Disembarkation

[marylovestotravel]

Marina docks at Southampton at 7AM at the end of our cruise. What would be a reasonable disembarkation time? Would we need to make a request if we wanted an early time? Thanks for any advice.

 

Mia

[LittleRedJohn]

We docked there a year ago on Marina. I recall that leaving the ship was no problem. They try to regulate the timing, but basically you can just get off. We had breakfast first, but you're not required to do that obviously. The authorities have their formalities, but my memory is that didn't take very long. We had a short wait in the waiting room for our car, which we had prearanged and which took us on a nice tour of the countryside as we had requested. The car dropped us at our hotel in London about 3 p.m. Was a very civil way to end the cruise. Using the train to London would have been cumbersome. LittleRedJohn

[Jancruz]

Marina docks at Southampton at 7AM at the end of our cruise. What would be a reasonable disembarkation time? Would we need to make a request if we wanted an early time? Thanks for any advice.

 

Mia

 

A reasonable time would be between 8 and 8:30am..

Jancruz1

[Hawaiidan]

In all ports, that no one gets off, no way no how, till the ship is cleared and the proper customs/ immigration officers are staffed.... (Who like God, move in mysterious ways....but not as generous)

 

I have been in ports where we were tied up to the pier by 0600 but not permitted off till exactly 0800. And thats if you carried your stuff.

 

Many ports require that 100% of the baggage be off loaded and inspected prior to any one getting off....

Id be more inclined to rely on 0900 for a published 0800 time.... better err on the heavy side than roll the dice.....

[Issyalex]

I've disembarked many times at Southampton but not with Oceania but with Celebrity. They have a self-disembark option where you can take off your own suitcases from 7-7.30am, but I don't know if Oceania has the same option.

 

Southampton port authorities are very good at clearing ships.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Issyalex

[LHT28]

Marina docks at Southampton at 7AM at the end of our cruise. What would be a reasonable disembarkation time? Would we need to make a request if we wanted an early time? Thanks for any advice.

 

Mia

 

Earlier than the ship docks?? :eek:

 

You will get a form a few days before the end of the cruise with disembarkation times you choose the option that is right for you

 

They do have self disembark where you carry all your own bags off

 

Do you have an early flight ?

what time ?

 

Most people will be off by 9am at the latest

[PaulMCO]

Marina docks at Southampton at 7AM at the end of our cruise. What would be a reasonable disembarkation time? Would we need to make a request if we wanted an early time? Thanks for any advice.

 

Mia

 

 

Are you sure that it says dock?? Usually the times stated are Embark and Disembark times. Most of the cruises disembark at 8am after clearance. As stated the quickest was off is for self carrying of luggage.

[StanandJim]

Are you sure that it says dock?? Usually the times stated are Embark and Disembark times. Most of the cruises disembark at 8am after clearance. As stated the quickest was off is for self carrying of luggage.

 

I believe that the word "Dock" refers to the "Tender or Dock" column of the Itinerary, and as such refers to the positioning of the ship in the harbor, and not to the time of her arrival.

[phillygirl63]

My future cruise also "arrives" at 7:00 a.m. in Southampton on the last day of the cruise. I would assume that disembarkation should begin to take place within 15-30 mins after arrival allowing time to "clear" the ship.

 

If I remember correctly, some time prior to the final day, you will have to fill out a form noting the time you wish to disembark. Luggage tags will be delivered to your cabin before the last night indicating that timeframe. Then, the last night, you put the luggage tags on the bags you aren't carrying off yourself and set them outside your door. They should be waiting for you in the terminal when you disembark. Easy Peasy.

 

There is always the option to carry your own luggage off the ship and leave anytime after the ship has been cleared.

[rallydave]

I believe that the word "Dock" refers to the "Tender or Dock" column of the Itinerary, and as such refers to the positioning of the ship in the harbor, and not to the time of her arrival.

 

Since there is so much confusion in this thread and the above only adds to the confusion, let's try to explain the operations using different words as "Dock", and "Arrival" can have multiple definitions.

 

The times listed in ships schedule are the times the ship is either tied to the dock or drops anchor and when departing the times when the access doors to the shop are closed. The disembarkation time is when the ship is cleared for passengers to leave the ship. These times are not listed in the schedule as the time from being tied to the dock or dropping anchor to the passengers being allowed to leave the ship can vary based on the time required for the local authority to clear the ship for debarkation.

 

Most people and cruise lines use arrival to mean when the ship is docked or ready to tender and NOT when the passengers are allowed to leave the ship. Using positioning of the ship in the harbor is very confusing as putting a time to an ambiguous position in the harbor could be anywhere at any time yet using when tied to the dock or anchored is a very specific time and location.

[ORV]

Since there is so much confusion in this thread and the above only adds to the confusion, let's try to explain the operations using different words as "Dock", and "Arrival" can have multiple definitions.

 

The times listed in ships schedule are the times the ship is either tied to the dock or drops anchor and when departing the times when the access doors to the shop are closed. The disembarkation time is when the ship is cleared for passengers to leave the ship. These times are not listed in the schedule as the time from being tied to the dock or dropping anchor to the passengers being allowed to leave the ship can vary based on the time required for the local authority to clear the ship for debarkation.

 

Most people and cruise lines use arrival to mean when the ship is docked or ready to tender and NOT when the passengers are allowed to leave the ship. Using positioning of the ship in the harbor is very confusing as putting a time to an ambiguous position in the harbor could be anywhere at any time yet using when tied to the dock or anchored is a very specific time and location.

 

Not always necessarily true. Many times the schedule has said 8am and we're off the ship before that.

[rallydave]

Not always necessarily true. Many times the schedule has said 8am and we're off the ship before that.

 

ORV, all we're talking about here is the schedule that is published prior to the cruise. Of course sometimes the ship gets to the dock early, sometimes it gets to the dock late and sometimes on time.

 

What is published is an ESTIMATE and all I was trying to define is what the estimates refer to. Whether you are off before the time or 2 hours after is the actual time which people do need to consider as the time one gets off is not always the same amount of time after the ship is docked or anchored.

 

Perhaps the problem with arrival is that for airplanes arrival time is when the plane gets to the gate and passengers can get off but, for cruise ships, arrival is when the ship gets to the dock or anchors and NOT when the passengers can get off. That comes when the authorities allow the passengers to get off.

Edited May 16, 2016 by rallydave

[buggins0402]

ORV, all we're talking about here is the schedule that is published prior to the cruise. Of course sometimes the ship gets to the dock early, sometimes it gets to the dock late and sometimes on time.

 

What is published is an ESTIMATE and all I was trying to define is what the estimates refer to. Whether you are off before the time or 2 hours after is the actual time which people do need to consider as the time one gets off is not always the same amount of time after the ship is docked or anchored.

 

Perhaps the problem with arrival is that for airplanes arrival time is when the plane gets to the gate and passengers can get off but, for cruise ships, arrival is when the ship gets to the dock or anchors and NOT when the passengers can get off. That comes when the authorities allow the passengers to get off.

 

My cruise has an 8:00am arrival which is noted with a disembark on the O website. However, the arrival is noted as 6am on my cruise documents (the word disembark is not noted next to that time). Should I assume the website time (8:00) is the latest time O expects people to be able to begin disembarkation given a ship arrival of 6am? This is just a theoretical question by me...for my next cruise I don't have to hurry off the ship as soon as it's tied up.

[StanandJim]

My future cruise also "arrives" at 7:00 a.m. in Southampton on the last day of the cruise. I would assume that disembarkation should begin to take place within 15-30 mins after arrival allowing time to "clear" the ship.

 

Your "assumption" is so optimistic, that I can only guess that you don't have a firm grasp of what "clearing the ship" typically entails.

 

Think about what is going on from an objective point of view:

 

Civil Servants from another Country are coming onto the ship at a very early hour, in order to

verify that hundreds upon hundreds of passenger and crew Passports are in order and that a cursory inspection of the ship reveals no obvious contraband.

 

Dependent on the regulations of the host Country, some groups of passengers may be required to present their Passports in person to the Immigration Authorities. Notified by the Purser, they begin to gather in various lounges.

 

All of the luggage must be visually inspected, suspicious items screened and then sorted by group on the pier for collection.

 

Customs forms must be reviewed, Duty collected where applicable, and exceptions addressed.

 

The Front Desk does as much as they can before entering Port, but naturally, all of this takes time.

 

I would say that the typical Customs & Immigration lag at the final port of an International Cruise is somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, provided that everything goes smoothly. That is the Bumper which I always allow myself, anyway, before making arrangements to leave the ship.

 

If the process goes awry, because a Passport suddenly goes missing, or some wannabe botanist suddenly gets it into his head to smu....er....transport something green in his bathing suit pockets, then all bets are off and it may be several more hours before ANYONE gets off that ship.

Edited May 17, 2016 by StanandJim

[Islandattorney]

We have a cruise ending with an overnight in Venice, so will be in the city a full day before final disembarkation. Can we assume formalities will be completed on day of arrival, before they allow passengers to disembark that first day, so that on the last day we would be free to get off as early as desired?

[StanandJim]

We have a cruise ending with an overnight in Venice, so will be in the city a full day before final disembarkation. Can we assume formalities will be completed on day of arrival, before they allow passengers to disembark that first day, so that on the last day we would be free to get off as early as desired?

 

Yes exactly, with an overnight there won't be any ship clearance issues on day two.

 

Theoretically, one may leave the ship at any time after clearance, however,

you'll want to keep it in the back of your mind that off hour coverage by the Italian Authorities at the foot of the gangway CAN be spotty, at times.

 

In short, you may leave the ship at 4AM and be in your Taxi at 4:15, or you may have to wait half an hour for the clerk to come back from the restroom.

Schedule buffers into your timetable, and you should be fine.

Edited May 17, 2016 by StanandJim

[Islandattorney]

Thanks so much...I knew one of the O experts would know.

[Dennimac]

Marina arrives Papeete at 5:00 am. Our O’Life booked flight to LAX departs Papeete 8:30 am. Will we make it in time?

[rallydave]

17 minutes ago, Dennimac said:

Marina arrives Papeete at 5:00 am. Our O’Life booked flight to LAX departs Papeete 8:30 am. Will we make it in time?

Impossible to provide a definitive answer.  If the ship arrives on time and everything goes according to schedule you shouldn't have any issues but, stuff happens, ships are delayed, etc.  This flight avoids waiting around all day for the late flight but, don't believe I'd chance it given a choice.

 

Good luck and hope everything goes according to plan.

[Dennimac]

Thans rallydave. Hopefully will be ok as that flight is likely full of cruisers headed home. We connect in LAX to DFW and would miss that flight as well. 🤞

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Dennimac said:

Marina arrives Papeete at 5:00 am. Our O’Life booked flight to LAX departs Papeete 8:30 am. Will we make it in time?

If Oceania booked the flight  they  will make sure you get on it  & if there is  a delay  docking  they will make other arrangements for you

 

 

[Paulchili]

17 minutes ago, Dennimac said:

Thans rallydave. Hopefully will be ok as that flight is likely full of cruisers headed home. We connect in LAX to DFW and would miss that flight as well. 🤞

In any case, as this is a flight book for you by Oceania rather than your own arrangement, in case you should miss the flight O needs to take care of getting you home. If this was your own flight and you missed it, it would be up to you to make these arrangements (and possibly lose lots of money).

PS cross posting with Lyn - great minds think alike 

Edited January 6, 2019 by Paulchili

[pinotlover]

Typically cruisers with that early Air France / Delta flight are advised to deviate and leave the day after disembarkment. Any burps in the schedule/plans and one is adversely affected .

[Dennimac]

Yes, I agree it would have been  wise for tgem to book the next day flight but just assumed that since Oceania books these flights that they would book a doable flight. At this point will have to tey to get pff the ship ASAP and hope for the best.

[pinotlover]

This thread follows the exact tone of MULTIPLE other posts both here and on the Cruise Air threads. The repeating question is :” How close to disembarkment can I book a flight! Is two hours to close?” Pick a port, and someone wants to know if they can make a 10:30 or so flight.

 

No experienced air traveler is going to tell you that early flight is a good plan. Zero! Might some tell you they booked those early flights  and made the flight? Absolutely. So for those that made their closely scheduled flight, the correct reply is “How many other ships were disembarking on the exact same Day?” How many ships do the Port authorities show doing so on the date you are attempting such? 

 

A lot of considerations go into making such decisions. As Clint Eastwood stated “ How Lucky Fo You Feel “. 

 

Oceania typically has a charter flight out of PPT. If one checks, that charter flight is not as early as the AF flight. Well duh !