Can you drop your luggage off at the pier and get on the cruise later?

[cruisinqt]

Our hotel is only three blocks from the pier. The hotel even has free parking for cruise passengers. So we can leave our car there and not have to pay for parking. The only problem is that these are long blocks and there are stairs involved so we can't take our luggage along with us. I read a posting where someone claimed that you could drop off your luggage at the pier and get it put on the ship. Then you could go out for breakfast or sightseeing in the meantime. Our ship is the Carnival Conquest and I don't think it leaves until 6 p.m. so this would be perfect for us. Has anyone had experience doing this? Can you have your luggage tagged and put on the ship and then come back later? We have our own car and can go about town and do whatever we want to. And then we can leave our car at the hotel and walk to the pier when it's time to board. It sounds like a good idea, but will the cruise line let you drop off the luggage and then leave? Any info. would be much appreciated.

[lougee1043]

on hal you could do that without a problem- and only figure it would be the same on celebrity

lougee1043


Since we last sailed on the Oosterdam
<img src=http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=2325FF&cdt=2004;03;28;08;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800>

til our next cruise on the Galaxy
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9/87 HAL - Noordham
10/92 HAL - Westerdam
4/01 HAL - Zaandam
5/02 HAL - Maasdam
8/02 HAL - Zaandam
3/03 HAL -Statendam
cancelled due to surgeries
12/03 HAL - Statendam replacement cruise
3/04 HAL Oosterdam
3/05 Celebrity Galaxy

[CaptData]

Cruise friends did this on the Dawn Princess. They drop their bags at the pier with the ports, checked to see when they had to be back to board then toured SF. They were almost the last to board. They told me that they have done this many times at new cruise ports. If the ship is to leave at 5 they board at 4. They have never missed a ship yet.

MS Maasdam 6 - 17 Feb 05

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2005;02;5;07;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Until I sail away on the ocean blue



Navigator of the Seas Western Crib 08/03
Dawn Princess - Eastern Carb 01/03
Dawn Princess Panamal Canal 11/02

[cruisinqt]

These message boards are fantastic! I have already saved a good deal of money on a nearby Hilton hotel. I was told it has free parking and is only $99.oo dollars a night through this message board. Now I will probably save cab fare to the cruise port by dropping off the bags and walking to the port later. Now it sounds like I will be able to tour New Orleans and have some good old fashioned cajun food before our cruise. I have also learned how to get some cabin upgrades by watching to see if the fare I got goes down. If it does, I've been told to call my travel agent and ask for an upgrade. Thanks so much. Whoever thought of putting up these message boards was a genius. I have saved a lot of money, time, and worry by getting information from fellow cruisers. I will try dropping off our bags at the pier and I'll let you know later how things went.

[serene56]

What cruise are you taking? Drop off your luggage and do NOT check into the ship. That can take an hour or two. Go to the the pier and give your luggage to a porter. (dont forget to tip a buck a bag and head off on your merry old way. BUT I would drop the car off at the hotel first then do a tour of New Oleans. It is very hard getting around by car.
The boards are a great learning tool. Happy to see you did a lot of reading.



Living on Earth is expensive,
but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.

Going NOWHERE
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Miracle, February 13, 2005
Legend, October 22,2004
Voyager August 31,2003
Victory September 22,2002
Regal Empress,June 2001
Sensation,August 2000

[rita.bartgis]

We sailed the Conquest out of New Orleans on January 4, 2004. We went to the pier gave our luggage to the porter - tipped him - and headed to the French Quarters. We took the trolley. We go back to the pier about an hour before sailing time. It took us about 10 minutes to check in. If we had checked in when we had originally gotten there that morning it would have taken about 2 hours.

[cruisinqt]

You know, Grand Prairie Texas is only about an hour drive from us. When we first got married we lived in Arlington about a block off of North Cooper. Now we have built a house out in the country about a half hour's drive south of Fort Worth. Hello, neighbor!
Thanks for the info. we'll be sailing on the Conquest ourselves in October. We actually didn't plan on checking in on the ship when we dropped off our bags. We just wanted to know if you could leave the bags and then go.It sounds like you can. It's a good idea,too. I think my dear hubby will want to drive the car around in New Orleans. I would just prefer the trolley. Is it hard to find a parking place? Do you have to pay to park while you're in a restaurant or shopping? How much is the trolley? Is it close to the Hilton riverside where we will be staying? Thanks for all the info., it sure has helped. By the way, how was the Conquest? Any recommendations about the cruise before I leave?