Getting off Royal Princess in Le Havre instead of Southampton

We will be sailing on the Royal Princess British Isles cruise in August and were hoping to disembark a day early in France (Le Havre).The agent I booked with inquired with Princess and they said it was not possible because of customs and security,she even asked a second time to no avail.We were on a similar cruise last yr on Royal Carribean where people had taken a tour into Paris and brought their luggage.Does anybody have any info or experience with this?

We will be sailing on the Royal Princess British Isles cruise in August and were hoping to disembark a day early in France (Le Havre).The agent I booked with inquired with Princess and they said it was not possible because of customs and security,she even asked a second time to no avail.We were on a similar cruise last yr on Royal Carribean where people had taken a tour into Paris and brought their luggage.Does anybody have any info or experience with this?

They used to allow, even sold the BI cruise with a 1 day shorter option ending in Le Havre, with some new passengers boarding there for the next cruise.

They might have changed their minds about allowing it after the fiasco a few weeks ago when the ship could not make the Le Havre stop.

They do not appear to have the Le Havre 1 day shorter option in August. If not then there are probably not any arrangements for entry into the EU Schengen zone, in which case they will not approve the deviation.

I am not sure if this is applicable to your cruise but Princess have started a series of British Isles cruises with alternative start/finish locations, Southampton, Dublin and Le Havre. I should think if this is true for your cruise it might be possible to change your disembarkation port. This might only be possible if they do the correct administrative procedures on board and amend your information. Last resort ask on board also phone Carnival House Southampton with a general enquiry. What passport are you using may make a difference too.

Regards John

Yes unless you have already bought your air or made final payment change the cruise to both embark and disembark in LeHavre.

I just sailed this itinerary (we did Southampton round trip) and heard people say a limited number of people are approved to do what you are asking. Beyond that they decline the request.

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We did this on the May 13 departure from Southampton. We had received permission (through travel agent) about 3 weeks in advance of the cruise departing. We even had EZ air booked already, to London and from CDG (but it wouldn't let us pick departure from CDG on the day we docked in Le Havre, we had to pick at least the day the cruise ended (in Southampton)). When the request was made, it wasn't approved instantly, but Princess reported to the travel agent "it shouldn't be a problem." So that was before the transatlantic cruise couldn't dock in Le Havre. But if we hadn't been able to dock there, since we had booked Southampton to Southampton, Princess didn't have any obligation to get us to Le Havre, so it's not much skin off their nose if the ship didn't make it, other than unhappy passengers without a real right to complain (unlike passengers who had booked the Le Havre to Le Havre cruise).

You can find my post about how early disembarkation in LeHavre worked for us if you look at my post from June 9. I didn't hear anything about a "limited" number being able to do so, and we booked pretty close to departure, but I also didn't talk to other people about it.

O.k. thank you.What I dont understand, is that this cruise also starts the day before ours in Le Havre,so passengers will be getting off then.We would have taken that one but went to London last year and loved it, so thought we would do London pre-cruise and Paris post-cruise.

That was our plan two years ago after a b2b. We had train tickets purchased to Paris.

But

There was a port strike and we could not go to LaHarve. We overnighted in Belgium (I think). Ended up taking the bus to Paris for the lsdtport.

We had no issues getting permission to leave early.

That's frustrating, I'm sorry. I might just keep asking. French authorities come on board and you see them for immigration. They look at your face and stamp your passport when you walk through the lounge where they are stationed. Maybe they are trying to limit the number of people who need to come through there so immigration only has to schedule an hour on board?

Princess is selling the Le Havre to Le Havre cruise in August, for some reason it did not show on the last search I did. If your cruise on the Royal stops in LeHavre on Aug 4, Aug 16 or Aug 28. There will be passengers disembarking there and having to clear customs. You might want to have your TA contact them again and provide them with that information and see if their story changes.

I am taking this cruise in August, and tried to do the same thing. I was told that Princess is only allowed to disembark a certain number of passengers at LeHavre due to French immigration. The bulk of that number will be passengers that embarked on the cruise in Le Havre.

At the time we requested a route deviation that number had been met, and I was told I could reapply at a later time to see if space had opened up due to cancellations. We just decided to disembark in Edinburgh instead and stay an extra day there before flying to Paris. Airfare was very reasonable, 90£ each, including seat assignment and luggage fees. Normally I wouldn’t leave so early on a cruise, but it was the only way we could spend three days in Paris. We just changed cabins to an obstructed view balcony, and that savings is covering our hotels in both Edinburgh and Paris so I ended up being happy I was denied Le Havre!

Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities, and now we will be able to enjoy another day. We have booked a couple of Fringe festival performances and will still be able to see the many historical sights.

This probably won’t be what most people would want to do as an alternative, but it is an option if you have limited time, and really want to spend a few days in Paris. It is actually easier to fly to Paris from Edinburgh,than Southampton since there are multiple carriers with nonstop flights throughout the day. We are in Paris much earlier than we would have been had we disembarked in Le Havre, so that’s a plus. It is my daughter’s first trip to Europe, so fitting Paris in was a priority for us!

There was a thread on this posted quite recently..it was very long..but might be worth a read...

One of the liners missed Le Havre and sailed straight to Southampton causing chaos for those with forward arrangements from Le Havre. It was initially reported that there was no help or compensation from Princess. Later I believe there was some compression, in the form of OBC offered.

I am taking this cruise in August, and tried to do the same thing. I was told that Princess is only allowed to disembark a certain number of passengers at LeHavre due to French immigration. The bulk of that number will be passengers that embarked on the cruise in Le Havre.

 

 

 

At the time we requested a route deviation that number had been met, and I was told I could reapply at a later time to see if space had opened up due to cancellations. We just decided to disembark in Edinburgh instead and stay an extra day there before flying to Paris. Airfare was very reasonable, 90£ each, including seat assignment and luggage fees. Normally I wouldn’t leave so early on a cruise, but it was the only way we could spend three days in Paris. We just changed cabins to an obstructed view balcony, and that savings is covering our hotels in both Edinburgh and Paris so I ended up being happy I was denied Le Havre!

 

 

 

Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities, and now we will be able to enjoy another day. We have booked a couple of Fringe festival performances and will still be able to see the many historical sights.

 

 

 

This probably won’t be what most people would want to do as an alternative, but it is an option if you have limited time, and really want to spend a few days in Paris. It is actually easier to fly to Paris from Edinburgh,than Southampton since there are multiple carriers with nonstop flights throughout the day. We are in Paris much earlier than we would have been had we disembarked in Le Havre, so that’s a plus. It is my daughter’s first trip to Europe, so fitting Paris in was a priority for us!

Hope you are aware that the port that the Royal Princess uses for Edinburgh is South Queensferry, which is a tender port. The Royal is too tall to get under the bridge going into the harbor! We were there a couple of weeks ago on the Royal. I have no idea how much risk you are taking on to leave the cruise three nights early, at a tender port, but wish you good luck. Our sailing missed Invergordon due to high winds.

I would definitely recommend traveling as light as possible in order to get your luggage and hand carry onto and off of the tender boat. The gangway getting onto the tender was narrow with handrails and I remember going down a flight of stairs to board it. The Patter said that those using wheelchairs and walkers would not be permitted to get off at this port due to the tendering, however I saw a walker being stored on the way back so that person must have had some mobility to board the tender. The seas were fairly choppy that day. Getting off at The South Queensferry dock was fairly easy and once off the pier was very short before you reached the street.

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It is really easy to get from Southampton to London by train and then changing to St Pancras (my favourite station) and catching the Eurostar straight into the centre of Paris. You do have to book ahead for the best prices - and have no more than one suitcase and a carry on to manage the underground.

I am English and that is the way I would do it if you find that you cannot easily change to Le Havre. You are not going to be stressed about missing ports that way. The Eurostar is so easy.

Thank you for the helpful replies.I have contacted Princess directly and am waiting for a response.My first request was in January but am thinking now I would like a copy of the correspondence from my TA,to make sure it was done properly or where to put the blame.Worst case I think would be the train option,which isnt so bad,just seems like a lot of time and effort to go back to where I just came from.Will post my reply from Princess when I receive it.

Our ship missed Le Havre last year. Seems to happen often. Better have a backup plan!

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Maybe change is because UK left the EU. Immigration may be issue.

Maybe change is because UK left the EU. Immigration may be issue.

The United Kingdom is still in the EU and will continue to still be in the EU until after this cruise is completed. I think March 2019 is the key date. If the traveller on this cruise is a non-EU citizen it may be a slight problem but other non-EU citizens will be disembarking in France.

Regards John

Thank you for the helpful replies.I have contacted Princess directly and am waiting for a response.My first request was in January but am thinking now I would like a copy of the correspondence from my TA,to make sure it was done properly or where to put the blame.Worst case I think would be the train option,which isnt so bad,just seems like a lot of time and effort to go back to where I just came from.Will post my reply from Princess when I receive it.

Please update us with what happens. I want to do the same thing on the Crown next year. You can start in Southampton or Le Havre so I wouldn't think it would be a problem to leave a day early.

I agree about the train. I don't want to take two different trains and end hours getting to somewhere I just left.

Hello all,just to update.I just received a call from my agent,MJ at Paradisecruisecentres in Vancouver.Princess contacted her and approved our early departure in Le Havre.I had contacted them directly and not heard anything,then this morning I hear from my agent that they emailed her to say it was o.k.I honestly think this forum had something to do with it.I had put a deposit on a hotel in London with free cancellation and cancelled immediately when I realized I wasn't getting what I wanted.I tried for a month to get a refund with no luck,frustrated,I posted a review on tripadvisor.Well,that got their attention.Anyway,that is such a relief,now I can book my transport and hotel in Paris for that nt.Happy Cruising

Like WNcruiser, my sister and I are interested in doing this next year, too. Thanks so much Cruiselover001 for this post and for updating, much appreciated!

I would be prepared if the ship misses Le Havre. Seems to be happening more than usual.

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I would be prepared if the ship misses Le Havre. Seems to be happening more than usual.

 

 

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I can see how you are thinking but the cruise line seems to be running a continuous series of round trip cruises starting in Le Havre, Southampton or Dublin. Under these circumstances it seems appropriate that you are disembarked at the correct port according to your documentation.

If a port is missed completely due to bad weather for example and it is the final one surely the cruise line is responsible for transporting you to the final port. If it is not safe to dock on the day surely when they arrive at the next port they are legally responsible for returning you by some other means at the cruise line's expense.

It should be noted that another group of people on the quayside will need to embark at Le Havre where the ship fails to dock and presumably the cruise line also has a legal responsibility to transport those people to the next port for embarkation.

Regards John

I can see how you are thinking but the cruise line seems to be running a continuous series of round trip cruises starting in Le Havre, Southampton or Dublin. Under these circumstances it seems appropriate that you are disembarked at the correct port according to your documentation.

 

If a port is missed completely due to bad weather for example and it is the final one surely the cruise line is responsible for transporting you to the final port. If it is not safe to dock on the day surely when they arrive at the next port they are legally responsible for returning you by some other means at the cruise line's expense.

 

It should be noted that another group of people on the quayside will need to embark at Le Havre where the ship fails to dock and presumably the cruise line also has a legal responsibility to transport those people to the next port for embarkation.

 

Regards John

Not if Le Havre is a port stop as it was on the last couple of recent situations I read about here on CC.

The passenger requested to get off in Le Havre instead of Southampton because they wanted to be closer to Paris their ultimate destination. The ship missed the stop and Princess told them to pound sand when they asked for compensation of some kind.

Transporting new embarking passengers from Le Havre to Southampton to catch the ship would certainly make sense.

Not if Le Havre is a port stop as it was on the last couple of recent situations I read about here on CC.

The passenger requested to get off in Le Havre instead of Southampton because they wanted to be closer to Paris their ultimate destination. The ship missed the stop and Princess told them to pound sand when they asked for compensation of some kind.

Transporting new embarking passengers from Le Havre to Southampton to catch the ship would certainly make sense.

We have ended two Princess cruises in Le Havre when the ship was going on to Southampton as its final port. Our most recent experience was in 2014 on the Ruby Princess. In that case we simply asked our cruise agent to get permission for an early disembarkation and Princess said they had put it on our record and that we should simply notify Guest Relations during the first 3 days of our cruise. The Guest Relations thanked us, filled out a very short form and told us we could put our luggage out the night before we got to Le Havre. At Le Havre there were no formalities, and once the ship was cleared we were free to walk off anytime, pick up our luggage (just sitting in a pile in the tiny terminal) and go off too places unknown to Princess :).

If our ship had missed the port (which is actually quite rare) we would have simply made our way back to France from Southampton (no biggie) where we spent 3 weeks after the cruise. Princess did make it clear that if the port was missed it was totally our problem what we would do...but we know Europe and getting back to France from England is not difficult.

The OP's post was strange as we have not heard of any issues regarding an early disembarkation in France. Our suspicion is that their agent either never talked to Princess or talked to the wrong person (easy to do with any cruise line) who gave them the wrong information. Early disembarkations in Europe are quite common, especially when in an EU port (which would include Le Havre). Since there are no Visa issues for North Americans it is a simple matter to just walk off the ship :). At Le Havre we have never had any Customs or Passport Control other then the usual procedures the ship goes through to get their clearance.

Hank

We will be sailing on the Royal Princess British Isles cruise in August and were hoping to disembark a day early in France (Le Havre).The agent I booked with inquired with Princess and they said it was not possible because of customs and security,she even asked a second time to no avail.We were on a similar cruise last yr on Royal Carribean where people had taken a tour into Paris and brought their luggage.Does anybody have any info or experience with this?

We got off in Le Havre many years ago, so customs and security issues may have changed since then. We got permission in advance in writing from Princess, requested a "trip deviation" then we simply booked the "Paris on your own tour" and got off the ship with our luggage and took the tour bus into Paris and got a taxi from there to our hotel. Very easy then. Oh, we paid our on board charges the night before on Princess and reminded the Guest Relations were getting off the next day in Le Havre.

I can tell you, at that time when we traveled in and out of Paris... going in there was no custom check, just a passport check. Now days one goes through both at Charles De Gualle. We often stop in Paris in route to other part of Europe or the Middle East, coming from the US. We are going again in October, did this last time 2.5 years ago.

If I were you, I would call Princess direct, if you are a repeat passenger, ask to talk to the Captain's Club Rep. Then you can verify things have changed and what you want to do is no longer possible.

Only other option is go to England and take the train back to Paris.

Good luck.