Pre-cruise. Getting Luggage from UK to HK, Any Ideas ????

[oldsilverfox]

We're booked on the QM2 from Hong Kong to Southampton next March.

 

The flight is with Virgin. We have three days stay in a hotel before we board.

 

We have a month onboard so as you can imagine we need more luggage than the standard baggage allowance.

 

Have any forum members got any ideas about getting the cases out there? I have looked at the White Star service but it is outside our budget.

 

Is there any mileage in getting a quote from DHL / UPS to have our cases shipped from the UK to our hotel?

 

All ideas gratefully received.

[Lanky Lad]

We're booked on the QM2 from Hong Kong to Southampton next March.

 

The flight is with Virgin. We have three days stay in a hotel before we board.

 

We have a month onboard so as you can imagine we need more luggage than the standard baggage allowance.

 

Have any forum members got any ideas about getting the cases out there? I have looked at the White Star service but it is outside our budget.

 

Is there any mileage in getting a quote from DHL / UPS to have our cases shipped from the UK to our hotel?

 

All ideas gratefully received.

 

I have friends who were on Aurora last year and they were able to put their luggage on board in Southampton and then fly out to Australia to meet up with the ship and their luggage. I know there was a charge, but don't know how much. Could be worth talking to Cunard to see if this is an option.

[xxoocruiser]

Have you considered taking advantage of the laundery service on board to reduce your packing ? The cost of the ships laundery service will be much less than the cost to ship your luggage via UPS/DHL from England to HK.

 

My personal rules for packing to keep luggage to a minimum are :

• Only pack one weeks ( or 1 1/2 at most ) rotation of clothes regardless of the trip with the intentions of using the ship or hotel laundery service.
  
• Every clothing item packed must be able to do double duty. Meaning it doesn't get packed unless it can be interchanged with at least 2 other items.
  
• Formal and Semi Formal items are limited to items in which the look can be changed by using other accessories. Meaning if there are 4 formal night and 3 semi formal, I do not pack 7 outfits. I only pack a few items that can be changed up or down by use of accessories. One can do amazing things with a pair of dress black crepe slacks or black tea length skirt, black top ,large fancy scarfs that can be worn as shawls and a change of jewelry.
  
• Do not pack shoes for every outfit. I bring only my most comfortable shoes including dress shoes.
  
• I have traveled the world using these rules and never once did not have what was needed nor have I ever felt out of place with my choices.
  

[eratog2]

I flew back from New York last year with Virgin, and, having hit the sales in NY prior to boarding QM2, was definitely over the limit for the return journey (had to buy extra luggage in NY). We just booked the 2 extra cases onboard with Virgin at not very much extra - in fact, looking at the Virgin website, flying from the UK an extra case each is £32 each if you book it in online . . . . and that's for 23 kgs. It cost us more than that to then get the cases to Cyprus :mad:

[oldsilverfox]

I have friends who were on Aurora last year and they were able to put their luggage on board in Southampton and then fly out to Australia to meet up with the ship and their luggage. I know there was a charge, but don't know how much. Could be worth talking to Cunard to see if this is an option.

 

Thanks Lanky lad. As you will see we live in Southampton and would have thought that this would have been a viable option, but when I rang Carnival/Cunard the girl whom I spoke to could only suggest White Star Luggage.

 

Sadly like a lot of things at Carnival, it probably a matter of trying to get through to speak to the correct person.

 

I'd be more than happy to pay Cunard £35 a bag to ship them for me.

[eratog2]

Here's the link to the Virgin website that explains about the extra baggage - got to be a bargain, and probably much cheaper than using the laundry service

 

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/travel-information/baggage/additional-baggage.html

[BlueRiband]

Cunard White Star Luggage link:

http://www.cunard.com/FAQs/Before-You-Sail/

 

I won't cost you anything to check it out. You might weigh the cost of arranging this with Cunard versus the hassle factor of making other arrangements. I've not used it but others who have said that your bags are delivered straight to your stateroom on embarkation. So at the HK airport you would only have to concern yourselfs with your carry on bags.

[Alohaaa]

Hi Silverfox,

 

My friend and I are doing a similar trip with a few days in London before we board QM2 for 108 days. We may see you on that portion of the cruise. We plan to check two large pieces of luggage each that we will no open until we board the ship. We will each carry on a smaller piece of luggage for the London portion of our trip. We are using Smiths airport service for all of our transfers and will ask the hotel to hold the large pieces of luggage in their store room during our stay. I think this will work out fine.

 

Alohaaa

[3rdGenCunarder]

We're booked on the QM2 from Hong Kong to Southampton next March.

 

The flight is with Virgin. We have three days stay in a hotel before we board.

 

We have a month onboard so as you can imagine we need more luggage than the standard baggage allowance.

 

Have any forum members got any ideas about getting the cases out there? I have looked at the White Star service but it is outside our budget.

 

Is there any mileage in getting a quote from DHL / UPS to have our cases shipped from the UK to our hotel?

 

All ideas gratefully received.

 

You could try checking with UPS. I think DHL is the carrier for White Star luggage. It used to be, anyhow. It would be interesting to see if there's a difference between DHL's price and White Star's price. But any shipping service will be expensive because of all the paperwork involved in international shipping. The shipping service becomes your customs agent, and you pay for that service.

 

We have used White Star twice because we didn't want to carrly around our formal clothes while visiting my cousin in the wilds of Yorkshire. It was expensive, but worth it for the convenience.

 

Definitely check out Virgin for the cost of extra luggage. It could very well turn out to be the least expensive option.

[eratog2]

 

Definitely check out Virgin for the cost of extra luggage. It could very well turn out to be the least expensive option.

 

At £32 per 23kgs case it most definitely will be! :)