The last morning of your cruise can feel like a confused rush as your vacation comes to an end, but it's a lot easier to manage if you know what to expect.
No matter how long or short your cruise is, the final morning is when you disembark the ship and end your voyage. Nearly all passengers are on their way home, although some might be extending their vacation in another way.
Getting off a cruise ship is not like checking out of a hotel. There's a few more logistical hurdles to overcome, and it's far more regimented to keep lines moving.
While the end of the cruise is disappointing, it doesn't have to be a disaster either. You might not be smiling walking off the ship for the final time, but at least you can be content.
What time do I have to depart the cruise ship?
There are two options for walking off your cruise ship on the final morning.
If you put luggage out the night before to have Royal Caribbean deliver your luggage down to the cruise terminal, then you have a luggage number that indicates the earliest time you can disembark and your bags will be ready.
The time associated with each luggage tag is listed on a piece of paper that was left in your cabin along with the luggage tags. Every sailing is different, so don't assume a particular number will always correlate to the same time.
The time listed is the earliest time you can leave the ship and your bags will be ready. You could disembark the ship earlier, but you'd be waiting in the cruise terminal for the bags to be delivered. Alternatively, you can always leave later than that time and pick up your bags.
The other option is to bring your own luggage off the ship with you instead of having it delivered. With this option, you can disembark the ship as soon as local authorities clear the ship.
The exact time a ship will begin allowing passengers off the ship will depend on a variety of factors, but it's usually around 7am. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later.
Regardless of your luggage situation, you can always stay on the ship later than the disembarkation time. That time is just an indication of the earliest time you can stay on for.
Royal Caribbean's app will ask you a few days before the end of the cruise your disembarkation plans and assign you a disembarkation time as well. Keep in mind that's the earliest time, not the exact time you need to leave.
So what time can you stay on a Royal Caribbean ship until? Not as late as you'd find at a land-based hotel.
Royal Caribbean asks all passengers to be out of their cabins by 8am on most sailings. The crew needs to turn the ship over and prepare it for the next voyage, and they need all previous passengers off the ship.
By about 9am, you're going to start hearing a lot of announcements encouraging passengers to disembark. Sooner or later, they'll start paging individuals to leave.
In my experience, the latest you can stay onboard is about 9:30am without getting in trouble.
What's open and what can you do on the final morning
The last morning of your cruise is a blend of finishing out the first voyage and preparing for the next one.
As soon as you leave your cabin, you'll see crew members working to turn over cabins and prepare them for the next journey.
While a lot of work is being done to prep the ship, there are some areas still operational for passengers.
Coffee and breakfast will be open at select venues on the last morning of the cruise.
You can expect at the very least the Windjammer buffet, Main Dining Room, and the quick service coffee location (Cafe Promenade) to be open.
If your ship has a Coastal Kitchen restaurant for suite guests, that will be open too.
Most other venues are closed, including the pool.
Guest services is open to settle any final billing issues you might have. Keep in mind you have to have a zero dollar balance in order to get off the ship.
What is the earliest flight I should book after the cruise is over?
Ideally, you want to book a flight that gives you enough time to easily disembark your ship and get to the airport and through security without being at the airport for many more hours than you need.
The problem is if you book a flight too early, you risk missing the flight because you couldn't get to the gate in time.
There are a lot of factors why it might take longer to actually disembark your ship, thus delaying your arrival to the airport:
- What time exactly your ship docks
- What time local authorities start the inspection process
- How long the inspection process takes
- How long a line there is to disembark the ship
- Unforeseen circumstances, such as a technical problem or guest blocking exiting the ship
If you look at your Royal Caribbean cruise itinerary, it lists a time your ship arrives back to the terminal. That's an estimate, and not when you can actually walk off the ship.
Plus, the actual disembarkation process may not begin for another hour or two after that time.
The fastest way off a Royal Caribbean ship is to take your own luggage off with you (known as self-assist disembarkation), but you're still at the mercy of when local authorities clear the ship and your ship begins allowing passengers to leave.
Another factor to picking the earliest flight home is how far the airport is from the cruise terminal.
As a general rule of thumb, I recommend times after 11am. International flights and/or airports an hour or more from the cruise terminal should probably require a flight no earlier than noon.
What every passenger should do before leaving the ship
It will likely seem like you're in a rush to leave your ship, but there are a few important things to do before you disembark.
This may seem obvious, but so many people don't check they took everything out of their cabin with them.
Double and triple check you have all your belongings. Once you leave the ship, getting lost items back can be a challenge.
Common items left behind on the ship include children's toys (check under the bed), chargers in wall sockets, and valuables in the safe.
The next thing to do is verify your onboard balance is zeroed out. If you have a credit card on file, that's pretty much assured. But if you had a cash account, you'll need to settle up with Guest Services. They won't let you off the ship until you do.
Speaking of your account, I'd recommend taking one last look to review any charges on there to verify it's all correct. You want to correct any erroneous charges before you disembark.
If you ordered photo prints, this is your last chance to grab them. Likewise, if you want to book another cruise at NextCruise, you can do so that final morning.
Be sure to return any pool towels that are still in your room, or you'll risk a $20 per unreturned towel fee.
What happens after you leave the ship?
After walking off the ship and back into the cruise terminal, the experience is somewhat like an airport when you fly home after an international trip.
You'll first make your way to pick up your luggage. Only luggage that has been called will be available to pick up, and you'll see bags grouped by luggage tag numbers.
There are porters available to help with your luggage. There is no cost to use the porters services, but they do expect a tip at the end. Usually a dollar or two per bag is the norm.
My advice is take advantage of the porters and use them. Not only will it be easier on you if you have a lot of bags, but in some cruise terminals the porters have their own special line for customs.
After retrieving your luggage, your next stop is the clear immigration.
In the U.S., there are two lines: people traveling with passports and people traveling with birth certificates.
In most U.S. ports now there is facial recognition is reserved for those with passports, and it's a fast and efficient process. You simply walk to the machine, it scans your face, and tells you if you're good to go or need to speak with someone.
The birth certificate line is slower because it requires an agent to inspect your documentation manually.
After you clear immigration, you'll depart the cruise terminal. At this point, you're on your own to find a way home.
There will be a mix of taxis, shuttle services, ride shares and more to get you home. You should have a plan in place prior to that morning of how you'll get on your way to avoid complications or unexpected delays.
How to disembark before everyone else
If your goal is to be the first one off your ship and on your way home, then you'll need to have a proper plan of action.
In order to be the first one off a ship at its conclusion, you're going to need to carry your own luggage off. Self-assist luggage guests have up to an hour head start on those waiting for luggage.
This express departure method will beat most of the crowds that come later, especially those that opted to have breakfast. Plus, there will be less people to contend with in the customs line or waiting for a taxi.
Prior to the final morning, you'll get an estimate of what time your ship expects to start the disembarkation process. It could be around 6:30 or 7am.
It's a rough guess at the time, but my advice is to get in line at least 30 minutes before that estimate. You'll be surprised how many other people are already there waiting to walk off the ship too.
Remember, if you opt for this, you'll need to carry all of your own luggage off the ship and there won't be any assistance available with it. It's ideal for solo travelers, couples, or families without young children.
