Shipping Luggage

[rlkubi]

Has anyone ever shipped luggage to a hotel pre cruise? We will be making a weekend stop prior to our cruise in another city and then flying on to the cruise port. It would be much easier to take our carryon luggage and shipping one big suitcase to arrive at the hotel prior to the cruise. Since we would be taking two flights it would cost $50 on the airlines anyway. Comments from anyone who has done this?

[CruiserBruce]

You can go to any of the major shippers websites and get an estimate on the cost. When this has been discussed in the past, the shipping cost was greater than the bag fees. However, given your flight situation, maybe it might work.

[cb at sea]

Shipping luggage will most likely cost MORE than the airlines charge...so far, I've not seen a good financial reason to pre-ship.

[6rugrats]

Agree with Bruce; this has been discussed many times and prices posted show it's much more expensive to ship via USPS, UPS, FEDEX, etc. than just paying the checked bag fee.

 

I just did a quick look at UPS for shipping a 50 pound, 24" tall suitcase from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale, and for five day ground it was $67.82. For next day air it was $312.98.

[Kamloops50]

Has anyone ever shipped luggage to a hotel pre cruise? We will be making a weekend stop prior to our cruise in another city and then flying on to the cruise port. It would be much easier to take our carryon luggage and shipping one big suitcase to arrive at the hotel prior to the cruise. Since we would be taking two flights it would cost $50 on the airlines anyway. Comments from anyone who has done this?

 

You don't say what cruise line your sailing. Some lines have a service where you ship you luggage directly to the ship, Only problem more expensive then airline fees and bags have to 10 days before the cruise.

[kitty9]

I'm shipping two bags from my home near Pittsburgh, to Bayonne, via UPS. They're picking up the bags on a Monday for a cruise that departs on a Sunday, and the cost for two bags is $ 348.67, one way. It's cheaper to pay the airline fee. The only reason I ship is because I'm disabled and use a mobility scooter, so shipping is easier.

[SuitCaseBears]

we shipped a suit case full of winter clothes to my mother-in-law when we went on a November Caribbean cruise. I didn't want to carry a whole extra suit case full of winter clothes for a week. We shipped Fed Ex ground and it cost $47.00 and took 4 days.

 

When we disembarked in Florida, we took one suit case with our formal wear, bathing suits and stuff we wouldn't need in NJ to Fed Exp and shipped it home, this time it was $49.00

 

It was WELL worth about $100 to us, not to have to carry around winter clothes in the Caribbean and formal and summer clothes in NJ.

 

Do the math, consider your priorities and make a decision based on what is important to you. Everyone's priorities are different.

[Gloria Mundi]

We shipped a medium-size box (maybe 12 X 18 X 12, not too heavy) full of rain gear and other warm clothes to our hotel in Ketchikan. It cost $83 and that was shipping it 2.5 weeks before. Checked bag fees weren't a concern- I have Elite status on the airline- we just wanted to have less to carry around.

 

On the way home I decided to just take it with us. It really was a pain hauling the extra box along with our other bags; I finallly got smart our last night in SEA after the cruise and paid the bellhop a tip to fetch all our stuff, get it downstairs and across the lobby and load it into the shuttle to SEA. I had to or else I wouldn't have been able to juggle a badly-needed cup of coffee at 5:45 AM. The airline lost it in transit, which was OK because it showed up on our doorstep mysteriously in the middle of the night after our arrival, so we didn't have to deal with it at the airport!

 

Next time I'm just going to find a way to pack fewer things.

[I_heart_vaca]

About 10 years ago I shipped a large suitcase from DC to San Diego, overnight, with FedEx and the cost was $100. The cost has gone up over the years and FedEx is very expensive. UPS has a service called Luggage Forward where a 50 lb large suitcase will cost you the same $100 but you need 7 days for shipping ($250 wil get it overnighted). They pick it up from your house and deliver to hotel. Its up to you, but if its worth the cost not to carry around the extra luggage on your pre-cruise trip then this is just another line item on your vacation budget. Just make sure you mark the suitcase with Hold for Hotel Guest and you check in date so there is no mistake on the hotel accepting, and add $10 to $20 to budget for hotels package fees.

[CapeCodCruiser]

Or - you can figure out that you don't need half that crap you think you do and pack everything in one carry-on bag. We haven't checked a bag in over ten years. My TA in April followed by 4 weeks in Europe will be done out of one carry-on & a backpack.

[rlkubi]

Cape Cod, we will be gone almost 3 weeks starting in San Fran, then Seattle, then Hawaii so will need warm and cooler clothes. We have downsized and bring two carryons and one checked bags for two people which I don't think is bad. I don't want to do laundry all the time while gone. We are visiting San Fran before and will only use public transportation therefore the reason for possibly shipping. This will only be one way. We would bring the bag back.

 

We are cruising on Carnival.

[CapeCodCruiser]

Cape Cod, we will be gone almost 3 weeks starting in San Fran, then Seattle, then Hawaii so will need warm and cooler clothes. We have downsized and bring two carryons and one checked bags for two people which I don't think is bad. I don't want to do laundry all the time while gone. We are visiting San Fran before and will only use public transportation therefore the reason for possibly shipping. This will only be one way. We would bring the bag back.

 

We are cruising on Carnival.

 

I do understand the changing weather, we will be cruising then traveling from Barcelona to about 8 more cities including several days in the alps. After many trips and several trips through Europe on the train we have really learned what works for us. I hope you find something that works for you without breaking the bank! Partly I don't trust luggage handlers - I know it was only a matter of time before we had a bag lost forever:eek: I would not handle that well at all! I feel more comfortable keeping everything in my control!:

 

Instead of shipping a heavy suitcase you might consider shipping your things in a box and including a nylon or collapsible duffle bag.