Fort Lauderdale mid cruise

[mancunian]

We have booked the 21 day Collectors cruise on Maasdam to the Caribbean - 30 November - Fort Lauderdale to Fort Lauderdale. However, this is also two cruises so we return to FL mid cruise for a changeover day.

 

Never sailed from FL before. Can you tell me a) what embarkation/disembarkation is like there, and more particuarly b) what is the process at changeover day for those remaining on the Collectors.

 

Many thanks.

[sail7seas]

If you have the same cabin, you leave all your personal property in place in your cabin.

The last night of your first segment, you will receive a letter telling you the requirement for Immigration clearance, when and how to go and dining hours for 'turnaround day'.

 

You will have to exit the ship, go into the terminal with your passport and clear Immigration. You will not be permitted back aboard until the ship has 'zeroed down' meaning all who are meant to be leaving have done so.

 

You can choose to either go as a group following the instructions as to where to meet or you can go on your own. We always go on our own. There has been some negative conversation that you must go with the whole crowd but that is not true. In a very large number of b-to-b, we have always gone on our own and security at the gangway, CBP Officials in the Terminal, Shore Operations people in the terminal and Security when we reboard all have told us it is fine and never have we had a problem.

 

We always wait until they call the last of the disembarkation colors/numbers and go then as that usually should mean a short wait ashore. Our average wait has been in the range of 30-45 minutes but it can vary. If there is a selfish idiot who takes their sweet time about leaving despite repeated calls to disembark, no one can board until they leave.

 

You can reboard by just clearing through security but no need to go to the check in lines or get a 'number'.

 

You should bring the 'in transit card' that will be enclosed with the letter you receive and your ship's ID, as always.

 

B-to-b's are fabulous. We've done a great many and always enjoyed each and every one. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done many, many back-to-back cruises.

The letter indicated the time and place where you are to meet. We get there about 10 minutes before someone from the front office comes to excort us off the ship.

You can choose to take a tour of Ft Lauderdale -- near the end of the first segment you will get an invitation to attend a meeting in the showroom where the CD will talk about the Intransit day and the shore excursion people will take about excursions for the next cruise as well as excursion for Ft Lauderdale -- if you are interested in one.

Or you can go ashore anytime on your own and go wherever you want to -- the beach -- shopping, etc. But you will still need to take your Intransit card and passport as you still have to clear immigration. And you can not get back onto the ship until it is down to "zero" count.

We have waited anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours before we could get back on the ship.

[sail7seas]

As a service to those who ask this question all the time......

 

Next time you are in FLL and doing Collectors or b-to-b..... Ask. Ask the question. You will be told guests are free to go on their own as long as they go before the end of disembarkation.

 

I have confirmed this information with Shore Operations, Guest Relations Manager, Hotel Manager, Immigration Official and Security at the gangway.

 

Who has told you that is NOt permitted?

I grant there are people who are more comfortable being taken care of and with hand holding and that is fine. HAL takes people as a group because some fret about it and get nervous they don't know what to do..... it is a very simple process and almost impossible to get wrong. If you don't need hand holding, you are free to take care of yourselves.

 

 

[mancunian]

Thank you so much for those very full and helpful answers.

 

We do know about those folk who think immigration does not apply to them until they are ready. Disembarking at San Diego in March from Rotterdam, there were many calls for those who had failed to turn up at the appointed time. Eventually it got so bad that they announced the names of the people - about 10 of them - and still 4 did not turn up and had to be announced again. We were very late disembarking and this would have impacted those trying to board and those with lunchtime flights. Most unfair.

[sail7seas]

you're very welcome.

Have a great cruise. :)

 

[WriterOnDeck]

If you have not spent much time in the Fort Lauderdale area, you might enjoy one of the two shore excursions i believe will be offered. One goes to the Everglades -- you will take an air boat excursion and see birds and perhaps an alligator. Then you go to a wildlife area with caged (I think) animals.

 

The other that I took recently takes you on a bus tour of Fort Lauderdale and then a boat tour. I found it very interesting -- especially seeing the estates and large boats from the water, along with the stories about their owners (no idea of the stories were actually true but they were entertaining). We left the tour at the end of the boat trip and walked two blocks for a very nice lunch. Then you could just get a taxi back to the ship, which wouldn't be too far.

 

I would rather do either than just wait in the terminal for an hour, but that is me....

 

Enjoy!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

When we did a Collectors out of FLL, we left the ship with our intransit card, passports, etc. cleared immigration and then went off on our own for the morning.We did theWater Taxi on the Inland Waterways which was lots of fun. We went back to the ship for lunch and since we had the in transit card we were able to go ahead of those boarding for the first time and get back on the ship. For us, that time it was smooth and easy. I have heard it doesn't always work this way. Barbara

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you so much for those very full and helpful answers.

 

We do know about those folk who think immigration does not apply to them until they are ready. Disembarking at San Diego in March from Rotterdam, there were many calls for those who had failed to turn up at the appointed time. Eventually it got so bad that they announced the names of the people - about 10 of them - and still 4 did not turn up and had to be announced again. We were very late disembarking and this would have impacted those trying to board and those with lunchtime flights. Most unfair.

 

We have also had some bad disembarkations in San Diego -- waiting a couple of hours for people to report to immigration. Aactually it is the foreignors who make a mess of it there.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you so much for those very full and helpful answers.

 

We do know about those folk who think immigration does not apply to them until they are ready. Disembarking at San Diego in March from Rotterdam, there were many calls for those who had failed to turn up at the appointed time. Eventually it got so bad that they announced the names of the people - about 10 of them - and still 4 did not turn up and had to be announced again. We were very late disembarking and this would have impacted those trying to board and those with lunchtime flights. Most unfair.

 

And many miss flights with situations like that.

[Jade13]

We have booked the 21 day Collectors cruise on Maasdam to the Caribbean - 30 November - Fort Lauderdale to Fort Lauderdale. However, this is also two cruises so we return to FL mid cruise for a changeover day.

 

Never sailed from FL before. Can you tell me a) what embarkation/disembarkation is like there, and more particuarly b) what is the process at changeover day for those remaining on the Collectors.

 

Many thanks.

 

We were just in FLL last Thursday on a repositioning cruise from Valparaiso Chile to NYC on ms Veendam. We received "intransit" paperwork from HAL, which we had to show to the agent along with our passports when we left the ship. The entire ship had to be cleared by 9:30AM. Over half the passengers disembarked in FLL and the rest went on to NYC. It was any easy process.

 

The most surprising aspect was there was no security check at all and we had just come from South America! We had back packs and gifts for friends picking us up and the agent just asked if we were in transit and let us through. We were surprised our bags did not have to go through an x-ray machine.

[Jade13]

As a service to those who ask this question all the time......

 

Next time you are in FLL and doing Collectors or b-to-b..... Ask. Ask the question. You will be told guests are free to go on their own as long as they go before the end of disembarkation.

 

 

 

 

That is what we did just last week. We just left when we were ready to go. We were not on any tour and told to be off the ship 9:30AM.

[Jade13]

Thank you so much for those very full and helpful answers.

 

We do know about those folk who think immigration does not apply to them until they are ready. Disembarking at San Diego in March from Rotterdam, there were many calls for those who had failed to turn up at the appointed time. Eventually it got so bad that they announced the names of the people - about 10 of them - and still 4 did not turn up and had to be announced again. We were very late disembarking and this would have impacted those trying to board and those with lunchtime flights. Most unfair.

 

How would this impact your disembarkation? (I understand how it would impact those waiting to board on a Collectors Voyage). On Ms Veendam last week those staying on the ship from FLL to NYC could disembark to go through immigration with their intransit cards and passports and ships ID when they were ready to leave but before 9:30AM. We waited until 8:15AM or so to allow those disembarking for good who needed to make flights. We reboarded around 3:00PM. Of course in our case the only people allowed to board in FLL who had not been on the ship from South America were staff such as new entertainers.

[Boytjie]

The most surprising aspect was there was no security check at all and we had just come from South America! We had back packs and gifts for friends picking us up and the agent just asked if we were in transit and let us through. We were surprised our bags did not have to go through an x-ray machine.

 

Luggage doesn't usually get x-rayed when entering the country (by plane, ship or car).

[kazu]

Luggage doesn't usually get x-rayed when entering the country (by plane, ship or car).

 

Ok I'm really either dumb (don't answer that question ) or missed a point somewhere. When we board, everything gets checked from our carry on's and I know that the suitcases that they board are checked. Am I missing the boat:confused::confused:

[Himself]

Some people leave early on tours and go through immigration when they get back.

[sail7seas]

Kazu,

 

Jade was talking about getting off the ship for the day in FLL.

 

The majority of the guests were permanently leaving the ship and had to clear

Customs and Immigration.

 

Jade and her DH were continuing on their voyage on Veendam to NYC. When they left the ship to clear Immigration in FLL, as instructed, they were toting backpacks. They were officially entering the country having been out of it for weeks yet CBP did not question or check what was in their backpack. Whatever they were carrying was officially being imported into the U.S. yet they had made no declaration as they were in transit guests.

 

She was surprised they were permitted to take their backpacks containing who knows what without any declaration or questioning.

[sail7seas]

Some people leave early on tours and go through immigration when they get back.

 

 

:confused: You cannot go through Immigration when you return to the ship after a day ashore.

 

Immigration is an inspection of the person upon request to enter the country.

 

Coming back from their tours, all they do is clear security to be sure they do not have banned items and check their ID's.

 

 

[Boytjie]

Ok I'm really either dumb (don't answer that question ) or missed a point somewhere. When we board, everything gets checked from our carry on's and I know that the suitcases that they board are checked. Am I missing the boat:confused::confused:

 

They scan it when you board not when you get off the ship.