I Was Turned Away at the Cruise Port

[@geraldwalker7609]

Movie idea: Cruising at the Sawgrass Mall

[@margaretharmon7485]

Don I was getting mad for you😠. That is crazy, but I hope you enjoyed the cruise anyways

[@ursulaeissner9945]

Don , you are a born storyteller, I love listening to you !

[@tazman572]

His "stories" could be one quarter the time if he didn't say every little detail that happened instead of just sticking to the main points.

[@valereehansen1277]

@@tazman572 man, story telling is all about the detail. Books wouldn't sell if they read like a corporate report. How uninteresting would it be to read an international intrigue novel if it was written in outline format. Story telling is an art. Story listening takes time that not everyone has available.

[@gigglesjenni]

I honestly find him quite annoying and exaggerated....especially his body/facial gestures. I'm going to avoid watching his videos from now on when it comes up on my feed during searches for RC cruises

[@algiersc9957]

I love his laugh/giggle.

[@moniquerapozo7665]

Ursula Eissner same!!!

[@noturningbackever493]

WOW! Incredible! Not only can we hear the frustration in your voice, but in spite of everything, you seem to have a LOT of patience in dealing with those in "authority" in giving you clear, understandable directions. 😊😊

[@1gr8chef123]

SO, basically this was a cruise to nowhere!

[@tixximmi]

No, you got to go on buses.

[@carolynnowak3823]

Don’t you just love it when the people in charge have no idea what their doing! 😝😝😝

[@margaretharty1175]

That’s wy

[@margaretharty1175]

That’s why we go rccl

[@tudorjason]

Either that or they're afraid of losing money.

[@carolyngardner4999]

@@margaretharty1175 Cruise lines have nothing to do with this situation. Gee Wizz get a life. Don have 102 cruise under his belt. Do you !

[@marcphilippe3901]

Been on RCL 3 time and they are not perfect either. ;) Never did Princess although we want to eventually.

[@pamelahicks517]

I got frustrated just listening to your account of what happened.

[@PecanBaby...]

I was feeling the same way you took the words straight out of my mouth especially with the buses. 😂

[@tarahamante]

Werd!

[@earlpottinger671]

Once he was sent back to the first bus I started screaming, then he got the text message at Sawgrass Mall and I started to cry a little.

[@robertmayhew98]

We always enjoy your travel reports Don and totally agree with all that you say. I must say that we have been in stitches of laughter with the above report of your trying to board the ship experience. The wheels of the bus are supposed to go round and round. Hehe. We too have had a number of such bus experiences. The confusion that surrounds buses especially at the cruise terminal. Do we get off here. No. Get back on the bus we are not yet at the correct cruise terminal. Supposedly finally at the correct terminal. Step off the bus to a sea of people everywhere and total confusion. Where to now? What about our luggage? Now for the cruise terminal chaos. That’s another story. The cruise ships can not operate anywhere without busses. I have sometimes looked down from our balcony to see the lines of busses waiting for passengers or arriving with passengers and am thankful that today we don’t have to go ashore and board more busses. 😂 Yes, I do realise at the end of the day we the passengers would be stuck without our busses. 😂

[@dukeofkool]

I cruised the 3 day inaugural on the Carnival Panorama to Baja, CA. Mexico Dec 11. It went quite well. They did the naming ceremony on Dec 10. and the cruise was great! Glad to have a Vista Class Ship here in CA. "Vantastic" vessel.

[@johnnybkelsey5299]

Glad you stayed on the ship and had more fun on your travels..

[@TanyainTx]

Huge mall is an understatement! The Sawgrass Mills Mall is the 11th largest mall in the US and the second largest in the state of Florida. I’m not sure of the length end to end, but it may be close to a mile. What a disorganized adventure. If it was a free trip I would be mildly aggravated, but you PAID for that. Terrible!

[@dwightlooi]

LOL... I thought you were going to say "They said you can't stay here, be back at five." You come back at five and they say "It's too late to board, the ship has sailed."

[@karyndewit193]

Me too!!

[@lorispain1]

Lol !

[@jameslucero9547]

I would have just taxied to a local restaurant and bar.

[@Rick-md3ne]

World hunger is a much smaller problem then Saw Grass Mall bus shuttles

[@deniscoakley7342]

God bless you, you have the patience of a saint.

[@richardc488]

The rule of thumb don't take the first cruise on a new ship, and don't book a ship coming out of a major overhaul. Seasoned cruisers know this.

[@chriswilliams6568]

I would not have gone away on a bus, but sat outside the terminal until they were ready for check-in.

[@baberuthlessanddownton9647]

Would love for you to do some luxury cruises (e.g. Oceania, Radisson Seven Seas etc.) 😊

[@pamelarising344]

I wouldn't have gotten on the bus if all the other people went inside.

[@REINABROWN]

Same here!

[@cruisingcory5414]

Agreed

[@bettywith2girls]

Me too....I would have just followed the group of people coming off the bus. THEY are all going on the ship, eventually, and maybe they were given more accurate information.

[@ConnemaraHeather1]

Unbelievable! You're so lucky to have an easy-going manner! I don't think my nerves would have coped with that kind of day!!!

[@donh4750]

You had me laughing really good. And I will remember this: DON'T EVER GO ON AN INAUGURAL CRUISE.

[@iangill8984]

It happens. We went on a cruise with a small cruise line, part of a travel group in the UK, they had just been taken over by Thomson. The ship arrived in Palma after crossing the Atlantic for the first cruise of the summer in Europe. It was an all UK passenger cruise and everyone flew in on Thomson airplanes. Now the UK is a relatively small island and it is only a 2-3 hour flight so most of them landed close together. Suddenly 1600+ people were sat on coaches outside the cruise terminal. These things happen but once on board we got on with it as cruisers do.

[@TheSmbrown]

Wow, just wow. I was getting was getting stressed out just listening to you. What a mess! I'm like you, I roll with the punches and find things to laugh about instead of getting angry, but that was just beyond ridiculous.

[@sueboothkerrsmcbride]

Not encouraging. Some cruise line are inconsiderate of the customers.

[@mr.balloffur]

You have such a wonderful disposition! I would've been level 10 the whole time!

[@katieboise]

Glad you are so awesome telling your story without blame love you saying roll with the punches you simply have to attitude is everything

[@tentingaroundflorida]

What a mess. Glad you got it done and over

[@jastdi2]

This is a wonderful story. It reminds me of my time in the army.

[@davidthefirst6195]

I know what you mean in the British Army they where always in a rush to get us somewhere then we waited and waited and waited. It was a case of hurry up and wait

[@andrewjohnston4127]

@@davidthefirst6195 on the bus off the bus 😂 I've also been on that bus

[@catmomjill]

"Disorganized" sounds like an understatement! LOL I'm glad you're able to keep your sense of humor.

[@chulita097]

Sounds like you could’ve just sat on the bus until boarding time. 😂😂

[@grondhero]

_Don Versus the Volcano._ Sounds like a Hollywood movie remake that we might like to see.

[@andreatuckman1084]

Weren’t you even a little curious about the busload of people who evidently didn’t have to leave the terminal?

[@MsTraveler360]

I’m afraid I would have just merged into the unloading bus group and have tried to flow in with them.

[@karyndewit193]

I was thinking that, too!

[@willgaukler8979]

...they may have been platinum level or something...

[@nairbvel]

I can't imagine what this experience would have been like for a family with small children, for a family (or individual travelers) with physical disability, for a group trying to meet at the ship, or anyone else who isn't as forgiving as you. The cruise line OWES people money for the crap treatment they served up.

[@JUAN75001]

what headache you went thru Great video Don as always

[@alsuzy1345]

Hey Don, I agree with Pamela below. That was frustrating just listening to the account. WHEW!!! We were on the Crown Princess for a quick 5 day cruise. There was an small flu outbreak so the crew was doing an additional cleaning. We were STERNLY notified that NO BOARDINGS would be conducted before 3PM and to return at that time. We went to lunch and found a few things to do prior to 3 PM. When we returned about 15 minutes prior to 3 PM to queue up, we noticed that 3/4 of the ship had already loaded. There were literally no lines. We were somewhat annoyed that we had followed the rules while they had been loading the ship since 1230.

[@Mark_Dyer1]

I have to say that a British cruise analyst advises against EVER booking a 'maiden' cruise on a brand new ship; precisely because this sort of thing happens. Your experience has just put us off cruising for good; although we may consider taking a Cunarder to New York, and fly back!

[@geraldwalker7609]

After all that I would have been VERY concerned about getting back from the mall! (or at least finding a back up plan if the bus got held up from leaving the mall because there weren't enough riders.)

[@lightoflife7795]

Uber

[@chloe5susan]

Yup me too!!

[@militarymom6690]

Gerald I was thinking the same thing - if you’re having this much trouble getting me TO the mall, I’m a little concerned about your efficiency in picking me up FROM the mall!🤨

[@christianmarcoux3325]

I would of stayed in the bus to get me back and I'd wait those hours near the fence, I wouldn't risk it.. prefer to be on the safe side :)

[@NtYourAvgPrncess]

We recently sailed on Norwegian Getaway and while our experience was not as bad as yours, embarkation was a chaotic, disorganized and frustrating mess. Some cruise lines get it right (Royal Caribbean) and some don't. This too shall pass but it's so frustrating at the time and makes no sense why they can't get their stuff together when they do this twice a week, every week!

[@robertgerard7055]

8 people were killed recently by a vulcano outburst, on tour from a cruiseship. And here I'm listening attentively to a guy who had to entertain himself for a couple of hours and missed a bus. Go spend your dollars people! The cruise companies love you!

[@AlwaysIrishINC]

My hairline got substantially thinner just listening to this clusterfuck of a story . Jesus Christ

[@patricke170]

Would you like some cheese to go with your whine? Since you knew it was going to happen you and your friend should have simply brought wine and cheese to eat up and a book to read while you waited. You said you KNEW it would happen. Why not prepare?

[@dr.geraldcase-blanchard4904]

I’m glad you’re ok with it. I would have dealt with it a bit differently.

[@jackiet8668]

What a drag. However, if I saw people get off the bus going to the same ship as me, I probably would have followed them. I would have been too nervous to venture too far away from the cruise port.

[@acesofthealist]

Wow Don..what a way to start your cruise!

[@kindracriado5984]

Imagine if it was your first cruise ever? That would be so nerve racking! It was bad enough but I can only imagine people thinking they were dipping their toes into cruising deciding it was way too stressful to try again 😬 On another note, when stuff like this happens to me I just tell myself it will be funny later because all the best stories are full of stuff not going to plan lol

[@beverlya6338]

some on here are saying they roll with the punches. I am not one of those people but I am not stupid either. I would have gotten off the bus and taken a taxi to the saw grass mall and that would have been the end of it. This guy is suppose to be so smart about cruises yet he was very stupid in this case.

[@KillerNut2]

What an exercise in frustration. While sitting on the bus, I would have questioned why we were the only ones on the bus. Especially the 2nd time. Did all the other people dropping off their bags find some magical spot to wait? I probably eventually would have told them to let me off the bus and would have immediately ordered an uber to take me somewhere.

[@militarymom6690]

Lol!! A cruise embarkation “Daymare”! You were a good sport, Don to take it in stride and not let it ruin your experience. Great post!!

[@debrabyrd2544]

sounds like a fun adventure to me.

[@WildBill-kf2pc]

So how was the Buffet?

[@ruthjohnify]

😂😅😂

[@cruisingsuitestyle7516]

All the paperwork said boarding time was 5 pm with a departure time of 10. It never said noon.

[@sallychipman9857]

Hope the rest of the cruise went better then embarkation did. Jeez talk about an ominous omen.

[@nancyzahradnik6021]

It seems like the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing!!!🤨

[@stephaniem839]

I was eating my lunch while watching this and congratulations... you made tacos come out my nose when you said “and guess what bus we went to... that’s right... the first one....!” LOL! 🤣😂

[@cruisingcory5414]

It does not take much to make some people laugh.

[@bettywith2girls]

It actually makes sense...they probably had 2 buses going to the mall, and placed them on opposite ends of the dock so that nobody had to walk far. I betcha that 1st and closest bus to them was chock full of people, so THAT'S why they were told to go to the emptier bus on the other end. I would have followed that big group of people that got off that 2nd bus that he KNEW were eventually going to be on the ship...they probably got to wait in the terminal or around there and were the 1st on the ship when it was cleared by port authorities. If I'm lost, I always follow the other people...they usually treat them better than the lone stragglers.

[@johnsimons1748]

hope you got luckyy with ur friend

[@tarawalker7193]

This is a great lesson to learn for newbies. I am a fairly new travel agent with an otherwise full-time job. With limited vacation time to take, I would have been totally pissed off had this been my experience! This certainly helps me to know what to expect. I will likely not try an inaugural cruise for a while. 🙂

[@MarjorieAmizich]

I was chuckling at your super funny telling of such an unfortunate experience...funny after the fact.

[@aussiejohn5835]

Put your left foot on, put your left foot off! Turn right around and don't miss the bus! Do the cruise ship shuffle and enjoy your cruise with us!! Can't wait for more Don.

[@tpkyterooluebeck9224]

Thank you! This was brilliant! I know, I'm 3 years later to this video, but I enjoyed your comment the most.

[@gman9525]

Are you sure this wasn’t the Hotel Ship California?

[@cricket8438]

Gary Schmelz , that was great‼️ sometimes I feel like I live in Hotel California ‼️🤣😱😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@belindan4974]

What a fiasco! Yikes! All for only less than 72 hours. 😞 Can’t wait for the review. 😃 You’re such a trooper. 👍🏼😜

[@belindan4974]

Paula Johnson a man after my own heart!! 🤣

[@dalecs47]

Reminds me of the old joke about Eastern Air Lines slogan: "Fly with Eastern, we will make you feel like you never left the ground, because we always treat you like dirt!"

[@jamesbrowne96]

Tell me about it. It happened to our family a few years back when wed had our passports stolen. We had a replacement document from the embassy but the cruise line wouldn't accept it! The worse thing was that they left us sitting at the port all day until just before sailaway then gave us the news and left us to find our way home all by ourselves!

[@lestergold8167]

How about checking NCL Star changing 2 March itineraries very shortly after final payment .Known propulsion issue.

[@401Rob]

Thanks. I'll avoid that Cruise line in the future. If they think it's ok to treat the passengers for that cruise the way they did means it prob. Happens often and will happen again. Ty

[@mistertristard4641]

So they INSISTED that you leave the area and RECOMMEND this mall. VERY INTERESTING!!! I wonder who was greasing their palms!

[@kizziereefer8502]

I've only seen maybe 3 if you're video and it seems like you have a issue Everytime you cruise. My question is why continue to go if you clearly don't enjoy them? My next question is are you also complaining to the cruise company Everytime you have a issue? I've heard of people making it a habit to complain to get free stuff or even comped cruises is that you're end game?

[@chriswilliams6568]

Kizzie Reefer He loves cruising, are you seeing the same videos that I am. This is why he goes on so many. Things happen to all of us all the time whatever we do, he just likes to tell stories.

[@kizziereefer8502]

@@chriswilliams6568 that's why I asked because of the 3 videos I've watched he's complaining or he's had an issue on the ship. But if you're saying he loves it I'll take you're word for it. Enjoy you're holiday!

[@cannon440]

Sounds like a real shit cruise line!

[@willgaukler8979]

....not at all....just Sky’s first few days....the line is a good one...not a party palace tho...

[@genxer39]

At least you were sitting down on the buses for an hour ish.

[@tarheelblue4341]

You guys got setup!!! You could have went to the Galleria Mall which is 10-15 minutes from the Port.

[@TSKseattle]

What's the drumming in the background - hope that wasn't for the whole cruise.

[@ajsnr1]

sounds like the engine ,cabin must be aft of ship

[@stephanie6897]

Your story had me sitting on the edge of my seat more than a new episode of dateline, hosted by Keith Morrison 😅💕

[@stormydragon2668]

Twist ending: the cop and the busses were all fakes hired by the mall to get Don to talk about them on his vlog, which is why everyone else on the ship wasn't on the busses.

[@roxannegeorge3960]

😂😂😂

[@seastheday956]

LoL..."what the h***"... So funny to hear you curse. Of all your vid's, I think this is a first for you. Your awesome!

[@MrButch-ls8vl]

I am not taking any cruises ... you convinced me.

[@SundaysChild1966]

Agree .. my hubby would be losing his mind.

[@MrButch-ls8vl]

@@SundaysChild1966 In the end they seem so expensive ... for what? Living in a giant mall, waiting on lines, eating at buffets??? I am a well traveled person - visited 87 countries on 6 continents over the span of 40 years. Cruising is not my kind of travel!

[@SundaysChild1966]

@@MrButch-ls8vl I have watched quite a few cruising videos on youtube, wondering if it would be an experience we would enjoy ... hmmm, no I really don't think so. It just seems like so much WORK and way, waaaay too peopley for me. The LAST thing I want is someone over a loud speaker .. so, everyone having a GOOD TIME?!?! Yaaahh .. uggg, noooo, thank you! lol

[@tygranamalyan]

what a horrible and interesting story! Tell more, in deep details how you were doing in the bus! This is the most interesting and important thing in the world. Unsubscribed

[@jenniferbrown804]

Remember that Cruise out of Charleston you talked about last month? That was us! 3.5 hours to get a parking spot. 1.5 hours just to be in line outside the terminal. 1.5 hours waiting in the terminal. Didn’t leave the port until 1AM. We understand that there was a medical issue on the cruise before us, but we didn’t get any kind of credit.. not even an apology. Paid for a 5 day cruise and didn’t get it. I thought for sure they would credit us something or give a discount on a future cruise.... or even a free drink. They also should’ve notified the local police to help with craziness of traffic.

[@jackiewatsonfitness3695]

Normally Port Everglades is easy to get in and out of. We disembarked the Regal on Dec 1 and it was chaotic! LOL We went to a different terminal, because The Sky was in the Terminal that we usually return on (and that we had left from). I don't think I've ever seen so many people in the port area.

[@Chaeya]

I'm glad everyone was cool about it, but I would have complained. I'm usually cool about things that isn't the company's fault - like weather, problems at a particular port and so on, I can roll with it, but this was very poor service. And if no one says anything, management will just think that you guys will put up with it and they will just keep doing things like this and it may be worse the next time. They need to know that things like this shouldn't be happening.

[@CryptoVin]

You “let things roll?” You’re on here every other day flipping out about someone doing something in the buffet! LOL😉

[@donaldshulman6771]

I'm glad to hear that you were able to laugh it off, because I was laughing as you told the story.

[@Nutzkie2001]

So to recap, we had people with no idea what was going on, giving orders to people with no ability to comprehend the situation, while a thoroughly confused public looked on in amused incredulity. Didn't I vote for a few of these guys last election?

[@propergander8509]

Serious question.... Is saying 'Vantastic' a Canadian thing or a Don thing? Or just a regional dialect? Because I have never heard anyone say Vantastic instead of Fantastic...

[@tazman572]

I'm Canadian. It is a Don thing.

[@forstar3943]

Proper Gander I asked what “ vantastic” meant a few months ago but didn’t get a reply. It’s not a Canadian thing...must be just a Don thing.

[@kazmak100]

@@forstar3943 Apparently Don said it by mistake originally and now it is a Donism!

[@forstar3943]

Karen McKeown Thanks. Good to know.

[@nikiakbik5896]

I was on going on the Regal Princess Dec 1 and Sky Princess was docked where Regal Princess should be. Was this on Dec 1st? Sky Princess took my luggage and didn’t check that it said Regal and I never got my luggage! The whole trip ..it stayed in Fort Lauderdale the whole cruise! It was my first cruise ever! Now I know what happened and why! Oh My Gosh! You had a lovely time too! OMG!

[@paulalavigne4130]

I'm just watching this video tonight and realized that my husband and I were on the same cruise and I agree with you it was unorganized but that's not what surprised me it was some of the ship's employees being rude to some of the passengers.

[@alk61695]

I would ask for my money back. For all that nonsense they put you through and then go not even stop at a port? I don't know normally I wouldn't care but that's just silly.

[@michelrail]

Ah, Don. This is a classic case of CHRONIC INCOMPETENCE. Chronic incompetence is characterized by a total lack of common sense. It combines personnel who will do the least amount of work because they are not paid enough to use their brains and other who are "paid" to organize and manage, but just don't have the training, ingenuity, creativity or common sense to get the job done. This happens all the time. A friend of mine uses the expression "good enough for government work." You can't expect greatness! You need take charge people. I'm sure your cruise will be great, but it would have been that much better had you been treated as a human being. It's sad.

[@g-bgcg]

Next time go to the Galleria Mall. It’s closer to Port Everglades and much better shopping and dining imo. Go have lunch at Neman Marcus, then walk down to the beach. I am not a big fan of the Sawgrass Mall having lived In south Florida for 25 Years. Way too crowded, parking and traffic is horrible, restaurants are all jammed up and you can get better sales shopping at department stores. Anyway, glad everything worked out for you and your friend.

[@ckbcustomshop]

My wife and daughter were on that sailing. You should have checked the itinerary as it wasn't scheduled to board until late afternoon and leave port until 9 pm.

[@kaplan1406]

My last Princess cruise, a 2 week Baltic cruise, Princess lost my luggage somewhere between Heathrow Terminal 3 and the Southampton Cruise Terminal 2 hours later. They took no ownership in losing my luggage, they instead were quick to blame "contract" baggage handlers. So I'm not surprised at all by their lack of taking responsibility for their unprofessional organization or customer service. Personally, I think that Celebrity's entertainment and food is a cut above lackluster Princess.

[@korvtm]

We were on a 17 day Christmas cruise that finished at Fort Lauderdale a few years back.Everything went well until we got off the ship.Went to the area where picked up all our luggage,started lining up for customs and all the other stuff to reenter the U.S. Found that Border Patrol had one agent un duty to process about 1900 passengers. Friend of mine said that was normal procedure there. Also if you fly into Seattle,WA. and have to go through immigration there Just skip the whole trip and enter some place else.Seattle immigration at the airport,is with out doubt the most poorly run operation I have ever seen.It was too small for the job in 1967,there are at least 5/6 times as many PAX as there was then and now TSA aimply will not open up all the available space to process PAX.Last time we came through there OCT 3 this year there were four checkpoints open out of eight,there were at least five or six agents standing around doing nothing,and the checkout line was at least 250/300 people long.

[@jefftalbot8371]

Don I disagree with you on they have to do an extra long inspection. I have done two transatlantic cruises without any issue, no extra time. Plus, US Coast Gard inspects the ships before the head across the pond! And why are you buying transfer in Ft Lauderdale? Port is 3 miles out, I can get a cab with my wife for $11. I always give $20 for a tip and everybody is happy. Since it was a 3 day cruise you should be traveling light. Instead of getting on a crappy bus just take a cab up US-1A, tons of restaurants and a movie theater just a couple of miles north. My brother in law is on the Sky Princess as I write. He had absolutely no issues boarding. And the 500 elite members got that cruise for free if they took the next seven day cruise. How do I know? My brother in law got that deal and since he was the only elite member of the group (my sister passed a year and a half back) he did not take the “free” cruise. If you would have talked to Princess they will refund your transfer if you paid for it. This is a truck I learned from a fellow cruiser. There is an app called Boat Watch and it show the position of all ships. So when I am heading to the port I look up Boat Watch to see if ship is in port. I use the free app but since you do a ton of cruising upgrade it to the plus version. Much more information but I only use it to locate ships. If you had this app you could have seen the ship was not in port on time and then you could of called Princess for direction and approximate time of arrival. It’s a great app. Sail on

[@highspec_tech90]

Having a similar problem with a Fred Olsen crusie on Balmoral. Only 2 nights from Southampton to Honfleur in France and back. Ship is in Hamburg having a refit but the cruise line has allocated as little time as possible for the refit so only a couple of days ago, were told that the ship would be arriving approx 10 hours later than normal. They are offering us nothing, not even the price of the drinks package for the 1st night or enough money to buy lunch myself, something I technically am already paying for. This wasn't a discounted crusie so charging me £150 night where we miss almost 25% of the cruise isn't on. Ship is due to sail 20th December and they originally told the port authorities that they will be arriving early morning so they are lied to them as well.

[@SuperVidtech]

I just got back from a 14 day transatlantic cruise with NCL sailing from Barcelona to Miami and every shore excursion (4 total) that I booked was cancelled due to either not enough people signed up or the last one being weather related.. So I basically never left the ship till the last 2 days.. No complaints had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect.. You just expect things to happen and make the best of it..

[@lisahinckley9359]

Did this happen yesterday on the 10th? We just got off Carnival Sunrise on Monday stayed overnight went to Sawgrass mall yesterday to kill time before our flight home to OHIO. I remember seeing a big white Bus in the lot when we exited target to walk around outside it was parked closer to an outdoor restaurant than to Target. That mall was so confusing we decided to walk outdoors instead lol. I can’t believe I could of met you darn well maybe another future cruise! Enjoy what time you have left thanks for sharing your experience.

[@joyce52]

Sounds like a fun few hours. 😂😂😂 I was sitting here laughing through this because I would have been laughing it off also, except that I would have been angry to be lugging around my carry on. What a great 3 day cruise you had and rolling with the punches is the only thing to do. Good job, Don.

[@pattihainline1573]

So it says family vacation on your blog but I'm wondering do you either work for them or live on cruise ships??? Well at least you can laugh about it! That's a good thing!😂😂😂😂😂 And a good time was had by all!

[@valereehansen1277]

No, no, no. Ineffective communication occurs so frequently. First, being the only 2 is a red flag. Second, if people are getting off the bus, my auto action is to ask them where, when, why... Knowing how corporate communicates, there are many times I've decided to take alternate action and I've never decided incorrectly. Love when management smiles awkwardly while wiping the dirt off their faces. All the sheep were jerked around because they lacked the innate ability to think for themselves. You were definitely distracted by the awesome company and reminiscing, and you paid the price. Fantastic that you are able to laugh it all off. You probably are more easy going and able to flow whichever way the current is taking you. Not so for the independent fighters. People have different ways of thinking. Put us all together and we end up as a more effective whole. Just saying...

[@mikez3301]

Dear Don, your story is sad but also missing information. The boarding schedule for boarding was 5pm. So first you were 5 hr early. Secondly there was an option to go inside or goto the mall. I was there took a chance and waited inside and got boarded about 12:30 . I know port stuff can be complicated but just keep rolling. The 5sky show was not my cup of tea. But the Enclave was very good. Be safe keep sailing. Peace.

[@nancyvolke237]

Don, that happened last week in Puerto Rico, the Norwegian Epic arrived from Barcelona. All sorts of issues happened traffic, sick people, a heart attack, that was terrible!! 😳 The Freedom of the Seas was next to it, so people arriving for both ships at the same time!!!

[@debbunge1843]

I’m not finding this funny. If you have only so much time and money, and you ended up on this cruise, I’d be pissed and cheated! Granted most of you knew what to expect, but unless you’re “ in the know” you got taken. Weather aside, the boarding delay is expected and Cruise lines ignore their guests when planning for it. What Don went through was ridicules. Why should you have to find somewhere else to be? Why should you have to shell out more money for food or transportation? ( not everyone had buses).

[@georgeshepherd6431]

Don, it doesn't sound like you paid for this trip; you were invited on as a PR courtesy so you would sell these cruises to your customers. So, it would have been no skin off your nose to just skip the damn thing and gone home--no love lost, AND, importantly it wasn't like you were a paying customer who got mistreated and needed to go through the hassle of asking for a refund. You could have just gone home and looked forward to the next free 3-day cruise.

[@kurtrobinson7367]

And this is why cruise travel has a bad reputation .

[@denizalgazi]

Port Everglades has to be the worst cruise port! It's very convenient to the airport but it should have its own separate entrance away from the military security. Princess Cays (pronounced KeyS, never kay, and for Princess, it's always plural with an 'S') is not a private island for Princess cruises, it's just a private beachfront property on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera that they use for their passengers. I think Princess wants to give its passengers the illusion that they are on a private island LOL!