WBPC May 6th 2013 Wonder

[aan1701]

Sorry about our customs, but welcome to sequestration. Also please realize, they was not DCL's fault. They can't control how many customs agents are working.

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[annichan]

Sorry about our customs, but welcome to sequestration. Also please realize, they was not DCL's fault. They can't control how many customs agents are working.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using DISBoards

Yes, I didn't make myself clear, but we certainly knew that this was not DCL's fault! Just generally wanted to let off some steam, since we were all talking about waiting in lines.

What is sequestration, though?

 

[aan1701]

Yes, I didn't make myself clear, but we certainly knew that this was not DCL's fault! Just generally wanted to let off some steam, since we were all talking about waiting in lines.

What is sequestration, though?

Oh I know you were not blaming DCL, but it seems every time I take them to L.A. someone likes to blame them for something customs at the port did. So it was more making sure other who read this thread knew that. Sequestration is this government program to save money. So a lot of government agencies must take mandatory furlough days. Looks like you got hit with it at the port. So sorry.

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[heatherLOVESmickey]

That said, we did wait in an absolutely horrible line that didn't make us happy at all ... And that was the non-US citizens' line to get off the ship at the port of LA. They had one counter open for non-US citizens (instead of just spreading us among all counters ), and it moved at glacially slow speed because they took a few minutes to process each individual. There were maybe 30-40 people ahead of us, and we spent until almost 11 am in that line, shuffling alongside the Wonder which we had just left. Next to us, literally about 1,000 US citizens walked past, and when there were no more coming and the ship must have been empty, we were still standing there waiting. Very annoying, and it really made us feel pretty second-class.
(Which we had to think of when we arrived back in Germany: everybody in the same line, with lots of people from the US, nobody took more than a few moments at the counter, and no nationality had to wait longer than any other. So it's possible!)

I'm with you about the line! And here's the real kicker... I'm a citizen (not that it should make a difference but natural born) and my husband is nearly a 20 year permanent resident. I was ticked! And we were nearly the last ones through. I will say I was pleased that we didn't gave to search for our luggage, wait in a line to get on the bus and we still had ample time to get to LAX for our flight. I just can't believe how they treated people. Thankfully I'm home now and over it!

 

[heatherLOVESmickey]

Oh I know you were not blaming DCL, but it seems every time I take them to L.A. someone likes to blame them for something customs at the port did. So it was more making sure other who read this thread knew that. Sequestration is this government program to save money. So a lot of government agencies must take mandatory furlough days. Looks like you got hit with it at the port. So sorry.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using DISBoards

There were only two counters not open. I'm pretty sure the line backing up for the non-citizens had nothing to do with the sequester.

 

[kbishop2013]

Oh I know you were not blaming DCL, but it seems every time I take them to L.A. someone likes to blame them for something customs at the port did. So it was more making sure other who read this thread knew that. Sequestration is this government program to save money. So a lot of government agencies must take mandatory furlough days. Looks like you got hit with it at the port. So sorry.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using DISBoards

I'm going to jump on the complaint train a minute too! And not a DCL one, but a PA Customs "Moment Of The Ridiculous". While disembarking the boat, a flag came up on my passport. Instead of making me cool my heels to the side and wait to talk to an agent, they completely halted the massive disembarkment line, cleared the gangplank, (which took almost 25 minutes) so that an agent could board the boat, then walked me and family passed a few hundred passengers so I could talk to another agent.

He asked me one question. I reported a lost passport 4 years ago (and have traveled on the replacement many times since). Was it still missing? Yep, lost in my house somewhere. Ok. Thanks.

My apologies to anyone caught in the delay. They should have made me wait instead.

 

[annichan]

Sequestration is this government program to save money. So a lot of government agencies must take mandatory furlough days.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using DISBoards

Thank you for the explanation! I knew about the program but somehow I thought it was called "furlough", not "sequestration".
Now finally having looked up "furlough" in the dictionary, it is all starting to make sense to me!

There were only two counters not open. I'm pretty sure the line backing up for the non-citizens had nothing to do with the sequester.

I would say the same (now that I finally know what you are talking about - see above ). The fact that so many counters were open and the US citizens' line was moving very fast, I am guessing this was not a problem of sequestration, but rather poor planning.

Keeping one big line for everybody (citizens and non citizens) and spreading them evenly over all available counters would have been so much fairer. Sure, that would have meant a bit of a longer wait for the citizens as well (because every now and then there would be a few minutes' delay when a non-citizen got called to the counter), but it would have been the same for everybody - instead of "a short wait for most, and a gigantic wait for the foreigners"

I'm going to jump on the complaint train a minute too! And not a DCL one, but a PA Customs "Moment Of The Ridiculous". While disembarking the boat, a flag came up on my passport. Instead of making me cool my heels to the side and wait to talk to an agent, they completely halted the massive disembarkment line, cleared the gangplank, (which took almost 25 minutes) so that an agent could board the boat, then walked me and family passed a few hundred passengers so I could talk to another agent.

He asked me one question. I reported a lost passport 4 years ago (and have traveled on the replacement many times since). Was it still missing? Yep, lost in my house somewhere. Ok. Thanks.

My apologies to anyone caught in the delay. They should have made me wait instead.

Oh, so THAT's what was happening there! Well, how dare you have mislaid a passport years ago even though you knew that would hold us all up on this cruise? Shame on you!

 

[granmaz]

That said, we did wait in an absolutely horrible line that didn't make us happy at all ... And that was the non-US citizens' line to get off the ship at the port of LA. They had one counter open for non-US citizens (instead of just spreading us among all counters ), and it moved at glacially slow speed because they took a few minutes to process each individual. There were maybe 30-40 people ahead of us, and we spent until almost 11 am in that line, shuffling alongside the Wonder which we had just left. Next to us, literally about 1,000 US citizens walked past, and when there were no more coming and the ship must have been empty, we were still standing there waiting. Very annoying, and it really made us feel pretty second-class.
(Which we had to think of when we arrived back in Germany: everybody in the same line, with lots of people from the US, nobody took more than a few moments at the counter, and no nationality had to wait longer than any other. So it's possible!)

It must depend on when you get off the ship as we almost went straight through Immigration, but we were off fairly early I think as the later breakfast was still going on in Triton's as we passed. Of the 3 PC's this was the best for disembarking but the other 2 we were late breakfast so that might have been the difference for us. On the first one the line to get off the ship wound right down the shoreside building, across the gangway, and down the side of the ship's deck. This time the line only went back a short way on the shore side, at least when we were getting off.

The problem for us non Americans is that we need to have fingerprints taken and Esta's checked. I guess they think there are less of us onboard so only need to set up that equipment in the one booth but maybe 2 would have been better later on. Getting into the US as a visitor is not the best experience I have to say

If you do a WB Transatlantic it is much worse as you have to go to Immigration very very early in the Buena Vista Theatre. I think 6am was our time, and then when we went to breakfast(late seating so around 8) the early seating hadn't finished because all the crew hadn't even finished being cleared at immigration so cooks and servers missing. What a mess it was. Plus the Immigration guys were very grumpy as DCL appeared to not have given all the correct forms out.:roll eyes: I hope things improve for the next one with passengers next year.

 

[annichan]

It must depend on when you get off the ship as we almost went straight through Immigration, but we were off fairly early I think as the later breakfast was still going on in Triton's as we passed.

Yup, we were at the later breakfast! So should we ever sail to L.A. again, we will definitely consider skipping breakfast and heading off the ship early.

If you do a WB Transatlantic it is much worse as you have to go to Immigration very very early in the Buena Vista Theatre. I think 6am was our time, and then when we went to breakfast(late seating so around 8) the early seating hadn't finished because all the crew hadn't even finished being cleared at immigration so cooks and servers missing. What a mess it was. Plus the Immigration guys were very grumpy as DCL appeared to not have given all the correct forms out.:roll eyes: I hope things improve for the next one with passengers next year.

Uh-oh ... We ARE booked on the next WB Transatlantic! Better not tell DH about this ahead of time ...

 

[granmaz]

Yup, we were at the later breakfast! So should we ever sail to L.A. again, we will definitely consider skipping breakfast and heading off the ship early.



Uh-oh ... We ARE booked on the next WB Transatlantic! Better not tell DH about this ahead of time ...

I think we will now always either skip breakfast or go to the buffet if we are on late dining and expected to be at late breakfast. So much better at disembarkation.

I am hoping that DCL have learned from the last WBTA experience but I guess the immigration still has to be done. You just have to grin and bear it. It can seem like the US don't want any visitors from other countries the way you can be treated. The officers do seem to be getting a little more 'friendly' though or else we have just been lucky recently.

The year before that experience on the TA which was in 2011, on the prior WBTA(2010) we just got off in Port Canaveral as if we had just been on a Caribbean cruise with no special Immigration checks, only the green forms we had to fill in. It worked so much better but of course now they do more checks etc and we now have the ESTA's.

 

[jlmarr]

Today we received the postcards we mailed to ourselves from Castaway Cay on May 7th, as did other friends/relatives who live in the area. That's definitely snail mail - 24 days - but we'd heard that we would need to be patient.

 

[dta87]

I just booked on the Sep PC cruise and was wondering if anyone here knows if the spa offers a Rainforest pass for these cruises and what the cost is for a single pass as well as the couples pass.

Thanks

 

[Robin"D"]

Remember the post cards you could purchase from Guest services with Panama stamps....well the finally arrived....seems like a long time ago now....

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[Sparky47]

Sounds like a great trip and is making us really excited for our September PC crossing! We were wondering if anyone did any of these excursions and if you could provide any feedback:

Cabo - Santa Maria Sail & Snorkel
Puerto Vallarta - Paradise Beach Adventure
Cartagena - Best of Cartagena tour
Cozumel - (did you go there?) Three Reef Snorkel

Any advice for the day of the PC crossing?

Thanks in advance for your help and I look forward to reading more of the trip reports that are being posted. Thank you.

 

[MrsMork]

Sounds like a great trip and is making us really excited for our September PC crossing! We were wondering if anyone did any of these excursions and if you could provide any feedback:

Cabo - Santa Maria Sail & Snorkel
Puerto Vallarta - Paradise Beach Adventure
Cartagena - Best of Cartagena tour
Cozumel - (did you go there?) Three Reef Snorkel

Any advice for the day of the PC crossing?

Thanks in advance for your help and I look forward to reading more of the trip reports that are being posted. Thank you.

We did Best of Cartagena. Be prepared for VERY aggressive vendors everywhere. They are the worse here that we have seen. Some of them will actually touch you to keep you from walking away, put hats on your head if you do not keep your hands up covering your head. Our tour guide told us first thing that they do not believe no means no, but rather means maybe. And before flaming starts...we've been to lots of port with vendors who also need to make a living and never have we been physically touched by them. Other than that, we enjoyed the tour and saw lots of the city.

 

[Rikersmom]

I agree that I have never seen such aggressive vendors as those in Cartegena. One of them grabbed my 36-year-old, 6-feet tall son, trying to get him into a cab. It was my least favorite experience in any port, ever. We got back to the ship quickly. I did not feel safe there.

The ONLY way I would get off in this port is with a Disney excursion. Otherwise, I advise that you enjoy a day on the ship.

 

[MrsMork]

I agree that I have never seen such aggressive vendors as those in Cartegena. One of them grabbed my 36-year-old, 6-feet tall son, trying to get him into a cab. It was my least favorite experience in any port, ever. We got back to the ship quickly. I did not feel safe there.

The ONLY way I would get off in this port is with a Disney excursion. Otherwise, I advise that you enjoy a day on the ship.

Agree, Disney excursion and if you have not been there before, do take a Disney excursion so you can see the city. Although, there are no Disney people on the excursion with you.

 

[braysmommy]

Sounds like a great trip and is making us really excited for our September PC crossing! We were wondering if anyone did any of these excursions and if you could provide any feedback:

Cabo - Santa Maria Sail & Snorkel
Puerto Vallarta - Paradise Beach Adventure
Cartagena - Best of Cartagena tour
Cozumel - (did you go there?) Three Reef Snorkel

Any advice for the day of the PC crossing?

Thanks in advance for your help and I look forward to reading more of the trip reports that are being posted. Thank you.

You will have a great time! In Cartagena we booked a small group excursion (17 of us) with Dora...look for her on trip advisor. Our group ranged in age from 4-70's and everyone had a great time and we felt safe throughout the day.

On PC crossing we watched the first set of locks from our verandah since DS was still sleeping. We roamed the ship for the rest of the day checking out different areas. Go to deck 3 and watch from one of the large windows as the ship drops down in a lock it was fun to watch.

Enjoy!!

 

[MrsMork]

You will have a great time! In Cartagena we booked a small group excursion (17 of us) with Dora...look for her on trip advisor. Our group ranged in age from 4-70's and everyone had a great time and we felt safe throughout the day.

On PC crossing we watched the first set of locks from our verandah since DS was still sleeping. We roamed the ship for the rest of the day checking out different areas. Go to deck 3 and watch from one of the large windows as the ship drops down in a lock it was fun to watch.

Enjoy!!

Did Dora help you fight off the vendors? They just really, really ruined my day. It was difficult to see what we were trying to see while constantly putting our hands on our heads and saying no.

 

[braysmommy]

Did Dora help you fight off the vendors? They just really, really ruined my day. It was difficult to see what we were trying to see while constantly putting our hands on our heads and saying no.

Maybe we got lucky? While there were vendors around they were not as aggressive as you experienced. We did have to say no thank you often and vendors would come up to the windows of our small bus but nothing to awful and everyone seemed to have a great time.