Standards failure for embarcation/disembarcation

[Adidas4fun]

From the Port Metro Vancouver website:

 

http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/cruise/passenger-information/

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

 

As passengers embarking in Vancouver are considered to be entering U.S. jurisdiction once they board the cruise ship, you will go through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

 

The two times I have had issues at the Vancouver Cruise Terminal was because there were insufficient US Customs and Border Protection personnel available for the number of passengers. In both cases, there was no explanation given to the passengers as to why there were not enough US CBP agents on hand.

 

So really its time the yanks should just get over themselves.

[beentothere]

What's your point?? . Is it the cruise lines problem or the port authority?:mad:

 

 

 

My opinion is BOTH had major shares.

[rnrcruzin]

I'm in Curt's camp on this. There are three problems with embarkation and disembarkation and it comes down to people – they don’t hear, they don’t listen, and they are in a hurry

[GOLDENBONNY]

Bottled water or not the Captain or CD should have come on the PA or sized the crowd and given all passengers information as why the boarding was delayed.

The Captain of this ship failed to give any information regarding why we were delayed. The same happened on tendering, long lines but not a word from the bridge....fail.

 

It will be last day of my cruising when Captain will start come out to port terminal and give information why boarding is delay . There is much more important mission for him. And by the way boarding delays 99% depend on customs not from cruise line.

[GOLDENBONNY]

It probably wasn't one of the better embarkations/disembarkations, but the OP's hyperbole makes it difficult to sort out the true nature and extent of the problems. For example, what exactly does the OP mean by "The poor suites people were treated like stowage"? A heartfelt comment, no doubt, but totally lacking in detail.

 

I've only sailed from/to Vancouver once, a year ago, and it was the smoothest, easiest boarding and disembarkation that I've experienced, but I accept the fact that things can and do change. Nevertheless, when the OP states "NO WATER AFTER HOURS OF STANDING", I have to wonder what happened to all of the chairs that were in the embarkation lounge last year. Also, I read a number of other boards and have seen no previous comments about people having to stand now while waiting their turn to board.

 

In any event, I do hope that Celebrity is aware of the issues and will address those within its power to fix. I was going to suggest that Celebrity might want to extend an apology to the passengers, but when I read the OP's comment that "After the fact apologies are insulting" I'm not sure that would be of any value, at least for the OP.

 

Free cruise ? :rolleyes:

[Bo1953]

I would also venture to guess that it is a customs/immigration staffing issue NOT related to X, but we must pin the blame somewhere regardless of the fact it is in the correct place, even ourselves, at times... :cool:

[elkay68]

What time did you arrive?

 

 

I believe we arrived around 10:30 or so. All i know is that we were in the room and the agents had not yet opened up their respective lines (suite, elite. etc...)

[Dick in Falls Church]

We boarded a HollandAmerica ship this year for an Alaska cruise-tour.

Vancouver Port Authority had just reorganized the boarding areas. We waited in line to get to the waiting area (where HollandAmerica had rows of chairs), then waited there to get checked in, then waited in line for US Customs.

Not fun, and took a long, long, time.

 

The other ship which was processing at the same time was a Carnival. Their lines were as long, their waits as long, and there were no chairs or other places to sit.

 

We did not blame the messengers------

[Rob the Cruiser]

I'm in Curt's camp on this. There are three problems with embarkation and disembarkation and it comes down to people – they don’t hear, they don’t listen, and they are in a hurry

 

And they are convinced that rules do not apply to them.

 

 

.

[beentothere]

I believe we arrived around 10:30 or so. All i know is that we were in the room and the agents had not yet opened up their respective lines (suite, elite. etc...)

 

Then you were in before the congestion more than an hour later.

 

Please advise the Cleveland guy who says your experience conflicts mine as

it does not.

[beentothere]

I would also venture to guess that it is a customs/immigration staffing issue NOT related to X, but we must pin the blame somewhere regardless of the fact it is in the correct place, even ourselves, at times... :cool:

 

Immigrations issues were also a problem but MINOR compared to

the crowd management handled by the companies at Vancouver and

present celebrity staff. I have seen many long delays. This one was bad

due more to lack of concern for people needs and comfort.

[WpgCruise]

We've arrived and departed from Vancouver a few times, and while never suffered through the frustration the O.P. has, don't doubt his discomfort.

 

We once were on a Princess cruise and 4 hours late docking in Vancouver. Apparently the pilots were busy elsewhere. It was the first ship of the season, nothing went as planned in the disembarkation, then our plane didn't arrive in Vancouver due to a surprise storm at it's originating airport. Our 12:00 flight ended up rescheduled to 9:00 p.m Bad things happen, how we react is up to us.

 

Having said that, I've never in my life stood in a line for 3 hours, and can't imagine a scenario where I would do so. If the line isn't moving I find out what the problem is and if necessary remove myself to an area where there is seating and if needed sustenance. Once the line starts moving I rejoin and move forward.

 

Personal responsibility seems to have somehow fallen by the wayside. Yes sometimes things happen, and when stuff happens it's incumbent upon us to react appropriately.

 

No one has ever forced me to stand in line. It's my personal responsibility to look after my personal comfort, and the day I'll delegate that is the day I'll quit travelling.

[nobog]

I'm in Curt's camp on this. There are three problems with embarkation and disembarkation and it comes down to people – they don’t hear, they don’t listen, and they are in a hurry

 

???? I find it just the opposite, if people are kept informed, then things remain calm.

 

JK

[beentothere]

We've arrived and departed from Vancouver a few times, and while never suffered through the frustration the O.P. has, don't doubt his discomfort.

 

We once were on a Princess cruise and 4 hours late docking in Vancouver. Apparently the pilots were busy elsewhere. It was the first ship of the season, nothing went as planned in the disembarkation, then our plane didn't arrive in Vancouver due to a surprise storm at it's originating airport. Our 12:00 flight ended up rescheduled to 9:00 p.m Bad things happen, how we react is up to us.

 

Having said that, I've never in my life stood in a line for 3 hours, and can't imagine a scenario where I would do so. If the line isn't moving I find out what the problem is and if necessary remove myself to an area where there is seating and if needed sustenance. Once the line starts moving I rejoin and move forward.

 

Personal responsibility seems to have somehow fallen by the wayside. Yes sometimes things happen, and when stuff happens it's incumbent upon us to react appropriately.

 

No one has ever forced me to stand in line. It's my personal responsibility to look after my personal comfort, and the day I'll delegate that is the day I'll quit travelling.

 

Gee 12pm to 9 pm....tough

 

try the air traffic controllers slowdown where more than half of the planes in the US were parked at OHare.

 

You assume to know all..its called the argument of the beard

 

how many hairs make a beard?

 

when in line how would you know how long a wait it will be?

if you are continually told ...just a few minutes...how long will you wait?

if you leave your place in line, you are now back behind 750 people...

 

Problem is imperfect information...by the time we know the flaw...it is

often toward the end. Get it?

 

These were extreme circumstances......so the victims are again responsible for the crime....

 

so how you react is how you react....

 

Once dehydration starts to take effect, like sunstroke, the brain loses capacity

quickly and proper behavior and decision making falters.

 

Woe to you when you are of age and find out that you need liquids more

frequently in heat...and a little sustenance....like that poor man on the airplane

parked for so many hours...no water...he died...really..yes

[ceemacon]

Darci, unless you were there, and experienced things the OP did, you absolutely cannot say that anything is NOT an exaggeration.

 

I was there on that cruise. Embarkation in Vancouver was a mess. We were in a suite and found the hall to be chaos. There were very few signs or employees indicating which lines were which. But once we got in the right line things went very quickly. UNTIL we hit US immigration (because we would be stopping at Dutch Harbor). That was a disaster. We had to wait in line a long time. Then we had to sit in a waiting area a long time. Finally, we were called to go to immigration, which required us to use the new passport reading machines, which seem to have no purpose, as we then had to show the passport to an immigration officer for review. It was nuts. And it was completely, 100%, the fault of US immigration, and I don't know what Celebrity could have done to fix it.

 

It got even worse shortly after we went through it. Immigration took us about 40 minutes. Slightly later people ended up taking over two hours, and we departed over an hour late because of it. Lifeboat drill was extended by more than half a hour as we waited for everyone to be on board, and we all had to wait in an inadequately air conditioned area with seating for less than half of us.

 

So Celebrity should have done a better job of guiding people to the right lines in Vancouver and should not have put so many people in an inadequate, hot, muggy lounge for the extra time we had to wait because of US Immigration. But the big problem was not their fault.

 

Disembarkation was in Shanghai, not Vancouver. We had a city tour/transfer to hotels, and I felt that it was all handled very well, including Chinese immigration. The one problem was that the luggage area was too small and poorly signed. It was nearly impossible to even reach the bags in the crush of people trying to move through the tight space. Again, it's hard to blame Celebrity for that. So far as I could tell, they used the space available as well as they could.

 

I'm not very happy about Celebrity nowadays, but embarkation and disembarkation on this cruise, while not good, were not their fault.

[beentothere]

I was there on that cruise. Embarkation in Vancouver was a mess. We were in a suite and found the hall to be chaos. There were very few signs or employees indicating which lines were which. But once we got in the right line things went very quickly. UNTIL we hit US immigration (because we would be stopping at Dutch Harbor). That was a disaster. We had to wait in line a long time. Then we had to sit in a waiting area a long time. Finally, we were called to go to immigration, which required us to use the new passport reading machines, which seem to have no purpose, as we then had to show the passport to an immigration officer for review. It was nuts. And it was completely, 100%, the fault of US immigration, and I don't know what Celebrity could have done to fix it.

 

It got even worse shortly after we went through it. Immigration took us about 40 minutes. Slightly later people ended up taking over two hours, and we departed over an hour late because of it. Lifeboat drill was extended by more than half a hour as we waited for everyone to be on board, and we all had to wait in an inadequately air conditioned area with seating for less than half of us.

 

So Celebrity should have done a better job of guiding people to the right lines in Vancouver and should not have put so many people in an inadequate, hot, muggy lounge for the extra time we had to wait because of US Immigration. But the big problem was not their fault.

 

Disembarkation was in Shanghai, not Vancouver. We had a city tour/transfer to hotels, and I felt that it was all handled very well, including Chinese immigration. The one problem was that the luggage area was too small and poorly signed. It was nearly impossible to even reach the bags in the crush of people trying to move through the tight space. Again, it's hard to blame Celebrity for that. So far as I could tell, they used the space available as well as they could.

 

I'm not very happy about Celebrity nowadays, but embarkation and disembarkation on this cruise, while not good, were not their fault.

 

I agree for the most....Sorry celebrity shares responsibility. Contracting a service never frees all share.

 

But since the luggage are was limited, without any question celebrity should have slowed the exit calls to keep congestion limited. They chose not to. Mistake.

 

Also the cruise industry has had 40 years to make standards that all should follow. Since the port of Vancouver subcontracts and does not watch the shop,

having spoken to their manager who did not even make the effort to check out the crowd, they need a good kick. A real good one. This has been an issue there I now understand for some time. Again no follow through by celebrity on received complaints.

 

MODERN ARROGANCE

[kenevenpar]

Next thing you know, OP will be complaining about, oh I don't know, rough seas? :rolleyes:

 

Just guessing

[DrivesLikeMario]

Canada Place does have a tendency for problems with US Immigration . They have room for 24 officers. I've rarely seen more than 10 officers actually working.

Same issue at Vancouver International in the US departures checks.

 

I'll second that comment! The worst immigration line we've ever waited in was at YVR. There had to be at least 1,000 passengers in that holding room. Took us hours to get through the line. Just plain miserable. Guess we just got unlucky that quite a few jumbo jets from Asia landed at the same time as us, causing the massive back-up. The next time we flew into YVR, we only waited about 40 minutes.

 

OP - Sounds like you need to change cruise lines. You're not finding anything that Celebrity does that makes you happy. Take a look at the other cruise lines' boards. But, be prepared because you'll see lots of the same comments on their boards too - quality has fallen, service not as good, food not as good as it used to be. It's a sign of the times.

Edited November 1, 2015 by DrivesLikeMario

[nobog]

Next thing you know, OP will be complaining about, oh I don't know, rough seas? :rolleyes:

 

Just guessing

 

Now that helps....

Edited November 1, 2015 by nobog

[Jobeth66]

Few chairs and all taken. Even if you had A bottle of water, for three hours many would need more than one. Maybe you did not hear of the man that

died of dehydration on an airline parked for too many hours.

 

Can you point me to a link on this? I've searched and can't find any stories on it.

 

Normally, water is available. Here there was none and if there was some, no one with celebrity uniforms knew where it was or could arrange for some to be brought in. In other locations water had been brought in during extended delays.

 

No one is going to die of dehydration in 3 hours, unless maybe they are in extremely poor health and in the middle of the desert in the middle of the day in the summer.

 

If you are concerned with dehydration, you should always bring your own bottle of water with you. I drink about a gallon of water a day, and always have a 24-oz bottle with me. Should water have been available in the terminal? Maybe. Not sure how it's Celebrity's responsibility to provide, though, especially when the holdup is due to the government. Same with snacks. Carry a backpack with you for boarding and throw some granola bars/protein bars/bottled water, etc. in it.

 

If your traveling companion is in need of medical assistance, notify someone in authority and I'm sure it will be provided.

 

Reminds me on the tour for 8 hours, we were told they provide snacks and water. NO WATER. a $150 tour and no water! With 3 to 4 hours of bus ride.

 

Bottom line is that we are under Celebrity's custodial care. It then becomes their responsibility to see that we are supported and treated with due care.

 

PERIOD.

 

And who in the terminal did you notify that medical assistance was required? Or is this hyperbole? Because if you or your companion(s) were that badly off, I'm certain an ambulance could have been procured.

 

My last cruise (RCCL, not Celebrity) the terminal was packed when we were disembarking. I have issues with my legs, and the line was moving so slowly I was in severe pain by the time we got through customs. By the time we got the airport, I required a wheelchair, and almost was barred from my flight over concerns about DVT.

 

100% my fault. I should've requested assistance in the terminal, but I decided to 'tough it out'. It's not the cruise line's fault nor is it the terminal staff's fault for not noticing I was having issues, nor is it the fault of the US government for the lines being slow. It was 100% MY fault, because I'm the only one who knows what's going on with me, and I'm the one who should've stopped and asked someone for assistance.

 

If you didn't ask anyone for medical assistance, then I'm not sure how they're supposed to know you need it.

 

If you DID ask someone for medical assistance and were denied, I'd be incredibly surprised. And you can always call an ambulance if you're that concerned about death from dehydration while standing in line - surely missing the cruise would have been preferable to the fear of death, wouldn't it?

[chrisaus]

Next thing you know, OP will be complaining about, oh I don't know, rough seas? :rolleyes:

 

Just guessing

 

 

We'll played [emoji12]

[boscobeans]

We've experienced this type of crowding and delays twice.

 

Both times were on the larger 3,000 passenger ships.. Trying to get 3,000 passengers off a ship before the first of 3,000 new passengers begin getting on is difficult in the short time frame usual to normal port schedules.

 

The jams we had were both due to a problem with Customs not having their ducks in a row.

 

While the ship tried not to push everyone off into the mess caused by a short staffed Customs crew they also were trying to satisfy those checking in and waiting to board.

 

Due to a Customs problem there had to be a jam somewhere and on our cruises it was between getting our luggage and clearing Customs.

 

-It happens. After cruising for only 15 years now we have learned NOT everything is always smooth sailing, but even with a few inconveniences nothing spoils a good cruise and all of ours have been wonderful so far. Especially on Celebrity, our first cruise (Zenith 9/29/01 Bermuda...) was an adventure in high seas and wicked winds,,, LOL What FUN!

 

bosco

[beentothere]

Yes, signs that cannot be seen because they are not above head height are

the same as no signs. You cannot see them!

 

So yes Cle ....that was the fault of the port for not recognizing the chaos and

Celebrity for not observing and acting.

 

The issue with the taxis is 100% Celebrity as I remember my Uncle Murray

who would always take time to contact all taxi and other pickup services to

remind them of ship arrival date and time. Of course he was Ted's right hand

man years ago. You see they had these things anticipated. Ted was Mickey's dad, you know CARNIVAL.

 

So please listen to the voice of history and experience.

[beentothere]

We've experienced this type of crowding and delays twice.

 

Both times were on the larger 3,000 passenger ships.. Trying to get 3,000 passengers off a ship before the first of 3,000 new passengers begin getting on is difficult in the short time frame usual to normal port schedules.

 

The jams we had were both due to a problem with Customs not having their ducks in a row.

 

While the ship tried not to push everyone off into the mess caused by a short staffed Customs crew they also were trying to satisfy those checking in and waiting to board.

 

Due to a Customs problem there had to be a jam somewhere and on our cruises it was between getting our luggage and clearing Customs.

 

-It happens. After cruising for only 15 years now we have learned NOT everything is always smooth sailing, but even with a few inconveniences nothing spoils a good cruise and all of ours have been wonderful so far. Especially on Celebrity, our first cruise (Zenith 9/29/01 Bermuda...) was an adventure in high seas and wicked winds,,, LOL What FUN!

 

bosco

 

My first cruise on celebrity, inaugural of Zenith guest of owner.

 

There are always issues. Some are preventable, some are not. Some issues

have consequences not always clear to those who have conditions as motion limitations. They, without exception must always be accommodated. In Vancouver on 9/11, except for wheel chair occupants, they were not. So

walkers and cane supported were at the mercy of an excessively dense crowd.

And requests for wheel chairs were unfulfilled with the explanation of none left.

 

If this is a failure of the Vancouver port service contracted to manage the activity it matters not as Celebrity should have sent a strong letter of condemnation and advised customer relations of such on the ship.

Relations on the ship was not aware of any issues at the port.

 

Handicapped people fell in other boardings and were seriously hurt.

[Jobeth66]

My first cruise on celebrity, inaugural of Zenith guest of owner.

 

There are always issues. Some are preventable, some are not. Some issues

have consequences not always clear to those who have conditions as motion limitations. They, without exception must always be accommodated. In Vancouver on 9/11, except for wheel chair occupants, they were not. So

walkers and cane supported were at the mercy of an excessively dense crowd.

And requests for wheel chairs were unfulfilled with the explanation of none left.

 

If this is a failure of the Vancouver port service contracted to manage the activity it matters not as Celebrity should have sent a strong letter of condemnation and advised customer relations of such on the ship.

Relations on the ship was not aware of any issues at the port.

 

Handicapped people fell in other boardings and were seriously hurt.

 

How is it either the port authority or Celebrity's /responsibility/ to provide wheelchairs for handicapped passengers? Those things are provided as a courtesy on a first-come, first-serve basis. If a member of your party requires those types of accommodations, you should arrange for them beforehand with one of the many medical supply companies that will be happy to provide you with a mobility scooter or wheelchair.

 

Of course, you'll have to pay for it.

 

In addition, you ALWAYS have the option to leave the port area and come back later, perhaps it would be less crowded.

 

Your expectations appear to be completely unrealistic in some areas. Do you suppose Celebrity and/or the port should have 3000 wheelchairs available, on the off chance that every passenger on the ship will require one? Of course not, that would be ridiculous. They have some available for passengers who are mobility impaired, but again, first-come, first-served, and when they run out, what are they supposed to do? Bow and scrape and fawn over you, and kick some other passenger out of a wheelchair so that you can be accommodated?

 

Please. If you need water, bring it. If you need food, bring it. If you need a wheelchair, bring it.

 

If you don't bring those things, it's no one's fault but your own if they are necessary. If you bring them and don't need them, you're ahead of the game.