Disembarkation Misses the Boat

[advocado]

A glorious 10 day Miami-Miami cruise on the Mariner (December 12th-22nd) was marred by the poor planning for the disembarkation. I have always felt the “When it’s over, it’s over” experience at the end of the cruise but never more so than this time. We tied up at the East end of the Miami cruise pier, next to Royal Caribbean’s new terminal construction site. There was a buzz of construction activity, with accompanying noise and a brushing of dust here and there. The arrival building was a large tent that Regent generously referred as a “shed”. Collecting the luggage and passing through Immigration/Customs was a breeze. What follow was chaotic and disorganized. Those who had parked their cars in the structure across from the embarkation terminal (“E”) had no clue how to get to their cars. All of the former passengers were herded into a fenced off area with virtually no guidance from Regent or Port personnel, except that security prohibited anyone from walking away from the enclosure. Terminal E was a short, unattainable walk. There was no place for those being met by family or friends to be picked up and most important, there was no one on site who knew the answer to that question. Signage was absent. Cabs were nowhere to be seen and long lines of very confused and angry people waited for transportation. We asked a few people what line they were in and they didn’t know. I guess they were just following a herding instinct. In fairness, there were a number of buses waiting with signs in the windshield showing they were for transport to Miami Airport, but that’s it. Other buses displayed no information about destination or purpose. Finally my wife broke out of the enclosure and nabbed a bus driver. She asked him how we get to someplace where we can meet our transportation. “Ask my boss, he’s over there”. She did. He directed us to an unsigned bus. Before boarding, we asked the driver where he was going, he said to the port parking garages. After a long, circuitous ride of tracking and backtracking (about 15 minutes) we got to the Terminal E. Had we been able to walk, it would have been less than 5 minutes. I hope Regent co-ordinates future disembarkations at this location better than the one on December 22nd, 2017. This one clearly missed the boat.

[Travelcat2]

What a mess to have to go through after a lovely cruise. If Regent had been able to organize it, it likely would have gone much smoother. Unfortunately, Miami is not only the worst port in the world to disembark from, it is strictly regulated by the ports union workers. No matter what Regent (or any another cruise line) would like to do, they are prevented from doing it.

 

Hope that your trip home (once you left the port) was smooth.

[advocado]

I don't feel that Regent can abrogate all responsibility for the passenger distress because Regent has no control of what goes on next to the docked ship. At a minimum, we could have been warned on the TV end-of-cruise announcements that, for the most part, the Miami disembarkation experience could be challenging and what we might expect. At least being forewarned is forearmed. I think the general misery was exacerbated by the actual location of the ship at the far end of the pier, next to an ongoing construction site coupled temporary facilities with no access for non bus vehicles.

[ronrick1943]

Also I don't see any reason why Regent didn't have people to help---after all with Regent's office in Miami it shouldn't have been that hard for Regent to have it's people station around the port to help.

Rick

[Travelcat2]

Also I don't see any reason why Regent didn't have people to help---after all with Regent's office in Miami it shouldn't have been that hard for Regent to have it's people station around the port to help.

Rick

 

Don't think that you understand the port authority rules in Miami. There is no way non-union personnel would be allowed to do anything workwise in the port. I have worked for a unionized company (although I was part of management) and have had my hands tied due to union rules. You don't want to mess with these people. Regent has offered to pay for extra services in the port and was turned down flat.

 

Actually, the worst disembarkation that we have had in the world was in Miami - trying to disembark from the Riviera. In that case, it was under the control of the cruise line since the mess that took place was onboard the ship.

 

It is Regent's bad luck to be next to Royal Caribbean (most of the time). Where the ship dock for disembarkation is up to the port. And, there is no way that the onboard crew know what the heck is going on in the port. We disembarked the Mariner earlier this month and interestingly, it was the best disembarkation we have had in Miami. The reason? Well, the ship was going to be inspected and the authorities made sure that the luggage and passengers were off of the ship in record time.

 

P.S. When Regent ships boarded and disembarked in Ft. Lauderdale it was completely different (don't even know why but it was).

[RachelG]

Miami disembarkation is always a mess, whether on regent or Oceania. Don’t know about other lines because we have only disembarked with regent or Oceania there, but I have just come to expect chaos. Regent really can’t do much because of the port authority and union rules.

 

It was much better in Ft. Lauderdale, as TC points out.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We disembarked in Miami on Friday, December 8th. Explorer - Transatlantic.

Easy, Peasy!

Ship docked at 6am. Started disembarkation at 8:15am. We were off at 9:15, as scheduled. Luggage was right there. Cleared customs. Car picked us up curbside, at 9:30, as scheduled.

Same as last year. Same in April on Mariner from Caribbean.

Never had a problem in Miami. Always at terminal J.

Sheila

[cruiseluv]

And for how long is this nightmare going to continue? Going on an Explorer Caribbean cruise in February. Ive never liked the Miami port nor its airport, but this is really unacceptable. How are people going directly to airport supposed to find a cab? Wish they had never moved from Ft Lauderdale

[RustyRollock]

We didn't have any problems after the transatlantic either. We didn't join the mad scramble to get off the ship but relaxed in Seabourn Square with a coffee which made a difference. A friendly porter took our bags outside the building and hailed a cab for us. Easy.

[Travelcat2]

Interesting that one poster had a good experience in Miami. Actually, as stated, we have had one good arrival in Miami as well (earlier this month). All of our other arrivals in Miami have been nightmares. Perhaps something new (and much needed) is happening in Miami.

 

RustyRollock - I didn't count your experience since it was where ever the Seabourn ship was docked which is likely not where the Mariner was docked when the TS had difficulties since the Mariner was docked by the Royal Caribbean construction zone..

[Hambagahle]

To date we have not had a bad arrival in Miami - but all the times we arrived at Terminal J.

 

Ft Lauderdale - arrivals were OK. Departures were either difficult or hell depending on the day of travel!! Regent was relegated to a terminal that was freight during the week and people on the weekends... ugh! Once we were on board we were fine of course but what a zoo!!

[Host Dan]

After my last cruise docking in Miami (Azamara), I will NEVER book a cruise in or out of Miami again!

[forevertravel]

Is Regent now using terminal E? We have always embarked and disembark on terminal J with Regent and Oceania. We are boarding the Mariner on Friday and our cruise documents read terminal J. I hope we'll disembark on same terminal. Being next to RCC won't be fun with all their passengers. I completely understand as to Regent not being able to do anything because of union workers. I used to lived in Chicago and when attending conventions we couldn't do anything unless it was done by an union worker. We couldn't even change a light bulb at our booth. We'll just have to hope for the best and hope we are at terminal J which is at the far end. We never had a problem there getting a cab.

[Sheltieluv]

I wish they would use West Palm Beach. Ft. Lauderdale was ok, but Miami is no picnic, that's for sure.

[Travelcat2]

Regent may be using another terminal due to construction. I think that we embarked from J last month -- it was really far away and was near the Royal Caribbean construction zone but it didn't affect us or the taxi. It also seemed that we disembarked from the same terminal with no difficulty.

 

We would avoid Miami if we could but two of our five booked cruises end in Miami. There are certain itineraries that leave almost exclusively from Miami so we will book afternoon flights and will plan to disembark the ship at 9:00 a.m. (or later if it is too crazy in port and people disembark late which has been our experience too many times).

[wishIweretravelling]

I was on the same cruise as Bellagio Cruisers. She was in the early disembarkation group. Soon after that group got off, CBP ordered the disembarkation halted for a long period. Once it resumed, the lines at Immigration became lengthy (40-minute wait), but once we cleared that all was fine. Clearly we disembarked in a different area than did the OP.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

I was on the same cruise as Bellagio Cruisers. She was in the early disembarkation group. Soon after that group got off, CBP ordered the disembarkation halted for a long period. Once it resumed, the lines at Immigration became lengthy (40-minute wait), but once we cleared that all was fine. Clearly we disembarked in a different area than did the OP.

 

Hi Crystal

What time did you disembark? We didn't disembark early. We left the ship little after 9. (We were still onboard when they halted the disembarkation.) that was earlier and we did not get on line then. We waited. We had a five minute line for the elevator. Luggage was easily spotted. Got a porter. Called our car pickup. Customs line was little more than 5-10 minutes. In our car just after 9:30. Terminal J.

When in Miami, we usually do the late disembarkation because we are not flying home. So, we are not in a rush. Perhaps so much of passenger pressure is about not missing their flight.

Sheila

[Anchorbuoy]

It also seemed that we disembarked from the same terminal with no difficulty.

 

Negative. Those of us who boarded on Mariner on November 17 left from Terminal J (Southwest corner of Dodge Island, next to RCL headquarters). We returned on December 12 to Terminal E (north side of Dodge Island), since Oceania took our berth at Terminal J.

 

On December 22, we got bumped to Pier 59 (tent, in the middle of RCL's construction zone. What a zoo !

[Travelcat2]

Negative. Those of us who boarded on Mariner on November 17 left from Terminal J (Southwest corner of Dodge Island, next to RCL headquarters). We returned on December 12 to Terminal E (north side of Dodge Island), since Oceania took our berth at Terminal J.

 

On December 22, we got bumped to Pier 59 (tent, in the middle of RCL's construction zone. What a zoo !

 

Maybe that's why disembarkation was so easy ...... it was a different terminal!

[wishIweretravelling]

Hi Crystal

What time did you disembark? We didn't disembark early. We left the ship little after 9. (We were still onboard when they halted the disembarkation.) that was earlier and we did not get on line then. We waited. We had a five minute line for the elevator. Luggage was easily spotted. Got a porter. Called our car pickup. Customs line was little more than 5-10 minutes. In our car just after 9:30. Terminal J.

When in Miami, we usually do the late disembarkation because we are not flying home. So, we are not in a rush. Perhaps so much of passenger pressure is about not missing their flight.

Sheila

 

Sorry, I misread your post. I thought you said you'd gotten off at 8:15. We were in the last group to be called, so got off at about 9:45 if I remember correctly. By then the immigration line was lengthy, and moving slowly. It was not an issue for us, as we had a late flight, other than the annoyance of standing in line for a long time. My own immigration/customs clearance took a couple of seconds, but it took a long time to get there. No Global Entry kiosks, and they did not have separate lines for citizens and visitors. They were doing full immigration clearance (photos and fingerprints) for visitors, of whom there seemed to be a lot in our group.

[Travelcat2]

Sorry, I misread your post. I thought you said you'd gotten off at 8:15. We were in the last group to be called, so got off at about 9:45 if I remember correctly. By then the immigration line was lengthy, and moving slowly. It was not an issue for us, as we had a late flight, other than the annoyance of standing in line for a long time. My own immigration/customs clearance took a couple of seconds, but it took a long time to get there. No Global Entry kiosks, and they did not have separate lines for citizens and visitors. They were doing full immigration clearance (photos and fingerprints) for visitors, of whom there seemed to be a lot in our group.

 

Really interesting post. I did mention Global Entry to the immigration folks and they said that people arriving by cruise ship were already "vetted". Although we were scheduled to get off of the ship at 9:00 a.m., we were called earlier (around 8:30 a.m.). As mentioned, I believe this was because the ship was going to be inspected (off topic side note: congrats to the Explorer that scored 100% on their inspection - way to go!!!!!)

 

It is obviously easier for those passengers that live near Miami since they don't have fights to catch. The majority are anxious to get home and would prefer getting off of the ship sooner rather than later!

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Sorry, I misread your post. I thought you said you'd gotten off at 8:15. We were in the last group to be called, so got off at about 9:45 if I remember correctly. By then the immigration line was lengthy, and moving slowly. It was not an issue for us, as we had a late flight, other than the annoyance of standing in line for a long time. My own immigration/customs clearance took a couple of seconds, but it took a long time to get there. No Global Entry kiosks, and they did not have separate lines for citizens and visitors. They were doing full immigration clearance (photos and fingerprints) for visitors, of whom there seemed to be a lot in our group.

 

When we got on the immigration line, there were about 6-7 people in front of us. They just scanned our passports and we were on our way out the door.

Again, we are very relaxed because we are not rushing to catch a flight in Miami. That's a very important point because I get up tight whenever we have to head to an airport.

Sheila