Return home ?

I am wondering what time you have to be off the ship on the last day? I am looking at booking a 1:30 p.m. Flight but will we be too rushed?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

You are required to be off the ship by 9:00. At about 9:15 they start the "sweep" where CMs will direct any remaining passengers toward the big doors. Of course this timing assumes a normal Customs clearance.

It is a 45 minute drive to MCO. 1:30 is FINE. DCL recommends that you not book a flight before 12:30, (used to be 12:00) but THEY book people on 11:30 flights.

The last morning is an early one....they want you GONE...ASAP!!!

How long does it take to get through customs

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

How long does it take to get through customs

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Depends on the length of the line. We have had literally everything from 10 minutes or less to one unfortunate cruise of over 3 hours. We've had 3 cruises where the "big doors" didn't open until after 8:30 (in one case it was well after 9) due to delays in Customs clearing the ship. Those situations are real messes.

Normal--you either put your luggage out on the last night or plan to take it off yourself in the morning. If taking it off yourself, you need to be able to carry/pull all of it from ship to terminal with no assistance. SO, you eat breakfast either at your assigned time or at the pool deck buffet and get off the ship. Porters are in the terminal to assist with luggage if needed/desired. Roughly 5 minutes to claim luggage, 10-15 minutes in line for Customs. Then to your transportation. If transportation is DCL bus, you go to the CM assigning you to a bus. She will verify that you have purchased transfers and point you to the bus (porter will bring luggage to bus). You may wait up to 20 minutes for bus departure while it fills up. IF you are the last bus, you may wait 45+ minutes! Then 45 minute ride to MCO.

Other alternative...if you are using DCL transportation AND are on a participating airline, you can put out your luggage the night before and not see it again till you arrive at your HOME airport. You also got boarding passes in your cabin so when you get to the airport you can go thru security and directly to your gate. This is a seriously amazing convenience IF you are on a qualifying flight.

Off ship by 8:45, you'll be at MCO by 10. That's plenty of time for a 1:30 flight.

The last morning is an early one....they want you GONE...ASAP!!!

9am is a perfectly reasonable all ashore time or time for a shore excursion.

Why is 9am so early in your opinion on debark day cb at sea?

ex techie

9 am is earlier than some other lines...but DCL starts boarding sooner than those other lines.

They want you out of your cabin by 8:00 if you are not in concierge. This has been consistent across the lines that we've cruised in the last 8 years. They need to get those cabins cleaned and ready for the incoming guests. What DCL skips is the "go sit in some lounge until we are ready to let you off the ship" step. While this does sometimes result in lines in the terminal, it also generally gets people on their way more quickly than some other lines.

Bottom line--9 am is not early if you want to be able to start boarding at 11:15 (which is common on DCL). If a line wants boarding delayed till 12 or 1, it might make sense to allow people to stay on board longer. But what are you going to do on the ship if everything is closed and you are out of your cabin?

9 am is earlier than some other lines...but DCL starts boarding sooner than those other lines.

 

They want you out of your cabin by 8:00 if you are not in concierge. This has been consistent across the lines that we've cruised in the last 8 years. They need to get those cabins cleaned and ready for the incoming guests. What DCL skips is the "go sit in some lounge until we are ready to let you off the ship" step. While this does sometimes result in lines in the terminal' date=' it also generally gets people on their way more quickly than some other lines.

 

Bottom line--9 am is not early if you want to be able to start boarding at 11:15 (which is common on DCL). If a line wants boarding delayed till 12 or 1, it might make sense to allow people to stay on board longer. But what are you going to do on the ship if everything is closed and you are out of your cabin?[/quote']

 

I agree.

The PP CB is just spouting generic information.

 

I would love to see a once debarking has finished, embarking commences trial though. (Staterooms still only accessible at 1:30)

I wonder what impact that would have on the Guest experience of walking aboard whilst vacuuming, fogging if noro had been present on the previous cruise, and the general state of not "show ready" would be.

I think it would be a great experiment to see any difference. I think most would suffer that not show ready environment, just to get aboard earlier.

The financial costs of labor though.....

 

ex techie

 

I would love to see a once debarking has finished, embarking commences trial though. (Staterooms still only accessible at 1:30)

I wonder what impact that would have on the Guest experience of walking aboard whilst vacuuming, fogging if noro had been present on the previous cruise, and the general state of not "show ready" would be.

I think it would be a great experiment to see any difference. I think most would suffer that not show ready environment, just to get aboard earlier.

The financial costs of labor though.....

 

ex techie

An interesting idea, but what are you going to do with the guests on board? This is what used to happen with B2B guests. DCL would have one venue open for "snacks," (2 when there were large numbers of B2B guests), and the beverage station was open. Pools opened after they had been cleaned, which didn't always mean they were ready to be used. And you've already covered that cabins won't be ready.

They'd have to do something about food as many people have had a REALLY early breakfast before catching a plane on embarkation day. Currently, lunch and fast food places are open when boarding starts...but they need some time to change over from breakfast to lunch. I'm not sure that could be ready as soon as disembarkation ends. And they'd have to have the pools open or something else to do on board as soon as they allow people back on.

I honestly think the staff needs a short time without guests in order to get ready for the newbies.

If DCL has "extra" personnel at embarkation time, there are a few things I've seen on other lines that would be useful. I'd start with embarkation assistance for HA guests. On DCL, when I board with my daughter in a wheelchair, I push the chair. That means we load her lap with whatever and of course, we've checked as much as possible. Another line has servers and other personnel serving as embarkation assistants. They assigned us to a muscular male person who pushed the chair which allowed me to be free to handle the medical equipment and get it to the cabin. And we didn't ask for this--it is a part of their boarding process for anyone who needs it. BUT it tied up maybe 10 servers as they appeared as a group and took 2 wheelchair guests at a time. This was a HUGE help in getting up the gangway to board, and by taking the chairs in groups of 2, it did not delay boarding for others. We had no priority on this line, but the special assistance boarding started after their top tier frequent cruisers (suites/elite, then general boarding with intermittent wheelchairs). Another benefit was that the "pusher" was quite comfortable chatting as he took us thru the boarding process so we learned about him, the ship, etc.

Another idea is that the other line had certain banks of elevators reserved for embarkation. For a few hours, guests already on board could not call those elevators to a floor--they could only be boarded at the embarkation level. Yes, it meant already on board guests had to go a bit out of their way to get wherever, but it did get people on board more quickly.

An interesting idea' date=' but what are you going to do with the guests on board? This is what used to happen with B2B guests. DCL would have one venue open for "snacks," (2 when there were large numbers of B2B guests), and the beverage station was open. Pools opened after they had been cleaned, which didn't always mean they were ready to be used. And you've already covered that cabins won't be ready.

 

They'd have to do something about food as many people have had a REALLY early breakfast before catching a plane on embarkation day. Currently, lunch and fast food places are open when boarding starts...but they need some time to change over from breakfast to lunch. I'm not sure that could be ready as soon as disembarkation ends. And they'd have to have the pools open or something else to do on board as soon as they allow people back on.

 

I honestly think the staff needs a short time without guests in order to get ready for the newbies.[/quote']

 

Once the last diner has left the MDR or Cabanas from breakfast, doors are closed for say 30 minutes, and it is open again with a lunch buffet for the new cruisers. Obviously tables are cleaned and re set as diners leave from breakfast.

Same as any restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch apart from the quick 30 minutes closure.

Pools and hot tubs can be filled as soon as the ship docks as they already have the nets over them so cannot be used before. They scrub them once they drain them, then they are ready for the next day.

 

Put a movie on in BVT, only takes one technician.

Pool deck set up with loungers after the pools are scrubbed.

A couple of CM's for the Aqua Duck or Aqua Dunk or Twist 'n Spout, and the lifeguards.

All other venues closed for maintenance or housekeeping.

 

Those positions could all be staffed from shoreside CM's employed on a part time basis to fulfil the roles of greeters at the shell door, bar staff, lifeguards and slide CM's. And ship CM's still have time off.

They could also bring additional staff on to help with the turn around of the Staterooms and speed that up.

 

But as per the last part of my other comment

 

The financial costs of labor though.....

 

ex techie

Well, if they back up with shoreside personnel, it would add costs. They pay the on board personnel so little that I'm not sure that would make much difference.

It sounds interesting. Might work.

Well' date=' if they back up with shoreside personnel, it would add costs. They pay the on board personnel so little that I'm not sure that would make much difference.

 

It sounds interesting. Might work.[/quote']

 

The ILO have clamped down on working hours since I left DCL, so the only way I would see this working is outside labor, from shoreside.

 

But I would love to see if it "could" work and what impact it would have on Guest perspective of boarding day in a opinion poll. Not just on here, but on actual cruisers.

 

I couldn't begin to calculate the labor costs. I think some other lines DO employ shoreside personnel to help with the changeover day aboard their ships. Im sure I've read that.

I have no idea what it would cost DCL.

 

ex techie