Vancouver US Direct

[Katie H]

Has anyone participated in the US Direct program when flying into Vancouver to board a ship for Alaska? I am wondering how they handle the luggage. The website says it is taken directly to the ship. Do you retrieve and identify it first? I would like to actually eyeball my luggage and know it made it to Vancouver.

[wrp96]

If you participate in US Direct, you do not retrieve your bags in Vancouver. The cruiseline retrieves them and sends them onto the ship for you. That is why if you participate in US Direct you have to put your cruiseline luggage tags on your bags before your flight.

 

If you want to retrieve your bags yourself in YVR, then you cannot participate in US Direct.

[greatam]

Has anyone participated in the US Direct program when flying into Vancouver to board a ship for Alaska? I am wondering how they handle the luggage. The website says it is taken directly to the ship. Do you retrieve and identify it first? I would like to actually eyeball my luggage and know it made it to Vancouver.

 

You don't actually "enter" Canada with US Direct. So no customs. Luggage goes into a "sealed" conveyance direct from the airline baggage handlers, so you can't get to it until it is on the ship. And if luggage delivery is slow, you may not even know if your luggage is onboard until the ship leaves YVR.

 

Also, both your ship and your airline/flights must participate in US Direct. Quite a few posters on the Alaska board were VERY surprised the even though their airline participated, their particular flight DID not (this was ship to airport which could only be confirmed once you were on the ship).

 

Flying in the day of cruise-especially from the East Coast-COULD be a VERY bad idea. One glitch and you may miss the ship. Then it is two or three days before you can board, IF there is space available on the small planes.

[Katie H]

I agree that flying coast to coast on day of is very risky which is why we booked air through the cruiseline this time, so hopefully if there is a glitch they will take care of us until they can get us to the next port. We have a family obligation in Phila the day before the cruise so it was either this or cancel the cruise.

 

That has been my main concern about the US Direct - I want to see my luggage at the airport so if it is not there I can at least talk to the airline about it. But I am getting from the replies that I really don't have a choice - either the airline/cruiseline will put us in the program or not. I am a bit (understatement) of a control freak, so this is troubling to me. But in the end what will be will be.

 

Thanks for the answers.

[FlyerTalker]

I agree that flying coast to coast on day of is very risky which is why we booked air through the cruiseline this time, so hopefully if there is a glitch they will take care of us until they can get us to the next port. We have a family obligation in Phila the day before the cruise so it was either this or cancel the cruise.

 

 

NO....NO....and NO.

 

Buying cruiseline air WILL NOT ensure that they "take care" of you....in fact, it actually puts you at greater risk and exposure.

 

Please read the sticky at the top of this forum - also the many, many threads detailing how cruiseline air is NOT a guarantee against "issues".

 

I am a bit (understatement) of a control freak, so this is troubling to me. But in the end what will be will be.

US Direct luggage is the least of your issues if you like control. Buying the cruiseline air basically abdicated any control you might have.

 

Good luck.

[nho9504]

I agree that flying coast to coast on day of is very risky which is why we booked air through the cruiseline this time, so hopefully if there is a glitch they will take care of us until they can get us to the next port. We have a family obligation in Phila the day before the cruise so it was either this or cancel the cruise.

 

That has been my main concern about the US Direct - I want to see my luggage at the airport so if it is not there I can at least talk to the airline about it. But I am getting from the replies that I really don't have a choice - either the airline/cruiseline will put us in the program or not. I am a bit (understatement) of a control freak, so this is troubling to me. But in the end what will be will be.

 

Thanks for the answers.

 

You have an absolutely WRONG perception in this regard, unfortunately.

 

You may want to go to HAL thread and search for the most recent HORROR story about how cruiseair went wrong and the family ended up catching the ship on the 4th days at Juneau when HAL did almost nothing to help out. It was posted as a trip review about 3 weeks ago - a several pages long thread so not too difficult to find.

 

Also please please read the sticky of this forum then to think TWICE about whether the cruiseline would "take care" of you if there is any glitch.

 

If you are a control freak, you definitely DONT want cruiseair.

[Katie H]

Thanks for the input, but all the warnings are of no help to me for this cruise. It is a done deal. We reserved more than a year out and could not price air since those dates were not yet posted. We reserved cruise air with the idea we would probably cancel that once we could price air on our own. We felt we were protecting ourselves from huge increases in airfares. When we found that the only way we could do this cruise was by flying in day of (due to a family obligation the day before), we decided it was best to keep cruise air. I know that even though customer service tells me how they will take care of us if there is a problem, that certainly does not always come true. But I have read some threads on the Celebrity board from people who have had a good experience with X providing hotel and getting them to the next port. I agree, no guarantee that it would happen for us, but we are willing to take the chance. For now, I think I will avoid reading the horror stories :eek:. This will be cruise #26 and we have had no disasters yet - hope this will not be our first. If it is, we will have to deal with it.

 

I was able to request our flights 4 1/2 months out and we were assigned to them at that time with no additional charge (due to our level in Capt. Club). I checked with the airline at that time and was told that the seats were upgradable using miles provided seats were available once we were ticketed. We were ticketed this week and have upgraded to first class with our miles. So that part of the trip has worked out. When we travel, I will have with me a list of all other flights that can get us there in time in the event of a problem with our flight and airline phone numbers in additon to the number of a citizens airline rights group I recently read about. I realize that also is no guarantee, but I will at least be able to try. I have a pretty good track record of getting things worked out any time I am dealing with a business where things go wrong. We joke that all companies have pictures of me, my sisters and daughter posted and when they hear from us they say, "Just give them what they want - it's easier than listening to their arguing".

 

We would prefer to fly in the day before with our own booked air and whenever possible (anything from the east coast) we drive to ports and then we are really in control.

 

So I thank you for your warnings and hope they will help others who read this and still have options. We will keep our fingers crossed and if things go wrong we will try to look at it as an adventure :D.