Closing terminal to enforce delayed check in

[JudithLynne]

Our roll call just received this posting which I find interesting and possibly an explanation for our delay in San Pedro:

 

"We are currently aboard the Ruby and have been since February 7th. There is no illness aboard and no extraordinary health measures being taken. However, the ship has had a few computer glitches regarding passenger manifest. We have been delayed in a couple of ports trying to clear the issues and ensure all passengers are aboard. I would wonder IF Princess will be having a few geeks aboard regarding their computers. Please be ADVISED this is only speculation on my part. If I find out anything in the interim, I will try and let you know."

Edited February 22, 2016 by JudithLynne

[chelsea922]

I am on the Ruby on 2/29 and wonder if those who have experienced a closed terminal were able to drop their luggage and come back for check in later...?

[elliair]

We got this same identical statement when we did the Coastal Cruise on the Crowne Princess. It wasn't the "Port Authority" that closed the terminal, it was PRINCESS! They claimed it was due to deep cleaning because of the noro. BTW, we got the email the morning we left. We flew into LAX.

 

If you have a Princess transfer, your up a creek without a paddle. They will cart you to a hotel where you will wait and wait and wait--4 hours of waiting for us at the hotel. People were getting antsy so we boarded the bus and they took us to the terminal where hundreds and hundreds of people were lined up. There were 10 buses waiting in line behind the other. The bus we were on did not have water or a bathroom facility. We had handicapped people on board. It was a nightmare. We sat there for another 3 hours until I got off the bus and approached the bus driver with my cell phone in hand. I told her the situation with the handicapped people and she had two choices. Either take us all to the terminal or I call 911 and tell them we're being held hostage, pick your poison. She hopped on the bus, took us to the terminal and we all boarded the ship within 10 minutes. We did our check in at the hotel so the hard part was over. But expect to be treated like cattle.

[elliair]

I am on the Ruby on 2/29 and wonder if those who have experienced a closed terminal were able to drop their luggage and come back for check in later...?

 

You can check your luggage. Princess might have a bus that will take you to downtown Long Beach for shopping and lunch. When we experienced this situation, we heard that Princess offered this luxury to platinums and elites. I wish we could have done this instead of being stuck in a hotel and then on bus. I will never ever do a Princess transfer again.

 

P.S. We're going to be on the same cruise as you.

Edited February 22, 2016 by elliair

[Colo Cruiser]

We got this same identical statement when we did the Coastal Cruise on the Crowne Princess. It wasn't the "Port Authority" that closed the terminal, it was PRINCESS! They claimed it was due to deep cleaning because of the noro. BTW, we got the email the morning we left. We flew into LAX.

 

If you have a Princess transfer, your up a creek without a paddle. They will cart you to a hotel where you will wait and wait and wait--4 hours of waiting for us at the hotel. People were getting antsy so we boarded the bus and they took us to the terminal where hundreds and hundreds of people were lined up. There were 10 buses waiting in line behind the other. The bus we were on did not have water or a bathroom facility. We had handicapped people on board. It was a nightmare. We sat there for another 3 hours until I got off the bus and approached the bus driver with my cell phone in hand. I told her the situation with the handicapped people and she had two choices. Either take us all to the terminal or I call 911 and tell them we're being held hostage, pick your poison. She hopped on the bus, took us to the terminal and we all boarded the ship within 10 minutes. We did our check in at the hotel so the hard part was over. But expect to be treated like cattle.

 

 

 

You are assuming that the OP's notice is due to noro. :(

Poster onboard now says no noro. :confused:

[cruzsnooze]

How could they predict Noro ten days in advance anyway. Has anyone thought to call the pier and ask them? It's too late now but in the morning it might get a response and end the speculation.

 

Los Angeles - San Pedro World Cruise Terminal

100 Swinford Ave San Pedro, CA, 90731

 

310-547-4357

Edited February 22, 2016 by cruzsnooze

[elliair]

You are assuming that the OP's notice is due to noro. :(

Poster onboard now says no noro. :confused:

 

The only thing I assume is pointing fingers by Princess. I've seen them blame security, passengers, crew, immigration etc. Pin it down, you lose, Princess has a bag full of excuses. In one of my surveys I told them "just tell the truth for a change." I ASS-U-ME nothing, been there done that.

[elliair]

How could they predict Noro ten days in advance anyway. Has anyone thought to call the pier and ask them? It's too late now but in the morning it might get a response and end the speculation.

 

Los Angeles - San Pedro World Cruise Terminal

100 Swinford Ave San Pedro, CA, 90731

 

310-547-4357

 

Noro takes a very short time to rear its ugly head. 3 days of noro and it spreads like wildfire. Watch for the salt and pepper shakers to disappear off the tables, and then crew serving you in the buffet. Passengers touch nothing. No need to call the pier, thr ship has to report it to the CDC and other health officials. On a 7-day cruise it can hit and never go away and will rear its head on the next cruise - NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY CLEAN!

[jrzebird]

Noro takes a very short time to rear its ugly head. 3 days of noro and it spreads like wildfire. Watch for the salt and pepper shakers to disappear off the tables, and then crew serving you in the buffet. Passengers touch nothing. No need to call the pier, thr ship has to report it to the CDC and other health officials. On a 7-day cruise it can hit and never go away and will rear its head on the next cruise - NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY CLEAN!

 

No one even remotely speculated that this was a noro situation. In fact, that's one thing that has pretty much been ruled out.

[ccruisequeen]

In October, we got the same staggered check in schedule. We arrived about 12:30 and were able to check in right away. They gave us a boarding number and we were on board by 1:15. We dropped our bags and got to the MDR for a nice sit down lunch.

 

I noticed in the email for the cruise next week, they don't mention the MDR.

 

 

 

I no longer see carnival from my condo front porch :(

[bprincess]

Ruby was scheduled for the new beds in February. My guess is that the delay is for the installation of the new beds!

[Photofinish4]

It states it is an operational reason for the late check in and if you notice they are giving each passenger $30.19 in ship board credit.

[cruzsnooze]

Ruby was scheduled for the new beds in February. My guess is that the delay is for the installation of the new beds!

 

Although that sounds like a logical reason why would it cause the pier to close? The pier is not owned or controlled by Princess.

 

That $30 OBC is quite fair of Princess. Some could use it for a Taxi to go to lunch, some could use it towards parking at the end of the cruise.

[satxdiver]

In October, we got the same staggered check in schedule. We arrived about 12:30 and were able to check in right away. They gave us a boarding number and we were on board by 1:15. We dropped our bags and got to the MDR for a nice sit down lunch.

 

I noticed in the email for the cruise next week, they don't mention the MDR.

 

I no longer see carnival from my condo front porch : lol(

 

In every cruise we have been on, when asking if a MDR is open for lunch, they always claim no MDR open. We have stopped asking and just go to the MDR. On one occasion the MDR was actually closed even though they were serving some pax (visitors or TAs?). I have only seen one posting on CC where Princess actually enforced the progressive check in.

[pablo222]

We have just received notification of delayed embarkation/departure times for the Ruby out of San Pedro.

 

I did not experience it, but I have read that in Houston, they block

access to the parking lot when they are not able to begin boarding.

 

Pretty limiting for people driving to the port.

[land lover]

Although that sounds like a logical reason why would it cause the pier to close? The pier is not owned or controlled by Princess.

 

That $30 OBC is quite fair of Princess. Some could use it for a Taxi to go to lunch, some could use it towards parking at the end of the cruise.

 

 

As u know, there r gates at the pier, you can still access the Iowa but they lock u out of the cruise terminals.

 

Monday is an exception to the rule.

 

We r leaving on Saturday and we have received no such notice.

 

However for our 4 day that was changed to a 3 day(Feb 1st) they did close down pier access for cruisers even after they said u could drop off luggage, so they have learned a lesson from recent situations and have offer the OBC quickly.

 

Reason? It is known as crowd control

Edited February 22, 2016 by land lover

[pablo222]

I've seen them blame security, passengers, crew, immigration etc. Pin it down, you lose, Princess has a bag full of excuses.

 

Since they're obviously not losing you as a customer, what

is their incentive to change?

[Montrealais]

Yes Colo, here it is from our revised Travel Summary. Look at the end of the first paragraph for the statement about the closed terminal.

We depart 2-29-2016 at 8 PM, four hours late.

 

PROGRESSIVE CRUISE CHECK-IN INFORMATION

To help facilitate a smooth start to your voyage we have implemented a progressive cruise check-in schedule. Please arrive at the check-in time listed below. If

you have purchased a Princess Cruise Plus Package/Transfer, your check-in time will be provided at your hotel or the airport. Guests travelling on shared

transport or arriving as a group will be checked in together. Priority check-in will be available to guests with a Preferred Boarding Pass within the allocated checkin

times. Boarding will commence shortly after check-in. Please do not arrive prior to 1:00 PM as the terminal will not be open.

 

Once onboard, enjoy a meal at Horizon Court which remains open throughout the day to serve you.

1:00 PM - Dolphin & Emerald Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with D & E 1:45 PM - Caribe & Riviera Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with C & R 2:15

PM - Aloha & Lido Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with A & L 2:45 PM - Baja & Plaza Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with B & P

 

Our boarding pass (preferred) printed right after final payment reads: "check-in 1:00-3:00PM." There is no mention of a closed terminal.

 

 

PROGRESSIVE CRUISE CHECK-IN INFORMATION:

 

«Please do not arrive prior to 1:00 PM as the terminal will not be open.»

 

YOUR COMMENT:

 

«There is no mention of a closed terminal.»

 

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[land lover]

So do they mean terminal do they mean parking lot.....?? They mean both just sayin' I would follow their instructions as you either will be sitting in ur car, waiting in a line or hangin out.

 

 

On our Feb 1st cruise..I'll give some details....weekend cruise stayed docked in Esenada due to Winds, should have been at SP 6am did not arrive in SP until 6pm,...what is the cruise line to do with all these people????? First time they have ever had this situation out of this SP.....I'll give more details if anyone is interested.

[capriccio]

In every cruise we have been on, when asking if a MDR is open for lunch, they always claim no MDR open.

 

I'm pretty sure the embarkation day Patters (which I didn't save so can't confirm) on our B2B on the Royal Princess last October listed the embarkation day lunch service hours in the appropriate MDR because I remember thinking to myself that was an improvement :D.

[RDC1]

Although that sounds like a logical reason why would it cause the pier to close? The pier is not owned or controlled by Princess.

 

That $30 OBC is quite fair of Princess. Some could use it for a Taxi to go to lunch, some could use it towards parking at the end of the cruise.

 

The port has limited inside space. The cruise line has to pay for check in personnel and security, usually by the hour. Since they know that the departure is delayed (for whatever reason, it really does not matter why) they are shifting the hours of the personnel. So no, one will be there to open the terminal until they say. If they did open it earlier, all you would get is people having to stand in lines waiting, or very rapidly fill the existing waiting space. Better for them to say, as they have, that the terminal will not be open until 1.

[RDC1]

So do they mean terminal do they mean parking lot.....?? They mean both just sayin' I would follow their instructions as you either will be sitting in ur car, waiting in a line or hangin out.

 

 

On our Feb 1st cruise..I'll give some details....weekend cruise stayed docked in Esenada due to Winds, should have been at SP 6am did not arrive in SP until 6pm,...what is the cruise line to do with all these people????? First time they have ever had this situation out of this SP.....I'll give more details if anyone is interested.

 

I would expect that the parking lot would probably be open, just not the terminal itself. so you could probably park and wait in your car if you chose to do that.

 

Which pier is the cruise leaving from? There are some remote areas in San Pedro, if you are not leaving from the main terminal.

Edited February 22, 2016 by RDC1

[elliair]

So do they mean terminal do they mean parking lot.....?? They mean both just sayin' I would follow their instructions as you either will be sitting in ur car, waiting in a line or hangin out.

 

On our Feb 1st cruise..I'll give some details....weekend cruise stayed docked in Esenada due to Winds, should have been at SP 6am did not arrive in SP until 6pm,...what is the cruise line to do with all these people????? First time they have ever had this situation out of this SP.....I'll give more details if anyone is interested.

 

Waiting in line and hanging out. That's what I saw sitting on the big white bus. Worst embarkation ever.

[Jasperdo]

Just read an interesting post from CC member TRSuzie, who is currently on the Ruby. Posting on the Feb. 29 Roll Call, he/she said: "We have also heard there will be corporate officers boarding the 29th together with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Apparently, they will be doing a little filming. As I hear more, I will let you know.

 

This "might" be the reason for the delay in boarding on the 29th.

[Astro Flyer]

Just read an interesting post from CC member TRSuzie, who is currently on the Ruby. Posting on the Feb. 29 Roll Call, he/she said: "We have also heard there will be corporate officers boarding the 29th together with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Apparently, they will be doing a little filming. As I hear more, I will let you know.

 

This "might" be the reason for the delay in boarding on the 29th.

 

Thanks & that appears to be the reason for the terminal's closure...maybe the Terminator will be their new spokesperson. ;)

Edited February 23, 2016 by Astro Flyer