The Last Night and Debarkation Day on a Disney Cruise

The Last Night and Debarkation Day on a Disney Cruise

The saddest days of a cruise, debarkation day. You’ve had a fun time on the ship and now it is back to reality. What do you need to know?

 

Debarkation preparation actually starts the night before your cruise ends. You have to make choices the day before you get off on how you will get off. You have 2 choices, Express Walk Off or Let the Porters carry your bags:

1.       You can carry all your luggage off the ship. If you are traveling lite this is a great thing! This is called “Express Walk Off”

a.       You will not have to put your bags out the night before.

b.       You will have to keep all your bags with you until you disembark.

c.       You will not have to wait for your group to be called.

d.       Once Customs has cleared the ship you can leave.

e.       Show your Keep to the World Card to the Crew Member at the door

f.         Go through customs in the port

2.       You can set your luggage out by 10 pm the last night on the ship

a.       You will be given tags with a character on them to attach to your bags

b.       You will go to breakfast, either in the restaurant you ate at the night before or at the buffet

c.       You will wait for your character to be called to join the line to disembark

d.       You will show your Key to the World or Magic/DisneyBand+ to the Crew Member

e.       You will then go through customs in the terminal

f.         After going through customs you will find your luggage in the terminal. It will be placed in a section with the character on your tags.

g.        If you use a porter to assist you it is appropriate to tip them several dollars per bag.

What NOT to pack in the bags the porters take off the ship:

·       ID and Citizenship Paperwork for each guest

·       Key to the World Card and/or Magic/DisneyBand+ for each guest (you will need this to disembark)

·       Car/Home Keys

·       Medication

·       Electronics

·       Valuables

·       Fragile items

·       Tickets for your travel home

·       Anything you will want easy access to before you can get to your bags or home

A quick recap:

·       Choose “Express Walk Off” debarkation or let the porters take your bags off the night before

·       Leave your bags out by 10 pm if you do not choose Express Walk Off

·       Be out of your cabin by 8 am, 7:30 am is better

·       Have breakfast either in the restaurant you ate at the night before or the buffet

·       Be ready by 8:30 or 9 am to walk off the ship

·       Show your Key to the World Card or Magic/DisneyBand+ to the Crew Member as you leave the ship

·       Have ID/Citizenship Paperwork ready to show at the port

·       Pick up your bags in the Terminal

·       Enjoy your trip home

 

What is the Process for Disembarking Your Disney Cruise??

 What is the Process for Disembarking Your Disney Cruise??

Sadist day of the cruise! That is what debarkation day is! It helps to know the process so you can make choices and be ready. You have two choices on how you disembark the ship.

 

Setting your bags out the night before:

·         You can put as much luggage as you wish outside your cabin door by 10 pm the night before you disembark. Your cabin steward will give you color coded character tags for your bags. You will write your Name, Address, and the number of bags you are giving your steward. Your steward will take your bags to storage where they will be held until arrival at the port. They will be preloaded onto carts so they can quickly be taken to the terminal where you will go to the area marked with your character tag are located.

·         In the morning you will go to breakfast. Usually, you go to the restaurant you ate dinner at the night before. Your server will tell you what time breakfast will be served. If you don’t wish to eat in the Main Dining Room, you can go to Cabana’s for breakfast. This way you don’t have to worry about being late for breakfast. After breakfast you will wait for your character to be called and then head off the. This wait can be LONG and littles often get cranky waiting. They already don’t want to leave!

·         After picking up your bags you will then go through customs and declare any items you need too. You will also need to show proof of citizenship again. So have your Passport or your Birth Certificate AND Government Issued ID, like a Driver’s License.

·         When using this option make sure you keep out clothes for the morning, toiletries you will need, medication, Proof of Citizenship/ID, Valuables, Jewelry, Electronics, Car Keys if you are driving home from the port, Airline Tickets if flying. In other words, keep all your important and valuable items with you!! If you have littles, I suggest keeping things to keep them occupied as you wait to debark and for the next step of your travels home. You don’t want to have to open a bag you packed the night before while you wait for the plane or other transportation.

·         Pros to putting your bags out:

·         You don’t have to handle your bags!

·         You can just relax and let the crowds get off then join the end of the line.

·         Cons to putting your bags out:

o   You must take time the last day of your cruise to pack and may miss the last evening’s festivities.

o   It can take longer to disembark the ship.

o   You must search for your luggage once in the terminal.

o   There is always a possibility of bags being misplaced.

 

Your second option is to carry your bags off the ship yourself:

·         You can go to the last show and not worry about packing by 10 pm and carry your own bags off the ship! You just take them to breakfast with you then walk off the ship without waiting for your character to be called.

·         Pros to carrying your bags off yourself:

o   It is faster than waiting for your character to be called.

o   You don’t have to worry about your bag being mishandled or lost.

o   You don’t have to worry about what to keep out or have packed, other than your Proof of Citizenship and other documents you need for travel home.

·         Cons to carrying your bags off yourself:

o   You must carry your bags off yourself! Unless all you take is one large and one small bag at most this can become difficult.

 

I’ll be honest I’m a pack it up the night before and shove it out the door gal!!! I’m too stressed the day we get off the ship and hurting because I don’t want to get off! LOL I want to relish the last few minutes on the ship and enjoy myself. I want to say goodbye to crew that became family and say Thank You once again.

Do you want to book a Disney Cruise Line or other Disney Vacation? Let me know!

 

Carolyn@EliteMemoriesTravel.com

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