Luggage and embarkation

[Koohiichan]

Sailing Freedom in a week or so. Haven’t sailed Royal in many years, but on a recent Celebrity cruise noticed that many people walked their own luggage on, bypassing the porters. Can we do this on Royal? Our boarding time is 1PM, if this makes a difference. Any pluses or minuses to doing this? (We seriously wished we had done so on Celeb)

 

Thanks,

Koohiichan

Edited March 16 by Koohiichan
Typo

[firefly333]

It's up to you. I carry my luggage on all the time. Once my suitcase was put on the wrong deck and it took me walking the decks for quite a while to find it. I'd rather carry mine on.

[gumshoe958]

As long as it fits through the scanners (which all but the biggest cases should), sure you can carry on your own luggage.

 

The only thing to remember is your cabin won’t be available until at least 1:00 (and sometimes 1:30), so if you’re any earlier than that you’ll have to keep your luggage with you until you can access your cabin, which might be inconvenient. But with a 1:00 check in time, that shouldn’t be an issue.

[alfaeric]

Another one who does it all the time.  It's really nice to be totally unpacked at 2pm, and not have to worry at 6pm if our last piece of luggage will show up or not.

 

We also don't really understand the allure to be the first on the ship- you can do 3 things, eat, drink, and swim.  While all of those can be fun, doing it at 11am vs. 1pm- not sure why it's *that* important.

[BecciBoo]

 It's really nice to be totally unpacked at 2pm

 

We choose to check ours, I hate to schlep bags around, we always get the earliest arrival appt. times so I know our bags are first on the ship, hence almost always waiting for us when we enter the room...and we are always unpacked  by 2.  My BFF says they live out of their opened luggage on the couch and never pack or unpack, but with my OCD I must have a place for everything and everything in its place hidden away.  Our cabin is always neat as a pin.  I'm a bit strange like that....🙄

[pcur]

1 minute ago, BecciBoo said:

 It's really nice to be totally unpacked at 2pm

 

We choose to check ours, I hate to schlep bags around, we always get the earliest arrival appt. times so I know our bags are first on the ship, hence almost always waiting for us when we enter the room...and we are always unpacked  by 2.  My BFF says they live out of their opened luggage on the couch and never pack or unpack, but with my OCD I must have a place for everything and everything in its place hidden away.  Our cabin is always neat as a pin.  I'm a bit strange like that....🙄

I'm joining your "a bit strange like that" club, BecciBoo!

 

I HATE lugging my luggage around with me on embarkation day.  I keep a change of clothes in my tote bag, and keep IT as lightweight as possible, too!  I'm unpacked my 2-3pm, as I don't consider myself starting my cruise unless all my stuff if put away, and also keep the cabin (as a cruise friend once told me) "pristine".  It's my Grandma talking in my head: "Peggy, what if you die and they have to come into your cabin to pack, and it's a MESS????"  (Yes, it's the old-fashioned "always wear clean underwear" statement.)

[Mum2Mercury]

If you're boarding at 1:00 (and are physically capable), it makes perfect sense to roll your own luggage onboard.  Your rooms will almost certainly be open upon boarding -- or very shortly after.  

 

We drive /arrive a day early, so we always claim the earliest boarding time, and we drop our luggage with the porters.  Because our luggage goes in first, it always beats us to the hallway.  

[loman]

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

 It's really nice to be totally unpacked at 2pm

 

We choose to check ours, I hate to schlep bags around, we always get the earliest arrival appt. times so I know our bags are first on the ship, hence almost always waiting for us when we enter the room...and we are always unpacked  by 2.  My BFF says they live out of their opened luggage on the couch and never pack or unpack, but with my OCD I must have a place for everything and everything in its place hidden away.  Our cabin is always neat as a pin.  I'm a bit strange like that....🙄

Yep . our cabin is very neat also . We even go as far as pull up the bed covers so it looks partially made. No clothes lying around , and everything put away .

 

You walk by some open doors and it looks like a crime scene .

Feel sorry for the stewards having to work around that mess.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

2 hours ago, alfaeric said:

We also don't really understand the allure to be the first on the ship- you can do 3 things, eat, drink, and swim.  While all of those can be fun, doing it at 11am vs. 1pm- not sure why it's *that* important.

For those of us who travel the day before, and are in a hotel, what are you doing in the hotel?  I'd rather get on the ship, and start eating, drinking, and exploring.  After all, it's already paid for. 😉

[Koohiichan]

Thanks for your feedback and suggestions. We will definitely bring them in ourselves this time.

[alfaeric]

18 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

For those of us who travel the day before, and are in a hotel, what are you doing in the hotel?  I'd rather get on the ship, and start eating, drinking, and exploring.  After all, it's already paid for. 😉

Touring around and enjoying where we are. Makes for a brief extra vacation. Miami Beach is pretty nice in the morning. 

[ssb]

In general terms - large size suit cases will not fit through screening machines . 

Medium size and smaller ones will . 

 

We check in around 1 and go direct to cabin with bags. 

Edited March 16 by ssb

[PhillyFan33579]

I am on Freedom right now. I got to the port a little before 1 PM yesterday with my luggage in hand and went straight to my cabin when I boarded the ship and unpacked everything. More often than not I am carrying on my own luggage instead of dropping luggage off with porters. I like knowing all my luggage will be in my cabin after I board the ship. I have never understood the mindset that a lot of people have that they want to be on the ship as soon as possible. Getting on the ship a few hours later than the first passengers has never impacted my cruise. 

[BecciBoo]

4 hours ago, pcur said:

"always wear clean underwear"

Or no underwear...LOL

[BecciBoo]

I loath Miami, one of the filthiest cities in Florida.  My first cruise from there, we went all over and liked the Bayfront mall but when I went in to use the facilities I was shocked at the filth, I couldn't bring myself to touch the toity at all and people had just thrown filthy papers and other stuff I won't mention all over it...from that day on, I've purposely avoided cruises out of there.  Yes, I had to go at times since Symphony and most recently now Icon are based out of there, but I still don't like it.  That and no one seemed to speak English there.  South Beach was better, but I still avoid it.

Edited March 16 by BecciBoo

[alfaeric]

2 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

I loath Miami, one of the filthiest cities in Florida.  My first cruise from there, we went all over and liked the Bayfront mall but when I went in to use the facilities I was shocked at the filth, I couldn't bring myself to touch the toity at all and people had just thrown filthy papers and other stuff I won't mention all over it...from that day on, I've purposely avoided cruises out of there.  Yes, I had to go at times since Symphony and most recently now Icon are based out of there, but I still don't like it.  That and no one seemed to speak English there.  South Beach was better, but I still avoid it.

Maybe stay in a better part of town?  South Beach is a whole lot nicer than the beach area in Ft Lauderdale.  

 

But to each their own, we like to wake up, tour around where we are staying, have a late breakfast, check out late, and step on board at 1pm.  Even IF we got there at 11am, and used porters, you are still lugging around your carry ons.  Wandering around the ship with a backpack or two, doesn't sound that appealing.  So we just take everything on at 12:30, walk to our cabin, unpack and done.  Unless our muster station is between the boarding area and the elevators.  And sometimes the restaurant is in the way, too- so a brief stop to check out our table...

 

We also never go to the WJ.  Pretty much the entire cruise.

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

I loath Miami, one of the filthiest cities in Florida.  My first cruise from there, we went all over and liked the Bayfront mall but when I went in to use the facilities I was shocked at the filth, I couldn't bring myself to touch the toity at all and people had just thrown filthy papers and other stuff I won't mention all over it...from that day on, I've purposely avoided cruises out of there.  Yes, I had to go at times since Symphony and most recently now Icon are based out of there, but I still don't like it.  That and no one seemed to speak English there.  South Beach was better, but I still avoid it.

Every city has its bad parts. Miami is beautiful in certain areas, but it definitely isn’t cheap. 

[steveru621]

It's a security issue.  RCI wants to x-ray your bags. I want RCI to x-ray your luggage.

 

Cabin availability is getting closer to 2 pm.

 

In many ports, it's a long hike uphill to get to deck 5.

 

Getting in an elevator with luggage can be a frustrating exercise.

[time4u2go]

18 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

For those of us who travel the day before, and are in a hotel, what are you doing in the hotel?  I'd rather get on the ship, and start eating, drinking, and exploring.  After all, it's already paid for. 😉

Exactly. With hotel checkout times, there really isn't much else to do, so why not get on the ship as soon as possible. 

[not-enough-cruising]

11 hours ago, steveru621 said:

It's a security issue.  RCI wants to x-ray your bags. I want RCI to x-ray your luggage.

 

Cabin availability is getting closer to 2 pm.

 

In many ports, it's a long hike uphill to get to deck 5.

 

Getting in an elevator with luggage can be a frustrating exercise.

+1

It is the uphill trek to get on the ship that keeps me from carrying on bags.

 

Count me among the group that gets to the ship relatively early (hands bags off to porter), and is usually unpacked with empty bags stowed under the bed by 1500 at the latest.

[alfaeric]

Funny how every single thread that a person asks about carry on luggage ends the same.  The only thing missing from this thread are people complaining that they are being held up by people carrying their luggage on or off the ship.  Other than that, everything else has been covered without answering the OP's question whether they can do what they want.

 

-too much effort

-want to be on the ship first

-have to check out of the hotel early

-too big of bags

-don't want to lug your bags around the ship

 

Almost need a sicky since this subject repeats the same trend every time.

[not-enough-cruising]

10 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Funny how every single thread that a person asks about carry on luggage ends the same.  The only thing missing from this thread are people complaining that they are being held up by people carrying their luggage on or off the ship.  Other than that, everything else has been covered without answering the OP's question whether they can do what they want.

 

-too much effort

-want to be on the ship first

-have to check out of the hotel early

-too big of bags

-don't want to lug your bags around the ship

 

Almost need a sicky since this subject repeats the same trend every time.

Same can be said for 85% of the topics covered here, doesn't make it any less enjoyable to discuss the pros and cons, and share ideas with fellow cruisers.

 

The OP's question was answered directly in the first few posts, everything else is gravy

[BecciBoo]

We've stayed at the Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, YVE and on South beach at two different independent hotels right on the beach boardwalk.  They were all nice hotels, but I still hate it. That's just me.  And Port Everglades is my favorite port.  We've walked across the bridge onto the beach from the Renaissance and if I didn't know I wasn't in Miami I would think I was.  Feels the same looks the same.  But it's not the same.  Ft. Lauderdale is really clean.

[BecciBoo]

15 hours ago, alfaeric said:

to each their own

As you say, if we all rushed the ship, there really would be a problem, but we shall follow our original plan and get the first assignment and be sipping mojitos early.