disembark early at overnight final port ?

[rodndonna]

We have a cruise next fall that ends in Athens with an overnight stop in Athens. 

 

Our "preferred" flight option leaves very early (7:00) on the day we are scheduled to disembark (showing as 6:00 am disembarkation) but am wondering if we can disembark the evening prior, stay in an airport hotel and catch that flight?

 

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, you can. Expect you need to carry your own luggage off.

[rodndonna]

4 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Yes, you can. Expect you need to carry your own luggage off.

 

Thanks!

 

Really hoping to avoid it, but nice to know it's an option.

[TiogaCruiser]

Wouldn’t you need to confirm customs, etc. would be available? Or is mere ship’s clearance sufficient to allow final disembarkation?

[Shippy]

We wanted to do that once but were told no customs were available so we were denied.

[0106]

We were unable to disembark early in Miami from  the Oosterdam transatlantic be cause the ship wasn’t scheduled to clear customs until the am.

[Essiesmom]

If your cruise ends in Athens (Piraeus) chances are the previous port was also a Schengen country.  Therefore there would not be any customs or immigration upon debarkation.  Possible immigration exit at the airport, customs when you land in the US.  EM

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Wouldn’t you need to confirm customs, etc. would be available? Or is mere ship’s clearance sufficient to allow final disembarkation?

The ship is cleared when you dock the first day. Otherwise they wouldn't let you off the ship that day.

 

Customs isn't really a "thing" in the EU. Unless you meet certain pretty high criteria.

[Copper10-8]

5 hours ago, rodndonna said:

We have a cruise next fall that ends in Athens with an overnight stop in Athens. 

 

Our "preferred" flight option leaves very early (7:00) on the day we are scheduled to disembark (showing as 6:00 am disembarkation) but am wondering if we can disembark the evening prior, stay in an airport hotel and catch that flight?

 

 

 

 

Yes, you can but with approval/coordination of Guest Relations! Please don't forget to let them know of your plans when you board. Just showing up at the gangway at oh dark thirty of the morning of your planned disembark without their knowledge and a skeleton crew at GR (one night audit officer and one GR attendant) will present some "issues" that you can avoid by bringing Guest Relations in the loop! Have a great time in the Med! 

[Btimmer]

Be aware that even if you provide the information in advance, there may be issues at the gangway with an early disembarkation.

 

We recently did a 64 day cruise to Australia & New Zealand.  Near the end of the cruise we had an overnight in Melbourne and I alerted the front desk in advance that we would be staying overnight off of the ship in Melbourne and gave them all of the details of who we would be staying with, contact phone number, address, etc.  When we went to disembark with our luggage for the overnight in Melbourne, we were stopped by security and the officer had to call the front desk who had no record of my prior contact.  I re-explained we were simply staying off of the ship overnight and we left important things in our cabin that evidenced we were coming back.  It is also noteworthy that we left our luggage in Melbourne as we were returning there after the cruise and didn't need it for the remainder of the cruise and the travels after the cruise. 

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, Btimmer said:

Be aware that even if you provide the information in advance, there may be issues at the gangway with an early disembarkation.

 

We recently did a 64 day cruise to Australia & New Zealand.  Near the end of the cruise we had an overnight in Melbourne and I alerted the front desk in advance that we would be staying overnight off of the ship in Melbourne and gave them all of the details of who we would be staying with, contact phone number, address, etc.  When we went to disembark with our luggage for the overnight in Melbourne, we were stopped by security and the officer had to call the front desk who had no record of my prior contact.  I re-explained we were simply staying off of the ship overnight and we left important things in our cabin that evidenced we were coming back.  It is also noteworthy that we left our luggage in Melbourne as we were returning there after the cruise and didn't need it for the remainder of the cruise and the travels after the cruise. 

 

That's standard SOP on overnights, and/or at any port other than a disembarkation port, when someone presents themselves at the gangway with luggage in hand wishing to depart. You get stopped and security is dong their job! Believe it or not, guests have disappeared in ports leaving their cabins vacant to do whatever in that particular port, never to be seen again.

 

If you reached an agreement with Guest Relations re: your plan, that info should have been entered into the gangway/Security laptop after GR notified security of your intentions. The guard at the podium would have read the info and would have let you go to do your thing. Internal communications............so many issues can be avoided with good solid comms. Not your fault!  

[Torquer]

Last summer we were on a cruise that overnighted in Trieste Italy before disembarking the next day.  Upon arrival in Trieste we were told the ship would move in the middle of the night, from a downtown pier to an industrial port several miles away.  I forget the exact times, but it was something like from midnight to 6 AM you were not permitted to either board or get off the ship because the ship would be sailing in the harbor.  It didn't affect us, but it did affect some other people who planned some late-night adventures in town, or that planned to disembark very early the next morning.

 

I don't think this is common, but just thought I would mention it, since no one was told about it until the day before disembarkation.

[rodndonna]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

I called into HAL this morning and was told this would not be a problem but we would need to fill out a "special deviation" form. I guess if we went to guest services at the start of the cruise (where I guess they would do that form), but we would definitely do it ahead of the cruise as well.

 

Have not made a decision yet or booked our flights yet, but it is good to know the option is there depending on where we end up with flights.