QM2 - transporting household items (not luggage)

[Shrubbie]

Hi everyone

This is my first post and it may be a slightly unusual question. We are two Aussies (well OK my DH is Scottish...) returning home to Sydney, Australia after 2.5 years working / living in NYC. We've chosen to cruise home on the QM2 leaving Ft Lauderdale on 13 January 2009. The reasons are obvious: see South America / Pacific etc and enjoy a 6 week holiday; no flying, no airports, no dramas! My job involved a lot of flying in the US and Canada, so to cruise home will be a luxury.

 

Now here is the unusual question which we tried to have answered by both Cunard and White Star Luggage Services(?): we would like to arrange to have our household goods and chattels (and clothes we won't be wearing on the cruise) shipped with us. Ie - kitchen items, pictures, ornaments, books, CD / DVDs etc packed into moving crates (no more than 5?) and taken to the ship and stowed in the hold. Does anyone know if this service is available? We are happy to pay the shipping costs, but it would so convenient to take everything with us and then have it offloaded in Sydney.

 

Are there customs issues with the above or must we still use a commericial shpping agent?

 

Many thanks in advance.:)

[cb at sea]

You are usually allowed 200 lbs per person--if you don't have enough to go over that limit, you could claim your things are "luggage".

As far as using a cruise ship as a shipping agent....I'm doubting that they would do that--most of the ship's space is taken up with the items needed for the cruise itself.

[Keith1010]

I do not believe that is possible to do this in terms of shipping with the cruise line. I think you would have to ship this yourself.

 

Keith

[Shrubbie]

Thank you both CB at Sea and Keith. Interesting to know about the 200lbs limit per passenger. We will probably use the commerical shipping agents as I'm sure we don't want boxes crowding our stateroom. :D

Take care.

[muffin]

We returned to canada by air from 2.5 years in Oz with 16 pieces of luggage which had all our wordly possesions in it....family of 4. With limits now, of course we could not do this. No immigration or customs problems as it was all our personal property....we did not buy anything big during the last 6 months we were there just in case.

 

I am thinking that it may be in your $ interst to upgrade to a suite or something with a bit more room and save the shipping costs of sending crates independently. I am assuming the cost to send them would be very high. People also talk about getting the steward to store extra big empty bags "somewhere" on the ship, so they don't have to harbour them in their staterooms. Perhpas that would be possible too for an extra few bills in thanks.

 

Good luck... and hapy homecoming.

[PennyAgain]

Modern ships have no room set aside for passenger excess baggage. Generally if your steward takes stuff away to store for you, he is living with it to do you a favor.

 

If you can't live with your items as furniture in your room, then you need to arrange separate shipping.

 

I've never seen the 200 pounds limit enforced especially for a very long cruise, but that was when folks were using standard suitcases or even small trunks. (Check out the ones made by Rubbermaid and sold at places like Target.)

 

If you can fake it with your stuff and disguise it all as baggage, you may get away with taking it on board with you. Just tip like crazy when you check it in at the pier. Keep saying 'my sweetie is such a clothes horse'.

 

How to get it all to Florida is another issue.

[sail7seas]

How about half and half? Take the things you value most with you in steamer trunks. Ship things you care less about.

 

This is an interesting question and I hope you will follow through with us and let us know what you learn is permitted and what you decide to do.

 

Good luck.

[Shrubbie]

Hello Pennyagain. Muffin and Sail7seas

Thank you all very much for providing your experiences and information. We will certainly let you know what we end up doing. Getting it to Florida - good question! We've been told by Cunard that they provide a baggage collection service pickup from our home. So that was the plan. And oh, we are catching Amtrak down the coast, which should be nice and visiting NASA and Florida Keys before finally sailing.

Cheers

Therese :)

[PennyAgain]

Therese, I agree with the idea of taking along your most precious things and shipping the rest. 200 pounds per person is a lot of weight. Most important for me would be family photos and important papers.

 

As an aside: there is room under your bed to store suitcases even if you have to lay them open to make them slide under the bed. The closets are also quite large. You won't have to use all your suitcases as furniture.

 

Ask on the Cunard topic and see what happens.

 

Good luck!