Vancouver--Ballentyne vs Canada Place

[repeater]

We had a really bad experience in Canada Place this past weekend, stading in line for fully three hours and fifteen minutes to board our Princess ship. I understand the last week of Sept will be just as bad--- the same weekend we have booked B2Bs out of Vancouver! I simply cannot endure that kind of line again, and worse yet, we'll have the young granddaughters with us in Sept. It literally was not safe, as angry passenfgers burst out shouting. Plus, I worried about medical problems; elderly folks tipping over, diabetics missing meals, not to mention my back is still killing me from standing, and it's Wednesday!

 

Canada Place has been the most inefficient port of any we've used (16 cruises so far). We've never sailed out of Ballentyne. Anyone know if it's likely to be any better? Seriously considering canceling the trip....

[Urban trekker]

Sorry about your experience at Canada Place last weekend - I was down there at 11:00 and people were lined up long before the disembarking passengers were even off the ships - our good friend Putterdude was also on one of those ships - he is a seasoned cruiser and has a DW with some mobility issues so he might be able to offer a perspective of what his experiences were.

 

As for the weekend in September - are you scheduled to sail out of Ballantyne on either the Pearl or Star - if it is the latter I will be on that one - no it will not be as bad because you wont have 9000 people trying to get on a ship before the 9000 on them are even off - one ship on the Saturday and two ships on the Sunday - by then all the staff etc should be well versed in getting people moving etc. + Ballantyne is much more opened so you wont have the congestion getting down a ramp and into the loading area.

 

One thing and I am guilty of this as well is if a cruise line says boarding start at 12:30 why do we all have to arrive at 11:00 and expect to be able to board as soon as we get there - why do we all want to be the first onboard to book a spa or restaurant or be the first to eat in a buffet.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[repeater]

thanks--I hope you are right! We'll be on both the Star and the Pearl that weekend. I sure hope it will be better.

 

We arrived at 12:05 ---that's right off the Amtrak--and boarded after 4:20pm. The ship was over 3 hours leaving, because there were still 800 people on shore at sail away time. I don't have to be first on board, but I do like time to eat lunch and relax a bit before sailing off. Our first cruise, we arrived just before the deadline, with only 4 people boarding after us! The other way is better.

[cruiseryyc]

One thing and I am guilty of this as well is if a cruise line says boarding start at 12:30 why do we all have to arrive at 11:00 and expect to be able to board as soon as we get there - why do we all want to be the first onboard to book a spa or restaurant or be the first to eat in a buffet.

 

Amen to that comment!!! I used to arrive at 11:30/12:00 but my last two cruises we didn't arrive until 2:00. It was great - no lineups, just walked right onboard. Had a big late breakfast at the hotel so didn't even miss lunch. Of course non of my cruises have left from Vancouver which I understand is a problem the first week of the season; although they have been doing it for several years now, you'd think they would figure it by now!

 

On a totally non-cruise topic - Go Canucks Go!!!

[scottbee]

We had a really bad experience in Canada Place this past weekend, stading in line for fully three hours and fifteen minutes to board our Princess ship. I understand the last week of Sept will be just as bad--- the same weekend we have booked B2Bs out of Vancouver! I simply cannot endure that kind of line again, and worse yet, we'll have the young granddaughters with us in Sept. It literally was not safe, as angry passenfgers burst out shouting. Plus, I worried about medical problems; elderly folks tipping over, diabetics missing meals, not to mention my back is still killing me from standing, and it's Wednesday!

 

Canada Place has been the most inefficient port of any we've used (16 cruises so far). We've never sailed out of Ballentyne. Anyone know if it's likely to be any better? Seriously considering canceling the trip....

 

Do you mind if I ask which of the following was the slow lineup?

Security

Check In

or USA Immigration Customs Pre-clearance

 

Unlike every US port, when you board in Canada you have the additional task of clearing US Immigrations/Customs PRIOR to boarding so that when you get to your 1st Alaska port you don't have to. As a rule (not always), this is where the delay is, and it's completely out of the hands of the port of Vancouver, but in the hands of a foreign government,

[clarkg]

I was in the same line and US Customs was a major part of the problem. Security would shut down and have to wait till Customs caught up on at least three occasions. Once for twenty minutes. Should have had double the agents.

[LeftcoastBC]

I'm guessing it was the Saturday ?

 

Over 20000 people went though the two Piers (off and on) according to the papers.

 

Thursday we got there around 11 and went straight through with the exception of an hour wait once through security/checkin/immigration for a delay called a Coast guard inspection by our cruiseline.

 

Disembarkation Sunday was a breeze.

 

So you have two options. Be really early for Security or wait until after the rush.

 

BUT those two times a year are always going to be bad. Especially the first mad weekend when staff and especially new staff are still figuring out what they are doing.

[Urban trekker]

Thanks Scott for you insite on why it was such a major pain for those trying to board on Saturday.

 

Coast Guard inspection the first time a ship comes into port - particularly if it is homeporting for the season - is also another reason for delay.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

To add my 2 cents to the problem at Canada Place last Saturday; we were there but we got thru very quickly. We were off the Golden about 10:30 and we were on the Sapphire (in fact the first people to board) at 11:30 which when Princess generally starts boarding their ships. We were handled well and our luggage was transfered seamlessly...so we have no axe to grind.

However, the issue did not seem be US DHS, they had lots of officers there and the process was very quick, just a quick look at passports, no screening just a hi and good by. The real issue was the lack of x-ray scanners at central screening...there were 5 machines to handle some of the 7,000+ people. Throw in the fact that a large number of the Princess shore people (can't speak for HAL's) were new hires and ill trained. Plus there was no co-ordination been Princess' people and the Canada Place people and it was a mess. Among the the Princess shore people there was one fellow who I wish I made a note of his name, but he was a Canadian/Chinese gentleman who obviously knew from past experience what was brewing and did an yeoman's job trying to get and keep things moving ...but in the end the job was just to big for one person.

[Sally Forth]

I hope the Canada Place and Vancouver tourism people read these boards and realize what a bad memory it leaves for cruisers. I have had similar horror story departures and arrivals, with Bayonne, NJ the very worst.

 

I know this is a YMMV issue, but we purposely arrive as late as we can. We did that once by accident and love the feeling of going right to our cabin. To be safe, we sometimes drop off our luggage first and then go for a walk or people-watch before going into the terminal. Having an extra free $10 worth of food isn't worth the stress of being in a line and watching people get rude.

 

Viv

[Putterdude]

Viv, you raise some very good points. We know this is going to happen each year at the beginning of the season and after the one or two big weekends everything goes very smoothly for the balance of the season...but you can't explain this to the 7,000+ folks who have been left standing for several hours and justifiably they leave angry.

The more we cruise the more be become convinced how great Canada Place really is. As an example, Seattle's new Pier 91's ramps are entirely open to the elements, once down at pier level you get to walk in the rain to the terminal building, then once you get your luggage you get to stand in the rain for 1.5 hrs or more to get taxi....and this is only with 2 ships along side. I am convinced that Pier 91 was designed by architects in Arizona, it is a disaster.

[dasey]

We sailed from Ballentyne on the Star, May 14th and we had a mess as well. The embarkation process took some 4 1/2 hours to get on the ship. I think we spent 2 hours total waiting in different lines.

 

The initial security screening was the problem. Also there was no organization on where to go and where the actual line started. People were sent in different lines and some were sent into lines of passengers actually disembarking. It was a mess, they opened another line and "literally" pushed us in it so we actually moved ahead of people that I know had been there longer than us.

 

The customs piece and NCL registration was quick and painless. I believe this was a PORT issue and not NCL.

 

Disembarkation in Seattle was the quickest I have ever been through!! We did the BAGS program and was off the ship and in a cab within 5 minutes total!!! We never had to stop in a line for leaving the ship, customs, taxi stand, or airport baggage/checking!! TSA - different story!!

 

Overall - AWESOME CRUISE!!

[arizonaperson]

How has disembarkation been at Canada Place for Princess passengers this season(2011)? Long passport/immigration?

I will be disembarking in September, but not the last cruise of the season.

[scottbee]

How has disembarkation been at Canada Place for Princess passengers this season(2011)? Long passport/immigration?

I will be disembarking in September, but not the last cruise of the season.

 

Disembarkation has never been particularly bad.

 

Embarkation requires the extra step of pre-clearing US immigration/customs (so you don't have to in Alaska) which adds to the time; and is a step not present in virtually every other port in the world.