Your cruise is coming to an end and now it's time to start preparing for the trip back home. Come tomorrow, its back to real life, no more buffet, no more room service, no more trips to the ice cream machine. But before you debark, which means get off the ship, there are a few formalities that require your attention, This post will give you the heads up on what to do on the last night of your cruise and the following morning as you debark.
PAYING MY BILL
The first and probably most important thing to people is their bill. If you pre-registered a credit card you will receive a copy of your bill (or account summary) in the early morning hours before you get off the ship. This is the preferred method and definitely the easiest. A copy of the bill will be left at your door. I recommend that you get a copy of the bill ahead of time at Guest Services. This allows you to check the charges and make sure everything is correct, which it almost always is, but if you are like me then you want to make sure. However, don't wait until the last night because that's when everyone else does. The line at Guest Services can get very long on the last night. Go earlier in the day or even that morning. When you receive your final bill just make sure any charges from the last night are accurate and off you go. If you do not have a credit card registered then you will need to settle your shipboard account at Guest Services prior to leaving the ship. Once again, the line will get long during prime hours on the evening before and the morning of debarkation. Included is an actual account summary from a 3-Night Bahamian cruise on The Disney Dream (with all personal info removed).
Account Summary from a 3-Night Bahamian Cruise on The Disney Dream
Two other lines that get long on the last night are at the photo gallery and future cruise sales. The photo gallery is open on debark morning but future cruise sales is not. Disney offers incentives to book another cruise before your current cruise ends. Booking a future cruise while still on the ship currently includes a 10% discount and onboard credit not available afterwards.
TIP: You can make a deposit on a future cruise without setting a travel date or itinerary and reserve the discount. If you ultimately decide not to cruise again the money is refundable. (Make sure you tell them that TravelVibz is your agent to take advantage of our incentives and personalized service. That also allows us to adjust your cruise itinerary for you, if needed, without losing your discounts.)
TIPS: HOW MUCH AND TO WHOM?
The biggest question that most people have about the last day of a cruise is tips. How much and to whom? Tips on a Disney cruise are automatically added to your bill and distributed to the appropriate person. (See the sample account summary above and the letter below) If you want to adjust your tips you can do so by visiting Guest Services. One of my children has food allergies and we require special attention in advance of meals. I always leave something extra for those who help ensure my daughter gets delicious food that is also safe for her to eat.
In the early evening on the last night of your cruise, you will be required to place all of your luggage outside your stateroom where it will be taken by your room steward. Your stateroom host or hostess will place luggage tags in your room that evening. The tags will likely feature a Disney character. It is very important that every bag you place outside your room have a character tag securely attached to it. The character tag on your luggage will correspond to a character sign in the terminal where your luggage will be waiting for you after you exit the ship. Make sure to remove any old airline tags or embarkation tags that were put on your luggage when you arrived at the cruise port. TIP: Take a picture of a character tag with your smartphone in case you forget come the next morning. Only those eligible for express walk-off should keep their luggage in their room. Basically, express walk-off is for people who leave the ship shortly after it docks and either drove themselves to the cruise port or have arranged other private transportation. Once your luggage is taken you won't see it again until you reach your destination.
TIP: Make sure you have a clean change of clothes for the next morning. IMPORTANT: Make sure you keep all of your travel docs and passports on your person. DO NOT pack them in your luggage.
TIP: If your kids have Oceaneer Bands for the clubs, make sure to return them on the last night. The cost for the bands will be credited back to you. If you prefer, you can keep them as a souvenir.
Something else you will hear a lot about on the final night of your cruise is the questionnaire. Don't be surprised if several crew members, especially your servers and stateroom host mention the questionnaire. It is very important to them and their overall job performance. Disney takes the questionnaire seriously so answer honestly. Click below to see a sample questionnaire.
When the ship docks in the morning, breakfast will be served before you are asked to leave the ship. You will need to leave your room early so its best to be prepared the night before. Pack your carry-on with everything you need in the morning for the morning and check every drawer, closet, and under the bed. Things shift during the cruise do to the motion of the ship and may end up somewhere other than where you placed it.
Here is a sample debarkation form for Port Canaveral with tons of great information. Every stateroom will receive an updated form on the last night of the cruise explaining important debarkation procedures.
After you exit the ship you will proceed into the terminal where your luggage will be waiting for you. Disney organizes luggage by the character tags that you were given the night before. Find your character section and locate your bags. Note: Porters are available in the terminal to assist you with transporting your luggage. After you have your bags, proceed to the U.S. Customs check. Depending on how much you purchased during your cruise, you may need to fill out a short form declaring the monetary value of any purchases you made outside of the U.S. A customs agent will check your identification and passport (if applicable), probably ask you a few questions, and then clear you through. At that point, you have officially debarked from the ship and are ready to travel home. Simply follow the signs and cast members directing you to your transportation destination.
That's about it. Have a safe journey home and don't forget to subscribe to TravelVibz below and follow us on social media for more great info on Disney and travel.