Disembarking the Sun in Tampa

[GoofyCrew]

I've searched the forum but can't seem to find an answer to my exact question. We are first time cruisers and I am just curious as to how the disembarkation process works.

 

From researching, it sounds like you can do an 'easy walk off' once the ship clears customs, by towing your own luggage. Do you need to disembark right away?

 

It sounds like the other option is to go down the night before and get a 'color' tag and leave your luggage for them to take off the ship (while you keep a small overnight bag).

 

We would like to keep our own suitcases (going to do a fancy dinner the last night, plus the kids will have plenty of stuff...). We don't have a plane to catch so we don't have a need to hurry off of the ship. Is it possible to do 'easy walk off' so we can keep our own luggage, and then not disembark until later in the morning? This will help us get closer to our post-cruise hotel's check-in time as well.

 

Thanks in advance!

[C Cruise Dude]

I've searched the forum but can't seem to find an answer to my exact question. We are first time cruisers and I am just curious as to how the disembarkation process works.

 

From researching, it sounds like you can do an 'easy walk off' once the ship clears customs, by towing your own luggage. Do you need to disembark right away?

 

It sounds like the other option is to go down the night before and get a 'color' tag and leave your luggage for them to take off the ship (while you keep a small overnight bag).

 

We would like to keep our own suitcases (going to do a fancy dinner the last night, plus the kids will have plenty of stuff...). We don't have a plane to catch so we don't have a need to hurry off of the ship. Is it possible to do 'easy walk off' so we can keep our own luggage, and then not disembark until later in the morning? This will help us get closer to our post-cruise hotel's check-in time as well.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

You can keep your bags and walk off. The challenge is getting down the elevators. At the terminal there was one elevator and a long line. Crew members with coffee and pastry moved to the front of the line while passengers like myself had a flight to catch. I know, you don't have one. I would let the other get off and tag behind (in your case).

[Rebels82]

Tampa is very slow disembarking because of 1 elevator and the slow escalators....not a NCL problem but a Tampa problem.

[roger001]

I think it will depend. I just posted the other day that Tampa, last week on the Sun, was the absolutely fastest debarkation I've ever done. We waited until the early walk offs were completed and the first color tags were called. We left then (yellow tag). We were through baggage claim, through customs, and on the street in about 10 minutes total. No lines at all.

[Sauer-kraut]

To answer your question, yes you can do easy walk off and be amongst the last off the ship. You have to be out of the room by 8 or 8:30 and will have to go sit in the buffet or someplace with ALL your bags until they do last call.

[Demonyte]

We waited until the early walk offs were completed and the first color tags were called.

 

 

Easy walk-offs are completed only after the disembarkation is completed.

 

Calling the colored tags has nothing to do with the length of easy walk-offs but starts immediately after the porters have sorted the tagged bags to accessible rows in the terminal so that the passengers can be let there to pick them up - color by color.

 

Unloading the luggage after the ship has been cleared for disembarkation takes some time and that's why there is a delay between the start of easy walk-offs and calling the colored tags.

[roger001]

Easy walk-offs are completed only after the disembarkation is completed.

 

Calling the colored tags has nothing to do with the length of easy walk-offs but starts immediately after the porters have sorted the tagged bags to accessible rows in the terminal so that the passengers can be let there to pick them up - color by color.

 

Unloading the luggage after the ship has been cleared for disembarkation takes some time and that's why there is a delay between the start of easy walk-offs and calling the colored tags.

 

 

Ok...Let me rephrase that. The ship opened to the easy walkoffs at about 7:30. There was then the rush from all of them, causing some line up and waiting. However, by the time the colored tags were starting to be called (promised to begin at 9 am but actually begun at about 8:30), the easy walkoffs were all but completed, line gone, no wait. But, yes, for the remainer of the morning there were still a few guests, who were in no hurry debarking, and carrying their own luggage, still trickling off the ship with the colored tag folks. And....every cruise we've been on, the colored tags were not begun until the easy walkoff folks and their line had pretty much dissipated, regardless of when the baggage might have bee ready down in the terminal.

[garycarla]

You can still have them take your bags at night. You can put them out LATE in the evening.

 

The process is pretty much the same in Tampa as Miami as New York, etc.

And the same on all the NCL ships. There are small differences, but nothing worth noting.

[GoofyCrew]

But, yes, for the remainer of the morning there were still a few guests, who were in no hurry debarking, and carrying their own luggage, still trickling off the ship with the colored tag folks. And....every cruise we've been on, the colored tags were not begun until the easy walkoff folks and their line had pretty much dissipated, regardless of when the baggage might have bee ready down in the terminal.

 

Thank you! That's what I was wondering. We have no need to be the first off the ship. We aren't in any hurry and would rather let those who are go before us. We don't need to wait until the last call either as I am sure they are eager to get the ship prepped and ready to go back out. I'd be happy to walk off with a mid or late group, if possible. Also, having to be out of our cabin and waiting elsewhere on the ship isn't a concern.

 

We have no problem towing our own luggage off (will probably only have two suitcases total for the four of us). Can't justify having them take it the night before (even late so we could change out of our dinner clothes) and then having to go look for it. Plus with kids we have PJs, stuffed animal friends, etc...haha...;)