Heads Up for those travelling on Millennium to Bangkok

[patca]

We just returned from our Millennium Holiday cruise and the only problem was in Bangkok. The cruise prior to ours also had this problem. We arrived at 7 am as scheduled, but couldn't get off the ship until 10:30 am. The ship blamed Bangkok officials for the delay. If staying overnight in Bangkok, you need your passport. It was a wild scene trying to get your passport. The Bangkok officials may have caused some of the delay, but the ship's personnel could not control the situation. Many people were very disappointed that they missed so much time. Even the ship's tour that was staying overnight was delayed as well as other ship's tours.

It looked like all of the private tour operators waited during the long delay.

I hope they get this straightened out, but i wouldn't count on it. Be prepared for a long wait and angry people.

 

PAT

[mjbc]

Thank you for the information as we plan to stay overnight. I wonder if it's possible to get our passports the day before getting off the ship as that is a sea day and would save the congestion of everyone leaving at the same time.

[LdyDDS]

when we were on the ship it was NOT possible because the BKK immigration people had to come onto the ship and stamp all the passports before anyone got off. They didn't come onto the ship until we were at Bangkok

[barante]

This confusion is not limited to Celebrity. We had a similar bedlam situation on the Costa Victoria in November.

 

In our case, much of the problem was due to Costa's incompetence. The newsletter said that people overnighting in Bangkok needed their passport. In fact, everyone overnighting anywhere -- including nearby Pattaya -- needed a passport.

[eldercruser]

Appreciate the heads up. I have notified our tour operator that we may be delayed and that perhaps we need to rethink our Day 1 itinerary. It is difficult to overcome governmental bureaucracy no matter where you are in the world.

[ottawa24]

Thanks for the heads-up. We are on the Feb 17 cruise. I think maybe it wouldn't hurt to let Celebrity know that we are aware of this issue and want to know what are they doing to fix it.:(

[sandancer]

We are on the Feb 3rd sailing and are expecting the same mayhem. I don't think Celebrity can fix it. If it is down to the Thai authorities then they will do it their way. However, let's hope the ship staff have got themselves better organised when it comes to returning the passports. From other posts I understand that it was total chaos and totally disorganised.

[General Max]

We will be there February 7, 2013 and if we don't get off until 10:30 AM our 11 hour private tour won't get back until 9:30 PM. I guess we will have dinner in Bangkok.

[eldercruser]

Thanks for the heads-up. We are on the Feb 17 cruise. I think maybe it wouldn't hurt to let Celebrity know that we are aware of this issue and want to know what are they doing to fix it.:(

 

Really, the only solution is for the Thai authorities to board the ship before it docks. That means they either board in Singapore or Saigon (highly unlikely!) or ride the pilot boat to the ship and get an hour or two head start. They may be coming on board with the pilot already. We don't know that one way or the other. The main issue here is that large cruise ship visits are not always compatible with Asian port visits.

[ottawa24]

Really, the only solution is for the Thai authorities to board the ship before it docks. That means they either board in Singapore or Saigon (highly unlikely!) or ride the pilot boat to the ship and get an hour or two head start. They may be coming on board with the pilot already. We don't know that one way or the other. The main issue here is that large cruise ship visits are not always compatible with Asian port visits.

 

Seems so logical. I know from other cruises the authorites were on ahead of time.We had our passports returned in a timely, organized fashion and were off the ship with no problems. I'm not 100% sure but I think it was Egypt & Israel

We have always found the Thai's to be so helpful, it would surprise me if they weren't cooperative.

[movc]

For the asian itinerary, rules change from port to port (even in the same country) and even from visit to visit at the same port. The cruise line may have been told one thing prior to arrival and then told something else once immigration officials board. Another possibility for delays could be lack of "gifts" of cigarettes and alcohol to the officials. Hard to point fingers and suggest improvements without knowing the real story.

[3littlepigs]

Really, the only solution is for the Thai authorities to board the ship before it docks. That means they either board in Singapore or Saigon (highly unlikely!) or ride the pilot boat to the ship and get an hour or two head start. They may be coming on board with the pilot already. We don't know that one way or the other. The main issue here is that large cruise ship visits are not always compatible with Asian port visits.

 

I don't believe that's the only solution at all. Its their country, they make the rules, we just need to be aware and take the expected delay into account when planning our visit. I think the best current solution is for those overnighting is to advise their tour guide to collect them a little later than the docking time.

[aircsi]

What Celebrity needs to do is to request additional government staff to help expediate the situation in Bangkok. I do not think Thai officials will board until we dock. what is the cost to The cruise line for four extra officials to improve passenger good will. Priceless!!!

[ottawa24]

I don't believe that's the only solution at all. Its their country, they make the rules, we just need to be aware and take the expected delay into account when planning our visit. I think the best current solution is for those overnighting is to advise their tour guide to collect them a little later than the docking time.

What we decided was to stay 1 extra day in Saigon, then fly to Bangkok. In other words we are missing a Sea Day. The best part about this is we will have an extra day in Saigon and a full day + in Bangkok.:) It's times like this that I am so grateful I found CC:)

lesley

[wolfegizmo]

We were on RCCL Voyager of the Seas in October.

We were off of the ship by 7:00 AM in Bangkok.

We left the ship on a private tour and didn't get back until about 11:30 PM.

All we needed to take was a copy of our passport.

They did announce that if you were staying in a hotel overnight, you would need your passport.

By the way, we had a wonderful time in Bangkok! The temples are amazing!