FLL - Luggage to Airport Service?

[I object 2]

Does Princess offer luggage to airport service for cruises disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale? If so, which airlines participate? We'd appreciate comments from anyone who's used this service and information on how it works. Pros/cons?

 

Jan

[caribill]

Yes, EZCheck is offered at Port Everglades. Most of the FLL major airlines participate.

 

a) Only for flights leaving the same day after 11:30 AM.

 

b) If making connections must be on the same airline.

 

c) Only for USA destinations (anthough now and then Air Canada participates)

 

A form will be delivered to your cabin asking if you want this service and will list the participating airlines.

 

Normal airline baggage fees apply plus the $20/person service charge.

 

If you use the service, be sure your hand luggage for the flight will not have any TSA prohibited items such as liquids in a container greater than 3.3 OZ. This is because you will not have the opportunity to put these in your checked luggage on disembarkation morning.

[deminggraham]

Does Princess offer luggage to airport service for cruises disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale? If so, which airlines participate? We'd appreciate comments from anyone who's used this service and information on how it works. Pros/cons?

 

Jan

 

I have used this service every time I sail from Ft Lauterdale and I love it. It costs $20pp and you sign up for it and pay on the ship. You sign up before the deadline and fill out a form with your flight information. The day before you land your luggage tags and boarding pass are delivered to your stateroom. You put the tags on your suitcases that you wish to have checked by the airline and put them outside your door. The next time you see your bags is when you retrieve them from the baggage carousel when you return home. The $20pp cost of the service plus the airline checked baggage fee,if any, is charged to your shipboard account. You keep your carry on luggage with you. You can use this service for most airlines and it does not matter how you get from the ship to the airport. I have never had any problems with this service and for me the cost is well worth avoiding the search for my luggage in the terminal and having to tip porters in the ship terminal and at the airport.

[gymbomb]

We used this service last weekend and it worked very well. In addition to the the ease of having only a small carryon to deal with on the way to the airport, I was happy to pay $20 to bypass the check in line at FLL!

[gfsf]

FYI Virgin America does not participate in EZ Check

[Colo Cruiser]

Frontier does not either

[PescadoAmarillo]

We've only used it once (last year), but we were totally sold on this service, and would recommend it for anyone who packs heavily. I'm not sure it's worth it for one suitcase, but for two big ones, it's wonderful. I'll admit I was a little skeptical that it would work, but when I saw our suitcases appear on the luggage carousel at our home airport, I was a believer.

 

We did it with Southwest, and I was nervous about what our boarding priority would be, and so also purchased Early Bird Check in. Then I worried that I had perhaps wasted that money, because I wasn't sure that it would integrate with the EZ Check. But it worked wonderfully...we had an early boarding priority, and enjoyed our last day at Princess Cays without worrying about checking in for the next day's flights.

[W5KAP]

We used this service for the first time last October coming off the Ruby TA from Venice. I can't tell you how great it was not to have to schlep your bags to the airport. It cost us $20 per person and I don't even think we got charged a baggage fee. I will do it again after our next TA this fall on the Crown.

 

Enjoy your trip

 

Cheers, Kenn

[Ruxin]

I know the charge is $20 per person, but what if one of the people in your room has no checked luggage? I will be traveling with my husband and son. We will have two checked bags. Will we have to pay $60 because there are three of us in the room? Or is it possible to only pay $40?

[rdsqrl]

I know the charge is $20 per person, but what if one of the people in your room has no checked luggage? I will be traveling with my husband and son. We will have two checked bags. Will we have to pay $60 because there are three of us in the room? Or is it possible to only pay $40?

The $20 is the per person fee for all who are doing EZCheck. Then there's an additional fee for baggage depending on your airline/class of service. So you'll pay a total of $60 plus $Baggage Fee x 2. Or, to put it another way, assuming $25 fee per bag, you'd pay $45, your husband would pay $45, and your son would pay $20 (no bag)

[I object 2]

Thanks for the information everyone. We'll definitely use this service if the airline we use participates.

[Thepriceofbeer]

Our flight is at 11:15 on Southwest out of FLL. Will the 15 mins make a difference or are we not eligible because the service starts at 11:30?

[Happy2cruise]

Our flight is at 11:15 on Southwest out of FLL. Will the 15 mins make a difference or are we not eligible because the service starts at 11:30?

 

I'm not positive but I do think the 15 minutes will make a difference. They do stress the 11:30 time so I think they stick to it. Maybe someone else can offer a more definite answer.

 

Happy cruising!

[Darcy8]

I am also wondering about time rule. Our flightis scheduled for 11:29. Hing maybe one minute will not exclude us from using the EZ check.

[kitkat343]

We did the ez check program for two members of our family since we had two pieces of luggage to check. The fee was 40 for our family. The only downside is that princess will not check in the third member of your family unless you pay 20 dollars. We had to wait to check our 2 year old son in at the airport since our phones weren't compatible with JetBlue check in. My husband and I were assigned an early check out group by the ship but our son was given a check out group two hours later. When we went to our check out lounge, they told us our luggage had been taken off the ship first thing in the morning and we could leave with our sons group later in the day. Our bags arrived on time at Newark so we were happy with e z check

[caribill]

When we went to our check out lounge, they told us our luggage had been taken off the ship first thing in the morning and we could leave with our sons group later in the day.

 

Your 2 year old son could have left at the time you had been assigned if you had wanted. I assume there was no luggage of his to pick up on shore.

[kitkat343]

Carabill, I'm sorry that my previous posting wasn't clear. We were happy to leave later so we stayed on the ship until my son's group was called. A previous poster had asked what happened if only some of your group used EZ check so I wanted to tell them about our experience. The only downside to having a partial EZ check is that the person without luggage is not checked in to their flight unless you pay $20. I think you can just have whoever is in the middle seat not check in and you should be fine.

[Pam in CA]

The $20 is per-person for the service of checking you in for your flight, printing your boarding pass and issuing your airline luggage tag. Whether you have 0 or 4 bags is almost irrelevant except for the airline baggage fee per bag. It's well-worth the charge for many people as you then don't see your luggage until you get home.

[sailaway5]

I'm not positive but I do think the 15 minutes will make a difference. They do stress the 11:30 time so I think they stick to it. Maybe someone else can offer a more definite answer.

 

Happy cruising!

 

We tried to use it when our flight was at 11:25......They would NOT allow us to use the service. Very disappointing. However, we will try it again someday and make sure our flight is after 11:30....

 

Cheers..

[Gypsy2]

I am doing the princess transfer due to the construction and long lines for a cab. Do you think it is still possible to do the EZ check?

[caribill]

I am doing the princess transfer due to the construction and long lines for a cab. Do you think it is still possible to do the EZ check?

 

As long as your flight meets the time criteria, you can use EZCheck with or without the Princess xfer.

[wrg11]

Our flight home is scheduled to leave at 11:30am (Southwest). Will we qualify?

[gymbomb]

Our flight home is scheduled to leave at 11:30am (Southwest). Will we qualify?

 

Yes - I used it for an 11:30 a.m. flight on Southwest earlier this month.