Walk off with Luggage

[Barb Nahoumi]

The flip side of that then, is if I have walk off luggage and a 4pm flight, I should get another cup of coffee and stay out of the way and be the last one off?

That's what we do, only we let them bring our luggage down for us. When we do not have to get off early, we don't.

[mistycruiser]

San Juan has a unique scenario at the airport. Before you can check your bags or go through security you must take your bags to the agriculture check station and have it screened. Just an fyi that this can add extra time at the airport. It only took us an extra 5 minutes or so but obviously it depends on how busy the airport is at the time you arrive.

[prwardii]

i dont know if this would be a BA specific question, but say you did a 915 normal disembark. i'm assuming you are behind the same looong line as the people that lined up at 6 am to self assist

 

is this correct?

 

also how strict are they with tags. if you have a 10:00 one and are in line and somehow get there at 915, will they not let you leave?

 

They will let you leave... but you luggage will not be out on the floor to pickup until your color is called. So, leaving early - before your color tag is called, will cause a problem. You will be in the way of others trying to find their luggage.

[hamrag]

May be slightly off topic. What is the amount the porter should be tipped for a large and small suitcase.

 

We have two large and two small, and tip 25...it's not so much how few suitcases there are, than the convenience factor. I would give 20 in your case!

[don't-use-real-name]

Another point: If you tag you luggage and have have it taken the night before and the next morning try to do "walk-off" they will definitely send you back on the ship.

 

Alternate Action:

Since you have been carded off the ship you will not be permitted back on

and as such would be restricted in perhaps an area with no comfort features

to await when your baggage zone or color is called.

 

The area that you pick-up claim your luggage is restricted until your number

or color code is called. If you go earlier to claim the area is restricted while

forklift equipment and crews are setting up the various zones for the customers

to claim their baggage and smoothly move on to clear CBI and/or exit the terminal !

You may have observed during boarding of the cruise the porters loading

in racks some 50 or more baggage items - then a fork lift tractor loading

these racks onto an apparatus at the side of the ship.

The same happens on debarking the forklift trucks removing the racks of

baggage and set it up in a colored number zone area.

Safety first keep out of the work zone until called !

[don't-use-real-name]

San Juan has a unique scenario at the airport. Before you can check your bags or go through security you must take your bags to the agriculture check station and have it screened. Just an fyi that this can add extra time at the airport. It only took us an extra 5 minutes or so but obviously it depends on how busy the airport is at the time you arrive.

 

Same thing happens at Honolulu and other Hawaiian airports with non-stop

service to the mainland. Must clear an agriculture check point before checking

your baggage with the airline. Rarely a time issue as the counter is first thing

right in front of most airline check-in counters.

[luckyinpa]

from all the reading here it sounds like its best to get an early color and you can then go anytime you want after that. correct?

[hawkeyetlse]

from all the reading here it sounds like its best to get an early color and you can then go anytime you want after that. correct?

If you want to keep all your options open, I guess that's the way to do it. It's not a great idea to have your bags delivered to the terminal at 7am and let them sit there unattended if you're planning to stay on board until 10am. I don't think there's a huge risk of someone stealing your suitcase and taking it through customs, but you never know. They might just open it up and have a poke around…

 

The best idea is to follow NCL's instructions, but some people object to that on principle, it seems.

[foxjim1]

We are on the Getaway in Feb and want to do the walk off with our own luggage as we have a flight out of FLL at 11;40am and we are Canadians so any hints would be appreciated. We have done in twice in San Juan and had no problems off theSummit but its a much smaller ship.

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

Are Haven passengers given priority disembarkation,if walking off with luggage?

[Jetlagged787]

We were with Celebrity in San Juan last year and were the best part of 4 hours leaving the ship with a fixed time (not self-disembark). Despite plenty of signs saying, "No photography or video" in the customs hall, some clever so and so thought it did not apply to them. There were only three staff of whatever agency on duty and it took all three the best part of two hours to deal with the 'incident'. Meanwhile, the rest of us just sat and waited. When the line was reopened they seemed to be working particularly slowly as though to punish us all. Queues wound around the shed and only moved slowly, so another person thought it would make a good photo opportunity, no doubt to Twit or post on Farcebook.

 

Not saying it will happen to you but you should be prepared. One thing that we did notice was that those who used a porter went straight to the front of the queue and we're dealt with before the rest of us, causing further delays for the general population.

 

Have a great cruise and hopefully, a trouble-free exit.

[BirdTravels]

We are on the Getaway in Feb and want to do the walk off with our own luggage as we have a flight out of FLL at 11;40am and we are Canadians so any hints would be appreciated. We have done in twice in San Juan and had no problems off theSummit but its a much smaller ship.

 

The flight time is no problem.

 

The biggest hint is that if you wait to hear that self walk off has started, you're too late. 2000+ of your fellow passengers have the same idea. Elevators will be full. Lines will be long.

 

Grab an early breakfast. Get in line before 7:00. Canadian passports are not an issue. You'll get through immigration just as fast as the US folks.

[BirdTravels]

Are Haven passengers given priority disembarkation,if walking off with luggage?

 

The concierge staff will escort you to a private security podium to get you off the ship. You're on your own with the reset of the non Havens passengers down the gangway, through the terminal, through the baggage hall, and through customs.

[Mom2B&Z]

The concierge staff will escort you to a private security podium to get you off the ship. You're on your own with the reset of the non Havens passengers down the gangway, through the terminal, through the baggage hall, and through customs.

 

 

 

Not necessarily. Once off the ship, keep your key cards on hand. Our last Breakaway cruise, we asked every person along the route for the Haven line. Flashed our cards and bypassed all lines, including ending up in the porter line for customs.

This is one of the reasons we pay to be in a suite.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

Not necessarily. Once off the ship' date=' keep your key cards on hand. Our last Breakaway cruise, we asked every person along the route for the Haven line. Flashed our cards and bypassed all lines, including ending up in the porter line for customs.

This is one of the reasons we pay to be in a suite.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote']

 

 

This is what I wanted to hear...thanks.

[MrJulius]

The last thing that I want after a nice cruise is to get up before the ship gets to port, shovel down breakfast, run down the alleyway while bouncing my bags off of the walls, all to stand there as #3598 in line, watching intensely for line cutters, so that I can push and shove my way off of a boat that I paid good money to get on.

 

I ALWAYS stay at least one night, more often two, at a hotel pre and post cruise. This way we can relax, chat about what a wonderful time we had, and have a nice relaxing dinner...

 

...before we have to shovel down breakfast, grab a cab to the airport, run out of the cab so we can get to the porter before that family of 6 adults and 14 kids does, fight through the hordes of "I don't give a crappers" that jam the boarding gate WAY before their section is called, then try to find some storage bin space because the ones over my seat were packed full of oversized carryons by the morons sitting 20 rows behind me.

 

No thanks. I need at least one day between my flights and my cruises ! ;)

[perditax]

The last thing that I want after a nice cruise is to get up before the ship gets to port, shovel down breakfast, run down the alleyway while bouncing my bags off of the walls, all to stand there as #3598 in line, watching intensely for line cutters, so that I can push and shove my way off of a boat that I paid good money to get on.

 

I ALWAYS stay at least one night, more often two, at a hotel pre and post cruise. This way we can relax, chat about what a wonderful time we had, and have a nice relaxing dinner...

 

...before we have to shovel down breakfast, grab a cab to the airport, run out of the cab so we can get to the porter before that family of 6 adults and 14 kids does, fight through the hordes of "I don't give a crappers" that jam the boarding gate WAY before their section is called, then try to find some storage bin space because the ones over my seat were packed full of oversized carryons by the morons sitting 20 rows behind me.

 

No thanks. I need at least one day between my flights and my cruises ! ;)

 

Not everyone has the luxury of taking that much time off from work.

 

You're not alone in disliking crowds.