Luggage service in Seattle Port

[Hllb]

In order to use the luggage forwarding, do you have to put your luggage out the night before? Or can you self-assist in the morning for debarkation and then give the port your luggage? Just curious how people do this with needing their toiletries in the morning, but yet not wanting to take those as carryon or lug around the city.

[Sea Hag]

21 minutes ago, Hllb said:

In order to use the luggage forwarding, do you have to put your luggage out the night before? Or can you self-assist in the morning for debarkation and then give the port your luggage? Just curious how people do this with needing their toiletries in the morning, but yet not wanting to take those as carryon or lug around the city.

You have to put in the hall the night before. We use a day pack as carry on, and that's where everything we need for the morning goes. We do keep this down the the bare minimum. The daypack is very light, especially when I compare it to the backpacks we used to lug around on backpacking trips. I can carry that day pack around all day without noticing it.

[Hllb]

1 hour ago, Sea Hag said:

You have to put in the hall the night before. We use a day pack as carry on, and that's where everything we need for the morning goes. We do keep this down the the bare minimum. The daypack is very light, especially when I compare it to the backpacks we used to lug around on backpacking trips. I can carry that day pack around all day without noticing it.

That's unfortunate. Most of my toiletries are larger than the 3 oz allowed size for carry-on. When I check luggage, I generally don't bother with travel sizes since it's annoying to try to fill travel containers and my carryon is generally filled with higher priority items like camera, medication, and things.

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, Hllb said:

Most of my toiletries are larger than the 3 oz allowed size for carry-on. When I check luggage, I generally don't bother with travel sizes since it's annoying to try to fill travel containers and my carryon is generally filled with higher priority items like camera, medication, and things.

I keep out just enough for morning, and skip some of the toiletries entirely. 

For example, I take a sample size tube of toothpaste, take my shower and use deodorant the night before, put just enough facial moisturizer in a small travel jar for morning; skip perfume and make-up on disembarkation day. 
It's amazing what we can do without, especially for one day. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 hours ago, Hllb said:

I generally don't bother with travel sizes since it's annoying to try to fill travel containers and my carryon is generally filled with higher priority items like camera, medication, and things.

 

Generally speaking, the essentials would be travel size toothpaste, deodorant, and maybe some face/hand crème - all of which you can buy collectively for about $10 (and if your dentist gives out samples at your twice-a-year check-up - free toothpaste and a toothbrush).  Buying or having these few items would beat lugging a regular size suitcase around, if Port Valet is a viable option for your flight home.

[Hllb]

Just now, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Generally speaking, the essentials would be travel size toothpaste, deodorant, and maybe some face/hand crème - all of which you can buy collectively for about $10 (and if your dentist gives out samples at your twice-a-year check-up - free toothpaste and a toothbrush).  Buying or having these few items would beat lugging a regular size suitcase around, if Port Valet is a viable option for your flight home.

Yeah, it's just super inconvenient as a family of 5...the stuff we have to carry (and are already planning on carrying) is going to add up super fast.

[Sea Hag]

4 minutes ago, Hllb said:

Yeah, it's just super inconvenient as a family of 5...the stuff we have to carry (and are already planning on carrying) is going to add up super fast.

I can certainly see that it would, but wouldn't it still be easier than wrangling all your luggage? If you use Port Valet, the next time you see your checked luggage it at your final destination airport.

[Ferry_Watcher]

32 minutes ago, Hllb said:

Yeah, it's just super inconvenient as a family of 5...the stuff we have to carry (and are already planning on carrying) is going to add up super fast.

 

All you need is one sample size toothpaste per room.  Your 3 teens (at least two of them will be of the same gender ) can share the travel size deodorant, and the same hand / face lotion for the morning that you are flying home.  If your kids are older teens, then I imagine that they probably have at least a part-time job, and they can buy their own travel toiletries if they don't want to share.  

 

What we are trying to do is 'save' you from having to stand in line at SeaTac ticketing.  By using Port Valet, it will spare you from having to stand in the ticketing line.  You have no idea how busy SeaTac is during the summer months.  And then there is still the very long TSA line.  We can only offer so much advice - it's up to you with what you do with it.

[Hllb]

1 minute ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

All you need is one sample size toothpaste per room.  Your 3 teens (at least two of them will be of the same gender ) can share the travel size deodorant, and the same hand / face lotion for the morning that you are flying home.  If your kids are older teens, then I imagine that they probably have at least a part-time job, and they can buy their own travel toiletries if they don't want to share.  

 

What we are trying to do is 'save' you from having to stand in line at SeaTac ticketing.  By using Port Valet, it will spare you from having to stand in the ticketing line.  You have no idea how busy SeaTac is during the summer months.  And then there is still the very long TSA line.  We can only offer so much advice - it's up to you with what you do with it.

Don't get me wrong, we are doing it, but I just wish we could give them the bags in the morning. We all will already have a carryon bag with stuff (each of the kids carry a backpack as carryon, and I have a large shoulder bag plus purse), so fitting toiletries and PJs in it too, will be difficult and heavy. My camera nearly fills my carryon by itself. Glad I downsized the camera this year, but was considering renting a telephoto lens for the trip, so I may have to skip that.

[Mary229]

Sometimes you have to let it go.  Small costs that increase my convenience are worth it.  Throw away the last tube of toothpaste …….but remember a small dentist sample tube is 9 brushings - plenty for your family of five.   As to moisturizers etc… use either contact lens cases or pill organizers to put small dabs in before sending your luggage off.  

[Ferry_Watcher]

22 minutes ago, Hllb said:

Don't get me wrong, we are doing it, but I just wish we could give them the bags in the morning

 

You have no idea of the coordination it takes to gather each piece of luggage and arrange them in an precise order so when a disembarking passenger walks off the ship and into the luggage hall, they can go to the exact pick-up zone, at the time listed on their tag and claim their luggage before exiting the terminal to ground transportation.

For Port Valet designated luggage, those pieces are one of the first off the ship so they can be loaded into waiting trucks to transport them to SeaTac.  It's an amazing feat that happens every cruise day, with a very high accuracy success rate.

 

As for sleeping clothes, kids can wear tee-shirts and gym shorts; spouses can sleep au naturel, or whatever the bare minimum is comfortable.  And don't forget that everyone has a ship provided robe to use.  Just make sure you have all the clothes you need for traveling.  ;  )

[Hllb]

23 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

You have no idea of the coordination it takes to gather each piece of luggage and arrange them in an precise order so when a disembarking passenger walks off the ship and into the luggage hall, they can go to the exact pick-up zone, at the time listed on their tag and claim their luggage before exiting the terminal to ground transportation.

For Port Valet designated luggage, those pieces are one of the first off the ship so they can be loaded into waiting trucks to transport them to SeaTac.  It's an amazing feat that happens every cruise day, with a very high accuracy success rate.

 

As for sleeping clothes, kids can wear tee-shirts and gym shorts; spouses can sleep au naturel, or whatever the bare minimum is comfortable.  And don't forget that everyone has a ship provided robe to use.  Just make sure you have all the clothes you need for traveling.  ;  )

the only cruise we’ve taken before, we self-carried off the ship 😂 

[Hllb]

There’s no hurry to sign up for this service, right? When do people typically sign up? Figured I could wait in case there are more flight changes 

[Sea Hag]

11 hours ago, Hllb said:

There’s no hurry to sign up for this service, right? When do people typically sign up? Figured I could wait in case there are more flight changes 

My understanding is that there are a limited number of sign ups allowed. I don't know what that number is, but I do think there is one.

[Eaglecw]

I don’t understand why this is so hard. You’re going to have to put your bags out in the hallway even if you don’t use the Port Valet program. Unless you want the hassle and trouble of taking your bags off the ship and wheeling them out to whatever transportation you have arranged just to keep your bags in your room overnight so you have everything in the morning. I go to Dollar Tree and buy the small size toothpaste, deodorant, and whatever else we need for the trip. At the end of the trip we toss everything that left into the garbage can before we leave the room and it’s done. The kids all have their little backpack for their overnight things and we have ours. I think you’re making a big deal out of something that is so simple.  

[Hllb]

52 minutes ago, Eaglecw said:

I don’t understand why this is so hard. You’re going to have to put your bags out in the hallway even if you don’t use the Port Valet program. Unless you want the hassle and trouble of taking your bags off the ship and wheeling them out to whatever transportation you have arranged just to keep your bags in your room overnight so you have everything in the morning. I go to Dollar Tree and buy the small size toothpaste, deodorant, and whatever else we need for the trip. At the end of the trip we toss everything that left into the garbage can before we leave the room and it’s done. The kids all have their little backpack for their overnight things and we have ours. I think you’re making a big deal out of something that is so simple.  

 

Thanks for the judgement. I don’t find it a hassle to handle my own bags - we usually self disembark and it was super easy.