Question re: setting luggage out

[carriebryce]

My dh and I will be on a 3-night cruise on Majesty. We will be packing Very light (one large suitcase, one carryon). Is there any reason that we would have to put our luggage out in the hall on the last night, or could we just keep it w/ us? We had such a nightmare getting our luggage after our last cruise, it took so long even though we were "first" with the colored tags. We would love to avoid this, but will we be able to keep our luggage with us?

[Jes0814]

From what I have heard, you can walk off with your bags, yet you can usually only do this first thing, even before they start calling colored tags. You might want to use the search forum, yet it usually is never working. :confused: Good luck and Happy Sailing:)

[JanineM]

If you are disembarking through a port that allows self-disembarkation then you could keep your luggage with you and haul it off yourself in the morning. We have done this in different ports. Some ports, like Port Canaveral, require you to lift and carry your luggage through the port building, so if your bag is so big that you cannot hold it off the ground then you're out of luck. Other ports allow you to roll it off.

 

Watch for info in your cruise compass giving you details on how to self-disembark.

[nanfromatlanta]

My dh and I will be on a 3-night cruise on Majesty. We will be packing Very light (one large suitcase, one carryon). Is there any reason that we would have to put our luggage out in the hall on the last night, or could we just keep it w/ us? We had such a nightmare getting our luggage after our last cruise, it took so long even though we were "first" with the colored tags. We would love to avoid this, but will we be able to keep our luggage with us?

 

There is no reason whay you can't keep your luggage with you.

[crt37]

There is no reason whay you can't keep your luggage with you.

 

I'm thinking the OP wants their cake and eat it too. It sounds like they don't want to self-disembark but yet would still like to keep their luggage until the next morning.

 

It's either/or. Either keep your luggage and self-disembark or else you will have to put your luggage out the night before if you are unwilling to self-disembark.

[Langley Cruisers]

It's either/or. Either keep your luggage and self-disembark or else you will have to put your luggage out the night before if you are unwilling to self-disembark.

 

Yes, agreed. Can you imagine if everyone (just say everyone, for the sake of my point) kept their luggage with them on the last morning? What a madhouse, and not an inch of room to spare. There would be bags piled up in stairwells, in hallways.. there just wouldn't be room for anyone to move, nor would it be safe in the event of an emergency.

[cruiser2101]

All of our cruises have been 7 days and we've done it both ways. Put our luggage out and walked off when our color tag was called, and kept our luggage in our room and walked off with all of it as soon as we docked. We're usually not in a big hurry since we drive to the port, so waiting for our color to be called is really what we prefer. We usually have 4 pieces of luggage and it's so much easier getting off the ship without worrying about being overloaded with bags. Some people like to carry off their luggage because of an early flight, but you can always trade your tags for an earlier color.

[vickiw0318]

Atleast no one is talking about doing something I overheard once on the morning of departure - a young couple telling their steward that they didn't pack their luggage the night before because they were busy and here it is and take it downstairs for them.

[MNfamilycruiser]

I'm thinking the OP wants their cake and eat it too. It sounds like they don't want to self-disembark but yet would still like to keep their luggage until the next morning.

 

It's either/or. Either keep your luggage and self-disembark or else you will have to put your luggage out the night before if you are unwilling to self-disembark.

I didn't get that impression at all - the OP just wasn't aware of the terminology/procedures for self-disembarkation.

[carriebryce]

I didn't get that impression at all - the OP just wasn't aware of the terminology/procedures for self-disembarkation.

 

Thank you -- you are 100% correct. I don't know the terminology, I'll admit! I have a lot to learn before we sail in October! Thanks.

[MNfamilycruiser]

Thank you -- you are 100% correct. I don't know the terminology, I'll admit! I have a lot to learn before we sail in October! Thanks.

You're welcome - sometimes posters are just a little tired and cranky ;)

 

I actually had never heard of it either until starting to research for this trip! I guess since we travel with 2 children - I never looked into it because it wasn't ever feasible for us.:D

 

Enjoy planning your trip! And Happy Cruising :D :cool:

[cruisnpat]

Early disembarkation is the way to go if you are in a hury to get off the ship and can handle your luggage yourself.

[readytolose]

Not that I want to do this because there will be 7 of us on our next cruise and I can't imagine hauling all our luggage off the ship by ourselves, but, could you do the self-disembark but not get off the ship first thing? I'm just curious if you could sleep in a little, have a nice breakfast and then get off the ship.

[cb at sea]

If you can easily carry all your stuff, you don't need to set it out the night before. But, you'll have to negotiate the stairs and narrow hallways without help. Don't count on that last morning being "nice", tho--it's rushed and harried. They want you off the ship ASAP!!!!

[crazy 4 cruising]

Not that I want to do this because there will be 7 of us on our next cruise and I can't imagine hauling all our luggage off the ship by ourselves, but, could you do the self-disembark but not get off the ship first thing? I'm just curious if you could sleep in a little, have a nice breakfast and then get off the ship.

 

I don't know for absolute sure, but don't think so, unless you only have carry-on size bags. as the last poster said, they want self-disembarkers off ASAP

[wieslaw]

Hi,

 

My experience:

 

I and family did self debarketion in Miami ( EOS) , Port Canaveral ( Mariner) and SJU ( AOS).

 

Technically one can also bring all of their luggage with them when boarding as long as one can handle the luggage and the luggage will fit in the 'X-ray' machine.

 

Our situation was just a little different - we were in a diiferent "waiting area" and there was some room to keep our luggage, we were offered an early debarkation and in one case we did take advantage of that and in the other cases we waited almost to 9:30 / 10:00 am before we left ( we had some late flights).

 

I also agree with some other posters that there is no room to take your luggage with you to some areas and would be very difficult to move.

 

In most ports there is an agreement between the ship's company and Port Authority that no one from the ships crew can assist with the luggage taken from the ship. The Port Authority is responsible for that.

 

Wes

[philnpen]

On a short Majesty cruise we self disembarked, carrying our luggage off. This was Miami. I can't remember if it was Tampa or Baltimore where we were told we had to set our luggage out the night before. That was a rule at that particular port.

 

The OP should be fine with a suitcase and a carry on bag.

[amybear912]

We did self-disembarkation on our last cruise... We only had one suitcase shared between us... It was a bit of a hassle dealing with the ship's elevators to get down to the gangway... that morning, the elevators are crammed with people leaving their cabins, leaving the ship, heading to WJ for breakfast, etc... but as long as you can manage your own luggage at the PC port, you can do that...

 

Now, can you wait until "later" in the morning???... I've seen people who did, and basically they are just waiting in a huge line with those who DID leave their luggage out the night before, waiting to get off the ship AND having to cart their luggage...

 

It's a great option for those who need/want to be off the ship first thing... for us, it was quick and painless from the time we left our cabin to the time we got in the car was about 20 minutes...

 

I wonder though, if you could, and you wanted to be say, the "last" off the ship AND you didn't mind keeping your luggage with you the whole time... could you??? My bet is yes, if you were up for that...

 

For a shorter cruise, it's definitely a time-saver... but for the longer ones where you might have more luggage, it can be a bit of a pain navigating your stuff through the port...