time. We nearly missed our 2:30 pm flight.

[The Traveling Man]

25 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

Generally when we have re-entered the country there is a line for people with US passports, those with non US passports (who may take longer to process), and a line for Global Entry approved passengers. None of these were present here. Everyone in the same miles long line.

On our recent return through the Miami cruise port they likewise were not using the Global Entry line.  There was a lane marked "Global Entry", but they were not allowing passengers with Global Entry to bypass the line and proceed directly to the Global Entry lane.

[laudergayle]

38 minutes ago, casofilia said:

Another reason for taking it easy and for having an overnight hotel stop BEFORE your flight.

Thought about that, too…which may be the direction we’re heading since we fly LAX to east coast.

[Turtles06]

49 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Several years ago we got off the Breakaway in Manhattan.  As soon as we stepped off the gangway we were placed in a line outside the entrance to the terminal.  We were told that the delay was with baggage handling and that they hadn't arranged the luggage yet, so we had to wait to enter the arrivals hall. 

 

We had a similar experience in 2020 in Manhattan getting off the Gem.  No one was allowed down into the cruise terminal until ALL baggage had been brought down and sorted.  Last month, also in Manhattan and getting off the Gem, we were in a suite and had "priority disembarkation," and so we somehow were allowed to get down to baggage claim, where we could SEE our bags across the way in the "priority" area, but no one was allowed to get any baggage until all of the luggage had been brought down from the ship.  We were told this was a safety rule, that no one could cross the baggage claim floor while bags were being trucked in.  I understood that, but on each of those occasions this caused huge lines and backups. 

 

Prior to 2020, I don't recall this being a problem in Manhattan.  Is this the current process everywhere now? 

 

OP: I'm very sorry for the very unpleasant end to your cruise! 

[Panhandle Couple]

29 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Thought about that, too…which may be the direction we’re heading since we fly LAX to east coast.

Or you could opt for a red eye.  Don't worry about getting off first, could probably be last off ship.

Uber to LAX or even John Wayne, and wait around.

We thought about that last year, but decided on the overnight and morning flight out of John Wayne (which had better to-from connections for us). 

Had some serious nap time to get back on a normal schedule before flying, and found a good brewpub nearby for late afternoon food.

 

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

Sorry you had such a bad experience, but this sort of thing is not limited to LA. 

 

Several years ago we got off the Breakaway in Manhattan.  As soon as we stepped off the gangway we were placed in a line outside the entrance to the terminal.  We were told that the delay was with baggage handling and that they hadn't arranged the luggage yet, so we had to wait to enter the arrivals hall.  We had chosen the "easy walk off" so we had our bags with us.  We could have walked right through the terminal to the cab stand, but no, they weren't letting anyone inside.  We stood around for almost an hour before they allowed us inside.

 

This past September we were on the Prima in Southampton.  When we got off the elevator on Deck 6, we saw a line of at least 1000 passengers waiting to exit.  It seems that UK Customs agents had boarded the ship and were checking passengers before they left the ship.  We were in line for more than an hour before we got to the Customs agent.  We had allowed more than an hour to get to the bus terminal for our ride to Heathrow.  On previous cruises to Southampton we had made the short ride to the bus station in 10 or 15 minutes, so an hour seemed like plenty of time.  It wasn't, of course, so we missed our bus.  The next scheduled bus was fully booked, and the one after that wouldn't get us to the airport in time.  A cab ride to Heathrow seemed like the only alternative at the time, and it cost over $175.

 

A couple of weeks ago we returned to Miami after a cruise to Panama and back on the Sky.  We managed to get off the ship and into the terminal building in short order, then the line of passengers ground to a halt.  It was about 90 minutes of stop and go inching along until we reached the US Customs agents who barely looked at our documents before allowing us to pass.

 

We had a similar issue on the BA, lined up for self assist by 7 am, got off the ship at 11:30, lack of agents. Wouldn’t have been an issue but my daughter needed to be at church for her confirmation at noon. We got her there, went home to change (unshowered). It was November and we spent a couple hours on an outside deck in line.

[The Traveling Man]

8 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

We had a similar experience in 2020 in Manhattan getting off the Gem.  Prior to 2020, I don't recall this being a problem in Manhattan.  Is this the current process everywhere now?

Our negative Manhattan cruise terminal experience was on the Escape in September 2018.

[laudergayle]

9 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Or you could opt for a red eye.  Don't worry about getting off first, could probably be last off ship.

Uber to LAX or even John Wayne, and wait around.

We thought about that last year, but decided on the overnight and morning flight out of John Wayne (which had better to-from connections for us). 

Had some serious nap time to get back on a normal schedule before flying, and found a good brewpub nearby for late afternoon food.

 

For me, Red Eyes are the worst…lol.  Based on what I’m seeing here…I think we’ll take our time getting off and get an airport hotel for the night for an early flight back to ATL.  The Red Eye for international travel is doable since you’re arriving to an amazing destination…but a red eye back to routine…hard pass!!

 

to the OP…thank you for sharing your experience today so others, like myself, can make better decisions for our return travel…but sorry you had such an extended chaotic disembarkation.

Edited March 12, 2023 by laudergayle

[Panhandle Couple]

3 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

For me, Red Eyes are the worst…lol.  Based on what I’m seeing here…I think we’ll take our time getting off and get an airport hotel for the night for an early flight back to ATL.  The Red Eye for international travel is doable since you’re arriving to an amazing destination…but a red eye back to routine…hard pass! 

Yes I agree.

But not everyone has the money and time for an extra night.  We are retired so no schedule for back to work. 

[InfrequentPNWCruiser]

5 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Our negative Manhattan cruise terminal experience was on the Escape in September 2018.

Same for us in 2019 with the Escape at MCT. Getting of the ship was easy but CBP was only allowing a dribble at a time to go onto the terminal. Once you got there, including picking up the luggage it was like about 10 min to the street as facial recognition was being used. All depends on CBP staff levels ( same goes with TSA staff at the airport) on how smooth debarkation will be.

[The Traveling Man]

21 minutes ago, InfrequentPNWCruiser said:

All depends on CBP staff levels ( same goes with TSA staff at the airport) on how smooth debarkation will be.

We have only had the global Entry pass for a few months, but we have taken three international trips since then.  It has really paid for itself when returning home, especially when half a dozen or so international flights land at DFW within minutes of each other and the line at Customs goes from zero to 1000 people in a minute.  The card has holographic images of a plane and a ship.  Too bad CBP doesn't make use of it at cruise terminals.

[luckybecky]

2 hours ago, casofilia said:

Another reason for taking it easy and for having an overnight hotel stop BEFORE your flight.

 

Agreed! Our flight wasn't until 6pm so we had plenty of time. We never like to cut it close at all.  The delay at the terminal was just an inconvenience for us... could have been much worse for others. We had booked a day room at a hotel very close to the airport to have a place to spend the time. We had thought we might go to the pool and then nap. The room was very nice and we were glad to have it instead of sitting for hours at the airport.