Star still in San Francisco

[Nancyquilts]

We've only sailed twice from the new terminal, but I haven't seen a survey from the Port Authority.

[shredie]

They had previously told me they were getting very high satisfaction surveys about this new terminal. I thought that was at odds with the antics cruisers are experiencing with the dockers.

 

Oh, I see. It's possible they are getting good reviews. As I understand it, not every sailing has experienced any slow-down activity. I also think the situation has been a bit over stated. I heard one report that ALL the luggage, every piece, was dumped into the ocean in full view of all the passengers on deck, followed by an obscene gesture directed to them by the longshormen on the dock. :rolleyes: Maybe that was a little bit of hyperbole? With all this anti-union vitriol popping up all of a sudden, I'm wondering if a television station with an agenda has recently done one of those "documentaries" the fans of that station take so to heart....

[jcw0313]

We just returned from the January 13th sailing to Hawaii. We left SFO at 11PM due to the workers slow down and also viewed the union dock workers clown show from our Caribe deck balcony. Unfortunately, we will not be sailing from the beautiful city of San Francisco again due to the labor difficulties and uncertainties. I know that Princess has no control over this situation. With 31 different nationalities represented on the ship and watching this clown show, it was an embarrassment for the rest of us American workers. Just sad........

 

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[debi56]

We just returned from the January 13th sailing to Hawaii. We left SFO at 11PM due to the workers slow down and also viewed the union dock workers clown show from our Caribe deck balcony. Unfortunately, we will not be sailing from the beautiful city of San Francisco again due to the labor difficulties and uncertainties. I know that Princess has no control over this situation. With 31 different nationalities represented on the ship and watching this clown show, it was an embarrassment for the rest of us American workers. Just sad........

 

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JCW just wondering after leaving S. F. so late did you make it to your first port on time? We sail out from S. F. our first stop is Kauai, (now this is after four sea days) but we have an excursion booked with a company and if we are late or don't show up then we will be out the money. :(

[jcw0313]

Yes, we did hit all ports on time. It was a delightful cruise other than the dock workers antics. Our first port was Hilo and watching the whales as we left port in the afternoon was truly a delight. The only downside of the cruise was that we sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge at 12 midnight (thanks dock workers) and many people on board missed it. We viewed it from our balcony but we were sorry we did not see it in the daylight hours. Overall, a delightful cruise.....and with some extra on board clown entertainment from the dock workers!!!!

 

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[shredie]

viewed the union dock workers clown show from our Caribe deck balcony.

 

Details? Did they have painted faces and red noses and orange wigs? :rolleyes: Was this that time they dumped all of the luggage into the bay in front of all of you on the ship and then made obscene gestures to you with their clown gloves? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Did they display their union cards so you knew for sure they were the clowns you say they were and not just some escapees from Circus Vargas?

 

JCW just wondering after leaving S. F. so late did you make it to your first port on time? We sail out from S. F. our first stop is Kauai, (now this is after four sea days) but we have an excursion booked with a company and if we are late or don't show up then we will be out the money. :(

 

They will make up the time. Don't worry.

[Kmkub]

I think pictures or videos would go a long way to calling attention to the clownish behavior.

[swedish weave]

Exactly. This is part of the cost of doing business, I suspect, in Princess' view. Moving all the business to Mexico would complicate things (enormously) and not solve any labor disputes in California or Oregon or Washington. To suggest such a thing is just silly, IMO.

 

If it is silly, perhaps you would like to notify those who are [planning for the future.

 

Lázaro Cárdenas is home to a deep-water seaport that handles container, dry bulk, and liquid cargo. The port currently has one container terminal, which handled 1.24 million TEU in 2012, and has a total capacity of 2.2 million TEU annually.[1] APMT has plans to build an additional container terminal that would bring the port's capacity to 3.4 million TEU in 2015 and 6.5 million TEU in 2020.[3] Cargo moves to and from the port by road and rail equally, with rail service provided exclusively by Kansas City Southern de México. The port is expected to become a major container facility due to congestion at the U.S. ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and its relative proximity to major cities such as Chicago, Kansas City, and Houston. In preparation for the port's increased capacity, railway and highway infrastructure running north-south through the center of Mexico has been upgraded in recent years to handle the anticipated increase in volume of goods bound for the United States using this transportation corridor.[4] If a proposed government-backed Pacific port is built at Punta Colonet, Baja California, goods flowing to U.S. states like Arizona and Nevada could bypass the congested Los Angeles region with closer access those markets, providing increased competition with Lázaro Cárdenas.[4]

 

You may not be aware that many of the cruise ships use container terminals at various locations in the world.

 

It is not as silly as you think.

[jcw0313]

I think you have my post confused with someone else's. I posted facts as viewed by myself and others on the cruise and have pictures to back up my statements. If you are defending the behavior, please offer support information. We're you there? Not interested in a flaming contest.....but please support your opinion with facts. And FYI, no red clown noses that I could see, just the clown antics!!!

 

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[shredie]

I agree that some pictures would be a good idea.

Edited January 30, 2015 by shredie

[jcw0313]

Thanks! I'm just trying to post factual information for the interested following SFO departures. Truly, no ax to grind in either direction! As I said on another thread, we had a great cruise once it got started. Thank you Princess!!!

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[swedish weave]

I agree.

 

That leaves many unanswered questions. Would you care to elaborate ?

 

I see that you edited your post. After calling my information silly, would you like to comment on the facts I posted?

Edited January 30, 2015 by swedish weave

[jcw0313]

Willing to answer any specific questions regarding our cruise experience on the Star departure on January 13th to Hawaii. Overall, a great cruise!

 

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[Bernbun29]

Thanks to all for these informative posts. We will be boarding the Star in Feb, do any of you recommend carrying some of your luggage onboard? I know it would be a pain, but we will be on a 15 day cruise. Very disappointed in the possibility of not sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge in daylight. We can all hope.

[Bernbun29]

Can anyone tell me, from the new port in San Fran, how far are you from the Golden Gate Bridge, and can you see it from port? Thanks.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Bernbun29

[swedish weave]

Thanks to all for these informative posts. We will be boarding the Star in Feb, do any of you recommend carrying some of your luggage onboard? I know it would be a pain, but we will be on a 15 day cruise. Very disappointed in the possibility of not sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge in daylight. We can all hope.

 

I believe that carrying your luggage would insure that it gets handled properly and would also be a gesture of disapproval of the antics by dockworkers.

 

Their dispute is more with the freight carriers than cruise ships, so they are stepping out of bounds by messing with cruisers.

[partybarbie]

Thanks to all for these informative posts. We will be boarding the Star in Feb, do any of you recommend carrying some of your luggage onboard? I know it would be a pain, but we will be on a 15 day cruise. Very disappointed in the possibility of not sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge in daylight. We can all hope.

 

Just remember that your carry-on baggage has to fit through the security scanner. It's about the same size as the ones used at the airports to scan the carry-on bags.

[cflutist]

We have done only carry-on luggage and a small backpack for years now. I like to be in control of my luggage and it has saved me at least three times:

 

e.g. Several years ago (2012) the Regal Princess was beside our ship at Pier 35 and I wondered what IF the porters put luggage on the wrong ship? Sure enough, about 100 bags ended up on the wrong ship and wouldn't be returned to our passengers until that ship returned to port. Two of those affected were our tablemates at Traditional dining and they were not too happy.

 

While flying back East on business with several co-workers they took our plane out of service and put us all on different flights routed through different airports (plus we all got picked for additional screening at SFO due to last minute one-way tickets). My carryon bag arrived with me while my co-workers got theirs the next day.

 

I see that the OP is Elite. So that means that you really only need 3 pairs (and not 15) of underware/socks, tee-shirts, tops etc. due to the laundry perk. We just returned on the Star Princess on Jan 13 (late arrival due to fog) and were one of the first to depart due to the Walk-Off Disembarkation with our carryon luggage. Someone on our Roll Call missed their flight out of SFO due to the fog delay.

 

Something similar happened in Vancouver when the Captain announced that we would be 3 hours late arriving and that everyone onboard had free Internet and phone calls to re-book flights. We were on the cusp and then learned from our Canadian tablemates that we could take the Canada Line to the airport in 25 minutes instead of waiting for a Princess Transfer bus to load. We caught our flight and then Princess refunded us the money for the transfers when we returned. We could not have done this if we didn't just have carry-ons.

Edited January 31, 2015 by cflutist

[cflutist]

The Golden Gate bridge is about 30 minutes away from port. You can see it from the top deck but it won't be a great photo.

 

Here are some photo's from the Star in 2012 as we sailed under it:

 

http://www.websailor.org/gallery/v/Cruises/West_Coast_Cruise_May_2012/?g2_page=8

 

see pages 7 - 9.

 

Here is a close-up as the Star sailed under (someone from shore took this and posted on our Roll Call)

Edited January 31, 2015 by cflutist

[caribill]

The Golden Gate bridge is about 30 minutes away from port. You can see it from the top deck.

 

 

Still true at the new terminal being used?

[Nancyquilts]

Still true at the new terminal being used?

 

You can see it if it isn't foggy.

[jackieo]

Willing to answer any specific questions regarding our cruise experience on the Star departure on January 13th to Hawaii. Overall, a great cruise!

 

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Hi there. With such a late departure wer all the bars open before you sailed away. I am thinking of crooners. I know in NYC in October princess were only allowed to open a couple of bars before departure. One on deck and the other on deck 5.

 

Thanks

 

Jackie

[curtdesilets]

January 26, 2015

Oregon Small Business Association, Press Release

 

Delays at West Coast ports, including Northwest ports, have reached a critical point and threaten regional economies, according to recent news reports. The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents 29 West Coast port employers, has been locked in contract negotiations with the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) since July of last year. That’s when the six-year contract between PMA and ILWU expired.

 

Since then, both sides have blamed the other for major port delays that have left ships stalled at docks in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, among others. The ILWU says port operators aren’t providing sufficient resources or that their equipment isn’t safe, which is causing delays. Port operators counter, and recent judicial rulings seem to affirm, that the ILWU is engaging in deliberate delay tactics to gain leverage during ongoing contract negotiations.

 

Regardless of who’s to blame, delays at West Coast ports are beginning to have an economic impact. In early January, Weyerhauser announced it will lay off workers at one of its Longview, Wash., facilities as a direct result of longshore union slowdowns at ports in Tacoma and Seattle. The Journal of Commerce recently highlighted a Federal Reserve national economic report indicating significant economic impact caused by disruption at West Coast ports.

 

Nearly two-hundred companies and associations dependent on West Coast ports signed a letter to President Obama in late December requesting the White House assign a third-party, federal mediator to guide contract talks toward resolution. According the letter, “Importers, exporters and others are feeling the impact from the congestion and slowdowns at the ports…Retailers have had delays in getting holiday goods to store shelves. Manufactures have had to slow and even stop production lines due to unavailable components delayed at the ports, creating high levels of uncertainty for workers and employers who are aiming to deliver products to domestic and global markets.”

 

A federal mediator was appointed and has been actively working to resolve outstanding contract issues. Progress appears to have stalled, leaving continued uncertainty for many retailers and manufactures.

 

Longshoremen are some of the highest paid blue collar jobs available. The average Longshoreman wage and benefits package is nearly $220,000 per active worker. Foremen can make upwards of $300,000 a year in wages alone.

Edited February 1, 2015 by curtdesilets
Clarification

[elliair]

Longshoremen are some of the highest paid blue collar jobs available. The average Longshoreman wage and benefits package is nearly $220,000 per active worker. Foremen can make upwards of $300,000 a year in wages alone.

 

So what's their problem? The average cruiser doesn't make that much money in a year. It would not hurt my feelings if they all were found in the unemployment line. That to me would be righteous justice. Fire all of them. Princess should pull out of San Francisco after their contract is up. Pier 27 will become a nice terminal with no ships, and lots of gulls crapping all over the terminal. So be it.

[jcw0313]

Sorry, that's a question I can't answer with specifics! There were bars open but I don't know about Crooners.

 

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