How long does cruise ship dembarkation take?
March 2nd, 2010 9 Comments
Posted by admin
We will be taking a cruise this summer. It arrives in port at the end of cruise at 6 AM according to the itinerary. Our flight out that same day is scheduled for 10:30AM – and a 20 minutes taxi ride from cruise terminal to airport. Do we have enough time? How long does it usually take to get off the boat?
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You might make it, but I would choose a later flight. Our last debarkation took well over three hours. That would put you on shore about 9:30, at the airport around 10, and in real danger of missing your flight by the time you can check in and get through security.
The truth is, it’s hard to know how long debarkation will take. You might be off in an hour, or you might be stuck after two hours or more. There are a lot of variables. Debarkation can’t even begin until the port authorities have come onboard the ship and cleared it. That process takes as long as it takes, and it does vary.
I’ve had very easy debarkations, and others that were very slow and frustrating. It’s not a certainty that the ship will arrive back on time. On my last cruise, the ship both departed late and arrived back late. Fog closed the port on the way out, then a storm displaced navigational buoys while we were gone. It only delayed us a couple hours, but you don’t have 2 hours to spare. It happens.
Bottom line, if you schedule later and have a couple hours extra, no big deal. But if your fight leaves without you, big deal. Lots of stress to end your vacation, fees to change your flights, maybe overnight hotel expense and a day’s delay getting home. What good is that? I’d find a later flight.
Good luck.
You really need to book a later flight! Even when a ship arrives in port very early, it still has to be cleared by the authorities before any person is allowed off the ship! I have been on ships that have arrived at dawn but which for one reason or another have not been cleared until 9:30 or even later. Even if you carry your own luggage off the ship and are among the first to leave, you won’t be able to get to the airport far enough ahead of your flight to make it through security, etc. and get on the plane. I never schedule a flight home with a departure time earlier than 1:00 p.m.
It just depends on the cruise line. You can tell them when your flight leaves and they will get you off early as possible. If you are off the ship by 8am, you should be fine.
Be sure to cover your bag tags with clear packing tape. It helps to prevent them from getting torn off.
Me and my parents just went on a cruise an they let people while early fights back home off the ship first.
I think you’ll be able to make your flight.
You’ll be given a debarkation package a day or two before the end of your cruise. You’ll want to read the information carefully because it can really simplify the process. With your debarkation package, you should receive color-coded baggage tags to affix to you luggage the night before your cruise ends. You’ll be asked to place the luggage outside your room prior to turning in on the final evening of your cruise. During the night, your luggage will be taken to a holding area of the ship and then taken off the ship in the morning and placed in a color-coded area that matches the color of your tags. This is the area you will go to prior to final customs clearance.
Porters are usually available in this area to help you bring your luggage through Customs, and on to your car, taxi or motorcoach. This system works very well, and you can usually find your luggage after leaving the ship very easily.
The best way to hurry things along is to follow the directions of the staff on the final morning and to make sure any unsettled bills are paid. If you are from a country other than the United States, you may need to meet with Customs officials before you can leave the ship. They will not allow any passengers to leave the ship until every non-U.S. Citizen has been accounted for. Make sure you keep any appointments you have to clear Customs. It is terribly embarrassing when it is your name they keep paging on the public address system!
I’m not sure if this is your first cruise but t sounds like maybe you are. If you’re a first timer, there is a guidebook that is recommended on the Last Minute Cruise Specials Blog called Intelligent Cruiser. We refer to that guidebook every time we cruise so I put it in my source box. I hope you have a great cruise!!
Yes, you have enough time. The cruise line has your flight times so with your schedule you would be one of the first off the ship. You can also select to carry your own bags off and speed up the time. You will need to check with the main desk once on the ship for this. You didn’t say where you are cruising to but, once a ship docks it has to be cleared by the port and in some cases the crew needs to go threw customs this usually takes about a hour. I have had the same schedule as you from Alaska and never missed a flight.
No, you won’t have enough time. You’ll be lucky to get off the ship until 10 am. Depends alot on which part of the ship your on and how quickly you can find your bags.
You need to reschedule your flight. The cruise lines tell you not to book your flight until after 12 noon to be on the safe side. They are under no obligation to get you off the ship in time for your flight.
Getting off is much quicker than getting on. If you don’t have any problem with customs, you should have no problem making your flight.
It depends on the cruiseline. Some of them have what is known as early debarkation, where you carry your bags with you off the ship and get around the mayhem and get off the ship before the main crowd does.
Typically though, the passengers place their luggage outside their rooms, in the hall, the evening before. (DON’T pack your passport in those bags! You’ll need it to get off the ship, and you won’t see your bags again until you get off the ship!)
Even though the ship might get into port at 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning, it still has to clear customs, which can take some time.
Passengers usually debark according to room or deck assignments. Sometimes it’s mayhem, and a long line just to get off the ship. After getting off the ship, then you hunt down your bags. Some cruiselines arrange them in rows, others just put them in a huge pile. It can be chaos, or it can be organized, you never know. After locating your bags, then you get to go thru customs, which can also take some time, depending on how efficient or inefficient they are. (You’ll need to fill out imigration forms, and it’s best to have them filled out ahead of time, like the night before.)
The mad dash to be the first ones off the ship sort of reminds me of when I go to the movies; Lots of people show up after the opening credits, and they are often the very same people who rush to leave the theater before the ending credits have finished rolling! What’s the big rush? Why not take your time? Are people really in THAT big of a hurry to transform from a week living a life of luxury to getting back to the hustle and bustle and chaos of the real world? Apparently!
When I’ve sailed (Done it 5 times), I’ve always booked my flights so that I arrive in town the night before the cruise, spent the evening either with family in L.A., or at a nice hotel in Miami, and then drive or take a cab to the port the next morning. I book the flight home either very late in the afternoon on the same day the ship gets back in port, or for the following morning and just stay overnight at a hotel again after cruise before returning home. This works out nicely, because then this way I’m not rushed. I can take my sweet time getting off the ship and enjoy those final moments of luxury! I can sit in a lounge and sip a drink, point and laugh at the "cattle stampede" and just relax. Works out very nicely.
I don’t know your circumstances, if you booked the flight with the cruiseline or if you booked them separately. Check to see if they have early debarkation for travelers with early morning flights, or see if you can re-schedule your flight.
Hope you have a great vacation.