Faster Disembarking

Postal68 · Apr 25, 2015

Would we be able to get off the ship any faster if we kept our luggage in our room and wheeled it down to breakfast so we didn't have to try to find it in the multiple rows of luggage?

DISNEY FANTASY · Apr 25, 2015

Postal68 said:
Would we be able to get off the ship any faster if we kept our luggage in our room and wheeled it down to breakfast so we didn't have to try to find it in the multiple rows of luggage?

With the exception of Vancouver the answer is No in fact it could slow you down.

At Port Canaveral there are big crowds and often a long queue to get off the ship, if you have bags this will be worse for you, i have seen the queue go around the Atrium and down the restaurant down the passage way towards Aft.

You tend have to cross the bridge to the terminal go down an escalator or wait for the lift and then go through where the bags are to border control. You will be held up at the escalator and or lift and its just not worth it, rather than walk fast without bags to carry, and without running over peoples feet and toes rather than getting the bags at reclaim.

Your bags are very easy to find, you get a colour and character tag and put them on and say 1 0f 4 2 of 4 3 of 4 4 of 4 on them, and just go to that area and they will be there often together.

Vancouver is different there it is quicker to take your own bags off due to limited space.

Postal68 · Apr 25, 2015

DISNEY FANTASY said:
With the exception of Vancouver the answer is No in fact it could slow you down.

At Port Canaveral there are big crowds and often a long queue to get off the ship, if you have bags this will be worse for you, i have seen the queue go around the Atrium and down the restaurant down the passage way towards Aft.

You tend have to cross the bridge to the terminal go down an escalator or wait for the lift and then go through where the bags are to border control. You will be held up at the escalator and or lift and its just not worth it, rather than walk fast without bags to carry, and without running over peoples feet and toes rather than getting the bags at reclaim.

Your bags are very easy to find, you get a colour and character tag and put them on and say 1 0f 4 2 of 4 3 of 4 4 of 4 on them, and just go to that area and they will be there often together.

Vancouver is different there it is quicker to take your own bags off due to limited space.

Okay thanks, it seems strange to me. We have done two Cruises on the Dream out of Port Canaveral and both times we let them take our bags the night before. We got up, had breakfast walked down and found our bags and got right out with minimal wait. I was hoping we could get off even faster. I guess we'll just stick with our usual routine.

DISNEY FANTASY · Apr 25, 2015

Postal68 said:
Okay thanks, it seems strange to me. We have done two Cruises on the Dream out of Port Canaveral and both times we let them take our bags the night before. We got up, had breakfast walked down and found our bags and got right out with minimal wait. I was hoping we could get off even faster. I guess we'll just stick with our usual routine.

Yes thats the way it works and if you have your own bags to carry off you most likely will be at the same speed or slower ans you cant maneuver well and may add a hernia into the bargain. Its not worth it.

ptcbass · Apr 25, 2015

On our last Dream cruise we let them take our luggage. I went and grabbed some food from Cabanas for breakfast to eat in the room while we were getting ready. We walked right off, grabbed a porter, had our luggage in less than 5 minutes, another 5 for customs and then to the car, loaded up and on the road by 8:05. Very easy process.

DISNEY FANTASY · Apr 25, 2015

ptcbass said:
On our last Dream cruise we let them take our luggage. I went and grabbed some food from Cabanas for breakfast to eat in the room while we were getting ready. We walked right off, grabbed a porter, had our luggage in less than 5 minutes, another 5 for customs and then to the car, loaded up and on the road by 8:05. Very easy process.

Yes

I have been at WDW or Seaworld or MCO by 8.50am .

Sunshine2U · Apr 25, 2015

ptcbass said:
On our last Dream cruise we let them take our luggage. I went and grabbed some food from Cabanas for breakfast to eat in the room while we were getting ready. We walked right off, grabbed a porter, had our luggage in less than 5 minutes, another 5 for customs and then to the car, loaded up and on the road by 8:05. Very easy process.

That's exactly what we did. We found our luggage within a few minutes and had about a 15 minute line through customs. We left in the middle of the second breakfast seating and there were no lines until customs.

xlxo · Apr 25, 2015

DISNEY FANTASY said:
With the exception of Vancouver the answer is No in fact it could slow you down.
...

Vancouver is different there it is quicker to take your own bags off due to limited space.

Some thoughts...

if you have black luggage... think about adding color to it with tape or something on the handle... I wasted 20 minutes looking for my luggage when it was just one row over blending in with the other black luggage.
don't be surprised if you are asked to abandon your luggage at the restaurant door during breakfast. Servers need a clear path down the aisle and between the tables to quickly serve you your meal safely. The luggage pile at the door can be several feet high! Have fun retreiving it and watch other's luggage come crashing down. I guess early breakfast can leave luggage in the room, while the second breakfast would have luggage at terminal pickup vs piled in dining room.

ptcbass · Apr 25, 2015

I personally wouldn't go to breakfast the last morning. It was crazy when we walked by one of the MDR's when leaving the ship. Yes luggage was everywhere! No thank you

DISNEY FANTASY · Apr 25, 2015

I have done it every way you can.

Dover -Breakfast, not crazy and then get bags home in an hour.
Barcelona -Breakfast, not crazy a bit quiet, and off to a tour at 8.30am.
Vancouver- express walk off with luggage the only place i would say its worth it.
Port Canaveral left bags to them, had breakfast and go/ or skipped it.

Never take your bags off at PC not worth the hernia.

Saamh · Apr 25, 2015

We've used the express walk off twice in Port Canaveral and also last summer in Venice. If you have all of your luggage with you they allow you to disembark before general disembarkation. They will not allow you off the ship until general disembarkation has started unless you have all of your luggage with you. (Maybe they would if you were in concierge?). We grabbed breakfast at the buffet and then stopped by our room to pick up our bags and then carried our luggage off the ship. We were through customs and on the highway before they opened for general disembarkation (we had friends still on board).

We didn't find it challenging at all at Port Canaveral (even with our 2 kids aged 5 and 9 and 4 pieces of luggage).

DISNEY FANTASY · Apr 25, 2015

Saamh said:
We've used the express walk off twice in Port Canaveral and also last summer in Venice. If you have all of your luggage with you they allow you to disembark before general disembarkation. They will not allow you off the ship until general disembarkation has started unless you have all of your luggage with you. (Maybe they would if you were in concierge?). We grabbed breakfast at the buffet and then stopped by our room to pick up our bags and then carried our luggage off the ship. We were through customs and on the highway before they opened for general disembarkation (we had friends still on board).

Concierge can only get off when the ship is cleared but can be directed to the top of the queue.

dmunsil · Apr 25, 2015

We have used express walk-off twice and both times got off quickly and easily right when general disembarkation started. When we had them take our luggage, it took forever. We were done with breakfast and had to sit around for another 40 minutes-ish. We were in the last or second-to-last group, which I guess was just bad luck. If you have a manageable amount of luggage, I'd do express walk-off every time.

lbgraves · Apr 25, 2015

dmunsil said:
We have used express walk-off twice and both times got off quickly and easily right when general disembarkation started. When we had them take our luggage, it took forever. We were done with breakfast and had to sit around for another 40 minutes-ish. We were in the last or second-to-last group, which I guess was just bad luck. If you have a manageable amount of luggage, I'd do express walk-off every time.

Were you in Vancouver or another port when you had to wait? PC doesn't make you wait for your tag to be called because there is enough room in the customs area to put all the luggage out at once.

dmunsil · Apr 25, 2015

lbgraves said:
Were you in Vancouver or another port when you had to wait? PC doesn't make you wait for your tag to be called because there is enough room in the customs area to put all the luggage out at once.

Aha! It was Vancouver. Good to know, thanks!

DISNEY FANTASY · Apr 25, 2015

dmunsil said:
Aha! It was Vancouver. Good to know, thanks!

Yes that's a different process due to the very small space for bags to be taken off and put in reclaim.

PhiSigKris · Apr 25, 2015

Anyone have experience with San Diego? Is express walk-off worth it there? Thanks!

Flossbolna · Apr 25, 2015

PhiSigKris said:
Anyone have experience with San Diego? Is express walk-off worth it there? Thanks!

If you are arriving with a Panama Canal cruise, then I would say yes. For us last year San Diego disembarkation after second seating for breakfast was total chaos - and we were done with breakfast early and started lining up. The immigration passport control (full immigration necessary as it was not a closed loop cruise) took ages and lead to huge backups. I read reports from those who did express walk-off and for them it was much better. I think it took us nearly two hours from finishing breakfast to finally sitting in a cab to take us away (there was also an incredible taxi line that took ages).

I think however, that they instructed people to speak to guest services if they needed express walk-off for an early flight departure and that was the first luggage label called. There were stairs that you had to walk down if I remember correctly, so that could slow you down if you have your luggage with you.

PhiSigKris · Apr 25, 2015

Flossbolna said:
If you are arriving with a Panama Canal cruise, then I would say yes. For us last year San Diego disembarkation after second seating for breakfast was total chaos - and we were done with breakfast early and started lining up. The immigration passport control (full immigration necessary as it was not a closed loop cruise) took ages and lead to huge backups. I read reports from those who did express walk-off and for them it was much better. I think it took us nearly two hours from finishing breakfast to finally sitting in a cab to take us away (there was also an incredible taxi line that took ages).

I think however, that they instructed people to speak to guest services if they needed express walk-off for an early flight departure and that was the first luggage label called. There were stairs that you had to walk down if I remember correctly, so that could slow you down if you have your luggage with you.

Thanks for your quick response, Flossbolna! I WISH we were doing Panama!!! We're doing the 3 day, closed loop, San Diego to Ensenada, back to SD. This will be our 1st Disney cruise, but DH and I have cruised several times with RC & Princess & always opted to do walk-off to beat the rush. Now that we have kids, and are traveling with my mother, thinking it might be easier to just wait instead of dragging our luggage and ourselves off the ship. I know we won't want to leave!

Flossbolna · Apr 25, 2015

PhiSigKris said:
Thanks for your quick response, Flossbolna! I WISH we were doing Panama!!! We're doing the 3 day, closed loop, San Diego to Ensenada, back to SD. This will be our 1st Disney cruise, but DH and I have cruised several times with RC & Princess & always opted to do walk-off to beat the rush. Now that we have kids, and are traveling with my mother, thinking it might be easier to just wait instead of dragging our luggage and ourselves off the ship. I know we won't want to leave!

Yes, I think with kids it will be easier and debarkation should be quicker after the closed loop cruise. But I was not impressed with San Diego port. Things might have improved since then as there was also a building site making things more chaotic. So, be prepared for some hassle and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out better!

Have a great first cruise with Disney!!

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