Not checking your luggage on the last night?

[laurasue]

Someone told me not to place my luggage out on the last night because it is much easier to carry it off yourself (especially if you don't have much luggage). How common is this? Is this a problem?

 

We're only on a 4 night cruise, so I don't expect to have many bags. It would be nice if we could just disembark and get on the road instead of searching for our bags. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thanks for your help! :D

[nikki303]

I'm interested in this as well. Anyone know??

[39august]

You certainly may carry off your own luggage. We have done it on both RCI and Princess. However, you still will need the colored tag provided by your cabin steward on the luggage in case they are checking for colors as they let you off the ship. You are disenbarked by color.

[critterchick]

We've always been able to disembark at will with our carryon bags, and this has been announced as OK by the CD. As long as you aren't going the be retrieving luggage, which is set out by color, you should be able to get off at any time. This policy may vary by ship, but nobody has ever checked for luggage tags when we've gotten off.

[lanabanana]

This is so good to know. It took so long to retrieve our luggage in Miami that I would love to tell my husband that process could be expedited some way. We don't mind wheeling our own luggage. Thanks!

[Happy ks]

Just be aware that you may have to go down several flights of stairs, the elevators are very crowded and the waiting areas can also be quite crowded. You may encounter long lines to go through customs. If there are any delays with disembarkation, you will be stuck with all your luggage to carry around for several hours. If none of this bothers you, then go for it, many times we have had a real easy off from ships. I would not be bothered with it unless I had a pressing need to get off the ship in a hurry.

 

If you clearly define your bags, it is really no big deal to pick them up after you disembark. The only time we ever had a problem was when I didn't put a special tag on a small black bag. I learned my lesson that day.

[navel1ring]

We have never put our luggage out & have never had a problem.. We usually just have a carry-on & backpack a piece.

 

Wendy

[NYCchic]

I would NEVER put my luggage out - I will always carry it on and off with me! Use carry on size luggage only. I have heard way too many horror stories from people on these boards about missing luggage - either just lost or being picked up by someone else thinking it was theirs.

[debandbill]

Well, we have more than carryons but our pieces either roll or attach and we take them off ourselves. We are aware that we are a bit bulky and try to keep the obstuction down during debarkation. We have never had much of a problem, there has always been an elevator available. I hate the idea of my luggage sitting in a hallway for any and all to have access to.

[negc]

If you have only one or two pieces of carry-on size luggage you can probably carry it off on your own without difficulty. I would not want to maneuver the hallways, stairways etc. with much more. However, in these days of heightened security, I would think that Customs officials might pay special attention to those folks who have chosen to skirt the usual luggage off-loading procedures, where their dogs sniff for illegal drugs etc. and you might end up being detained for an up close and personal inspection.

[stretch]

Like Bill said above, prepare to be sniffed on your way out.

 

Stretch

[critterchick]

In Vancouver there are sniffer dogs positioned outside the area where you pick up your bags. I've never seen them in LA. I seriously doubt that you will be subject to extra scrutiny if you don't put your bags in the hall.

[HotRod3]

I would love to just carry my bags off the ship. If you would see how my wife packs, you would understand that this would not be a good idea for anyone involved. As a matter of fact, if we tried to carry off our luggage, we could ruine it for everyone that would everr want to try it agin. So I can only dream of that luxery.

[BobBeaSea]

When we got off Voyager last Sat. there were 2 groups of "Travel Lite" allowed, one in the first grouping to debark and one in the second grouping of colours to debark. They did warn that it may be difficult-ramps, stairs, escalators etc. and no porters available for assisstance.

[tn1728]

We were on the Monarch 4 night and signed up for Express disembarkation on the 2nd day. We had laminated passes that allowed us to carry all of our luggage off on our own, the passes were collected-don't know if they stopped people without passes. Customs was not a problem, and we were back in the car an hour later. The express option was not offered to passengers who had RCI travel arrangements.

[StacyinKs]

We carried our own luggage off as well and after seeing the "Land of Luggage", I am so glad we did! We went through customs with no problems at all. After reading about lost and stolen luggage, we were also uncomfortable leaving our luggage out after midnight..esp since we had alot of mischievious kids running up and down our hallways all hours!

 

We had white tags(you still need to get a colored tag) and were off by 8:30. I didn't expect to disembark so fast!

We had just finished breakfast at the Windjammer, then our tags were called.

[Happy ks]

You can lock your luggage when you put it out for disembarkation off of the ship. Either use TSA locks or take the locks off before you get to the airport.

 

Yes, there are sniffer dogs in Los Angeles.

 

I have a goal to be able to pack light enough to be able to walk off with our luggage. It could only happen if we can pack in carry on sized rollaboards.

[randyat1001]

We have never put our luggage out & have never had a problem.. We usually just have a carry-on & backpack a piece.

 

Wendy

How do you smuggle booze with just a carryon and backpack? :)

[JeannetteC]

I just got off Voyager this morning. We had two very large suitcases and a heavy carry-on. We had no problem wheeling the luggage down the hall to the elevator and going to Deck 4 and exiting the ship. No one checked our "color" luggage tag and most people with their own luggage didn't bother to attach any colored luggage tag. There were no dogs and no questions.

 

To make things even easier, we checked our luggage with AA at the Port (they open at 9AM) and we were free of luggage the entire day in Miami before flying home. We'd do it again!!