You’ve had a great cruise, and you want to end your vacation on a high note. Then comes the reality of disembarkation day.<\/p>\n
Getting off a cruise ship is not the same as checking out of a hotel \u2014 you can’t just leave the ship when you feel like it.<\/p>\n
Small and luxury ships can have flexible, even leisurely, disembarkation plans. However, the final day on most big ships is a bit chaotic.<\/p>\n
The crew needs to get everyone out of their cabins and off the ship quickly so they can prepare for the arrival of the next batch of thousands of passengers. It’s a busy work day.<\/p>\n
So, extend your calm vacation mindset a little longer by preparing yourself and taking these steps to avoid common disembarkation-day mistakes.<\/p>\n
Check your bill<\/h2>\n
The night before disembarkation, a statement of everything you spent on the ship for drinks, specialty restaurants, spa treatments, souvenirs and any other splurges will arrive outside your cabin door.<\/p>\n
Mistakes do happen, so there will inevitably be long lines at guest services on disembarkation day, with people discussing specific charges.<\/p>\n Avoid the crowd by either getting there super early or, better yet, heading to guest services on the last night of your cruise and asking for a printout. Carefully check the statement<\/a><\/span>, and ask for any required adjustments. On some ships, you can even do this electronically on the cruise line’s app<\/a><\/span> or smart TV.<\/p>\n One line item you’ll likely see on that statement is daily gratuities, which most cruise lines add automatically to cover standard service. If your room steward, waiter or another crew member went above and beyond, an extra cash tip on the last night is a nice \u2014 and appreciated \u2014 gesture, though it’s not required.<\/p>\n Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-mob.svg\"\/)
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