Encore: Debarkation Day

By Saint Greg

June 20, 2025

Good morning! Today is debarkation day. I was awake at 6:30 but had my alarm set to 7. I gave up on additional sleep at 6:45. I think I got 7 1/2 hours which is right about what I normally get. At 7:15 they started debarkation calling self assist passengers.

Here are the TV channels they have in the room.

These are the on demand movies.

At 7:35 they called yellow and red tags.

They only have coffee and water in the lounge on debarkation morning.

They have double water dispensers.

I got my lattes.

I never did eat that dessert last night. I’m going to the dining room for breakfast so I won’t be eating it today either. I also have my two shots of vodka that just need juice for a breakfast drink.

At 7:55 they called gold tags and at 8:05 they called purple. You have to be out of the rooms at 8am. I left at 7:55 and headed up to the garden cafe for some orange juice to make my breakfast drink.

After I made my drink I headed down the the dining room. Savor had no line and Taste had a short one so I did Savor.

I’m in the same seat I was in the other day when the people next to me were making all of the complaints. Now people at that table are complaining that the people on the other side of me got their food before they did.

They have a menu rotation. I was hoping for the breakfast sandwich menu. They called light blue luggage tags at 8:20.

They just called pink luggage tags at 8:35.

Fruit salad

Salmon bagel

Cinnamon french toast

They called orange tags at 9:05. That’s me but I’m going to hang out here a bit longer because I don’t want to get to the airport 4-5 hours before my flight.

They’re paging a bunch of people to guest services. I wonder if this is about accounts that couldn’t be settled?

My bill was pretty straight forward. All that is on it is the daily gratuities which are $20/day here, my ship ornament, and my additional tip from the restaurant last night.

The daily gratuities hit daily here instead of all at once so no big surprise at the end for anyone who didn’t know about it. I think it’s better this way.

I think they called brown and gray at 9:10. Then they paged a bunch of people at 9:15 again.

It’s cool having this in the elevator.

And in the elevator lobby.

And pretty much everywhere.

An original replica bass from the Beatle who sings most of the good songs.

I like the way the shopping isn’t in your face. I had to look for this place when I wanted my ornament. It’s not an area you walk through often unless you eat at Cagneys a lot. Carnival Spirit was like that but most of their ships you’re walking by it every day.

They are calling people to the onboard credit desk. 9:25 green tags.

9:30 last call all guests.

I think operation “let’s be last” 2nd edition was a success.

Yeah I got this guy following me down the ramp.

And he turned around and went back here.

Nobody else is coming.

I got the last orange bag.

Passports to the left, Birth Certificates to the right. Halfway through the passport maze the lady opened up the certificate line for us.

I was off of the ramp at 9:40 and outside at 9:50.

Lyft and Uber quotes to FLL.

I went with the $52 Uber.

A lady next to me was trying to use a kiosk with a “not working” sign on it. She said her flight leaves at noon. It was 11:05 at that point. It’s nice not being rushed.

After I checked in the lady told me I could’ve used the priority line. I told her thanks but I have plenty of time.

With the long security line I would be interested in using the shortcut security benefit which I’ve always seen as nonsense. Sure enough it’s just pointing to the regular line entrance.

There was a real jerk in the security line talking about how Spirit has dumb rules. He’d never fly Spirit except this time he has a free ticket. He’s going to Jamaica. His flight leaves at noon. He was being jerky with the TSA people.

The guy taking the picture he asked “can I skip the picture since my flight leaves at noon?” The guy tells him to move over to the right. He says “I know that. This isn’t my first flight.”

In the end he was able to cut in front of about 100 people because someone in the line told him to go ahead and he thought that was a license to go all the way to the front.

They have 10 machines in here and only two are running.

They opened up three more lines and I got out of security in just under an hour. It would’ve been another 30 minutes easy without the additional lines.

A lot of people had noon flights because they were all cutting the line. But there’s no way they followed the two hour rule. They likely got here an hour before their flights.

I got here at 11 and its 12:15 now so if I had a 1pm flight, I’d have plenty of time even with the delays.

This has been my go to spot here. I’ve done both the full meal at the bar and the grab and go empanadas. The grab and go prices are good. I might be back.

I’ve eaten that Steak ‘n Shake at the counter in the right.

I’ve watched football there.

I’ve bought grab and go beers there. I’ve really made the rounds in terminal 4.

This is me.

Been there, done that.

This Pollo Tropical Chicken place lured me in. That chicken looks and smells good.

I was looking at my phone and some guy behind me says “are you here to order food?” I say yeah. He points down to the the pickup location and says “I think that’s the line.” I say “I’m good here.” He goes down there, realizes he’s in the wrong spot and just leaves the line. You want to get off of a cruise ship and find impatient people, go to the airport.