On a B2B, getting off and on day of debarkation

[lrockwitt]

If you want to get off the ship day of debarkation and then get back on, how does that work? Is it pretty easy? Do you have to go through immigration? How is getting back on? We are meeting our son for lunch in LA and then getting back on the ship.

 

 

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[JF - retired RRT]

You'll get a letter a day or two before you hit the port. The letter explains the procedure and includes "in transit" tickets. The tickets allow you to skip everything except security when you reboard. As long as the ship has been "zeroed", you can show your ticket as you approach the last gate and just walk back on.

When you leave the ship (assuming a US port), you show your passport and leave. When you return, you use the in transit ticket to bypass everyone else.

[neverbeenhere]

On Princess If you just leave in the morning you will have a Passenger in Transit card and your new room card with you. You have to wait to get on the ship with the first folks entering the ship.(Elites) After you have had your lunch. Just show your in transit card. Also, tell the security picture takers that you are in transit because taking a new picture sometimes screws up the new room card.

 

 

 

Is this confusing enough?

[lrockwitt]

Yes. If we get off the ship after we are checked in, around noon, will it be easy to get off and on.

 

 

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[RyanR1982]

i was curious on the same procedure as well as my partner and i are doing a back to back in December

[paul929207]

You can get off at anytime after the ship is cleared by local authorities. You can't reboard until boarding starts for new passengers.

[Thrak]

Be early. We sailed from SF through the canal and the first stop was in LA to bring on more passengers. People waited for hours (and hours, and hours) trying to get off the ship. The "lucky" ones who managed to get off early waited hours trying to get back on the ship. San Pedro was a nightmare.

 

The only other time we have dealt with that port our boarding there was delayed so long that the muster drill had to be put off two hours as people were still boarding.

 

You may not have an issue but, if they are taking on more passengers in San Pedro (sounds likely) you may not get ashore for your meeting. We had many (many!) people who missed long-planned luncheons and such as the time came and went and they were still waiting in line to get off. We just wanted to visit San Pedro Brewing Company while in port (love the beer there :)) so it wasn't a disaster but, after waiting in line for 1.5 hours, we gave up.

[tripsahoy2]

On b2b trips on Princess, no need to do muster drill second leg.

 

 

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[satxdiver]

On b2b trips on Princess, no need to do muster drill second leg.

 

 

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That is a really nice perk. However the various venues like bars are closed usually during the drill so plan ahead.

Edited January 12, 2017 by satxdiver

[Corfe Mixture]

On b2b trips on Princess, no need to do muster drill second leg.

 

 

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True,

 

BUT

 

You do then get a letter delivered to your stateroom setting out the procedures and gently reproaching you for not attending!

 

Been there, done it, got the letter. :)

[caribill]

True,

 

BUT

 

You do then get a letter delivered to your stateroom setting out the procedures and gently reproaching you for not attending!

 

Been there, done it, got the letter. :)

 

Been there, done it, did not get the letter.

[Corfe Mixture]

What follows referred to Sydney, Australia but the same is, I believe, true of the US.

 

When you get the letter, you are told that you basically have two choices. You can either leave the ship using your Transit card. you then have to clear immigration along with the disembarking passengers, so overseas visitors must take their passports with them.

 

If you take this option, you must be checked off the ship before 09.45.

 

If you have not done so by 09.45, when all the disembarking passengers should have left, you have to go to a lounge / bar and meet up with all the other transit passengers who wish to re-board as soon as possible.

 

Now for the rub.

 

As others have said the ship has to be 'zeroed' and what happens is that this latter group are the last people to leave the first cruise and you have to wait until every unaccounted for transit passenger is present before you are taken ashore as a group and therein lies the problem.

 

If just one person is late, doesn't understand the procedure, or doesn't bring their identification documents then the whole group has to hang around in the lounge until they find the missing person and confirm everyone has the correct documentation.

 

So, my recommendation would be to do your own thing and make sure you have left the ship before the cut-off time and then come back at your leisure.

 

Much better than having to hang around waiting for people who have not taken the trouble to read the letter.

 

Certainly that is what we did on a recent turnaround in Sydney, even though we only had 17 passengers doing a back to back and it was really easy.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Corfe Mixture

[Corfe Mixture]

Been there, done it, did not get the letter.

 

We had one each!! :D

[skynight]

If you want to get off the ship day of debarkation and then get back on, how does that work? Is it pretty easy? Do you have to go through immigration? How is getting back on? We are meeting our son for lunch in LA and then getting back on the ship.

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Follow procedures in the letter received in your cabin.

Basically:

You can exit the ship anytime after the disembark process has begun up until the final call.

Take your cruise card, passport, intransit card supplied by Princess and a completed Customs form with zero $ filled in. Note, in the past the Customs declaration was not required, but it has been needed on cruises we have been on over the last few years.

You will have to wait in line and go through immigration.

You can re-board the ship anytime after general boarding has begun up until about 30 mins. prior to sailing. Just show your cruise card and intransit card.

You will have to go through security.

You are not required to go to the second muster drill.

 

If you are meeting your son in L.A. be aware of possible heavy traffic delays. There are some nice lunch locations right in San Pedro and nearby Long Beach.

Edited January 12, 2017 by sknight

[ar1950]

True,

 

BUT

 

You do then get a letter delivered to your stateroom setting out the procedures and gently reproaching you for not attending!

 

Been there, done it, got the letter. :)

 

4 B2B's, always skipped the muster drill on the second legs and never received a letter.

 

We had one each!!

 

Hmm......should we feel slighted?? :confused::D

Edited January 12, 2017 by ar1950

[geoherb]

We never received a letter about skipping the second muster drill. We did get several crew members to tell us about it, but then did not persist when we let them know we were in-transit passengers. We enjoyed our time in the Oasis Pool while everyone else was mustering.

[caribill]

We had one each!! :D

 

That you did not attend the Muster Drill on the 2nd segment?

[pablo222]

i was curious on the same procedure as well as my partner and i are doing a back to back in December

 

Don't worry. The question will be asked another 20 times before you sail.

The answers probably won't change.

[Corfe Mixture]

That you did not attend the Muster Drill on the 2nd segment?

 

Yup, second cruise, on Dawn out of Sydney just over three weeks ago.

 

It was very polite and simply said that their records showed that we had not attended the muster drill, pointed out the importance of attending the muster drill and summarized what was said at the drill.

 

Must admit, it seemed strange at the time as we had been told we did not need to attend.

 

I can't recall ever having one before and probably wouldn't remember either way. Only remember this one as it was so recent.

 

Seemed to be a standard letter and I rather wish I saved it so that I could post it

 

Must admit there were a few other strange things relating to the back to back administration. For example, although we have the same surname, we got separate letters regarding the transit procedure. My letter arrived first and not realising that my wife would get a separate letter, on discovering that there was only one set of immigration paperwork and one transit card, I went down to reception to get a set for my wife, only for her to then get her own paperwork delivered the next day.

 

All seemed a bit disorganised when there were apparently only 17 of us staying on, so I suggest we put our letters down to an administration anomaly.

 

I was also given wrong information about our Captain's Circle Internet benefit rolling over and was told that unused time would die at then end of the first cruise which did not happen.

 

In fact it just rolled on into the second cruise and, when it finally expired, we were directed to the plan select page where we were again each able to select the Captain's Circle plan for the second cruise and get a second lot of 250 minutes each (very useful as the first cruise was around New Zealand where our UK iPad 4G contract included data roaming at no extra cost meaning we had quite a bit of our first cruise plan left over at the end of that cruise)

 

FWIW, we also had a single account for both cruises and unused OBC from the first rolled over to the second with things like shareholders credit and self gifted OBC for the second cruise simply being credited to the account on day one of the second cruise. (Yup we were in the same stateroom for both cruises and we had different booking references for each cruise).

Edited January 13, 2017 by Corfe Mixture

[floridalover5623]

It should be interesting to see what happens with the introduction of the Medallions. They should have a handle on all the people & know that they shouldn't have to attend that 2nd muster.

[IECalCruiser]

It should be interesting to see what happens with the introduction of the Medallions. They should have a handle on all the people & know that they shouldn't have to attend that 2nd muster.

They should also know where the stragglers are so that they don't hold up zeroing out the ship [emoji6]

 

 

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[floridalover5623]

They should also know where the stragglers are so that they don't hold up zeroing out the ship [emoji6]

 

 

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Exactly. Immigration call with the group will never be the same. I might even start to go through with the group instead for wandering around town.