12 Disembarkation Day Tips I Wish I Knew Before Cruising

Avoid unwanted delays on cruise disembarkation day! If you're going on a cruise, you don't want to be stuck waiting for 2 hours or more in a crowd of people to get off the cruise ship. These debarkation day tips & tricks will lead to a stress-free end to your cruise vacation.

Avoid the mistakes cruisers are making in 2024, with these new cruise tips & hacks. In this video I share the most recent information for the cruise disembarkation day process. This cruise advice will be helpful for first time cruisers as well as anyone who has a cruise vacation coming up.

Whether you are going on a Carnival cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Celebrity or any other cruise line, these cruise tips & mistakes to avoid will help as you plan your cruise travels.
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Please note that I am unable to give personal cruise and travel advice. If you leave a comment I try my best to answer.

ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!

Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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Music Credit: Surf Time by Lux-InspiraMusicMusic

[betsy]

I put a piece of white paper in the bottom of my safe first thing so you can see everything you put in that dark safe.

[smoothsketch]

Reminder to those with backpacks - don't be oblivious and clueless as to the extension of the backpack behind you. In crowded elevators with disable people, your backpack WILL hit the head or face of those in wheelchairs. SELF AWARENESS PLEASE!

[paulbjorlin]

This is good advice for those that want to get off the ship quickly. For us we are always one of the last people off the ship. We always spend a night in port after a cruise so we do not have to rush. We get to sit and relax on the ship as long as possible. There are no lines waiting to find our luggage in the terminal and your luggage stands out because the majority of luggage has already been taken away. The lines checking passports are pretty much gone. The only lines you may run into are people waiting for a ride somewhere after leaving the ship. We find it far more relaxing for us.

[victoriacaruso-mcdonald]

Since the inside of the safe is dark, we always shine the flashlight of our phone in the safe to ensure that we didn’t leave anything behind, like a dark wallet, for instance. When we opened the safe on the first day of our cruise last year, we found a dark card holder with a person’s driver’s license. We immediately brought it to Guest Services. It was shoved to the back, right side of the safe where it was dark. The idea of putting everything in a plastic bag in the safe is great.

[acefox]

The most important disembarkation day tip for us is to mentally prepare for the return to normal life so the post-cruise-blues don’t overwhelm you. That’s a real thing and sometimes the struggle is very real.

[ronaldcrabb]

Elevators going up can be mostly empty. Take the ride up and then back down. It will usually fill quickly on the way down and while you'll stop on every floor there will no room to take on more people with their luggage.

[alwilliams]

For self-assist, be aware that two roller bags can be difficult and/or dangerous on the escalator. There are elevators - but that's usually another long line. I bought a nice backpack for my "carry on" so I can manage my larger roller-suitcase and still have a free hand for the escalator hand-rail. (BTW way Ilana, i always give you the thumbs up before I ever watch the video because I've yet to view one that doesn't deserve it!)

[rifkymasri]

I would rather book afternoon flight (3 pm or later) I'drather wait in the airport for my flight rather than running to catch it. And stay on the ship until the majority of people left. No line to get off, no problems with elevators.
No one is rushing me.

[briannickerson]

If you still have onboard credit on last day and don’t need or want to buy stuff in the ship’s stores, you should be able to contribute it to the ship’s crew. Front desk can help you do it.

[CarboneCat]

Usually, on disembarkation day, we all triple check the cabin to make sure we don’t forget anything.

[alyssasimon]

make sure you take out PJs and clothes for the disembarkation day BEFORE you put your suitcase out the night before if you are not self disembarking.

[CathiWarren]

Leaving the shoe in the safe is GENIUS!

[eedwards]

There is usually a piece of carpeting or other material on the bottom of the room safe. Make sure you check under it. We found a piece of jewelry under ours once and turned it in. It turned out that a previous guest in our cabin had thought she lost it, and had put in a claim at lost and found. Luckily, they had her information so were able to get it to her. I like your ziplock bag idea for the safe.

[scottwoods]

We attach a tracking Tile to our luggage and it can help locate them in sea of luggage inside the terminal.

[diddxdp]

This did NOT happen on a cruise but at an all inclusive resort. We emptied the safe out, packed away the valuables, then went to breakfast. The offending employee watched for people going to breakfast and checked through luggage taking valuables that no one noticed until after they got home to unpack. Of course, the resort denied this, but when several people in our group had the same experience it was pretty undeniable. We later learned they arrested the thief but since that time, if it comes out of the safe, it goes on my body until we are on our way. Just a head's up.

[suselim]

(While it can be expensive) We chose a luggage service and had our bags delivered to the cruise ship for embarkation day (they were waiting in our room when we boarded). We also chose to have a luggage service pick up our bags (the night before) and they were delivered directly to our departing airline and specific flight. Add an extra charge and get them delivered home . Our cruise line had the information on their web site. It was worth every penny no to have to deal with luggage pickup at the airport carousel.😀

[scottmilo]

Unless you have a flight to catch or a tour to enjoy, why race to get off the ship? In this case, I leave my cabin at the last possible moment after packing my carry off bag and checking my safe. Down to breakfast in the MDR and a quick visit back to the cabin to wash up use the facility and gather my carry off bag and personal items. There is never a line to get off the ship at the end of the debarkation time. Totally stress-free.

[jacquelineward]

Another reason to clean out the safe the night before disembarkation... we went to empty the safe at 10 pm the night before and the safe wouldn't take our combination. A call to guest services had a security person at our door in about 20 minutes and the problem was fixed but we took this as a lesson not to leave it to the last day as we would've been without passports etc.

[steveli]

Hi Ilana,
Big tip for Non-Refundable onboard credit if you're not a shopper is to go to the casino and ask for $$$ on your account. Do this a day or two before disembarking day as the casino will be closed early the last evening of the cruise in many cases. They will only charge you 3% ($3 for every $100). For me that's they only way to go because I'm not a shopper.

[ThePgenualdi]

My last cruise, I Disembarked, went to my car in the parking lot and realized I left my keys in the safe. After a few moments of panic, I had to go to a Royal Caribbean Employee off the ship, explain my situation, and after about a half hour, they brought me my keys. Hopefully, I learned a lesson for my next cruise.