Getting on later in cruise

[jeep1]

Have a question. We are doing a 10 day on ruby. Have a friend that can only get a week off work. Can she join the ship in Cabo instead of la. Thanks in advance

[RocketMan275]

You need to call and ask Princess. Only they can give an official answer.

[1025cruise]

This would need to be cleared ahead of time by Princess, but odds are they will probably not allow this.

[Pam in CA]

Probably but you'd have to pay for the entire cruise. I've seen entertainers and delayed passengers boarding in Cabo. You'd have to pre-arrange with Princess but I bet they'll allow you to do it.

 

Once onboard, she'd be checked in at the Passenger Services Desk. Getting through Security after the tender could be a hassle as she wouldn't have a cruise card but worth it. If they approve, she should plan on boarding in the morning if possible as there would be less of a hassle for her and other passengers returning to the ship.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Pam in CA

[jeep1]

Thanks everyone.

[Shmoo here]

Thanks everyone.

 

Could you please come back and let us know how it works out?

[jennybenny]

Have a question. We are doing a 10 day on ruby. Have a friend that can only get a week off work. Can she join the ship in Cabo instead of la. Thanks in advance

 

Interested in hearing what you find out. We have a similar issue on our upcoming April Cruise. If we hear back from Princess I'll post here to let you know what they say. I assumed they wouldn't let her board at the next port, but if she were to miss the departure, as long as she can get to the next port, they should let her on. So, we'll see. :) No matter what she would need to notify Princess to say she was missing the departure so they would be prepared for her at the next port.

[jennybenny]

My cousin got a reply back from the travel agent!

 

She needed to completely fill out all the e-check in information for Princess, passport, credit card, etc. Then once boarding passes are available 75 days in advance (next week) the TA can submit the request to board at the first port. She said there should be no problem getting approval. I think they still charge you the full gratuities for the time you are not there, but at least you can board!!

 

Good luck getting approval but I don't think it will be a problem!

[pablo222]

Have a question. We are doing a 10 day on ruby. Have a friend that can only get a week off work. Can she join the ship in Cabo instead of la. Thanks in advance

 

If you are a fantastic friend, you will bring their bags on for them in LA.

Then they can fly without checked bags!

[jeep1]

That's a good idea 😀

[iceleven]

If you are a fantastic friend, you will bring their bags on for them in LA.

Then they can fly without checked bags!

 

It would also save her the dicey effort of bringing the luggage aboard the tender if the water conditions are not ideal.

 

One other thing to consider, since it is a tendered port, if the waters are too rough for tenders, she might not be able to get on the ship. Perhaps someone here has experience of not being able to get into Cabo by tender?

[Bemidji Ty]

We've done this cruise at least once a year for 20+ years. We've never missed Cabo for any reason. We've missed several Caribbean ports because of weather. Never Cabo. I guess these is always a first time.

 

Cheers.

[Pam in CA]

We've done this cruise at least once a year for 20+ years. We've never missed Cabo for any reason. We've missed several Caribbean ports because of weather. Never Cabo. I guess these is always a first time.

Ports are NEVER guaranteed.

 

A number of years ago, I was on a British Isles cruise and booked an independent excursion in Belfast. While it was cheaper than the Princess excursion, it was still pretty expensive. I hesitated about the pre-pay/no refund policy so I wrote the tour operator. They assured me that no ship had missed Belfast in their 35 years of operation and not to worry. Guess what? We were docked in Dublin for two days because of a massive storm in the Irish Sea and missed Belfast. The tour operator (McCombs) refused to refund a dime even though they had to know at least 15 hours before the ship was scheduled to dock that we were still in Dublin. Other operators gave at least a partial refund but McCombs was downright nasty and threatened to sue me if I posted anything on CC about their not giving a refund.

[TM]

We've missed Cabo twice due to high waves in the bay which made tendering impossible. Granted both times were in the fall and caused by distant hurricanes but there is always a chance.

[Bemidji Ty]

Hard to see how anyone would take my comments based on experience with a disclaimer as a guarantee that they would make CSL.

 

Cheers

[chengkp75]

Hate to say it, but I wouldn't take the word of a TA. Only Princess can say for sure. While it is common for entertainers (considered crew on the manifest for CBP purposes) or delayed guests to board late, in the past couple of years the lines have severely restricted the ability to voluntarily board "downstream" or leave "upstream". This has to do with CBP's rules regarding the passenger manifest and their ability to screen the guests during the cruise. When someone joins late, a new manifest must be submitted, and CBP treats this as now a voyage starting in a foreign port. While this does not change the closed loop ID requirements, it does change how CBP does their interview at disembarkation. The interview for a closed loop cruise is basically just comparing your photo ID name to your face, and the name to the manifest, since they've had a week to screen you. When a new manifest is submitted, they now do an interview more like arriving on an international flight. This can cause delays, and missed flights, so for this reason, and the cost of processing a new manifest, the lines have restricted these voluntary boardings.

[jennybenny]

Hate to say it, but I wouldn't take the word of a TA. Only Princess can say for sure. While it is common for entertainers (considered crew on the manifest for CBP purposes) or delayed guests to board late, in the past couple of years the lines have severely restricted the ability to voluntarily board "downstream" or leave "upstream". This has to do with CBP's rules regarding the passenger manifest and their ability to screen the guests during the cruise. When someone joins late, a new manifest must be submitted, and CBP treats this as now a voyage starting in a foreign port. While this does not change the closed loop ID requirements, it does change how CBP does their interview at disembarkation. The interview for a closed loop cruise is basically just comparing your photo ID name to your face, and the name to the manifest, since they've had a week to screen you. When a new manifest is submitted, they now do an interview more like arriving on an international flight. This can cause delays, and missed flights, so for this reason, and the cost of processing a new manifest, the lines have restricted these voluntary boardings.

 

 

You are correct. I'm not taking my TAs word for it. She (TA) contacted Princess' "Sector change department" and THEY give the yay or nay on the request within 72 hours. So, moral of the story is you must go through princess if you need an exception made, however if you did not book directly with Princess you must go through your TA.

 

 

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[GUT2407]

Ports are NEVER guaranteed.

 

 

And therein lies the risk.

 

We've missed at least one Port on half of our cruises.

[jewelsea21]

Re: what chengkp75 stated. LAX round trip will be the least likely to be granted for joining downline.