The Unexpected Disembarkation Day Perk of Marella Cruises

Note: This post is sponsored by Marella Cruises. All thoughts and opinions are my own based on my 8+ Cruises with Marella. My cruises with Marella were not press trips and I paid full price for them.

Let’s face it, most of us dread disembarkation day!

You start to see people putting their cases out in the corridor on the last evening, and you get that sinking feeling. Your cruise is coming to an end.

This is the worst part of the holiday for me and it’s one of the main reasons why I love cruising with Marella so much. They do things differently and it’s so much better.

What Usually Happens on Other Cruise Lines

This is how disembarkation works on most cruise lines:

• Guests are assigned disembarkation times and colour-coded luggage tags.
• Cabins must be vacated early (often by 7 am or 8 am).
• Breakfast options are limited, sometimes, it is just the buffet.
  • That is often very busy, so I typically avoid it altogether by picking up a banana or a bread roll from the buffet the night before and keeping it in my cabin.
• Passengers end up waiting in the airport for hours..
  • Once they have dropped you off at the airport, you are no longer their responsibility. It feels like they can’t wait to get rid of you!
  • You can’t even pay extra for a taxi at a more convenient time if it’s beyond the normal disembarkation times – they will want you off that ship!

Marella’s Unexpected Approach

Marella do things differently.

Because all their cruises include flights and transfers, they know exactly when the flights are and who will be leaving when.

Although you need to leave your cabin at a set time, you can stay onboard, using all the ship’s facilities until your transfer time.

You can use the buffet and restaurants and continue to get drinks (as drinks are included as standard in a Marella cruise fare).

Consider a Late Checkout or Courtesy Cabin

You may have the option of paying for a late checkout, allowing you to keep your cabin for a longer period on disembarkation day.

Marella may also have complimentary courtesy cabins available for passengers to use for a short period to shower and change before their transfer. These are in limited supply and are often booked on a first-come, first-served basis.

Flights and transfers are coordinated with the cruise line, and passengers are not all left at the airport at the same time, which can lead to airport chaos.

I have memories of being left at Athens airport after my first Cunard cruise. So many people arrived by coach at the same time, the check-in desks weren’t open, and there were literally people queuing out of the airport doors! It is not an experience I would wish to repeat.

You can enjoy the ship’s facilities almost as if it’s a normal sea day, so if you have a flight later in the day, you won’t feel like your cruise has been cut short.

Disembarkation day can feel like a bonus cruise day, rather than the sad ending you would expect.

What It Actually Feels Like Onboard

On my last cruise with Marella, we had breakfast in the buffet, and then went for a nice cup of tea in The Coffee Port.

Later, we settled down by the pool with a drink in the Mallorca sunshine for a few hours before getting a light snack for lunch in the buffet. We didn’t actually get off the ship until 1.30 pm.

The bus was right there waiting for us, and there were only six people on the transfer for our flight to London Gatwick. (Other passengers got off at other times, for different flights to other regional airports.)

Everything was very relaxed.

We kept an eye on the time and disembarked the ship when we reached our designated time slot of 1:30 pm.

Why Marella Can Offer This

Since Marella’s packages include flights and transfers, they have full control over timings.

They fly from a number of regional airports, so people arrive and leave at staggered times.

Passengers don’t need to leave the ship at dawn because everything’s coordinated to fit the flight schedule.

It’s one of those subtle, but brilliant, perks that’s easy to overlook when choosing a cruise.

Have a look at my most recent Marella cruise in the video below. I enjoyed it so much that I booked another cruise on the same ship while I was still onboard!

If you fancy a winter bargain, check out the link below:

Marella Cruises (affiliate link).

Before You Go

Who are exactly are Marella cruises? Find out in the article below:

Who Exactly Are Marella Cruises? (And How They’re Different from TUI)

Find out who would love a Marella cruise here:

7 People Who Would Love a Marella Cruise