Delayed Spirit embarkation this morning

[lephysteria]

Sounds like the same waiter we had on the Spirit in 2005. Can't recall his name, but he was from the Philippines also. Worst service we have ever had.:(

 

 

Wow.

 

I wonder if it is the same guy .... LOL ... back from a contract or something. My mom isn't the one to send a steak back or let the boss know something's wrong. I, am the opposite. I'll tell (politely of course) that past experiences tell me this isn't happening right, and it needs to be fixed, or please move us to a better server.

 

I sure hope she says something :)

[Boatdrill]

Now I understand. With the hurricane and delay, it was just one of those things.

 

Exactly ! :)

[Boatdrill]

I wish cruiselines had a spare boat they could use for taking the complaining passengers to Manzanillo during a huricane. :D

 

 

Too funny ! LOL !

 

Thank you for the laugh. :)

[MDR Cali Cruisers]

I know this is off topic, but can anyone that was just on the Spirit tell me if the slide is/was open? My TA was told by Carnival that it's up and running and someone on my roll call read on the boards that it's not operational. One other thing, was there wi-fi internet access on the ship other than near the internet cafe?

 

Thanks!!! :)

[CPPADILLA]

MDI Cali Cruiser -- Was on the Spirit last week and the slide was NOT operational. Sorry I don't have any information about the wi-fi internet. I just went to an internet cafe in Acapulco, $1.00 for one hour, much much cheaper than on the ship that's for sure.

[MDR Cali Cruisers]

Thanks CPPADILLA. I figured the info coming from the boards was the accurate information. I appreciate your response. :) It's actually a good thing if there isn't wi-fi as I won't be attempted to check work e-mails. ;)

[Roadpossum]

I know this is off topic, but can anyone that was just on the Spirit tell me if the slide is/was open? My TA was told by Carnival that it's up and running and someone on my roll call read on the boards that it's not operational. One other thing, was there wi-fi internet access on the ship other than near the internet cafe?

 

Thanks!!! :)

 

Hi,

We just got off the Spirit from Mexico this past Sunday as well, and we had a strong Wi-Fi signal in our cabin on the Upper Deck near the rear elevators. As CPPADILA mentioned, the slide is still closed and I don't expect it to open soon since there was a mishap recently with the new slide on the Pride.

 

As far as the fiasco disembarking last Sunday, I put the blame not only with Carnival (for the poor communication over the PA, the lack of crowd control at the gangway and holding up disembarkation until one of the passengers paid their bill), but with the Port of San Diego (with the way they handled the luggage claim, and the poor line management to get taxis or shuttles), the San Diego Police (for not directing traffic on Harbor Blvd. in front of the pier - all traffic except taxis, shuttles, and buses should have been diverted away from the area), and finally with Customs & Immigration (I can't believe how lax the were - there were two Customs agents at the bottom of the gangway collecting forms, but NO ONE ever even asked to see our Passports or even looked at our carry-on luggage - and we're at Level Orange?). Those two agents only asked if we were U.S. Citizens, and when we said yes, they pointed us toward the luggage tent. No checking, nothing.

 

Granted, this was the first time this season that the Spirit has sailed and returned to this port (and there was another ship at the pier at the time) but EVERYONE was completely caught off guard.

 

We had booked a 12:40 PM flight home (which was after 12:30 PM as Carnival suggested) but because the ship was late getting into port, we were told that if our flight was before 1:30 PM we should turn our colored tags in and get new "priorty" grey tags. Unfortunately, most of the passengers on the ship apparently had flights before 1:30 and everyone in the "priorty" group tried to get off at once.

 

Once we finally got our luggage we stood in a taxi line for 45 minutes with no taxis in sight before we switched to a shuttle line and were lucky enough to get one of the few shuttles that were able to get onto the pier. When we got out onto Harbor Drive heading toward the airport, we saw the massive gridlock that prevented the taxis, buses and trucks from getting anywhere close to the pier.

 

In addition to all of the congestion from the passengers trying to get off and get transportation, as well as the passengers who arrived early (before 1:30 PM) for the next cruise, there were dozens of semi trucks lined up to drop off provisions for the next cruises (two ships worth) and haul away the refuse from the returning cruise.

 

I just hope that this can be written off to being a learning experience for the Port and all involved. And hopefully, since the Spirit is sailing an 8-day cruise (so the embarkation days will be different each week), more than one ship won't be in port at the same time.

 

Sorry this is so long, but I really hope Carnival reads this, sees the problems, and gets things straightened out with the Port and it's suppliers.

[KPATE]

Off topic again, but how was your cruise on the Spirit, will be setting sail on the 7th.

[wisefamily4]

We don't even bother getting to the port (San Diego) until 2pm. Sometimes it's not too bad, but for the most part, this port is a mess. As long as you know what to expect, it's not so bad - The cruise is worth it.

 

As far as customs .... We have never been asked to produce a single peice of ID. The two agents just wave everyone through.

[MDR Cali Cruisers]

Roadpossum thanks for the information. I hope we're the only ship in port for our sailing.

 

Like KPATE I would love to read any information Roadpossum, CPPADILLA or anyone else has to offer regarding the ship and ports. Is anyone posting a review somewhere else?

 

Thanks. :)

[Roadpossum]

Hi again.

Overall we really enjoyed the cruise. We were with a large group, so we probably brought alot of the fun with us. This was the first cruise of the season, and because the ship sailed at 11:00 PM out of San Diego (after dropping the Hawaii passengers off in Ensenada earlier in the day and a longer delay to take on fuel) the itinerary for this particular cruise was in a different order than normal. Our last port was Acapulco, which is quite a bit south of the other ports of call and it took longer than everyone expected to get back to San Diego even though the ship was cruising steadily at 23 kts the whole way. We also had a head wind all the way back so I'm not sure what Carnival could have done to get us to San Diego any faster, no matter what previous posters have said.

 

Other than the problems at debarkation, the cruise was alot of fun. I didn't go to any of the shows, so I can't comment on them (I did hear the hypnotist was excellent). I enjoyed the days at sea on this cruise. It's really relaxing just to sit with a book and a cocktail or hang out by the fantail pool. We have sailed on the Pride before and the Spirit's layout is exactly the same. As much as I like the Pride, I liked the brighter colors in the public rooms on the Spirit even better. I had my laptop with me and although I didn't sign onto the internet, there was a good Wi-Fi signal both in the atrium and in our cabin. I didn't check it anywhere else so I'm not sure if it's available throughout the ship. The only time I used the internet onboard was to print out our boarding passes on our last day (it's much cheaper to find an internet cafe in the ports). Also, for those of you with Cingular/ATT Mobile, you can get a signal as you pass Cabo in each direction, as well as in the ports (my Verizon was useless). I'm not sure how much it is to call, but it has to be cheaper than using the ship's phone. It was kind of nice to call and check on the kids and elderly parents.

 

My wife will probably be posting a complete review in the near future since this isn't the right thread for that. But I'll give you a quickie. Our first port was Manzanillo, and since the port is primarily a container facility (and we didn't have any tours booked) we opted to stay onboard. Others in our group that had been there before decided not to get off the ship at that port either. I'm not sure what we missed... sorry. A few in the group did go on the ATV tour and loved it. YMMV.

 

Our next port was Zihautenejo/Ixtapa. We tendered into the little town of Zih and spent all of our time shopping, checking our email and enjoying the small bars and restaurants near the beach and pier there. Internet is $1.00/hr. vs. $0.75/min. on board the ship. Others in our group did the dolphin swim and said it was the best tour they have ever been on. We saw them on the travelogue and it did look like fun. Others in the group took a cab over to Ixtapa and hung out at some of the large hotels and the local Senor Frog's/Carlos & Charlie's. They said it was well worth the cab ride.

 

In Acapulco 30 people in our group went on a private tour of the city and to see the cliff divers. We opted to hire an SUV for the day and went south of town to a timeshare resort that we belong to. We have seen the divers before and since we were in port for such a short time we knew the whole ship would be crowded there to watch the one show in the afternoon. Future cruises will have more time in port so the crowds shouldn't be nearly as bad with multiple times available.

 

We were very lucky as far as weather. The seas were relatively calm and we didn't get any real rain until we were leaving port in Acapulco (and that didn't amount to much). We missed the tropical storm that dumped on the West coast of Mexico the day before we hit our first port. We were also lucky that we made it back to san Diego before Hurricane Paul developed. We were very fortunate.

 

Dinner was excellent in the dining room and we had a great waiter who made the trip that much better. Breakfast and lunch in the dining room were just okay. The Lido court food was typical typical buffet fare for the most part, with the exception of the pizza and the Deli sandwiches - They were fantastic...!!! Especially the Rueben sandwich. YUM...!!! Overall a great cruise.

 

 

Let me know if you have any more questions...

[MDR Cali Cruisers]

Roadpossum - thank you so much for responding. I will watch for your wife's review on the proper thread, but really appreciate the info you offered here. I do have another question and I realize it might not apply because our itinerary order will be different, but was there a deck party any night?

 

Thanks.

[Boatdrill]

Hi,

 

As far as the fiasco disembarking last Sunday, I put the blame not only with Carnival (for the poor communication over the PA, the lack of crowd control at the gangway and holding up disembarkation until one of the passengers paid their bill), but with the Port of San Diego (with the way they handled the luggage claim, and the poor line management to get taxis or shuttles), the San Diego Police (for not directing traffic on Harbor Blvd. in front of the pier - all traffic except taxis, shuttles, and buses should have been diverted away from the area), and finally with Customs & Immigration (I can't believe how lax the were - there were two Customs agents at the bottom of the gangway collecting forms, but NO ONE ever even asked to see our Passports or even looked at our carry-on luggage - and we're at Level Orange?). Those two agents only asked if we were U.S. Citizens, and when we said yes, they pointed us toward the luggage tent. No checking, nothing.

 

Granted, this was the first time this season that the Spirit has sailed and returned to this port (and there was another ship at the pier at the time) but EVERYONE was completely caught off guard.

 

I just hope that this can be written off to being a learning experience for the Port and all involved. And hopefully, since the Spirit is sailing an 8-day cruise (so the embarkation days will be different each week), more than one ship won't be in port at the same time.

 

Sorry this is so long, but I really hope Carnival reads this, sees the problems, and gets things straightened out with the Port and it's suppliers.

 

I will reiterate what I posted earlier. On Saturday, the day before the Spirit was in, San Diego had two ships in port (Holland America and Celebrity), which is not unusual. The debark and embarkation system was set up exactly the same way for those two ships, as it was on Sunday, when the Spirit arrived, LATE.

 

On Saturday, all went well, traffic flow was smooth, and both ships debarked their passengers on time. The new passengers for bothe ships were checked-in on time, all in the same building. The ships sailed on time, and as I said earlier, one even sailed early.

 

As far as not showing your passport upon leaving the Spirit, you are going through Customs, not Immigration. Immigration is done on the ship, before anyone is allowed off. (note: it is required by US Immigration that all passport and citizenship info be entered into the ship's computer system BEFORE sailing. A copy is sent to Immigration during the cruise. So when the ship returns, most US passengers on that type of cruise have already been cleared back into the US, while foriegners have not.) If in other ports you have been required to show your passport upon leaving the ship, that is their decision, unique to that port's security process.

 

Meanwhile, back in San Diego, while you are waiting to get off the ship, the luggage on the pier has been checked by a drug dog and explosives dog. And yes, there are ICE officers during debarkation, watching passengers and their luggage. If they have a passenger or group they want to talk to, they'll approach them. They do it often.

 

And again, if you have any complaints, DO contact Carnival, but not the Port of San Diego. San Diego handles mulitple ships well, and often. But when Carnival's ship is late (which is not unusual), it's not good for anyone, and everyone tries to accommodate them best they can.

[Roadpossum]

And again, if you have any complaints, DO contact Carnival, but not the Port of San Diego. San Diego handles mulitple ships well, and often. But when Carnival's ship is late (which is not unusual), it's not good for anyone, and everyone tries to accommodate them best they can.

 

Should we also blame Carnival for the traffic problems on Harbor Blvd., the lack of taxis and shuttles to get the passengers off the pier, the problems with line control in both the taxi and shuttle lines? Even after we were finally on a shuttle we sat in traffic ON THE PIER for at least ten minutes before we got out into the congestion on Harbor Blvd. Also, since the Spirit was late, shouldn't that have relieved some of the congestion, since most of the passengers from the other ship had already disembarked and left the pier by the time we were let off the Spirit? From your obvious knowledge of the Port operations I have to assume you work for the Port of San Diego. If so, can I suggest you work with the police to divert non-cruise traffic off of Harbor Blvd. (the way they do in San Francisco when a large cruise ship is in port) and only allow taxis, shuttles, buses, and supply vehicles through. There should be a lane kept clear just to allow the taxis and shuttles to get in and out faster. FYI - Our driver told us many of the shuttle and taxi drivers told him on the radio that they were so frustrated with what was going on that they didn't return to the mess at the pier after dropping off their passengers at the airport. I am pointing this out so possibly these problems can be addressed for future cruises.

[Boatdrill]

Let's review.

 

The Holland America ship (Zaandam) came in from Hawaii on time, and debarked their passengers (approx 1300) at about 8:30 am. So you have 1,300 people going out, away from the pier. A normal debark takes about 1 1/2 - 2 hours (meaning everyone off the ship, and all luggage claimed). Not until this is fully completed, can the new passengers come into the terminal. So, with debark for the Zaandam completed, at about 10:00-10:30 am the new passengers begin to arrive (via independant means) and then the first busses from the airport start to come at 11:00am.

 

Meanwhile, the Spirit began to let their passengers off at about 10:00, nearly 2 hours late. That's approx. 2,000 passengers going out, while the majority of the 1,300 new passengers are coming in, to board the Zaandam. Now add to the mix the new passengers for the Spirit, (another 2,000) most of whom are coming to the pier at the same time as the passengers for the Zaandam, (that's 3,300 people total, headed to the pier, with 2,000 trying to leave the pier, at about the same time). It was no wonder traffic was tied up. It couldn't help but be crowded with the outflow and the inflow out of balance.

 

Again, the day before, with both Holland America's Oosterdam (1,800 passengers) and Celebrity's Mercury (1,800 passengers) in port at the same time, and using the exact same system in place to process passengers, the problems you experienced did not happen. And keep in mind that the combined passenger count of those two ships (3,600) is more than the total of the Zaandam plus the Spirit.

 

It was very unfortunate that the Spirit was delayed in arriving into San Diego Sunday morning, but that's part of cruising.

 

Remember, the passengers leaving the Spirit were not the only ones inconvenienced. Although the Zaandam passengers were able to check-in and board on time (after having to brave the traffic as you did), the new Spirit passengers were kept waiting, as their check-in and boarding were delayed for hours......because the debark of the previous passengers had been late in finishing, since it had been late in starting, because the ship was late in arriving. See how it goes ?

 

Everyone....pier staff, porters, security, the wharfinger, Harbor Police, Port of San Diego employees, etc., everyone did the best they could, all day and into the evening, to accommodate the difficult situation they were presented with.

 

I suggested directing your comments to Carnival because perhaps they should rethink the Spirit's itinerary to Mexico. It's a long haul in a short time frame, without alot of room for delays along the way. The ship's crew can only do so much, and the ship can only go so fast. But that's the route they've been given, and they try to make the best of it.

 

Of course Carnival is not responsible for traffic on, or in front of, the pier, so it won't help to write to them about it. The Harbor Police is in charge, and you can write to them and complain, but they'll say the same : "The ship was late..."

 

One can't escape that that's where it all started.:)

 

I wish you better luck on your next cruise.

[alliecatn1]

Hi,

As CPPADILA mentioned, the slide is still closed and I don't expect it to open soon since there was a mishap recently with the new slide on the Pride.

 

What happened?

[SmooCruise]

Pride Slide is Open! :rolleyes:

[Roadpossum]

What happened?

 

You can probably seach "Pride Slide" and get the full story, but here it is in a nutshell. The Spirit and the Pride originally had a different slide configuration than the newer Spirit class ships. Apparently the older design was a problem and some people were injured when they hit the end of the slide runout. The newer Spirit class ships had their slides re-designed to take care of the problem.

 

The slides on both of the ships were taken out of operation earlier in the year and the Pride had a new slide installed (I'm not sure if the Spirit slide has been replaced yet). Anyway, shortly after the new slide opened on the Pride, a gentleman of weight went down the slide and was injured when the new slide broke. They immediately closed the slide back down and everyone was holding their breath if the slide would ever re-open. I'm not sure if the slide on the Spirit has ever replaced (it was closed when we sailed 10/14 - 10/22).

 

It's good news that the slide on the Pride has now re-opened. Hopefully the Spirit slide won't be far behind.