Slow Disembark Port Everglades

[RuthC]

If we wanted to carry off our own bags, do we have to leave early or can you go at your leisure?

One of the reasons self-disembarkers leave together, early in the process, is so that they---with their luggage---won't get in the way of the remaining passengers trying to leave.

 

It's hard enough to compete for space with those who just have carry-ons, but adding full-size suitcases to the mix is asking to be banged up terribly.

Now, add in those in wheelchairs, who have their own additional difficulties, and it would become a worse mess.

[Barrheadlass]

I booked HAL's transportation to the FLL airport, because I'm traveling alone. I've taken a taxi before when with my husband, but he's not coming, and I figured the cost would be similar either way. Now I'm going to give very serious consideration to just going early and taking the taxi...It being 2 days before Thanksgiving, I figure the airport will be packed. It was also because of the date that I didn't consider staying an extra night...no way was I flying home the day before Thanksgiving! Thanks for the advice, all!

[sapper1]

I booked HAL's transportation to the FLL airport, because I'm traveling alone. I've taken a taxi before when with my husband, but he's not coming, and I figured the cost would be similar either way. Now I'm going to give very serious consideration to just going early and taking the taxi...It being 2 days before Thanksgiving, I figure the airport will be packed. It was also because of the date that I didn't consider staying an extra night...no way was I flying home the day before Thanksgiving! Thanks for the advice, all!

 

Sounds like you have made a wise decision. Have a wonderful cruise.

[sail7seas]

Sounds like you have made a wise decision. Have a wonderful cruise.

 

 

Ditto........ :)

 

[sackman]

What about something out of Miami? At least check into what's available in case you don't make the 10:10.

 

If I don't make the 10:10, I'll either wait around until the 6:00 flight or take a connecting flight to get home. Unless there's a perfect storm of delays, I'm confident we'll be fine.

Spending the night in FLL is not an option. So long as we can self-disembark at around 8:00 or earlier, we'll be in good shape.

[sail7seas]

The problem, these days, is they have cut the number of flights so most planes go out full. If we miss the flight for which we are booked, it's hard to get an empty seat on a later flight...... especially if near holidays.

 

[kazu]

We have a 12:59 flight out of FLL when we disembark the Eurodam in a few weeks. I hope having a flight at that time will be okay..........

 

You should be fine with that flight. When we got off the Nieuw Amsterdam we had the worst backlog I have seen in years. It was horrendous.

 

We could have made a 12:59 flight fine. (ours was 1:30 I believe and we were sitting at the airport for a while)

[kazu]

If I don't make the 10:10, I'll either wait around until the 6:00 flight or take a connecting flight to get home. Unless there's a perfect storm of delays, I'm confident we'll be fine.

Spending the night in FLL is not an option. So long as we can self-disembark at around 8:00 or earlier, we'll be in good shape.

 

With that flight I would definitely do self disembarkation if you can handle your luggage. You'll skip a bit of the line and get to the airport quickly. All you need is for the ship to be cleared promptly :D

 

Hopefully all will go well for you.

[sackman]

If I were flying somebody other than Southwest, I'd be more concerned. If I miss the flight, I miss the flight. Worse things have happened. It would be a bummer, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

[sackman]

With that flight I would definitely do self disembarkation if you can handle your luggage. You'll skip a bit of the line and get to the airport quickly. All you need is for the ship to be cleared promptly :D

 

Hopefully all will go well for you.

 

We're definitely doing self-disembarkation. No question.

 

For this cruise, I'm planning on packing as light as possible. One suitcase per person, with one carry-on. Nothing more. I've been known to take a lot more in the past. :eek:

[Typhoon1]

We just about always do a post cruise stay in disembark city.

 

The best thing to do to make your cruise complete.

 

Nothing worse than having to rush off the ship then get to the airport and hope your flight departs on time.

[Barrheadlass]

Sounds like you have made a wise decision. Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Thank you so much, Sapper and Sail. I am SO looking forward to my cruise on the Elegant Explorer!

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

You should be fine with that flight. When we got off the Nieuw Amsterdam we had the worst backlog I have seen in years. It was horrendous.

 

We could have made a 12:59 flight fine. (ours was 1:30 I believe and we were sitting at the airport for a while)

 

Thanks for the reassurance Jacqui!:) Hope all goes well!

[stlouistravelers]

At some point you would think the current administration at TSA/Customs would quit playing games with the American people. Maybe some of the administration should go and work the lines and help the undermanned TSA/Customs agents out. As a manager I would always go out and help pick up the slack when it was necessary. Some would call it customer service. Hope it gets better.

[jayisgerman]

This continuing excuse of "cutbacks"... what a bunch of crock by them. Oh well - I booked our flights for December back in April, so not much I can do about this now, but hope it all works out. If only one of our esteemed public officials ever had to be stuck in such lines - things would change in a hurry! :eek:

[SAPMAN]

If I use Direct Luggage Delivery for my larger bags (2) to Southwest Air Lines, can I get off the ship as a "self disembarkation passenger" in an early group? Do I arrange for this on board? Any experience with this program?

 

I would expect to take a taxi to FLL airport and catch an 11:30am flight (with preprinted boarding passes in hand). Westerdam is to arrive at 7am.

 

I know other ships may be there and immigration slow, but hoping if I hit the dock by 8:30am, thru immigration by 9:30am, and in cab by 9:45am, I should be ok.

 

Thoughts?

[innlady1]

Because I'd heard the horror stories, we booked a 5:13 flight to Boston, did Luggage Direct, and "killed some time" doing the HAL Land and Sea Excursion which was lovely...and they delivered us to the airport. We were off the ship by 8 AM for that reason.

Edited November 4, 2013 by innlady1

[RuthC]

If I use Direct Luggage Delivery for my larger bags (2) to Southwest Air Lines, can I get off the ship as a "self disembarkation passenger" in an early group? Do I arrange for this on board? Any experience with this program?

I have used Luggage Direct from Ft. Lauderdale in conjunction with a Southwest flight.

Your 11:30 flight does come within the time limits to use the program. Those who carry off their own luggage are the first to disembark, usually sometime between 7:15-7:30. You would not go with this group. The next group to go are the Luggage Direct passengers; that comes about 7:30-7:45. This group has to go early so the luggage can be sent to the airport. No luggage can leave until the authorities have the opportunity to inspect it, with the owner present.

You will have plenty of time to get to the airport and checked in for your flight. I was sitting at my gate at 8:20. :eek:

[innlady1]

I have used Luggage Direct from Ft. Lauderdale in conjunction with a Southwest flight.

 

Your 11:30 flight does come within the time limits to use the program. Those who carry off their own luggage are the first to disembark, usually sometime between 7:15-7:30. You would not go with this group. The next group to go are the Luggage Direct passengers; that comes about 7:30-7:45. This group has to go early so the luggage can be sent to the airport. No luggage can leave until the authorities have the opportunity to inspect it, with the owner present.

 

You will have plenty of time to get to the airport and checked in for your flight. I was sitting at my gate at 8:20. :eek:

 

Interesting...we never saw our luggage...between the time we left it in the hall by our cabin until the time we picked it up on the Jet Blue baggage carousel at Logan. We just went through customs... turned in our Custom's form for purchases in Europe, and showed our passports.

[RuthC]

Interesting...we never saw our luggage...between the time we left it in the hall by our cabin until the time we picked it up on the Jet Blue baggage carousel at Logan. We just went through customs... turned in our Custom's form for purchases in Europe, and showed our passports.

Yes, that's how it works. However, if the authorities did want to open and inspect your luggage, they would need you to be there while they did. You would be called from the line, and reunited with your luggage while the inspection was going on.

Normally, they aren't opening a lot---if any---luggage. They just have you collect it, pull it through yourself, turn in the Customs form, and leave.

The reason those not using Luggage Direct claim their luggage first, then pass through Customs, is so they have their luggage with them just in case a decision is made to inspect.

[alwaysfrantic]

Holland America may say that is the regulation....that the passenger must be there, but it has got to be either a HAL rule or a local Port Everglades rule. On Disney, disembarking at Port Canaveral, they do the luggage program (and do not charge for it) and you can leave the ship whenever you want.

[lka1012]

I've started not flying home until the next day. So I am generally one of the last ones off the ship. (After they drag me out from under my bed and haul me off kicking and screaming.)

[Stelladoro]

Because I'd heard the horror stories, we booked a 5:13 flight to Boston, did Luggage Direct, and "killed some time" doing the HAL Land and Sea Excursion which was lovely...and they delivered us to the airport. We were off the ship by 8 AM for that reason.

 

Hi Sheila, so great to meet you and your husband.

We chose the late disembarkation, 9:15 AM, since we booked a postcruise hotel. Due to the Customs delays in the Terminal, HAL let us stay on the ship. We headed to the pool area and waited for our colour announcement. So glad we didn't book a flight the same day - certainly less stressful. I think it was around 10:30 AM, when we disembarked. The Customs line was long but kept moving. The taxi line was also long (at least 5 ships in port, incl. the Allure), but finally, we were off to our hotel by the beach and arrived there around Noon.

 

Mary

[cartervan]

O.K., I have to chime in with my story. We got off the Nieuw Amsterdam in Fort Lauderdale about a week ago. We had an 11:00 flight (booked by HAL) and got assigned an 8:15 time to supposedly disembark. Should be plenty of time, right? Well, at 9:00 we were still on the ship watching the time tick by and starting to panic. Of course we should have hauled our own luggage off first thing in the morning, but we just didn't realize that there would be a problem. We assumed that HAL would know to give us enough time. Why didn't they schedule us earlier!? Well, as it turns out we did make the flight and everything turned out all right. But it was a very stressful end to what was otherwise a lovely cruise.

[innlady1]

Hi Sheila, so great to meet you and your husband.

We chose the late disembarkation, 9:15 AM, since we booked a postcruise hotel. Due to the Customs delays in the Terminal, HAL let us stay on the ship. We headed to the pool area and waited for our colour announcement. So glad we didn't book a flight the same day - certainly less stressful. I think it was around 10:30 AM, when we disembarked. The Customs line was long but kept moving. The taxi line was also long (at least 5 ships in port, incl. the Allure), but finally, we were off to our hotel by the beach and arrived there around Noon.

 

Mary

 

Hi Mary! It was great to meet you and Des, too. We really, really enjoyed the cruise. We usually don't fly back the same day, but it all worked out for us the way we did it. Glad you got a chance to relax in Fort Lauderdale before flying home...that's a good way to do it. I heard there were only two Customs Agents and they ended up adding more...did you notice that? Give Des our regards!