Does anyone know how long it takes to get off the Celebrity ship at port if not tendered?

[jackrabit7]

I'm trying to book an excursion on Celebrity Beyond, and the cruise customer service says it takes 2 hours to get off the ship at a port.  And she said people

are assigned to exit the ship based on your cabin class. So I'll be one of the last off? Just wondering if people that have cruised on Celebrity in the Caribbean could explain the process. 

Another question I have is in the past with other cruise lines a long time ago, we would get into port much earlier than expected and get permission to stay at port much longer than the itinerary.  Does this ever happen anymore?  I've never been on Celebrity before and it's been a very long time since I've been on a cruise.  Any thoughts would be appreciated!!  Thank you so very much for your time and help.

[jsn55]

It's my understanding that shore excursions booked through the cruiseline have priority getting off the ship.  You might want to post on the Celebrity forum.

[prmssk]

When the ship is able to dock, passengers can start getting off as soon as the ship is cleared.  There isn't any priority at these ports.  You just head to the gangway, swipe your sea pass card and leave.

 

It is a whole different story if it is a tender port.  Then cruise line sponsored shore excursions, those in suites, and those with loyalty get priority so it can take a lot longer.

 

I recall one port this past year where we arrived early although I can't recall if we were cleared to get off early.  I can't recall a time we ever stayed late.

[Honolulu Blue]

58 minutes ago, jackrabit7 said:

I'm trying to book an excursion on Celebrity Beyond, and the cruise customer service says it takes 2 hours to get off the ship at a port.  And she said people

are assigned to exit the ship based on your cabin class. So I'll be one of the last off? Just wondering if people that have cruised on Celebrity in the Caribbean could explain the process. 

Another question I have is in the past with other cruise lines a long time ago, we would get into port much earlier than expected and get permission to stay at port much longer than the itinerary.  Does this ever happen anymore?  I've never been on Celebrity before and it's been a very long time since I've been on a cruise.  Any thoughts would be appreciated!!  Thank you so very much for your time and help.

I've sailed on ships that got in as much as an hour early, so it does happen - but not often enough to count on. Less often, we've stayed in port past the expected all aboard time. Again, don't rely on this happening on your particular cruise.

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, prmssk said:

When the ship is able to dock, passengers can start getting off as soon as the ship is cleared.  There isn't any priority at these ports.  You just head to the gangway, swipe your sea pass card and leave.

 

...

True, but if you are on a ship carrying 4,000 or so passengers, getting to the gangway can be a mob scene if everyone wants off at the same time. Suppose there are two gangways and 3,000 people want off and it takes 3 seconds for each to swipe his sea pass it would take over an hour for all of them to get off.  

 

One reason to avoid mega ships.

[Treasure Hunter]

Currently we are on the Edge coming into Antigua. Yesterday we came into port 15 minutes early and cleared to disembark an hour later. Everyone got off whenever they wanted. Announcement made to meet your excursion’s at assigned places usually on the dock. They have been fanatical about returning on time.

[prmssk]

39 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

True, but if you are on a ship carrying 4,000 or so passengers, getting to the gangway can be a mob scene if everyone wants off at the same time. Suppose there are two gangways and 3,000 people want off and it takes 3 seconds for each to swipe his sea pass it would take over an hour for all of them to get off.  

 

One reason to avoid mega ships.

I've sailed mega ships, including a RCCL one this past weekend of about 4,500 passengers.  I've never waited anywhere near an hour to get off.  I'm not saying it can't happen ever but it definitely isn't the norm.  Rarely does every single passenger want to get off at exactly the same time.  And in my experience, staff is very efficient getting people off with multiple people scanning cards at each gangway.

 

Edit to add:  There are reasons to avoid mega ships but this is definitely not one of them in my opinion.  They have figured this part out with that many people.

Edited January 19, 2023 by prmssk

[CaribbeanBound]

Note that ships sometimes arrive early in the morning and get cleared earlier than expected.  When this happens, you can leave the ship even before the official arrival time.  They will NOT make an early announcement.  You must wander down to the gangplank to see if it opened early.

[neverlaysup]

If you are in port, when they make the announcement that the gangway is available, head on down and get off the ship. It should take no longer than 15 minutes (and that is a huge line).

[neverlaysup]

I have never seen 4000 people lined up to get off the ship at 8am, even on debarkation. In reality, budget 10-15 minutes to get off the ship once it's been cleared by customs. 

[NevadaCruiser2023]

On 1/19/2023 at 4:29 AM, navybankerteacher said:

True, but if you are on a ship carrying 4,000 or so passengers, getting to the gangway can be a mob scene if everyone wants off at the same time. Suppose there are two gangways and 3,000 people want off and it takes 3 seconds for each to swipe his sea pass it would take over an hour for all of them to get off.  

 

One reason to avoid mega ships.

That assumes that everyone will get off the ship. A great many people choose to stay onboard to enjoy the quiet time.  

[Mark_T]

I don’t blame the CS staff for being cautious and vague as it really can’t be predicted. 
 

All it takes is a late arrival or a clearance delay and you can be looking at a queue stretching right around the ship. 
 

Couple that with a docking location that means there is only a single exit and you have a perfect storm that leaves the ‘2 hour’ suggestion looking pretty reasonable…

 

Most of the time it doesn’t happen, but it can…

[Canuker]

jackrabit7: Your time issue won't be about getting off the ship. It will be about those folk on your tour who show up 45 minutes late and curtail the tour for everyone else.

You know who I mean.

[phoenix_dream]

On 1/18/2023 at 10:58 PM, prmssk said:

When the ship is able to dock, passengers can start getting off as soon as the ship is cleared.  There isn't any priority at these ports.  You just head to the gangway, swipe your sea pass card and leave.

 

It is a whole different story if it is a tender port.  Then cruise line sponsored shore excursions, those in suites, and those with loyalty get priority so it can take a lot longer.

 

I recall one port this past year where we arrived early although I can't recall if we were cleared to get off early.  I can't recall a time we ever stayed late.

We just got priority disembarkation in Curacao as suite guests. We gathered in the lounge and were escorted off. I don't think this is necessarily common but it happened to us last week. I suspect it had something to do with our scheduled late afternoon arrival.  Celebrity excursions also get priority sometimes,  it depends on their timing.

[lovecruzin]

Not the Caribbean but something I’d never experienced before…We recently cruised on Eclipse and the line to disembark in a couple NZ ports was quite long (into the casino and almost to forward elevators). We joined when it was mid casino but still took us approx 20-25 min before we were down the gangway.

[rjrpar]

On 1/19/2023 at 7:29 AM, navybankerteacher said:

True, but if you are on a ship carrying 4,000 or so passengers, getting to the gangway can be a mob scene if everyone wants off at the same time. Suppose there are two gangways and 3,000 people want off and it takes 3 seconds for each to swipe his sea pass it would take over an hour for all of them to get off.  

 

One reason to avoid mega ships.

Your assumptions are very flawed