Getting Luggage off the Ship

[kimmie32]

We are crusing for the first time on May 16, RCCL, and we were advised that we should take our own bags off the ship at the end to save disembarking time. Any advice? What are the options?

 

Thanks

[trish1c]

I don't think it will save you much time & could actually be very cumbersome if the bags are heavy. The "time saver" I guess would be having to wait for your bags to come through. The wait is similiar to waiting for your luggage at the airport.

 

Trish

[kimmie32]

Thanks Trish. I think the time saver was the reason for the advice. Has anyone else taken their luggage off the ship on their own?

[Brucemcdou]

Hi, Kimmie -

 

I agree with Trish: unless you're an amazingly light packer, I'd recommend letting them take your large bags the evening before docking. You probably won't save any time carrying them off yourself, and it will be pretty inconvenient to be pulling your large bags around the ship for a few hours on the morning of disembarkation.

 

The usual routine the last evening is that you pack and put your large bags in the hallway outside your cabin by midnight. You keep your toiletries and the clothes you'll wear the next day. After the ship docks, the bags are taken off the ship and arranged in a waiting area coded by color or by letter or number before any passengers are allowed off. Meanwhile, on most cruise lines all the passengers are supposed to be out of their cabins early in the morning but you can't get off until they've cleared the ship, so you end up camping in a lounge or the buffet with all your luggage. At its worst, you can feel a lot like a refugee, carrying all your possessions around, just looking for somewhere to sit down. Hint: scope out a quiet spot in advance such as the library to sit down. Once you're allowed to disembark, you find your luggage, then find a porter, a taxi, or a bus depending on how you're leaving. So there's no way to really "speed up" the process.

 

I have only carried off my luggage when I've gone on short, 2-day relocation cruises so I've only had a small carry-on sized wheelie to deal with.

 

There are never enough days at sea!

[imacruizer]

In answer to your question, "has anyone carried all their luggage off the ship?" Yes, my husband and I recently carried off all of our luggage for the same reason you mentioned. We had an early flight. We were not on RCCL but on Cunard. They allowed people who wanted to carry off all their luggage to disembark first. They gave us a special card and told us where to be with our luggage and at what time. We had three bags and all were the "roller blade" type. (I might mention that we had been on a ten day cruise.) We left our luggage in our room and went to breakfast. Right after breakfast we collected everything and went to the area we had been assigned to wait until we were allowed to disembark. It was not difficult and we made it to the airport in plenty of time. The key is to pack lightly and take as few bags as possible. Happy cruising!

[rlmac]

If your going on a RCCL they disembark according to if you have an early flight or a later flight.They let you off by color code tags. We just came back from a RCCL this past Sunday and from the time they called our color to the time we were in our car it was only about 30 minutes or so. We were also in one of the first 4 groups off the ship because of our room,(it was one of four Royal Family Suites) Hope this helps. Have a great time.

[nlptes]

How early is your flight? Which port/airport?

 

Others here have been luckier than I have been. The lines can be extremely long, moving ahead inch-by-inch-by-inch! On one trip (Costa I think), we were in a line ON the stairs! I was the 2nd color called on the Monarch and I can't tell you how long and winding the line was... it took forever ( about an hour) to get off the ship, and then we had to go thru customs.

 

So keep this in mind as well.

Nancy

 

Mariner 9/12/2004

Heading south:

Our "Parrothead" Site

Monarch of the Seas 3/29/04

Costa Mediterranea 12/14/03

Sovereign of the Seas 9/21/03

[MaryPoppinz]

I've carried luggage both on and off, and other times I've let the porters do both. It depends on my mood. But, the odds are that your luggage will beat you to the disembarkation lounge. Now, all you have to do is find it! I'd tell you about my secret of buying bright red luggage just for cruising, but I don't want anyone else to know about it.

 

"I'm gonna book myself on that Princess Cruise."

-- Fox Mulder, X-Files 'Three Words'