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Sending Luggage Ahead?


BenMurphy
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Hi All

 

We are now on plan C of our next years cruise!

Plan is fly Manchester/Heathrow/Chicago ........a couple of nights there,and then Amtrak....Empire Builder to Seattle a couple of nights there and board Regatta for our Alaska Cruise.

My question to you all is: Has anyone had any experience of sending luggage forward rather than carrying large suitcases to destination?Our aim is to travel light (ish) 'till we reach Seattle.

 

Thanks in anticipation!

Josie

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I'll begin by saying that you may want to do a Google search for Luggage Services which specialize in your area, but here in the USA, there are a number of Luggage Services available.

 

Luggage Free and Luggage Forward are the two which spring to mind because we have used them, and although they are effortless and handle every aspect of the process (Customs can be a bugbear, and Luggage Forward, in particular, is quite expert at that), they are also very very expensive unless one is shipping fairly minimally sized and weighted cases.

 

Mistakenly thinking that if we were blowing the budget on a Service anyway, that we may as well send everything bulky and/or heavy ahead, we very nearly got caught with an $800 invoice.... one way!!

 

Hearing that was an excellent consolidation tool!

 

In retrospect, although I must admit to enjoying the convenience, were I to travel with a similar number of cases again, I would tote everything with me and tip Porters with abandon, rather than using a Luggage Service as such.

 

Of course, everyone has different needs and YMMV.

 

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

Edited by StanandJim
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Thanks Stan and Jim, I had an idea that you would use a forwarder!!!

I'll check out some prices as I think that loading luggage on Amtrack may give us a problem.................................

 

Looking forward to Regatta our favourite little ship.

 

Josie

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Thanks Stan and Jim, I had an idea that you would use a forwarder!!!

I'll check out some prices as I think that loading luggage on Amtrack may give us a problem.................................

 

Looking forward to Regatta our favourite little ship.

 

Josie

 

You might want to check about porter services at Amtrak in Chicago and Seattle.

 

In NYC and Boston, there is porter service, and it is a big help.

If I remember correctly, Philadelphia also has porters.

 

Not only will they take your luggage (obviously!), but they will take you onto the train before "others" getting on at that station.

(This can be a huge help in getting seats together when the train already has continuing passengers, as any available seats aren't yet subject to a scrum of sorts, such as when the "rest" of the passengers enter.)

 

The one remaining problem is getting the luggage *off* the train and onto the platform on arrival.

If you use the porter to get on, ask them to arrange to call the destination station and let them know a porter will be needed. But as far as we know, that "works" only at the platform, and not inside the arriving train. In some cases, the stop isn't that long.

Is Seattle the "end of the line"?

 

Someone else here may have more information specifically about Chicago and Seattle.

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benmurphy-

 

what a great vacation you've planned. We were just in Seattle last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

2 things I'd recommend if you have time besides all of the other cool things to do:

 

- harbor cruise; buy tickets early!

 

- http://www.undergroundtour.com/index.html

 

many people have no idea of seattle's history and the underground tour is wonderful! It's not caves, but an underground city....very cool!

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Perhaps you will have a sleeping suite on the Empire Builder? The Porters will store all your large luggage in a separate area assuming you don't need to access it throughout your train trip. That way, it's not cluttering up your small area.

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benmurphy-

 

what a great vacation you've planned. We were just in Seattle last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

2 things I'd recommend if you have time besides all of the other cool things to do:

 

- harbor cruise; buy tickets early!

 

- http://www.undergroundtour.com/index.html

 

many people have no idea of seattle's history and the underground tour is wonderful! It's not caves, but an underground city....very cool!

 

Thanks,we'll certainly have a look at that.

We've been spurred on by You Americans and the Aussies who,when they come to Europe they don't just take a cruise and go home again! They see lots of the Continent

 

Josie

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Perhaps you will have a sleeping suite on the Empire Builder? The Porters will store all your large luggage in a separate area assuming you don't need to access it throughout your train trip. That way, it's not cluttering up your small area.

 

Hi

yes we're planning on a sleeping berth,so maybe porters are the way to go

thanks

josie

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I've got nothing to help you, but just wanted to mention the Empire Builder trip is one I've wanted to do for years, I just need to cut out a cruise somewhere to work it in.

 

Have you looked at stopping in Glacier National Park for a day or two?

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Here is the scoop took a 6 day rail ride around the US and you can check the luggage through... as it is no train change on the empire builder.. My wife and I found it much more enjoyable to get 2 sleeperetts rather than the bedroom was cheper and we had them adjoining one on either side of the car..sowe could switch according to scenery.

 

The empire builder misses a lot of the mountains at night going east to west to seattle. But a nice ride.

 

Why not make a circle trip...From Chicago take the Super Chief to Losangeles a great ride through the lower rocky mtsand Arizona andNew Mexico desert( thinks not to be seen in Manchester or Cheetam Hill.)

 

From LA take the Pacific Coast Starlight...( the best amtrack train in theUSA...) up the california coast, then in through paso pobles wine country,climbing into theMountains around Mt Shasta a at dawn... then through Oregons forests toPortland and then Seattle. This is the greatest train in the US and has an antique parlor car with wooden bar, wine tasting and ambiance for sleeper passengers only... Catch the Regatta, come back and take the empire builder west to east back to Chicago..

Plan on spending a few days in Seattle....well that is get out to see Mount Ranier Natl Park...26 active glaciers...more than Glacier NP,more than you will see in Alaska too! and you can drive to it... !!! Then North Cascades National park and Lake Ross fijords wher you stay in a floating log cabin im the lake with a fireplace......( try that in Ambelsides )

Use the strong pound with a vengence....

Cheers............ ( My Mum was from Manchester)

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Enjoy the ride! We did the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle earlier this year. It was fantastic. Volunteers from the National Park Service board at certain points to talk about the parks, I highly recommend attending those lectures.

 

Because you have a sleeping room, you will have a very helpful porter who is assigned to your car and she/he can help with the luggage. There is a lot of luggage space on the Empire Builder, and if you have a sleeping room, they are pretty flexible about the stated weight requirements.

 

I'll make one suggestion for your time in Seattle - go to the top of the Columbia Center for a great view of the whole area - it really helped us see the big picture and plot our limited time in Seattle.

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One of the perks for the world cruise was "free" Luggage Free service for up to two-50 pound bags each. I don't know exactly how many people are on the full voyage, but I can attest there are lots of pleased passengers, if everything has gone so well for all of them. I never inquired about the cost so can't help there.

 

We contacted Luggage Free back in November and were given a Dec 22 pickup date for the Jan 4 cruise. That was one of the latest dates; we live about 135 miles from Miami. Folds in the western half of the country were given much earlier dates.

 

This was a new experience for us; we normally travel with carry-ons. But, we had no problems filling up 4 - 29" an 30" bags with 50 lbs. each (we used our mechanical doctor's scale to weight them).

 

On the given day, I had an appointment at the orthopedist for my semi-annual knee injections and had to miss the fun. FedEx showed up at the promised time, the young man placed the luggage tags where he wanted them, then carried the bags -- two at once -- to the truck (I remember when I could lift 50 lbs that easily :rolleyes:). Sadly, Betsy forgot to take any photos.

 

All the luggage was delivered to cruise line headquarters in Doral, FL (just behind the Miami airport) and will be held there until the ship arrives. I image Oceania will hire trucks to deliver the bags to the ship.

 

At the end of the cruise, all the luggage will once again be taken to headquarters, where FedEx will pick them up and deliver them back to our homes., a week to 10 days later.

 

We're still bringing some luggage to the hotel the night before the cruise. Luggage Free does not want any alcoholic beverages, medicinal, or electronic items in the luggage they're handling. Plus, the things we needed between Dec 22 and Jan 3 will have to be packed. I think we'll get everything we need in our two carry-ons with matching tote bags and one rolling overnight/computer bag, if not, we still have another carry-on sized bag.

 

When we signed up for the world cruise we had no notion of how important the Luggage Free perk would turn out to be. For anyone traveling with any more than a carry-on, especially as we get older, I would give serious consideration to such a service if you can get past the cost. For us, it would be more important than the extra cost to travel business class, and would be quite a bit cheaper!

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Don't even think twice about sending your luggage. JUST DO IT! Yes, it costs some money but it's the best money you can spend as it frees you up to travel with small carry on through airports, train stations, hotels etc instead of the heavy cases you'll need for the entire trip. I just automatically add the cost on to the cruise now.Once you've sailed through an airport luggage free you can never go back.

 

Luggage Forward is a great service.

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For anyone traveling with any more than a carry-on, especially as we get older, I would give serious consideration to such a service if you can get past the cost. For us, it would be more important than the extra cost to travel business class, and would be quite a bit cheaper.

 

Indeed. And you haven't even mentioned how valuable such a service might be to those with mobility issues.

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benmurphy-

 

chicago is a wonderful town. A fun thing to do (if the weather cooperates) is to take the Hop On-Hop Off for a great tour of Chicago.

 

Another thing to do is to get one of the Architecture Tours on the Chicago River. (google search- architecture boat tour chicago) Great way to see the city and to learn about the Great Chicago Fire and its impact on the city plus see some amazing buildings. (even if you're not thrilled with "architecture" it is still a cool tour!)

 

Don't forget to try deep dish pizza!

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One of the perks for the world cruise was "free" Luggage Free service for up to two-50 pound bags each. I don't know exactly how many people are on the full voyage, but I can attest there are lots of pleased passengers, if everything has gone so well for all of them. I never inquired about the cost so can't help there.

 

We contacted Luggage Free back in November and were given a Dec 22 pickup date for the Jan 4 cruise. That was one of the latest dates; we live about 135 miles from Miami. Folds in the western half of the country were given much earlier dates.

 

This was a new experience for us; we normally travel with carry-ons. But, we had no problems filling up 4 - 29" an 30" bags with 50 lbs. each (we used our mechanical doctor's scale to weight them).

 

On the given day, I had an appointment at the orthopedist for my semi-annual knee injections and had to miss the fun. FedEx showed up at the promised time, the young man placed the luggage tags where he wanted them, then carried the bags -- two at once -- to the truck (I remember when I could lift 50 lbs that easily :rolleyes:). Sadly, Betsy forgot to take any photos.

 

All the luggage was delivered to cruise line headquarters in Doral, FL (just behind the Miami airport) and will be held there until the ship arrives. I image Oceania will hire trucks to deliver the bags to the ship.

 

At the end of the cruise, all the luggage will once again be taken to headquarters, where FedEx will pick them up and deliver them back to our homes., a week to 10 days later.

 

We're still bringing some luggage to the hotel the night before the cruise. Luggage Free does not want any alcoholic beverages, medicinal, or electronic items in the luggage they're handling. Plus, the things we needed between Dec 22 and Jan 3 will have to be packed. I think we'll get everything we need in our two carry-ons with matching tote bags and one rolling overnight/computer bag, if not, we still have another carry-on sized bag.

 

When we signed up for the world cruise we had no notion of how important the Luggage Free perk would turn out to be. For anyone traveling with any more than a carry-on, especially as we get older, I would give serious consideration to such a service if you can get past the cost. For us, it would be more important than the extra cost to travel business class, and would be quite a bit cheaper!

 

Don, We did a World Cruise almost 3 years ago and we had unlimited free luggage to and from Ft. Lauderdale, via Federal Express. We filled up way too many suitcases to Ft. Lauderdale and coming back we had several more.

 

Am really surprised at your extremely early pickup and long return. Our suitcases were picked up by our usual Fed Ex. driver after Christmas and just before New Years (cruise departed on Jan 3) and returned to us at home about 3 or 4 days after arrival in Ft Lauderdale and held by Fed Ex. before embarkation and to see the line up of suitcases outside the terminal upon arrival, wasn't sure how long the return would take but, only a few days. We received tags in advance at home with specific instructions that were easy to follow. Toward the end of the cruise, the cruise line had two staff members fly out to the ship and provided us as many tags as we wanted/needed and again instructions. Extremely surprised how early your bags were picked up and how long before you get them back being only 2 or 3 hours from Miami??

 

Have a wonderful cruise and hope you and Betsy enjoy the heck out of the trip.

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Don, We did a World Cruise almost 3 years ago and we had unlimited free luggage to and from Ft. Lauderdale, via Federal Express. We filled up way too many suitcases to Ft. Lauderdale and coming back we had several more.

 

Am really surprised at your extremely early pickup and long return. Our suitcases were picked up by our usual Fed Ex. driver after Christmas and just before New Years (cruise departed on Jan 3) and returned to us at home about 3 or 4 days after arrival in Ft Lauderdale and held by Fed Ex. before embarkation and to see the line up of suitcases outside the terminal upon arrival, wasn't sure how long the return would take but, only a few days. We received tags in advance at home with specific instructions that were easy to follow. Toward the end of the cruise, the cruise line had two staff members fly out to the ship and provided us as many tags as we wanted/needed and again instructions. Extremely surprised how early your bags were picked up and how long before you get them back being only 2 or 3 hours from Miami??

 

Have a wonderful cruise and hope you and Betsy enjoy the heck out of the trip.

I was surprised myself, but it is what it is, and I don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

Before someone protests that "nothing is free, it's all included in the fare", consider this: I looked up a random 12 day cruise in April on the Mediterranean on Nautica. A C1 deluxe oceanview (same as we have on the world cruise) retails at $458 per person, per day. It includes unlimited internet, prepaid gratuities and 4 OLife excursions.

 

Our cabin on the world cruise retailed at $289 per day, per person. It includes unlimited internet, prepaid gratuities, 5 exclusive complimentary events including 2 that are overnight, 1 involving flights, plus unlimited ship laundry, complimentary visas, unlimited onboard medical, special onboard events for world cruisers, a commemorative jacket and hat and other gifts. On top of all that, the luggage service is "included" -- at those rates, I claim it's truly free.

 

We took the air credit and other credits, so our fare is actually about $267 per day, per person, not counting the credit we received from last year's shortened cruise. We're Silver now and will be Platinum when we return; eligible for our free cruise. Oceania has graciously extended our Platinum benefits at the beginning of the cruise, including extra onboard credit and spa credits.

 

I estimate the value of all this stuff brings our cruise down into the $220/day/person range, below half of the cost of the 12 day cruise on Nautica. It became an offer we couldn't refuse.

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benmurphy-

 

what a great vacation you've planned. We were just in Seattle last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

2 things I'd recommend if you have time besides all of the other cool things to do:

 

- harbor cruise; buy tickets early!

 

- http://www.undergroundtour.com/index.html

 

many people have no idea of seattle's history and the underground tour is wonderful! It's not caves, but an underground city....very cool!

 

Jut to add - I would highly recommend visiting the Chihuly Garden in Seattle - truly unique and spectacular.

http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com

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Thank you all very much ,you've been so helpful!

 

We Have to be back home by June 30th (Dad's 90th birthday.......Royal Command!) So all travel will have to be before our cruise!

Charlotte! It would be lovely to see you,but even with my ropy geography I know that Texas is a little too far this time.

 

Dan! I don't think your Mum would recognise Cheetham Hill these days,let me know if you plan to visit.

 

I shall print off this thread and go through your recommendations .

 

Coast Starlight,is that the one Jack Kerouac travelled on?

 

I have to start pulling the whole trip together in January and start booking hotels etc.

Once again Thank You

Josie

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benmurphy,

 

we stayed at a small hotel in seattle right at Pike's Market called "Inn at the Market." Valet handles the car which is wonderful and the location is perfect. Roof top is a great place to see water and have a drink!

 

(i do not own stock nor do i know the owners...just a nifty place to stay for walking around the waterfront.)

 

Going to see Rainier is wonderful but I consider that trip an overnight and getting hotel reservations in the park need to be done now...or take your chances the day you're there.

 

sometimes you get really lucky and can see Rainier from Seattle! If so, have your camera ready because 10 minutes later it has disappeared!! c

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Hi All

 

We are now on plan C of our next years cruise!

Plan is fly Manchester/Heathrow/Chicago ........a couple of nights there,and then Amtrak....Empire Builder to Seattle a couple of nights there and board Regatta for our Alaska Cruise.

My question to you all is: Has anyone had any experience of sending luggage forward rather than carrying large suitcases to destination?Our aim is to travel light (ish) 'till we reach Seattle.

 

Thanks in anticipation!

Josie

 

I now use Luggage Free on every trip..yes its a little pricey but at my husbands age it is cheaper than a doctor for his back..I will never travel with bags again..I take a PH on my cruises and feel I can certainly afford a few hundred dollars for my convenience..

Jancruz1

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Thank you all very much ,you've been so helpful!

 

We Have to be back home by June 30th (Dad's 90th birthday.......Royal Command!) So all travel will have to be before our cruise!

Charlotte! It would be lovely to see you,but even with my ropy geography I know that Texas is a little too far this time.

 

Dan! I don't think your Mum would recognise Cheetham Hill these days,let me know if you plan to visit.

 

I shall print off this thread and go through your recommendations .

 

Coast Starlight,is that the one Jack Kerouac travelled on?

 

I have to start pulling the whole trip together in January and start booking hotels etc.

Once again Thank You

Josie

 

Yes thats the Train... its goes through wonderful coast, wine, farms lakes mountains, its 2 days one night....

 

While many suggest touring Seattle, I strongly suggest a day trip to Mount Rainer NatlPark its 85 miles south of Seattle...and since your going toAlaska to seek natural beauty , this would blow you away from end of July to October .

The wild flowers are the finest natural display in the US ( according to John Muir) with green lush meadows coming right up to stunning glaciers and 10,000 ft walls of rock and ice...

Ranger led free walks and talks, wonderful foot paths.... The flower/glacier/forest combo is more dramatic than Alaska or Glacier NP... Paradise visitor center and Sunrise Visitor center will astound you.......Rainier has 26 massive active glaciers... and is 14,000 ft and towers over Seattle.

You can see cities and harbors and they are ok....this is an emotional experience.Oh, at Paradise is the Paradise INN..a classic rustic national park lodge........ It would be the frosting on your natural history of America tour.

Cheers and all the best

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