Morning Disembarkation, Afternoon Flight

My cruise disembarks on May 25 at 7:00 am in Fort Lauderdale. My flight home takes off later in the afternoon at 2:20 pm. We are a party of seven with lots of luggage.

Does everyone have to disembark by a certain time? Can we hang out on the ship till about noon, and then disembark?

If not, does anyone have any suggestions for storing our luggage in the morning so that we don't have to go to the airport early and wait till our afternoon flight? Instead of wasting time at the airport, I'd rather spend a few hours checking out Fort Lauderdale.

Thanks,
--Rod

[MaryLou]

Rod:
It depends on what cruiseline you are on. I've typically been off the ship by 9:30/10:00 but just recently sailed on RCI's Brilliance of the Seas and we were off the ship by 7:30 a.m.
In the past when we have had a later flight, we've done the ship excursion. That way we killed some time and had a ride to the airport. They kept our luggage onboard our bus with us and then dropped us at the appropriate airline at the airport. It is actually a nice way to end a cruise.

Thanks Mike and MaryLou for the suggestions for taking a shore excursion in Fort Lauderdale! I went to the Princess website and looked into what excursions they had available. At $42 to $58 a pop, none seemed too appealing.

If I get off the ship at about 9 or 10 am, I have from 2 to 3 hours before I need to get to the airport. What I really want to do is to leisurely shop somewhere or hang out at the beaches for a few hours.

If we can't store our luggage anywhere, I guess we could take it with us. If anyone is driving around Fort Lauderdale on May 25th and they spot a family dragging their matching set of bright red luggage behind them, please don't laugh, it's probably me and my family trying to enjoy a few hours in Fort Lauderdale:-)

--Rod

Rod,

By the time your sip docks, clears custons, and begins disembarkation, it will be close to 9:00. The whole disembarkation process could take over an hour. Another hour to ninety minutes will have passed for you to find your luggage and get to the airport. Most airlines will allow you to check your luggage between four and six hours before your flight. Also, keep in mind that FLL and MIA can be total madhouses on days when cruises end. You may want to plan on getting a bite to eat at the airport before your flight. Unfortunately, you won't have much time for the beach, or to really enjoy it at any rate.

TomS