Should I self assist on the last day?

[CupKayke]

We did self-assist on our last cruise (Royal Caribbean). It worked better for me because I didn't want to pack everything the night before ~ we were both too busy enjoying the last night. The next morning we ate breakfast and then went back to our room and packed everything. We went to the place they told us to wait and waited. We were still out of the room plenty early enough for everyone concerned ~ including our room steward who gave us a big goodbye and we gave him a big thank$$. We sat in auditorium seats for possibly a half hour before they called our number. We pulled our bags off the ship and went on our merry way. It worked well for us just because I didn't want to pack the night before.

[CupKayke]

FYI - Catalina Island Express is $66 roundtrip from San Pedro. This is one reason why I like to take the 4 day Paradise cruise.

 

Here is the website for Catalina Island Express.

 

Hey Rosefloater ~ thanks for the info! I've been on the Catalina Express before so I know about the expense and such. I was just wondering about luggage express for the day. We only have one day in LA and I worked on Catalina Island during my college years so I wanted to show hubby the island one day so despite the expense, sharing the memories may be worth it.

 

It is VERY interesting to learn about the Paradise however, as we are planning to return to the southern CA area in 2012 for another cruise... and you never know about back-to-back options, etc.. Which reminds me, I just pulled-up short cruises on Carnival and they are also doing the Inspiration for 2 days out of LA to Ensenada and back?? That's interesting, too... especially since the 2012 Mexican Riviera 9-day itinerary out of San Diego is not stopping at Ensenada and I really wanted it too!

 

Ok. Ok. Sorry for hijacking this thread... going to do a search for luggage express now to see if someone can answer my question about that...

[crzndeb]

Self-assist is not a free for all on debarkation day either....they will call by floors for self assist, even though a lot of the passengers don't think this applies to them...hence, the crowding.

 

I have never quite understood why there is such a rush to get off the ship, except for the early flight passengers....

 

I have done it before when I had an early flight, but it was a bit stressful. This time, I am staying in San Diego after my cruise, I will let them take my bags the night before, have a nice breakfast and then debark after the crowds have thinned a bit.

[CupKayke]

What do you choose if you want to lallygag on the ship for awhile? Do you still vacate your room at the same time with either option?

 

I've done both options. It is my opinion you can eat breakfast and stay on the ship the same amount of time with either option. Either way, you have to leave semi-early because of the next group of cruisers wanting on the ship. MOST people who self-assist are in a hurry to walk off the boat early the next morning.

 

If you want to put your bags outside your door the night before and the next morning you want to eat breakfast and sit on the deck and be one of the last cruisers off the ship... that really shouldn't be a problem... and if you want to walk-off the ship with your bags and still be one of the last people off the ship, that's okay too.. but as an earlier poster said... eventually, you have to leave! :D

[bright eyes]

You don't set out your luggage the night before. Just keep it in your cabin.

 

In the morning, they'll announce that self-assist may now leave. It will be one of the first groups off the ship.

 

You must be able to carry all of your stuff off the ship without assistance. (Doesn't sound like that will be a problem for you.)

 

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it!

[GatorMomInNC]

If you don't self assist, you put your bags outside your doorway the night before (except for what you need for personal items the next day). You will have been given special tags for the bags with a zone number on them. Carnival then unloads the bags from the ship into a big warehouse area the morning of disembarkation. That morning, when your zone is called you disembark into the warehouse and search for your bags which are separated by the zone numbers. However, you don't HAVE to get off exactly when your zone is called. You can wait and enjoy breakfast, etc. but at some point all passengers will be required to get off the ship. :D

 

Thank you for the info, it is nice to know what to expect!

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I have never quite understood why there is such a rush to get off the ship, except for the early flight passengers....

 

If I lived near the port, I would stay on until they kicked me off.:D But I have a long drive home and no activities are happening on the ship since they are cleaning and preparing for the next batch of guests so I'd rather get the heck off the ship and start my long commute back home. Many others drive since flights are so outrageous in price and bag restrictions so I'm not alone.

[aeneas3]

we did not do self assist yesterday because of the luggage we had and the 2.5 year old we had with us. If we had just a rolling suitcase each I would probably have done it. You can also request to get zone 2 disembarkation if you have an early train.

[capndinghy]

Can you lug all of your stuff off or is it too big, bulky, and heavy?

[Angelamu7]

Our car will be parked at the nearby hotel. I want to sit and enjoy one last b'fast in the MDR, should we self assist?

 

We don't have a flight to catch and won't be in any hurry to get off the ship.

 

Thanks as this is our first cruise! :)

 

Depends on how many bags you have with you and if you want to take them to b'fast with you.

 

We have done both. We really like being able to just get off the Ship when we are ready and have our stuff with us. So we pack to allow for that. If we have a ton of stuff then we will let the ship handle it but it has been a while since we have done that.