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Travellers know the worst part of any holiday is the end – and that goes for cruising as well. It’s a sad moment having to get off the ship (or should we say ‘floating buffet’).
But one cruiser has shared a piece of advice online he claimed was a “marvellous” way to make getting off a cruise ship as easy and quick as possible.
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“Wife and I have cruised several times. However, up until today, we have always had our luggage taken off the ship by cruise staff,” he wrote in a Reddit thread.
However, after a cruise that finished in Vancouver, Canada, the traveller said they had been able to pack everything they needed in “two large suitcases and two backpacks”.
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That made it much faster to disembark.
“We were able to do self serve and were off the ship by 8am,” he continued.
Cruise lines usually offer to carry luggage off for guests on debarkation days, by collecting it the night before from outside of your cabin.
Travellers can then collect their luggage at the terminal once off the ship. However, sometimes this can lead to lengthy queues and going through many bags before finding your own suitcase.
Instead, these cruisers raved: “No long lines, no big crowds to work through. It was marvellous. 10/10 experience and hope to be able to do it more in the future.”
And plenty of people agreed the tactic was worth it, with one commenter writing: “‘Our family rule is you have to be able to carry your own bags, so we do this almost every cruise. It’s amazing.”
However, others said it might not always be so easy, with one person writing: “We did that once and couldn’t get onto an elevator… they were always packed and it was too much luggage to carry down several flights of stairs. Took forever.
“We found letting the ship take the big stuff the night before works really well.”
Packing for your cruise in the first place can play a big role in whether this trick works for your or not.
Of course it can be difficult to keep the amount of luggage you have low, especially when travelling for a long time, or as a family.
The last thing you want is to have things you don’t need, that are taking up space and making your bag heavier as a result. Here is one mistake a packing expert wants you to avoid.
Emily Norris, The Family Packer, said one of her biggest no-no’s is wasting money on mini versions of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, especially when the kids might all want their own versions.
“Mini products are cute but they are more expensive and not great for the environment, especially when you’re packing for the whole family,” she told the Express.
For getting on and off a cruise with ease, Emily also had a tip for making any suitcase easier to handle.
“Sort out your and your family’s heaviest items so you can pack them at the bottom of your suitcase,” she added.
“This will help to distribute the weight, making it easier to pull and stopping it from falling over.”
Drop us an email with all your wisdom to [email protected], and your tip could be featured in an upcoming story on 9Travel.
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