Port Canaveral Debarkation

[warrenz1963]

So we've settled on a town car service for transportation from PC to MCO on the day of debarkation and are trying to figure out the pick-up time. Is it possible to *not* do walk-off debarkation but skip breakfast? We have the later dinner seating which means the later breakfast on debarkation day. We'd rather not do walk-off because of the number of bags we will be carrying. Information and/or ideas?

 

[tvguy]

My only question would be IF you could access your luggage. You might have to wait until your group is called to disembark. I think their luggage system is set up in such a way that you can't get your luggage in the cruise terminal until your group is callled.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

You are not required to go to breakfast. But, you would have to wait for your luggage tag to be called first.

 

[Marc D]

In my experience, outside of late arrivals, they do not call groups in PC, or at least they are not still are taking off luggage off the ship when they start disembarkation. In other ports, groups are used because they are still doing that while the first guests are getting off, but the process is usually more efficient in PC. Maybe things have changed since the restart.

You can always have breakfast at the buffet if you do not wish to wait for your seating time. You can be done before they start disembarkation. If you prefer to eat in the MDR but during early seating, you can ask your head waiter on the last evening to arrange that. We’ve done it a few times. They direct you to another available table.

 

[OKW Lover]

Is it possible to *not* do walk-off debarkation but skip breakfast?

Yes. Nobody is going to force you to eat breakfast. You could just hang out in the lobby until debarkation for your group starts.

 

[warrenz1963]

Yes. Nobody is going to force you to eat breakfast. You could just hang out in the lobby until debarkation for your group starts.

I was wondering if I could skip breakfast in order to get an early debarkation group.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

I was wondering if I could skip breakfast in order to get an early debarkation group.

For PC, debarkation is normally open and doesn't have groups/tag announcements you have to wait to be called. The big question, although as someone else mentioned not normally an issue, is if your luggage is ready to be claimed. It has been our experience getting off after breakfast that there is not still luggage being brought out to the terminal at PC. Cannot say if that's the case before/during breakfast.

 

[lanejudy]

I was wondering if I could skip breakfast in order to get an early debarkation group.

Express debarkation typically begins around 7:30am, give or take a 15 minutes. You can line up and carry your luggage off, no requirement to eat breakfast. If you want DCL to take your luggage off, you may or may not have to wait a few minutes to collect it in the terminal. Still no breakfast requirement. As mentioned, Port Canaveral usually has “open debarkation” meaning you can go when you are ready, no groups are called.

 

[Marc D]

I was wondering if I could skip breakfast in order to get an early debarkation group.

Nope. The groups are created based on the info you provide concerning what you are doing after the cruise. The earliest the flight, the lower the group. However, in PC, the groups are only used to locate your luggage. You get off by getting in line and waiting.

 

[MrMagoo]

You do not say what time your flight is at MCO and that is a big factor on planning your pickup.
You will want a minimum 3 hour window from pickup to flight time.
When you tell your limo service your flight time they will probably recommend a pickup time.
A quality limo service will do that. You can adjust it a little but they don't recommend much change in time.

We have never done the regular sit down breakfast on debarkation day because we always have late dining also and want to get off the ship early. We always just go to the buffet and have generally been getting off the ship around 7:30-8 with no problems getting our luggage.

Last Monday at Port Canaveral all tags had been posted as cleared by 8.
We were on the bus to MCO at 8:45 and it was already almost full.

When we used private transportation from Port Canaveral in the past we always put our luggage out the night before
and I believe it was always ready by 7:30. We have generally scheduled our limo for 8:30 and still retrieved our luggage in the terminal. I don't believe I would schedule a pickup any earlier than 8:30 from our past experience.
The biggest bottleneck will be getting through customs! Plan for at least a half hour wait there.