Anyone ever disembark their cruise a few days early?

[The Traveling Man]

16 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

As of last month the answer is still no.

I have 3 requests and all have been denied due to Covid.

One is for a the ports of Seattle and Vancouver.

One is for Southampton England and Le Havre and finally with Barcelona and a France port, Niece I believe.

In the past we have done it at least a half dozen times.

Thank you all for the very lively discussion of the ifs, ands and buts of this somewhat unusual request.  I just received an email reply to the request I submitted to Ms. Katty Byrd, NCL Senior Vice President, Guest Services.  She confirms that we will be allowed to book just the first three days of the ten day Getaway cruise departing Southampton on 8 May.  We will close out our account prior to disembarking the ship at Amsterdam, and will forego the remaining seven days of the cruise.  She also offered to reduce our cruise fare by 50% since we will only be on board for three of the ten days.  I am waiting to receive the remaining details from my PCC, so I don't know yet what type of stateroom we will need to book, how many specialty restaurant dinners we will receive, if any, for free-at-sea and/or our Latitude benefits, and possibly some other details that need to be ironed out.  In any case, though, I am looking forward to staying on the ship for those three extra days after our TransAtlantic crossing.  If the total cost is anywhere near comparable to the cost of train tickets, taxis, hotels, and meals that we otherwise would have to pay to get from Southampton to Amsterdam, I will be one happy camper.  Again, thank you all for your comments and for sharing your knowledge.

[mscdivina2016]

I just got off the phone with an NCL rep and inquired about how come a request to disembark early in Amsterdam was approved and all of mine are not.  

I was told that for the 1st time, NCL has a home port in Amsterdam and if I want to disembark at a location where they have a home port to feel free to submit a request.

 I guess the Pearl will be doing cruises out of Amsterdam.

 

Great news and now a road map for future plans.

 

Thanks OP for posting your result.

[The Traveling Man]

16 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

I just got off the phone with an NCL rep and inquired about how come a request to disembark early in Amsterdam was approved and all of mine are not.  

I was told that for the 1st time, NCL has a home port in Amsterdam and if I want to disembark at a location where they have a home port to feel free to submit a request.

 I guess the Pearl will be doing cruises out of Amsterdam.

 

Great news and now a road map for future plans.

 

Thanks OP for posting your result.

At the recommendation of someone posting on this thread, I bypassed the reservations department and emailed the VP of Guest Services.  She routed my request to the appropriate department heads to get things done.  It may have helped that we already were booked on the immediately previous cruise of the Getaway.

 

We received our confirmation,  the cruise appears in my NCL account, and the price they offered for the three days actually was less than what we figured we would have to pay for taxis, trains, hotels, and meals if we traveled from Southampton to Amsterdam on our own.

 

[The Traveling Man]

18 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

II was told that for the 1st time, NCL has a home port in Amsterdam and if I want to disembark at a location where they have a home port to feel free to submit a request.

 I guess the Pearl will be doing cruises out of Amsterdam.

Thanks OP for posting your result.

Amsterdam will not be a first for NCL.  They have embarked and disembarked cruises in Amsterdam in prior years.  The trip we are making this year is a rehash of one we had planned for 2020 which was cancelled by COVID-19.  That trip featured a TransAtlantic NCL cruise which terminated in Amsterdam on the same day that our Avalon Danube River cruise would be boarding just a short walk down the pier from where our NCL ship would let us off.  That one would have been absolutely perfect timing.  This year the best we could do was an NCL TA arriving in Southampton four days before our river cruise boards in Amsterdam.  Fortunately NCL was able to let us book just the first three days of the ten day Getaway cruise that continues on from Southampton.  We'll need a hotel for one night in Amsterdam, but overall things worked out great for us.  Hope they work out well for you on your planned voyages.

[Cakers74]

On 4/6/2022 at 11:53 AM, Sue Do-Over said:

Glad I stumbled across this thread.   We're on a Greek Isles cruise in June, and wondered about stretching one of the ports by staying overnight and catching up to the ship the next day.  Still in Greece, but potentially hopping islands.

We hadn't considered the immigration/customs rules for visitors staying overnight.  We've all seen pier-runners in the Caribbean, and assumed that they could catch up to the ship at the next port (assuming they could find transportation in time).

Hi. I know this thread is a few months old, but wondering how this turned out for you? I’m thinking of doing the same (getting off in Santorini and staying for a few days). Were you allowed to do this? We’re not trying to catch back up to the ship since it’s the last port on our itinerary - just heading home from Santorini. 

[Travelling2Some]

On 4/6/2022 at 11:53 AM, Sue Do-Over said:

Glad I stumbled across this thread.   We're on a Greek Isles cruise in June, and wondered about stretching one of the ports by staying overnight and catching up to the ship the next day.  Still in Greece, but potentially hopping islands.

We hadn't considered the immigration/customs rules for visitors staying overnight.  We've all seen pier-runners in the Caribbean, and assumed that they could catch up to the ship at the next port (assuming they could find transportation in time).

A couple of years ago (well before covid) we wanted to stay overnight in port and catch up to the ship the next day.  (I wanted to do the night tours of the Alhambra and stay in the parador there. It was a bucket list thing.)  Both ports were in Spain and it was only a two hour drive to catch up from where we would be staying.  Neither were tender ports or ports that were frequently missed and, as added insurance, there were even two Spanish ports after that.  NCL was not only completely uncooperative but downright rude about it.  When I asked (nicely and just seeking to understand) what the reason was for the refusal the woman on the phone snapped at me saying that "NCL is not running a ferry service!"  I was really shocked by her rudeness.  I do remember that people used to arrange to jump ship in Florence/Livorno rather than continue to Rome quite a bit.  I don't know if it has changed, but Celebrity used to be very nice about it.

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

A couple of years ago (well before covid) we wanted to stay overnight in port and catch up to the ship the next day.  (I wanted to do the night tours of the Alhambra and stay in the parador there. It was a bucket list thing.)  Both ports were in Spain and it was only a two hour drive to catch up from where we would be staying.  Neither were tender ports or ports that were frequently missed and, as added insurance, there were even two Spanish ports after that.  NCL was not only completely uncooperative but downright rude about it.  When I asked (nicely and just seeking to understand) what the reason was for the refusal the woman on the phone snapped at me saying that "NCL is not running a ferry service!"  I was really shocked by her rudeness.  I do remember that people used to arrange to jump ship in Florence/Livorno rather than continue to Rome quite a bit.  I don't know if it has changed, but Celebrity used to be very nice about it.

Did you try calling again. Often you can get different results. At least you could have had a customer service representative who was not rude.

[Travelling2Some]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Did you try calling again. Often you can get different results. At least you could have had a customer service representative who was not rude.

I wasn't speaking to a call center person.  It was someone from corporate and I didn't call them, they actually called me.  I had worked my way up the "food chain" and been told to send an email.  I can't remember the department name as it has been a few years now.  So I emailed and got no answer for weeks.  Emailed again and waited again.  Was expecting an answer via email and was surprised when NCL called me instead.  She (never told me her title) said that my request was denied.  I was very polite but curious so I asked what the reason was and she suddenly snapped at me saying that NCL is not running a ferry!  I suspect she did not actually know the answer and felt defensive.  It was shockingly unprofessional.

[mscdivina2016]

15 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

I wasn't speaking to a call center person.  It was someone from corporate and I didn't call them, they actually called me.  I had worked my way up the "food chain" and been told to send an email.  I can't remember the department name as it has been a few years now.  So I emailed and got no answer for weeks.  Emailed again and waited again.  Was expecting an answer via email and was surprised when NCL called me instead.  She (never told me her title) said that my request was denied.  I was very polite but curious so I asked what the reason was and she suddenly snapped at me saying that NCL is not running a ferry!  I suspect she did not actually know the answer and felt defensive.  It was shockingly unprofessional.

Requests are fulfilled or denied by the ship, not land based operations.

I have that in writing on one of my old laptops as a TA was working on my request years ago.

You apparently were given wrong info from the start.

To do your trip....just miss the ship and catch up at the next port.

Too bad you tour vehicle broke down. 😉

Brink your passport and call the ship.

[Travelling2Some]

4 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Requests are fulfilled or denied by the ship, not land based operations.

I have that in writing on one of my old laptops as a TA was working on my request years ago.

You apparently were given wrong info from the start.

To do your trip....just miss the ship and catch up at the next port.

Too bad you tour vehicle broke down. 😉

Brink your passport and call the ship.

Exactly!  I was trying to be considerate but if I knew then what I know now I would never have discussed it and  just "accidentally" missed the ship that day.  We almost canceled the whole cruise in favor of a land vacation over that.

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Requests are fulfilled or denied by the ship, not land based operations.

I have that in writing on one of my old laptops as a TA was working on my request years ago.

You apparently were given wrong info from the start.

To do your trip....just miss the ship and catch up at the next port.

Too bad you tour vehicle broke down. 😉

Brink your passport and call the ship.

What may have been true on  the particular cruise line you were dealing with years ago may not be true on NCL or any particular line today.

At the restart of cruising after the COVID shutdown, there were corporate policies put in place to prevent this type of activity due to COVID-related protocols for testing and a general concern about passengers contracting COVID ashore and bringing the infection onto the ship. Perhaps you've forgotten or simply don't know that in some countries only approved "bubble" tours were permitted, which would preclude cruise lines from permitting passengers to tour independently ashore.

 

I'm not suggesting that there are currently any substantial restrictions of this type on touring still in place, but rather simply refuting the factually incorrect statement you made based on  your experience years ago.  By necessity land-based operations had to be involved at the COVID restart and it's not inconceivable that some cruise lines have decided to keep that corporate office involvement in place.

 

 

[The Traveling Man]

@Cakers74@Travelling2Some@ontheweb@mscdivina2016@njhorseman

There are at least two different sets of circumstances under discussion on this thread.  My original question regards simply departing from a cruise early and not continuing further.  Others have asked about getting off at one port, skipping one or more intermediate ports, then rejoining the cruise at a subsequent port.  The rules governing these two actions may be different, and may vary between travel in the USA, the EU, or other regions.  I can only speak from experience regarding my original question.  We directed our request by email to NCL Senior Vice President for Guest Services Katty Byrd.  She coordinated with other NCL departments to make our request happen.  She was quite helpful and professional in all our dealings with her.  I am sorry to hear that others have met with denials of their requests, and I truly am disappointed to learn that some have encountered rudeness and negativity.  Our dealings with NCL were all very positive.  We were able to travel just the first three days of a 10 day cruise scheduled to sail from Southampton to Copenhagen.  We were on board for port stops in Le Havre and Zeebrugge before disembarking in Amsterdam.  We were quoted a discounted fare rate for this cruise, roughly equal to half the cost for the full 10 day cruise.  As it happened, our cost for the fare, port taxes, gratuities, beverages, etc. was actually a bit less than we would have paid for three nights in hotels plus meals and transportation either by rail, air, or ferry.  Plus, staying on the Getaway for those three days was far and away more convenient than making all those transfers from taxi to train to hotel, etc.  We were not able to use a Cruise Next Deposit in partial payment for the cruise, we were only allowed to book a Sail Away rate, and we received no free specialty meals even though we were Diamond Latitudes members.  All alcoholic beverages and sodas were billed separately, as we did not have a beverage package for the three days.  All in all, though, it was a very satisfactory and pleasant experience.  I would suggest to anyone who wishes to make similar arrangements for their cruise that they also contact Ms. Byrd.  She was very helpful for us and I hope she also will be able to assist you with your plans.

Edited October 10, 2022 by The Traveling Man

[yoolykeme]

So I'm doing a New York to Southampton, London in a couple of months. 

 

My mom just called me and said that she doesn't want to go to London, and would rather get off the stop before the last, which is le Harve, Paris.

From what it seems, I should email guest services and ask if I can disembark one-stop early, correct? 

 

I'd appreciate any current insight, if available. thanks in advance.

[Musicalmaestro]

On 1/17/2024 at 12:02 PM, yoolykeme said:

So I'm doing a New York to Southampton, London in a couple of months. 

 

My mom just called me and said that she doesn't want to go to London, and would rather get off the stop before the last, which is le Harve, Paris.

From what it seems, I should email guest services and ask if I can disembark one-stop early, correct? 

 

I'd appreciate any current insight, if available. thanks in advance.

Curious if you pursued/inquired about this, as stumbling upon this thread am considering the exact same for le havre in 2025

[mscdivina2016]

On 1/17/2024 at 12:02 PM, yoolykeme said:

So I'm doing a New York to Southampton, London in a couple of months. 

 

My mom just called me and said that she doesn't want to go to London, and would rather get off the stop before the last, which is le Harve, Paris.

From what it seems, I should email guest services and ask if I can disembark one-stop early, correct? 

 

I'd appreciate any current insight, if available. thanks in advance.

Yes,

 Have done it a few times. We wanted to get off in Barcelona.

Yes notify in advance once on board 

[BirdTravels]

On 1/17/2024 at 12:02 PM, yoolykeme said:

So I'm doing a New York to Southampton, London in a couple of months. 

 

My mom just called me and said that she doesn't want to go to London, and would rather get off the stop before the last, which is le Harve, Paris.

From what it seems, I should email guest services and ask if I can disembark one-stop early, correct? 

 

I'd appreciate any current insight, if available. thanks in advance.

You would need to coordinate with NCL in advance. Unlike the Barcelona example, England is not part of the EU and would have it's own immigrations and customs officers onboard processing passengers. In this case, you would not want the British to process you into their country, you need to arrange for the French to process you into the EU. If you are not processed into the EU, you may get detained when you try to leave. 

[The Traveling Man]

On 1/17/2024 at 11:02 AM, yoolykeme said:

So I'm doing a New York to Southampton, London in a couple of months. 

 

My mom just called me and said that she doesn't want to go to London, and would rather get off the stop before the last, which is le Harve, Paris.

From what it seems, I should email guest services and ask if I can disembark one-stop early, correct? 

 

I'd appreciate any current insight, if available. thanks in advance.

As noted by @BirdTravels there could be a problem because England is no longer in the EU, so the customs regulations may be different.  Also, ports such as Southampton and Barcelona are frequently used as ports of embarkation or debarkation.  So far as I know, while Le Havre is often an intermediate port of call, it may not have the facilities in place to handle a passenger terminating their cruise there.

[linkee]

On 2/23/2024 at 6:16 PM, The Traveling Man said:

As noted by @BirdTravels there could be a problem because England is no longer in the EU, so the customs regulations may be different.  Also, ports such as Southampton and Barcelona are frequently used as ports of embarkation or debarkation.  So far as I know, while Le Havre is often an intermediate port of call, it may not have the facilities in place to handle a passenger terminating their cruise there.

 

[linkee]

Hi, 

  Just trying to gather information. We have a NCL departing from Greece to Venice, now that the ship is not going to Venice but to Ravenna instead just for a port stop, then onto to Trieste to disembark.  I want to disembark in Ravenna, because I'm doing a RCCL embarking in Ravenna the next day.      ( I originally had it all planned until NCL change it to stop in Ravenna) now it wold be so great to get off here)  So far NCL said I have to wait and ask once on board.

Any help please.

   Thanks Cheryl

[yoolykeme]

1 hour ago, linkee said:

Hi, 

  Just trying to gather information. We have a NCL departing from Greece to Venice, now that the ship is not going to Venice but to Ravenna instead just for a port stop, then onto to Trieste to disembark.  I want to disembark in Ravenna, because I'm doing a RCCL embarking in Ravenna the next day.      ( I originally had it all planned until NCL change it to stop in Ravenna) now it wold be so great to get off here)  So far NCL said I have to wait and ask once on board.

Any help please.

   Thanks Cheryl

you should be fine.  The cruise isn't in the USA.  Email Katty, as referenced above, ahead of time and ask.

 

 

[chengkp75]

9 hours ago, yoolykeme said:

you should be fine.  The cruise isn't in the USA.  Email Katty, as referenced above, ahead of time and ask.

 

 

While you are correct that the cruise is not in the US, there are certain cabotage laws that apply in the EU, similarly to the US's PVSA.  If the port prior to Ravenna is in Italy, then it is likely that you would not be allowed to disembark, as this would be transportation between two Italian ports without a port call in between at another country.  While any EU nation flagged ship could do this, non-EU ships are not allowed to do this.  If the port prior to Ravenna is in another country, then this doesn't apply.

[The Traveling Man]

On 1/17/2024 at 11:02 AM, yoolykeme said:

So I'm doing a New York to Southampton, London in a couple of months. 

 

My mom just called me and said that she doesn't want to go to London, and would rather get off the stop before the last, which is le Harve, Paris.

From what it seems, I should email guest services and ask if I can disembark one-stop early, correct? 

 

I'd appreciate any current insight, if available. thanks in advance.

Just to follow up, were you able to disembark in Le Havre?  In the past Le Havre was not a regular port of embarkation for NCL, which might have been a factor in whether you could get off there or not.  Recently, however, NCL has begun using Le Havre as a home port for some sailings, so I wonder if that helped you accomplish your goal.

[yoolykeme]

11 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Just to follow up, were you able to disembark in Le Havre?  In the past Le Havre was not a regular port of embarkation for NCL, which might have been a factor in whether you could get off there or not.  Recently, however, NCL has begun using Le Havre as a home port for some sailings, so I wonder if that helped you accomplish your goal.

Yes, I think I posted the resolution in the other thread where you gave me Katty's info.

 

Her office called me and informed me that they approved my downline.  The status is that since I've already been granted entry into the EU by stopping in Ireland prior, I am simply a tourist in the region.  I am allowed and able to disembark, and once I do, my status on the ship is null, and I am on my own.  No immigration events needed.

 

Thanks again for providing that info.  

[The Traveling Man]

16 hours ago, yoolykeme said:

Yes, I think I posted the resolution in the other thread where you gave me Katty's info.

 

Her office called me and informed me that they approved my downline.  The status is that since I've already been granted entry into the EU by stopping in Ireland prior, I am simply a tourist in the region.  I am allowed and able to disembark, and once I do, my status on the ship is null, and I am on my own.  No immigration events needed.

 

Thanks again for providing that info.  

Glad to hear that NCL, and especially Katty Byrd, were able to help you.

[linkee]

On 4/16/2024 at 11:18 PM, linkee said:

Hi, 

  Just trying to gather information. We have a NCL departing from Greece to Venice, now that the ship is not going to Venice but to Ravenna instead just for a port stop, then onto to Trieste to disembark.  I want to disembark in Ravenna, because I'm doing a RCCL embarking in Ravenna the next day.      ( I originally had it all planned until NCL change it to stop in Ravenna) now it wold be so great to get off here)  So far NCL said I have to wait and ask once on board.

Any help please.

   Thanks Cheryl

      I just want to THANK ALL of you for the best info.  I reached out to Ms Katty Byrd and she

      was able to be of great help & made arrangements for us to disembark in Ravenna.

        Cruise Critic is such a great wealth of information I'm so grateful to all who post on this site.

     I have been on CC for years and will continue to unitize it and hope it returns to what is once was, great info!