RCCL; May we choose a time to disembark when we return to Civitavecchia port?

[AutumnMist]

My understanding is passengers disembark at different times (having returned to the "home" port). If this is correct, is it possible to request a specific time?

Thank you!

[BarryFromBoston]

My understanding is passengers disembark at different times (having returned to the "home" port). If this is correct, is it possible to request a specific time?

Thank you!

 

The way disembarking at ports of call works is this: Generally, people who have booked a shore excursion via the ship that departs nearly as soon as the ship arrives will be taken from a specific spot on the ship (usually one of the lounges) off the ship, before the general population can walk off. Once the gangway is open, you can come and go as you please, punching in and out of security with your ship card. You can usually leave the ship until the last half hour, or the last hour, if it is a port that involves tendering (taking a small boat from the ship to the dock).

 

There is no circumstance in which you can say, "I would like to leave the ship at 11:30. Can it be available by appointment for me to walk off exactly then?". Usually, after the first hour, it's not an issue anyhow.

[RoofingPrincess]

You cannot make an appointment to leave the ship at the end of the cruise.

Disembarkation groups are assigned (I'm not sure how); if you have an early flight and need to be in the earliest groups to leave the ship, you need to speak with the Customer Service Desk so they know to place you in an early group (you will probably be required to show your airline reservations as proof).

On the flip side of that, if you have no pressing need to get off the ship, I imagine you could let them know that it would be OK to put you in one of the latest groups. Or just to hang out in the public areas onboard until most folks were gone.

There is no way they can assign you a time. Things happen which hold up disembarkation which the cruise line has no control over, like people who don't show up for immigration clearance, or problems on the dock. On my last cruise, the trip ended in Boston, and for some reason the dockworkers would not let the ship disembark any passengers until all the luggage had been removed from the ship. This must have been something new, otherwise I'm sure RCCL would have built it into their scheduling. (There were pretty snippy people working in the luggage retrieval area as well - I can read the signs on the walls with the luggage tag numbers all by myself, thank you very much!)

[fideauxdon]

You cannot make an appointment to leave the ship at the end of the cruise.

 

This isn't entirely true. If you want to disembark early, in order to meet an early flight or for some other reason, many of the cruiselines (HAL, Princess, Celebrity, etc.) allow you to request priority departure, which means that you agree to leave with the first group and tote your own luggage. Beyond that, however, you can't request that you leave at a specific time.

[Underwatr]

Disembarkation groups are assigned (I'm not sure how)

On the Queen Mary 2 it was roughly in the order of how much you paid for your cabin. Suites and upper decks first, working down.

[cb at sea]

Most cruiselines don't disembark according to accommodations...they do it by who has to leave first.

 

Even if you are assigned an "early off" color/tag, you don't HAVE to leave then...you can hang around. But, be aware that you will be hanging about in a public area...they want you out of your cabin early..and there is little or no service that last morning. They really want you gone and off the ship so they can get ready for a new batch of cruisers.

[paul929207]

OP,

You may want to try this question in the section for the line you will be cruising with. Each cruise line has their own way of handling debarkation.