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POOR experience with Seattle Port Valet (HAL/Southwest)


Alwayshome
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DH and I got off the HAL Amsterdam yesterday and used the Seattle Port Valet. We put the tags on our bags as instructed and left them outside our stateroom. HAL printed our boarding passes with Southwest. At the end of the TSA security line, my boarding pass would not scan. I guess the print quality was too poor (HAL's issue since they printed the boarding pass.) TSA asked me to step out of the line, return to the airline (which we shouldn't have to do since using Port Valet) and print a new boarding pass. (And before the flaming arrows come my way, my phone went belly up during the cruise so I could not pull it up online. My luck isn't always the best it seems.) After working my way to Southwest, I printed a boarding pass and then, yes, back through the security line. The second one scanned ok.

 

Unfortunately, one of our bags did not arrive at the airport. We went to file a claim with Southwest and they were VERY reluctant to file a claim because we did not have the standard checked bag receipts that you receive when you check your luggage directly with them. All we had were the baggage claim numbers printed on the bottom of the boarding pass. NOTE - make sure you don't leave your boarding pass with Southwest when you board unless you tear off the bottom of the page with the baggage claim numbers. Our SW person was head's up in Seattle and gave the boarding pass back to my husband or we wouldn't have had documentation of the numbers (and yes, his boarding pass from HAL scanned just fine - go figure.)

 

SW did finally take a claim, but called this morning and the bag has not showed up to Southwest. I contacted HAL, they told me it wasn't their issue to call the Port Valet. I called the Port Valet and they said it isn't their issue, it is Southwest's. So if Southwest claims they never received the bag, Port Valet and HAL both say it isn't their problem, I am left with a bit of frustration. I read on another forum that Delta texted the people who used Port Valet that their luggage had arrived at SeaTac and been loaded. I just wish there was some way to backtrack our bag to our ship cabin and see what happened, but that isn't an option.

 

My biggest concern is that Port Valet has no responsibility for the service they are (supposedly) providing. There is no scan-in process that bags were indeed picked up from HAL and nothing to confirm that they are delivered to the airlines. The only confirmation is if the airline chooses to send something (like the text the other cruiser got from Delta) otherwise, the bags just drop into a large dark void that they may or may not emerge from. Use the Port Valet "service" at your own risk - because they assume none.

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Sorry about your frustration and hope your bag shows up soon.

We also used Port Valet, and Delta. Our boarding passes were ok thru security but while boarding the aircraft we had to wait while they re-printed them.Don't really know what the issue was.

My phone was fine but I did not receive a text from Delta.

Thankfully, our bags did arrive.

Keep us posted.

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Alwayshome, I'm very sorry to hear that you had a problem with the Port Valet program. Yours is the only instance of such a set of problems that I've heard of with the PV program this season. There may have been others but if that is the case, I've not heard of it. I'm certainly not questioning that you had a problem, though, just that it is the first one that I've been aware of. Did hear about a bag that was a day late getting to the cruiser's final destination, but that's the only one. That said, I hope that by the time you read this that the bag has magically shown up and is in your possession and already unpacked.

 

Hope that you enjoyed your cruise and this was the only downside to your trip.

 

Tom

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Alwayshome,

 

Anyone that travels always has the potential for baggage issues. I have had a few myself. I am sorry to learn of your problem because Seattle's Port Valet Service sounds so helpful to those transiting from ship to SeaTac.

 

I hope you will return to your thread and inform us of the eventual outcome.

 

Best wishes and good luck!

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Port Valet is a service of the Port of Seattle, who operate the cruise terminals. So in theory checking the luggage there is like a big long extension of the same process as at the airport - except with a truck ride in between. So the procedures for scanning items into the system and the hand off to the airlines should be the same. Meaning that since the huge majority of bags have no problem and are recorded something fell through the cracks (aka human error). Bags are matched to the boarding scan for the ticket they are linked to to make sure a bag is not boarded without the person it belongs to being onboard. But apparently the reverse match (or no match) is not done. Different airlines have different procedures for bag tracking. I've seen some of them hand scanning bags as they leave the cart and go up into the hold.

 

Come to think of it the process may be a little flawed (since it is relatively new) and communicating luggage tag numbers from the ship (where printed) to the port system as the tags are printed may not be getting done reliably or get communicated to the airline's system. The right cross checks might not be in the system to catch when someone misses a scan. Or if the boarding pass was so bad maybe the bag tags were also printed bad and had a scan fail that wasn't caught.

 

Hoping the OP's bags caught up with them.

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As of today, we still do not have our bag, but we know where it is and it has been on quite a journey. The bag was delivered by Port Valet to Alaskan Airlines. We flew Southwest. Alaskan had it at their counter from 7/31 until calling us on 8/4 (our personal baggage tag was on it but the baggage tag from HAL/Port Valet was not attached.) Alaskan said they would walk it right over to Southwest and get it on a plane for us. As of yesterday (8/6) it had still not arrived and I called Southwest. They said they never received it from Alaskan. I talked to multiple people at Southwest and Alaskan Airlines and they (AA) messaged the Sea-Tac Alaskan Airlines and Southwest lost baggage areas trying to track it. Sea-Tac Southwest called my husband today and said they have the bag and it is being sent to us Fed Ex. We have a Fed Ex tracking number so can track its progress.

 

Through all of this Port Valet and HAL have taken no responsibility or helped in any way. I find that a bit sad. I did talk to some great people at both Alaskan (especially the lady at the national lost bag warehouse) and Southwest (especially central customer service and the folks in Kansas City.) I appreciate their time and energy in helping our bag find its way home.

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Alwayshome,

 

Thanks for returning to your thread for an update.

 

It sounds like the problem started when the bag left the ship and the tag you affixed was not on the bag when Port Valet received it.

 

Your experience, while unpleasant, could help Port Valet, since it is a new service, realize that there ought to be a manifest available from someone that ought to be accessible to help them properly route such bags when there is a tag missing. Where would that manifest be? I don't know, but since HAL was involved initially in providing you with the proper tags, I would think the Front Office/Purser would have such.

 

I'd recommend that you communicate your experience with HAL's Home Office for their edification. Direct a snail mail letter, not an e-mail, to President Orlando Ashford.

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Another update - received a text from Fed Ex that our bag delivery has been delayed for at least a day. No reason was given. We got off the ship 7/31. Hope to see the bag before the weather turns cold because my soft shell jacket is in there - or at least it was when the bag was set outside our cabin. :o

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Another update - received a text from Fed Ex that our bag delivery has been delayed for at least a day. No reason was given. We got off the ship 7/31. Hope to see the bag before the weather turns cold because my soft shell jacket is in there - or at least it was when the bag was set outside our cabin. :o

 

I almost hate to ask--did your bag arrive yet? When you said it was going FedEx, I took that as a good sign, as they've always been so reliable for anything we shipped (including luggage).

 

I have a question about HAL's process. Do they require people using this service to leave the ship early?

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I almost hate to ask--did your bag arrive yet? When you said it was going FedEx, I took that as a good sign, as they've always been so reliable for anything we shipped (including luggage).

 

I have a question about HAL's process. Do they require people using this service to leave the ship early?

 

As far as leaving early...the form said you had to be off between 7:30-7:45 am. The "all clear" to disembark for the self disembarking folks was given a little after 8:00am....we waited and waited for another anouncement but none ever came (I guess we missed the announcement that it would be a silent disembarkment) so finally around 9:15 we walked off and no one said anything. We did use the Port Valet Service.

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The bag was received and all the items appear to be in it. In answer to when you have to leave the ship, I found it rather odd. We were told by 7:30, but as "Love the beach" said, no one was held to any specific time. We left our room at 7:45 so our attendant could clean and prepare for the next guest, but we were not allowed off until after 8. They didn't call color tags/assigned times after that, so people pretty much just left when they wanted. It was quick getting through customs this time in Seattle. It has been slow when two ships were in, but with just one, we got through quickly.

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Alwayshome,

 

I am glad that your luggage arrived to your home in good shape with all appearing to be well.

 

As to disembarkation, at least on the Amsterdam in Seattle, once an announcement was made that it had begun, nothing more was heard and the expected bag color tags times did not appear on the stateroom TV. I requested the latest possible disembarkation time and did so close to the appointed hour. I had no issues finding luggage, engaging a Porter, and obtaining a taxi.

 

Since your luggage has arrived, Welcome Home with good memories of your cruise as well as another "travel adventure" dealing with your luggage.

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The bag was received and all the items appear to be in it. In answer to when you have to leave the ship, I found it rather odd. We were told by 7:30, but as "Love the beach" said, no one was held to any specific time. We left our room at 7:45 so our attendant could clean and prepare for the next guest, but we were not allowed off until after 8. They didn't call color tags/assigned times after that, so people pretty much just left when they wanted. It was quick getting through customs this time in Seattle. It has been slow when two ships were in, but with just one, we got through quickly.

 

Hurrah! The bag finally arrived! There was a story on the local news tonight about a woman who was frantic because the airline lost her suitcase and her important meds were in it. I'm glad you didn't have anything in the bag that you would need right away. (Loved the comment about your jacket!)

 

I'm not sure I see the logic in making the "valet" passengers get off so early. I like to have breakfast without rushing. It's odd that they didn't call color-number tags after the initial announcement. I'm pretty sure they've done it on our previous cruises (not Seattle).

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Hurrah! The bag finally arrived! There was a story on the local news tonight about a woman who was frantic because the airline lost her suitcase and her important meds were in it. I'm glad you didn't have anything in the bag that you would need right away. (Loved the comment about your jacket!)

 

I'm not sure I see the logic in making the "valet" passengers get off so early. I like to have breakfast without rushing. It's odd that they didn't call color-number tags after the initial announcement. I'm pretty sure they've done it on our previous cruises (not Seattle).

 

When using the Luggage Direct program thru the cruiseline (same service but you pay for it) we had to get off early in case customs "flagged" you and wanted to open your luggage......before it was shipped off to the airport. I assume the reasoning is the same for the Port Valet service.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience with Port Valet in Seattle. My experience on 8/13 with Princess and Southwest couldn't have been better.

 

We sail on Princess on 9/2 out of Seattle, and are interested in Port Valet upon returning. We're also flying on Southwest. How did boarding pass assignment work when you went through Port Valet? What boarding group did you get? Or had you purchased early bird? Hoping to figure this out, and many thanks for any info. :)

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