Severe delay disembarking Eclipse today 2/15 Miami

[marieps]

We did the XPress Walk Off on Jan 18th. It was supposed to start by 7:15 am. As our cabin on deck 6 was directly over the gangway we were able to see that it hadn´t started by that time. Shortly past 7:30 am the first people walked off. So we left our cabin at 7:45 am and took the elevator one floor down. Of course it was already crowded in front of the elevators but we had no chance but to squeeze into the exisiting line (or whatever this was). Some people complained but what should I do? Trying to find an end of a not really exisiting line and work my way back with my luggage through the masses? Anyway we were in front of the terminal building minutes past 8 am.

 

Last numbers were supposed to be called by 10 to 10:20 am (with 10:30 am being estimated end of departure according to the information sheet) so a call at 10:30 am is not much of a delay. 45 min to collect your bags and getting through immigration/customs I think is a good time too.

 

steamboats

 

We did the walk off on January 18. having lined up outside Ensemble Lounge we were the 4th party off, and despite the delay of which you spoke, we got to the zoo known as MIA on a Sunday and still made a 9:39 am flt. I guess we were lucky. To me the issue is not the port, it's the airport. Horrific.

[mickey89]

 

Miami is just a bad place to arrive...be it by air or ship.

 

 

Totally agree, have booked my flight into West Palm Beach for later this year to avoid MIA. We are saving more than $450 compared to flight into Miami, that will pay for extra days pre and post cruise - what a bonus to avoid the Miami circus.

[marieps]

Totally agree, have booked my flight into West Palm Beach for later this year to avoid MIA. We are saving more than $450 compared to flight into Miami, that will pay for extra days pre and post cruise - what a bonus to avoid the Miami circus.

 

We walked off with someone who had a 10am flt out of West Palm. I'll bet they made it.

[joetop2467]

We disembarked January 18 from Eclipse. It was a piece of cake. We ate breakfast in the dining room and went to the theater to wait to be called. Left pretty much on time. Really liked getting luggage off belt like at airport rather than roaming up and down the rows of luggage. Went right through Customs and caught a cab to airport. All very quick and easy. We thought cruising out of Miami was easy and very beautiful. We too had the January 18 embarkation long lines. Not sure what that was all about but cruise was fabulous and quickly forgotten once onboard.

[RDC1]

Since the 15th was on a Sunday, when you usually have more ships turning around, the CBP personnel end up spread out in the different terminals.

 

For example did a turn around in FLL on a b2b cruise that ended on a Sunday. There were 7 other ships in FLL on that day. Clearing all passengers took until 11:30 and the terminal had 2 people working the desks. At the end of the second 10 day cruise, on a Wednesday, we were the only ship in port. Everyone was off the ship by 10:15 and there were 7 CBP personnel working.

Edited February 19, 2015 by RDC1

[ellasnan]

We did the walk off on January 18. having lined up outside Ensemble Lounge we were the 4th party off, and despite the delay of which you spoke, we got to the zoo known as MIA on a Sunday and still made a 9:39 am flt. I guess we were lucky. To me the issue is not the port, it's the airport. Horrific.

 

How easy is the walk off in Miami? We have done it in other ports with ease!

Are there stairs to contend with? Think we may do it for our April sailing as we are driving up to Orlando for our flight home!

Thanks

[dodger1964]

It's 9:30. They have only called #14. Just announced that gangway is now closed due to "orders from CBP"

 

Folks, don't book early flights when sailing from Miami

.

 

 

I would offer a different view from yours to anyone that wants to listen...OF COURSE there will always be a situation that works the other way, but (depending on your individual tolerance for potential travel changes) I am willing to take the chance when a very high percentage of the time you can easily make early flights.

 

I would guess (only a guess, and for us its 15 for 15 times), that if you are the first person in the self disembarkation line you have a 99% chance of easily catching the early flights that are offered...at least in FLL, MIA, and SJU.

 

That being said, this would only be advised for those that actually can logistically handle bags over variety of terrain (think steps and steep inclines)

[leisuretraveler223]

And American citizens, write your Congressmen and women and urge them to restore funding to CBP.

 

This might be the biggest and most ridiculous "first world problem" I've ever heard. Oh, Boo Hoo!!!!! You had to spend a few extra hours on a luxury cruise ship. Such a tragedy! Yeah, THAT's what our congressmen need to focus on....:cool:

[Baron Barracuda]

Got real nervous reading this, as have upcoming Eclipse cruise and what I thought was safe 12 noon flight from Miami. Then noticed that THIS ENTIRE THREAD IS A YEAR OLD!!!!!! Hopefully debarkation is moving more expeditiously now. Also just applied for global entry and am curious how much quicker that will get me past cbp.

[hcat]

OLD THREAD....2015.

 

moderators should retire it...and move any new inquiry to a NEW 2016 thread

[Lois R]

OLD THREAD....2015.

 

moderators should retire it...and move any new inquiry to a NEW 2016 thread

 

Hey Hertha.....you know this happens all the time.....they are not going

to retire a 1 year old thread...especially when threads that are 5 and 6

years old show up.......

Edited February 18, 2016 by Lois R

[bEwAbG]

Got real nervous reading this, as have upcoming Eclipse cruise and what I thought was safe 12 noon flight from Miami. Then noticed that THIS ENTIRE THREAD IS A YEAR OLD!!!!!! Hopefully debarkation is moving more expeditiously now. Also just applied for global entry and am curious how much quicker that will get me past cbp.

 

Debarkation last weekend was a breeze but I did walk-off with my own bags at 8am. Global Entry will not help you until you get to the airport. There is no accommodation for it at Port of Miami yet.

[cruising46]

As stated previously, CBP personnel are Essential and will not be affected by funding. But for the record, all Homeland Security Department activities are fully funded by current legislation through 27 February so even if they were not Essential personnel, funding would still not be an issue.

So what happens after February 27. Could there be a work slowdown? We will be on the ship and disembarking on March 6th.

I guess an option is to take your luggage off yourself….hmmmmm

[reedprincess]

So what happens after February 27. Could there be a work slowdown? We will be on the ship and disembarking on March 6th.

I guess an option is to take your luggage off yourself….hmmmmm

 

Nothing. This thread is more than a year old, and the comments referring to Feb 27, are referring to 2015!! All's well in Miami, no work stoppages, slow downs, underfunding or so on this year. This post was woken up a year later with new posts...

[cruising46]

Nothing. This thread is more than a year old, and the comments referring to Feb 27, are referring to 2015!! All's well in Miami, no work stoppages, slow downs, underfunding or so on this year. This post was woken up a year later with new posts...

What a relief. Thanks. Boarding on Sunday.

[reedprincess]

What a relief. Thanks. Boarding on Sunday.

 

Yeah, I actually had to go back and double check the dates of the majority of posts as the dates were almost an exact match! No worries, smooth sailing for you! Have a great cruise!!

[Keith1010]

Sorry you had the delay.

 

Keith

[LabGuy64]

Why present them with issues to deal with....why not just get a passport? Even if you are allowed to use an alternat form of ID the reality is these people are trained to accept the passport as your ID and are either not that smart or are afraid to do anything out of their comfort zone. The reality is that by forcing the issue ....even if it is legal ......You are just holding up everyone else......Just get a Passport

 

 

 

Yup, we got some of that. I handed the agent my birth certificate and drivers license. " you don't have your passport?" "No I have this." "So you don't have your passport?" no. "Where's your passport". "Ma'am you have my ID". "May I have your passport." "You have my ID". " so may I have your passport". It was almost comical, and clearly designed just today the process!!!!

[hcat]

Hey Hertha.....you know this happens all the time.....they are not going

to retire a 1 year old thread...especially when threads that are 5 and 6

years old show up.......

 

Yup...my fault for not noticing the date before I scrolled through...

nice to see you posting again...hope all is well!

[njaloha]

Not just in Miami . Debarkation from Silhouette January 24 in port Everglades we had 8:25 expected debark time. At around 9:15 only numbers up to 7 had been called, ours was eleven. Suddenly all numbers up to 14 were called and 4 minutes later all up to 24. In the time it took us to walk to the stairs all numbers were called. We moved very slowly to the gangway, held there until enough people cleared the line on the ground. It was super cold out there. Below 40 with wind chill. When we got to the cbp desks, we noticed that only four of eight were in use. I looked behind us and there was still a line coming through the door. By the time we got a cab it was 11:30, we had been 'debarking' for 3 hours. Longest ever for us.

 

And I'm under the impression that numbers are called when luggage is available and not when cob is available. :P

[Fouremco]

Why present them with issues to deal with....why not just get a passport? Even if you are allowed to use an alternat form of ID the reality is these people are trained to accept the passport as your ID and are either not that smart or are afraid to do anything out of their comfort zone. The reality is that by forcing the issue ....even if it is legal ......You are just holding up everyone else......Just get a Passport

Nonsense. They are trained to accept all valid forms of identification, of which a passport is only one. The delay was caused by a difficult official, not by the perfectly acceptable ID proffered by Cruisestitch.

 

In 2014, a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer demanded to see my boarding pass for the flight DW and I had just arrived on in Toronto from St. Lucia. I advised him that I never keep my boarding pass once settled on the plane and that it had been thrown out with other trash. The officer then lectured me on the requirement to show the boarding pass to CBSA as proof of our flight's point of origin. I advised him in turn that there was no such requirement and that he was mistaken. I later pursued the issue with CBSA HQ in Ottawa, and in due course received a call from the manager of the Toronto airport CBSA. He was most apologetic, confirmed that the officer was out of line and indicated that this wasn't the first time that a complaint had been received about the officer's bullying of passengers.

 

I'm not about to start keeping boarding passes just in case some difficult official decides that he or she would like me to. Nor should passengers start acquiring or carrying passports when other forms of ID are perfectly acceptable.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Fouremco

[Jade13]

When we arrived in Miami Airport in November experienced horrendous delays, over 3 hours to get to the taxi rank.

 

Immigration was not the problem, it was the customs officials. There was a line at least 800metres long snaking around the baggage hall and only 2 people at the numerous desks. Asked what the problem was - Working to Rule due to Government cuts was the reply from an airport uniformed official.

 

 

 

So there must be a problem with funding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

What time were you outside and ready to take a taxi?