Disembarkation: Why The Mad Rush?

[sail7seas]

Arriving at 11:30 is really not that late.... at least not for Port Everglades, FLL.

 

HAL doesn't usually start embarkation until about 11:15. They may start checking people in but not boarding.

 

[sail7seas]

Why not let those who have a flight get off earlier though? I understand your reasoning, but I think if you don't have to - just stay a bit longer. Why not? When we got off AOS others thought we were on a B2B because I do believe we WERE the last passengers off! We had 2 nights at the Sheraton Old San Juan and we weren't in a hurry at all! In fact we still had to kill time to get in our hotel room.

 

This next cruise I'd like to be driving away from PC by 10:30 - 11:00 for our 2:30 MCO flight, and I don't think we'll have a problem at all. Still not in a hurry.

 

 

It's all about choices.

Isn't it great we don't all want the same thing done the same way. :)

 

Because we have sailed so many times with HAL, we are permitted to disembark whenever we wish. It is one of the amenities that accrues that we like and take advantage of. Our cabin category also permits it so we do what they have 'sold us'.

 

No one will make you leave early if you don't wish.... at least not earlier than the last call for everyone to leave the ship.

 

[pris993]

Even though we have 40+ cruises, each cruise is "over" as soon as I pack to go home, so we are done before the last day. Even if we stay over, we like to get off early and get on with the next phase of our vacation plans. We also feel the sooner we get off - get our luggage less chance for something to go wrong with our luggage, if we have a flight to catch we have more time to problem solve any issues that surface. We are the type that arrives early for everything, getting on and off the ship. Different strokes work for different folks.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

I don't understand it and it seems to apply to every cruise line. People clogging up the gangway, booking too-early flights, pushing and shoving to get off the ship. Why? I know we can't linger until lunchtime and the crew needs to get ready for that afternoon's departure but what's wrong with taking a calm, leisurely breakfast while bags are offloaded and the crowds at customs/immigration clear and then catching a lunchtime or afternoon flight. You've had a relaxing cruise and then lose all those benefits in the mad rush at the end of it.

i agree. You totally lose the theraputic result of an awesome vacation. I like to be first on and last off. I dont fly though. I drive to baltimore which is an hour away from my house so I dont have to fly. The only downside of this is it is always a smaller ship due to the key bridge.

I did take the explorer from NJ once. It was a wonderful ship but so big that my feet hurt from aall the walking. Not complaining though.

I cant imagine being on a huge one. I dont know if I would like it.

[NauticalMom]

This will be our first cruise this summer, and we will be docking in barcelona where we have a hotel room for the next few nights, because I have no early flight to rush off to would you suggest I just take my time getting off the ship? Will this make my disembarking much more calm and stress free? I like the sounds of that.

 

Hi SupesUp,

 

They want to turn over the rooms to allow for the newly embarking cruisers, so your only choice will be the latest disembarkation.

 

Did you see the Freestyle dailies that KeithJenner posted? Take a look at those. There's a sheet about disembarkation in Barcelona. Lots of good information! BTW, thanks for starting the Aug 11 Barcelona thread! Hope to see you at our informal meet and greet in my cabin!

 

NauticalMom

[14Terry]

For us, when it's time to go, it's time to go! We usually have a lot of traveling to do and we know the crew has a lot of work to do. Also, we understand others are beginning their vacation as our ends.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sail7seas]

When our cruise is over, we want gone. We always stay on in disembarkation port and we want off the ship earliest possible so we can get on with the next phase of our vacation. The cruise is finished but our vacation is not.

[Elaine5715]

On Carnival, since they started calling it Self Assist and Relaxed Disbarkation, the departure is very orderly. But since passengers are pretty much on their honor after the Priorities, the lines are vary.

Remember some folks are rushing off because they are locals headed to work.

How cool would that be..work Friday morning, drive to port, cruise the weekend and be at work on time Monday.

[lady_cruiser]

In our case we usually have a four hour trip and since we come back on a Saturday we would like to pick up our cat at the Vet's by noon. If we don't make it before the Vet closes at noon it means she'll be boarded another two days (Saturday and Sunday).

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I have no idea why ????

[datura79]

I have to laugh at the passengers throwing temper tantrums trying to get to the front of the line to get off, and watch them going from crew member to crew member thinking that acting like a spoiled child will get them what they want.

[HeatherC430]

I like to get off early to catch a noon or earlier flight. I don't want to spend all day in transit and not get home until midnight (sometimes having to return to work the next day). Usually if you're among the first off the ship there isn't a herd of people, and I actually found it to be the opposite when we have stayed later (and can't even find a seat on the Lido for breakfast).

[ducklite]

The worst I've seen was on Royal Caribbean, although coming back into port a few hours late didn't help matters.

 

The best I've seen was on Windstar. With only 200 people to get off, it was very stress free. Our turnaround day on our B2B we were the first off. We had no luggage and were spending the day in Venice, so we wanted to maximize our time. Most people were still on board having coffee as we and another couple on the same B2B plus a handful of crew members with shore leave got off.

[OCruisers]

Seems most cruise lines do a much better job with assisted disembarkation than they once did. :)

 

Unassisted (take all your luggage yourself) disembarkation looked like a mess.

We passed by when this was being done. Worst was that many were really not able to manage all of their luggage alone and were having an awful time. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

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[ducklite]

Seems most cruise lines do a much better job with assisted disembarkation than they once did. :)

 

Unassisted (take all your luggage yourself) disembarkation looked like a mess.

We passed by when this was being done. Worst was that many were really not able to manage all of their luggage alone and were having an awful time. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

Unassisted departure should be limited to those with carry on luggage only.

[Hlitner]

OMG! But as a long time passenger (more then 3 years on ships) we have to agree with some of Bruce's comments. We normally relax on that last morning and try to be among the last off the ship. During that time we will normally pick a place where we can curl-up with a book and cup of coffee....but sometimes its more amusing to watch other passengers sweating, cursing, standing in long lines complaining, etc etc. and they fight to among the first off the ship. And then our other pet peeve involves the folks with early fixed sitting....who for some reason start lining up at least 15 min early (on many ships this is about 5:15) so they are sure to be among the first in the dining room. Of course the waiters do not start serving dinner until everyone is at their seats....and these folks already have reserved tables...but they still line up. And then there is the old rule of cruising which is that the "fat" folks are always the first to line up for any buffet. We could go on and on with the axioms...but we would not want to steel Bruce's thunder as he probably has a million :)

 

Hank

[Karysa]

Seems most cruise lines do a much better job with assisted disembarkation than they once did. :)

 

Unassisted (take all your luggage yourself) disembarkation looked like a mess.

We passed by when this was being done. Worst was that many were really not able to manage all of their luggage alone and were having an awful time. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

I agree with this. It was pretty chaotic when it first started but that is often the case when routines get changed.

 

I think that having to pay for checked luggage has also helped in this area. Many cruisers are simply packing less and many more are also driving to port and are not in a rush to disembark.

[OCruisers]

Unassisted departure should be limited to those with carry on luggage only.

 

It is ... but some think they can do it with more than they can manage alone .... and should never have picked unassisted. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

~~~~~

[ducklite]

It is ... but some think they can do it with more than they can manage alone .... and should never have picked unassisted. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

~~~~~

 

The cruise line should stop them and send them to the back of the line. Unfortunately you can't fix stupid.

[AZ Ocean Lover]

I know this is off topic a bit but my sister and her husband were coming back from a cruise and they packed their bag and put it outside their door the night before just like they were told. When my brother in law got up in the morning he realized he didn't have a shirt to wear - nothing. My sister went down to the gift shops looking for a tee shirt but they were closed. He had no choice but to wait with the crowds shirtless. I wish I had been there with a camera.

[paul929207]

LOL. Thanks for the laugh

[wangeling gal]

When you travel to the rest of the world from Australia, with the exception of Asia, it takes ages to get there, and costs a lot of money.

We will always try to stay a couple of days in the city where our holiday/cruise starts (helps to acclimatise if in a different time zone) and then a couple of days in the city where it finished. It's more than likely we will never get back to that part of the world again,(mostly due to the reasons above) and there is so much of the world to see, and so little time and money to do it in!!:D:D

 

I also feel, for us personally, to rush and stress at the end of a holiday, would undo all the hard work that has gone into getting relaxed and rested LOL!!:p:p

 

Passengers wanting to disembark a ship early or in a hurry are no different to those on a plane who do likewise.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[EGG]

Most people just get off the ship at their assigned time. They go to the waiting area with their cases and possibly coats, sit and wait and follow the attendant. If the cruise line or terminal cannot handle the traffic, things get backed up. If they take an elevator down to a lobby loaded with people, what do you suggest they do, go up and down the elevator? To an outsider, looking at the lines of people loaded down with stuff, possibly in a cramped area through the cruise ship fault, it appears that they are pushing.

 

Unlike embarkation, where most people chat and start making friends and there is an anticipation of the cruise ahead, once you are out of the cabin with all your stuff, you are ready to get off the ship and to the next line to find your luggage, line for immigration, line for a taxi to line at the airport check in counter to line for security. Or you have been told a time for a ship transfer and you are afraid to be late because you have just spent a week or 2 being told to make sure your are on time because if you don't the ship will leave without you. If the cruise companies come up with a way to avoid bottlenecks getting off the ship, cruises would be a lot more enjoyable.