Luggage/Disembarkation day

[Alice514]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forums here, but they have thus far been a great help in planning my first ever Disney Cruise (or any cruise, for that matter). As a last-minute celebration I'll be taking the 10/24 4-night cruise on the Wonder with my DM. Nothing makes me as happy as planning a Disney trip!

There is one thing I don't quite understand, and I know you Castaway Club members will be able to help me out. I read that you leave your luggage outside your stateroom on the last night. Is that just so the crew can tag them or do they actually collect them overnight? If it's the latter, then how do you pack your toiletries, pj's and other items you need to get ready in the morning?

Thanks!

 

[tikimimi]

Simply keep the few things you need to get ready in the morning and carry them in a carry-on or in this case, a carry-off.

 

[ssanders79]

.... I read that you leave your luggage outside your stateroom on the last night. Is that just so the crew can tag them or do they actually collect them overnight? If it's the latter, then how do you pack your toiletries, pj's and other items you need to get ready in the morning?

They take your luggage. On our August cruise it was picked up by 10 pm. Think of it like when you are boarding the ship, but in reverse. You have your day bag with all that you need for the day until your luggage arrives at your room.

The night before you return home pack everything you will not need and/or do not want to carry to breakfast and off the ship in the morning. Make sure you keep clothes, shoes and anything you will need as once your luggage is picked up you will not see it until you pick it up at the port.

 

[Gigi22]

If you look at disembarking as the opposite of boarding, it may help. You pack all your clothing, except your pjs and the outfit you will wear off the ship, in your bag that you put out at night. Disney elves/porters come and take your big bags away from outside your cabin, you will find your bags ashore in the morning. For security purposes, you may want to lock your bags before you place them in the hallway for pickup--if you check your bags straight through with a domestic US airline you would have to use one of the TSA-approved locks, or cable ties. You keep a carry-on with you, into which you pack your pjs in the a.m., travel documents, medications, jewelry, a plastic bag containing your 3-1-1 stuff, other valuables--and keep any liquor you purchased with you as well. You will have to take your carry on with you in the morning.

 

[DLBDS]

I'm going to be on the same cruise! Have you seen the thread for this cruise on the Disney Cruise Meets sub-forum? If you're interested, sign up for the FishExtenderExchange. Here's a link...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2394997

 

[Victoria J]

Is there any option to carry off your own luggage or is it required that you check all bags except a carry on?

 

[Silverfox97]

You are able to carry off your own luggage.

 

[Victoria J]

Thanks for the info! Is it difficult to do that - other than the obvious of having to haul your bags around? Do you have to leave earlier? I only have one other cruise experience and you could either keep your bags and disembark earlier than everyone else or put your bags out the night before. What we didn't know in leaving our bags out the night before was that it would take us over 2 1/2 hours to get off the ship - from waiting in the theater until our "color" was called, to then standing around and waiting in line, getting through customs, then getting our bags (they misplaced one of mine and we had to get someone - not sure who he was employed by - to help us track it down), then waiting in some other line, then waiting in the taxi line. Of course I'm sure Disney is much more organized than the Cruise line we traveled on.

 

[truck1]

Theres one thing Id add to the above posts. On the last night of the cruise, in your cabin, youll find color/character tags. Place 1 on each of your bags.If you have to, go to GS and pick up an extra 1, so you dont forget what color you have. Also, mark them 1 of x, 2 of x and so on,so the porter knows how many he/shes looking for. After you place them outside of your cabin, (dont put anything breakable,valuable,youll need, or liquor in them.) the stewards will come around, collect them, and take them below, to put in the metal bins for the porters to remove from the ship. From there, once the ship docks, they are separated acording to color/character tag in a big wharehouse type of bldg, attached to the main terminal.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Thanks for the info! Is it difficult to do that - other than the obvious of having to haul your bags around? Do you have to leave earlier? I only have one other cruise experience and you could either keep your bags and disembark earlier than everyone else or put your bags out the night before. What we didn't know in leaving our bags out the night before was that it would take us over 2 1/2 hours to get off the ship - from waiting in the theater until our "color" was called, to then standing around and waiting in line, getting through customs, then getting our bags (they misplaced one of mine and we had to get someone - not sure who he was employed by - to help us track it down), then waiting in some other line, then waiting in the taxi line. Of course I'm sure Disney is much more organized than the Cruise line we traveled on.

That is sooo not my idea how to end a cruise With Disney its soo much easier. You get an assigned breakfast time for your last morning and you can go or not. But once the ship has cleared customs you can leave anytime you like. No waiting in a theater or for an announcement about which color you're supposed to be.

If you put the luggage out the night before you'll have luggage tags with a Disney Character and color and once you clear customs, which takes all of 2 minutes if you have ID and receipts with form handy, Just look for the character on your tags and you're luggage should be an easy find. I worried about finding our luggage the first time around, but now that I know how its done, I don't think it could be any easier really. We had a late seating last time which I'm sure cleared out a TON of luggage but we have an early seating on our next cruise and I won't be worried at all about it.

 

[tvguy]

But once the ship has cleared customs you can leave anytime you like. No waiting in a theater or for an announcement about which color you're supposed to be.
.

Not always, I longed for a comfortable theater to wait in on Disney as we STOOD in line for 45 minutes to get off the Magic. Certainly doesn't happen every cruise, but as others have confirmed, it does happen with some frequency.

I also feel sorry for folks on Disney with early flights who have to wait for folks with later flights who are ahead of them in line. Disney really should give priority in disembarkation to those with earlier flights. They use Fast Pass in the parks, why don't they do that on the ships?

 

[Alice514]

Thanks to everyone for the info! Now I have a good idea what to expect.

 

[ClubDis]

If you're not in a hurry, can you just lounge out on the decks until the crowds clear out?

 

[tvguy]

If you're not in a hurry, can you just lounge out on the decks until the crowds clear out?

No, on Disney they pretty much herd you in the Attrium the last morning, especially after 8:30 am when all the dining venues close.

Every cruise line seems to have a different idea of what works best.
> Disney wants you out of your cabins by 8 am, and off the ship by 9 am, and other than the Attrium and limited dining venues, everything is pretty much off limits the last morning.

> On our NCL America cruise, the actually let you stay in your cabin until you were ready to get off the ship, as late at 10 am. It didn't seem to prevent them from turning the ship around in time for the new guests coming on board at 1 pm.

> On our HAL cruise, they wanted you out of your cabin by 8, and they disembark by groups. You eat, then move to the theaters to wait for your group to be called. They had orange juice and coffee and danish in the theater and had entertainers there to keep you occupied while you waited.

> On our NCL (regular, not America) cruise, they wanted you out of the cabin by 8 am, and had the public rooms open, they also disembarked by group. No food or entertainment though in the public rooms.

For us, HAL was by far the most pleasant last morning. No stress. NCL America was next, NCL regular third, Disney fourth, and while Disney was polite, it was clear they wanted you off the ship as quickly as possible.

 

[ClubDis]

That's kinda sucky.

 

[Gigi22]

But, ClubDis, the DCL CMs have to get prepared somehow for the next group of cruisers. And, like everyone else on the first day of their cruise, those passengers want to start boarding for their cruise at around 11:30 a.m. that day! I am not sure that I agree with TV Guy about HAL's disembarkation being more pleasant that DCL's--I find them more or less on par (different, but more or less equal, as HAL tries to disembark passengers by color-coded and number-coded luggage tags), but that is just my opinion.

 

[ClubDis]

I know they have to get the ship ready, but being herded into a room with over 1000 other people and forced to just stand and wait to get off the ship doesn't sound like a pleasant morning to me at all.

 

[tvguy]

But, ClubDis, the DCL CMs have to get prepared somehow for the next group of cruisers. And, like everyone else on the first day of their cruise, those passengers want to start boarding for their cruise at around 11:30 a.m. that day! I am not sure that I agree with TV Guy about HAL's disembarkation being more pleasant that DCL's--I find them more or less on par (different, but more or less equal, as HAL tries to disembark passengers by color-coded and number-coded luggage tags), but that is just my opinion.

HAL just seemed to have a little less abrupt end to the cruise. On Disney you have to be out of your cabin by 8 am, and out of the dining rooms /buffet by 8:30 am, and the public rooms other than the Attrium are closed. You have no where else to go. On HAL, they continued to offer entertainment , beverages and pastries in all the public rooms until they could get everyone off the ship.

 

[hrhdhd]

HAL just seemed to have a little less abrupt end to the cruise. On Disney you have to be out of your cabin by 8 am, and out of the dining rooms /buffet by 8:30 am, and the public rooms other than the Attrium are closed. You have no where else to go. On HAL, they continued to offer entertainment , beverages and pastries in all the public rooms until they could get everyone off the ship.

The procedure you're describing for HAL doesn't match my experiences (several, as you can see in my sig). On HAL, the big deal (for most) is that you are allowed to stay in your cabin until your color is called or it's time for your color (if the ship is doing the new "silent disembarkation"). You can also have a hot breakfast delivered on the last day. We go to the dining room or have room service and then wait around in our cabin until it's time to go. Of course, the cabin is not entirely peaceful because the mini bar guy wants to check the fridge, the steward wants to take the sheets off the bed, etc., but if one is clear about not wanting to be disturbed, they'll work on other cabins.

We've never been herded to a lounge. That seems like Princess, where they do toss you out of the cabins at 8 a.m.

 

[mouseears1]

I didn't mind the process when we left the ship on our last day. At breakfast we didn't feel rushed and I do understand that they have to get ready for the next group of passengers. My family and I had the early breakfast and then just hung out until 8:45am and then sadly left the ship.