What is express checkout?

[dsaurus]

I saw someone mention "express checkout" on the boards. What is that? Is that when you take your own bags off the ship? We are taking a relatively early flight after an enchantment cruise and would like to be at the airport by 10:30 the latest so I wanted to get the best option for that. On all the other cruises I've taken, I have had flights 2pm or later so it was much less of an issue. Has anyone done the "take your own bags off the ship" departure?

[kc320]

yes express check out is the carry off your own bags..."personally".. I would avoid doing this if at all possible..You really can't use the elevators & everyone else is dragging luggage down the stairs...you should have no problem being at the airport by 10:30 from the Enchantment... the port is only about 10 mins. from the airport...they generally try to EVERYONE off by 10:30...

[unklez]

That's exactly what it is. Use only if you have very light bags.

[jhmoore143]

I don't know where the enchantment is - but on the Monarch (Port Canaveral) last week, the express was a cluster (to me as an outside viewer).

 

I went down to the service desk at about 7:15 and saw the line from the door all the way around Claude's, in front of the service desk and through the elevator and up the stairs.

 

I was stopped from going up the circular stairs in the center area and had to use the elevator (which was packed). One person on the elevator was tying to find the end of the priority line. We stopped at the 5th deck. No luck. We stopped at the 6th deck - not quite. The line actually stopped on the landing of the stairs between the 6th and 7th deck.

 

We, on the other hand, were Gray 1 and sat in Bolero's for an 8:20 disembarkment. We actually were called and escorted off at 8:15. We made it off the ship, through customs, got bags and back into the shuttle. The shuttle had to make two prior stops before we got off at the Hampton Inn (where we parked for the week). At the Hampton, we loaded up the car, made a "pit stop" stopped at the front desk as a courtesy to let them know we are picking up the car and drove appriximately 2 miles to stop at Seven-11 for a slurpy. I texted my sister while I was sitting in the Seven-11 parking lot and the time stamp for that text is 9:11AM. All of that in LESS THAN AN HOUR!!!!! We were back home in our driveway 200 miles away at 12:15. . . .

 

 

 

If it was me, personally, I wouldn't worry about the cattle-call of the "express" checkout and just get off at your leisure. . . .I would think you would have enough time to catch your plane (depending on the distance from the port to the airport). . .

[CruiseDreaming]

Yes you carry your own bags. We have done this once and the line was so very long. Carrying all the bags and waiting in line was not fun, but we did get off fairly early. Now I prefer to simply wait in the lounges.

 

Kerrie:)

[barbie5401]

Diamond and Platinium members can get off the ship first before express. You are asked to meet in a designated room at 6:30 and you are off the ship as soon as you are cleared. We got off at 7:1o from the Majesty on Monday.

[Lady Chew]

Diamond and Platinium members can get off the ship first before express. You are asked to meet in a designated room at 6:30 and you are off the ship as soon as you are cleared. We got off at 7:1o from the Majesty on Monday.

 

Do you have to carry off your own bags to do this?

[Jimbo]

Do you have to carry off your own bags to do this?

 

 

yes

[MD_Dan]

We didn't have to leave our luggage outside the cabin the night before. And most luggage rolls easily. Our ship (Rhapsody of the Seas) docked in Seattle at 7AM. Express Departure was from 7:15 to 7:45. We grabbed a bite in the Windjammer and rolled our luggage to the end of the line. We were off the ship, caught a cab, driven to our Seattle hotel, and checked in before 8AM. We missed the bottle-neck that forms at Seattle's Pier 91. The ramp was not steep and was no problem. If you are physically able and didn't over-pack, it is a no-brainer.

[kc320]

Lady Chew...NOT if you are using the Platinum or Diamond departure lounge...you can leave your luggage outside the night before as usual.. you will have special tags so your luggage will be waiting outside when you get off...

[lgazz]

Diamond and Platinium members can get off the ship first before express. You are asked to meet in a designated room at 6:30 and you are off the ship as soon as you are cleared. We got off at 7:1o from the Majesty on Monday.

Is this on all ships? We've been Platinum for our last couple cruises, and I do not remember receiving info on FOS & JOS.

 

Lady Chew...NOT if you are using the Platinum or Diamond departure lounge...you can leave your luggage outside the night before as usual.. you will have special tags so your luggage will be waiting outside when you get off...

Please explain more...I am not sure I understand...Platinum + members can do express disembarkation AND have their luggage waiting for them on the pier?? I am very interested...

[aqhacruiser]

On the Explorer, the Express walk off people get off the ship first ahead of the Diamond/ Plus/Plat. members. You must sign up for the Express program ahead of time and the Compass will tell you when to do so, and as already stated you must be willing to carry all your luggage off the ship without any help. As Bayonne uses a shuttle bus to get from the ship to the port this can be an issue if you are struggling with several bags. It's probably easier in other ports but it's really designed for those traveling light. If you have several bags it's much easier to just put them out the last night and collect them at the terminal in the morning. Only those that signed up for the Express program will carry off their own luggage.

[aqhacruiser]

We didn't have to leave our luggage outside the cabin the night before. And most luggage rolls easily. Our ship (Rhapsody of the Seas) docked in Seattle at 7AM. Express Departure was from 7:15 to 7:45. We grabbed a bite in the Windjammer and rolled our luggage to the end of the line. We were off the ship, caught a cab, driven to our Seattle hotel, and checked in before 8AM. We missed the bottle-neck that forms at Seattle's Pier 91. The ramp was not steep and was no problem. If you are physically able and didn't over-pack, it is a no-brainer.

 

Those signed up for the Express walk off program keep their luggage in cabin the last night so they can carry it off themselves in the morning. All others put luggage out on the last night so they can collect it in the terminal the next day. I think we had it first on the Explorer last year and it was a huge success as it allowed all those that were in a hurry to catch flights to get off the ship first. This made it easier for others as we didn't have the packed stairways anymore with all the people ready to bolt off that ship. Now we get off second as D plus/Diamond/Plat and its much more relaxing and easier to find our luggage in the terminal as so many use the Express option now and they are gone from terminal by the time we get off:)

[barbie5401]

There again was a lot of complaints from passengers. Diamond & Plat. get priority embarkation and debarkation. Then for debarkation comes the Express. On small ships where the majority take small roll-ons the idea of express is wonderful. However, on the larger ships for 7 day travel or more, express in my opinion is not the answer. Just go to the purser and ask for white tags.

 

This is the first color called, after Diamond & Plat, Special Needs, Express then white tags.

[kc320]

Is this on all ships? We've been Platinum for our last couple cruises, and I do not remember receiving info on FOS & JOS.

 

Please explain more...I am not sure I understand...Platinum + members can do express disembarkation AND have their luggage waiting for them on the pier?? I am very interested...

 

 

You should receive a letter in your stateroom the night before telling you where the plat/dia departure lounge is located...It's not the same Express Departure that you have to sign up for...it's more a Priority Departure & NO you don't have to carry off your luggage like with express...I believe the letter even tells you what color luggage tags you should have..just put your luggage out as usual & then meet in the Plat/Diam area...they have coffee, pastries & sometimes champagne...I've "heard" that on some ships Platinum is NOT allowed to walk off with the Diamonds when they are escorted off...but anytime I've been in the waiting area the whole room was escorted off at the same time...

if you don't get the letter see the Loyalty Ambassador that night...she has a list of all Plat, Diamond & + members onboard...

[lgazz]

You should receive a letter in your stateroom the night before telling you where the plat/dia departure lounge is located...It's not the same Express Departure that you have to sign up for...it's more a Priority Departure & NO you don't have to carry off your luggage like with express...I believe the letter even tells you what color luggage tags you should have..just put your luggage out as usual & then meet in the Plat/Diam area...they have coffee, pastries & sometimes champagne...I've "heard" that on some ships Platinum is NOT allowed to walk off with the Diamonds when they are escorted off...but anytime I've been in the waiting area the whole room was escorted off at the same time...

if you don't get the letter see the Loyalty Ambassador that night...she has a list of all Plat, Diamond & + members onboard...

 

Thanks for the info...For our last 2 cruises (JOS & FOS), we did Express Disembarkation as we had relatively early flights. I will admit it was a bit of an inconvenience to manage our luggage packed with 10+ days worth of clothing (we do pre-vacations before embarkation), but we managed OK.

 

If we take advantage of the Platinum/Diamond disembarkation (I do remember hearing about the lounge now that you explained it), we still have to find our luggage on the pier, correct? Is the Pt/Dia luggage seggregated and section small enough that we'd likely find our luggage quickly??

 

We have a relatively early flight (12:30pm) after our MR cruise aboard Mariner OTS in August and we want to choose the option that will get us to LAX as quickly as possible. Will probably use a dedicated shuttle (LA CAR??) to get to LAX.

 

Any thoughts?

[SunniDayz26]

I just returned from an East Caribbean cruise on Liberty of the Sea. I have not seen anyone mention that you can valet your checked bags now, it was fabulous! We paid 20.00 per person, not bag, and put our bags with the special tags they give you outside our door by 11pm the night before we disembarked. The next morning we met in a special area of the dining room and a lovely lady came and got us and walked us off. NO LINES!!!! There were no crowds or confusion or waiting. It was fantastic. Got off the boat and out to the taxis in mere minutes. We didnt have to deal with our luggage again until we got to Houston (home for us). I would do it again in a second, worth every penny of the $60.00 we paid for the 3 of us.

[golf43]

We just did this on the Freedom of the Seas. We took the elevator down to level 5 at 5:50am. Waited in a lounge until they said we could leave. Then we got into another elevator down to level 4 to leave the ship. I loved it. We thought it was the best way to leave the ship. We did not run into any crowds or any problems. I think from now on when we cruise we will always do the express checkout if we do not have too many pieces of luggage to carry.

[bigtoeswim'n]

Last Oct 2008, DH and I were on the now-retired Sovereign. I noticed something in the announcement sheet (can't remember what that is called) saying if you went to the purser's office and got this slip of paper, then you could get expressed off or something like that. It felt like a hall pass in high school. LOL. At any rate, all in the know met in this dinning area like a herd of folks, then an announcement was made, and we got orderly in line and were off that ship rather quickly. So, I would suggest you watch in your little bullent-in thing, is it Compass, and look for that.

[Lady Chew]

thanks for the info ... I'll have to look into this

 

We have an 11:20 am flight out of Rome in a few weeks, coming off Navigator. We'lll want to get off the ship as early as we can.

[buckanear]

Depending on the port/ship, express may actually be the first off the ship, even before priority. This is because some ports restrict passengers from being in the luggage claim area while they are still unloading the luggage because of safety regulations. Express departure allows for the ship to start clearing out before the luggage is ready.