To lock or not to lock

[ronnie64]

Does everyone lock their luggage? We will be precruise overnight in Barelona. Our luggage will be at the hotel before we check in and then on day of check out they will hold it again while we tour a bit more before boarding for cruise. Do you lock your luggage? Do you lock your luggage before getting on flight? Any opinions? Have never locked my luggage in the past.

[cberge]

Does everyone lock their luggage? We will be precruise overnight in Barelona. Our luggage will be at the hotel before we check in and then on day of check out they will hold it again while we tour a bit more before boarding for cruise. Do you lock your luggage? Do you lock your luggage before getting on flight? Any opinions? Have never locked my luggage in the past.

Boy will this open up Pandora's Box..to lock or not.I do not lock when I fly,but I never put anything of value in my luggage to start with,and I have never had a problem.If I were to leave my luggage at a hotel in this day and age I might tend to put a lock on it however just as a precaution.It is really all up to you and your comfort level in the end.Have great cruise and enjoy your stay in BCN:)

[Keith1010]

I agree with cberge to be sure that you do not put items of value in your luggage such as money, passports, credit cards, jewelry, expensive electronics, etc.

 

We do use locks for our luggage. Yes, if someone wants to break the lock off they will but our view is that they are more likely to open up a piece without a lock than one with a lock. We put the locks on our lugggage when we check them in for our flights and on the day we emark the ship and on the night that we leave them out before we disembark the ship.

 

Several years ago we did not lock our luggage, but we had some friends who had some items taken from their luggage and decided we would go this route. We purchased TSA aproved locks which are relatively inxpensive and can be found at Target, Walmart, Home Depot along with many other stores and on the internet.

 

One other comment. We have been to Barcelona many times and as recently as in April. It is a beautiful city. With that said, there are a lot of pickpocketers on the street. So, when you walk around be careful with passport, money, jewelry and other valuables. On the day you are embarking the ship but are doing the tour and then going back to the hotel to get your luggage see if you can leave expensive items in the hotel safe behind the reception desk. This includes passports.

 

Keith

[BigGuy25]

Don't know whether I'm right or wrong, but we've never locked our luggage and carry everything of significant value hidden on our bodies or in our backpack or carry-on. I'm not saying that you shouldn't lock luggage, just that we never have and have never had a problem even though we travel at least a half dozen times a year. Maybe we're just lucky!!!

 

All that said, in Barcelona, I have been surprised seeing disheveled people pulling all of their luggage down La Rambla not seeming to be paying much attention to their valuables or their surroundings. That IS a place that I'd want zippers secured and locks locked (if you have them).

[ronnie64]

So once I decide to lock or not to lock, when is the best time to apply the cruise line luggage tags? I have read tips about printing them on cardstock and laminating them and using a hole punch and zip tie to attach. I guess this would make them sturdy enough to make to through the flight and shlepping around BCN. Is it better to wait until at hotel?

[Keith1010]

So once I decide to lock or not to lock, when is the best time to apply the cruise line luggage tags? I have read tips about printing them on cardstock and laminating them and using a hole punch and zip tie to attach. I guess this would make them sturdy enough to make to through the flight and shlepping around BCN. Is it better to wait until at hotel?

 

You do not put them on before your flight. Put them on right before you leave the Hotel for the ship or if you are flying in the same day that you begin your cruise put them on after you claim your bags before you head over to the pier.

 

Keith

[Susan-M]

As an alternative to normal locks, we use cable ties to 'lock' our suitcases. If the suitcases have been opened, we can tell, and it's less expensive to replace them. So far, in all of our travels, they've worked.:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I use cable ties when I fly internationally. Just make sure to leave a gap about the size of a finger when you tighten them, and pack a nail clipper in an outside zipper of the luggage to clip them off.

 

This may have changed, but last time we travelled by air within Europe, the expectation was that luggage would be locked before you checked it in for an flight.

 

If I leave luggage at a hotel, or somewhere unattended on the way to a cruise port, I certainly lock it. Cruise tags go on just before you board.

[Keith1010]

I know everyone has their opinions but if you want to make it more difficult for someone to get into your luggage get locks, not cableties.

 

I traveled extenisively for business for many years. Yes, the advantage of cableties was that it told us if someone had gone into our luggage. For us the key there was more of a concern if someone might have tried to hide something in our luggage.

 

Locks are not thief proof. They can be broken into but someone who wants to get into someones luggage to take something out is more likely to first go into a bag without a lock and then to go into ne with a cabletie since they can be cut easily.

 

Again, I would purchase the locks. In terms of cost you can get locks for around $7.00 each which is a very small investment relative to the cruise.

 

Will someone post that someone cut through their locks? Sure. But the likelihood is far less compared to no locks or just the tiecables.

 

Keith

[lisiamc]

I have zipped, soft-sided luggage. There are quite a few clips on YouTube showing how a thief can easily open a zipped and locked soft-sided suitcase by pushing a pen through the zip. It takes about 2 seconds!:eek:

 

I do lock my bags, but I'm not sure the locks actually do much besides just make me feel slightly better.

 

Lisa

[chipmaster]

To lock or not a topic as hotly debated as " do I take my passport" and " is xzy okay on formal night"

 

I think it is a given and common sense to not put valuable in unattended luggage; passport, jewerly, cash, camera, computer etc...

 

As to use ties or locks. I love the arguments about those who claim it takes no special knowledge to pick them and just seconds. By that logic these advocates don't bother to lock their house, our car when they leave as any theif worth his mettle can break into a house/car even with an alarm and be off with stuff in minutes.

 

Me, I like the idea that the opportunistic theif can choose among those that use ties or no lock and decide do I pick the locked luggage knowning they might have something but more likely nothing, or the sea of even easier pickings :D

[Susan-M]

 

Me, I like the idea that the opportunistic theif can choose among those that use ties or no lock and decide do I pick the locked luggage knowning they might have something but more likely nothing, or the sea of even easier pickings :D

 

No lock, lock or cable ties ... they are all easy pickings. Actually, my biggest concern is losing the whole suitcase to a thief!

[ronnie64]

Wow! Everyone sure does have a different opinion! And believe it or not, that is what I was hoping for. All this discussion makes for a more informed decision.

 

I agree that locks or cable ties do not provide much protection for your luggage, but my goal for this trip to the med is to not be an easy target in general--money belt--cross body purse--no valuables in checked bag etc. That said, I think I will use the TSA locks that "show" you if the bag has been unlocked.

 

Now if I am to wait to put the cruise tags on until at the hotel--prior to embarkation--what if my luggage is lost? Would there be a benefit of having these tags on from the beginning hoping that my luggage would find me quicker/more easily? Or is there just a bigger risk of having the tags lost in transit?

[Keith1010]

Wow! Everyone sure does have a different opinion! And believe it or not, that is what I was hoping for. All this discussion makes for a more informed decision.

 

I agree that locks or cable ties do not provide much protection for your luggage, but my goal for this trip to the med is to not be an easy target in general--money belt--cross body purse--no valuables in checked bag etc. That said, I think I will use the TSA locks that "show" you if the bag has been unlocked.

 

Now if I am to wait to put the cruise tags on until at the hotel--prior to embarkation--what if my luggage is lost? Would there be a benefit of having these tags on from the beginning hoping that my luggage would find me quicker/more easily? Or is there just a bigger risk of having the tags lost in transit?

 

If you mean putting on the tags before you get onto your flight to fly to Barcelona I would not do that as they can easily tear and also be pulled off the luggage.

 

What you can do is on the inside top of your luggage put all of your contact information including the hotel you are staying at, its phone number, the cruise ship and cruise line and the day of embarkation and your cell phone number.

 

Keith

[ronnie64]

Good idea Keith. Thanks.

[bethaniesmom]

we too use cable ties and put a tiny pair of scissors in the small outside pocket of our bag. but we also never put anything of any value in the suitcase. i just don't carry jewelry, except maybe a few pair of earrings. i keep my camera with me most of the time. my passport stays on me until i get to the ship where i lock it up. that way i don't worry alot about delayed luggage or theft!

our bags were delayed on our last trip to alaska (many changes in flights) we did not have ship tags on the bags but we were asked for a description of the bags (by HAL customer service) and they did grab the bags for us when they were picking up other passengers and took them to the ship for us! Always have your name on AND in your bag and have a mental picture of your bag so that you can describe it to customer service if it is lost.

have a safe trip!

 

Beverly