Caribbean Princess delayed 24 hrs

[eclue]

How did you get free parking at Bayport? It is advertised as $80/week or $75/week if you book online??

[Cruzin-K]

How did you get free parking at Bayport? It is advertised as $80/week or $75/week if you book online??

 

I'm assuming it's a military thing.

[phantomII]

How did you get free parking at Bayport? It is advertised as $80/week or $75/week if you book online??

Service connected disabled military veteran. This is also available at Galveston. Only 2 ports I know of that offer this. Texas IS a great state!

[Stevesan]

So far this season three out of seven CB cruises have been delayed.

 

Selected extracts from today's Houston Chronicle:

 

Like the Bayport Terminal, the port authority's Galveston terminal, which currently serves four cruise ships, also has problems with fog.

During November and December, Galveston's cruise ships experienced the same number of fog delays as Houston's terminal, but Galveston's were of shorter duration, only one to two hours, said Mike Mierzwa, the port's director. He could only recall a rare occasion in 2011 where a fog event lasted 24 hours. Visibility for cruise ships is especially bad during the winter months, when warm air rolling across cold water is most likely to trigger fog, said Don Oettinger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in League City. Mierzwa said ships from his port have an advantage over those leaving Bayport because they reach the open water more quickly since they don't have to navigate a narrow 34-mile-long Houston Ship Channel, dodging everything from barges and tankers to shrimp boats and pleasure craft along the way.

Benson said Princess conducted a fog study at Bayport before agreeing to sail out of the terminal for the next three travel seasons. She would not disclose the study's findings. "We will continue to look at this issue," she said of the fog delays. Starting in fall 2014, Norwegian Cruise Line will bring its 2,374-passenger Norwegian Jewel to Houston to sail seven-day Western Caribbean cruises through the 2017 cruise season.

The port authority is giving Princess and Norwegian $6.7 million in incentives to offset their advertising expenses for the new terminal. The port believes the cruise ships will generate $50 million a year that will go into the local economy.

Ashley said the Bayport terminal is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of cruise passengers because of its proximity to Houston's major airports and population centers. She added that the terminal is more protected from hurricanes than Galveston's terminal.

After Hurricane Ike in 2008, Carnival Cruises used the Bayport terminal while damage to Galveston's docks was being repaired.

Edited December 31, 2013 by Stevesan

[beeper99]

Just provide your VA Card or award letter. Front row free parking

[DrSch]

Princess just needs to change the plan to have the ship always go out as a late departure.. and return late as well.. then no one will be upset that they didn't get to leave on time.

[phantomII]

Princess just needs to change the plan to have the ship always go out as a late departure.. and return late as well.. then no one will be upset that they didn't get to leave on time.

A better way to avoid the frustration is just don't go out of Houston. That is my future strategy.

[DrSch]

Far more frustration having to drive to the airport go thru tsa stay at hotel and get to pier... I'm fine with port of houston

[DebJ14]

Just a hint if any of you are on a cruise that is delayed. When they gave free internet and free phone calls from the room we decided to let the family know we would be delayed. No flights to change since we drove to the pier. I already had an internet package so it was quite easy to log on using my laptop. Forget using the phone in the room. I did not want to use my cell phone and pay my carrier's 4.99 per minute rate since it was still not showing any bars for my carrier. My son reminded me that I could adjust my cell phone settings to only make WiFi calls. I was able to pick up the Princess WiFi on my cell and made multiple free WiFi calls from my cell phone.

 

I just got my phone bill and my carrier did not charge me for my data download in Cozumel (as promised) and only charged the 20 cents per minute to call from Cozumel and no charges for the calls made using the ship's WiFi

.

Just checked and on our next cruise I will be able to use the phone in all 4 ports as if I were home. I always buy a WiFi plan and will make make WiFi calls from the ship, but will keep the roaming turned off onboard so I don't download data until I am ashore. Thanks T-Mobile for your great new international plans. Now if you would just add Honduras and Belize we would be set.

Edited January 13, 2014 by DebJ14