cruisinsoooon

I wish there was more communication by Princess on why this delayed disembarkation is happening, and if this is the “new normal”.  The only thing I can find in my Princess documents is the statement that departing flights should not be scheduled prior to 12:30.  Even that can be cutting it close with 1-2 hour delays disembarking, especially considering the ride to LAX.  

Were taxis readily available at the port when you disembarked?  

10 minutes ago, Barry H said:

Has anyone experienced delayed disembarkation in San Pedro recently?

 

It seems like delayed disembarkation is a permanent change for Emerald Princess in the LA, San Pedro Terminal. I see Princess Posting and believe it, but, I always want to know the situation. I know that there are limited immigration officer stations. Are there fewer officers available? Have some been transferred to the Mexico border?

 

We have a 1:30 flight booked through EZ Air and Princess shuttle so they will get us rebooked.

 

For those with early flights, hope the disembarkation goes smoothly.

I’m with you.....  I read all of the Princess postings, but I always want to know the situation, what people are really experiencing.  

Hmmm, now I’m wondering about disembarking in LA.  Our usual, including in LA, has been to self-carry off our luggage in the first group.... off the ship by 8:00, through customs, grab a taxi, and be at the airport by 9:00.  I’m getting the feeling this may no longer work?  On top of that, the airline just notified us our flight out of LA has been moved up earlier to 10:30 (yikes).   I’m thinking these CBP delays and the involuntary earlier flight change might necessitate changing to a later flight?  

I appreciate all of the responses that are coming through.  I’m learning a lot about satellites, and am encouraged by the great experiences some have had.  And yes, we did advance purchase the unlimited internet packages.  We will be on the Emerald going to Hawaii and the South Pacific. 

Wow - that’s great to hear. Beats having to download music, movies, etc, before leaving home. Thanks!

We will be cruising in a few months, the first time with Medallion Net.  I’ve looked for experiences using Medallion Net for streaming shows and music, but haven’t been able to find discussions.  Princess says streaming will work for shows and music, but I’m a bit leary.  Has anybody REALLY been able to listen to streaming music such as Apple Music or XM Radio?  

Sharing information in case it will be helpful for others:  Using the online calculator, it gave us a total price of $666 to ship two  bags, 50 lbs. each, from the East Coast to Los Angeles (San Pedro) and back. 

Thanks everyone for your replies. So a few used it, but prices seem to vary some, so I will probably call to ask about our specific needs. The EZ Check is great, but does anyone know if that is offered when leaving LAX to return home after a cruise?

We recently received a letter from Princess about using “Luggage Forward” to have our cruise luggage shipped from our home to our cruise ship, where it will be delivered directly to our cabin. Has anyone used this service, or heard anything about it?  Sure sounds tempting.

38 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

I will second, third and fourth that motion!!!

And I’ll fifth and sixth that motion. On our last cruise it was crazy just trying to get a call through. So many people wanted to change their mini bars. They were so busy we couldn’t get ours switched out until the third day.  Even without Medallion, perhaps a way to order the change similar to how you can order a case of water, fresh fruit, etc, when checking in online. 

Ohhh okay. Thanks!

Is Ocean Medallion on Emerald Princess?  In the News Center article on the Princess website, it says Emerald has it.  When I go to the ship descriptions on Princess, it says Emerald will get it in August 2020.  Unless I’m reading something wrong somewhere.  

My understanding is the The Sanctuary is promoted as a tranquil, restful setting where quiet conversation is allowed. It does not need to be completely silent. As long as people use "indoor" voices, then that is fine.

 

Most Sanctuary visitors are there to nap at times, read a book, or listen through their headphones to music, podcasts, and audio book, etc. As long as others use quiet voices, it is fine to converse.

 

The problem happens when passengers who want to be in "party mode" become increasingly animated and boisterous. Almost all the pools, bars, and lounges are glad to accommodate louder boisterous passengers who want to join in an animated conversation.

 

I wouldn't speak to the Sanctuary attendants about passengers conversing in calm, quiet voices, but if a group of passengers becomes boisterous and increasingly loud, they may wish to move on to a bar or poolside. There should be some tranquil spaces on the ship and some places where boisterous, animated, louder social interaction is welcome. Something for everyone. :) JMO -- EBC

Well said!

If anything, this thread has taught me that I will never bother paying for the Sanctuary if I'm going to be shot nasty looks every time I dare open my mouth to talk to my husband. And no, I don't drink or party and I'm actually a quiet person who finds loud people intolerable- and this sounds too library-like even for me. So thanks for the informative thread!

I should clarify. I too am a quiet person and enjoyed the serenity of the Sanctuary on several prior cruises. It was peaceful for reading and snoozing. It was not really library-like. There isn't a problem when people talk to others in low voices; that is expected and not disturbing to others.

What we experienced was several people had gathered in the gazebo; every seat was full. They were sharing stories, talking in loud voices, and laughing loudly, and it was not a brief happening. It went on for a few hours. My husband and I, and I noticed a few others, sat up and looked in their direction thinking they might get the hint, to no avail.

I would not have been comfortable confronting them directly. In retrospect, we probably should have said something to the attendants. However, we wondered if anything would have been done (e.g. we've never seen the removal of towels from unused deck chairs enforced by crew ). As someone previously mentioned, it seems Princess doesn't want to ruffle anyone's feathers.

What I did do was address it when I responded to the post-cruise survey. Along with giving feedback on everything good about the cruise (and it was a lot), I explained the Sanctuary situation in detail with a kind suggestion that they may want to consider making guidelines known, and enforcing them.

Thanks to all who have shared their perspectives. I like learning from the experiences of other cruisers.

It's been a few years since we've cruised Celebrity, and we'd like to know the up-to-date policy on smoking. Outside only?

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. It's helpful to hear about different perspectives and experiences.

You are right - we pay good money for the Sanctuary. Nothing was posted at the entrance, which made me wonder if anyone has seen anything anywhere. I haven't completed my survey yet, and wanted to check on the experiences of others before I do. I believe my suggestion will be for them to clearly post the guidelines. We thought perhaps people would follow the lead of the crew members who work there.... they all speak in hushed voices when they communicate with you, so as not to disturb others.

We have returned from 20 days on the Royal Princess and overall, it was a great time. We used the Sanctuary six times this cruise, and had used it on several cruises prior to this one. It used to be a quiet, peaceful, and restful place where people spoke in very low voices so as not to disturb others. This time, there was a lot of loud talking and laughing which we found disturbing. It was especially bad in the center covered gazebo where people would congregate on the couches and chairs and have group conversations. We thought that was inappropriate, but then couldn't find any rules/guidelines for the Sanctuary. Has anyone experienced such behavior there, or have you seen any guidelines?

Its Pier 91 not Pier 66, its a couple of miles north not within walking distance to downtown.

Thanks for your response. For clarification: This would be the Crown. On the port schedule it is listed as Pier 66, unless something has changed.

What is a good plan for a stop in Seattle on a coastal cruise? Is Pier 66 to the city walkable to see the highlights at our own pace? Some of the excursions seem limited to seeing 1 or 2 things, but then again it's all figured out for you. If we wanted to get to Chihuly on our own too, is it doable? I think I'm getting overwhelmed trying to figure the best option.

Thanks for all the input. We fly United and found that they don't fly out of LGB, so that's out. The taxi option, though likely more expensive, might be the fastest. Again, I don't know about LAX since it's our first time, but our experience with shuttles in the past has been agonizingly slow by the time they load and leave, and then again stopping at multiple terminals. We'll continue to look at all the options we're learning. Thanks, everyone!

Thinking of taking a Coastal Cruise which ends in Los Angeles. Can anyone help me with transportation options at the end of the cruise from the pier to LAX airport? And if we can get priority disembarkation, what would be the earliest flight we should consider? I've read a few things about heavy traffic during business rush hours, though this will be a Saturday morning. You can probably tell I have no clue. All advice appreciated. Thanks.

No, couldn't find anything listed on the ship's listing. (Forgot to mention that in my first post.) I know they used to because we've done this cruise before, but we didn't choose the one that went to Lunenburg. Now that we are interested in it, we couldn't find it listed. Thanks for your reply.

Are there any tours that go to Lunenburg and Mahone Bay from Halifax?

Do the Jr Suites have lounge chairs on the balconies?