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Coast Guard Inspection- Delayed Boarding


Amy G
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We set sail on the Regal this Sunday and I got an email that boarding will be delayed due to the CG inspection. It has staggered boarding based on decks starting at 1:30. It does not mention anything about Platinum or Elite priority boarding. Does anyone have experience with this? As Platinum members, will we be able to board earlier than our assigned deck boarding time? Thanks!

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We set sail on the Regal this Sunday and I got an email that boarding will be delayed due to the CG inspection. It has staggered boarding based on decks starting at 1:30. It does not mention anything about Platinum or Elite priority boarding. Does anyone have experience with this? As Platinum members, will we be able to board earlier than our assigned deck boarding time? Thanks!

Yes.

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Happened to us in San Pedro a few years back. Luckily, our status with the hotel allowed us to have a late checkout. Hours later, we decided to wait in the lobby with friends. The shuttle driver came in and said they had just started boarding and he was working way over his time because of the delay and needed to get home so if we wanted a ride, we had to go. They were delayed longer than planned.

It was a zoo. We are elite and we're in a suite and people were backed up outside. No place to sit.

90 percent were elite on the cruise do just about everyone was priority but it didn't mean anything.

I would wait as long as you can. Much more comfortable. Go have a nice lunch somewhere and don't be in a hurry to get there.

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Happened to us in San Pedro a few years back. Luckily, our status with the hotel allowed us to have a late checkout. Hours later, we decided to wait in the lobby with friends. The shuttle driver came in and said they had just started boarding and he was working way over his time because of the delay and needed to get home so if we wanted a ride, we had to go. They were delayed longer than planned.

It was a zoo. We are elite and we're in a suite and people were backed up outside. No place to sit.

90 percent were elite on the cruise do just about everyone was priority but it didn't mean anything.

I would wait as long as you can. Much more comfortable. Go have a nice lunch somewhere and don't be in a hurry to get there.

 

Thanks. We were so looking forward to boarding early and hanging out by the pool, eating some lunch... Now we have to rethink our plans!

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The cruise line probably has no idea how detailed the inspection will be as it sounds like this is not one of the regularly schedule inspections. Yes, you will still be able to board before the "regulars," but there is no way for you to predict how many Elites are on your cruise. Bottom line...if you show up early, you've been warned and can be prepared to wait. Alternatively, as above, enjoy lunch somewhere and then go to the port. Sure, you may pay for a lunch that you could have eaten on board, but it beats being in a ton of people at the terminal with inadequate seats, bathrooms that have run out of supplies, empty vending machines, etc. Can you tell that I've had one of those many hour waits?

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We just got the notification that our cruise on the Caribbean Princess on the 11th will have an inspection as well.

 

Big difference for us though is the cruise starting on the 11th is the 2nd half of a B2B.

 

Anyone know how the delay will affect intransit passengers? This is our first time doing a B2B and have read how relaxed turnaround day is. Just wondering how this will change that day for us?

 

Thanks!

 

 

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The amount of time the inspection takes is not so much how "detailed" it is, but more in how well the crew perform their duties during the drill. The inspection itself will take most, if not all, of the time from docking to sail away, but it will be in areas that don't affect passengers. The crew drill, if the performance does not meet the SOLAS standards, can be repeated, and in extreme cases repeated again, until it does meet standards.

 

As for a B2B passenger, you will still need to disembark, and then whatever Princess' standard policy is for reboarding transit passengers will apply. What will be affected is that service in many areas will be limited or closed while the crew are at drill, and the promenade deck and other public areas (the simulated fire zone) will be closed to passenger access during the drill.

 

You will likely see USCG inspectors and ship's officers around the ship during the remainder of the port stay, checking things like sprinklers and lifeboats and rafts. If things are found to be what we call "no sail" items, like the lifejackets on an RCI ship a couple years ago, this could delay sailing until it is remedied.

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You will not be able to board until the coast guard allows people on. The boarding time you wee given is a suggestion, not a mandate.

 

Keep in mind there will probably be long lines which will grow as the CG delay goes on.

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Anyone know if we can drop off luggage while they are inspecting and come back to board later in the day?

 

Yes you can do that. It's a great option. You get rid of your bags and go hang out somewhere nicer or take a tour.

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Thanks everyone. We will decide what to do on Sunday as we fly to FLL tomorrow. We will either stay at the hotel at the pool and grab some lunch nearby, or take Uber somewhere for lunch, leaving our luggage at the hotel, or take the luggage to the port and grab lunch nearby. Long flight to figure that out. :)

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Bottom line...if you show up early' date=' you've been warned and can be prepared to wait. Alternatively, as above, enjoy lunch somewhere and then go to the port. Sure, you may pay for a lunch that you could have eaten on board, but it beats being in a ton of people at the terminal with inadequate seats, bathrooms that have run out of supplies, empty vending machines, etc. Can you tell that I've had one of those many hour waits?

 

Agree....having waited for an unanticipated inspection for our first Royal Princess cruise, this sounds like a better plan than being out there waiting and waiting with all of the mass of people.

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The water taxi would be a good option. It is a short walk' date=' just under the bridge. It is a hop-on-hop-off affair with lots of dining/shopping options along with great sights.[/quote']

 

 

 

Can you walk to the water taxi from the pier? How long of a walk? I have 2 kids with me

 

 

 

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The water taxi would be a good option. It is a short walk' date=' just under the bridge. It is a hop-on-hop-off affair with lots of dining/shopping options along with great sights.[/quote']

 

Thank you for great suggestion! I think we might do just that - drop off the bags to the porters and go take a water taxi ride. We are Platinum, but our flight is arriving at 9 am to FLL, normally all said and done we would be at port at 11 am (IMHO perfect boarding time). So if we drop off the luggage and come back after 2 pm to complete boarding process, we should be all good.

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Haven't received the delayed boarding email yet. Our very first Princess cruise too!

 

From the current posts, its the Regal this Sunday and the Caribbean Princess on April 11. Not sure which ship or date you sail.

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We just got the notification that our cruise on the Caribbean Princess on the 11th will have an inspection as well.

 

Big difference for us though is the cruise starting on the 11th is the 2nd half of a B2B.

 

Anyone know how the delay will affect intransit passengers? This is our first time doing a B2B and have read how relaxed turnaround day is. Just wondering how this will change that day for us?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I will be on this cruise sailing the 11th. I'm curious as to how this goes asswell.

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