Celebrity Disembarkation

[Rainbowdayz]

Can anyone tell me what the disembarkation procedure is on Celebrity? WE just booked the Millinium. We sailed on the Summit in 2000 but since then have done several sailings on HAL, RCC, and Carnival. We loved HAL's procedure of allowing you to remain in your cabin until your color is called for disembarking. What a pleasure to have breakfast, return to the cabin to brush your teeth and wait leisurely and comfortably instead of being herded into public areas like cattle. It's the worst part of cruising IMO.

[cruiser2004]

Can anyone tell me what the disembarkation procedure is on Celebrity? WE just booked the Millinium. We sailed on the Summit in 2000 but since then have done several sailings on HAL, RCC, and Carnival. We loved HAL's procedure of allowing you to remain in your cabin until your color is called for disembarking. What a pleasure to have breakfast, return to the cabin to brush your teeth and wait leisurely and comfortably instead of being herded into public areas like cattle. It's the worst part of cruising IMO.

I was on the Summit this year and disembarkation process was not good. We were in CC and were sent to a small theater, but then cooled our heels for 1 1/2 hours before our color was called. From what I have read on these boards Carnival does an excellent job in this area.

[tuggers]

You'll need to be out of your cabin early and will have rec'd info the night before about which public lounge to go to and wait for your color. Only good thing X does is there are almost no announcements. You will have a staff member in your area to tell you when to disembark.

Elite members always have the choice of waiting in a 'private' room like Michael's. Not much of a deal.

This is not one of X's best things!

[Rainbowdayz]

I was on the Summit this year and disembarkation process was not good. We were in CC and were sent to a small theater, but then cooled our heels for 1 1/2 hours before our color was called. From what I have read on these boards Carnival does an excellent job in this area.

 

I hate to hear that. Contrary to what you've heard, we were on the Carnival Miracle a year ago and disembarkation was a nightmare. We've done two RCC cruises recently and one went very smoothly but the other was a mess. The real pleasure was HAL. You can leave and have breakfast and then return to your cabin until your color is called. It was such a relief to be able to wait in comfort. If HAL can do this, every line can do it. I was told on the HAL CC board that was a major complaint of their customers and HAL listened and changed the procedure so kudos to them. A cruise is wonderful until the morning you have to get off and then it's "thank you for coming, not get out." It's just maddening and it does not have to be that way.:(

[tom_uk]

We found disembarkation per se (from Galaxy at Civitavecchia in June) to be easy, exactly as Tuggers outlined. What threw us was that there was a bus waiting at the bottom of the gangway onto which we all got and which took us - about 300 yards, to a luggage collection area! We then had to get off the bus and find our luggage, and then try to find the free port shuttle bus. That was the trying part. Once we'd got to the dock gates, the walk to Civitavecchia station was a stroll.

 

The reason for the first bus was, apparently, that the port authority has an absolute rule against non-authorised people walking on the docks. Since the big luggage collection area was some hundreds of yards away from the gangway, we had to be transported that distance.

 

Getting on the free port shuttle bus was also a problem. We (several times) saw a port bus driving slowly along, empty, with a bemused-looking driver. We believe the reason for this was that they, too, were prevented from picking up from anywhere except their designated stops, and no-one was standing at one of these. In the end one of Celebrity's chartered buses took a load of us to the dock gates.

 

So getting off the ship was a breeze; the challenging bit was doing anything constructive after that!

[first celebrity cruiser]

We found disembarkation per se (from Galaxy at Civitavecchia in June) to be easy,

So getting off the ship was a breeze; the challenging bit was doing anything constructive after that!

 

The only part of disembarkation that could be a train wreck is anything that happens after you physically get off the ship and the situation you describe in Civitavecchia was run anything but smoothly. A system such as that in Rome that involves taking two shuttle buses after getting off is absolutely ridiculous when you have 2000 passengers involved all trying to get somewhere in a hurry.

 

Perhaps if most of you were not so anxious to arrive at the ship at 10:00 and get on ASAP we would be able to remain in our rooms until our color has been called. Whatever happened to the published boarding time of 2:00 PM? When we got off our last cruise there was so much confusion as buses and cars were trying to drop off passengers at 9:30 with all their luggage while debarking passengers were just trying to get out of the port.

[Ma Bell]

I think the disembarkation has more to do with the port than with Celebrity. The procedure itself is really quite good and, when the port is ready, works really well as it did in Barcelona last week. People are asked to report to their area according to their flight times or post cruise plans. If you have a late fight it is certainly possible to return to your cabin after breakfast. We've had absolutely great disembarkations and also those which have been not so good, but for the most part I'd say it's gone smoothly. When things are working you will disembark very shortly after arriving at your meeting place.

 

In any event they try to have everyone off the ship by about 9:30. As the previous poster said, if everyone would like to give up the possibility of boarding for their cruise early, I'm sure we could remain onboard later. They do need some time to get the ship ready for the next cruise.

[first celebrity cruiser]

I think the disembarkation has more to do with the port than with Celebrity.

 

Without question!!

 

If you read these boards you will also discover that San Francisco is amongst the worst ports to disembark.

 

Another factor would be how many ships are in a particular port on the day you are. Again it goes back to how well the port is equipped to handle the traffic of all the incoming and outgoing passengers as well as all the incoming and outgoing vehicular traffic.

 

Now once you leave the port you only have to worry about the mess you will find at the airport especially if you are trying to leave on a day when 8 or 9 ships are in port (typical at Miami or Ft. Lauderdale on a Saturday/Sunday during the winter).

[WooKeef]

We found disembarkation per se (from Galaxy at Civitavecchia in June) to be easy, exactly as Tuggers outlined. What threw us was that there was a bus waiting at the bottom of the gangway onto which we all got and which took us - about 300 yards, to a luggage collection area! We then had to get off the bus and find our luggage, and then try to find the free port shuttle bus. That was the trying part. Once we'd got to the dock gates, the walk to Civitavecchia station was a stroll.

 

The reason for the first bus was, apparently, that the port authority has an absolute rule against non-authorised people walking on the docks. Since the big luggage collection area was some hundreds of yards away from the gangway, we had to be transported that distance.

 

Getting on the free port shuttle bus was also a problem. We (several times) saw a port bus driving slowly along, empty, with a bemused-looking driver. We believe the reason for this was that they, too, were prevented from picking up from anywhere except their designated stops, and no-one was standing at one of these. In the end one of Celebrity's chartered buses took a load of us to the dock gates.

 

So getting off the ship was a breeze; the challenging bit was doing anything constructive after that!

 

We didn't have to take a but in Cvitavechia, the tent was put up right outside the gangway...it was very convenient. Once we found the bags it was a piece of cake. We didn't go to a waiting area but just walked right off the ship. We had private transport arranged. I think that is the easiest route to take. I thought the process was fine. I hope it goes just as well next year when I disembark in Barcelona.

[shoreless]

We just did a four day PacNW from Seattle on Mercury, and disembarkation was very fast.

 

Our only problem was breakfast, but that may have been because I missed some instructions somewhere. There was a book in the cabin (Concierge class) with various cruise info that said that we could order room service breakfast even on disembarkation day, but on the last night of the cruise our steward removed all the remaining breakfast order slips from the book, so we assumed that room service wouldn't be available after all. The instructions left with our luggage tags said that we had to be out of the cabin by 8:30, and that we should be in our designated lounge at 8:50. We left the cabin about 8:15 and went to the buffet, but they'd already started closing it down and there was almost no food left.:( . (Not that I was starving after all the food I'd eaten in the past four days:) ).

 

When we arrived in the lounge at about 8:40 they'd already called our group so we were able to leave immediately, and there were no lines anywhere so it went very quickly.

[TOSailors]

We didn't have to take a but in Cvitavechia, the tent was put up right outside the gangway...it was very convenient. Once we found the bags it was a piece of cake. We didn't go to a waiting area but just walked right off the ship. We had private transport arranged. I think that is the easiest route to take. I thought the process was fine. I hope it goes just as well next year when I disembark in Barcelona.

 

We come off a cruise Oct 27 (Celebrity) at Civitavecchia. There is one direct flight home to Toronto but it leaves at 12:40 pm. Assuming I need to be at the airport 2 hours before should I take a cruise ship transfer or limo. We should be disembarking fairly early as elite cruisers. I have not book the flight yet but am a little nervous. Anyone with travel time experience from port to airport. thanks