Disembarking?

[dylane]

Sorry if this question has been asked many times before, the search feature didn't seem to be working so I thought I would just ask.

 

I'm wondering if there is a way to tell in advance what time you will be disembarking? I've been told that you only find out after you are onboard, ibut I would really like to know before hand so I can arrange for transportation home.

 

Thanks,

Dylan

[doone]

A few days after you are onboard, you will receive a paper to fill out. On this paper they ask what time your flight is, if you have one or if you have your own transportation. This is how they determine who gets off at what times. You won't be able to find out, to my knowledge, what time you are scheduled to get off til the day you disembark. I would guess that everyone is off by 10 ish, anyone else have a clue?

[Globaliser]

Sorry if this question has been asked many times before, the search feature didn't seem to be working so I thought I would just ask.

Actually, the search feature is working beautifully now - what problems did you have with it?

I'm wondering if there is a way to tell in advance what time you will be disembarking? I've been told that you only find out after you are onboard, ibut I would really like to know before hand so I can arrange for transportation home.

The arrival time in the itinerary will give you an indication of when disembarkation will begin. Many cruise lines ask you to allow two hours from that time before disembarkation, and will also give you guidance as to reasonably safe times to book flights.

 

You could also look at reviews and other reports from people who have cruised on the ship that you're on, or on a similar itinerary with the same cruise line, to see what sort of time people actually did disembark.

 

But I have never found out the exact time of disembarkation before they start organising it during the course of the cruise.

 

If you really want to cut it fine and live dangerously by booking an early flight, and then discover that the ship doesn't arrive or plan to start disembarking until later than you first thought, ships can be quite flexible in getting you off as early as possible. But why put yourself through that stress? Book something a little later, so that disembarkation time isn't critical, and give yourself some breathing space.

[dylane]

Actually, the search feature is working beautifully now - what problems did you have with it?

 

I got time out errors everytime I tried to access the page. I'm on a very slow dialup, so that sometimes happens on graphic intensive pages...but not usually on forum search pages.

 

I'm actually trying to arrange for a friend to pick me up, so I don't have to take a cab home for $120 (the amount it cost me last time I had to take a cab from the airport home.) I don't want my friend to have to wait forever to pick us up, but I don't want us to be stuck at the Pier for a long time with all of our luggage either. From talking to people I know it seems like you are given a time that you are supposed to leave, if I got an early time can I stay on board later until my friend was supposed to show up?

 

-Dylan

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

What port will you be disembarking in?

A couple of ports do not let people near the pier unless they are cruise passengers.

:)

[Globaliser]

I got time out errors everytime I tried to access the page. I'm on a very slow dialup, so that sometimes happens on graphic intensive pages...but not usually on forum search pages.

I'll bet it's those Flash animation banner ads that have started coming up, then. They freeze up my connection for a long time while they load, and drive me up the wall. I've just seen one on the search page, although fortunately I'm at work at the moment, with a fast broadband connection.

if I got an early time can I stay on board later until my friend was supposed to show up?

I've never had a problem with this, but the other thing you could do is to deliberately arrange a later time with your friend and then negotiate the same time with the ship when they're making the arrangements. You won't have any problems with asking to get off late: One of the great phenomena of cruising is that the people who clamour to get onto the ship at the first possible moment are also the people who just cannot wait to get off as soon as the ship arrives at the final destination ...

[doone]

I believe they want everyone off the ship by a specific time, so staying onboard until your friend picks you up isn't an option. I still say 10 a.m. should be a good estimate for time for your friend to pick you up. You may have to wait a bit, but it shouldn't be long. With my flights home, I am usually off the ship around 9ish. Hope this helps you.

[jhannah]

The main problem with disembarkation is if someone doesn't show up to clear immigration. They wait, then start calling for these folks over the P.A. system. Until everyone presents themselves to immigration authorities, the ship is not cleared for disembarkation. All it takes is one inconsiderate person to hold up the whole ship. Doesn't happen often ... but it does happen. That's why they cannot give you a specific time you'll be allowed off. Doone is correct that they generally want to clear the ship by 10:00.

[Nebraska Admiral]

One possibility would be to take your cell phone on the cruise and call them when you know what time you can leave the ship. Just figure out how long it will take them to drive to the pier and then set up your meet time/

[stillfrantic]

Oh my goodness. I had no idea disembarkation would be so complicated. I think this is one area Disney Cruise Line definately has HAL beat. We ate breakfast, then disembarked at our leisure. No set time, no groups, no calling people over the loud speaker. We just left when we wanted to leave. The only rule was you had to be off by 9, or maybe 9:30.

[dylane]

Thanks everyone. I'm getting off in Seattle, I don't know yet exactly what pier, but I don't imagine it should be too difficult to have a friend meet us close enough?

 

I believe we are arriving in port at 7:00 AM, but the travel agent still hasn't sent the cruise packet, even though we are leaving in about 10 days. :rolleyes: I think I will arrange with my friend to be ready to leave at 9:00 AM, and take my cell phone with me and give him a call when I know a little better.

 

Thanks all for the good info.

 

-Dylan

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

Not so on HAL or most of the other cruise lines.

Some people book tours for the end of the cruise and they are called by number so that everybody gets on the bus together.

Same thing with buses for airports and other towns.

The last group to be called are the independents who have their cars right at the pier.

We have always been in a suite on HAL so we are among the first off the ship.

:)

[doone]

KrazyKruizers, in Ft. Lauderdale last March, friends of ours had their own vehicle, they were called off 2nd, before us and we had a flight. We were told they like to get the people with vehicles out of the parking lot because the next group are on their way in. Sure enough as we looked out in that area, the cars were lined up waiting to get into the parking garage. So, who knows the method to their madness. I can't imagine not calling numbers to get off the ship once its cleared, that would be chaotic and its chaotic enough once the ship is cleared!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

On the Oosterdam, this past Feb/Mar, the car people were called last.

I think each ship does it's own thing.

I, too, can't immagine how chaotic it would be if everyone tried to leave at the same time.

:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

Seattle is one of those ports that doesn't have tight security, so your friend shouldn't have any trouble picking you up at the pier.

 

:)

[stillfrantic]

It wasn't chaotic at all on Disney. Actually sounds a lot more relaxed than listening for numbers. Where do you wait? We just went to breakfast, and when we finished eating, we just walked off the ship. Not everyone was leaving at once. Many were still seated and eating. The late seating hadn't even come down to breakfast yet. We walked through the passageway, showed our identification, went down an escalator, picked up bags and walked outside. Took only a couple of minutes til we were in the parking lot.

 

Can we wait in our cabins until we are called(our flight isn't until later, but too late to do the air boat tour.)

[spcl4cs_gal]

Last week on the Zuiderdam I filled out the standard form that the front office needed to decide who gets off when once the ship returned to FLL. I told the girl at the desk that I had a 7:45pm flight that night and so would like to stay on the ship as long as possible. She wrote on the top of my form "10:30am disembarking" which is pretty standard for the last group off. When I received my envelope on Thursday with my number for leaving, I was surprised to see that I had the number 1. Groups 1 and 2 were the FIRST off around 9:15am!! :( So much for the HAL "Signature of Excellence"! I was to pick up a rental car at noon so sat in the Pier 26 terminal until 10:30am....when the last group off the ship went through customs. Grrrr!

 

And then there was this young upstart US customs official who thought he would make life miserable for me because I was traveling solo...GRRRRRR!!

[doone]

As previously stated, no one can disembark until immigration clears the ship. I guess I am not understanding how on Disney you can just walk off the ship? On my previous cruises, we haven't been cleared before 8:30 or so.

 

My experience has been even though you have a low number, you may be called last. I had number 24 to disembark and I was the 3rd group called, so who knows how these numbers go, I sure don't.

 

You can wait to disembark in your cabin or any public areas, but they do ask you not to congregate around the stairwells as people are trying to get through to get off the ship. Its not as chaotic as it sounds, it works pretty well, I think.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) spcl4cs gal

Sounds like someone in the front office glanced at that "10:30" written on the top of your form and thought you had a 10:30 AM flight.

:)

[spcl4cs_gal]

:) spcl4cs gal

Sounds like someone in the front office glanced at that "10:30" written on the top of your form and thought you had a 10:30 AM flight.

:)

 

 

You could be right about that. I will have to make sure things are different in March. :)

[Arkie mawmaw]

Just returned from Seattle after disembarking on 7/18. The goal of HAL (at least on this past Sunday) was to have everyone off the ship by 9:30 a. m. We were in the parking lot awaiting our bus to the air terminal at 9:30 a. m.

[Typhoon1]

I checked with the Front Desk in February on our Oosterdam cruise. The ship MUST be empty by 10:30 I was informed. We had #35 and were in the last group was about 10:20. A year earlier, on the Zuiderdam, we had #11 and were off at 9:20.

 

Take that all for what it's worth. :confused: :confused:

[superstein61]

OK - being the non-rule breaker that I am (LOL) :) - I have to ask this question. Does anyone on HAl actually check the disembarkation group numbers when you are leaving the ship? Would they actually try and stop you if you left early?

 

I am not asking this just to buck the rules. Rather - I happen to have a pretty early flight home from FLL and while I certainly will let HAL know this - I don't want some snafu to occur and them give me a late disembarkation time and risk missing my flight.

 

So if HAL would happen to screw up like they did for someone above and not give me one of the first few disembarkation times - could I just join the group that was walking off then anyways?

 

Usually I prefer to stay later on the ship and take my time getting off - but this time the flights were either 11:05am or not til 7pm.

 

Thanks

[Globaliser]

So if HAL would happen to screw up like they did for someone above and not give me one of the first few disembarkation times - could I just join the group that was walking off then anyways?

If I need to get an earlier time than that allocated, I always just go to the front desk and explain why I need to change it. I've never been refused.

[the2ofus]

Of course there is always the unforeseen weather which could drastically alter disembarkation times. I know of ships that arrived very late in Tampa and in San Diego due to fog. I think you are smart to be taking your cell phone so you can call your friend when you know your approximate disembarkation time.