disembarking

[brownblonde]

Was wondering if on the HAL ships you can get off as you please on disembarkcation day as long as you can handle your own luggage.

[tangerinebunny]

No problem. You're asked when you want to disembark and can pretty much walk out as soon as the ship is cleared.

[1025cruise]

If you are handling your own luggage, you will be the first off the ship.

[Mary Ellen]

They do want you to be first off with your own luggage though, not as you please.

[BruceMuzz]

The cruise lines do not make this decision.

 

When you can get off and whether or not you can take your own luggage with you is decided by local customs officials.

 

If you are disembarking in most US Ports, the officials will agree that you can take your own luggage ashore with you, but they insist that you disembark before the other passengers, whose luggage is being delivered to the arrival hall.

 

In most US Ports, no passengers whose luggage is being delivered to the arrival hall will be allowed to leave the ship until all bags have left the ship.

 

The major exceptions in the USA are San Diego (most of the time), and Los Angeles (some of the time).

In those 2 ports, all passengers must line up and wait to go through Immigration Inspection onboard the ship, before any passengers are allowed to leave the ship. This burns up quite a bit of your time.

Once in the arrivals hall, you then usually have to go through a second inspection for Customs.

 

In the rest of the world, it is usually much simpler. Most countries are very relaxed with coming and going off the ship.

[Jemima]

The major exceptions in the USA are San Diego (most of the time), and Los Angeles (some of the time).

In those 2 ports, all passengers must line up and wait to go through Immigration Inspection onboard the ship, before any passengers are allowed to leave the ship. This burns up quite a bit of your time.

...

 

Huh? We've disembaraked in San Diego a number of times and didn't go through any immigration anything before disembarking.

[CowPrincess]

We were not permitted to take our own luggage off the ship in Tampa. In San Diego our experience (contrary to Bruce Muzz's experience) was that only non-US citizens need to go through Immigration onboard when returning to San Diego, on ships that sail round-trip from San Diego.

 

YMMV

[RMLincoln]

Never had any form of Immigration or Customs delay or line ups at either SanDiego nor LA, nor Long Beach. Guess I was lucky?

 

Have taken my luggage off, early diembarkation, and other times I have decided to wait on board until later for more relaxed disembarkation, but never any issue.

 

Now if flying out of LAX... that's a different misery! m--

[BruceMuzz]

We were not permitted to take our own luggage off the ship in Tampa. In San Diego our experience (contrary to Bruce Muzz's experience) was that only non-US citizens need to go through Immigration onboard when returning to San Diego, on ships that sail round-trip from San Diego.

 

YMMV

 

THe logic used by US Immigration in San Diego defies any normal understanding. I have sailed about a dozen different ships from a half dozen differenrt cruise lines through the port of San Diego. One week they force us to have immigration on the ship, the next week they don't. One or two cruise lines must ALWAYS have Immigration inspection onboard, while others are never required to.

 

LA is slightly better, but still more like a third world Banana Republic port than others in America.

[dobiemom]

We were not permitted to take our own luggage off the ship in Tampa. In San Diego our experience (contrary to Bruce Muzz's experience) was that only non-US citizens need to go through Immigration onboard when returning to San Diego, on ships that sail round-trip from San Diego.

 

YMMV

I sail out of San Diego, California alot and this has been my experience also. AND disembarkation is usually delayed because some non-US citizens choose not to do this at the appointed time, and the ship keeps announcing their names over and over to report to immigration. Only when ALL non-US citizens have done this will disembarkation of the ship start.

[sapper1]

Huh? We've disembaraked in San Diego a number of times and didn't go through any immigration anything before disembarking.

In San Diego non-US citizens have to report to the show lounge for clearance before anyone leaves the ship. If you are a US citizen you would not have received a notice to report so would not have been aware of the requirement.

[llam]

Was wondering if on the HAL ships you can get off as you please on disembarkcation day as long as you can handle your own luggage.

Hi brownblonde, DH and I are on the same sailing as you, round trip tampa; Correct? One post states this is not allowed in Tampa?

Anyone else have experiance with self disembarkation in Tampa?

[brownblonde]

Hi brownblonde, DH and I are on the same sailing as you, round trip tampa; Correct? One post states this is not allowed in Tampa?

Anyone else have experiance with self disembarkation in Tampa?

Are you planning on going off on your own?? Yes we have been on CC thread for this cruise. Hope we meet.

I think once on, we will go one day to the front desk and see what they say. We would like to get off on our own, as we want to take one couple to Tampa Int. for flight back to Chicago.

T/A pretty much told me to talk to the ship;s front desk.

[Rinderoo]

I always haul my own stuff off the ship, prior to, or with the first debarkation group. Never had a problem anywere (Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Baltimore, Port canaveral.)

 

Usually I'm heading out to an airport for a rental car.

Customs people always say what a great idea it is to leave before the masses.

 

FWIW.

[llam]

Are you planning on going off on your own?? Yes we have been on CC thread for this cruise. Hope we meet.

I think once on, we will go one day to the front desk and see what they say. We would like to get off on our own, as we want to take one couple to Tampa Int. for flight back to Chicago.

T/A pretty much told me to talk to the ship;s front desk.

Yes, we are planning on going off the ship on our own. Hope to see you too. See you on the roll call. :)

[Jemima]

I always haul my own stuff off the ship, prior to, or with the first debarkation group. Never had a problem anywere (Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Baltimore, Port canaveral.) ...

 

Your list of cruises does not include any prior HAL cruises. If so, you don't have any experience disembarking a HAL ship. Cruiselines differ in self-disembarking policies.

[Boytjie]

Your list of cruises does not include any prior HAL cruises. If so, you don't have any experience disembarking a HAL ship. Cruiselines differ in self-disembarking policies.

 

I have self-disembarked on Princess, HAL and Cunard and it was all pretty similar.

[Jemima]

I have self-disembarked on Princess, HAL and Cunard and it was all pretty similar.

 

It hasn't always been the same. HAL didn't have self-disembark until quite a while after some other lines. My point was that a poster who hasn't cruised on HAL hasn't experienced HAL disembarkation. I haven't cruised on Cunard and would not offer Cunard disembarkation advice. I don't personally know if it is the same as HAL.

[catl331]

One post states this is not allowed in Tampa?

Anyone else have experiance with self disembarkation in Tampa?

 

Yes, we are planning on going off the ship on our own.

We were not allowed to self-disembark from the Ryndam in Tampa in Dec '10. They said "the elevators are too small", which is hooey, since we self disembarked from the Veendam in Tampa in Dec '06. ;)

[san diego sue]

We have had early disembarkation times right after the walkoffs with luggage. People were still dragging luggage and made it impossible for us to exit ship without being hit by a dragging suitcase. I think people should know their limitations and physically challenged people shouldn't be allowed to do this. Yet they do.

We try to get a disembarkation after 9:00am if possible to avoid these folks.

 

San Diego is a very easy port to exit, never have had to go through immigration(only non US citizens).

We had to pick up friends at the port once at Christmas cruise. Their time to exit ship was 9:30am. Got there and they phoned us to say there were 450 Mexican Citizens on board and ship couldn't clear because they were'nt all reporting to immigration. Our friends couldn't get off until 11:30am.We saw the first group of passengers getting off at around 10:30.

[llam]

Was wondering if on the HAL ships you can get off as you please on disembarkcation day as long as you can handle your own luggage.

The OP is referring to the Ryndam out of Tamps. Thank you all for the information. Any receant Ryandam travellers disembarking from Tampa have experiance with self disembarkation???

[doctork]

The OP is referring to the Ryndam out of Tamps. Thank you all for the information. Any receant Ryandam travellers disembarking from Tampa have experiance with self disembarkation???

 

I self-disembarked from the Ryndam last March, no problems. I wore my backpack, pulled my 22 inch rollaboard suitcase behind me, and breezed right through Customs and Immigration since hardly anyone else was off the ship yet.

[Typhoon1]

You qualify for express disembarkation if:

 

You are a US citizen.

 

Have a valid credit card on file.

 

Can handle your luggage by yourself.

 

This usually begins by 7:30 AM.

[kiwimum]

We did express off Princess last year. Absolute breeze, no issues at San Pedro. They allowed anyone who could drag their own bags off go. I am not a citizen, resident, and had no problems, had to go in non-citizen line which moved very quickly.

[brownblonde]

The answers for the Port of Tampa are greatfully accepted. I guess we can go on our own and to be doublely sure we will get at the front desk one of the cruise days about getting off early or on our own.