Priority Debarkation

[DanOO]

If you have priority debarkation is the Luggage staged in a separate area of the Terminal?

Trying to decide on walking off with Luggage or picking it up at the Terminal (Port Canaveral).

Thank you.

[Anyislandwilldo]

With priority debarkation you should get a luggage tag with zone one or two and they will be the first zones you encounter when you exit the ship to get your luggage.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Anyislandwilldo

[Colorado Beach Bum]

Those who carry off are the first to debark. If you leave out your luggage you’ll be first off with that group which is about an hour give or take after those that carry off. 
 

[DanOO]

4 minutes ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

With priority debarkation you should get a luggage tag with zone one or two and they will be the first zones you encounter when you exit the ship to get your luggage.

Do you know if you can debark with the first to carry off with Priority?

Thank you.

[Elaine5715]

18 minutes ago, DanOO said:

If you have priority debarkation is the Luggage staged in a separate area of the Terminal?

Trying to decide on walking off with Luggage or picking it up at the Terminal (Port Canaveral).

Thank you.

Your luggage will be in the area with all similarly numbered luggage Zone, 1, Zone 2,  etc.,  not a specific Priority area

[Elaine5715]

1 minute ago, DanOO said:

Do you know if you can debark with the first to carry off with Priority?

Thank you.

If you have Priority, you will get a letter with instructions.  Depends on how the Cruise Director actually runs debark if Priority will actually be first off.  

[Bostwick girl]

The reason they let carry off luggage people go first is to allow time for the checked luggage for #1 and #2 zones to be unloaded. The carry off people are called by muster station but somehow another seems like everyone is in the same muster station!

 

[DallasGuy75219]

18 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

If you have Priority, you will get a letter with instructions.  Depends on how the Cruise Director actually runs debark if Priority will actually be first off.  

And whether anyone will show up to the priority debark meeting place to tell you when you can actually debark. 

[kwokpot]

3 hours ago, Bostwick girl said:

The reason they let carry off luggage people go first is to allow time for the checked luggage for #1 and #2 zones to be unloaded. The carry off people are called by muster station but somehow another seems like everyone is in the same muster station!

 

That's the problem with the way Carnival does self walk off. TBH with the way they do it, you actually WON'T be the first to disembark and you might as well ask for zones 1 & 2. They are the only cruiseline to do it that way, and I understand WHY they do it that way but it defeats the whole purpose of self walk off. 

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, Bostwick girl said:

The reason they let carry off luggage people go first is to allow time for the checked luggage for #1 and #2 zones to be unloaded. The carry off people are called by muster station but somehow another seems like everyone is in the same muster station!

 

There is one Cruise Director who tells everyone to go at anytime and they do.

[DallasGuy75219]

27 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

That's the problem with the way Carnival does self walk off. TBH with the way they do it, you actually WON'T be the first to disembark and you might as well ask for zones 1 & 2. They are the only cruiseline to do it that way, and I understand WHY they do it that way but it defeats the whole purpose of self walk off. 

Yes, it's very frustrating especially for people trying to follow the rules, when you're waiting for your self assist group to be called and they're already calling non-priority luggage tag numbers. You realize you could have gotten off earlier with checked bags, so you're p*ssed off and you and 500 other self assist who haven't been called yet go downstairs.  Now there's close to 1,000 people trying to debark at once. Chaos ensues and debarkation comes to a halt.

[Anyislandwilldo]

On 12/17/2022 at 1:24 PM, DanOO said:

Do you know if you can debark with the first to carry off with Priority?

Thank you.

Technically you could be the first one off the ship.  No one is checking your credentials to make sure you are following the rules.  

[Eli_6]

On 12/17/2022 at 1:24 PM, DanOO said:

Do you know if you can debark with the first to carry off with Priority?

Thank you.

If you carry off your luggage you can.  If you have them take your luggage down, you have to wait until after the carry off people go.

[kwokpot]

14 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

If you carry off your luggage you can.  If you have them take your luggage down, you have to wait until after the carry off people go.

Well while you CAN do that, you're not SUPPOSED to do that. That's what I was referring to about how Carnival's Self Debarkation works. IF you choose this you're SUPPOSED to be waiting for your Muster Station and/or Deck to be called. You're not supposed to just go down at the start of self debarkation.

[Eli_6]

4 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Well while you CAN do that, you're not SUPPOSED to do that. That's what I was referring to about how Carnival's Self Debarkation works. IF you choose this you're SUPPOSED to be waiting for your Muster Station and/or Deck to be called. You're not supposed to just go down at the start of self debarkation.

I don't think you understand what I am saying. Maybe I am not wording it correctly.  If you "carry off" your luggage and have priority, you go to the priority waiting area and debark first before everyone else.  That is how I have personally gotten off the ship in my last several cruises.  It has been that way for me every time we have been in a suite or had FTTF. 

 

If you do NOT carry off and put your luggage out the night before, they call you by zone AFTER the "carry off" people debark.  Priority in that case is usually zone 1 or 2. They also usually have you meet somewhere and then let you go as soon as all the self debark people go.  I have done it this way with priority debark before, too. Unfortunately, you get off much later that way.  

[DallasGuy75219]

53 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

If you carry off your luggage you can.  If you have them take your luggage down, you have to wait until after the carry off people go.

 

26 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

If you do NOT carry off and put your luggage out the night before, they call you by zone AFTER the "carry off" people debark.  Priority in that case is usually zone 1 or 2. They also usually have you meet somewhere and then let you go as soon as all the self debark people go.  I have done it this way with priority debark before, too. Unfortunately, you get off much later that way.  

No, they start releasing the folks with priority bags, and sometimes even start calling the non-priority luggage tag numbers, before all the floors or (now) muster stations have been called for self-assist debark.

[Eli_6]

19 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

No, they start releasing the folks with priority bags, and sometimes even start calling the non-priority luggage tag numbers, before all the floors or (now) muster stations have been called for self-assist debark.

I think this may depend on who the cruise director is and how they decide to call debarkation because I can assure you that I have been on a sailing where I had priority zone 1 (for a suite) and all of the self-debark people were called before we were allowed to debark.  I remember it clearly because it greatly annoyed me since I had paid extra for a suite and it made us run late for our flight because they let ALLLLLL the people who were in self-debark off (which was pretty much 2/3 of the ship) before we got to go...and then I got yelled at in line by one of the port people for being on the phone because I was trying to call our airline to see what would happen if we missed the flight.  We made our flight, but it was by the skin of our teeth.   

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Eli_6

[kwokpot]

43 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

I don't think you understand what I am saying. Maybe I am not wording it correctly.  If you "carry off" your luggage and have priority, you go to the priority waiting area and debark first before everyone else.  That is how I have personally gotten off the ship in my last several cruises.  It has been that way for me every time we have been in a suite or had FTTF. 

 

If you do NOT carry off and put your luggage out the night before, they call you by zone AFTER the "carry off" people debark.  Priority in that case is usually zone 1 or 2. They also usually have you meet somewhere and then let you go as soon as all the self debark people go.  I have done it this way with priority debark before, too. Unfortunately, you get off much later that way.  

Yes, IF you have priority, that is correct. But if you don't have Priority, then Express Debarkation is spaced throughout the disembarkation process. That's not how other cruiselines do it. Other cruiseines allow ALL Self Debarkation to disembark all at the same time, after priority but before checked luggage passengers. The way Carnival does it is deceiving for those without status. You're thinking I'll lug my own luggage and be off first after priority passengers but that's not the case.

[Eli_6]

5 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Yes, IF you have priority, that is correct. But if you don't have Priority, then Express Debarkation is spaced throughout the disembarkation process. That's not how other cruiselines do it. Other cruiseines allow ALL Self Debarkation to disembark all at the same time, after priority but before checked luggage passengers. The way Carnival does it is deceiving for those without status. You're thinking I'll lug my own luggage and be off first after priority passengers but that's not the case.

Oh, okay. I see what you are talking about. I was just talking about for priority since that is who the OP was asking about. 

[ABQrobin]

In NOVEMBER, on the Vista.... the debark was a nightmare, for everyone but especially for "Priority" guests.  We are Platinum so we went to the staging area with our luggage.  Guess what, people on the ship had been told to just sneak in there, no biggie.  And they did... tons of Blue and Gold cards standing around in the Priority room.  It was packed with at least 1000 people. So much for PRIORITY.  What a joke.  We finally got off ship, and we heard that crew told people it was no big deal and to just turn their cards around so nobody noticed.  Yeah.  thanks.

[Elaine5715]

Just to clarify. .there is a "Priority" waiting area for both those who have all their luggage with them at one time at o'dark hundred and about 45 minutes later a second time (same place) for those with "Priority" and who need to collect their luggage in the terminal.  

What happens is they don't stop people to check zones.  Those who are carrying off (from all zones because they don't check) luggage are also exiting so you think the terminal should be empty but it isn't and there could still be a long lines at Customs while you thought you have Priority and should be first. 

[iria64]

Granted I have been on only 2 Carnival cruises but both time debarkation was horrible.

We tried waiting for them to call our zone but eventually gave up and just joined the masses and got in line to debark.  Even though you are supposed to wait for you zone to be called nobody actually checks.  I think as long as you don't go immediately when they start debarkation for priority and self assist they don't really care.  Its not like you are going to get the doors and then tell you you cannot get off the ship as you were not called yet.  The only chance you take is that your luggage may not yet be staged yet and you need to wait in that area.

[Number12]

We are platinum but are in no hurry to leave the ship on our upcoming cruise.  Is it safe to leave our 1 or 2 tagged luggage in the terminal until we choose to debark?

[serene56]

On 12/17/2022 at 2:24 PM, DanOO said:

Do you know if you can debark with the first to carry off with Priority?

Thank you.

not when they are calling the people who are carrying their luggage-  your luggage might not be offloaded yet    

 

[mz-s]

44 minutes ago, Number12 said:

We are platinum but are in no hurry to leave the ship on our upcoming cruise.  Is it safe to leave our 1 or 2 tagged luggage in the terminal until we choose to debark?

 

Yes, if you plan to do that go ahead and choose a later debarkation number luggage tag and you can stay on the ship until "last call" if you wish.

 

You can use the #1 luggage tags they provide you if you want, that works too. It's just that some ports like Charleston don't have as much room for luggage so it's more of a courtesy depending on the port you're cruising out of.

Edited December 19, 2022 by mz-s