Debarkation -is there a way to get off the ship early for flight?

[peaches80]

We didn't use Princess to book our airfare and have an 11:40 a.m. flight from Ft Lauderdale. Is there a way to request to be part of the first few groups off the ship? Thanks for any help with this!

[donna5]

We didn't use Princess to book our airfare and have an 11:40 a.m. flight from Ft Lauderdale. Is there a way to request to be part of the first few groups off the ship? Thanks for any help with this!

 

 

If you mailed back the flight info that princess sent you they normally get you off the ship in time. You can also fill out the form and take it to the pursers and let them know about your flights.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you booked independently, you can go to the Purser's desk near the beginning of your cruise and ask nicely if you can get a bump in priority. Show them your plane tickets.

 

Often, I see people asking to get off earlier just because people to pick them up, etc., which I think is self-centered. We just find a nice area to sit (Princess will often let you stay in the cabin for awhile) and wait our turn as we know other people have to get to the airport. But we try to pad some extra time (last summer we stayed a couple of days in Seattle and in 2001, we stayed an extra week in Florida and toured the Keys. Just so we wouldn't have to rush anywhere.

[MaryPoppinz]

If you have informed Princess of your flight arrangements, you will be given Priority Disembarkation luggage tags. The first set are for flights prior to 11:30, the next set for flights prior to noon.

[sunprincess]

Peaches80, You should be ok. Be sure to register your independent flights with Princess with your pre-cruise paperwork. Check your disembarkation info. You should be all set this way to get off the ship early. In FLL you are so close to the airport it is no hassle to get there.

Enjoy your cruise :)

[Pam in CA]

With a 11:40AM flight, you should be fine. As the others have said, just make sure Princess knows your flight number and time and they'll give you luggage tags for an early disembarkation time.

[peaches80]

Thank you all for your help! I feel much better now :)

[jonikal]

Our most recent Princess cruise in July introduced us to the express disembarkation for those willing/able to handle their own luggage. It simply meant not leaving bags outside the door the night before arriving in port and carrying them off yourself. We managed fine and it saved us a lot of time. If you need help, then I agree with the others who suggest you see the Purser early on.

[bdjam]

Our most recent Princess cruise in July introduced us to the express disembarkation for those willing/able to handle their own luggage. It simply meant not leaving bags outside the door the night before arriving in port and carrying them off yourself. We managed fine and it saved us a lot of time. If you need help, then I agree with the others who suggest you see the Purser early on.

I don’t believe that all Princess ships offer Express Disembarkation…

[jonikal]

BDJAM - You could be right that not all Princess ships do this, but the Diamond and the Golden are doing it although I don't believe they instituted it until quite recently. I also don't know whether this would include foreign ports. We specifically had our T/A check that the Golden's New York cruise also did the express debarkation because we have a fairly tight schedule between our return to port and our flight out of JFK. I guess a call to Princess by folks sailing on their other ships is probably a good idea. In any case, it's a great option for those of us who don't mind toting our own luggage.

[WCAB]

Make sure you check your air reservation at the last minute. Our 11:20 flight changed to 10:40 right before the cruise. That was to close for comfort for us,so we change the flight to 4:00 p.m.

 

Carol

[suzan2]

I don’t believe that all Princess ships offer Express Disembarkation…

 

 

 

We also carried our own bags off the Caribbean Princess in July. There was no announcement, we just read about it here on the Board.

[bdjam]

Carrying one’s own bags off the ship and express disembarkation would be two different things. The former would mean you are taking your own luggage off when your colored tags are called (the last time I disembarked a ship they were strict about one’s leaving only when their colors were called for US Customs reasons). The latter would be arranged early disembarkation – whether or not one is carrying their own bags. For the most part, one cannot just walk off the ship whenever they feel like it.

[hotmike98]

I don't think that is correct, bdjam. Express disembarkation is when you carry your own bags off, and you have NO colored luggage tags. EARLY disembarkation is when your tags' colors correspond to the first two or three colors scheduled to be called, and those colors are assigned because of early flights, land tours, etc. The colored tags go on the luggage you leave out the night before. You have to show the stubs from the colored tags to get off the ship, or demonstrate you are carrying all your own bags for express status. Also, they limit the window of time you can carry off your own bags, and seemed to be implying that if you missed it you had to wait til the end.

[atlcple2]

You can go to the Purser's desk when you get on the ship and let them know you have an early am flight and you can get off first. Those are the first colored tags to be called. Getting off the CB on Saturday, they let people off early who had flights leaving by noon. We only had carry on luggage, so we were able to take our bags off the ship and get to the airport quickly. We did this on the Spirit last year as well. We each had 2 carry on bags total and we STILL took too many clothes!!!

[Pam in CA]

I've never heard of "Express" disembarkation other than in Vancouver. Otherwise, it doesn't matter whether you carry your own luggage or put it out the night before. No one can leave before the ship and all the passengers are cleared. You either have Red 1, 2 or 3 or you carry your luggage off.

 

BTW, I've seen people carry their own luggage off and too many of them have trouble handling their luggage, carry-ons, etc. and wind up holding up everyone else behind them. If you have to rush off that fast, then perhaps you should reconsider your plans for going home. Otherwise, it's just a 5 minute difference to find your luggage on the pier and walk out. Doesn't seem to me that's worth lugging all your luggage.

[donna5]

I suppose most of the express debarkation would be on the ships at terminals with the winding ramps and not just the stairs. When there has been express debarkation It was state either in the debarkation notice or patter that you MUST BE ABLE to CARRY YOUR OWN LUGGAGE. EMPLOYEES WILL NOT BE HELPING.

 

So if you don't have a lot of luggage and are able to carry it without holding up other people then go for it.

 

I wouldn't plan on it until you get the debarkation papers, since we know everything changes all the time.

[MaryPoppinz]

When we've been offered express disembarkation, you could leave anytime after they started calling colored tags.

 

I'm not sure why you really need to be offered this, though. If you can safely remove your own bags from the ship and get through the ship and terminal without help, just carry them away.

[bdjam]

I don't think that is correct, bdjam. Express disembarkation is when you carry your own bags off, and you have NO colored luggage tags. EARLY disembarkation is when your tags' colors correspond to the first two or three colors scheduled to be called, and those colors are assigned because of early flights, land tours, etc. The colored tags go on the luggage you leave out the night before. You have to show the stubs from the colored tags to get off the ship, or demonstrate you are carrying all your own bags for express status. Also, they limit the window of time you can carry off your own bags, and seemed to be implying that if you missed it you had to wait til the end.

I think you said the same thing I did – anyone can carry their own bags off the ship, but doing so doesn’t mean you have Early or Express or First Off or whatever embarkation.

[suzan2]

The former would mean you are taking your own luggage off when your colored tags are called. For the most part, one cannot just walk off the ship whenever they feel like it.

 

 

I think this is the part hotmike98 was trying to say was incorrect about your statement. If you carry your own bags off, you CAN leave as soon as the first color is called, even if you don't have an early flight. If you carry your own bags off, you don't even need to put the colored tags on.

[MaryPoppinz]

anyone can carry their own bags off the ship, but doing so doesn’t mean you have Early or Express or First Off or whatever embarkation.

 

If you carry off your own bags, you can have early, express, first off, later in the morning, sit awhile in the platinum lounge, get up a little late or whatever disembarkation. There are only three requirements: Wait til the ship is cleared, carry your own stuff, get off.

[bdjam]

If you carry off your own bags, you can have early, express, first off, later in the morning, sit awhile in the platinum lounge, get up a little late or whatever disembarkation. There are only three requirements: Wait til the ship is cleared, carry your own stuff, get off.

The last couple of cruises that I’ve been on, people have not been allowed to leave the ship before their color was called due to Customs requirements. I’m not sure how the cruise line is aware that I’m carrying my own bags off (and therefore is not giving me a colored tag) unless I tell them – which would put me in some sort of organized (even if that includes no help) disembarkation (which I think this thread refers to as Express). I would think – again based on what I’ve seen when trying to move through Customs – that if I didn’t tell Princess that I was carrying my bags and had a specific colored tag which I tried to use before I was called, I would be stopped.

Maybe it’s different if you don’t have to go through Customs.

[MaryPoppinz]

You might think that, but on the trips that I've been offered it on, you walked off anytime during disembarkation, and they figured out you were carrying your own bags off by looking at you carrying off your own bags. :) ]

 

Everyone got a colored tag, but there's no use for them when you carry off your own bags. All three trips involved customs, by the way. The colored tags have nothing to do with customs. They're for organizing the pandemonium of disembarkation and luggage claim. Customs could care less.

 

Your mileage may vary.

[suzan2]

You might think that, but on the trips that I've been offered it on, you walked off anytime during disembarkation, and they figured out you were carrying your own bags off by looking at you carrying off your own bags. :) ]

 

Everyone got a colored tag, but there's no use for them when you carry off your own bags. All three trips involved customs, by the way. The colored tags have nothing to do with customs. They're for organizing the pandemonium of disembarkation and luggage claim. Customs could care less.

 

Your mileage may vary.

 

 

Quite right, MaryPoppinz...and amusing, too!

[sue d. miller]

On Princess, early debarkation tags are red. You take your tickets to the purser, and the night before leaving the tags are brought to your cabin, and red is called first the next morning!! :)