Cruising - Preparing for debarkation

 

Sadly, the most enjoyable cruises must end.  And the day before a ship returns to port is always the saddest part of the cruise for me.  Although I still have a little bit of time left on the ship, I am constantly aware that I will be back in the “Real World” the next morning.

The first thing I usually take care of is packing for debarkation.  I make sure to always keep essential toiletries and a full change of clothes with me, making sure to have an extra day’s worth of clothing with me in a carry-on or personal item in case of travel delays when returning home.  Given how many people make the mistake of packing clothes needed on debarkation day, Emma (emmacruises.com) sells a disembarkation day t-shirt on her site.

But what about the rest of one’s clothes?  Most people going on a cruise pack both a carry-on bag and a full-sized suitcase, as they often need more than a small bag for a week’s (or more) clothing and other essentials.  And this is where the first decision must be made.  Once the bag is packed, one must decide whether one uses “self-assist” debarkation (a.k.a. Express Debarkation, Express-Departure, Walk-Off, etc.) or one uses the normal debarkation procedures given by the cruise line.  In the case of self-assist debarkation, one must transport all of one’s luggage through customs and out of the cruise terminal. No help will be given by anyone from the cruise line. This can be a major problem when one must handle more than one item of luggage. Yet, there is one important advantage to this form of debarkation – most cruise lines allow “self-assist” cruisers to be among the first people to leave the ship after reaching port. However, if one chooses “normal” debarkation, cruisers will attach identification tags (provided by the cruise ship) which will be used to place bags in selected areas of the terminal building.  Once ready, cruisers will put their bags outside their stateroom door (usually between 10:00 pm and Midnight) for porters to move to the terminal building when the ship reaches port.  To prevent confusion when retrieving bags at the pier the next day, one should consider using a tracking device such as an Apple air tag or Tile tracker to help find one’s bags at the pier.

To the cruise line, the most important thing to be taken care of is the settlement of financial accounts.  All expenses incurred on the ship (minus cruise credits) will be summed and applied to one’s payment mechanism (usually a credit card account).  Because the cruise line wants to have a complete listing of cruise charges before the night is over, one’s ship steward will usually lock the mini-bar on the last evening of the cruise. 

Sometime on the last evening of the cruise, one should review the final bill to make sure that only valid charges are being applied and to make sure that all valid credits are applied as well.  For example, I have seen bar bills applied to the wrong account because an incorrect room number was associated with the charge.  Additionally, port fees and missed excursion credits (only for excursions purchased through the cruise line) for missed ports should be reflected on the bill at this time.  If not, it is much easier to talk to guest services on the last night of the cruise than to talk with them on the day of debarkation.

Cruising - Preparing for the cruise

There are many things one must do in preparing for a cruise, that are common to most forms of travel.  Some of these things are:

• Determining whether one needs to arrive in the cruise terminal’s city the day of the cruise, or a day or two before the cruise.
• Arranging transportation to/from cruise terminal, airport, or train station.
• Making sure all of one’s documentation is in order. (e.g.: Passports & Visas)
  
• Setting up Hold Mail service with the Post Office.
• Vaccinations needed for destination(s).
• Itinerary information to be packed in each bag, in case it is not delivered to the correct destination on time.  (This will aid in the recovery of lost bags and in the delivery of those bags to the cruiser.)
• Backup copies of all identification and credit cards being carried on the cruise.  (One never knows when one may need to call a credit card company about a lost or misplaced card.)
• Cruise Documents, such as Boarding Passes and Luggage Tags.
• Luggage Locator Tags (Apple Tags, Tile Tags, etc.)
• Confirming cruise terminal check-in time with the cruise line.
  
  
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Passports, Visas, Entry Permits, and Proofs of Vaccination.

One should take care of these items as early as possible before the cruise, as many people forget one or more of them, and have been unable to go on their cruises.

Passports are a requirement for most cruises.  However, many round-trip cruises from US ports do not require passports, as they only require a birth certificate for proof of US citizenship. This is not recommended, as a person’s cruise may end suddenly due to ship malfunction or individual illness.  Affected cruisers would then need to get a emergency passport from the nearest US consulate or embassy, something which can be a major hassle in an already stressful time. 

Assuming one is using a passport for international travel, one should make sure that it will not expire before 6 months after travel has ended.  Many nations require this for entry, and one can be kept off a cruise for this reason.  However, this might not be all that a traveler needs to cruise to/from many ports, as individual countries/regions may require visas or entry permits to enter.  For example, the US and EU already require entry permits for all non-citizens, separate from any visa requirements that may exist.  The UK is implementing its own entry permit system.  This may create a logistical nightmare for US citizens flying from New York to London for a round-trip cruise from Southhampton to the Norwegian Fjords. It is not just the US, UK, and EU that has visitor rules like this.  An acquaintance of mine had to apply for 3 separate permits for her trip to visit Antarctica.  So, one must be careful to secure all required permits and visas well ahead of the cruise.

Some countries (or regions) require vaccination proofs before entry.  For example, even though Australia lifted most Covid era vaccination requirements, one of its states still required proofs of vaccination.  As a result, several people were denied boarding their cruises, even though Australia (as a nation) allowed them to be on Australian soil.

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Dining Reservations:

As soon as you are able, make your dining reservations for any specialty restaurants in which you plan to dine.  Often, many preferred dining times get closed out before the cruise, and one must settle for second and third best choices. For example, I had 4 specialty meals included with my Hawaii cruise (2 from NCL’s “free at sea” package, and 2 from my loyalty status).  I was only able to book 2 of these meals before my cruise, and had to settle for 2 meals in restaurants which I would not have chosen had my desired choices had still been available.

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Shore Excursions:

Like dining reservations, shore excursions should be purchased as early as possible.  On several cruises, I was locked out of shore excursions because they were sold out before the cruise started.  Cancelling an excursion is not much of a problem, as most excursions can be canceled with 48 hours’ prior notice.

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Packing for the cruise.

I have found that a checklist is very useful when I prepare for a cruise.  One of the ones I have found useful can be found at:

https://www.smartertravel.com/the-ultimate-packing-list/

In addition, I always pack a printed sheet of paper containing my contact information and my travel itinerary, so that if my bag is misplaced and opened, it can be forwarded to me by the airline, cruise line, or other personnel that may mishandle my luggage.  This helped me on one return to New York, as I left some luggage in the trunk of the cab, and was able to retrieve the luggage with minimal difficulty.

Assuming that the weather is warm and the ship has a pool, one might want to consider packing a swimsuit in one’s carry-on bag.  This way, on Embarkation Day, one has the option of changing into the swimsuit and going for a soak before checked luggage is delivered to one’s cabin.

However, there are items that must be packed, as they will not be permitted on the ship.  Many are prohibited because cruise ships use a different electrical system than found on land. Some of these items are:

• Hair Dryers
• Power strips with surge protection.
  (There are special power strips available on Amazon that can be used.)
• Electric Blankets
• Bottles of Alcoholic Beverages.  (Applies to many ships, but not all.)

I would read the cruise line’s list of prohibited items before packing.  Please be aware that all cruise lines currently prohibit bringing cannabis on board, as they follow both US Federal Government law, the laws of the country whose flag the ship flies, as well as those laws of each port on the cruise’s route.  In a case reported by a Vlogger, a cruiser was banned for life because ship personnel found cannabis in the cabin.

Cruisers will usually not have problems with most prescription drugs. One should keep them in a carry-on or personal bag, as it may take some time for your larger suitcase to make it from the porter to your cabin door.  Although I have never needed to do so, one may need to keep their drugs in their original containers to avoid problems in some countries. When in doubt, check with appropriate authorities in each country the ship will visit to make sure that each medication is allowed.  In some cases, your physician may need to substitute medications to comply with the laws of foreign nations.

Not all medications are in pill form.  Some are liquids that may need refrigeration. You may need to keep your medication cold on the way to a cruise ship.  However, once in your cabin, you can request that your attendant remove all purchasable items from the cabin refrigerator, so that you can access your medications at any time.

Regarding medical equipment, most major “American” cruise lines have at least one North American Standard 110v/60hz power outlet. This may not be enough for many cruisers, as couples may have equipment such as “his and hers” CPAP units. Because of this, I always travel with a cruise ready power strip and an extension cord to allow me to set up my CPAP unit next to my bed.  In the case of CPAP units, I have never had a major problem requesting distilled water from my room attendant.  In the one case where I had a problem, he had to ask for help in translating “distilled water” so that he could fetch it from the ship’s stores.

One trick many people have found to access additional power outlets is to bring a travel adapter, so that they can use the European Standard 220v/50hz power outlet with North American equipment.  Although I have not needed to do this, it is something to consider when one just needs that one extra power outlet.

If you have not done so, load the cruise line’s app onto your cell phone before going on the cruise.  This is the ideal time to set it up and become familiar with it, because you may need it to do many things on the ship.  On two of the cruise lines that I have sailed on, their app allows the cruiser to reserve meal times at the onboard restaurants, reserve seats for the ship’s onboard entertainment, order drinks and much, much more.   Knowledge of how to use the app can make a cruise more pleasant than if one cannot use a cell phone as an information utility.