Self Disembarkation - How long does it take

[Tcmroxy]

Hello We have a flight leaving from Orlando airport at 11:00 am. The Monarch of the seas gets into port at 7:00 am. We were wondering when people start to line up to self disembark and how long it takes to go through customs. Does anyone know when the first cruise ship bus leaves for the airport? Any suggestions on private transportation?

[luvscruising2007]

It depends how long it takes for the ship to clear customs when they begin disembarkation. On our last cruise it was delayed quite awhile so no one got off until after 8:00 or so. You may be cutting it close to drive to Orlando and plan to be there by 11:00. Also, if you are taking an RCL transfer you have to wait until they fill the bus or the luggage compartment.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

[JanineM]

Keep in mind that Monarch is scheduled to begin disembarkation at 7 am. Sometimes it is later (and occasionally earlier), plus there can be delays in Customs. Priority disembarkation begins first. Are you Platinum, Diamond or D+ with Crown & Anchor?

 

You will definitely want to look at a private shuttle. Even if you're delayed and don't get off the ship until 8, with a private shuttle you'd get to MCO with plenty of time (45 minute drive time door to door - without having to drop off a rental car).

 

There is a thread over on the East Coast Departures - Florida Departures board called "I Work At Port Canaveral". It has an absolute wealth of information & up-to-date details on different shuttles. My suggestion is to check over there.

 

You may also want to have travel insurance in the event the ship is detained, and also know when the next flight is on your airline!

[Gonzo70]

You may also want to have travel insurance in the event the ship is detained, and also know when the next flight is on your airline!

 

 

Good advice, but one other thing is that many (if not all) travel insurance policies require a buffer of a certain number of hours in between legs of a trip - therefore she/he would need to make sure the 11:00am flight provided a large enough window for the travel insurance to "pay out" were she/he to miss the flight.