Disembarking

[bosoxfan23061]

Wife and I are going on our first cruise in a couple weeks. Can anyone explaing the routine for disembarking? I searched and foound very little that answered questions I have. It appears that If you aren't carrying your luggage off, you have to have it outside your door the night before (correct?). And when you get up the last morning, breakfast is available; but where? After that, what do you do? What time do you HAVE to be out of your cabin? I also read that they disembark in "groups" or "zones"; is there a designated/specific area you HAVE to wait in? How do you know what zone you are in?

 

Thanks!

[Fla Senior]

You'll be given complete details a couple of days before end of cruise. There are two choices to disembark, self assist and checked luggage. Self assist gets off first and checked luggage next. Checked luggage folks will put their luggage in hallway the last night. You'll be given luggage tags with your zone level along with customs declaration form. Those zone levels will also be your baggage claim number. Zones will be called based on those with early flights and deck levels. Food is served in MDR and Lido. It's usually a fairly simple process. The last day there will be a TV channel that also explains everything.

[maldenmusic]

Disembarking isn't complicated and there will be plenty of info given to you before. We have always done the self assist and carried our luggage off ourselves. No hassles except the lines can be a little long at times.

[bosoxfan23061]

If you self assist, what time do you have to be out of your room?

[GTO-Girl]

If you self assist, what time do you have to be out of your room?

 

 

In order for your room steward to start preparing for the next cruisers it would be considerate if you could try to be out by 8:30-9:00 at the latest.

 

Self assist starts allowing passengers off as soon as the ship clears customs, which could be as early at 7:00-7:30am.....but that doesn't mean you have to get off that early. Once they start calling for self assist to get off, you can leave at any time after that......your choice.....but remember you will have ALL of your luggage with you that you have to able to handle on your own.

Edited March 21, 2014 by GTO-Girl

[bosoxfan23061]

So if you're doing self assist, you can wait until 9ish and leave anything you want?

[winddawn]

Wife and I are going on our first cruise in a couple weeks. Can anyone explaing the routine for disembarking? I searched and foound very little that answered questions I have. It appears that If you aren't carrying your luggage off, you have to have it outside your door the night before (correct?). And when you get up the last morning, breakfast is available; but where? After that, what do you do? What time do you HAVE to be out of your cabin? I also read that they disembark in "groups" or "zones"; is there a designated/specific area you HAVE to wait in? How do you know what zone you are in?

 

Thanks!

Your cabin steward will leave your numbered luggage tags, customs declaration form, and an instruction sheet in your cabin on the bed the last full day of the cruise. The number on that luggage tag is your "zone." Additionally, one channel on the TV will be airing debarkation info that day too. Breakfast is typically served in the buffet starting around 6 AM and maybe in one dining room. The waiting areas where you wait after you have to vacate your cabin are the public areas--Lido, along the promenade, etc. They will be making announcements on the overhead on debarkation day to keep you informed. They will announce when the ship has been cleared by the authorities to start letting passengers off. Just wait until they call the number on your debarkation luggage tag and then proceed to the gangway. Be aware that you will need to have your sail & sign card in your hand as you debark so they can scan it as you leave. Once inside the terminal you'll need your citizenship document (passport or ID/birth certificate) and completed customs declaration form in your hand to clear through customs. Very helpful people will be stationed all along the terminal to keep you moving in the right direction.

 

Debarkation is one thing Carnival does very well. You will need to be off the ship around 10 AM at the very latest, but listen for the announcements. If you'll follow the instructions Carnival gives you, things should go smoothly.

[pungo3]

So if you're doing self assist, you can wait until 9ish and leave anything you want?

 

You will get very specific instructions delivered to your stateroom, and will have the CD on the tv telling you everything you need to know. Depending on the deck you are on, you will be assigned a time to disembark. There would be a time for you to carry off luggage and also a time if you choose to carry your own luggage. You can NOT leave any earlier than the time assigned, but you can leave later. There will come a time when the stragglers are asked to leave.

 

I hope you have a fabulous cruise! If you have any more specific questions, I'd be glad to try and answer.

[Fla Senior]

So if you're doing self assist, you can wait until 9ish and leave anything you want?

 

Self assist is a controlled exit and it's done deck by deck starting around 7 and usually completed by 8 or sooner.

[SadieN]

So if you're doing self assist, you can wait until 9ish and leave anything you want?

 

 

Yes

For the short cruises we always do self assist and we usually wait til the CD says, 'Will the last 50 passengers PLEASE leave the ship. We've run out of food!'

How did he know I got the last ice cream cone?

 

We watch the gangway to see how the crowd is flowing.

Usually around 10am.

Edited March 21, 2014 by SadieN

[Davey Wavey]

Our most recent cruises, the debarkation information said room checkout time was 9AM. The room steward was standing RIGHT THERE at 9AM when we left. Luggage had to be in the corridor by 11PM. We saw plenty of people put stuff out after midnight and it was still there the next morning. Dining room was serving breakfast until 10AM, but the Lido buffet was still open. In fact, they close for about 30 minutes around 10AM to switch over to lunch stuff for the incoming crowd. You can leave when they call your zone number which is on the blue tags they leave in your room the night before, or you can just hang out and eat lunch then go people watch in the many lounges or in the main theater. We have always been at the very end of the customs line on the way out. It does make it way easier to find your luggage!

[OCruisers]

If you choose "self assist", do make absolutely sure you can manage ALL of your luggage yourself.

I've seen folks who really shouldn't have think they could and found it a real struggle. :o

LuLu

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