To Self Assist ... or Not

[CM2J2R2S]

We are traveling on Liberty in two weeks and I wondered what recent experiences people had for debarkation.

 

Last time we left our suitcases outside the door and ended up looking for a suitcase that didn't seem to be on the carousel. We eventually found it out the back door near the road. We also left behind a bag and had to return to find it.... it was one of those arguments we had - I said there was another bag - he said there wasn't... we left. Six kids, two adults .... nine suitcases and three carry ons.... anyway... should we just do it ourselves this time? It wasn't a huge deal the last time... we had a nice breakfast and then just sat in the sun on the lido deck until 11am and left when called.

 

Melissa

[LUCY55]

Liberty-Miami--Carnival recommends flights 2:00 or later. We have 1:09 flight-which it seems wouldn't be hard to catch. But should we do self-assit or not? I am not sure.

[BrendaB1]

Liberty-Miami--Carnival recommends flights 2:00 or later. We have 1:09 flight-which it seems wouldn't be hard to catch. But should we do self-assit or not? I am not sure.

 

It might be a good idea since you will have to travel to Miami from Ft Lauderdale.

[tef43]

We're never in any rush to get off of the ship, so self-assist is a non-issue for us.

[Cotton]

Melissa - I'm like you, in that I like to hang around and have an extra cuppa coffee, and in no rush to leave the ship...no plane to catch, as I drive to the ports. I'd never do self-assist. You have to be able to carry ALL your luggage with you, and I've seen too many folks struggling in that mad rush of a mob trying to be the first off of the ship. Not for me. Besides, when I get to the luggage area, mine is one of the few pieces left, so very easy to locate.:)

[Kittybork]

We did self-assist and thought it was great. We had a 5hr. drive ahead of us and were ready to get off the ship. There was no rush, no one pushed or fussed, and the line went quickly.

 

The thought of looking through piles of luggage did not appeal to me. Unlike Cotton, we wouldn't want to wait until the very end to get off. BF and I would both do it the same way if given the choice.

 

I suppose, in the end, it varies for each person. Are you ready to get off, and do you have a reason to rush?

[buckeye12]

If you do self assist do you have to get off first or can you still hang out, until the others get off too?

[msolberg]

I always have too much luggage to do self assist.

 

What drives me is people dragging all their luggage - obviously too much for them to handle, and they take up the whole walk way and are taking their sweet time. Sheesh!

 

Sorry, had to vent.

 

Diane

[SWEETNLOW2005]

I would only suggest self assist if you have an early flight or if you only have 2 bags per person maybe 3. It was great to be off the ship by 8:19 am instead of 10:30-11:00. Yo dont have to worry about looking through all the luggage. That isnt any fun to me.

[Mgetta]

On our Elation cruise in October my husband had to be home early, so we did self-assist. We had 3 large bags, all with rollers and 2 carryons. He took two of the large bags and a carryon and I took the rest. It went very fast although there was a jam-up at first as they told everyone to go to the large lounge and the stairs and elevators jammed up as so many were doing the self-assist. They just came down and told us to go ahead and leave and it cleared out quickly. We were off this ship by 7:30 am.

 

You do have to go ahead and get off early if you do self-assist. We're going on a Conquest Cruise in February and I don't plan to do self-assist. I personally would rather take my time, have a cup of coffee and enjoy my last few minutes of the trip.

[BrendaB1]

If you do self assist do you have to get off first or can you still hang out, until the others get off too?

 

Yes, you have about an hour to be off doing self assist. It worked great for me in Tampa & Miami. I plan to do it again if I have an early flight booked.

[CoachTerry14]

Read the last article in the February 2006 Cruise Travel magazine!

[thebets]

Just used self assist this weds getting off the Legend in Ft. Lauderdale. It was great for us - we had an 11:30 am flight out of Ft. Laud, and ended up with plenty of time at the airport. The way it worked, was that they made an announcement at around 7:30 that the self-assist passengers could start debarking. At around 8:15, they had "last call". Then, they close the doors, and all remaining passengers have to wait for the regular debark process. The cruise director indicated that they would resume calling by deck around 9:00 (I don't know, as we were already off!) I personally hate to hang around a public space on the ship waiting to be called. The self-assist was really fast, and there were no crowds in the terminal, so getting thru customs was really quick. I would highly recommend doing it unless you can't physically deal with carrying off all your own luggage. Also, because we beat the rush, there were tons of taxis available.

[RNTOCRUISN]

We Also Have An Early Flight To Fll. Is A Taxi The Only Way Back And About How Much Does That COST?

[tef43]

If you do self assist do you have to get off first or can you still hang out, until the others get off too?

There is a very brief window of opportunity, about one hour, to get off the ship during self-assist. I have no idea what happens if you miss it and attempt to carry off your luggage during normal debarkation.

[serene56]

2 adults and 3 kids with 9 pcs of luggage.? (how old are the kids?)

 

seems to be too much for me to handle. Note the elevators will be very slow if working at all. so you might have to carryall that stuff up or down stairs. and if the ship gets tied up in customs you will have to be out of your cabin by 9... hmmm.

 

I take my time also getting off the ship. usually the last ones off. By then luggage has already been picked through and ours are easier to spot.

 

Carnival does not have a carosel for luggage. its all in a wharehouse store room in rows and rows... with your color luggage tags..all will be in the same area.

[sea_breaze]

We Also Have An Early Flight To Fll. Is A Taxi The Only Way Back And About How Much Does That COST?

 

If you are trying to get from Miami to FLL, cab fare is $80.00. Depending on how early your flight is this may be your cheapest option. It is for us for a 12:15 flight. Not real happy about it but saved much more then this flying into FLL instead if MIA.

 

If you are trying to get to FLL from Port Everglades, cab fare was $15.00 when we did this last month.

[thebets]

We paid $6pp to go from Port Everglades to the Ft. Laud airport. It's only about a 10 min ride. I don't know who posted 9 pieces of luggage for a family of 4, but whatever you are packing, cut it in half!!! There's no way you need all that stuff! I just came from an 8 night cruise, and had one carry-on for my toiletries, family medications, jewelry, and clothes steamer, and one medium roller that had all my clothes (including stuff for 3 formal nights). I still came home with some clothes I never put on!

 

If you wait about 20-30 mins from when they announce the start of self-assist, you will miss the line, and be able to walk right off the ship. Just be careful to get there by last call, or you will be stuck onboard when they close the doors. I would also suggest using the stairs, and not relying on an elevator, as the elevators are jammed at that time. (More reason to pack lightly).