Debarking

[In2why]

I have read quite a few threads about herds of people trying to get off the ship with all their stuff at the same time and it being a mess. Is it possible or advisable just to wait in your cabin or at a table in the sunshine until most of the people clear out? Or do they want you crowded in one place so they can clean the other places? Any debarking suggestions?

[cathyz]

I have read quite a few threads about herds of people trying to get off the ship with all their stuff at the same time and it being a mess. Is it possible or advisable just to wait in your cabin or at a table in the sunshine until most of the people clear out? Or do they want you crowded in one place so they can clean the other places? Any debarking suggestions?

They do want you out of your cabin relatively early (9:00 or 9:30 or so), but there are many other places you can hang out until last call, tables on the Lido, etc, etc., which will be 10:30 or so.

[golfadj]

We typically have a long drive so we prefer getting off early and heading back.

 

However if you prefer hang out as long as possible.

[Nickymjw1]

How late do they serve breakfast on debarkation day? We normally like to take our time in the morning getting ready, eating and then get off.

 

Which decks debark first? I assume the higher you are the earlier?

[NavarreCruiser]

How late do they serve breakfast on debarkation day? We normally like to take our time in the morning getting ready, eating and then get off.

 

Which decks debark first? I assume the higher you are the earlier?

 

You get numbered tags the night before. We are vip so we always get number one. But I have seen one our same floors all different numbers. It has do do with number of cruises, room you booked and when you tell them you need to get off.

 

lynda

[Orionman]

If you dock at 7 am, the self debark people and tags 1-5 will probably be in the first 15 to 30 minutes after that. Then about every 15 minutes, another group will go (6-10, 11-15, etc). They wanted us all out of the rooms by 8:30 am, so many people got to leave directly from their rooms for the lobby. The later groups certainly had to find a place to hang out. The night before you get off, you will get a paper explaining everything. They will show the areas where you can wait.

Carnival gave us number 10 tags and then later that night gave us 4 tags since they considered our flight "early" (12:55pm). I didn't argue, I just took the lower number and was at the airport waiting for the plan 3.5 hours early. Now, I wish I had stayed on the boat a bit longer.

[michellejed]

We like to stay as long as possible. Even with low numbers it can be very difficult to maneuver around to get off the ship.

 

Some people like to just wait in hall ways and by the elevators and it can all be a big mess.

 

If you have a later flight or just don't have to rush to get off then take your time, have a nice slow breakfast, do a little people watching and savor the last of your cruise, lol

 

You will be able to just walk off the ship and through customs with out the long lines.

[JohnMI]

Are you REQUIRED to go when your tag number range is called? Or, if you prefer to stay longer, can you ignore that and go later? In other words, is it more like boarding a plane -- where 1st class people CAN board first or CAN wait until later and be fine? Or is it more of a "if your tag is in that range, you MUST go now" situation?

 

If it is the latter, can you simply request a higher tag number if you are not in a hurry? I'd like to do breakfast of some sort that last morning and not have to worry about rushing off the ship.

 

- John...

[habby]

On our recent Conquest cruise we were "asked" to be out of our cabin by 8:30. As we had a late flight we were in no hurry to leave, so we went up to the Lido deck for breakfast buffet and waited until they called the last zone number for disembarkation. I believe they served breakfast on the Lido deck until 9:00 or so. We were off the ship around 10:00.

[LemurCat]

Are you REQUIRED to go when your tag number range is called? Or, if you prefer to stay longer, can you ignore that and go later? In other words, is it more like boarding a plane -- where 1st class people CAN board first or CAN wait until later and be fine? Or is it more of a "if your tag is in that range, you MUST go now" situation?

 

If it is the latter, can you simply request a higher tag number if you are not in a hurry? I'd like to do breakfast of some sort that last morning and not have to worry about rushing off the ship.

 

- John...

 

Hehehe, Carnival doesn't seem to require you to do anything except get off the ship at some point in time. People routinely go early *and* go late.

[broberts]

They definitely want you out of your cabin as early as possible. When you leave for breakfast take your carry-off luggage with you, you likely won't be able to get back in.

 

I like to go up to the Lido and have a very, very leisurely breakfast. You can hang around until the announcements that everyone should get off the ship. Don't hurry because you'll eventually hit a line waiting to clear CBP. For me this is a much more relaxing method of getting off the ship than self-debarkation or going when your number is called.

[CMM]

In Nov we were very impressed with the Carnival Legend debarkation. On Princess we were assigned a specific room to wait in. Not that it was a bad process, but our recent Carnival cruise was much more relaxing.

We were able to wait in any of the public spaces and choose to eat and eat in the lido area! We didn't choose the early self assist option and were one of the later people off the ship at 9:30 am. A really nice process.

[Orionman]

I think you can wait if you want to. You might run into issues with luggage backing up though. Yours will go with your number. I don't like it sitting out on the carousel going around and around for "the taking".

[upnorth111]

Could someone please explain the self debark process? THANKS!

[Orionman]

If you and your spouse can carry 100% of your luggage off without any assistance, you will be allowed to leave first thing. Don't set anything out in the hall the night before and ignore your tags. They'll announce over the speaker when they're ready for self debark people to come down to level 3 lobby. You'll put your S and S card in the reader just like when you went ashore, except this time it logs you off the boat. Then you proceed to the luggage carousels. You'll already have yours though, so after showing your passport and customs declaration, you're outside the pier and in the parking area.

[yogi2929]

You can also be the last off the ship with the self-debark process:D

[jettasmom]

On our first cruise last year my DH and I carried our luggage off ourself. It was a mad house with everyone trying to get off first, not to mention that you just ended up in a long line waiting to get through customs.

This year we've decided to put our luggage out the night before and sit on the lido deck have a nice breakfast and wait for the crowds to get off before we leave. We have two days after our cruise to get home and we're driving so we don't have a plane to catch. Just don't see a reason to go through that mess again.

[sassy5683]

On sunday we were in no hurry to get off the Conquest so we just took our time eating breakfast and just hung out. We were tags 31 so we were at the end anyway. When they finally called the final tags....they also said everyone must get off now...kindly of course. And we headed down..no lines at all. Got off the boat went to the area where our luggage was and it was all stacked nicely together....grabbed it and got in the customs line....it was a bit long but went really quickly...I guess we were the last ones off because noone else got in line behind us. We could have used porters to get us to the line quicker I guess but we were in now hurry...and we still got home in time to watch the super bowl...although we didn't watch it.

[Nik]

In Tampa a couple of weeks ago, debarkation was a little wild. We are Platinum and therefore, group one. However, when it was our turn to leave, we were stopped at the exit because we are Canadian citizens!!!

 

Only American citizens were allowed self assist, early debarkation. Regardless of the fact that we were up and at the customs desk for 6 am. and everyone had been cleared there, we had to wait until all of the Americans were off that wanted off....so everyone else is second rate even though I am Platinum, had a 8K room and paid as much if not more (Can. dollar is worth less than the US$) and we still had to wait. I think it was approx. 1.5 wait after the first call. I'm not impressed.

 

I'm going to write to Carnival about this. It seems ridiculous. I don't remember having to do this in Miami or Canaveral.

[Nickymjw1]

In Tampa a couple of weeks ago, debarkation was a little wild. We are Platinum and therefore, group one. However, when it was our turn to leave, we were stopped at the exit because we are Canadian citizens!!!

 

Only American citizens were allowed self assist, early debarkation. Regardless of the fact that we were up and at the customs desk for 6 am. and everyone had been cleared there, we had to wait until all of the Americans were off that wanted off....so everyone else is second rate even though I am Platinum, had a 8K room and paid as much if not more (Can. dollar is worth less than the US$) and we still had to wait. I think it was approx. 1.5 wait after the first call. I'm not impressed.

 

I'm going to write to Carnival about this. It seems ridiculous. I don't remember having to do this in Miami or Canaveral.

 

Thanks for the info. WE are traveling with my Dad who is from Belgium, so I will find out if we have to wait until all american are off the ship so we don't get in line.

 

So is it only the foreigners who have to go to customs and immigrations on the ship? What is their times? I really don't feel like getting up at 6am! lol