Mardi Gras Disembarking process

[Aosborn]

Has anyone recently gone through the disembarking on the Mardi Gras? If so what time does ship port in and what was the process if carrying off own luggage vs. checking it the night before? What time were you off the ship? Thanks in advance.

[ray98]

Depends on the week.  Arrival times to home port can vary for any number of reasons.

[ProgRockCruiser]

2 minutes ago, ray98 said:

Depends on the week.  Arrival times to home port can vary for any number of reasons.

Exactly.  Too many variables.  Once can say "typically this or that" and then the next debarkation will be totally different.

 

But, for giggles:

 

Typically ship docks before 8am, and is cleared for debarking at around 8am.

 

If you self-debark, you can be off the ship by 8:30.

 

If you go by zone because they carried the luggage off for you, it will start maybe around 8:30 and go through 10am easily.

 

But, as noted, there are too many "gates" that can cause disruption.  In reverse order: CBP, luggage pickup area congestion, actual flow of people off the ship, congestion at the check-out point right before the gangway, congestion in the stairwells and elevators (often cause by bizarre line-up configurations created by Carnival staff), etc.

 

It's a big ship.  Look at it this way: 6000 people going through CBP is a whole lot different than a full 747 (say 400 people) doing the same at an airport, yet the number of CBP officers isn't much different.  What helps is this new face-recognition system.

[bev2beach]

Just off Mardi Grad and easy peasy!  Go to your assigned station and carry luggage. When they called the first muster to get off, we just walked down. No one checks when you’re suppose to get off - it was simple and fast

[groundloop]

1 hour ago, bev2beach said:

.... When they called the first muster to get off, we just walked down. No one checks when you’re suppose to get off - it was simple and fast

 

And it's this kind of me-first attitude that mucks up the process for everyone else.

[crewsweeper]

15 hours ago, bev2beach said:

Just off Mardi Grad and easy peasy!  Go to your assigned station and carry luggage. When they called the first muster to get off, we just walked down. No one checks when you’re suppose to get off - it was simple and fast

This is fine if you self assist, but one of the reasons for debarking zones is so that porters can get your luggage to the terminal.  Makes little if any sense to hop off the ship and then have to wait for luggage. Need t get off to catch a flight, Guest Services can issue you lower numbered tags.  Otherwise, grab a breakfast or another cup of coffee and chill.

[ProgRockCruiser]

1 hour ago, crewsweeper said:

This is fine if you self assist, but one of the reasons for debarking zones is so that porters can get your luggage to the terminal.  Makes little if any sense to hop off the ship and then have to wait for luggage. Need t get off to catch a flight, Guest Services can issue you lower numbered tags.  Otherwise, grab a breakfast or another cup of coffee and chill.

The poster noted they carried their own luggage, and seemed to be saying that by using that approach it basically solves the question as described by the OP.  However, if everyone self-debarks, it just rearranges the chaos into a different shape...

 

What that poster also did, however, which some folks are questioning, was to "jump the queue" of the self-debarkers (since they are processed by muster zone).  Again, if everyone does that, then more chaos...

 

Reminds me of drivers who are already on a highway, not merging on, but zip down the right merge lane to the very end and jump back in, causing those behind to brake suddenly.  The driver had benefitted, but at the cost of all those in between their original position and the new one, and with much nuisance.