Priority Debarkation

[Elaine5715]

6 hours 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?

Safe, yes.  Will it get the attention of Customs if it is just sitting there by itself forever, yes.

[hillbillycruisers]

The debarkation process is a huge mess, and it's frustrating to go thru...but I'm not sure what they can do to fix it. Once they start calling the SA zones, it seems EVERYONE gets in line...regardless of whether or not their zone has been called. And while it's frustrating to realize the staff isn't checking anyone's zone info, I'm not sure what they could do about it. You have all seen that crowded, jumbled, hoard of people...all trying to drag luggage...trying to push strollers ...everyone pushing in line towards the exits. What exactly are they going to do at that point if they ' catch ' someone cheating? There is no real option but to let them go...especially the number of people cheating. Our last cruise on the Vista in November, we had a much later zone, but our friends who were giving us a ride back to our hotel had the first zone called. I ask a staff member if we could debark with them, and his exact words were " absolutely...we don't check that anyway. ".... So...there ya go. We have FTTF on our next cruise, and I'm curious how that will compare. 

[bguppies]

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.

You can, but you still have to wait for them to unload the group 1 or 2 luggage into the terminal.

Anybody can stand in lines with the hoards hauling their own luggage.

But while those people are going through customs, the dockworkers are unloading large bins of luggage by forklift and porters in the terminal are unloading the bins and laying the luggage into rows by number.

 

Usually Carnival just has all the Platinums wait in the theater and the platinums with their own luggae get off first and those waiting on their luggage stay until they call for them.

You can get off with the first group and hopefully wait in the terminal until they lay the luggage out.

(not sure if they'll make you exit immediately with the self carry people, as I have always just waited until called and don't know where you could hang out inside waiting for your luggage without being in the way..)

Edited December 20, 2022 by bguppies

[bguppies]

14 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Safe, yes.  Will it get the attention of Customs if it is just sitting there by itself forever, yes.

Except on our last two cruises there was no customs upon our return. Very weird.

Just got our luggage and went straight through the customs area. (nobody staffing the counters)

I just assumed the government figured they are leaving the southern borders wide open, why pay for customs in the ports anymore.

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, bguppies said:

Except on our last two cruises there was no customs upon our return. Very weird.

Just got our luggage and went straight through the customs area. (nobody staffing the counters)

I just assumed the government figured they are leaving the southern borders wide open, why pay for customs in the ports anymore.

They are there, just on monitors or in specific lines checking birth certificates or something

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, hillbillycruisers said:

The debarkation process is a huge mess, and it's frustrating to go thru...but I'm not sure what they can do to fix it. Once they start calling the SA zones, it seems EVERYONE gets in line...regardless of whether or not their zone has been called. And while it's frustrating to realize the staff isn't checking anyone's zone info, I'm not sure what they could do about it. You have all seen that crowded, jumbled, hoard of people...all trying to drag luggage...trying to push strollers ...everyone pushing in line towards the exits. What exactly are they going to do at that point if they ' catch ' someone cheating? There is no real option but to let them go...especially the number of people cheating. Our last cruise on the Vista in November, we had a much later zone, but our friends who were giving us a ride back to our hotel had the first zone called. I ask a staff member if we could debark with them, and his exact words were " absolutely...we don't check that anyway. ".... So...there ya go. We have FTTF on our next cruise, and I'm curious how that will compare. 

It depends on Cruise Directors, they run debark.  Former CDs, Matt "Free Hugs" Mitcham and Steven Schwartz run theirs like clockwork.  

Some CDs run "silent debark" which means they don't make any announcements cause they are too busy doing something else.