Help with luggage

[cthrn27]

Hello.  My older parents want to cruise but can't manage the luggage - not from/to the airport or to/from the ship.  Anyone have experience on how to handle this???? Would appreciate suggestions.  Thank you

[DAllenTCY]

Roller bags with 4 wheels are easy to roll just about anywhere.

 

Those have replaced many thousands of SkyCaps and RedCaps over recent years.

 

David

[cthrn27]

Thanks,  but they have limited mobility and can't manage walker and baggage

[3rdGenCunarder]

Check out Luggage Direct. They will pick up suitcases at your parents' house and deliver them to the ship. For going home, your parents will have to collect their luggage to go through customs/immigration, and then give it to the Luggage Direct people. There will be porters who can help them with that. 

 

It can be expensive, but to lighten the load, and in this case make travel possible, it's worth it.

[PalmSprings]

My husband has Parkinson’s disease, so we began using a service called Luggage Forward for our last several cruises - and have already booked them for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise on the Volendam.  
 

We cram a large travel suitcase completely full - since the luggage is being shipped on UPS to the port city, weight isn’t really an issue.

 

From our southern California home to Ft. Lauderdale costs about $145 each way, unless we go over 55 lbs of weight which costs $20 more.  The pickup date is usually about ten days prior to sailing - they send a UPS driver to our home and pick up the luggage which we will next see onboard in our stateroom.

 

Given the health challenges getting though TSA and boarding for us, we view it as money well spent!

 

We had to contact their customer service number on a recent NS cruise and found them to be amazingly responsive.

Edited March 28, 2023 by PalmSprings
Additional info added

[FOPMan]

For many destinations , its not especially hard, unless one or both parents use a wheelchair and cannot transfer to and from a  seat in a minivan without substantial assistance.

 

Step 1) car service to the airport, with an airline that has curbside luggage check-in. The driver can assist with getting bags into the vehicle at your parents’ home and checked in curbside. At some (smaller) airports, drivers may go in and help check in at a counter.

 

Step 2) car service at the end of the flight to the hotel, booked in advance to include luggage assistance. The driver will help retrieve luggage from the carousel and load it into the vehicle and unload it at the destination hotel (or ship, if you elect same-day travel.

 

Step 3) Stay at a smaller, private hotel that emphasizes personal service, such as The Riverside or Lago Mar in Fort Lauderdale. A smaller hotel will require leas walking around at the hotel. Both of the examples listed have a valet outside, waiting to assist guests with parking, luggage, directions, or other needs. They would take your bags and arrange for them to be taken to ylur parents’ room. At the end of the stay, the hotel bellhop will take their luggage from their room to the hotel entrance l.

 

Step 4) to the ship! your parents could use a car service, taxi, shuttle, or uber/lyft to get to the ship. The driver or staff will manage their luggage. Once they arrive at the pier, the ship’s staff will take luggage at the curb. Your parents will need to clearly label what they want to hand carry. It is critical that all luggage be well-marked with their name, ship, and cabin number before leaving the hotel.

 

Step 6, ship to plane, may vary a little bit depending on the cruise line. The easiest thing to so is to book an excursion that includes a drop-off at the airport.. No extra transportation arrangements need be nade. In most of these circumstances, your parents would put their luggage outside the cabin door by midnight and the ship’s staff would transfer it ashore. Assistance is available in handling bags ashore.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Six steps is a lot of planning and "what-ifs." I've had Uber drivers who thought just popping the trunk was enough assistance.  

 

Step 1 Call Luggage Forward (not luggage direct as I said earlier, that's the airport service).

Luggage Forward® - Shipping & Luggage Delivery Worldwide Since 2005

 

Step 2. Pack

 

Step 3. Arrive at your cabin and unpack. 

Edited March 30, 2023 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Mary229]

Grab a porter at luggage claim and they will get the luggage into the Uber or taxi.  Once at port the porters will again help unload.   If they need help navigating the airport that is easily handled through the airlines by requesting mobility assistance.  

Edited March 30, 2023 by Mary229

[J&Dhighdesert]

Hello, I also recommend luggage forward.  In fact, my luggage tags are arriving today by FedEx.  I do not leave for my trip until the end of April.  Your luggage has to be ready at least a week to reach your destination.  It lifts a great burden to have someone else take care of the luggage.  To me, it is worth the extra expense.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[azalice]

And we have used the company called Luggage Free. It was so helpful because one of our pieces of luggage was at the top of the allowed amount; and we had carry on luggage plus another smaller suitcase to get through the airport and deal with once at the destination. It was expensive but it let us travel without hurting ourselves.

[Torquer]

Of course things become much more complex if you are flying to/from a foreign airport to board/disembark on a cruise.  The OP didn't say if it is a US or foreign port.  Would any of these luggage delivery services work in that case to get your bags from your home to the ship in a foreign port?  And contrary to what a couple people said, porters are rare or non-existent today at many airports, even major ones.

[3rdGenCunarder]

The service does do international shipping, but it's more expensive than domestic. I have shipped bags from the US to Southampton, England. It was around $100 more than shipping within the US. Shipping to Canada is more expensive, too. This is because the shipper acts as your customs agent. The forms for England required a very detailed list. Canada just needed a letter that said "Everything in here is my stuff." 

 

They give you a tracking number. The first time I did it, I was concerned because the bag was in customs for a few days, so I called DHL (the carrier Cunard was using). They told me not to worry, if a bag is early, they sometimes wait until they get around to it, but it would make the sailing. And the next day, tracking showed it had gone from Heathrow to Southampton. 

 

I haven't seen a porter an at airport in years. I haven't seen curbside luggage drops, either. 

[PalmSprings]

28 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

They told me not to worry, if a bag is early, they sometimes wait until they get around to it, but it would make the sailing. And the next day, tracking showed it had gone from Heathrow to Southampton. 

I also recommend placing an air tag (or android equivalent) inside the luggage so you can keep track of it in real-time on your phone.

[FOPMan]

8 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Six steps is a lot of planning and "what-ifs." I've had Uber drivers who thought just popping the trunk was enough assistance.  

 

Step 1 Call Luggage Forward (not luggage direct as I said earlier, that's the airport service).

Luggage Forward® - Shipping & Luggage Delivery Worldwide Since 2005

 

Step 2. Pack

 

Step 3. Arrive at your cabin and unpack. 

 

[FOPMan]

If you reexamine my posit, the steps get both  the passengers and luggage from end to end. It has the added advantage of advanced planning which reduces the need for on-the-fly problem solving for ground transportation in different cities

 

The plan you suggested dies not account for a hotel stay prior to a cruise, getting to/from the originating airport, and  getting the travelers from the ship to the plane. If you use a service for the luggage alone, it doesn’t take care of the people traveling.

 

There are other options and refinements depending on particular circumstances. With a little more information such as cities and preferred cruise line, very specific information could be provided.