Disembarkation is the pits

[OceanLiner]

My wife and I have always marveled at the wonderful quality of life on a cruise, only to be rudely shaken back to reality on the final morning. And it's not just HAL, it seems to be every cruise line.

After many days of being treated like you really matter, you are then treated to an extremely limited breakfast at best, treated as if you have committed some sort of crime, and tossed ingloriusly off of the ship.

My question is, how would you change the disembarkation process to give a much better final memory your cruise? I would think that instead of more and more activities, that a cruise line like HAL could invest some time and energy into making the last morning as good as the first morning, and leave us all wanting for more.

[middle-aged mom]

Hi Oceanliner:

My family and I have only just disembarked after our very first cruise which took place on Zaandam from Seattle to Alaska and return. I must profess myself perplexed by your statement. We thought the Holland America disembarkation process was remarkably civilized and stress-free. There seemed to be plenty of venues available for breakfast. A full breakfast was available to passengers in the Rotterdam dining room. The Lido was open, room service was another option, the Neptune Lounge for suite passengers had coffee and continental breakfast available, and the King's Room was an option for suite guests as well, with a full breakfast menu. Passengers could stay in their cabins until their color/number designation was called. Everything seemed to flow very smoothly, and we never felt that we were persona non grata. As my own experience is so limited, I have to ask you if the disembarkation process varies greatly between ships, ports, and itineraries?

[JimVrhovac]

When you consider all that has to be done that daywe feel that HAL does a pretty good job. Ruth and I have sailed on several lines so we have a good idea of the general practices of most of the lines. Our opinions may be distorted as we sail out of Florida and always are in the last group to leave.

One of the big think that HAL does is let you stay in your cbin until you disembark. This is a lot nicer than being forced into the common areas.

Only advise we can give you is to relax that morning and roll with the punches as everyone will get off the ship that day. Remember the biggest delays are caused by fellow passangers who have not gone through customs or who have not settled their accounts.

Jim & Ruth

[bdcbbq]

I know that the staff have a quick turn around time for everything involved that day. Getting everyone on and off, cleaning and restocking the ship with food, fuel, and God only knows what else.

In my experience they want to do everything they can to encourage you to leave. If they don't way too many people will hand around and foul things up for everyone else. Look at the idiots who try to avoid the muster drill at the beginning of the cruise. T

[hammybee]

HAL and all the others have a business need to get people off ASAP for the obvious reasons. I have experienced someof the worst delays on HAL and it was entirely attributed to MIA passengers who did not present for immigration. And I don't know what HAL or any cruiseline can do about people like this, beyond detaining them so that they are the very last people off the ship.

Maybe the Yum-Yum man could go through the ship letting folk know, it's time to go and hand them a mint as a reward.

[cool change]

The only thing I am wondering about is how to get those last minute things( toothpaste, makeup, etc.) into my check-in luggage. You know, the things one needs in the morning when we have to leave our luggage out the night before. I guess there will be a lot of us trying to shove those items into our suitcases at the airport. Now, I am needing to brain storm as to what I could use to make that process easier. Maybe this topic needs its own thread?

[Copper10-8]

We left the Prinsendam two weeks ago tomorrow and at no time did we feel unwanted, suspect(s) in a crime (except maybe enjoying ourselves too much), or tossed off the vessel. We had a leasurely breakfast at the Lido restaurant at 0900 hours (It was open for 3.5 hours from 0630-1000) and had the exact same selections as during the previous thirteen days. I would not call those choices extremely limited or even limited although others disagree. I respect that - to each his own;). After breakfast we waited in our cabin for our disembarkation number to be called (we were independent travelers), and when that time came, went downstairs, got scanned off one last time, said bye to a cruise activities staff member who was collecting numbers, and were on our way. I would have preferred to stay on to Rome like others but such was not to be.

My personal opinion is that HAL has changed their policy and is now allowing their guest(s) to be able to wait in their staterooms (a great decision) because they finally got tired of all the NASA employees who, despite numerous requests not to, continued to hang around the gangway area and up and down the stairwells clogging up the place thinking that by doing that they are able to get off the ship five minutes earlier than the rest. On our last two cruises, we've also noticed an improvement in the fine folks who have not (A) settled their charges or (B) presented themselves to immigration when supposed to, and/or for various other reasons were holding up the disembarkation process. It's already been said, every line on disembarkation day has a very full schedule in trying to get ready for the next load of passengers. I personnaly feel that HAL has improved the disembarkation process over the way it used to be run. Maybe there is a way to improve the "locating your luggage in the terminal" game but I'm not sure how that can be done.

[lougee1043]

Maybe there is a way to improve the "locating your luggage in the terminal" game but I'm not sure how that can be done.

agree --- there is always that funny feeling in the pit of my stomach when i have located all the luggage save one -- did i walk past it -- has it been picked up in error -- was it put with another color - will i have to stand around til all the luggage is gone and mine will be the only one left--

[Bucky3]

We've cruised most of the mass market ships, and never have we had such a relaxing and peaceful last morning onboard as we did on our Volendam Alaska cruise in May. We were able to stay in our cabin until our "color" was called, and a full breakfast was delivered to our room that morning. My DH, of course, was anxious to get started on our drive home from Vancouver to California. Since we had no flight to catch, we were one of the last to be called. My DH, impatient as he is and not seeing any crowds or rush to the gangway, took a leisurely walk down to "check things out" and to see just what was taking so long! There were no lines, no crowds, and no people waiting to get off, so he called me to come down and finally convinced the person in charge to let us get off early!! In MO, HA did a wonderful job of vacating the ship in an organized and peaceful manner, the best I ever remember from previous cruises on every other line we have sailed.

[Aussie Gal]

The only thing I am wondering about is how to get those last minute things( toothpaste, makeup, etc.) into my check-in luggage. You know, the things one needs in the morning when we have to leave our luggage out the night before. I guess there will be a lot of us trying to shove those items into our suitcases at the airport. Now, I am needing to brain storm as to what I could use to make that process easier. Maybe this topic needs its own thread?

Hi Cool Change,

There has been quite a long thread regarding your question. Here is a link to the thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=394644

Hope this helps, :)

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

I too think that HAL does a wonderful job on the last morning. It is great to be able to have a full breakfast in our cabin unlike other lines where you are lucky to get a Continental breakfast at the very most. It is also a great boon to be able to spend the time in your cabin waiting for your number to be called unlike other lines where you have to go up to a lounge and wait it out.

As there is not a lot of time between the changeover of old passengers and new ones, I think that HAL does a magnificent job. On the last day I must admit that I am anxious to get moving once we have docked as usually we have a long way to travel.

Jennie

[cool change]

Thanks Aussie Gal, I will check it out.

[whogo]

Disembarkation went smoothly for us in Ft. Lauderdale. We must have been some of the last ones off and had very little baggage to search through for ours. We will consider carrying off our own luggage on our next cruise. This would eliminate the hassle of putting our bags out the night before.

I was upset by the "mandatory" disembarkation convocation. There is no reason for a literate person to waste his time attending. I was offended at the cruise director's suggestion that we rate everything the highest. What kind of a survey is that? We had a great cruise, but I wasn't about to inflate my ratings. Where would HAL's incentive to improve be?

I regretted buying air travel through HAL. Transfer to the airport would have been cheaper/faster/better by taxi. We waited for the transfer bus to fill up and made two stops at FLL before reaching our terminal.

Yes, it was a great cruise. Yes, there is room for improvement.

[Krazy Kruizers]

"Extremely limited breakfast"??

We have always been able to get a full breakfast whether it be in the Lido, dining room or room service.

[Sea King]

Haven't had any problems debarking HAL for a long long long time

for suite pax, you still have the same choices for breakfast (room service, Neptune buffet, Pinnacle, dining room or Lido) ..

nice touches include Suite luggage pick up on last day vs. put everything out at night and stay in room until number called

never ever felt like anyone wanted us off

maybe it's not the debark as much as the "mental let down" that comes with knowing reality is about to strike head-on

[Bodger]

We were on the Caribbean Princess in April (it was a freebee, I would have chosen HAL) and they had immigration in the terminal instead of onboard. As there were 3000 passengers to contend with, that has to help in turning around the ship quickly.

Bodger

[gizmo]

I will join in with the others about breakfast. The only thing you cannot get is eggs benedict. I never found it limited.

[Copper10-8]

I was upset by the "mandatory" disembarkation convocation. There is no reason for a literate person to waste his time attending. I was offended at the cruise director's suggestion that we rate everything the highest. What kind of a survey is that? We had a great cruise, but I wasn't about to inflate my ratings. Where would HAL's incentive to improve be?

I regretted buying air travel through HAL. Transfer to the airport would have been cheaper/faster/better by taxi. We waited for the transfer bus to fill up and made two stops at FLL before reaching our terminal.

Yes, it was a great cruise. Yes, there is room for improvement.

Just a quickie: the disembarkation talk is not mandatory! HAL "recommends that at least one person from each stateroom attend" The talk itself is essentially the same every time and more meant for first-time cruisers (unless you're at a (foreign) port where things might be done a litle differently). I think a lot of folks that have heard it all before attend to see the crew's farewell presentation at the conclusion. I agree with you however that the C/D should not be "pushing" for pax to give nothing but 9's on the onboard surveys. In the past, we've had a couple that did that too. Taking a taxis from Port Everglades to FLL beats a HAL bus anyday! :)

[mydogs]

HA does a great job the last morning. No rushing to fight for a table in the Lido or being pushed into the lounge to wait until your tag color is called. So much better then on RC or Cel. where even people in suites feel as if they are part of the herd. I often wonder why those few people who refuse to go through immigration at the appointed time need to have special favors and detain the entire ship. This seems to be the main problem for a timely departure.:mad: :mad: :mad:

[duck tune]

IMO the disembarkation process becomes easier with each cruise. I remember that on the first cruise I was surprised when the steward came in and started making the bed for the new passengers but I didn't understand the short turn around time. I think that it is actually wonderful to be able to have a nice breakfast, stay in your cabin until your number is called and if you have a balcony watch the preparations for the next cruise. After the second HAL cruise DH and I no longer attend the disembarkation talks. Actually if you check out the HAL channel on TV all of the presentations including the disembarkation talk are repeated over and over!

The hardest part is having to face going back to the real world!

[LolaWiz]

i have to say that as much as i am sad and depressed that i am leaving, i think HAL does a wonderful job the last morning.
We have had breakfast in our room and in the Lido...no rush, full selection.
I love the fact that i can stay in our cabin until our number is called.

They have always done a wonderful job in honoring our requset if we need a "quick departure" from the ship too.

The only issue we have ever had was the fact that when we go to find our luggage, it takes a while because of the way they bring them off the ship. THat is is.

[newmexicoNita]

My wife and I have always marveled at the wonderful quality of life on a cruise, only to be rudely shaken back to reality on the final morning. And it's not just HAL, it seems to be every cruise line.

After many days of being treated like you really matter, you are then treated to an extremely limited breakfast at best, treated as if you have committed some sort of crime, and tossed ingloriusly off of the ship.

My question is, how would you change the disembarkation process to give a much better final memory your cruise? I would think that instead of more and more activities, that a cruise line like HAL could invest some time and energy into making the last morning as good as the first morning, and leave us all wanting for more.If I am reading everything correctly HAL does, like NCL and allows you to stay in your cabin until your number or color is called. I can't think of any other way to make debarkation go smoothly. I remember the days of sitting on stools in casinos, or being told to report to some lounge on the 9th deck just to be told to walk down 5 decks to the gangplank to disembark. Those days seem to be gone, than goodness. It is never fun to leave, anymore than getting out of the parking lot after the football game is easy, but it isn't anything like the "good Ole days" NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

My wife and I have always marveled at the wonderful quality of life on a cruise, only to be rudely shaken back to reality on the final morning. And it's not just HAL, it seems to be every cruise line.

After many days of being treated like you really matter, you are then treated to an extremely limited breakfast at best, treated as if you have committed some sort of crime, and tossed ingloriusly off of the ship.

My question is, how would you change the disembarkation process to give a much better final memory your cruise? I would think that instead of more and more activities, that a cruise line like HAL could invest some time and energy into making the last morning as good as the first morning, and leave us all wanting for more. Sorry for the dupe NMnita

[Tinknock50]

Disembarkation went smoothly for us in Ft. Lauderdale. We must have been some of the last ones off and had very little baggage to search through for ours. We will consider carrying off our own luggage on our next cruise. This would eliminate the hassle of putting our bags out the night before.

I was upset by the "mandatory" disembarkation convocation. There is no reason for a literate person to waste his time attending. I was offended at the cruise director's suggestion that we rate everything the highest. What kind of a survey is that? We had a great cruise, but I wasn't about to inflate my ratings. Where would HAL's incentive to improve be?

I regretted buying air travel through HAL. Transfer to the airport would have been cheaper/faster/better by taxi. We waited for the transfer bus to fill up and made two stops at FLL before reaching our terminal.

Yes, it was a great cruise. Yes, there is room for improvement.

I agree about the transfer buses. I generally use a taxi.....more convenient and usually costs about the same as a transfer bus. Taxis don't charge per person.

[SnorkelBear]

I have it seen it mentioned you can leave the ship with all your luggage. No need to put them out the night before. Is this available on HAL? Do they let you off early if you are willing to do so? We did this on NCL in March and it was awesome. Within 20 minutes of leaving our cabin, we were driving our car through Manhattan. I thought it was a great option.
Thanks.

[starysacz]

No problem with disembarkation with all of our HAL cruises. Do order breakfast, room service, and appreciate that we can remain in our cabin until our color is called. Some minor problems with retrieval of luggage, but not sure how else it can be done.

[senator6]

I must agree with all who have said that HAL does a terrific job, I think most folks hate to leave, but reality sets when we start to pack. This got me to thinking about the way it was on HAL before they allowed us to stay in the cabin until we are ready to leave. IMO this is one of the big improvements over the past few years. Unless we have an early flight we order room service and just wait around for our number to be called.

I have noticed that you can leave early if you have no checked luggage, but we have not been able to advantage of that yet.

[hammybee]

I have it seen it mentioned you can leave the ship with all your luggage. No need to put them out the night before. Is this available on HAL? Do they let you off early if you are willing to do so? We did this on NCL in March and it was awesome. Within 20 minutes of leaving our cabin, we were driving our car through Manhattan. I thought it was a great option.
Thanks.

You can most certainly roll your you luggage off the ship, any ship, any cruise line. We always do. NCL promotes this as a benefit and the DIY thing appeals to their passengers and saves them a lot of work and passengers' time. HAL, being more upscale, may not want to create the perception that encourages passengers to DIY, as it's contrary to the image they strive to create. And given the amount of luggage many HAL passengers bring along and or the physical limitations of some passengers, DIY may not be practical.

[SnorkelBear]

Thanks Hammy. That's good to know. We were never made aware of this by any line but NCL. Do you know if the HAL DIYers are allowed off with the first colors called?

Thanks.

[hammybee]

Thanks Hammy. That's good to know. We were never made aware of this by any line but NCL. Do you know if the HAL DIYers are allowed off with the first colors called?

Thanks.

You asked a better question and Ill try to give you a better answer.

NCL has a good system that allows passengers to declare themselves as DIY and as you know, such passengers are free to leave anytime they choose. In my experience with HAL, they are not there yet.

Your post cruise plans often determine the color of your tags and tags determine when you can leave. We often have early return flights so no matter what, we are among the first to disembark. We have also just positioned ourselves and our DIY luggage, and walked off the ship.

On HAL, you might want to clue in your Room Steward and leave a note on your cabin door of your intention to roll your own. Otherwise, a well intentioned crew member may come a knocking at your door, in the middle of the night, thinking you forgot to leave your luggage out.

[Copper10-8]

HAL will give you a form to fill out pretty early into the cruise on which they want you to declare your disembarkation plans (airline flight, time, transportation required, etc etc). Based on what you tell them i.e. I'm on a HAL-excursion and have a 2 PM flight, I have bus vouchers to the airport, I'm an independent traveller, I'm in a post-cruise hotel, etc. etc. will determine what disembarkation number and luggage tag/color they'll give you and where you'll fit in the all important pecking order to depart the vessel.

[SnorkelBear]

Thanks Hammy. It worked great last time, but I would hate to see the entire ship doing it. Can you imagine the luggage traffic jam near the gangway? :eek:

[middle-aged mom]

I have it seen it mentioned you can leave the ship with all your luggage. No need to put them out the night before. Is this available on HAL? Do they let you off early if you are willing to do so? We did this on NCL in March and it was awesome. Within 20 minutes of leaving our cabin, we were driving our car through Manhattan. I thought it was a great option.
Thanks.

Hi Snorkelbear:

Last Friday (August 25) on Zaandam, "Express" disembarkation was available. I believe this is a fairly new program on HAL for those passengers who wish to carry all their own luggage, and have made their own independent travel arrangements, but I am not completely clear on the details, as we didn't choose this option for our own disembarkation. The "Express" passengers were the first group to be called off the ship. As Copper mentioned, early into the cruise you will be given a form which lists all the disembarkation options available to you.

[SnorkelBear]

Sweet! Glad to hear. Welcome back to reality MiddleAge.

[WNYCRUISER]

This past March on the Noordam, express disembarkation was in place, and the DIYers were the first called off the ship. This stands to reason, as when they are called, the bulk of the luggage hasn't even made it off the ship yet.

[hammybee]

Hi Snorkelbear:

Last Friday (August 25) on Zaandam, "Express" disembarkation was available. I believe this is a fairly new program on HAL for those passengers who wish to carry all their own luggage, and have made their own independent travel arrangements, but I am not completely clear on the details, as we didn't choose this option for our own disembarkation. The "Express" passengers were the first group to be called off the ship. As Copper mentioned, early into the cruise you will be given a form which lists all the disembarkation options available to you.

There you go. HAL saw the opportunity and implemented " Express" disembarkation for those who are willing to DIY. For those that are able and inclined, it's the best thing since sliced bread. Given that most pasengers are packed to the gills I am inclined to believe most passengers will continue to prefer the traditional assisted disembarkation.

[Giorgi-one]

My wife and I have always marveled at the wonderful quality of life on a cruise, only to be rudely shaken back to reality on the final morning. And it's not just HAL, it seems to be every cruise line.

After many days of being treated like you really matter, you are then treated to an extremely limited breakfast at best, treated as if you have committed some sort of crime, and tossed ingloriusly off of the ship.

My question is, how would you change the disembarkation process to give a much better final memory your cruise? I would think that instead of more and more activities, that a cruise line like HAL could invest some time and energy into making the last morning as good as the first morning, and leave us all wanting for more.

HAL is one of the best. At least they let you wait in your cabin. You should try RCL Freedom if you want to be treated like cattle. In any event, there is not much we can do about this unless we want to delay boarding. They need to get people off the ship so they can get the next group on board. There are certain things related to vacations we just have to put up with. By far, the worst is flying and airports which apply to any vacation where you have to fly. For cruises, it's embarkation, debarkation and, sometimes, tendering into ports. We just make up our minds before we cruise, arrive one or two days early, and book later flights home. The best is to fly home a day or two later, so you don't have to face embarkation and airpots the same day, but we really can't afford days on both ends and we prefer to arrive early.

[Copper10-8]

There you go. HAL saw the opportunity and implemented " Express" disembarkation for those who are willing to DIY. For those that are able and inclined, it's the best thing since sliced bread. Given that most pasengers are packed to the gills I am inclined to believe most passengers will continue to prefer the traditional assisted disembarkation.

Does that mean and can we infer that you are not packed to the gills on a cruise, Hammy? You must not be a "shoe person" :D

[hammybee]

Does that mean and can we infer that you are not packed to the gills on a cruise, Hammy? You must not be a "shoe person" :D

TOUCHE !
One suitcase, one carry-on that attaches to the suitcase and a back pack= many, many shoes, too many shoes.

[Copper10-8]

TOUCHE !
One suitcase, one carry-on that attaches to the suitcase and a back pack= many, many shoes, too many shoes.

Proud of you! Very impressive!;)

[bdcbbq]

We got off early during our cruise. We had driven down to FL from Indiana before Christmas and had to pick up our dog at a kennel that closed at noon and was about 45 minutes from the pier in Tampa.

[serendipity1499]

Never have any problem with HAL's disembarkation procedure.:confused: .We usually drive to/from the port...We have a leisurely breakfast in the dining room & then go back to our cabin to freshen up...We can wait in the cabin for our number to be called..No more trying to find a seat in a common area...:)

Occasionally it's a problem trying to find all our luggage because it never seems to all be in one spot....That's why we enjoy the smaller ships rather than the Vista Class ships..

[sparkly]

Carnival has express check out, carry off your own luggage. It works so well for us!!! That said, I really prefer lounging in our cabin rather than the "common" areas... that ain't fun.

[kiwichick]

We disembarked the Noordam last week and although the disembarkation itself was well organised and hassle-free, it was let down by the ridiculously early HAL-organised airport transfer we were forced to get. We ended up sitting in the airport for more than 5 hours before our flights. Next time we will organise a private transfer which will make the last morning a lot more pleasant.

[Bramcruiser]

I have found disembarkation to be as varied from cruise to cruise as it is between lines. I have to say I was majorly surprised how easy disembarkation in San Diego was on my Oosterdam cruise in 2005. I was off the ship with the second group called and was on curbside by 8:30 am with bags in hands and waiting for a taxi. This was completely different from the very first cruise I ever took where I stood on deck in the hot sun until 12:00 noon and thought we would have some passengers die of heat stroke. A riot almost happened on that frightening day. So I would look at the disembarkations that went right and avoid whatever is wrong. Personally, passengers who don't listen to what they are supposed to do also add to the problems. So even if we found the magic answer we would get different results cruise to cruise.

And yes, I agree with those who say waiting in your cabin is 100% better than sitting in some common area.

David
Who hates disembarkation simply because it means the cruise is over!:(

[Bramcruiser]

Why I don't do express checkout! First, who wants to rush off the ship and end the vacation? Secondly, I rather extend to yet another area having someone do something for me. Heck, if they can deliver it to my house I'd let them. Boy, I do hate having to set foot on land once we dock for the last time.

David

[m2violin]

My mother and I got back 9/2 from a seven-day Alaska Inner Passage cruise on the Oosterdam (r/t out of Seattle). Being first time cruisers, we did attend the disembarkation talk -- yes, the crew farewell is fun (we were anxiously looking for our cabin steward, Aduan). We also enjoyed the free glasses of champagne (or mimosas, or OJ-your choice) being passed out to passengers.

Express Debarkation was an option that was announced. We weren't eligible since we stayed on in Seattle a couple of days post-cruise -- not to mention with my mother's physical limitations this would not have been an option anyway.

We were well aware that we had the option of staying in our cabin until oru group was called. My mother has some mobility issues, so she was wary of using that option. Instead, we waited in the Windstar Cafe. We noticed a line of wheelchairs ready outside the Pinnacle Grill. Mother gulped when she saw the incline of the gangway leading off the ship. However, I was able to secure a wheelchair for her, which Mother really appreciated.

Full breakfast in the Lido. I loaded up on the smoked salmon, as did the guy ahead of me in line -- "one last go-around!" as he said! :D

Immigration/customs were a breeze (then again, this was an Alaska cruise). We just had to show our proof of citizenship to the NSA guys at the end of the gangplank, then had to deposit our customs forms in a box in the terminal. We really didn't have much trouble finding our bags -- there were plenty of personnel to guide us to where the bags for the different color groups were stashed. I think it took us less than 5 minutes to find our bags and be on our way.

The worst part (besides going back to reality) was the surly bus driver who took us to our post-cruise hotel.

Since we were first-time cruisers, we really cannot compare our experience with any other lines -- but this was what happened with us.

[7x5090g]

I agree about the transfer buses. I generally use a taxi.....more convenient and usually costs about the same as a transfer bus. Taxis don't charge per person.

HAL wants $500 for air from Toronto to NYC on my next cruise saying that includes the transfer.:confused: Taxi from La Guadia to NYC Pier is $30 for the 3 of us plus toll. Air arranged by yours truly costs $140 and I know up front what flight I am taking. Figure this one out.:D