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Sending luggage advance of cruise


Delboy1
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Not as fit we once were and in particular lifting cases on and off the airport carousal, considering using a courier service recommended by Seabourn. Appreciate feedback as to its reliabity.:cool:

 

I know exactly what you're talking about.:eek: As my wife and I approach our mid sixties, I, too have considered just sending our 2/3 larger, heavier bags to either the pre board hotel or the ship. If you go to the 'thread search forum' and search for all companies that will arrange pick up/delivery they'll give you the company's names. I do remember several people saying that these companies use UPS and Fed Ex. I assume the price is based on distance AND weight of each bag. I'll be interested in any replies too your questions too. Good Luck !

 

Mac

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Not as fit we once were and in particular lifting cases on and off the airport carousal, considering using a courier service recommended by Seabourn. Appreciate feedback as to its reliabity.:cool:

 

Delboy1, We did not use Seabourn's recommended contractor on any of our cruises, only because we did not see the need. However, we are leaving for a week in Ireland this April before joining the Silver Muse in Dublin. Not wishing to drive our cruise luggage all over Ireland, we will be trying out Luggage Forward.

 

https://www.luggageforward.com/cruise-luggage-shipping/

 

This company receives generally favorable reviews across Cruise Critic. We will see. I believe that you must have it pick up your cases about 30 days in advance of delivery to your ship (not just the port). We live in the rural Shenandoah Valley and they have arranged to pick up our luggage at the house, so they are working out so far.

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We’ve used Luggage Forward several times. They’re expensive, but reliable.

 

Do pay attention to the restrictions on what can be shipped, especially internationally. If they say “no alcohol” that includes products like mouthwash. “Medications” includes over-the-counter products like aspirin.

 

Important: when disembarking in some international ports, we’ve had to claim all our bags, take them through customs, and then hand over the ones were shipping to the LF rep who’s waiting on the other side. Not convenient, especially for passengers who have difficulty handling heavy bags.

 

In other ports, the bags are collected on ship — you don’t see them until they’re delivered post-cruise.

Edited by DC Traveler244
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I used the expensive but nice Luggage Forward service when I was combining solo cruise and land trips, to avoid lugging big suitcases on European trains, which I can no longer handle alone. Expensive, but it was so nice to not have to haul things, and when you board, there is your suitcase waiting for you on the bed! But now that I cannot even hoist a roll-aboard into the overhead, if solo I have to check luggage other than backpack and purse personal items anyway, so there is not much point in using LF if I need clothing changes for the few days when not on the cruise and they will not fit into the backpack.

 

Near us, Luggage Forward required pickup several days before, was fine for me, but not for DH who is still packing at 2 AM before departure, so we then have to haul cases once at the airport and check luggage in, and then pick up on the other end too because there are no porters at the carousels. I would be happy to pay for porters but they are not available until you clear customs, which means the case has to be gotten off the carousel on your own. I land up now, if solo, checking two smaller cases rather than one big one, easier to get off the carousel alone.

I do not outwardly look sick enough or old enough, though I have medical problems, to have young strong men volunteer to assist getting luggage off the carousel or put it into overhead bins, e.g., as they often offer to help little old ladies, and thus need to be responsible for hauling my own stuff as it is unfair to solicit free stranger help as routine. A friend of mine (who has had a lot of plastic surgery) says she just bats her eyelashes and sweetly asks young men for help to put her bulging rollaboard into the overhead, and to remove cases from carousels, but that is

not my style.

 

I can understand the appeal of British Saga cruises, where you get door to door luggage assistance to and from your home.

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We used luggage forward when we left Sojourn in Cape Town earlier this month as we were exploring South Africa, it was fabulous not to have to trek our heavy cases around with us! We had them deliver to our friends as we were not going to be home in time. We were told we would have to disembark and take our luggage through customs and hand over to LF rep on the other side but when we disembarked our luggage was not there, we were told the LF rep took them, it was a little worrying but the cases were delivered on time to our friends and were waiting for us when we got home. We were so thrilled we are planning on using them again in Europe this September. Highly recommend!!!

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Catlover - it is not just your luggage, but you yourselves, who are taken direct from your house to the port by Saga. No flying involved.

 

I have to admit that as you get a bit ancient this plus the included insurance does draw Brits, including us, towards Saga cruises, which on our first one we found to be so much better than expected, with generally great food at dinner, and a table for two whenever you wanted to arrive. For us, at least, it is competition for Seabourn, although I do not like to say so! But I feel sure that no one under 75 or so would be interested. And everyone on board is British - not everyone's idea of perfection.

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I would still have to fly to and from Britain to use Saga, or I would have sailed with them long before, and they are also solo friendly on pricing.The ship’s website looks intriguing, and it would be great to always have a table waiting.

BTW there is nothing wrong with fellow cruisers who are Brits and elderly as long as they do not dislike me and DH just because we are Yanks. I have even cruised on Hapag Lloyd, which has almost exclusively German pax, and it was fine!

But I suppose if we had the reverse e.g., a ship full of only Americans, it could be a problem for some Brits :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited by Catlover54
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Catlover - I feel sure they/we would welcome you. I must admit my favourite passenger grouping is the sort you find on Seabourn, a nice mixture of North Americans, Brits, Australians and New Zealanders and people from other European countries and indeed the rest of the world.

 

The current Saga ships are ancient, but they are shortly launching a spiffy new one; sadly it holds about 1,000 passengers so not as like Seabourn as the present Pearl 2, which is retiring next February.

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Many thanks for your views. We will give Forward Luggage a go. As to Brits v Yanks. In the late 60s I worked in New Orleans. I was told the ladies in the typing pool loved my English accent ! Over the years one of the main delights of cruising is to meet interesting people from all over the world. In one conversation with an American and Australian I felt a little out of my depth when they mentioned owning their own aircraft !

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I've used Luggage Forward twice (once from the US to a Seabourn ship in Athens and once from an Azamara ship in Miami back to home).

 

They are not inexpensive, but man are they efficient. Both times it was because I had a business commitment butted up against a long cruise and didn't want to muck up my carryon-only business life with a giant checked bag!

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I have used Luggage Forward on my last 6 cruises. I will never check a huge suitcase again. I have never once had a problem. My suitcase always arrives with no damage and always makes it back home in a matter of days. Actually mine is being picked up tomorrow and going to Singapore where I will board the Sojourn on the 19th.

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We took a very long journey on Seabourn and somehow (TA? Seabourn Perk?) we had free luggage forwarding in both directions. It was superb, but we did have to do careful planning as to what we wanted to send ahead vs. what we wanted to hold on to. Our travel style is to go to major world cities where we stay for a while (4 to 8 weeks), and manipulating luggage has become a major problem. On our next trip, in a few weeks, we are off for 3 months...2 cruises and a month each in Paris and Amsterdam. We have arranged a car and driver from LeHavre to Paris and found a service ("Send My Bag") that will send big luggage between Paris and Amsterdam. Luggage is becoming a major concern for us, and I am slowly learning about all the possible work-arounds. I am also learning to pay whatever it costs to avoid back strain and stress.

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We have used Luggage Forward many times, all over the world, with only one experience of having a pick-up not show up after a cruise. Luggage Free charges per pound, where as Luggage Forward has you check what size bag you are sending when you book with them. I will admit that on a very few occasions, our luggage returning from a cruise has been heavier than when it arrived to the ship. I've never had Luggage Forward charge me extra for more weight than I specified when I booked.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We used Luggage Forward at the end of our Antarctica trip to avoid lugging our luggage around Buenos Aires, Argentina, etc,, It did get lost. It was found but was delayed several days after we returned home. We were ok with it as the clothes inside were not anything we planned to wear any time soon. They gave us a discount for being late on arrival that we did not even ask for - so it was ok, but would not have been happy if it had happened when we were leaving at the beginning of the cruise! So we are mixed on it. Would likely try at end of cruise but would be worried about beginning!

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