How late can we disembark Silhouette?

[caribophile]

We'll be disembarking Silhouette in Fort Lauderdale on December 21st. We are staying in a hotel for a week to extend our vacation. How late can we disembark? We'd like to keep our luggage and walk off with it. We'll be in no hurry and I hope to avoid waiting in a line.

[WestLakeGirl]

9 - 9:30 but there may still be lines depending on how slow Customs/immigration is

[chicagopaul]

They usually will start trying to kick you out of your room around 8 to 9am. I believe you need to be completely off by 10:30am. However, Celebrity now has an afternoon package you can buy. I'm not sure the price, but it allows you to stay on the ship until around 2 or 3pm.

[WestLakeGirl]

The afternoon package only valid in Europe, not in Florida

[cruisestitch]

In FLL, they will be working hard to have everyone off the ship by 9:30, sometimes that stretches to 10 but they want to have the new passengers start coming on the ship about 11, and it does require an hour or so to clear out the computer systems, do last minute cleaning, etc etc.

 

You will be asked to be out of your stateroom around 8, maybe 8:30. Breakfast service will be over by then. You'll be asked to wait in one of the public lounge areas.

 

As for avoiding lines, there often is a long back-up of departing passengers, depending on how many Customs & Immigration personnel they send. You may not be able to avoid the lines by choosing to be last off the ship.

[virginialucy]

In March, we got off the Silhouette around 9:45 and we were in line for customs for about 45 minutes to an hour. Then we waited about 45 minutes for a taxi (I think we were sharing the taxi line with a HAL ship.) There were 8 ships in port that day.

[Sloop-JohnB]

We did this on our Solstice cruise in 2012 in Fort Lauderdale (and again on our Summit cruise in 2013 in San Juan)... Learned about here on CC and will do it again in the future... As we (a) try not to fly out on D-Day, or if we do we do it very late in the day, (b) hate crowds, standing in line or rushing around... Makes no sense to us... We go on vacation to relax not to up the stress levels on the last day :rolleyes:

 

Sorry but I just don't understand that concept at all

 

On both Celebrity Cruises, we told Guest Services we were interested in a later departure number (they tag your luggage accordingly... And call people off the ship by Departure number)... Both times we numbers in the 20s. And both times we packed our Checked Bags and sent them out the door with the Celebrity Crew

 

On both ships we had to be out of our cabins by 8 am. We took our carry on items with us. At 8 am it was still mayhem at the Elevators. But we were headed UP not down, and had only our carry on bags so we took the stairs up the few floors to the Oceanview Buffet.

 

Service was winding down... Hot items were pretty much gone. But we were still able to find Tea & Coffee, and some handheld items (toast, muffins, etc).

 

On the Solstice, we then retired to the Oceanview back deck and soaked in the rays.

 

On the Summit, we went to check out the Concierge Class Lounge... Although it was nice to socialize with others we had met on our cruise... Such as our Tablemates & cabin neighbours (lol Sunset Balcony folks are a friendly bunch). We definitely were not impressed by the venue (an interior Conference Room) or the lackluster offering of Coffee & Donuts. Lesson learned we won't be doing that again to pass the time... We will stick with our tried & true "Solstice Sunshine Plan"

 

Somewhere around 9 AM they called our Departure number...

 

And still we sat and enjoyed the sun... Knowing that there were still some numbers after ours.

 

We had learned here on CC that when numbers ran out... That Celebrity would make an actual announcement to clear the ship of straggling Pax, somewhere around 10:00 AM. We knew we did not want to wait that long (be a PITA to our Celebrity Hosts).

 

Around 9:30, we headed for the Elevators

 

The wait was short... And the Elevator uncrowded

 

There was no line up at the "bing-bing" Security Station to get off the ship.

 

The walk to the Terminal was uncrowded.

 

Our bags sat alone by the sign with the corresponding Departure number (no digging thru a pile to search them out *)

 

We strolled up to Customs & Immigration... And zipped on thru. A short walk to the curb and into a waiting cab.

 

This was not just Low Stress... This was literally NO STRESS (ok except for the very emotional moment when I turned around pier side and took one last look at the ship before heading into the Terminal... I admit both cruises there was a tear shed, and promises to be back onboard sooner than later)

 

I highly recommend this experience on D-Day... Which I am very grateful to have read about on CC

 

Such a contrast to the many Trip Reports / Reviews you read where people complain about the whole D-Day experience scene and tell horrific stories about pushing, shoving, crammed elevators and fellow Pax with nasty attitudes etc.

 

Seriously... I want no part of that at all

 

Realistically tho it makes sense... 2800 Pax all trying to go in one direction / place (Buffet - Ashore - Airport) in a relative short window and ya, it is going to be a tad crazy... And cause for heightened emotions / stress. Lol, I like to avoid crazy !!

 

So for the most part we make a point of booking an extra day in a hotel at each end... We get in early and unwind precruise... Get ourselves in a vacation frame of mind... And we leave the day after... Thereby breaking up the trek home / stress of travel.

 

* Baggage Tip - Leaving the ship lates means that our bags are unattended a bit longer in the Terminal. We don't worry too much about this as (a) they are still in a Secure Area... RCCL / Celebrity Property (b) we have on at least one occasion had US Customs check our bag tags to ensure they & we match up © we have Travel Insurance that covers our luggage (d) they contain little of value beyond dirty clothes / laundry (e) we have used items that make our bags stand out from others... So no one could accidentally mistake one of our bags for their own.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Edited September 19, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[kevinyork]

 

 

 

As for avoiding lines, there often is a long back-up of departing passengers, depending on how many Customs & Immigration personnel they send. You may not be able to avoid the lines by choosing to be last off the ship.

 

 

What is it with US Immigration? They know its a round trip cruise. They have access to the manifest to pre check all outgoing passengers are returning yet they still need to physically inspect them?

 

When we do round trips from Southampton, there are never any immigration checks in the terminal and only 1 in 9 cruises have there been Customs doing spot checks.

 

 

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[conwakr]

We typically do that also (find a spot to wait it out) until 9:30 or so and we've done this on all the cruise lines we've used. If you have a flight out after the noon-hour it is a much, much less stressful way to depart than to fight the lines in the stairwell, the elevators, the piles of luggage, customs, etc.

[Sloop-JohnB]

What is it with US Immigration? They know its a round trip cruise. They have access to the manifest to pre check all outgoing passengers are returning yet they still need to physically inspect them?

 

When we do round trips from Southampton, there are never any immigration checks in the terminal and only 1 in 9 cruises have there been Customs doing spot checks.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Apples & Oranges.

 

The UK is part of the European Union... Which allows for the more freer flow of Citizens.

 

As well, it is a matter of size too... Europe is made up of approximately 50 countries... In about the same physical space (Sq Kms) that the US occupies solely on the globe.

 

The USA is a stand alone country... And still touts itself as the most desirable place to live in the world (although I do know some who would debate this fact ;) )

 

But it is the basis upon which US Immigration History is built... The idea that EVERYONE wants to be in America thru whatever means possible... Legal or not

 

Add on the facts of 9/11... And the fact that the USA has one of the longest "borders" in the world (well over 25,000 miles)

 

And one has created a perfect storm, whereby the USA now has many layers of Defence of their borders (TSA / Transportation Safety Authority - Customs & Immigration - Homeland Security - US Coast Guard - US Military etc) each at the ready and playing a role... Sometimes layered at possible points of entry (official or not)

 

Lol, you think it a bit unusual as someone from the UK... You should see how most Canadians feel about it. The once friendly of Borders between our 2 countries came to a grinding halt after 9/11... More than one Canadian was offended by this upped presence / interrogation (especially in light that all our country did to assist the average US Citizen, over 30,000 of them on close to 250 Flights... who found themselves stranded in the air as the US shut down their borders to aircraft... With our Welcoming them here in Canada "Operation Yellow Ribbon" ... and "putting everyone up" for several days til the skies / airports reopened starting on 9/14 )

 

10+ years on now post 9/11.. Most of us just have found a way to respect it as THEIR RIGHT ... Afterall it was none of us that were at the centre of those Terrorist Attacks that fateful day

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Ps... You also have to remember that the USA saw 9/11 as an Act of War against them... (hence their naming the fall out the War on Terrorism). I can assure you that the UKs Borders were heavily guarded / patrolled during WWII... Moreso than they are now. "Papers" would there too have been a common greeting.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[Lois R]

They usually will start trying to kick you out of your room around 8 to 9am. I believe you need to be completely off by 10:30am. However, Celebrity now has an afternoon package you can buy. I'm not sure the price, but it allows you to stay on the ship until around 2 or 3pm.

 

That package is not for the states.......never has been. A few years

ago they started having the "stay on the ship" but it was only done

for Europe.

Or do you know something more current? If you have some other

information I am sure many of us would love to know the details.

[caribophile]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to give me such explicit (and excellent) advice. I have printed your explanation and added it to my cruise docs. Thanks again!