Debarcation vs. Hotel checkin

[gooch47]

How do you handle getting off the ship and to your post cruise hotel way before checkin time. Do you stay on the ship until the last possible moment (which is what time)? Do hotels just let you check in early? For a price?

 

Quite a few times we have ended up sitting in the lobby waiting for them to finally assign us a room and that is no fun.

[spookwife]

You have to be off the ship by nine. You will be out of your cabin earlier than that. You can either pay for the room the night before to guarantee it will be available before noon, or you take your chances that a room will be ready before the usual 3 pm check in time

[Clarea]

Once we rented a car and did some sightseeing and had lunch locally. It was nice to have the car for dinner and to get to the airport the next day.

[Big_G]

Every place we've stayed has stored our luggage and allowed us to use the facilities until the room opens up. I'd call and ask them ahead of time.

[mollyeilis]

Most hotels will let you do some of the checkin process AND stash your bags with their Bell Services.

 

DH traveled the world from '09 until this January for work, and the ONLY hotels he encountered that wouldn't let you do that were in NYC. And even then it was only 2 of them.

 

Unless you're at one of those hotels, ask if you can leave your bags with their luggage people (tips are always appropriate) and then go on about your day! Don't just sit in the lobby.

[critterchick]

You can also ask for early check in when you make your reservation, which will increase your odds a bit over asking when you check in. Some hotels are used to "cruiser turnover," where a large group of us arrive as a large group are checking out and heading to the ship and can get the rooms ready fairly early, before noon, anyway. Embassy Suites in San Juan comes to mind.

 

Some chains charge a fee now for an early check in. They won't charge you unless you actually get the room before the normal time, but I'd always be concerned that they'd let you in half an hour early and take your money so I don't request it when there's a cost.

[GUT2407]

How do you handle getting off the ship and to your post cruise hotel way before checkin time. Do you stay on the ship until the last possible moment (which is what time)? Do hotels just let you check in early? For a price?

 

Quite a few times we have ended up sitting in the lobby waiting for them to finally assign us a room and that is no fun.

 

It will vary according to where.

 

They generally want you off the ship by about 9:00.

 

Some hotels will allow early check in. Just about all will store your bags so you can have a look around till your room is ready.

[Ms Jo UK]

We have handled it several ways. We have taken post cruise excursions when ones we are interested in are available. We have also arrived at our hotel, never been lucky enough to get an early check in but have always been lucky enough to be able to store the luggage. We either enjoy the hotel facilities or go exploring locally on foot until check in time.

[cosytoes]

It will vary according to where.

 

 

 

They generally want you off the ship by about 9:00.

 

 

 

Some hotels will allow early check in. Just about all will store your bags so you can have a look around till your room is ready.

 

 

The same applies to Europe unless it's a very small hotel. My tip if you check the hotels website some hotels will give you extra benefits if you book direct with them rather than through an Internet booking site or join their members scheme. For example in uk I think it's holiday inn that gives a early and late check out to their club members

[wants2cruise2]

I have both planned on having my bathing suit in my hand luggage, I never check passports or electronics with rest of luggage at bell station, and used hotel pool to rest and relax,

and once I let Royal book my post stay, and expected ( read demanded) a smooth transition from boat to hotel room. That ended up costing us a lot more than I could have gotten myself online. But I checked right in. I'm trying to forget that others were too. Will NEVER do that again.

And for the next cruise, I booked an excursion that will drop us off at the hotel I booked myself afterwards.

[cb at sea]

We don't stay "post-cruise"...you get off the ship early enough to catch an early flight and got those dirty clothes home!

 

But, if you do stay after the cruise, hotels will hold your luggage for you. You can then use the pool, or restaurants, or go sightseeing and check in later.

[gooch47]

We've been on several cruises where debarcation was so delayed you would miss what you would consider reasonable flight times, much less early times. Once in Ft. Lauderdale Princess had to put up busloads of people until the next day. So now we always book one night extra.

 

Our experience with getting our room early has been mixed from easy to a nightmare. On our last cruise with our granddaughter she became so sick she was quarantined and we were escorted off the ship last. Even then, the hotel had no qualms about making us wait 2 hours more for a room for a sick child.

 

I was just hoping there was some method you all used to guarantee a ready room.

[MADflyer]

The method for guaranteeing a room for very early check-in is supposed to be paying for the night prior and having the room saved for early arrival.

 

At the end of a Transatlantic, I found that even this method can fail. I had booked 3 nights to stay 2 nights in Barcelona.

 

I had the Renaissance Hotel in Barcelona walk me to another 'Marriott' property over 3 miles from Barcelona at the AC Barcelona Forum.

 

They basically handed me an envelope with 700 euros in it and expected me to just be on my way. They refused to let me talk with a manager at the time of arrival and I had to go back to the hotel later, where they finally sent me to the 5 star Casa Fuster, that turned out to be one of the best hotels I have stayed at in Barcelona.

 

As far as FLL is concerned the Hilton is known to charge early arriving cruisers a early check in fee, while the Renaissance has a policy in place that if they have a room available and clean, that room is offered to an early arriving guest.

[Paulxyz2004]

As others have said, the only guarantee is to book the night before, or ask for a guaranteed check-in at x hours and how much they Charge for it. Usually the Hotels will work with you, although some may Charge you the full night Prior to Arrival.

 

I frequently do this, as well as asking for half day rates when I have a late departure to guarantee my room for late check-out.

 

If it not essential to me to get a room early I just Chance it and more often than not I get a room right away.

It usually helps if it´s a very big Hotel with many rooms, with plenty of the same Hotels around and no conventions or so going on. It´s most likely those Hotels are not fully booked and have a room available.

 

As a side note I like the concept of the Hotels in the UAE. They often have a 24h check-in check-out policy. You can arrive at any time of the day/night and check-in and you have your room for a full 24 hour period.

[mollyeilis]

I was just hoping there was some method you all used to guarantee a ready room.

 

OK that's not what you asked.

 

How do you handle getting off the ship and to your post cruise hotel way before checkin time. Do you stay on the ship until the last possible moment (which is what time)? Do hotels just let you check in early? For a price?

 

 

If you want a room, book from the night before and *let them know* that you are getting in early the next morning.

 

 

Hotel staff can't clean faster b/c there's a sick kid. If you've ever been, or known, a hotel housekeeper you would know how much work there is to clean each room.