Disembarking before the cruise has ended

[terri910]

I know that people have done this on cruises we've been on, but I never paid much attention to it because I never anticipated ever having it apply to me. But now it does! We are cruising the Carnival Splendor out of Long Beach on Feb. 3rd, sailing to south America. The 17-day cruise ends in Santiago Chile, but we are permanently disembarking in Manta, Ecuador, to begin our new retirement life in Ecuador. We have checked with Carnival and they say that this can be done because there is an immigration/customs department at the port in Manta....but I am just wondering about getting all our luggage off. I don't imagine it is like the last day of the cruise, where you put your luggage out the night before and it is collected and waiting for you in the cruise terminal. But....the main reason we are cruising rather than flying to Ecuador (besides cruising being much more fun and relaxing) is that the only limit to the amount of luggage we can take is that we must be able to fit it into our room (as opposed to airlines that limit the number or pieces as well as the weight and size of each piece of luggage). So, we're planning on quite a few pieces each (maybe 4 pieces each -- we don't care if we have to crawl over them to get to our bed...*LOL*).

 

So.....does anyone know if we will be able to get assistance with getting our luggage down to the gangway, or will we have to get it all down there and off the ship ourselves?

 

It's going to happen either way, but we just want to try and work out the logistics of it.

 

Anyone else out there disembarked at one of the ports of call that is NOT the end of the cruise? Any tips? Thanks!

[txmom11]

No, I haven't but congratulations on your retirement. :) Good luck.

[big_duck]

Talk to Guest Services once on board they should be able to help.

 

If all else fails, I'm sure your Steward will help given adequate incentive.

[terri910]

Talk to Guest Services once on board they should be able to help.

 

If all else fails, I'm sure your Steward will help given adequate incentive.

 

We believe in adequate incentives!!

[terri910]

No, I haven't but congratulations on your retirement. :) Good luck.

Thanks! We're excited!

[Rowan555]

I wish you both the best in your new life - your post gave me chills! If we were on board with you, we would be delighted to assist you with your luggage - and I'm sure others who are on the cruise with you will hear your story and be more than happy to help you. I hope your cruise is lovely, and that your debarkation goes smoothly. Best wishes!

[hockeyluver]

I wish you both the best in your new life - your post gave me chills! If we were on board with you, we would be delighted to assist you with your luggage - and I'm sure others who are on the cruise with you will hear your story and be more than happy to help you. I hope your cruise is lovely, and that your debarkation goes smoothly. Best wishes!

 

I would also help :D Congratulations on your retirement!!! cant wait till we can retire to somewhere warm!!!

[LRene]

How exciting! Best of luck with your retirement in Ecuador. What great planning with a cruise to get there.

 

I would think you could post on the roll call and get some volunteers to help with your luggage. I doubt Carnival will be a lot of help in that regard. We would happily help you if we were on that sailing!

[terri910]

How exciting! Best of luck with your retirement in Ecuador. What great planning with a cruise to get there.

 

I would think you could post on the roll call and get some volunteers to help with your luggage. I doubt Carnival will be a lot of help in that regard. We would happily help you if we were on that sailing!

We honestly never thought about other passengers being willing to help. *LOL* I guess we'll just see what happens. At the worst, we'll take what we can in one trip then I'll stay with the luggage off the ship and hubby will make several trips with the rest until we have it all!

 

Finding out about the cruise -- and it's timing -- was just a fluke. I think my husband was talking to our PVP and mentioned us moving to Ecuador and she mentioned the south American cruise. The timing was right, the price was right (less than air flights, especially once you factor in extra baggage charges on the airline), and for it to leave from southern California (close to home) and NOT have to hassle with LAX is something of a dream. Plus, since we are Carnival Platinum our boarding process is always very easy. Once we confirmed that we could permanently disembark at Manta, it was a no-brainer!

 

I can't think of a better way to inaugurate my retirement than with a cruise!

[bucks724]

So exciting! I saw a recent post on here about disembarking in Mexico and having some formalities to go through there - seemed pretty easy. I'll see if I can find it.

 

Best of luck in your retirement. How exciting!

[bigcraig]

Please check back in and let us know how you like it there, my wife and I are looking into retiring there also:)

[terri910]

Please check back in and let us know how you like it there, my wife and I are looking into retiring there also:)

We've been there twice to check it out....the area we're going to we already know we love! But Ecuador is quite diverse in it's geography! We knew we wanted someplace warm, not too humid. We found it in Salinas, Ecuador (about a 4-5 hour drive south of Manta).

 

Many English-speaking ex-pats are settling in Cuenca, which is more inland and nearer to the Andes (a colonial city -- larger population, more cultural events...but we like the idea of a lazy beach life!). They say it is "spring year-round" -- but it gets cooler than we want. In the last ten years, the lowest recorded temperature in Salinas, Ecuador, was 69F and the highest recorded temperature there was 89F (normally, it ranges from about 72F low at night to 85F during the day). Low humidity. 4" of rain a year. Beautiful beaches. And a 2-hour drive from the country's largest city (Guayaquil) and it's international airport. And an economy that allows us to retire and live comfortably rather than just exist!

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

...We are cruising the Carnival Splendor out of Long Beach on Feb. 3rd, sailing to south America. The 17-day cruise ends in Santiago Chile, but we are permanently disembarking in Manta, Ecuador, to begin our new retirement life in Ecuador ...but I am just wondering about getting all our luggage off. I don't imagine it is like the last day of the cruise, where you put your luggage out the night before and it is collected and waiting for you in the cruise terminal. But....the main reason we are cruising rather than flying to Ecuador (besides cruising being much more fun and relaxing) is that the only limit to the amount of luggage we can take is that we must be able to fit it into our room

So.....does anyone know if we will be able to get assistance with getting our luggage down to the gangway, or will we have to get it all down there and off the ship ourselves?

 

Anyone else out there disembarked at one of the ports of call that is NOT the end of the cruise? Any tips? Thanks!

 

Congratulations, what a great way to get to your retirement home/life.

Regarding the luggage. I would speak to the cabin attendant and Guest Services. Your cabin attendant might be busy that morning with cleaning rooms for other guests. I found that on a recent Splendor cruise they were busy with rooms from 7am until almost 12pm. You don't want to be standing around waiting for him to finish his regular duties and then have him get someone to take your luggage. Also he will want to check out your cabin (and lock your mini-bar the night before most likely) so that they can prepare your final onboard billing statement.

 

I recall that when bringing luggage onboard (at regular check-in), once it is down in the hold then they use those luggage carts like they have at hotels/Vegas so that should carry a number of suitcases in one go from your cabin down to the gangway at the very least. And I am sure that the port may have luggage carts/trolleys or porters too.

 

You may find that they will say "put the luggage outside your cabin door the evening before and we will cart it down to the hold and have it on the wharf for you when you are ready to disembark at xx time". I did Behind the Fun Tour on the Carnival Inspiration recently, and they have this massive holding area down below where pallets-full of various items are sitting waiting to either get taken off the ship at the next port, or they have just been brought on, and still need to be moved to a storage area somewhere else on the ship. (They have forklifts down there to move some of the stuff around - that is how big the area is).

 

There are usually also crew embarking and disembarking at almost every port where the ship stops, so they probably do have a method for getting the luggage off without having massive lines of suitcases blocking the flow of people at the gangway.

 

Regarding storing your luggage in your cabin it should be ok. I've been in 7207 (Balcony) and 6203 (Front-view Interior) on Splendor, and in both cabins one would be able to fit a total of 4 standard suitcases under the 2 beds, and then be able to leave the other suitcases packed against the walls. I'll try to load pictures of these cabins for you. In fact I would guess you could take a bit more luggage if you packed some under the desk, ...

 

I was on the Splendor a week ago, so fire away if you have any questions.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Also, regarding the bedside tables you can see in my pictures above - those are not bolted in. They can move them around if you want the beds moved around slightly in the cabin.

[terri910]

Congratulations, what a great way to get to your retirement home/life.

Regarding the luggage. I would speak to the cabin attendant and Guest Services. Your cabin attendant might be busy that morning with cleaning rooms for other guests. I found that on a recent Splendor cruise they were busy with rooms from 7am until almost 12pm. You don't want to be standing around waiting for him to finish his regular duties and then have him get someone to take your luggage. Also he will want to check out your cabin (and lock your mini-bar the night before most likely) so that they can prepare your final onboard billing statement.

 

I recall that when bringing luggage onboard (at regular check-in), once it is down in the hold then they use those luggage carts like they have at hotels/Vegas so that should carry a number of suitcases in one go from your cabin down to the gangway at the very least. And I am sure that the port may have luggage carts/trolleys or porters too.

 

You may find that they will say "put the luggage outside your cabin door the evening before and we will cart it down to the hold and have it on the wharf for you when you are ready to disembark at xx time". I did Behind the Fun Tour on the Carnival Inspiration recently, and they have this massive holding area down below where pallets-full of various items are sitting waiting to either get taken off the ship at the next port, or they have just been brought on, and still need to be moved to a storage area somewhere else on the ship. (They have forklifts down there to move some of the stuff around - that is how big the area is).

 

There are usually also crew embarking and disembarking at almost every port where the ship stops, so they probably do have a method for getting the luggage off without having massive lines of suitcases blocking the flow of people at the gangway.

 

Regarding storing your luggage in your cabin it should be ok. I've been in 7207 (Balcony) and 6203 (Front-view Interior) on Splendor, and in both cabins one would be able to fit a total of 4 standard suitcases under the 2 beds, and then be able to leave the other suitcases packed against the walls. I'll try to load pictures of these cabins for you. In fact I would guess you could take a bit more luggage if you packed some under the desk, ...

 

I was on the Splendor a week ago, so fire away if you have any questions.

Thank you for so much wonderful information! We do not have our room assignment, yet. Best price for us was run-of-ship, so we'll be in whatever stateroom they decide to put us in....but we anticipate an inside cabin.

 

My main questions about the Splendor have more to do with the length of the cruise than anything else and when specific things will take place. I know there is supposed to be a Carnival Legends Show (new version -- whatever that means!), but I don't know what night during the cruise that will take place....if it is in the 2nd half of the cruise, we will miss that (as we will disembark on the 9th day of a 17-day cruise).

 

Did you write a review of your recent Splendor cruise? Did you enjoy the ship, crew, etc.?

[lorijeannj]

I know that people have done this on cruises we've been on, but I never paid much attention to it because I never anticipated ever having it apply to me. But now it does! We are cruising the Carnival Splendor out of Long Beach on Feb. 3rd, sailing to south America. The 17-day cruise ends in Santiago Chile, but we are permanently disembarking in Manta, Ecuador, to begin our new retirement life in Ecuador. We have checked with Carnival and they say that this can be done because there is an immigration/customs department at the port in Manta....but I am just wondering about getting all our luggage off. I don't imagine it is like the last day of the cruise, where you put your luggage out the night before and it is collected and waiting for you in the cruise terminal. But....the main reason we are cruising rather than flying to Ecuador (besides cruising being much more fun and relaxing) is that the only limit to the amount of luggage we can take is that we must be able to fit it into our room (as opposed to airlines that limit the number or pieces as well as the weight and size of each piece of luggage). So, we're planning on quite a few pieces each (maybe 4 pieces each -- we don't care if we have to crawl over them to get to our bed...*LOL*).

 

So.....does anyone know if we will be able to get assistance with getting our luggage down to the gangway, or will we have to get it all down there and off the ship ourselves?

 

It's going to happen either way, but we just want to try and work out the logistics of it.

 

Anyone else out there disembarked at one of the ports of call that is NOT the end of the cruise? Any tips? Thanks!

 

 

I met a couple this past February who disembarked at Grand Cayman. This was planned as they were staying with their daughter for several days.

 

The comedians on the ship do it all the time.

 

No worries.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Thank you for so much wonderful information! We do not have our room assignment, yet. Best price for us was run-of-ship, so we'll be in whatever stateroom they decide to put us in....but we anticipate an inside cabin.

 

My main questions about the Splendor have more to do with the length of the cruise than anything else and when specific things will take place. I know there is supposed to be a Carnival Legends Show (new version -- whatever that means!), but I don't know what night during the cruise that will take place....if it is in the 2nd half of the cruise, we will miss that (as we will disembark on the 9th day of a 17-day cruise).

 

Did you write a review of your recent Splendor cruise? Did you enjoy the ship, crew, etc.?

 

Hi, yes, my review is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1753183

Enjoyed the cruise - even with having engine problems affect the speed of the ship resulting in our cruise doing reverse-route (and two days in PV :cool: ).

 

With your cruise being one-of-a-kind I really wonder how full it will be when it actually sails. Reduced occupancy could impact the quantity of live-entertainment offered, number of dining rooms used, etc. I think the extent of activities might only be determinable on the day that you sail. What with this being a less travelled route (and for many cruisers resulting in higher costs for one-way flights back to the US), it may be that they don't sell-out this cruise. I would really just say go-with-the-flow on entertainment. At the very least they may offer the live show early on, and then repeat it again later in the cruise. Enjoy.

[TrinaLC]

Maybe I missed something - but how are you going to get all that luggage to your room?

 

Also, google "folding hand cart" - might be worth picking up one or two:

http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Cart-Personal-Hand-Truck/dp/B000HVVSDU/ref=pd_sbs_op_1

 

I lived in Ecuador for about a half a year (Quito) and have visited the Salinas area. What a wonderful place for a retirement!

[terri910]

Maybe I missed something - but how are you going to get all that luggage to your room?

 

Also, google "folding hand cart" - might be worth picking up one or two:

http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Cart-Personal-Hand-Truck/dp/B000HVVSDU/ref=pd_sbs_op_1

 

I lived in Ecuador for about a half a year (Quito) and have visited the Salinas area. What a wonderful place for a retirement!

Same way we always do: drop it with a porter at our boarding port. It isn't getting it ON the ship that we're unfamiliar with -- it's getting it all OFF in case we aren't told "put it outside your room the night before you are going to disembark."

 

 

And, yes.....we LOVE Salinas! Have not visited Quito, yet, but I'm sure we'll get around to it!

[TrinaLC]

Same way we always do: drop it with a porter at our boarding port. It isn't getting it ON the ship that we're unfamiliar with -- it's getting it all OFF in case we aren't told "put it outside your room the night before you are going to disembark."

 

 

And, yes.....we LOVE Salinas! Have not visited Quito, yet, but I'm sure we'll get around to it!

 

I think I had a brain freeze!!

[flounder315]

How awesome and exciting, congrats on retirement and using a cruise to get there. You are correct getting your luggage to you room is not a problem. I would definetly check in with guest services the day I embark, re-check with them the day before you get to your new home port, just to remind them. I would also inform my room stewart of my arrangements and ask him or her to bring me one of the luggage carts that they use to deliver the luggage to the rooms. So that you and the husband can take all your luggage with you if you have to take it yourself. But I bet there will be a way that Carnival will take care of it for you, since they know ahead of time that you are checking out and off for the remainder of the cruise. Good luck and Best wishes.

[tea4ular]

While I can't help the OP, I did want to share, that back in1974, my mom had a job offer in Australia (we lived in So Cal). She did massive research (long before the internet) and learned that if we used a cruise ship we would have (in essence) unlimited "baggage" requirements. In fact, in those days, each passenger was provided square footage in the cargo hold (nearly 100 sq ft per person). There were 3 of us. So my mom bought wooden "tea chests" each about the size of a good sized moving box, for $5 each and filled 20 of them ($100) to capacity. It took us 28 days by ship, visiting wonderful ports of call along the way (San Francisco, Vancouver, Honolulu, Fiji, Auckland, and finally Sydney), and cost less than $600 per person for the trip of a lifetime! I was 14, my brother 16, and we all had a blast.

 

So, OP, I relate to your adventure, and wish you the very best as you enter this next phase of life! :)

[TrinaLC]

While I can't help the OP, I did want to share, that back in1974, my mom had a job offer in Australia (we lived in So Cal). She did massive research (long before the internet) and learned that if we used a cruise ship we would have (in essence) unlimited "baggage" requirements. In fact, in those days, each passenger was provided square footage in the cargo hold (nearly 100 sq ft per person). There were 3 of us. So my mom bought wooden "tea chests" each about the size of a good sized moving box, for $5 each and filled 20 of them ($100) to capacity. It took us 28 days by ship, visiting wonderful ports of call along the way (San Francisco, Vancouver, Honolulu, Fiji, Auckland, and finally Sydney), and cost less than $600 per person for the trip of a lifetime! I was 14, my brother 16, and we all had a blast.

 

So, OP, I relate to your adventure, and wish you the very best as you enter this next phase of life! :)

 

Great story! Nice to share this with the OP!