express disembarkation

[brovol]

anyone who cruised recently know whether princess is offering an express disembarkation for people who want to get off ship early and are willing to carry off their own luggage? i have done this with other cruise lines, but it wasn't offered last time i was on princess a year ago.

[Corinda]

I was on the Dawn in October of last year and they offered it.

[DanJ]

Not a thing was said on Sapphire in January about taking off your own luggage, let alone getting off early if you did.

[Katiekakes]

We got off the Island Princess in Los Angeles on Feb. 20th and used the Express Debarkation, and it is the only way to go! We carried our bags off, got a cab and were at the airport in no time. Our friends did not use this, and waited a very long time on ship, then on pier to catch the princess bus. They almost missed their flight!

[bellebaby]

Hello, everyone.

 

Will someone please explain the process of express disembarkation for me? Do you have to sign-up or somehow inform the crew you will be using express disembarkation? How do you know when to go through customs, etc.

 

I appreciate any information you can provide. We would love to use the process on our Sept. Coral Princess sailing.

 

Thanks.

 

B

[Lisa_Ont]

We were on the Grand princess (Feb. 25 to Mar. 4) and used Express Disembarkation. It worked great and wasn't difficult managing our own luggage (1 bag each and 1 carryon).

 

We didn't want to risk being delayed. since we had the drive from Galveston to Houston and then our 1:00pm flight. We would definitely do it again.

[willow2007]

WE were on the Sapphire Feb 12 and asked about the express - self disembarkment. Only ONE person at the pursers office knew what it was and told us that it had been discontinued. We were disappointed as we had friends from Canada waiting for us at the dock.

[tex_toby]

I just got off the Grand on Saturday and used express disembarkation. We were automatically registered for it. We didn't really know how we were, but when we asked the purser's desk, they said it was because we had a credit card on file before we got on the ship. It was a breeze. After looking at ALL of the luggage unloaded off of the ship, I felt sorry for those people who did not carry their own. They unloaded the ship via a number system, and we waited for our group of numbers to be called. Once we got to where everybody was unloading, nobody ever asked to see our number, nor did I see anybody else get asked. Bottom line...we could have unloaded with any group and nobody would have known the difference.

 

If you are worried that you won't be automatically registred, there will be plenty of opportunities on-board to do so. I would imagine you could ask the purser's desk at any time, but there were several fliers delivered to our stateroom explaining how to do so. If you can carry your own bags, I highly reccomend it.

[Lisa_Ont]

I'll continue and try to answer your question on how it works. . . during the cruise we received a form that asked if you are interested in doing express disembarkation and explains it. It needed to be completed and returned to the pursers desk by certain day and time.

 

Then on the last day, instead of the coloured tags you would normal get in your mailbox outside your room, you receive numbered tickets and a notice reminding you to NOT put your bags outside of your room on the last night.

 

On the morning of disembarkation, once the ship is cleared to let people off, they start announcing the numbers on the tickets. They started early, around 7:30 or so. We had numbers 575 & 576. They announced in groups of 100. . . once our group was called (500 - 600) we wheeled our bags to the appropriate location and after a brief wait in line, we walked off the ship. We were directed to the customs area and got in line to go through. We walked right past the luggage area where all the bags are lined up and separated by colour.

 

It was a smooth process and worked well for us. I was curious how it affected the regular disembarkation and wondered how delayed the other passengers were getting off?

 

Hope this helps.

[Katiekakes]

For Express Disembarkation on the Princess we had to fill out a form a few days before we arrived in port, and then on the last night we got color coded tags to put on our bags. Ours was brown, the first color to be called to leave the ship. With that said, we could not leave the ship until all the passengers had cleared customs. This took quite a long time since everyone is called down to customs by the color code. After everone had cleared, they called our brown color and we could walk right off. They were not letting other colors off at this point. They checked our color before we left the ship. If people with other colors tried to get off they made them step aside until their color was called.

[Kerry&LuAnn]

Last week on the Caribbean Princess, the express checkout simply meant that we had registered a credit card with passenger services and did not need to stop by the desk (and thus wait in a long line) to reconcile our account before leaving the ship.

 

Colored luggage tags were issued depending on when people's flights were scheduled. Those with early flights were able to leave the ship first. But I know for a fact some people did not put out their luggage with the colored tags on the night before disembarkation. They kept their luggage with them and then simply walked off the ship as soon as the ship as cleared by Immigration, and they had not problem at all. Those who waited their appointed time enjoyed coffee in the lobby or buffet area, or sat in the theater and watched CNN until their color was called.

[Lisa_Ont]

There are 2 different things being discussed here:

 

1. Express Checkout which is exactly what Kerry&LuAnn describe, concerning your shipboard account and registering your credit card.

 

2. Express Disembarkation which is carrying your own luggage off the ship.

 

The names are close, so it might be a bit confusing.

[Pam in CA]

If you carry your own luggage off, make sure you really are able to carry everything yourselves, including down escalators, etc. When we disembarked the Sapphire Princess New Years Eve, my daughter was getting wheelchair assistance and we had to wait 15 - 20 minutes at the elevators because of people who planned to "carry" their luggage off really didn't want to and hogged the elevators instead. About four people in wheelchairs were delayed which really wasn't fair.

[bellebaby]

I'll continue and try to answer your question on how it works. . . during the cruise we received a form that asked if you are interested in doing express disembarkation and explains it. It needed to be completed and returned to the pursers desk by certain day and time.

 

Then on the last day, instead of the coloured tags you would normal get in your mailbox outside your room, you receive numbered tickets and a notice reminding you to NOT put your bags outside of your room on the last night.

 

On the morning of disembarkation, once the ship is cleared to let people off, they start announcing the numbers on the tickets. They started early, around 7:30 or so. We had numbers 575 & 576. They announced in groups of 100. . . once our group was called (500 - 600) we wheeled our bags to the appropriate location and after a brief wait in line, we walked off the ship. We were directed to the customs area and got in line to go through. We walked right past the luggage area where all the bags are lined up and separated by colour.

 

It was a smooth process and worked well for us. I was curious how it affected the regular disembarkation and wondered how delayed the other passengers were getting off?

 

Hope this helps.

 

Lisa -

 

Your explanation was just what I was looking for. I'll see if the instructions are the same on the Coral in September.

 

Many thanks.

 

B

[brovol]

great info ---- thanks all of you.