Getting off ship at port

[LMB122]

Are there any tips or tricks to getting off the ship quickly or get to front of line early? Those lines in the stairwells gave me such claustrophobia last time it was horrible! Thanks!

[mpace58]

Unless we are on an excursion where we need to be off the ship quickly, we just hang back and wait for about an hour. This gives a chance for the people in the biggest rush to get off.

[CruiserBruce]

Gain elite status. Book a suite. Or just wait until after the rush.

[Sixtytwo]

Short of the old trick of going over the rail, your best bet is to simply relax and enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then walk off sans crowd. :)

[maryann ns]

Cruise on a smaller ship and be there when the gangplank lowers. I was almost always able to be among the first off the ship (with no ship's tours booked) on our two Azamara cruises.

[paul929207]

When the ship is docked it only takes 15 minutes or so to clear the initial rush. Tender ports are much slower.

 

As to getting off first, you just have to get on line before everyone else. I don't know how long before the ship is cleared you would have to be at the line to get a front position.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We stay away from those mega ships that have over 5000 passengers.

And even though we have priority disembarkation at the various ports, we still wait until the rush is over.

[cb at sea]

There is usually little need to be 1st off....so wait a few mins., then simply walk off! If you insist on being out as soon as they open the door, there will be crowds!

[DonnaK]

We stay away from those mega ships that have over 5000 passengers.

And even though we have priority disembarkation at the various ports, we still wait until the rush is over.

 

 

 

Have you been on one of those Mega-ships? Because they have the disembarkation process down to a science, and you'd really be surprised at how efficiently they move the people along. These ships feel far less crowded than mid-sized ships.

[Dayenu]

If the ship docks, you just walk off.

 

If the ship tenders, it's better to wait till they stop calling up numbers.

[lady_cruiser]

We usually go down to the open deck and watch everyone walk off the When we notice that hardly anyone else is walking down the gangplank we'll go down and walk off to do a little shopping and sight seeing on our own.

 

We hardly ever do excursions anymore since we go to the same ports. Neither one of us flies, don't want to spend two or more days driving to Florida so its either New Orleans or Galveston for us. Now we are perfectly happy just to go on a cruise ship just to relax and feel spoiled for a week or two.

[dsrdsrdsr]

No tips, I'm afraid. If you don't like queueing, the answer is to wait at the back, not to jump the queue.

[trev71]

We stay away from those mega ships that have over 5000 passengers.

And even though we have priority disembarkation at the various ports, we still wait until the rush is over.

 

 

 

Not true i've been Oasis class ships 3 times and not once was there a rush to get off. These Mega Ship horror stories get to me after a while :)

 

This is coming from a guy who has very little patience ask my wife

[fishywood]

If lines to disembark are still snaking through halls and stairs within a few minutes after the ship has been cleared by the local authorities, that is an issue with disorganization and mismanagement onboard (whether how the gangway is set up, or too many ship's tours being dispatched at the same time) which has no correlation with the size of the ship. I have been stuck in such a maze on ships that are the low end of mid-size (Celebrity Infinity, Norwegian Star) while having no issue walking right off from ships more than 50% larger (Queen Mary 2, Ruby Princess).

[swedish weave]

If your ship issues tender tickets, go to the distribution point about 20 minutes early to get a low number ticket. That will get you on an early tender.

 

Most ships I have sailed prohibit queueing up in the stairwells and require you to stay in a different area until your ticket number is called.

 

At ports where the ship docks, it is usually advisable to wait a few minutes after the ship is cleared and let the initial rush subside.