Is there a way to manipulate our Disembarkation Time?

I would like to get off the boat as early as possible. Carrying our own bags is not possible. Thanks!!

Since you cannot carry your luggage, you best hope would be the first groups for the regular departure. You can talk to the front desk and request an early time.

Sure, be one of the first ones to get an early exit number. Line up early when it's time to get tags/colors.

The precise process varies by cruise line.

I suggest you post this on the board for the cruise line you are sailing.

Keith

Depending on the cruise line, they will leave some paperwork to fill out. Nobody will check your flight time, just write in an earlier one and hope for the best.

Just tell them the time you want off when the forms come to your cabin

If the ship dock at 7 am then ask for 8 am as long as you are off by 9am they do not care

Those who will carry off their own bags usually go first.

We are independent travelers, i.e., we always arrange for a private transfer. So we indicate that on our paper work and request the time we wish to get off, usually get it.

The truth is (unless you are on a ship transfer) they really can't keep you from getting off, but you will have to wait for the area where luggage is in the terminal to open up to be able to get your bags.

As independent travelers we have gotten off ahead of schedule, sometimes the port is very regulated and sometimes it is not. It varies... i.e., sometimes we can get our luggage and leave sometimes we have to wait, don't mind, either way, rather be off and getting on our way asap.

I would like to get off the boat as early as possible. Carrying our own bags is not possible. Thanks!!

You might get more specific answers if you try the forum for your particular cruise line. They might go by deck or pecking order for example.

Since you can't carry off your bags, the only thing you can do is request to be the first off once those who DO carry off their bags have disembarked. On some lines, they only take luggage off the ship by luggage tag color/number, so even if you try to leave earlier than your supposed to, you may find yourself standing around waiting for them to bring your luggage off the ship.

I would like to get off the boat as early as possible. Carrying our own bags is not possible. Thanks!!

if not in a suite or otherwise entitled to priority disembarkation, you ask at guest services for the earliest time available. at some point, you will probably get a form to fill out asking for things like your flight time and whatnot. they are usually pretty good about getting people off in a timely fashion, but they cannot promise the liens at Customs/immigration will move quickly.

we ave also noticed that sometimes your luggage is not ready for you in the terminal right away.

it takes time to off load all the bags

the color coded tags on the bags help the off load process so folks who NEED their bags, get them on time.

we ave also noticed that sometimes your luggage is not ready for you in the terminal right away. Ya THINK?

If EVERYONE requests earliest time for their bags to be unloaded the process breaks down . . .

or maybe you are balanced by the folks who ask, "how late can I stay on board?"

and probably STILL asked for their bags to come off first . . . .

I have been on four different line. We drive to the ports so want to get under way. We have always had good luck leaving early by visiting the customer service desk early. Now it is not such a problem because we get priority boarding and embarkation. Hope this helps.

We carry our bags off, and hold on to our low-numbered luggage tags.

Look on eBay, plenty of people sell tags with low numbers, along with SOAS and other prizes like pens, playing cards, robes and platinum gifts.

We carry our bags off, and hold on to our low-numbered luggage tags.

 

Look on eBay, plenty of people sell tags with low numbers, along with SOAS and other prizes like pens, playing cards, robes and platinum gifts.

OP said they could not carry off their own bags

About midway thru your cruise, they will request those with early flights to tell them...so do it! If you don't have a flight at all, just tell them you do. There is no way to check.

You will be put in one of the 1st groups off the ship. You don't need to "buy" tags, or whatever. Just tell them you have an early flight, and you'll be off and running.

The truth is (unless you are on a ship transfer) they really can't keep you from getting off, but you will have to wait for the area where luggage is in the terminal to open up to be able to get your bags.

I have seen more than a few times when they have refused to let people leave before their zone had been called. I guess if you make enough noise about it they may let you off. I haven't seen anyone challenge them once told to leave the line until it was their time.

We left our last cruise in Zone 1 then had to wait almost an hour anyway for our bags to come out. If you are unable to carry your own bags, just be prepared for that. The luggage was flowing from the ship, so maybe you get lucky and maybe not.

We carry our bags off, and hold on to our low-numbered luggage tags.

 

Look on eBay, plenty of people sell tags with low numbers, along with SOAS and other prizes like pens, playing cards, robes and platinum gifts.

Are you kidding? Selling debarkation tags on ebay? Bull!

Are you kidding? Selling debarkation tags on ebay? Bull!

I was wondering about this too.

To me, it seems that unless you have high priority status (owner's suite, been on a zillion cruises, etc., depending on the cruise line, of course), you just have to accept that you might not get off the ship two minutes after docking.

To this end (since I'll never NOT pack a ton of stuff), we never book early flights after the cruise. In fact, besides padding pre-cruise, we try to add to our vacation with a stay post-cruise. We don't take vacations every year (in fact, there was a period of time that we didn't travel for some five years due to my MIL's terminal diagnosis and other things going on in my hubby's life so we waited until he can enjoy a trip) so this works so we can actually enjoy trips without stressing. And if we leaving from our home port, we don't stress about being first off the ship. We'll get home in short time.

For the OP, if they can limit their luggage and use a roll away (which I imagine he or she considered) each, then they can request self-disembarkation. They won't have to worry about finding their luggage as they would have it.

Depending on the cruise line, they will leave some paperwork to fill out. Nobody will check your flight time, just write in an earlier one and hope for the best.

The OP is from Canada. On Holland America we have to fill in our post cruise flight plans in our online check in for Homeland Security. If we have no flight plan we have to give the address of the place we will be spending the night. They want to keep track of us. You don't want to be giving a fake flight plan to Homeland Security.

The OP is from Canada. On Holland America we have to fill in our post cruise flight plans in our online check in for Homeland Security. If we have no flight plan we have to give the address of the place we will be spending the night. They want to keep track of us. You don't want to be giving a fake flight plan to Homeland Security.

That is interesting, I never knew that. I know that on my of my cruises they have all non US residents to come to a specific location to meet with Homeland Security but I did not know of other requirements. Thanks.

Get zone 1 tags so your luggage is first off the ship and then debark with the self assist guests.

Get zone 1 tags so your luggage is first off the ship and then debark with the self assist guests.

And wait, wait, wait for you luggage while standing in the luggage area. Better off on the ship? OP, get your number and disembark when it's called. Better chance your luggage will be ready and you can be on your way.

To the other poster, if someone is selling early number tags, it's as a souvenir not for use on another cruise.

And wait, wait, wait for you luggage while standing in the luggage area. Better off on the ship? OP, get your number

 

To the other poster, if someone is selling early number tags, it's as a souvenir not for use on another cruise.

Of course, if you were able to get debarkation tags on line for a particular ship - - say: "Blue 1" for example, which might have been used for the first batch on an earlier cruise on that ship, how could you know whether Red 1, then Green 1, Green 2, Green 3, then a few others might not be called before getting to Blue 1?

xxx Oh, never mind. Smile!