New AAdvance Luggage Check Question???

[Cruise-Nut]

Has anyone used this service leaving the ship. We will be on the Freedom. It sounds like a great program. I was wondering if you need to take your luggage to a special place on the ship the last night or if you have special tags and leave it outside your stateroom like normal. Also do you have to reserve this in advance? Nobody seems to know at RCCl or American Airlines so I am asking the professionals here.

 

Can't wait for the Freedom Oct 22, 2006. Ship is already sold out. Not a single cabin available.

[vickiw0318]

We used it two weeks ago when we left the Vision. We had to sign up for the program by two days before the last day of the cruise and pay a $15 per person charge. (All the passengers were given a special flyer about the program a couple of days before.) The night before departure, we were given an envelope with special luggage tags and our boarding passes. We put the tags on and put our luggage out in the hall in the normal manner.

 

It was great!

[Cruise-Nut]

Thank you - That is exactly what I was looking for. That is a great thing not having to go claim your luggage.

[billsgal]

Cruise Nut - I believe that at this time this program is running on a test basis only in a few ports, Vancouver, Ft. Lauderdale, and not Miami. I hope it is in place by October, as we are also sailing Freedom and it would be great to be able to pre-check luggage for home.

 

Had clients who used it in Vancouver last weekend and loved it - except for the fact that one suitcase has yet to arrive! :)

[negc]

I'm not sure if that service is available in Miami as yet. It is a new program and when it was announced a few months ago, I believe RCI and Celebrity were using it in Vancouver (which would explain the previous poster's experience on the Vision), San Juan and Ft. Lauderdale. If it has been expanded to more ships and more ports perhaps someone on here can tell us.

[Cruise-Nut]

I thought I read on a review of someones on the Freedom that it was available. I guess I must be incorrect. I guess it was "Wishful Thinking".

[isujim]

Vicki

 

Thanks for the explanation..........I was wondering how that worked......

 

Anyone know if they are allowing this out of Ft. Lauderdale?? Bill you say you have seen it listed or used it out of Ft. lauderdale?

 

Jim

[premiumrican]

In May, in Miami, American Airlines had a counter at the pier where you can check in your bags and get your boarding card. It was great. The only thing is they are charging 5 dollars per person. Last Oct. we did the same exact thing at no charge.

[vickiw0318]

We actually used this in Seattle. In addition to not having the hassle of picking up luggage inside the cruise ship terminal, we had another bonus when we got to the Seattle airport. Evidently, there is just one area there where the buses from the terminal are unloaded. You then have to get the smartcarts and transport your baggage up to the U shaped terminal area. You may get lucky and be flying on one of the first airlines you come to, but then again, you could be flying on the last airline. It was quite a hike and we were so glad that we had only our carryons to contend with.

[WhiteSoxFan]

In May, in Miami, American Airlines had a counter at the pier where you can check in your bags and get your boarding card. It was great. The only thing is they are charging 5 dollars per person. Last Oct. we did the same exact thing at no charge.

 

We used this service in March. Well worth the $5/pp. I would pay more to fly AA just because they have this service available.

[cruzingduo]

we have used this service and were pleased. We were on the innagural cruise on June 4th on the Freedom of the Seas and this service was not offered.

[billsgal]

There is a difference in the two programs. The RCI gives you special tags, you leave the luggage outside the room on the last night of the cruise, and you don't see it again until you arrive at your home destination. (That's unless they lose a suitcase). With the AA check in at the Miami pier, you collect your luggage, go thru customs with it, then you can check it at the Miami pier for the airport. The RCI one is a little less hassle(but a few more bucks!)

[isujim]

Can anyone confirm that Ft. Lauderdale has this service? The one you leave out in the hall the night before?

 

Thanks

[Elizanessie]

I checked the AA site again to see if any more news on the new AA baggage check in, here are some of the words from it.

 

"For as little as $10 per person, homebound cruise passengers can drop off their luggage and check in for American Airlines flights at the AAdvance Bag Check station on board the ship. After the ship docks, bags are transported directly to the departure airport. Passengers can relax on the last day of their voyage without having to deal with their luggage until they land at their final destination."

 

www.aa.com

 

More details are available on their site.:D

 

Though I cant see if it is only for domestic flights ;)

 

Liz

WYWH Cruiser

[skandls]

We disembarked Sat June 17, 2006 in Miami. We used the AAdvance check in. We still had to collect our luggage from the customs area - after which we dropped it off in a special collection area.

[Oceanbluecruisers]

Yes, as of May the service was available at the Miami pier for flights leaving MIA after 1130.

 

But...RCI charged you $10 per person on board and you could do the same thing at the pier for $5 per person. Even if you paid RCI on board you STILL had to collect your luggage from customs and transport it to the AA desk where you could pay them $5 per person for the same service. Only difference is that if you did it on board you got your boarding pass on the ship versus at the AA desk in the pier which you had to stop at anyway.

 

Don't give RCI your money - give it directly to AA and save a few bucks!

[elleluv]

There are 2 different programs you're talking about... one is through AA and we haven't used it....

 

The other progam we just used in Vancouver a few weeks ago and is called both "onboard valet" and "onboard airline check-in" by RCL. That's the progam that's $15 p/p and it was so totally worth it for us. We had an 11am flight and it really made our tight time line very easy.

 

You need to sign up with RCL couple of days before the cruise ends and provide them with your flight information. The last day of the cruise you are given white tags that contain your flight information coded on them. You put the tags on your luggage and set it outside your door the last night of the cruise, as usual. The next time we saw our luggage was at the airport when we got home. We met at 7am in the theater and were provided our boarding passes at about 7:40. We were allowed to disembark as soon as we got our boarding passes. We were off the ship by 7:45. In a cab a couple of minutes later and to the Vancouver Airport by 8:20. We didn't have any luggage to drag around and since we beat almost everyone to the airport that came in on the 3 ships that arrived at the port that morning, there were no lines at customs or security. We didn't have to check in at the airport, since RCL gave us our boarding passes.

[njoyndride]

Different Port....Different Process

 

For San Juan....A couple of days prior to end of cruise you fill out paperwork, on the last evening you received airline luggage tags, disembarkation color tags and your boarding passes. Once off the ship you collect your luggage, take it through customs and hand it off to the AA podium (just on the other side of customs), head to the airport and right through security to your gate. All for $10pp although it was DH and I and they only charged $10 total. Had 11:15am flight, was at the gate @ 9am.

[caribbeanfever]

Has anyone who have been on the Freedom, Maiden Voyage or since then, been able to use aa check- in system in Miami?