Cruising - Preparing for debarkation

 Revised on 02/12/26

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.

Packing Advice.

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.

Does one leave luggage by the door for porters?

But what about the rest of one’s clothes?  Most people going on a 7+ day 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.  

Do I want porter assistance to being some of my luggage to the pier, or do I want to walk off with all my luggage the morning of debarkation?

• If one chooses porter assistance, one has to fill out colored/numbered luggage tags supplied by the cruise line and attach them to bags to be left out in the hallway during the evening (usually before 10 pm).  Ship staff will then take these bags to she ship's hold, from which they will be moved to the pier when the ship is cleared at the port. 
  
  There are some drawbacks to this.  If one has to get off the ship as soon as possible to get to an airport on time to catch a flight, then this approach may not be the best choice, as one may not be able to retrieve one's luggage on the pier and still have enough time to make it to the airport on time.  Additionally, there is a small chance that one's luggage is misplaced between the ship and the pier, causing some confusion when one is looking for one's luggage.  (This once happened to my travel partner, as some of her luggage was placed in the wrong area on the pier.) To deal with the second problem, I always make sure that a Tile Tracker (or Apple iTag) is inside my luggage (or is attached to my luggage).
  
  
• If one chooses "self assist" (or similarly named options) where one has to transport all of one's luggage from the cabin on debarkation day without any assistance from ship personnel.  
  
  There is one key drawback to this approach.  If one's luggage is unwieldy and not easily moved through the ship's hallways, debarkation day becomes a major headache.  (I had this happen to me once, and I won't make this mistake again.)

Settling Accounts.

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.