DAllenTCY

4* boarding certainly depends on the length of the sailing at any port.

On the longer voyages from San Diego recently there have been as many as 800 priority guests.....as mentioned here on CC almost 30%.  There is no priority when so many have the same expectation of going ahead of the rest.  

What I've noticed more and more lately is that guests arrive without a Boarding Pass with a bar code.  One of my co-workers mentioned that 40% of those sailing today did not have one.  In such a case, boarding is delayed because a bar code is required to board the ship. 

It is very difficult to view your priority status when you present your bar code on a hand held phone.  The printing is too small to view in a crowded atmosphere.

Please print your Boarding Pass.....three or less days before your trip in order for shore side staff to recognize your status.

David

Those same people probably will take the wrong suitcase at the end of the sailing, too.

How difficult is it to recognize your own name?

David

Thanks for all of your posts....and future ones on the way to New England.

If you are going ashore for a while, I'd like to than you in person.

David

6:50 pm or thereabouts.

David

I sailed on the Carnival Horizon in March 2023 and I was impressed with dining....so  I booked on the Carnival Panorama August 2023 expecting the same food options and quality.

The dining in specialty restaurants aside....I was disappointed.

Two nearly identical ships...not the same experience.

David

The Broadway Pier has no covered space outside of the terminal.  You might consider bringing a small plastic sheet to put over you while waiting to get into the building.

Umbrellas can pose a danger to others in a confined space.

Your best access to the pier would be directly west on Broadway in order to avoid the congestion at the B. Street pier which will berth Disney Wonder and Koningsdam.

The view of the eclipse should be well worth your inconvenience to board.....I believe.

David

Not just San Diego...."smash and grab", looting, thefts, car break ins, assaults, robberies etc. are on the rise all over California.  San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Orange County.....every day.

There are simply no consequences.  No bail means that even if you have been arrested you walk free in less than a few hours.

Repeat criminals are let go with a court date.

Unless a weapon has been displayed....it is no longer a crime to steal a purse.

Squatters cannot be evicted anymore.

Public transit rider numbers have decreased rapidly because of fear.

Law enforcement has their hands tied.

It seems as if since Covid, nobody does jail time anymore.

David

As I have state before....the city of San Diego has more urgent needs than a cruise terminal.

We have thousands of homeless and mentally ill roaming the streets.

The city purchased a huge building at 101 Ash St. a few years ago downtown that is uninhabited and tangled in lawsuits. 

https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2022/07/26/city-council-approves-legal-settlement-on-101-ash-street-civic-center-plaza/

The city has spent many millions of dollars in legal fees regarding prime land along Mission Bay called DeAnza Cove.  It has not been redeveloped as yet ten years later due to lack of funding.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/de-anza-cove-settlement-verdict-comes-today/2081364/

Other downtown vacant buildings are being vandalized.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fire-breaks-out-at-vacant-downtown-san-diego-building/ar-BB1k9Oed

Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, no longer port in San Diego.

Disney Cruise Line has downsized from 50+ sailings to 20 in the next 18 months.

It is disheartening to me as I enjoy cruising and being helpful to others who do too.

David

Self Assist guests do not receive nor require any colored luggage tags.

The terminal was occupied by the Disney Wonder yesterday and it will be the same on Saturday. The Zaandam will be down the block at Broadway.

A flight departing the airport after 11:30 am has not been an issue.

Taxi drivers line up at the pier starting at 6 am.  Uber/Lyft drivers show up when you contract with them.....and they seldom want to enter the traffic loop at the port.  Porters are not allowed out of the gate, so you may have to consider whether a taxi or ride-share is more convenient versus less costly if you have luggage or mobility issues.

David

Pre-Check and Clear lines are often longer...I'll take off my belt and separate my laptop at the other line instead.

Weather?.... Disney Wonder departed at 5 pm on the same course to Cabo San Lucas.

David

The cruise that ended was 35 days.  The logistics of loading on the south side of the pier presents problems....and then the rain came.

David

Your colored luggage tag indicates that you have purchased a bus transfer from the ship to the airport..

Yesterday's 

            BLACK       

            RED

            GREEN

            GRAY

            BROWN

David

She's sailing a bit late because there are so many items to replenish.

David 

Check the Navigator App..... and check to see if you've received an e-mail from Holland America.

Re-print your "Boarding Pass"  a few days before and be certain it has a bar code.

Quite a few of our San Diego shoreside staff will be sailing with you.

David

When the NCL Jewel last sailed from San Diego, they primarily used staff that were bussed down from Los Angeles for the day.  I even spoke to a representative who had been flown in from New York City to work.  She was not alone making that trip.

NCL shoreside workers are employed by a different company (SMS) than those who reside in San Diego County and work Disney, Holland America, and Crystal at the port (Intercruises) on a regular basis.  A few are able to work for both companies simultaneously, but it is very rare.

"Customer experience" can be affected by:

         How many passenger are boarding....Volendam 1,350 vs Koningsdam 2,550

         One ship or two in port on the same day NCL/Disney....NCL/Holland America  4,500+

         Weather...hot....cold....rain

         Familiarity with the port as noted above

         Etc....etc.

The city of San Diego attempted years ago to build a modern cruise terminal at the foot of Broadway.  The design was challenged in court for 7 years and ultimately reduced in size to appease what local residents downtown.... and the US Customs service....would accept.

San Diego has more urgent problems....the homeless....migrant issues....ongoing law suits regarding 101 Ash Street...De Anza Cove expenses...high crime rate.

There is not any support from either the county or city politicians to address poor cruise line "customer experiences"

The escalator at the B Street Pier has been out of service since October.  Who seems to care?

David

Your other alternative would be to take Amtrak to Oceanside and get picked up by your family there.

Between the Coaster and Amtrak....service is almost hourly to Oceanside.

David

The easiest way to get to Carlsbad (either Poinsettia or Villiage) from San Diego is via the Coaster commuter train.

https://gonctd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/COASTER-Schedule-Flyer-October-9-2023-REV.pdf

There is a free shuttle from the San Diego Airport to the Old Town station which runs about every 20 minutes.

David

Your "priority status" comes into play when boarding the ship....not when arriving for check-in or going through the security screening process.

Boarding Groups aka "Boarding Times" are intended to space out arrivals at the pier in order to improve your experience as well as to allow port workers in San Diego to abide by California state laws regarding lunch periods.

Every employee in San Diego must take a break after 5 hours.  That includes stevedores, traffic enforcement, security, guest services, and check-in agents.

As a result, when disembarkation begins at 7:30 am.....there will be repercussions between 12 noon and 1 pm.  Lines do grow longer.

Arriving after 1:30 pm is suggested.

David

It is nearly impossible to read priority status on a cell phone Navigator screen. 

Take a minute to print your document where the stars and/or ""Priority" are easy for the shore staff outside of the terminal to see. 

Be certain to have a bar code on it as well.

David

The boarding process has improved greatly because disembarkation has evolved.

Facial recognition allows for a rapid screening of guests by a 10 second process. No longer do you have to be "interviewed" by a customs agent.

Rather than a 4 hour ordeal, the process now takes about 2 1/2 hours.  The first guest usually have exited the ship about 7:30 am.  Around 10 am we can begin to see longshore workers arrive at the entry gate because they no longer need to assist in the luggage hall.

Early arrival times in San Diego are now 10:20 am for priority Group A.

Actual boarding the ship via the gangway normally begins at 11:30 am.

It is much better that what I recall in years past.

David

Neptune Suite guests are among the many sailing who are offered "priority".  

For example the Koningsdam sailings may have: 

President's Club = 6

5 Star                 = 140

4 Star                 = 443

Hotel to ship       = 113

Airport to ship     = 218

Neptune Suites   =  40

That is more than 1/3 of those who are embarking!

And it is not an unusual event any more. The ships are larger and many are used to the 'good old days' when most of the fleet were 1,200-1,350 at full capacity.

David

Yes, you should be worried....it might rain that day. That is the only thing that is uncertain to me.

It will be crowded with over 6,000 people getting off two ships and another 6,000 getting on at the same pier.  

We are not "unfriendly".....just having to ask over and over again of your fellow guests to have their documents in hand and be ready to show a bar code either on paper or your phone.

Expect that your mom will be among many others who need wheelchair assistance. 

Your best bet is to arrive at the pier after 2 pm.  

David

If you don't show a bar code on your Boarding Pass.....try.....try again.

Usually 3 days out you will have one.

David

We ask when you depart the pier because there are two terminals (1/4 mile apart).  It used to be 3, and eventually will be again when Phase 2 of the new Terminal One extension is completed.

The airport has designated one stop at Terminal Two which is in the center.  

https://sanmap.san.org/Html5Viewer/Index.html?viewer=sanmap

Traffic officers will cite the bus driver if he/she should stop anywhere other than that "Bus Stop".

Your alternative would taxi, Uber,or Lyft. 

David