Sapphire disembarkation nightmere!

[29wendy]

My husband and I just finished the Mexico cruise yesterday and it was wonderful!! The boat was beautiful and the entire staff was very friendly. However the disembarkation was nuts! They were two hours behind schedule and we missed our flight and doubt we were the only ones. This was not Princess's fault but the port authorities. What bothers me is the fact that they wouldn't let anyone eat after 9:00am. They shut down the buffet and wouldn't let us use the elevators. I wasn't one of the people throwing a hissy fit but I would have been if I had kids with me and they were hungry. Very bad customer service. Why spend so much time and energy making our cruise so wonderful just to screw it up at the end? Only those embarking on the ship were aloud to use the elevator. I guess they figured they didn't need to serve us anymore so make them walk! If you are going to trap your customers on a boat then feed them! Its not like they didn't have food for us.

[29wendy]

My husband and I just finished the Mexico cruise yesterday and it was wonderful!! The boat was beautiful and the entire staff was very friendly. However the disembarkation was nuts! They were two hours behind schedule and we missed our flight and doubt we were the only ones. This was not Princess's fault but the port authorities. What bothers me is the fact that they wouldn't let anyone eat after 9:00am. They shut down the buffet and wouldn't let us use the elevators. I wasn't one of the people throwing a hissy fit but I would have been if I had kids with me and they were hungry. Very bad customer service. Why spend so much time and energy making our cruise so wonderful just to screw it up at the end? Only those embarking on the ship were aloud to use the elevator. I guess they figured they didn't need to serve us anymore so make them walk! If you are going to trap your customers on a boat then feed them! Its not like they didn't have food for us.

[LisaP]

Sorry to hear of such an ending to an otherwise wonderful cruise. One of my friends was onboard, and said she heard that this was one of the days that the entire crew had to go through customs, as well. That could explain why the dining was shut down -- no crew. I am also sorry that you missed your flight. Out of curiosity, what time did you make it off the ship?

[29wendy]

We got off around 12:30 and there were still quite a few groups left to go. Oh well what can ya do?

[Kate Ashlock]

That really is too bad. I have to agree that the reason for this is because the crew onboard was limited (or non existent). With that being said, it's pretty normal to shut down the buffet on debarkation day at around 9am. When you think of the preparation they have to do to get ready for a whole new ship of passengers, I would imagine it takes maximum resources. If they were delayed, they can't really do much to compensate for that fact.

Also, your situation is exactly why I always book my own flights and set my return in the afternoon (usually 2pm or later).