Luggage

[tinykygal]

My well-traveled TA passed some packing trips to me today. He told me that he no longer gave his luggage to the porters coming on or going off the ship. I have not heard of that. I thought it was required due to checks for drugs, etc.

Any comments? This TA constantly cruises and knows the ropes.

Thanks.

[serene56]

Porters dont check for drugs and stuff-- they put your luggage into cages that are loaded onto the ship- what did he save by not giving the suitcase to the porter 2 bucks??

 

I also dont get a porter after the cruise... i only have two bags and one is a carryon- Use a porter if you have a lot of luggage.. but if you can carry your own-- do so. I saave the porter for the people who packed way too much..

[tinykygal]

Serene, I mislead you, I am sorry....my TA did not give me the tip for saving money...it had to do w/packing light and having luggage readily available. The TA can afford to tip porters - I intended to post that I assumed that it was a requirement to let the ship porters remove luggage the night before for drug checks, etc. Just wondering if anyone on the boards has carried their luggage off the ship w/out going to "the room" where all is piled up in a heap. Thank you for your comments.

[Andee]

We have sometimes carried our luggage on the ship to make sure we have it right away. Otherwise, there have ben times when haven't gotten it until well after dinner.

 

We've also sometimes carried off the ship to smooth the disembarkation process.

 

We generally only do that on one week cruises, when we're likely to have less luggage. Just personal preference.

[tinykygal]

Thanks, Andee. So, are you saying that we are not "required" to put our luggage outside the door if we are able to carry it off? I am trying very hard to pack more lightly than in the best. It is amazing what I have been able to "practice" put into my carry-on.

TinyKYGal

Sovereign of the Seas 2001

Granduer of the Seas 2002

Explorer of the Seas 2005

Brilliance of the Seas 2006

[katier825]

You are not required to put your bags out the night before. However, if you have a lot of luggage, it would be easier if you did.

 

I have never seen bags are x-rayed upon disembarkation, but customs does sometimes have dogs sniff the bags. Our return from Panama took a long time because people were trying to sneak back cuban cigars (even after they were told not to attempt it)...they were down to one customs agent due to the others searching bags. Lots of cursing that day! :eek:

 

We too are downsizing our luggage. It's much easier to navigate crowded areas when you aren't juggling large suitcases! I usually have extra stuff I haven't worn anyway. Might as well leave the extra stuff at home!

 

I just bought a few of the travel space bags to help fit my stuff in the smaller suitcases.

[serene56]

Thanks for clearing that up-- whew-- lol

Cabin stewards are the ones removing luggage from the hall. and delivering it to the cabins the first day. I think thats what confused me since you used the term porters. they are the ones to take yourluggage to make sure it gets on the ship. and porters after the cruise help you carry your luggae to the taxi stand.

 

Lots of people carryon and off their luggage. DOing that also allows you to get off the ship earlier then others.

But like Katie said== you cant do it if you have lots of it. elevators are down or slow. escalators getting off the ship might be non existant. so if you can carry off your luggage... then do so.

 

I am now down to one packed suitcase-- under 50 pounds..lol plus one carry on.

[Chupa Cabras]

I thought we have no choice but to check the luggage getting on the ship if it's over 17" X 11" (has to go through the xray machine) but you can carry it off no matter what size. Is this correct?

[Big Al B.]

No, I believe you still have to pass your luggage through the x-ray when you embark so that it must be of a size that fits through the standard airport size machines. Disembarking is another story. There you can take anything that you can manage.

[serene56]

I thought we have no choice but to check the luggage getting on the ship if it's over 17" X 11" (has to go through the xray machine) but you can carry it off no matter what size. Is this correct?

 

gettingon-- the luggage MUST fit through the security machine. If it cant fit through at the airport-- its not gonna make it through at the pier. (then ya gotta get back in line---argghh)

 

getting off-- it can be any size because it wont be going through any machines.

[hajekfam]

Lots of people carryon and off their luggage. DOing that also allows you to get off the ship earlier then others.

That is not true for all cruise lines. On Celebrity even if you carry off your own luggage, you still have to wait until it is time for your color to disembark. Priority is given to handicapped, early flights or ships tours, suites, and certain levels of the captain's club. Carrying off your own has no advantage other than you don't have to collect your luggage from the rows (by disembarkation color) when it is your time to disembark.

We have found Celebrity's disembarkation routine to be quick and painless - except for the fact that they have to drag me from the ship kicking and screaming.

[CarolinaCheesehead]

It also has to do with the port you are at. The call it Self Assist and if you can carry everything without help you can just walk of the ship. You still walk through customs and one time we were stopped and had dogs sniff our luggage. They then took us to a private room for a full search. We hadn't done anything but it made me make sure I never do anything in my life.

 

The self assist worked well 2 times but out of Port Canaveral they called the self assist people at the same time as several other groups and it caused a major backup. Rolling 2 suitcases and a carry on was miserable in that crowd.

 

For boarding, I give the suitcases to the porters and carry on a bag with some clothes and toiletries. We try to get in early and sometimes have an hour or more before being able to go to the room. The lighter the better when exploring the ship. We've also alway got our luggage before going to bed so there's no problem there either.

[mochasmommie]

How many pieces of lugguage are you allowed on the ship? I'm sailing the Grand Princess in a week. Thanks!!

[kitty9]

You can bring as much as you want, but if you're flying to the port, you're limited to two checked bags at no more than 50lbs each. Unless you're in a very large suite, I would recommend not having any more than four large suitcases, because there's no place to put any more than that, since the cabins can be very small.

[mochasmommie]

Thank you Darcie. Not flying, just driving. I still haven't packed yet!