Is Caribbean Princess going to be late into Houston this morning?

[Cindy]

Cell phone: Do not have one.

 

E-mail: Yes, Princess has it. And once I could get on the ship and plug in my laptop I would see any messages.

 

Serious question...if you travel without any kind of a mobile device, how would you expect Princess to be able to contact you in case of a delay?:confused: If you can't access e-mail until you're on the ship, it doesn't seem like there would be a contact option.

[Bennettanddebbie]

We are now off the ship and are heading home (driving). The port was still quite foggy. I think we were lucky to get a window of opportunity. There may be problems for the ship's departure today, as the weather forecast calls for these conditions to persist for the next few days (last time I looked). At worst, the CP can be a floating hotel tonight.

 

 

Bennett of

Bennett and Debbie

[DebJ14]

Princess has only one day a week that a ship is in Bayport. The staff there are contract aand not Princess employees. Still that is no excuse for not having someone there to pass on whatever meager information there is to those who were at the terminal.

 

Carnival has ships in Galveston several days each week. I do not know if they have any of their own employees there, but they might have some due to the volume of business they have at that port.

 

Carnival check in staff are not Carnival employees. They are hired by a company that has a contract to provide the check in personnel. This according to our favorite couple who work VIP check.

[DebJ14]

Cell phone: Do not have one.

 

E-mail: Yes, Princess has it. And once I could get on the ship and plug in my laptop I would see any messages.

 

Heck, I can get free WiFi at my local grocery store, Kohls, McDonalds etc. There would have been plenty of places to log in to get updates.

[DebJ14]

Cell phone: Do not have one.

 

E-mail: Yes, Princess has it. And once I could get on the ship and plug in my laptop I would see any messages.

 

It is not Princess' fault that you don't have a cell phone in this day and age. Even my 89 year old FIL had one for years before he passed away 5 years ago.

[mysaddlebred000]

I don't understand this post at all. We arrived at the airport about 8 am' date=' our transfer purchased thru Princess took us to the terminal with arrival there about 10. We did have an accessible vehicle, not a standard bus. There were TONS of Princess reps at the airport and at the cruise terminal. Agree that the only food and drink was at the vending machines. There were at least 2 bathrooms, each with MANY (10+) stalls for women. I can't address the male toilet situation. We were well informed throughout the day, although early on the only announcement was "the ship is not in the channel yet. When it enters the channel, it will take 3-3 1/2 hours to reach the dock." About 3 pm, it changed to "we are working on contingency plans and will inform you as soon as they are finalized."

 

I do not believe the above poster was in the terminal. We arrived at the terminal, our checked luggage was taken (later returned to go to hotel), went thru security and were seated in the terminal. Wifi was available and our cell phones worked fine. Shuttle bus was provided to a food area, but due to disability issues, we did not take advantage of it.

 

PRIVATE cars were being stopped on the road to the terminal. Princess shuttles, taxis, limos, etc. were allowed in. Great care from Princess personnel. Food should have been provided in the terminal.[/quote']

 

Sounds like they are looking for $$$$$ - a free cruise. We sailed out of there last Christmas. Did not have any issues but I won't again for several reasons. We came in two days early and had a great time. Our car service said they are constantly in contact with the port and would let us know if there would be a delay. The hotel was also checking for people. I also booked late afternoon flights home just to be on the safe side. We did miss our connection - never heard why our flight was late but it had nothing to do with Princess. Missed our connection by 5 minutes and ended up having to rent a car and drive 6 hours through the night because there were no available flights for two days BUT did we blame the airline and demand compensation?? - NO.

 

We always buy insurance - would never travel these days without it. This has been a common situation in Houston during the cold months - how do people not know it could happen? Wait until after lunch - still don't understand the need to get to the ship so they can eat lunch in the MDR. Yes, I know you want to start your vacation. I'd rather take my time and get to port so I can walk right on and not wait in line to say I was one of the first to board.

It seems to me that the people that are complaining the loudest are the ones that did not purchase insurance. Same thing happened when we cruised during hurricane Sandy. I do feel sorry for the people when you don't know what is happening but think ahead and have a plan B.

[cruiser fanatic]

Princess has only one day a week that a ship is in Bayport. The staff there are contract aand not Princess employees. Still that is no excuse for not having someone there to pass on whatever meager information there is to those who were at the terminal.

 

Carnival has ships in Galveston several days each week. I do not know if they have any of their own employees there, but they might have some due to the volume of business they have at that port.

 

Carnival staff are contract. They used to work for Carnival but went to contract effective January 7, 2015. Princess is also contract employees. I know a few employees who work both cruise lines.

[rockdoctor]

I don't see why I should have to pay Princess more to have them honor our travel plans when we showed up on time in the right place. I understand insurance for issues where I can't honor the contract, but as the paying customer I expect Princess to go the extra mile here. You already know they are getting pretty insurance payouts for themselves having to not pay port fees when scheduled etc.

 

In defense of Princess, if you had Princess Transfers or Princess Air, they would have taken care of you. As an Independent Traveller, you chose to be on your own.

[cruiser fanatic]

I don't understand this post at all. We arrived at the airport about 8 am' date=' our transfer purchased thru Princess took us to the terminal with arrival there about 10. We did have an accessible vehicle, not a standard bus. There were TONS of Princess reps at the airport and at the cruise terminal. Agree that the only food and drink was at the vending machines. There were at least 2 bathrooms, each with MANY (10+) stalls for women. I can't address the male toilet situation. We were well informed throughout the day, although early on the only announcement was "the ship is not in the channel yet. When it enters the channel, it will take 3-3 1/2 hours to reach the dock." About 3 pm, it changed to "we are working on contingency plans and will inform you as soon as they are finalized."

 

I do not believe the above poster was in the terminal. We arrived at the terminal, our checked luggage was taken (later returned to go to hotel), went thru security and were seated in the terminal. Wifi was available and our cell phones worked fine. Shuttle bus was provided to a food area, but due to disability issues, we did not take advantage of it.

 

PRIVATE cars were being stopped on the road to the terminal. Princess shuttles, taxis, limos, etc. were allowed in. Great care from Princess personnel. Food should have been provided in the terminal.[/quote']

 

I texted a friend last night who works in the terminal. He said that there were many embarkation staff outside the terminal answering questions. He said that there is a limit on how many people can get in the terminal. Only bus transfers, people coming by cab, and hotel packages are allowed in the terminal. Others are directed to a waiting area offsite. He said those with Princess hotel packages were going to the Four Seasons for the evening. Completely different story then from what others are saying.

[cymblue]

I don't understand this post at all. We arrived at the airport about 8 am' date=' our transfer purchased thru Princess took us to the terminal with arrival there about 10. We did have an accessible vehicle, not a standard bus. There were TONS of Princess reps at the airport and at the cruise terminal. Agree that the only food and drink was at the vending machines. There were at least 2 bathrooms, each with MANY (10+) stalls for women. I can't address the male toilet situation. We were well informed throughout the day, although early on the only announcement was "the ship is not in the channel yet. When it enters the channel, it will take 3-3 1/2 hours to reach the dock." About 3 pm, it changed to "we are working on contingency plans and will inform you as soon as they are finalized."

 

I do not believe the above poster was in the terminal. We arrived at the terminal, our checked luggage was taken (later returned to go to hotel), went thru security and were seated in the terminal. Wifi was available and our cell phones worked fine. Shuttle bus was provided to a food area, but due to disability issues, we did not take advantage of it.

 

PRIVATE cars were being stopped on the road to the terminal. Princess shuttles, taxis, limos, etc. were allowed in. Great care from Princess personnel. Food should have been provided in the terminal.[/quote']

 

Here's the issue: this person is talking about the TERMINAL. Due to lack of space in the terminal, many (hundreds if not thousands) were redirected to a nearby "holding area" where they could only sit in their cars and access porta-potties. No Princess reps, no place to go inside, etc. We were sent to this holding area when we arrived at port, but when we saw the situation we left since we live in Houston. Others were not able to do this.

[nealstuber]

In defense of Princess, if you had Princess Transfers or Princess Air, they would have taken care of you. As an Independent Traveller, you chose to be on your own.

 

 

So I have to book Princess air for a port 5 hrs from my house to rate the ability to talk to somebody face to face at the port when the ship I paid to be on is not there?

 

I get that there was not enough room in the terminal for everyone and that the parking spaces were filled by folks still at sea. But how tough is it to Run to Academy, get a couple of portable heaters and a 10x10 pop up a table and chairs to have an information center at the remote parking area?

 

Of course the weather is not Princess's fault, but that does not mean it was not an opportunity to endear customers rather than alienate them.

[PenguinLife]

Heck, I can get free WiFi at my local grocery store, Kohls, McDonalds etc. There would have been plenty of places to log in to get updates.

 

Have you been to the Bayport terminal, it is in the middle of nowhere, the nearest McDonalds (or anything else) is probably 8-10 miles away.

[JimmyVWine]

I don't see why I should have to pay Princess more to have them honor our travel plans when we showed up on time in the right place. I understand insurance for issues where I can't honor the contract, but as the paying customer I expect Princess to go the extra mile here. You already know they are getting pretty insurance payouts for themselves having to not pay port fees when scheduled etc.

 

If you arrived at an airport that was fogged in and your flight got cancelled due to weather, the airline would do its best to re-book you. But as far as a hotel room and food while you are grounded, you would be on your own. The airlines will compensate you when they cancel a flight due to problems of their making (such as mechanical issues with the plane). But when flights get cancelled due to weather, all you get is re-booked. Same here. I'm sure Princess would have done more if the ship lost power and limped in to port. But when it is anchored because of weather, they aren't going to spend half a million dollars or more per day on hotel rooms and food. 3,000+ passengers equals 1,500 hotel rooms, at around $200 per room. Add in food and transportation and you get to $500,000 pretty quickly. That's a lot to spend on a problem that they didn't cause.

[Spotter]

If you arrived at an airport that was fogged in and your flight got cancelled due to weather, the airline would do its best to re-book you. But as far as a hotel room and food while you are grounded, you would be on your own. The airlines will compensate you when they cancel a flight due to problems of their making (such as mechanical issues with the plane). But when flights get cancelled due to weather, all you get is re-booked. Same here. I'm sure Princess would have done more if the ship lost power and limped in to port. But when it is anchored because of weather, they aren't going to spend half a million dollars or more per day on hotel rooms and food. 3,000+ passengers equals 1,500 hotel rooms, at around $200 per room. Add in food and transportation and you get to $500,000 pretty quickly. That's a lot to spend on a problem that they didn't cause.

 

 

I couldn't agree more. From what I've read, Princess (IMHO) did what was expected for the embarking pax. My hunch is that the same people who want compensation for events like weather wouldn't want the impact of such requests and how they would translate to higher fares, etc.

 

And speaking for those of us onboard (where it really counts) Princess ROCKED it. Captain Nashand crew are a class act and should get some kind of official recognition for their handling of this.

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like they are looking for $$$$$ - a free cruise. We sailed out of there last Christmas. Did not have any issues but I won't again for several reasons. We came in two days early and had a great time. Our car service said they are constantly in contact with the port and would let us know if there would be a delay. The hotel was also checking for people. I also booked late afternoon flights home just to be on the safe side. We did miss our connection - never heard why our flight was late but it had nothing to do with Princess. Missed our connection by 5 minutes and ended up having to rent a car and drive 6 hours through the night because there were no available flights for two days BUT did we blame the airline and demand compensation?? - NO.

 

We always buy insurance - would never travel these days without it. This has been a common situation in Houston during the cold months - how do people not know it could happen? Wait until after lunch - still don't understand the need to get to the ship so they can eat lunch in the MDR. Yes, I know you want to start your vacation. I'd rather take my time and get to port so I can walk right on and not wait in line to say I was one of the first to board.

It seems to me that the people that are complaining the loudest are the ones that did not purchase insurance. Same thing happened when we cruised during hurricane Sandy. I do feel sorry for the people when you don't know what is happening but think ahead and have a plan B.

 

 

I agree!! Posting misleading info....not cool. Could not understand how that it was said that there were no employees there in the terminal as well as port a potties. Did not make a whole lot of sense......

 

 

Originally Posted by moki'smommy View Post

I don't understand this post at all. We arrived at the airport about 8 am, our transfer purchased thru Princess took us to the terminal with arrival there about 10. We did have an accessible vehicle, not a standard bus. There were TONS of Princess reps at the airport and at the cruise terminal. Agree that the only food and drink was at the vending machines. There were at least 2 bathrooms, each with MANY (10+) stalls for women. I can't address the male toilet situation. We were well informed throughout the day, although early on the only announcement was "the ship is not in the channel yet. When it enters the channel, it will take 3-3 1/2 hours to reach the dock." About 3 pm, it changed to "we are working on contingency plans and will inform you as soon as they are finalized."

I do not believe the above poster was in the terminal. We arrived at the terminal, our checked luggage was taken (later returned to go to hotel), went thru security and were seated in the terminal. Wifi was available and our cell phones worked fine. Shuttle bus was provided to a food area, but due to disability issues, we did not take advantage of it.

 

PRIVATE cars were being stopped on the road to the terminal. Princess shuttles, taxis, limos, etc. were allowed in. Great care from Princess personnel. Food should have been provided in the terminal.

I texted a friend last night who works in the terminal. He said that there were many embarkation staff outside the terminal answering questions. He said that there is a limit on how many people can get in the terminal. Only bus transfers, people coming by cab, and hotel packages are allowed in the terminal. Others are directed to a waiting area offsite. He said those with Princess hotel packages were going to the Four Seasons for the evening. Completely different story then from what others are saying.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[rocker57]

Just out of curiosity, for the ones that are embarking hopefully today, will they get some return of their fare back, as they have missed one day of their cruise? Hopefully this won't happen in February when we cruise out of Houston

[bellebaby]

Has check-in started today?

 

B

Edited November 30, 2015 by bellebaby

[dforeigner]

Has check-in started today?

 

B

 

Looks like people are dropping off their luggage and driving around to park their vehicles.

 

http://www.portofhouston.com/cruise-information/live-cruise-terminal-cam/

[Audcookvet]

Does anyone know what princess did for the passengers waiting to board?

[Loonbeam]

Actually there are a number of logistical issues. In a true emergency, the port may make an accommodation, but not for something like this where there is no danger. If nothing else, there needs to be ICE staff to handle customs, etc.

 

That also wouldn't solve the embarkation issue. While they probably could get people off and to Bayport (arranging 80+ buses plus accessible transport would be a challenge. But all of the incoming passengers and all of the food and supplies to be loaded is in Bayport.

 

Given the fact that cruise ships are moving out of Galveston harbor, there is no reason the CB couldn't sail to the docks in Galveston. It's Baytown that is fogged in.

[Loonbeam]

As noted, except for maybe 1, the port employees are not Princess reps, they are contracted. As such, they are limited in what they can do. This may explain why there were reps at the terminal, but not the lot, which may be outside their work territory (and in a union port this is a big thing). Unfortunately, any Princess reps that could have helped were on the ship or would need to be flown in.

 

Princess could have done better with email/phone notifications. Did anyone notice any social media notifications?

 

we were supposed to board Caribbean Princess today. We arrived to the terminal at 10.30 a.m. There were NO representatives from the cruise company,no information, no food or drinks. People were sitting in the cold cars for many hours.There were 2 portable toilets and long -long lines.Why we were treated like animals. Why Princess reps could not come and inform people? We left the terminal at 16.00 to go to eat and other passengers informed us that there would be no ship. Their travel agent told them. It is not the way to treat customers. Shame and disgrace.You Princess ruined our cruise. We were lucky to get a hotel room together with other unhappy passengers and heard all kinds of comments from them.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Carnival check in staff are not Carnival employees. They are hired by a company that has a contract to provide the check in personnel. This according to our favorite couple who work VIP check.

 

That is correct. None of the cruise lines that Carnival Corp. owns have their own employees staffing any of the piers any more. Princess and Holland-America employees used to process their own passengers at Seattle and Vancouver, BC until this past season but those were the only piers where that was the case, at least for those 2 lines. Now it's all contract.

 

Tom

[flip side of fifty]

Any Information would be greatly appreciated:

My 83 year old mother and I are scheduled for the next cruise, December 6 - out of Houston. We have done this cruise before and did not have any problems, but .... Texas weather being what it is you never know.

 

We are driving down from San Antonio so there is no airfare, but we are scheduled the night before at the Marriott in Houston - through Princess - and have bus transfers to the port on cruise day - through Princess. We also have the Platinum Vacation Protection from Princess, which I have never needed to use before so I don't really know what it covers.

 

 

One of the posters remarked that if you did not purchase a full package from Princess, including Air Fare, they basically left you stranded at Bayport. :confused:

 

Is there anyone who knows what happened to those passengers with my same situation? Did Princess keep their bus at the terminal and put the riders back on the bus and take them to a hotel after it was determined the ship was not going to make it? Does the Platinum Vacation Protection from Princess cover costs of the hotel and food with receipts?

 

I would not expect food to be provided, but since my mother must eat every 3-4 hours I will definitely be bringing a 6 pack of her Ensure in my carry on. This posting has been extremely informative to me. I have traveled a great deal, by many different methods - not just cruising, so I know that being flexible and having a "go with the flow" attitude is best. However, hanging out for a day at the Bayport Terminal with my mother - Oh Dear! :eek:

[StLouisCruisers]

My daughter (who was on the ship) sent me this news item about a child being removed from the ship with two adults due to abdominal pain yesterday. I hadn't seen this reported anywhere else.

 

http://abc13.com/news/caribbean-princess-cruise-ship-delayed-to-dock-due-to-fog/1103453/

[StLouisCruisers]

Any Information would be greatly appreciated:

My 83 year old mother and I are scheduled for the next cruise, December 6 - out of Houston. We have done this cruise before and did not have any problems, but .... Texas weather being what it is you never know.

 

We are driving down from San Antonio so there is no airfare, but we are scheduled the night before at the Marriott in Houston - through Princess - and have bus transfers to the port on cruise day - through Princess. We also have the Platinum Vacation Protection from Princess, which I have never needed to use before so I don't really know what it covers.

 

 

One of the posters remarked that if you did not purchase a full package from Princess, including Air Fare, they basically left you stranded at Bayport. :confused:

 

Is there anyone who knows what happened to those passengers with my same situation? Did Princess keep their bus at the terminal and put the riders back on the bus and take them to a hotel after it was determined the ship was not going to make it? Does the Platinum Vacation Protection from Princess cover costs of the hotel and food with receipts?

 

I would not expect food to be provided, but since my mother must eat every 3-4 hours I will definitely be bringing a 6 pack of her Ensure in my carry on. This posting has been extremely informative to me. I have traveled a great deal, by many different methods - not just cruising, so I know that being flexible and having a "go with the flow" attitude is best. However, hanging out for a day at the Bayport Terminal with my mother - Oh Dear! :eek:

 

Good luck with your cruise! And yes, it's always best to be prepared!