No matter how often I cruise, the last morning is the worst feeling because it's an abrupt end of vacation.
You would think after over 100 cruises, I would be used to winding down my trip and disembarking the ship. But it's always an early start that seems leave me tired and disappointed the fun has to come to an end.
Royal Caribbean ships usually arrive into port and begin allowing passengers to leave the ship around 7am or so. Some of the big ships will get in earlier and start the disembarkation sooner. Regardless, everyone is usually off the ship by about 9 or 9:30am.
While the cruise line gives you options of what time to disembark, I always opt for the earliest time to leave.
From avoiding lines later to getting home sooner, here are 7 reasons to get off your ship as early as possible.
There's less traffic to deal with earlier in the morning
With thousands of guests disembarking the ship, there's bound to be lots of cars trying to get them all on their way.
I've found most of the car traffic coming in and out of the terminal tends to be worse as the morning goes on. By being one of the first people off the ship, I can usually get in my car or taxi and be on my way quicker.
This is especially true of ports like Cape Liberty and Miami, which are notorious for bad traffic issues.
Not only are you dealing with traffic from people on your ship, but there will be more cars on the road from other ships as well.
Staying onboard is boring
While Royal Caribbean will let you stay on their ship as late as 9am, the truth is there's nothing to do.
Restaurants are open for breakfast, and the cafe will serve coffee. But there aren't any bars or entertainment open. Even the pools are closed down for cleaning.
Moreover, you have to be out of your cabin by 8am.
This leaves little to do other than have somewhere to sit and wait.
When you add in the other issues outlined in this article, it seems to me waiting onboard the ship doesn't add much value while the other problems get worse.
There can be long lines to disembark older ships
I've found older ships have longer lines to disembark the ship than newer ones.
This is partly because older ships tend to start the disembarkation process later than the newest ships. It's also because older ships may be docked at older cruise terminals that aren't as adept at processing more passengers.
As an example, anytime I cruise from Tampa, the earliest it seems disembarkation begins isn't until almost 7:30am. But on Utopia or Star of the Seas, the gangway is open around 6:30am or earlier.
Truly, I think what time a ship begins allowing guests off the ship plays a major role. The sooner Royal Caribbean can get the line moving, the shorter the line gets.
Ride share costs are lower
If you're taking Uber or Lyft from the cruise port, surge pricing can quickly add to the price.
Surge pricing is a function that occurs when demand for a rideshare starts to outpace demand. This happens at concerts, airports, and cruise terminals.
The first people off the ship typically pay less than those disembarking later when many more passengers are trying to get a ride.
Even if it's just a few dollars cheaper, I'll take it.
Avoid lines in parking garage
If you have your own car, the parking garage can get backed up with other cars trying to leave at the same time.
Luckily, most cruise terminal parking garages require payment upon entry (instead of exit), because that reduces backups to exit the building. However, too many cars trying to exit at the same time can add to traffic trying to back out of parking spots and down the narrow ramps.
I can make an earlier flight so I can get home sooner
If there's an earlier flight that not only gets me home sooner, but avoids waiting around for hours at the airport, I'll opt for that every single time.
Ideally you want a flight that allows you to disembark the ship, get to the airport, and have just enough time to get through security and get sometime to eat without feeling like you live at the airport.
I've found disembarking the ship earlier often opens up a flight option that would minimize my time spent in the airport.
When I was flying home from my Alaska cruise in Vancouver, there was a morning flight we could make if we hustled off the ship. The alternative was to spend all day in the airport waiting around for the next flight.
Make sure you have enough time to make it to the airport and through security before booking an early flight. Part of this equation is knowing what time you can disembark the ship.
Give me more time for security at airport
In general, the airport gets busier as the day goes on, and that's another good reason to get there early.
As the morning goes on, so do the amount of flights departing and that bring is many more passengers.
I've found the line for airport security is much shorter in the 7am hour, than the 8am hour, and so on.
I would much rather get through security and into a chair somewhere to relax, than have to wait in a long security line and worry about how much longer the experience would be.
