debark from hell

[brian1]

hi,got off the star last week in rio.we booked a taxi at 9.30 so we booked a debark at 8.15 thinking that would be ok.we were finally allowed to leave the portofino at 9.15 only to join a line streching from the piazza to the stage of the vista lounge to have our passports stamped.we then made it down to deck 4 to encounter another line going away from gangway into crew area and then back towards gangway to be bonged out by security.we retrieved bags outside and lucky enough our taxi driver was still there at 10.30.we then had to follow her out of the port area to encounter a 8ft wide fenced off area about 400 yds long with embarking passengers coming in opposite direction with their bags also the port busboys with their barrows trying to push in both directions.these poor passengers were trying to get to a disused warehouse which i assume was the check in area,there wasnt any princess reps to be seen and this evolved into a free for all bad tempered situation.we finally got to our taxi at 11.30.im surprised nobody else has posted about this joke of a debark,anyway we had a good couple of days in rio,cheers,brian.

[capriccio]

Thanks for the warning! We will be disembarking in Rio next January. I'm just now starting to develop our post cruise plans - looks like disembarkation day should only be 1/2 day of sightseeing :D.

[skynight]

When we boarded in Rio it was chaos. The entire setup was poor. Our bus could not even get close to our check in area due to traffic. I can understand why disembark was such a nightmare.

[Alessandrina]

Doesn't sound like Rio De Janeiro is a great port to embark or disembark!

 

Cheers.

[brian1]

hi again,having said all this,the port and terminal are being rebuilt for the olympics,so all should change in the next few months hopefully,cheers,brian.

[Astro Flyer]

Several years ago we considered a South America cruise from Rio ending in our homeport of Los Angeles. For various reasons including which at that time was a difficult procedure to get a Brazilian visa we cancelled the cruise. When Princess decided to embark in Buenos Aires & we could get our Argentinian reciprocity fee (visa) online we booked our SA cruise back to LA after an easy embarkation in BA.

 

Maybe the bad disembarkation & embarkation process was a factor as to why Princess changed it to Buenos Aires to avoid the Rio chaos.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Colo Cruiser]

Not good. :(

[love2relax]

Wow! Thanks for sharing the information about your ordeal.

 

Note to self: avoid Rio until I hear of an improved situation.

[fishywood]

Several years ago we considered a South America cruise from Rio ending in our homeport of Los Angeles. For various reasons including which at that time was a difficult procedure to get a Brazilian visa we cancelled the cruise. When Princess decided to embark in Buenos Aires & we could get our Argentinian reciprocity fee (visa) online we booked our SA cruise back to LA.

 

Maybe the bad disembarkation & embarkation process was a factor as to why Princess changed it to Buenos Aires to avoid the Rio chaos.

 

Paying a reciprocity fee is not at all the same as applying for a Visa. The former is simply a cash payment collected by one nation from visiting citizens of other nations that charge high entry or Visa fees to visiting citizens of the first nation (high in that nation's opinion anyway). No application process is required--just cash; in fact until 2013 Argentina did not accept advance payments online but required US citizens to pay in cash (crisp small bills only) upon entry.

 

Yes the reason Princess uses Buenos Aires as the Atlantic-side South America turnaround port more often than Rio most likely is the time, effort and cost required to obtain a Brazilian visa. But I just wonder if it is the OP's first visit to South America. Having embarked and disembarked in Buenos Aires and Valparaiso I know one has to temper their expectations--and it is common knowledge that Brazil infrastructure is even less competent (and expectations of improvement by the time the Olympics arrive there later this year is a pipe dream). Don't even think about contrasting with the relative efficiency of UK or European ports.

[Astro Flyer]

Paying a reciprocity fee is not at all the same as applying for a Visa. The former is simply a cash payment collected by one nation from visiting citizens of other nations that charge high entry or Visa fees to visiting citizens of the first nation (high in that nation's opinion anyway). No application process is required--just cash; in fact until 2013 Argentina did not accept advance payments online but required US citizens to pay in cash (crisp small bills only) upon entry.

Yes & it's why I said the more complicated Brazilian visa procedure was one of the reasons we cancelled the earlier cruise & embarked from BA in March 2014.

[IECalCruiser]

We chose Buenos Aires as our embarkation port on our SA cruise a couple of years ago to avoid Rio.

[USN59-79]

Because of onerous visa procedures and bureaucratic hassles for tourists, we will no longer book a cruise that stops either in India or Brazil. Been there, done that, never again. I wonder how many other tourists feel the same as us and how many tourist dollars these countries have lost due to their unfriendly policies?

[Pam in CA]

Both Rio and BA (not to mention Santiago) are not the best ports to embark or disembark. BA is probably the worst I've ever experienced. Never expect the same efficiency in South America that you do at a US port.

[capriccio]

Because of onerous visa procedures and bureaucratic hassles for tourists, we will no longer book a cruise that stops either in India or Brazil. Been there, done that, never again. I wonder how many other tourists feel the same as us and how many tourist dollars these countries have lost due to their unfriendly policies?

 

Well, we are getting our second Brazilian visas. We got our first in 2009 for our early 2010 Amazon River cruise and it was a PITA but the cruise made it well worth it. At least now the visas are good for 10 years instead of 5. We plan to spend a couple of days in Rio and then go to Iguassu Falls for a couple of days and given the size of the country, I can see us visiting again in the next 10 years.

 

You need to realize that the visa hassle is frequently a case of tit for tat, not an effort to be 'unfriendly.' The US requires costly visas (and the process is frequently an even bigger PITA) for citizens of many countries and those countries retaliate by placing the same requirements on US citizens.

[Loonbeam]

Rio is one of the ports that insists their staff handle all port operations. You won't see many actual Princess staff off ship, if at all, except in emergency conditions.

[PrincessLuver]

hi again,having said all this,the port and terminal are being rebuilt for the olympics,so all should change in the next few months hopefully,cheers,brian.

 

We got off the Star in Rio too and the cruise port facilities are being rebuilt and even though it was chaotic it was not as bad as the line Princess made you wait in ON THE SHIP to get your passport stamped. it stretched from the Vista Lounge to almost near the Piazza on Deck 7. Why couldn't they had the custom agents come on the ship a few days early and this could have been handled better.

 

It was true there was a bottleneck area after you exited the terminal area where passengers were exiting and entering at the same time but this was a result IMHO of Princess's poor planning and execution. We have been in Rio for 6 days since then and the people and city are fabulous. We are coming back soon.

 

We did the 31 day LA to Rio cruise and a number of us called it the Apology Cruise because the Captain was always coming on the air apologizing about something. Rio disembarkation was not the only problem by far.....:)

[PrincessLuver]

Because of onerous visa procedures and bureaucratic hassles for tourists, we will no longer book a cruise that stops either in India or Brazil. Been there, done that, never again. I wonder how many other tourists feel the same as us and how many tourist dollars these countries have lost due to their unfriendly policies?

 

Rio is not hurting for tourist dollars with having hosted the World Cup and now the Olympics....we find Brazilians to be very friendly....

[reedprincess]

Because of onerous visa procedures and bureaucratic hassles for tourists, we will no longer book a cruise that stops either in India or Brazil. Been there, done that, never again. I wonder how many other tourists feel the same as us and how many tourist dollars these countries have lost due to their unfriendly policies?

 

They are probably "losing" as many tourists as the US due to their difficult and costly visa procedures....meaning, not many at all as those who want to visit will do what it takes...just like visitors to the US.

[pthjudy]

Well, we are getting our second Brazilian visas. We got our first in 2009 for our early 2010 Amazon River cruise and it was a PITA but the cruise made it well worth it. At least now the visas are good for 10 years instead of 5. We plan to spend a couple of days in Rio and then go to Iguassu Falls for a couple of days and given the size of the country, I can see us visiting again in the next 10 years.

 

You need to realize that the visa hassle is frequently a case of tit for tat, not an effort to be 'unfriendly.' The US requires costly visas (and the process is frequently an even bigger PITA) for citizens of many countries and those countries retaliate by placing the same requirements on US citizens.

My experience about a year and a half ago at the Brazilian Consulate in New York City was far from what a reciprocal PITA with getting a US visa could be. After following all online instructions, filling out and printing forms, traveling into NYC, and waiting for nearly 2 hours, when we got to the desk, finally, we were told they had just decided then and there to process only World Cup visas. When we were told to come back at a later date, one of the employees took us aside and offered to let us get the visa if we would pay him $500! Would a US employee use extortion? I somehow don't think so. No, we didn't pay the $500. Yes, I wrote a letter of complaint to the Consulate. And no, I got no response to my letter!

[easyboy]

Thanks for sharing. Will keep this in mind when we take that route.

[Cruise Raider]

We had a horrible (worst ever) debarkation in San Pedro in November when sailing on the Star. Some pax missed their 3:30 PM flights, from what I read. We barely made ours. It might be SA but could also involve the procedures (or lack of them) set up on the Star. Too bad, it is a nice ship.

[brian1]

hi,we boarded in santiago and it was flawless.regarding brazil recip fee,a few americans had to get off in ba bacause their permit hadnt arrived in time.in australia and a few other places,the immigration guys boarded days before docking,but i guess this is down to discretion of country concerned and perhaps brazil isnt one of them,cheers,brian.

[benjoon]

We were lucky that we had no time pressure leaving the ship. They definitely could have done it different. We were told that they had to see each individual with their passport. The guy that did ours didn't even look up at us. Just as well I'm a very patient person. The delay getting off in BA and the crush of people trying to get on the port shuttle buses tested your patients.

 

For others leaving in Rio be aware that the taxis are small. For 3 of us and 4 cases we needed two taxis.

[Darcy15]

This thread is making me nervous :(

 

I have booked a Crown Princess cruise in March 2017, from BA to Fort Lauderdale.

 

I'm female, and travel solo. I've done many cruises and never had a problem - but I'm really worried about embarkation in BA now :o

 

I'm very patient and usually 'go with the flow', but don't cope well with being pushed and shoved in disorganised crowds - being 4' 11" somehow makes that all the more intimidating as I seem to become invisible to other people! :o

 

Is it really that bad?

[IECalCruiser]

This thread is making me nervous :(

 

 

 

I have booked a Crown Princess cruise in March 2017, from BA to Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

 

I'm female, and travel solo. I've done many cruises and never had a problem - but I'm really worried about embarkation in BA now :o

 

 

 

I'm very patient and usually 'go with the flow', but don't cope well with being pushed and shoved in disorganised crowds - being 4' 11" somehow makes that all the more intimidating as I seem to become invisible to other people! :o

 

 

 

Is it really that bad?

Our experience is from 2010 when we boarded in BA. We took the Princess shuttle from our hotel to the pier. The area around the pier is sketchy and you should only use the Princess shuttle or a taxi. There wasn't a lot of waiting area but we got there early and were able to get seats. I can't remember if there was priority boarding. When they started check in there were maybe a half dozen stations and they all feed into one line going through security. It was crowded but we didn't feel it was unruly or that there was much if any shoving. We did go through disembarkation in Valparaiso and although there were lines long going through immigration they also were not unruly nor was there shoving. There was a significant police presence with dogs sniffing for unallowed foodstuffs. As things would happen, we ended up disembarking in BA 23 days later but there were only about 400 disembarking in the afternoon and there were no issues at that time with those few people.