If you're enjoying your cruise and want it to last just a little bit longer, we found a new (to us at least) option that let's you stay onboard in Ft Lauderdale at the end of your sailing. A number of cruise lines have options for staying on the ship late on embarkation day, but until now we've only seen them available in Europe. Celebrity's "Extend Your Stay" option is essentially a shore excursion on the ship.
Guests on sailings that end in Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) can opt to pay to stay on a few extra hours, enjoying public areas, lunch onboard, the pool, etc. We're currently seeing this advertised at $79 for each adult, and $39 for each child, and the amount of time you have on the ship isn't clear - likely because it depends on the scheduled arrival time of your sailing and the scheduled departure time of your next sailing. On recent sailings however, guests have been allowed to enjoy the ship until 2:00pm (more on that in the letters shown below).
From Celebrity:
Not quite ready to say goodbye? Neither are we. Extend your vacation a few extra hours. Let us store your luggage while you relax by the pool and sip on a cocktail from your Classic Beverage package. Relax with a massage at the spa. There's so much more you can do. So, there's no need to rush to the airport. With Extend Your Stay, you can take your time and return home completely rejuvenated. Plus, we can arrange private or group transportation for you to the airport for an additional fee.
Things you should know:
- You must have your bags out the night before just as if you were disembarking.
- Staterooms must be vacated by 9:00am.
- Much like consecutive cruisers/back-to-back guests, you'll need to disembark for just a few minutes in the morning, and then you'll be escorted back on (more on this below).
- You can use your personal credit card (rather than your Seapass/key card for onboard purchases during this extended stay.
- Keep your valuables, medications, documents, credit cards, and a bathing suit (if you plan to enjoy the pool) with you and out of your checked bags.
Information Provided to Guests Enjoying Extended Stay
Thanks to cruiser Sybil Seely on Facebook, you can see below the letter that's give to guests who have purchased the Extend Your Stay option. It lists some specifics in terms of times. Additionally, while this letter mentions that you'll simply show bar staff the letter in order to use your drink package, we've seen other reports from guests given wristbands for this purpose. You can click on the images below to see them in a larger size.
Billy's Take
In the past this hasn't been an option in the US because customs requires a "zero count" where no guests are on the ship at some point the last day - which is why you have to get off and then back on if you're a consecutive cruiser. In Europe this requirement doesn't exist, making an extended stay option easier. Celebrity seems to have worked around this by simply having these guests follow consecutive cruisers, which makes sense (though we hate waking up early on disembarkation day). This is a fantastic option for those with later flights, especially since exploring the city on your own can be tricky with all of your luggage. Excursions to malls, tours, Everglades airboat rides, etc have been nice options, but seems like a lot of work if really you're just looking to take it easy until it's time to get to your flight. We live in South Florida and would consider doing this to enjoy the ship just a little bit longer. If this sounds appealing just imagine yourself on the resort deck (pool deck) of Celebrity Edge on the last day, just lounging, with the ship largely to yourself. There is a great promotion through the 18th that can make that an even better deal. Oh, and that beverage package (which you may have got with the aforementioned promo), it keeps working during your extended stay - so enjoy!