Disembarkation

[hummer88]

The itinerary says that the ships reaches it final port at about 7AM.

 

What time is reasonable to be off of the ship?

 

Are there any ways to expedite this process?

 

What times are reasonable to be looking to book our flights back home in the morning??

[Fredr]

The itinerary says that the ships reaches it final port at about 7AM.

 

What time is reasonable to be off of the ship?

 

Are there any ways to expedite this process?

 

What times are reasonable to be looking to book our flights back home in the morning??

 

Hello,

 

You need to tell us the port as this makes a huge difference in terms of your flight home. For example if you are in San Diego, Long Beach or Fort Lauderdale a flight home can be as early as Noon. For Los Angeles, however a flight before 2 PM is chancy.

 

Cruise ships will disembark its passengers as quickly as possible but remember some "special" passengers will go first. For example if you purchased the ship's transfer to the airport or are repeat customers who have taken many cruises with this cruise line.

 

You can expedite this process IF the cruise ship has a "walk off" program. If you can handle ALL of your luggage without any help, you can exit the ship carrying all of the your luggage, But be prepared for escalators at some ports, stairs, and very slow moving elevators if any. We use this option in San Diego because we know that we can handle our luggage relatively easily...my point is for you to think this through as it may not be for you. But do pack light as possible.

 

Remember that a ship is not a stationary hotel and times of arrival in ports is due to many factors. That is why it is best to book flights home later in the day.

[klfrodo]

Here's the process in reality.

 

The ship says it docks at 7AM.

 

It really probably docks at 5:30.

Once the ship gets to port, the cruiseline and it's crew is no longer in charge of the ship. For all practical purposes, it is now control by Customs and Immigrations. These people board the ships and inspect. THEY determine when passengers can begin getting off the ship.

 

99% of the time there is no problem and passengers can beging debarking around 7:30 or 8:00. If you need early debarkation, each cruiseline has it's own processes and you don't indicate which cruiseline you are on..

 

If you are trying to catch a flight:

Before 10AM gives you less than 25% chance of catching flight.

Before 11, less than 50%

Before 12 noon,,,75% chance of making it

1PM,,, 95% cance of making it

after 1PM,,,99% chance

[Bigmamma31]

I would say if you dock at 7am your debarkation should start at 8am. As for speeding the process up there are two choices I've seen but not actually done myself.

 

1 Take all your luggage off yourself - however carts are not always available and staff usually is not allowed to help. I did see some staff helping one woman with her bag that kept falling over but they didn't carry it for her.

 

2 Tell a little fib and say your flight is at 10am even if its really not until 2 or 3 in the afternoon by putting the earlier time on your luggage tags they give the final night for the regular debarkation process. This should get you off within the first few groups called.

 

Earliest I would suggest a flight is 11am as just because you are off the ship at say 8:20 doesn't mean you'll get a taxi that fast it could be a wait.

[klfrodo]

 

2 Tell a little fib and say your flight is at 10am even if its really not until 2 or 3 in the afternoon by putting the earlier time on your luggage tags they give the final night for the regular debarkation process. This should get you off within the first few groups called.

 

This most likely will not work.

Anytime we've had an early flight, we had to show our tickets or itenerary with scheduled flight times as proof before they would provide the early debarkation tags.

[kitty9]

Every cruise line tells their passengers not to book flights before noon.

 

You cannot lie about flights because many lines will ask to see your plane tickets to verify that you really do have early flights. Don't lie about your departure times.

 

If you're looking at really early flights because they're cheaper, there's a reason why they're so much cheaper. The airlines know that cruise ship passengers cannot make those flights, so they make those fares a lot cheaper than the later flights.

 

There are so many things that can go wrong with disembarking. On my two previous cruises, we were delayed by over an hour because of problems, mostly because non-US citizens didn't feel they needed to report to US Immigration in a timely manner. Quite a few passengers missed their flights because they booked flights before 11am. Depending on what port you're coming into, and what airport you're flying out of, you could look at even further delays. Miami is a terrible airport with awful lines and a lot of waiting. Ft Lauderdale is not a bad place, but again they have long lines for check in and security.

[Fisherlady48]

I go and hide up on the lido deck with a drinkie poo until they come upstairs and personally tell me (and usually several others) to leave the ship!!

 

and then I do so.. reluctantly..

[uppitycats]

The itinerary says that the ships reaches it final port at about 7AM.

 

What time is reasonable to be off of the ship?

 

Are there any ways to expedite this process?

 

What times are reasonable to be looking to book our flights back home in the morning??

 

You will be off the ship no later than 10:30...but the soonest you'll be able to be off will likely be around 8:30.

 

Everyone -- cruise line staff, travel agents, folks on this site who have cruised a lot, will all tell you that the earliest you should be booking a flight home is noon or later. Depending on what port, mid-afternoon is sometimes too early.

[hummer88]

Thank you for all the information. We are looking at the Princess Cruise line and either San Juan or Fort Lauderdale as our ports. It is going to be March break, so I am going to try and get as late a flight as possible without getting back to Buffalo at an unreasonable time. Are any of the airlines better than others for prices at this time of the year??

[klfrodo]

Buffalo? Same day at reasonable time? San Juan?

No such thing. In San Juan, I wouldn't book a flight out before 3PM. The airport is a zoo. Even before you can enter the airport, Just like Hawaii, your bags have to be screened for agricultural products. THEN you can enter the airport.

 

FLL in March. Plan on lots of spring breakers to deal with. Personally, I love cruiseing during spring break, but others may not.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Use Fort Lauderdale rather than San Juan. Nothing against San Juan but if you are new to cruises, Fort Lauderdale is one of the very best cruise ports in the world. The airport is very close to the cruise terminal (but do not book a flight before 2 PM because it is Spring Break). And there are lots of reasonably priced hotels/motels for the night before your cruise.

[cb at sea]

We like to get the earliest flight possible, depending on the port/airport distances... There's really nothing worse than trying to "kill time" after a lovely vacation!

[Keith1010]

Thank you for all the information. We are looking at the Princess Cruise line and either San Juan or Fort Lauderdale as our ports. It is going to be March break, so I am going to try and get as late a flight as possible without getting back to Buffalo at an unreasonable time. Are any of the airlines better than others for prices at this time of the year??

 

I would try to get flights that are after 11:00 AM in Fort Lauderdale and 12:00 Noon or after out of San Juan. For the airlines it is all about supply and demand and what its competitors are doing so I would check them all.

 

Keith

[Sekhmet]

There are so many things that can go wrong with disembarking. On my two previous cruises, we were delayed by over an hour because of problems, mostly because non-US citizens didn't feel they needed to report to US Immigration in a timely manner.

 

Agreed, some do fail to report on time. However, delays are also caused by US Immigration smoetimes being either unable or unwilling to put on board sufficient staff to cope adequately with the number of non-US passengers. From our personal point of view, delays in disembarkation are not particularly important, as our return flights are usually late afternoon departures, but it must cause problems for other folk and the cruise ship personnel as well.

[Keith1010]

Agreed, some do fail to report on time. However, delays are also caused by US Immigration smoetimes being either unable or unwilling to put on board sufficient staff to cope adequately with the number of non-US passengers. From our personal point of view, delays in disembarkation are not particularly important, as our return flights are usually late afternoon departures, but it must cause problems for other folk and the cruise ship personnel as well.

 

As noted there are many reasons. Kitty9 mention one. You mentioned another. There are many more.

 

The key was that the OP know to be careful in makiing a return flight because all sorts of things can cause a ship to be delayed. It doesn't matter what they are, just that they happen.

 

And, we have known quite a few people who have missed flights over the years and/or spent half the cruise worrying about whether or not they would make their flight.

 

Keith

[cathyz]

On our last cruise, there was a group of Germans who apparently didn't understand much English and didn't know they were supposed to meet very early to be cleared by customs before the rest of the ship was released. After several announcements in English, they made a couple in German, and then we were cleared, but almost an hour late, so you never know what will happen.

[runnerodb83]

Is it worth it to purchase a transfer from the cruise line to San Juan Airport? My flight departs at 12:45 on a sunday and the ship "docks" at 6:30 (according to the itinerary)?

[Fisherlady48]

I would say no, the taxis are right there and its a short ride to the airport from the terminal. With the "cruise transportation" they wait until the bus is full before they leave.

 

In SanJuan I would take a taxi, <$20

[On2CDWrld]

:confused: We will be arriving POM 4/26/20 at 8 am. CruiseTT shows other ships in port. We are sked to fly out of FLL at 110pm. Is this ok?

 

les

[downsized]

I go and hide up on the lido deck with a drinkie poo until they come upstairs and personally tell me (and usually several others) to leave the ship!!

 

and then I do so.. reluctantly..

 

 

Here here! I agree completely.

We casually go to breakfast at about 7:30-8:00 (the dining room will be nearly vacant!), then stroll to the deck to watch as the "commuters" create a traffic jam trying to leave the ship.

By 10:00-10:30, you can disembark at your leisure, your bags will stand out as lonely sentinels, and there will be lots of cabs that have returned

from delivering the commuters!