Should we self-disembark?

[Janespup]

Hi everyone,

One of our daughters is meeting us at the FLL airport and taking us to her hotel for the day after the cruise. Our flight leaves at 4:30 pm. We are taking the Carnival Shuttle bus from Miami to FLL. We would like to get to the airport as soon as possible but also expect that the bus will have to wait until it is full. Is there any sense in our self-disembarking if we will have to wait on the bus for an hour or so? I welcome any opinions. Thanks.

Jane

[Chigirlcruzin]

I wouldn't self-disembark. I sailed on the Imagination 2 weeks ago, did self assist (as well as half the ship), and it was a huge PITA. I'd relax and do the colors. I also flew out of FLL, and I was the first person on the shuttle. IMO, it doesn't make sense to self-disembark.

[firefly333]

We did self disembark on the Princess and they were filling up busses about every 30 minutes. We just missed one, darn and had to wait for the next one to fill up. If you wait for your color, lots of busses will have already left probably. If you are taking the cruise busses they fill up pretty fast, not sure if you hired some else or not? I was talking about the cruise transportation.

 

There will probably be 1000 people doing self disembark and you can bet lots of them are on cruise arranged transportation.

 

Are you on a private shuttle or a cruise one?

[Janespup]

ChiGirl,

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I agree that I would rather just sit back and relax on the ship than be the first person on the bus! Do you recall what time you finally made it to FLL? I am hoping for 10 am. Thanks again.

Jane

[imnance]

Did self assist yesterday. Was off the boat a good 90 minutes before the rest of our group who didn't self assist.

[Janespup]

Hi Firefly,

Carnival transportation. I'm trying to imagine 1000 people trying to get off at the same time. Yuck. Then I am trying to imagine trying to find my luggage among that of the other 1000 passesgers who had it picked up during the night! (Am I getting paranoid about the whole thing?)

Considering that i would like to get to the airport by 10 or 10:30 at the latest, which do you think would be the lesser of two evils?

Jane

[CruiseCentric]

Hi Firefly,

Carnival transportation. I'm trying to imagine 1000 people trying to get off at the same time. Yuck. Then I am trying to imagine trying to find my luggage among that of the other 1000 passesgers who had it picked up during the night! (Am I getting paranoid about the whole thing?)

Considering that i would like to get to the airport by 10 or 10:30 at the latest, which do you think would be the lesser of two evils?

Jane

 

Self assist will assure that you are the first off the ship, meaning you will be on one of the first buses to leave.

[Janespup]

First off the ship? Are we talking getting off the ship at 9 am or 7 am? I am definitely going to want to eat something before I get off. (assuming that some kind of breakfast is available on the last day) Does that make a big difference? We are early risers but won't want to get on line at the crack of dawn to beat the rush. Is that how it happens?

Thanks.

 

Jane

[firefly333]

I cant remember now if it was Carnival or Princess who had 5:30 am breakfast the morning so we could self disembark early. RCI only opened breakfast 1/2 hour early at 6:30 and it was crazy, Princess and Carnival we did a lot better getting off fast.

 

You can get a wake up call and get in line and be off within 15 minutes, we were. We were to FLL wayyyyyyyy early. I dont want to chance having to find my luggage either, but then we only have one suitcase each. We are light packers.

 

I always do the self disembark. It backs up and then the colors are backed up if the self disembark goes late...the longer you wait the worse it gets imo. Unless you are planning on waiting to get off until 11 a.m. or so....you will be in a mad house if you wait. Its much better early.

 

And yep we are talking about 7 a.m. ish...well usually about 7:15 am before they let us off.

[imnance]

We had breakfast and still had plenty of time on the Miracle.

 

 

However....we were waiting for self assist to be called and DH looked out a window and noticed folks getting off the boat. To my knowledge, self assist was not called at all. Or perhaps they were, but we were already off the boat. Once we saw that folks were leaving, we left too.

[Chigirlcruzin]

ChiGirl,

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I agree that I would rather just sit back and relax on the ship than be the first person on the bus! Do you recall what time you finally made it to FLL? I am hoping for 10 am. Thanks again.

Jane

 

We didn't LEAVE the port until 10! This was the first shuttle to leave; I was getting a little nervous because I had a 12:15 flight! I was at FLL and checked in by 10:45. This was a Monday, not sure if you're traveling on a weekend and if traffic would be better/worse.

 

Finding your luggage is remarkably easy (at least it always was for me). It would have been really easy this past cruise because I think 80% opted to do self-assist!

[PA Dutchman]

I wouldn't self-disembark. I sailed on the Imagination 2 weeks ago, did self assist (as well as half the ship), and it was a huge PITA. I'd relax and do the colors. I also flew out of FLL, and I was the first person on the shuttle. IMO, it doesn't make sense to self-disembark.

 

No its a major PITA. We stay out of the heard that booked early flights and our ready to run over you getting off. We sit back and watch the mooing and get off last and go to a hotel , fly out the next morn. We can find our bags real easy only a few left.

[DqALEX]

I only self- disembark when I drive to the port. It does save time.