Mobile dis-embarcation

[LHP]

I just got home from Mobile and logged on here to see what had happened in Customs. My family and I stood in line for 2.5 HOURS. 10:00 am - 12:30 pm. We made it back to the Hampton Inn to pick up our car about 1pm.

 

This was our first cruise and I said to my husband that if this how disembarking works - I don't know if I want to go on another. :( Though the cruise itself was a really great time.

 

Debarkation (at any port) got significantly worse (the standing in line part) when Carnival started the self assist (where folks carry their own luggage off).

 

Now that is wonderful for Carnival crew who don't have to unload and stack all that luggage in the correct zone number.....but it did create a lot of standing in line since a HUGE percentage of cruisers use that option.

 

BEFORE self assist....you did not get off the ship any faster, BUT you were sitting on Lido eating breakfast or sitting in the theater or on Promenade....

the bottom line is that while you were still waiting...you were sitting and talking until your color (back then) was called....not standing in a line.

 

Some ports are better than others. I don't see why these new Customs guys could not have been trained on their own time...instead of using the cruisers to practice on.

 

We get Platinum Self Assist and are usually the first ones off the ship....but even that is a toss up from time to time...depending on who is running debarkation.

[LHP]

You can write a letter to Carnival every 5 minutes, but it won't change US Customs procedures. Carnival has ZERO control over their activities.

 

But Carnival DOES have control over whether they continue to sail from that port! ;)

[scperk]

But Carnival DOES have control over whether they continue to sail from that port! ;)

This was cruise number 33 for me and 41 for DW and the last two cruises that ended in Mobile were the absolute worse disembarktions that we have EVER had... Dennis

[LHP]

This was cruise number 33 for me and 41 for DW and the last two cruises that ended in Mobile were the absolute worse disembarktions that we have EVER had... Dennis

 

It is a frustrating way to end a cruise!

 

Sounds like Mobile is to be handled one of three ways....

 

Platinum Self Assist seems to be ok....

 

Platinum Regular Assist IF you spend $5 and use a porter (which allows you to cut in the Customs line)....

 

Wait until 11AM when they throw you off the ship!!! :D

[luv2cruz44]

Sorry you had such a problem, but don't let Customs people keep you from visiting Mobile. DW and I were on the the May 15th Elation cruise and no problem at all with our disembarking.

 

We got off at noon on the 15th after the Fantasy left....There were NO cabs and No rental cars...There was a LPGA going on and all the BP people were still there....It was horrendous getting out of the terminal and getting to the airport.......Dennis

 

 

We were also on the cruise that disembarked the Elation on May 15th. As Dennis has already stated, there were no cabs available as Carnival had disembarked the Fantasy earlier that same day. It got so bad that Carnival actually hired 2 buses to take passengers to the airport at no cost to the passenger. We vowed then that sailing out of Mobile would be something we'd never do again. The only other place we have experienced problems is Long Beach, disembarking the Splendor but I understand they have smoothed that process out.

[LHP]

We were also on the cruise that disembarked the Elation on May 15th. As Dennis has already stated, there were no cabs available as Carnival had disembarked the Fantasy earlier that same day. It got so bad that Carnival actually hired 2 buses to take passengers to the airport at no cost to the passenger. We vowed then that sailing out of Mobile would be something we'd never do again. The only other place we have experienced problems is Long Beach, disembarking the Splendor but I understand they have smoothed that process out.

 

Ann.... PLEASE book the April 13, 2012 to Hawaii....we would love to sail with you!!!!! PLEAZZZZZZ!!!!

[cruising with the family]

My family and I went on our first cruise out of Mobile Aug 23. Getting off the ship was pretty painless, but the line for customs was HORRENDOUS. We got stuck in the "slow line" and it took us 2 hours from the time we got off the ship to get thru the line. It was pretty ridiculous. I don't know what the problem was, but our line (that we were assigned to) was NOT moving AT ALL. Plenty of ppl that got off the ship after us made it through customs in no time, but we did not. It was a really crappy way to end a vacation. :(

[Dive Master]

It is a frustrating way to end a cruise!

 

Sounds like Mobile is to be handled one of three ways....

 

Platinum Self Assist seems to be ok....

 

Platinum Regular Assist IF you spend $5 and use a porter (which allows you to cut in the Customs line)....

 

Wait until 11AM when they throw you off the ship!!! :D

 

 

You forgot the 4th option: Don't cruise out of Mobile.Once was enough for me.

[Nunu]

You forgot the 4th option: Don't cruise out of Mobile.Once was enough for me.

 

+1. Great town. Horrible terminal.

[richcrow]

Sorry you had such a problem, but don't let Customs people keep you from visiting Mobile. DW and I were on the the May 15th Elation cruise and no problem at all with our disembarking.

 

A number of you have posted and referred to my post about no problems with our disembarking on the May 15th Elation cruise. Just like to clear up one thing. I was referring to the cruise that left Mobile on May 15th. Not the cruise that arrived in Mobile from San Diego on May 15th. I know there were problems on that day because of Carnival's dumb decision to have the Fantasy and Elation arriving in Mobile on the same day.

 

As one who lives in Mobile, I hate to read about people's problems embarking and disembarking on cruises out of here. We are proud of our cruise terminal and do believe that any problems experienced are not the fault of the terminal or the good people who work there. I believe that most of these problems are the fault of either Customs or the weather - neither which can be controlled by Mobile or Carnival.

[scperk]

Ann.... PLEASE book the April 13, 2012 to Hawaii....we would love to sail with you!!!!! PLEAZZZZZZ!!!!

Linda, Ann & Gale are booked with us on the Spirit on April 22, 2011 from Hawaii to Vancouver and we can't wait..LOL...One of our cruise mates fron the Elation re-po in booked on your cruise and is begging us to book your cruise...We are booked with her in October 2011 for the re-po from Rome to Galveston on the RCCL Mariner of the Seas......:)..Dennis

[LHP]

You forgot the 4th option: Don't cruise out of Mobile.Once was enough for me.

 

Believe me....after two chaotic EMBARKATIONS ..... I was saying the same thing....

 

but this last one a couple of weeks ago went well. Embark and Debark....

 

In May (on the Fantasy's last run - 7 days) .... we go to check in....

 

we walk up to the Carnival Rep doing the VIP check ins.....and she asks us our name....I tell her and she looks on her sheet and says "Your name is not listed....let me see your Fun Pass."

 

So I showed her our Fun Pass with VIP on it....and she gives me a number and says "go ahead".

 

Hubby heard her turn to another Rep and say "I don't know how they got VIP on their Fun Pass but I don't think they are suppose to be VIP."

 

Hubby (being the wise man that he is) did not tell me this until AFTER we were on the ship....because certainly would have told her HOW we got VIP on our Funpass....try 35 Carnival cruises!

 

Turns out, they list MILESTONE names on the second page ..top right corner...and since all of us were Milestone...that is where our name was.

 

I had to show her a couple of weeks ago....

[LHP]

Linda, Ann & Gale are booked with us on the Spirit on April 22, 2011 from Hawaii to Vancouver and we can't wait..LOL...One of our cruise mates fron the Elation re-po in booked on your cruise and is begging us to book your cruise...We are booked with her in October 2011 for the re-po from Rome to Galveston on the RCCL Mariner of the Seas......:)..Dennis

 

See... the April 22, 2011 cruise can be a PREVIEW of the April 13, 2012 cruise...... :D

 

You all should join us!!!!!! 15 days....Hawaii.....on the Spirit.....

 

tempting....tempting..... ;)

[Nunu]

A number of you have posted and referred to my post about no problems with our disembarking on the May 15th Elation cruise. Just like to clear up one thing. I was referring to the cruise that left Mobile on May 15th. Not the cruise that arrived in Mobile from San Diego on May 15th. I know there were problems on that day because of Carnival's dumb decision to have the Fantasy and Elation arriving in Mobile on the same day.

 

As one who lives in Mobile, I hate to read about people's problems embarking and disembarking on cruises out of here. We are proud of our cruise terminal and do believe that any problems experienced are not the fault of the terminal or the good people who work there. I believe that most of these problems are the fault of either Customs or the weather - neither which can be controlled by Mobile or Carnival.

 

I saw zero interest in anyone caring much about passengers trying to get to the airport. We were among the first of zone 1 getting off and after standing in the warehouse in heat and humidity (the giant thermometer showing it was 92 degrees in the shade is a nice touch lol) then walking out to find no cabs in site. I made 2 calls to taxi companies, sorry nothing available...

Of course there's the shuttle at $20 per person waiting to shake you down. Finally flagged down a guy in an Escalade who happily took the 6 of us to the airport for 50 bucks. He got a nice tip, and just shook his head as he just had come back from the airport where all the cabs parked waiting for trips back to the city.

It's too bad, because Mobile was a city we enjoyed very much. Knowing that it's woefully short on parking at the terminal for such a small ship is not a good sign.

[vegasvic88]

Could part of the issue be unexperienced travelers (or those that don't pay attention) that do not have their customs forms completed and their citizenship documents ready when they reach the agents? We noticed this numerous times in Miami. Sure slows things down.

[idlenote]

Below is from the review that I posted after the June cruise:

 

EMBARKATION

 

Day 4 we left for Mobile. I was a little worried about the terminal since I had seen some bad press here on the boards. Pulled off the freeway and into the line for the terminal at 1112, and on board the ship at 1240. Very smooth and easy procedure, was very impressed and couldn't help comparing it with Galveston. Didn't realize what was to come.

 

Lulled us in, little did we know!

 

DISEMBARKATION

 

We didn't do the self assist since DW had a sore shoulder. The first zone for the self assist was called at 0700, and the last was called at 0853. We were in zone 9 so we were called at 0921. Once you get off the ship and into the terminal every thing funnels into one escalator.

 

When you finally get down the escalator, there are 6 lanes leading up to the customs desks. From the water, the first lane is for the porters, the second is for people needing some kind of assistance, and then there are the other four lines. If you get into the third lane from the water they have an unpleasant surprise, the second lane with the people needing assistance feeds into the third line, with a particularly nasty lady controlling both lines.

 

There is no air conditioning in the area, the temperature was 88 degrees, and the exhaust from the trucks unloading ship supplies meets with the exhaust from the fork lifts on the dock. After two hours in the line, there were a lot of unhappy cruisers. We were among the last 25 through customs although there were four more boarding groups that came off after us. Just to make this worse, we had problems getting to the truck in the parking garage because we couldn't get through the people coming in to board the ship.

 

I got out of the parking garage, got to the interstate and did 85 all the way to the state line. I will never cruise out of Mobile again, although that will not stop me going with Carnival, it's back to Galveston for me.

 

Whatever you do, do not get in line 3 unless you enjoy standing for extended periods in high temperatures and humidity. It took us until 1130 to get through customs.

[LHP]

Could part of the issue be unexperienced travelers (or those that don't pay attention) that do not have their customs forms completed and their citizenship documents ready when they reach the agents? We noticed this numerous times in Miami. Sure slows things down.

 

Another contributing factor could also be that Mobile "probably" draws a lot of first timers and those without a passport. Processing with birth certificates can also slow down the process.

[kerrytens]

Another contributing factor could also be that Mobile "probably" draws a lot of first timers and those without a passport. Processing with birth certificates can also slow down the process.

 

Really? I would think that a Florida based cruise would attract way more first timers (me included, with past and future cruises).

[futaba951]

The largest contributing factor lies at the feet of former mayor Mike Dow. He pushed to have the cruise terminal downtown on the riverfront. It is cramped and restricted for enlargement. It was designed for a smaller ship without regard to possible growth. Much better would have been to put it at the old navy homeport with it's double decker pier and hundreds of acres for parking and future growth. Not to mention is has a circular road all around the property which would have been ideal for traffic flow. Too late now. The horses are out of the barn. Someone need to send a link to these disgruntled threads to the terminal managers, so they know the level of the villagers disenchantment. :)

[jetskier]

A contact for the cruise terminal can be found at

http://www.shipmobile.com

 

Dave

[richcrow]

I saw zero interest in anyone caring much about passengers trying to get to the airport. We were among the first of zone 1 getting off and after standing in the warehouse in heat and humidity (the giant thermometer showing it was 92 degrees in the shade is a nice touch lol) then walking out to find no cabs in site. I made 2 calls to taxi companies, sorry nothing available...

Of course there's the shuttle at $20 per person waiting to shake you down. Finally flagged down a guy in an Escalade who happily took the 6 of us to the airport for 50 bucks. He got a nice tip, and just shook his head as he just had come back from the airport where all the cabs parked waiting for trips back to the city.

It's too bad, because Mobile was a city we enjoyed very much. Knowing that it's woefully short on parking at the terminal for such a small ship is not a good sign.

 

Well, at least the parking issue will soon be taken care of by the city fathers. Mobile just recently purchased the property that originally held the L&N Railway and Amtrac station to be used for additional parking. It is located just north of the cruise terminal. This will eliminate the requirement to go to the Mobile Civic Center parking lot for overflow parking which required being shuttled back to the terminal.

[imsulin]

The largest contributing factor lies at the feet of former mayor Mike Dow. He pushed to have the cruise terminal downtown on the riverfront. It is cramped and restricted for enlargement. It was designed for a smaller ship without regard to possible growth. Much better would have been to put it at the old navy homeport with it's double decker pier and hundreds of acres for parking and future growth. Not to mention is has a circular road all around the property which would have been ideal for traffic flow. Too late now. The horses are out of the barn. Someone need to send a link to these disgruntled threads to the terminal managers, so they know the level of the villagers disenchantment. :)

 

You are SOOOOO right!~ When the Holiday started cruising out of Mobile (2002, I think), it was the only ship cruising from Mobile, was not well known, and the first time any non-military ship had cruised out of Mobile. ( NCL also looked this port over, but decided against it because of the limited pier and parking.) Carnival paid Mobile $$$$$ for this terminal "expansion." Over Spring Break 2002, Carnival offered a one-time 6-night Western cruise on the Holiday from Mobile for really cheap! I worked as a TA in War Eagle territory at the time, and this cruise was very heavily advertised and sold out pretty quickly. Tons of Univ. students! Carnival also offered a follow-up 2-night CTN at the end of this week, which was also sold out pretty quickly. At the time, parking was easy, it was a 3 1/2 hour drive from our area, and the Holiday 3 and 4 night cruises became very popular for locals and those within driving distance. For awhile. Then, complaints began to pour in about not enough parking space, interminable lines, etc. This was by 2005! I'm no longer a TA, but I don't know anyone in my area who cruises out of Mobile anymore!

 

Here's a true "feel good" story:

 

One week before Spring Break in 2002 (last week of March), a single Mom came into our office wanting to take her 8-year old son on a Disney Cruise...over Spring Break. She had $300.00. The two Disney ships had been sold out for months, and $300.00 might have covered one night on DCL. (We didn't tell her this part) We all felt very badly, but told her

about the two-night Holiday CTN. Our agency had done a huge group booking, complete with free berths. So...we did some calling around, and managed to get this lady and her son on the ship, paying only taxes (about $60.00) using two free berths we had earned. We also all chipped in to pay their tips, and ordered a Carnival T-shirt for the son, a goodie snack pack, and soft drink coupons. They had a wonderful time, especially the son! Apparently, he spent his time on the slide! This Mom mentioned that she had saved for two years to take her son on a cruise. We also arranged for them to be transported on the charter bus we'd chartered, as she didn't drive. (Her father was going to drive them to Pt. Canaveral to DCL). One of our employees drove her to the DMV to get a picture ID. She wasn't aware she needed one. (She and son already had BCs) About a week after the cruise, she came into our office with a pan of Rice Krispie Treats, apologizing and saying this was nothing compared to the great food on Carnival! We devoured them. We never saw her again, but knew that this kid had a wonderful time on his first cruise!

[Nunu]

The largest contributing factor lies at the feet of former mayor Mike Dow. He pushed to have the cruise terminal downtown on the riverfront. It is cramped and restricted for enlargement. It was designed for a smaller ship without regard to possible growth. Much better would have been to put it at the old navy homeport with it's double decker pier and hundreds of acres for parking and future growth. Not to mention is has a circular road all around the property which would have been ideal for traffic flow. Too late now. The horses are out of the barn. Someone need to send a link to these disgruntled threads to the terminal managers, so they know the level of the villagers disenchantment. :)

 

A contact for the cruise terminal can be found at

http://www.shipmobile.com

 

Dave

 

It is sad because it's a good looking terminal, but way too small for its needs. (Do I need to mention the 20 minute long freight trains that seem to pass by every hour or so and block entry and exit? lol)

Thanks Dave I'll send an email to that site, I like to think it will be read but that's the same website that was welcoming the ship before Elation got there on its homepage until a couple of weeks ago. :p

[LHP]

Well, at least the parking issue will soon be taken care of by the city fathers. Mobile just recently purchased the property that originally held the L&N Railway and Amtrac station to be used for additional parking. It is located just north of the cruise terminal. This will eliminate the requirement to go to the Mobile Civic Center parking lot for overflow parking which required being shuttled back to the terminal.

 

Is this the construction we saw in May when we were at the Renaissance?

 

Our room overlooked the Convention Center and there was some construction going on right next to the parking garage....

 

Seems like the police could also better utilize the property under the bridge as a waiting area for cars waiting for the garage....that way the intersections and off ramp of 1-10 would not get blocked.....

[NvCruisers]

Sorry you had such a problem, but don't let Customs people keep you from visiting Mobile. DW and I were on the the May 15th Elation cruise and no problem at all with our disembarking.

yeah we were on the May 15th Elation disembarkation as well. I agree with SCperk it was one total screw up, very disorganized. It appears that Mobile has not straightened out its problems one bit. Maybe if you are from Mobile and have someone pick you up it is ok, but for any out of towners it is totally all fouled up. No cabs to take you anywere and no signs on how to get out. My family, Me, wife and parents have vowed not to return to Mobile, because of the ineptness of the port authorities and city managers to make adequate arrangements for their visitors!!!