What time required to be off the ship?

[hansonsk20]

We are cruising to Alaska on Princess on 8/31. The itinerary shows us docking in Anchorage at 12:30AM but our flight isn't until 9:00PM. How long can you stay on the ship and what do you do with your luggage?

[designsbyjuju]

You'll have to vacate your stateroom by 8am. Unless you choose "walk off" where you have to carry your own luggage, you'll have to leave your luggage out the night before. You'll be assigned a "group" where you'll be required to meet at a certain time and then wait to disembark. Our meeting time was 8:45 and they did not let us off the ship until 10:15am. Even though our meeting time was 8:45 am, we were required to vacate the stateroom by 8am as they need to prepare them for the next cruise. That was a little annoying as we were not allowed to go to our meeting place until the meeting time..and were not allowed to go to any of the other lounges because others were meeting there. We went with our carry on up to HOrizon court to have breakfast until our meeting time.

 

This was this past Saturday on the Diamond Princess arriving in Vancouver.

[Colo Cruiser]

You and your luggage will be off by 10:30.

[Toto2Kansas]

With your flight not leaving until 9:00 PM, remember, you can not check your luggage in for your flight until a few hours beforehand. Taking a tour or renting a car where you luggage can go along with you is a good option.

 

Hopefully someone will know if there is any luggage storage available in the area, as I have no idea.

 

The ship must clear all previous passengers before the new passengers can board, that is why you will have to be off the ship in the AM, and clear your stateroom by 8:00, so the room stewards can prepare them for the next group.

[cruiserdru]

In case you aren't aware, you are actually docking in Whittier and you will need to make arrangements to get to the Anchorage airport, almost two hours away.

 

Princess has both motorcoach and train transfers to Anchorage. I know the motorcoach drops you off at the airport (we are doing this on 8/31 when our 8/24 NB cruise arrives in Whittier), not sure about the train connection. Princess schedules your transfer based on the time of your flight but I would have to believe that the last transfer is by 1030 or so.

[paul929207]

You will need to be out of your cabin by 8am so the cabin steward can get it ready for the next cruise. You will be off the ship by 9:30 or 10:30am, assuming you are the last off the ship. Princess wll probably off shore excursions that end at the airport. You might consider one of them.

[Happy2Cruise4Fun]

I thought I read that the Princess bus transfers drop you off in town at some welcome center VS the airport. Same as the train transfer.

 

Anyone know for sure?

[cruiserdru]

Your question made me sit up and take notice and got me to call Princess.

 

Princess has two coach transfers - one goes to City Center and one goes to the airport. I have the one to the airport.

[ore-ee-gun]

If cabins have to be vacated by 8:00 am, do pax have to schlep their carry-on bags with them to breakfast? :confused:

[Colo Cruiser]

If cabins have to be vacated by 8:00 am, do pax have to schlep their carry-on bags with them to breakfast? :confused:

 

 

Yes

[ore-ee-gun]

Thanks - Not thrilled about this...

[Pam in CA]

If cabins have to be vacated by 8:00 am, do pax have to schlep their carry-on bags with them to breakfast? :confused:

Yes, they do.

 

Some cruiselines allow you to stay in your cabin until disembarkation but when you embark the ship, the cabins aren't ready yet and you have to go somewhere to wait, sometimes hours, until they are. On Princess, they ask passengers to be out of their cabins so the stewards and crew can prepare for the new passengers; this means that when you initially embark a Princess ship, you can go directly to your cabin. I prefer the Princess system because when I board, I want my cruise to start NOW. :) It's not a big deal to wheel my carryon with me to the buffet or dining room (which is my disembarkation location of choice as it's civilized and there are few problems with bringing your carryon stuff with you) before disembarking.

[ore-ee-gun]

Thanks Pam - It's good that there is a trade-off. On HAL, the "bag drag" was on embarkation day and we learned to wait to board until after the cabins were ready. I appreciate the tip about breakfast in the dining room. :)

[pegpowell]

I know in SF, that sometimes you are allowed on board, but your stateroom may not be ready. If depends on how quickly they clear the ship.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks Pam - It's good that there is a trade-off. On HAL, the "bag drag" was on embarkation day and we learned to wait to board until after the cabins were ready. I appreciate the tip about breakfast in the dining room. :)

Exactly. :) You'll find far more passengers in the dining room at breakfast and lunch during your cruise than on any HAL ship I've been on and on disembarkation day, it's even busier. I just like that last "we're taking care of you" before going back to reality. :)

[TonyFred]

If cabins have to be vacated by 8:00 am, do pax have to schlep their carry-on bags with them to breakfast? :confused:

 

No. You can go eat and come back and get your carryon luggage as long as it is before 8 am.

[traveler525]

We had a late flight out of San Juan and did a Princess excursion during the day. They took our luggage to airport and we had several enjoyable hours touring San Juan before they took us to airport to meet up with our luggage.

[Iamcruzin]

If cabins have to be vacated by 8:00 am, do pax have to schlep their carry-on bags with them to breakfast? :confused:

 

We always eat breakfast early enough so we are back to the room by 8:00 am to pick up the carry on luggage. Last week we didn't leave the room until 8:30 because for the first time we didn't have to rush to catch a flight. They can't clean all of the rooms at once. There are many passengers rushing off. Those are the rooms they clean first.

[designsbyjuju]

If cabins have to be vacated by 8:00 am, do pax have to schlep their carry-on bags with them to breakfast? :confused:

 

Yes they do. It was sort of a pain! That's what got me. We had to be out by 8, but could not meet in the lounge until 8:45.

 

You can always go to breakfast really early and leave your stuff in the room. Breakfast starts at 5:30 on disembarkation day.

[Toto2Kansas]

If cabins have to be vacated by 8:00 am, do pax have to schlep their carry-on bags with them to breakfast? :confused:

 

What we normally do is talk to our room steward about leaving our carry ons in the stateroom, we have done this for the last dozen or more cruises on Princess. We usually ask if it would be OK if we left our carry ons in the closet (out of the way) while they clean the stateroom. And that we will be back for them after breakfast. We haven't found one room steward that hasn't allowed us to do this. They come in while we are gone, change and make up the bed, clean off the tables and empty the trash. They usually leave the bathroom for last just in case we might be in need of it when we return. Of coarse we always tip our room steward extra either the night before we disembark or that morning, so that might have something to do with it. But we have never had to carry our bags to breakfast, not once. ;)