Disembarkation: A Good Start At The End

All cruise vacations, regardless of length or type, are filled with great memories.  People begin having the time of their life from the very moment they board to the very final night.  There is one part of every cruise which a vast majority of cruise guests dislike.  It’s that part of the trip known as disembarkation.  Very much like embarkation, disembarkation is highly sophisticated.  In my earlier story, “Attention Cruisers: Don’t Forget To Pack Your Common Sense!”, I explained the top five key things cruise guests must do to avoid the same recurring mistakes made by preceding cruisers.  During disembarkation, quite honestly, cruise guests commit a comedy of errors which repeatedly occur every week.  It’s best to have an error-free disembarkation.  Would you agree?  Here are the top five key hints to make your next disembarkation an all the more convenient and desirable experience. 

5) DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR STATEROOM BILL!

The morning of disembarkation, your onboard expenses statement will be attached to your cabin door.  Look over it carefully and make sure that all of your charges are correct.  If there are any problems or questions, take them up with the guest services desk onboard before leaving the vessel.  If you used a credit card for your onboard expenses, your total balance will be routed to your credit card.  If you selected “cash” as your form of onboard payment, be sure that your onboard charges are paid up prior to disembarking.  A short while ago, a guest had a cash account onboard.  For some rhyme or reason, he was unhappy with his cruise.  He decided to leave the vessel without paying his outstanding balance.  The ship’s security staff attempted to stop him, but he had already raced onto the shuttle bus to the customs hall.  He was then intercepted at the other end and sent back to the ship.  He was later questioned by U.S. Customs and the guest service staff.  Ultimately, he had to pay his remaining balance regardless of reason. If you have a cash account, you must double-check your stateroom bill for outstanding charges.  If you do have outstanding charges, you must pay your outstanding balance at the guest services desk before leaving the vessel.  Other than that, you’re free to go!

4) CHECK FOR ALL PERSONAL BELONGINGS!

This is among the top most important things which cruise guests need to put on their to-do list.  Preferably the evening before disembarking, take a good look around your cabin.  Check and double-check the drawers and closets for any items you may have left around at anytime during your cruise.  This includes cell phones, iPods, articles of clothing, and last but not least...toys and stuffed animals. You should also look under the beds.  Things do get kicked underneath by accident.  Additionally, check your cabin bathroom for items you may have not packed in your luggage. 

Double-check your cabin safe!  Guests very often leave their passports or other travel documents in it.  You may have stored articles of jewelry or other valuables in it during the cruise.  Recently, a guest left his bottle of insulin in his cabin refrigerator.  Guests rarely check the cabin refrigerator, however, it’s vital that all guests should double-check everywhere in the cabin for all personal items before disembarking.  Once your stateroom card is swiped for the final time, you are not allowed back onboard.  The process to retrieve items once off the ship can be long, tedious, and complicated.  Disembarkation can be extremely hectic.  There are guests coming off and the onboard staff is already in the process of preparing the ship for the next sailing.  It’s essential to add this must-do to your list of disembarkation chores.          

3) PROPERLY LABEL YOUR LUGGAGE!

The night before disembarking, you must have your luggage packed and placed outside your stateroom door by midnight.  Note: DO NOT PACK YOUR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS IN YOUR LUGGAGE.  You will not be allowed through customs without them.  Also, be sure to fill out your customs declaration form.  It must be filled out even if you made no duty-free purchases during your trip.  Make sure that your luggage has personal identification on it along with the colored/numbered tag provided to you by the ship’s staff.  Your name, address, and phone number must be written on the colored/numbered tag.  The number on your tag is the number you’re assigned for disembarking the vessel.  When that color and/or number is called, you and your party will proceed to the gangway.  Once inside the customs hall, proceed to the area where your luggage is located.  Double-check and triple-check that you have all of your luggage before clearing customs.  Recently, I was directing guests outside the customs hall exit.  A couple approached me and asked where their luggage was.  They had their carry-on luggage, but never stopped to look for their bags.  On another day, two guests went through customs with the wrong bags. They had each other’s bags.  These two guests nearly went on their merry way with the wrong luggage in hand.  Remember: CHECK YOUR TAGS AND COUNT YOUR BAGS! 

2) HOW ARE YOU GETTING HOME?

Before disembarking, double-check your transfer paperwork if applicable.  You should know ahead of time when your flight or train is departing.  Do not wait until last minute to do this.  If you are flying home, you should know ahead of time when and where your flight departs.  For example, if you were sailing from San Francisco, you should know if you’re flying out of Oakland or San Francisco.  In the New York area, there are three airports.  You need to know ahead of time which one you’re flying from.  It makes things easier for you, and it also makes it a whole lot easier for the terminal staff to assist you.  A few months ago, one of the ships at my home port was repositioning from Puerto Rico.  One guest I was assisting via wheelchair had no idea what airline or airport she was flying home from.  She had her transfer paperwork.  She never reviewed it prior to sailing.  Without knowing where she was flying from, I had no idea which motorcoach to take her to.  I had to chase down one of my colleagues to check the manifest on where she was flying from.  If you didn’t purchase transfers, seek out mass transit connections to the train station or airport. See my earlier story, “Cruise Transfers: Time vs. Cost”.  Some taxi fares will cost you more than a transfer.  KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!

1) EXPRESS VS. LOCAL    

Some cruise guests carry a ton of luggage when they travel.  Some travel with one suitcase and a carry-on.  Some travel with a whole matched collection.  This portion is number one on the list for a solid reason.  Cruise guests still don’t understand the meaning of the express walk-off program.  Express walk-off doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to leave the ship and claim your luggage faster. The express walk-off program is for guests who can carry ALL of their luggage off the vessel without any assistance from the onboard or terminal staff.  The express walk-off guests are the very first to leave the ship.  If you signed up for the express walk-off program, DO NOT PLACE YOUR LUGGAGE OUTSIDE YOUR CABIN DOOR.  It will end up in the sea of luggage in the customs hall.  There have been mornings where guests came off the ship too early, assuming that their luggage was ready to be picked up.  They had to wait until all of the bags were set up.  If you have your all of your luggage, along with your passports and declaration form, you’re on your way!    

    Disembarkation is the most sophisticated and hectic part of any cruise vacation.  There are a lot of must-do’s to be taken care of and a lot of important don’ts to remember.  Disembarkation is not difficult, as long as you use bit of common sense.  Remember to pay your cabin bill if you set up a cash account.  Before leaving the vessel, check around your cabin for personal belongings, pack and tag your luggage, and review your transfer arrangements.  Last but not least, think carefully if you want to sign up for the express walk-off program.  If you can handle your luggage without fighting for dear life, you’re good to go.  Getting off your cruise should never be hard.  Think of it.  It begins the countdown to your upcoming embarkation.  Every ending brings about a good beginning.