Self-carry your luggage onto the ship?

[Traveler1977]

I like to board as early as possible and in addition to having a bite to eat, I like to start exploring the ship. Especially if it’s a ship I haven’t been on before. I prefer taking the stairs and don’t want to have to lug a suitcase around with me. The elevators on embankment day are always very busy. I do carry a backpack with a few essential items. 

[cruzsnooze]

5 hours ago, Shawn5 said:

We've self-carried our luggage off a ship a few times, mainly because of early flights. But what are the pros and cons of self-carrying your luggage onto the ship?

We're sailing out of Seattle in June and won't board until around 2:00. Would prefer to unpack right away instead of waiting X hours for our luggage to be delivered. Thoughts?

I always carry my full sized suitcase onboard at embarkation and unpack right away. IF and it's not common your suitcase doesn't fit thru the scanner they will take it from you and it will get delivered as if you had given it to a porter. 

[cruzsnooze]

5 hours ago, suekel said:

Carry on luggage will fit thru the security scanners, a full size suitcase will not.  That's why people don't do it.  

I carry my full sized suitcase through the scanners every time, no problem.

[neverbeenhere]

These are the lyrics: 

Carry on, my wayward son 
There'll be peace when you are done 
Lay your weary head to rest…

 

Not: Give your bags to the porters, my wayward cruise passenger…

[eclue]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

I carry my full sized suitcase through the scanners every time, no problem.

We also carry on our full sized luggage with no scanner issue.

[Shawn5]

7 hours ago, Sprocket said:

If sail away is at 4PM isn't trying for a 2 PM arrival kind of risky?

Not at all. How is it any different than arriving back to the ship in any another port? We prefer to spend our time experiencing the port cities…already on the ship enough. MPT (Maximum Port Time) should be the goal of every traveler. Just make your way back to the ship, or the vicinity of the ship, as the sail time approaches.

[SCX22]

18 minutes ago, Shawn5 said:

Not at all. How is it any different than arriving back to the ship in any another port? We prefer to spend our time experiencing the port cities…already on the ship enough. MPT (Maximum Port Time) should be the goal of every traveler. Just make your way back to the ship, or the vicinity of the ship, as the sail time approaches.

Arriving at the port that late on embarkation day is a good strategy.  Most everyone will be onboard at that time and you’ll most likely miss the crowds and just walk on the ship without having to fall in line.  However, your luggage will most likely be last on board and last to be delivered if left with porter so carrying them on is a good idea, like you proposed originally.  

[MissP22]

12 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

I always carry my full sized suitcase onboard at embarkation and unpack right away. IF and it's not common your suitcase doesn't fit thru the scanner they will take it from you and it will get delivered as if you had given it to a porter. 

I didn't realize that they would take it for delivery at that point.... but what else could they do except send you back to the porters. 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

I carry my full sized suitcase through the scanners every time, no problem.

It's go to be one heck of a large suitcase not to fit through the scanners. Like I posted, our large one is 18 inches wide and still fits with at least 2 or 3 inches on both sides to spare. 

[Ombud]

I always carry it on & off but then I stay on lower floors (8-10) and it's only 25+ lbs so no problem carrying it up / down a few flights

[Bgwest]

We’ve NEVER handed a single piece of luggage to a porter. 
Always carry on /off everything ourselves. Longest cruise to date is 38 days utilizing this approach. 
Never willing to lose contact with “our stuff”. 

[gah_cruise]

8 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

We’ve NEVER handed a single piece of luggage to a porter. 
Always carry on /off everything ourselves. Longest cruise to date is 38 days utilizing this approach. 
Never willing to lose contact with “our stuff”. 

do you ever fly?

 

[Bgwest]

7 hours ago, gah_cruise said:

do you ever fly?

 

Apples and oranges

[tobyt]

Now that we pack only in carryons due to check in fees on flights, we now carry the bags right through security and onto the ship. Love being able to unpack as soon as rooms are available and handle all the must do items and settle into vacation mode plus no worries about my bag going missing.

[Expat Cruise]

We always carry our own luggage off the ship. But allow the ship to deliver most of our luggage when boarding. But we do a few things that make it easier for us.

 

First, my wife and I cross pack. If we have two roller bags, half of my stuff is in each bag, if 3 bags a third, etc. If a bag is lost or delayed, we have enough to be able to enjoy the cruise. Next, we each carry a backpack or a carry on small roller bag, that have enough stuff for at least the first day.  And we tag our own bags with at least two tags on the outside of the bag and two more inside.

 

Doing this, we have never had any issues

[MissP22]

We usually don't pack until the last minute and having our luggage with us to unpack as soon as we get to the cabin also means that there are less wrinkles to tend with.  That, in addition to the fact that we don't have to be concerned about any items being taken. 

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 5/7/2023 at 9:30 PM, SCX22 said:

Arriving at the port that late on embarkation day is a good strategy.  Most everyone will be onboard at that time and you’ll most likely miss the crowds and just walk on the ship without having to fall in line. 

On our Panama Canal transit, Jan 2020 (just before pandemic hit) we arrived pretty late, right at about 2:00 due to flight connections.  This was the view at check in:

 

 

[SCX22]

26 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

On our Panama Canal transit, Jan 2020 (just before pandemic hit) we arrived pretty late, right at about 2:00 due to flight connections.  This was the view at check in:

 

That's why I purposefully try to never get to the port early on embarkation day anymore.  The other passengers can go before me.  We're all leaving at the same time anyway.

 

I ended up taking a Princess transfer to Southampton recently and was reminded why I never liked arriving for embarkation during the noon rush.  Lots and lot of waiting in lines.

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, SCX22 said:

That's why I purposefully try to never get to the port early on embarkation day anymore.  The other passengers can go before me.  We're all leaving at the same time anyway.

But you'll miss the dining room lunch and the buffet will be packed by mid afternoon.