The end of your cruise may not be the end of your vacation. It is certainly the end of lounging around the ship all day. No longer will your longest walk be to the dining room. It’s time to return to the real world. At least until the next time you cruise. While all cruise lines’ debarkation boil down to the three basic steps of filling out customs forms, getting your luggage off the ship, and getting you and your luggage through customs in the terminal all of the cruise lines are slightly different.
Royal Caribbean has a self-assist debarkation where you carry your own luggage in exchange for being one of the first ones off of the ship. Royal calls it an Express Departure. Skipping nautical terminology entirely. The crown and anchor does have the usual numbered luggage tags which are tied to your luggage, and also as usual your bags are collected by the stewards the night before debarking. The next day you wait for your number to be called and when it is, you depart the ship.
Clearing Customs
The first thing you’ll need to have taken care during your Royal Caribbean disembarkation is the customs form. This is a relatively straightforward declaration form. You can view a sample here. There must be one filled out per family and you’ll need to present it to customs officials in the cruise terminal. You’ll have to declare your purchases on the back of the form, and that’s where you may hit a snag. Purchases aboard the ship and on the shore during your cruise are duty free, but only to fixed limit. The standards for international travel are listed below and a more complete list with explanation can be viewed here at the US customs website.
- $800 of duty-free retail purchases
- 1 liter of alcohol per person
- 1 carton of cigarettes
- 100 non-Cuban cigars
The US Virgin Islands are US territories and have different rules governing them. The duty-free allowance for those are listed below.
- $1,600 of duty-free retail purchases
- 5 liters of alcohol per person (whoa!) at least 1 liter of which was purchased in the US Virgin Islands
- 1 carton of cigarettes
- 100 non-Cuban cigars
If you exceed these limits you may find yourself paying import taxes on purchases made during your cruise. Ending your vacation is hard enough, but it’s even harder if you’re forced to break out your check book and pay Uncle Sam. Its best to mind the limit, and keeping receipts for your purchases will help you keep to a budget, and help you when it’s time to pass through customs. Do not try to bring any produce through customs. Fruits and vegetables are subject to a different range of import regulations. It doesn’t matter if it’s an orange from the breakfast table. Do not attempt to bring it off the ship.
Royal Caribbean Disembarkation
The night before disembarkation is when you have to start packing. If you choose to have the porters carry your luggage then you’ll need to have it marked with a tag, and set outside of your stateroom by a certain time the night before. The ship will announce it. When you set your bags out the stewards will collect them, and take them off the ship for you.
The next time you’ll see your bags will be ashore in the baggage claim in the cruise terminal. For this reason you should retain a carry-on bag to pack things like toothbrushes and pajamas away, as well as the clothes you plan to wear the next day. It may seem obvious, but many people have ended their vacations disembarking the ship in their sleep attire. Likely this is not the stand out memory they wished to make on their vacation.
The time it takes to disembark the ship can vary. Royal Caribbean, and all the cruise lines are at the mercy of customs and the coast guard. There are several reasons the disembarkation process can go slowly so it’s best to be patient, plan ahead, and allow plenty of time for your post-cruise travel arrangements. If you absolutely must get somewhere the day your cruise ends, then there is a quicker option to get off of the ship.
Express Departure
Most of the cruise lines offer the option of a self-assist disembarkation. Royal Caribbean calls it Express Departure. Essentially what it boils down to is keeping your bags with you and lugging them off the ship yourself without having to wait for the porters or find your suitcases in the baggage claim the next morning. When you do this you’re among the first group called upon to leave the ship.
The caveat is that you’ll have to handle all your luggage yourself. If you’re cruise has swung by the Virgin Islands and your bag is weighed down by 5 liters of coconut rum, folk art, and the clothes you thought you might need for 5 days-and-nights it can be a challenge to navigate your bags through narrow corridors, stairwells, and elevators. It is, however, the only way ensure that you’ll be standing in the parking lot outside the cruise terminal in the light of early morning.
If you’re flight back home is leaving before noon this may be the only way to be sure you’ll make it. When an 10 AM flight is the best buy you could find this is your best chance of catching the shuttle to it. It’s best to think ahead, pack lightly, limit your purchases to what you can comfortably carry, and boldly go forth off the ship.
If you reserve a Fly Snooze Cruise hotel package with us online and have a flight departing between 10:30 AM and noon we offer an express transportation upgrade that reserves your entire party a seat on the first shuttle to the Orlando airport from Port Canaveral. That shuttle departs at 8 AM which leaves lots of time to travel to the airport and get checked in for your flight.
For those with a departing flight before 10:30 AM we offer custom packages with upgraded private transportation. To reserve your custom package call us at 321 735 8833.
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