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Disembarkation day is going to be the worst of your cruise. Your holiday is over and you now have to journey home. Unfortunately the process of leaving the ship can be stressful although the cruise lines have been working on ways to make it easier. They don't just throw you over the side but there will be lot of waiting and queuing.

The whole process actually starts the day before when you will receive briefing papers in your cabin and information in the The Daily Programme. The cruise director usually has a meeting where he or she briefs everyone on what you need to do to prepare for disembarkation and the process itself. Some cruise lines repeat the briefing on your in-cabin TV. Colour-coded tags for your luggage will be left in your cabin - the colour will relate to your onward flight arrangements or if you are taking a shore excursion before travelling home. Make sure you have been given the right tags - if not go to the purser's office and get them changed.

Luggage
In most cases you must have your bags packed, tagged (with the colour-coded tags), and available for pickup some time during the night - usually midnight to 2am. You put your luggage outside your cabin, it is picked up and carried off the ship by the crew, and you reclaim it at the cruise terminal. Don't pack the clothes you will need tomorrow to go home in and remember anything you don't put in your luggage will have to be carried in your hand luggage.

Settling your bill
On the final night of the cruise a printout of your onboard account will be delivered to your cabin. If you're paying with a credit card, all you have to do is make sure that all the charges on the bill are correct. If there's a mistake or you're settling up with cash or traveller's cheques, you have to get in the long queue at the purser's office in the morning. Maybe you should check your account midway through the cruise to see what you are spending - maybe not! Some lines provide you with an interim bill and require payment (or debit your card) at that time.

Tipping
You will not lack guidance on this subject - you will receive advice on the tipping procedure in the daily bulletin, in the disembarkation presentation and on the cabin video system. On some ships, crew tips are automatically added to your shipboard account, but others still suggest cash in envelopes at the end of the cruise and give recommendations on how much to give and to whom. For more information read our tip on Tipping.

Getting off the Ship
Disembarkation day usually starts very early - some ships want you out of the cabins by 8am but the ship has to be cleared by Customs and Port Authorities before you can actually leave. Breakfast starts early in the restaurants. If you are arriving at a port outside Europe you may have an even earlier start. The US Immigration authorities, for example, will come onto the ship to inspect the documentation of all passengers. They normally set up in one of the lounges and you will be required to attend with your passports and completed customs and immigrations cards - you need to do this even if you boarded the ship at a US port.

The time you can leave the ship is determined by the colour-coded tags given to you the previous day - the time of disembarkation is usually given in the briefing notes but your colour will be called on the public address system. If you have completed immigation, settled your bill and left your cabin then take your time over breakfast and await you your call to disembark. When you are called leave the ship and go to the baggage hall in the cruise terminal. Luggage will be grouped according to the colour-coded tags - pick it up and pass through customs to the outer hall where you will be directed to buses and taxis.