11 Things Cruise Passengers Should Do Before Leaving the Ship

If there’s one way not to end your cruise, it’s running around like a mad person, hoping you’ll make your disembarkment time. After such a wonderful, calming, and relaxing week at sea, don’t you want to end it on a high note? 

And, by that, we mean one last hurrah with your favorite bartender and one more morning stroll around the deck – croissant in hand. Below, we’ve outlined a checklist of sorts to help you get all your ducks in a row so you can peaceably make your way back home to reality. 

Check Your Final Bill

If you’ve been having so much fun that you didn’t keep track of your bill every day, now’s definitely the time to review it. Review all the charges for drinks, excursions, and other miscellaneous items. When we do this early enough, if any issues arrive, we’re giving ourselves ample opportunity to head down to guest services to review any charges that we’re not sure about.  

Return Any Borrowed Items

One of those charges could be for things we errantly forgot to return. This could be anything from a pair of towels, to an item from the library, to snorkeling gear from an onshore excursion. If you still have that item somewhere in your cabin, you can easily take care of that and knock a few dollars off your bill. 

Get Packing Out of the Way

Packing up again can be a bit of a chore, especially if you’ve had a wonderful week and spread out in your cabin. Try to do this ahead of time so you can enjoy your last few moments on the ship instead of scurrying around on your day of departure. It’s likely you’ll have some travel time ahead of you and it’s always nicer to being a journey peacefully, rather than frenzied and stressed. 

Sort Out Your Carry-On and Personal Item

If you’re flying home, be intentional about what you pack in your carry-on versus your personal items. Anything you’ll want easy access to needs to go in your personal item – like you cell phone chargers, hand sanitizers, face wipes, etc. As for your carry-on, that can be anything you’re comfortable storing in the overhead compartment and forgetting about until you land on the other side. To help you sort the two, here’s your ultimate personal item packing list.