Baggage Delivery Services

[Tex805]

This week's Business Week (U.S. version) had an interesting article about baggage forwarding services.

The following were mentioned:
Luggage Concierge (www.luggageconcierge.com (http://www.luggageconcierge.com/))
Luggage Forward (www.luggageforward.com (http://www.luggageforward.com/))
Luggage Free (www.luggagefree.com (http://www.luggagefree.com/))
SkyCap International (www.skycapinternational.com (http://www.skycapinternational.com/))
Sports Express (www.sportsexpress.com (http://www.sportsexpress.com/))
The Luggage Club (www.theluggageclub.com (http://www.theluggageclub.com/))
Virtual Bellhop (www.virtualbellhop.com (http://www.virtualbellhop.com/))

Has anyone had experience with any of these, particularly internationally?

Any comments on relative costs?

Thanks!

[Martita B.]

Seabourn has their shipping service, (Seabourn Valet) which I have used and will be using again this week. DHL will pick up my luggage and when I board the Pride it will be in my Suite. I usually ship it home from the ship....it's a wonderful way to fly these days~luggage free, especially going through customs.
To inquire call the Seabourn Office: 1 800 929-9391 and ask for the Valet Service.
Happy Sailing
Martita

[Tex805]

It's my understanding that the Seabourn service is significantly more expensive than competitors. Is this a mis-perception?

[Martita B.]

As I haven't used the other shipping services I can not answer your question, but you may want to use the "search the forum" and type in Valet. The "shipping luggage"subject has been discussed many times on our board.
I prefer to use Seabourn's service as then they are responsible for my luggage. The purpose of the service is my not having to worry with or about my bags. As I mentioned, it's especially convenient
now, when flying is getting to be real work!
Happy Sailing,
MB

[JaneBP]

I agree, Martha, if I am going overseas, I will use the Seabourn service. I might try DHL in the states, but only if I am going to be in a hotel pre-cruise and not flying in the day of sailing.

Jane

[Martita B.]

Jane,
I have a friend that just used UPS for a piece of luggage. He sent the bag from Santa Fe to Terre Haute and the cost was $48. But,
he was not boarding a ship! Just visiting a friend.
It seems the Airlines are losing more luggage now than ever before. It's comforting to me to be reasonably assured that I will have my luggage/clothes at sea.....
Last April a couple boarded in Lisbon (after our Crossing) and NO luggage.....the airlines had lost all of their bags. Would you believe the bags never made it on board? And we had about 7 or so ports along the way.....the nice fellow came to my suite and I gave him all of J.B.'s PINK clothes he had left for the crew. They both had a much better attitude about NO clothing, than I would have had.
I will continue to use Seabourn Valet services.
Happy Sunday!
MB

[Tex805]

I contacted several of those listed. For illustration, I requested pricing on a 50-pound suitcase, one way from Costa Rica to California. These are estimates only, with the usual caveats.

Luggage Free: $415 + fuel surcharge of about 12%.

The Luggage Club: $214.01 not incl. taxes and duties.

Virtual Bellhop: $285.

Seabourn's Personal Valet: Left two voicemail messages over three days, no answer yet.

Conclusion: there's a big difference. It pays to shop around.

[Tex805]

Finally heard from them. It was $400 on a comparable basis. Still one of the most expensive.

Has anyone used one of the others?

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for the research Tex805!

I thought I read somewhere that shipping to and from the Caribbean in an issue. Guess I will wait until I receive my Seabourn docs to see what is what.

[PeaSea8ch]

Thanks for the research Tex805!

I thought I read somewhere that shipping to and from the Caribbean in an issue. Guess I will wait until I receive my Seabourn docs to see what is what.
Ditto, Tex805!

DisneyJen,
Unless things have changed, your preliminary or final documents will not have a "price list" for the Seabourn luggage service. You will have to call the number in the Seabourn brochure and get a customized quote for your particular situation from Seabourn. When I called this last February, I told the agent which cruise I had booked, I wanted RT service and she immediately quoted me prices per bag for, I think, four or five increasing bag weights.

[DisneyJen]

I meant I would wait until I see the docs and then call ...

Appreciate the explanation Paul:)

[SantaAna,CA]

Blackbird gave me the web site of these guys, cruiseshippers.com; believe it or not, they are half the price of these other ridiculously expensive baggage shipping services. I had all but given up shipping a bag to the Caribbean, but if I find out this is for real, I may use them.

I called Seabourn's valet service earlier this year; oddly enough, they don't ship bags to the Caribbean.

Jane :rolleyes:

[PeaSea8ch]

Blackbird gave me the web site of these guys, cruiseshippers.com; believe it or not, they are half the price of these other ridiculously expensive baggage shipping services. I had all but given up shipping a bag to the Caribbean, but if I find out this is for real, I may use them.I called Seabourn's valet service earlier this year; oddly enough, they don't ship bags to the Caribbean. Jane,
Hmmmm. Seabourn has both the Pride and Legend in the Caribbean for the winter months. We all know Seabourn earns revenue from the Seabourn Valet service; yet they do not ship bags to the Caribbean. What does that tell you?

Methinks one should cast a suspicious eye and look long and hard and investigate (call the Better Buisness Bureau in the state where the company is located, for example) any service that claims door-to-door service to / from the Caribbean. Just some food for thought.

[Tex805]

Thanks for the tip! Looking at their web site, they use FedEx, which has a great tracking service. I've asked Cruiseshippers (based in Ft. Lauderdale) for a comparable quote, and will post it when I get a response. Interesting - they say not to ship alcohol-based perfumes, as they are a hazard.

[SantaAna,CA]

I'm looking into cruiseshippers as well, and was happy to see they use Fed Ex, which is tops in my book. I'm still boggled by the reasonable prices. Let me know what you find out Tex. Paul, good idea about the BBB. I did check them out, there were no reports at all on them.

Jane ;)

[Tex805]

They came in at $300 estimate (50 pound roller suitcase, Costa Rica hotel to California, slowest service).

Still haven't heard from anyone who has actually USED one of these shippers!

[JDRMYS]

For our North Cape cruise in June on the Pride, we used Seabourn's valet service. It was expensive, but the service was excellent and reliable. Since we were shipping our formal wear and our winter clothes (for those cold days in northern Norway) the value of what we were shipping was several thousand dollars. We would rather rely on Seabourn to get our luggage to us safely than take our chances on a lower priced, and unknown (to us) shipping company.

It was very nice to have our luggage delivered to our suite on board without having had to lug it across the Atlantic and through our pre-cruise week spent in Paris and London.

[bldsld]

I just spoke with Seabourn (Anita) about the valet service, and the pricing is really well within range of the independent shippers:

DOMESTIC:
$250.00 for 1st 100 pounds
1.50 ea additional pound

INTERNATIONAL:
$240--FIRST 30 POUNDS
$360 UP TO 50 POUNDS
$390 UP TO 60 POUNDS
$440 UP TO 70 POUNDS (HUGE!)

If we ship in advance, we have decided to use Seabourn Valet because their pricing is reasonable, and they are responsible for the safe arrival to our suite.

Denyse

[DisneyJen]

Thanks for the info Denyse.

I wonder if they are shipping to the Caribbean or not:confused:

[PeaSea8ch]

I just spoke with Seabourn (Anita) about the valet service, and the pricing is really well within range of the independent shippers:

DOMESTIC:
$250.00 for 1st 100 pounds
1.50 ea additional pound

INTERNATIONAL:
$240--FIRST 30 POUNDS
$360 UP TO 50 POUNDS
$390 UP TO 60 POUNDS
$440 UP TO 70 POUNDS (HUGE!)

If we ship in advance, we have decided to use Seabourn Valet because their pricing is reasonable, and they are responsible for the safe arrival to our suite.
Denyse,
These rates are much better than what Seabourn quoted me last February when I requested the round trip rates for the Nov. Legend crossing from LAX to AGP (Malaga, Spain) and FLL to LAX. Maybe Seabourn IS reading this thread! ;) The per bag costs were so high that I threw away my notes and ditched the idea.

Many thanks Denyse for posting this information! I may just call Seabourn again and get another quote. If I ship in advance, I will definitely consider Seabourn's Personal Valet Service. As you say, Seabourn is responsible to get our luggage to our suite or face the consequences of improperly dressed passengers. :D

[bldsld]

Paul, these rates were quoted from SFO-AGP, for the same cruise that you are on, and for the return from FLL. It was surprisingly reasonable, and I know that there has recently been an increase in usage of the valet service by Seabourn pax.

See you in Malaga!

Denyse

[GreatTimes]

I just spoke with Seabourn (Anita) about the valet service, and the pricing is really well within range of the independent shippers:

DOMESTIC:
$250.00 for 1st 100 pounds
1.50 ea additional pound

INTERNATIONAL:
$240--FIRST 30 POUNDS
$360 UP TO 50 POUNDS
$390 UP TO 60 POUNDS
$440 UP TO 70 POUNDS (HUGE!)

If we ship in advance, we have decided to use Seabourn Valet because their pricing is reasonable, and they are responsible for the safe arrival to our suite.

Denyse

Just a small comment that its costs considerably more to ship your bags home FROM the Triplets than it does to ship your bags TO the Triplets. We paid $360 to ship our bag over to Europe and $450 to ship it back home from Europe at the end of our cruise. This was for our 25 inch suitcase which came in at just under 50 lbs (it was stuffed!).

At least it did when I used the Valet service in June. You might want to ask Anita if this has changed since June.

[PeaSea8ch]

Denyse,
Well, thanks to you and your timely post, it is a done deal and I am using the Seabourn valet luggage service to get my bags to the Legend in Malaga on Nov. 5! I talked to Anita today and scheduled my luggage pickup for Monday, Ocotber 23, the last day to have DHL collect my bags to ensure timely arrival. I may also ship my luggage home from the ship in FLL, which can be arranged onboard.

I hope you guys decide to treat yourselves and ship your luggage! As I do NOT want to read a post from you stating that you had a repeat performance of what happened last March. That would be TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!!

Bgood,
I think we had this discussion in another thread, but with the reduced costs for this service and having Seabourn's assurances that everything is properly handled , swung me over. Hopefully, the increased number of passengers availing themselves of this wonderful service, has resulted in lower costs due to increased volume of business with DHL.

[JaneBP]

The one thing about shipping luggage in FLL is that you must first claim your bags off the ship and then, after customs, they are left outside the terminal in an assigned spot to be picked up by DHL. This is just their port routine. Still worth the effort!

Jane

[Martita B.]

I just used Seabourn Valet Service from West Texas to Dublin, Ireland (Ryder Cup) then Gloucester, Mass back to West Texas. Worked perfectly!! In Gloucester I called the Purser Desk......they
sent a Bell Captain to come close my two large pieces of luggage, tag them and then he took them from my suite at 7:30 am, the morning of disembarking. (placing luggage outside your suite the night before is long gone.....) My luggage was delivered 5 days later!!
As to using our Valet Service to the Caribbean (Barbados) in Dec., YES, I indeed plan on having Anita Mann arrange this.......worth every penny~~~~it's sooooo nice to disembark the ship with a carry-on and fly home without luggage!! Makes the Seabourn voyage even more special~~~~THANK YOU Seabourn!
Happy/Safe weekend,
Martita B.

[LaPaloma]

We are getting our act together for the Mexican Riviera next January--we may use the valet service--I called the number in the Cruise Information book 1-888-491-0771, and gal answered didn't have much good info--I E mailed at Luggage@ Seabourn.com for info Thursday and still no answer. Who is the Anita Mann you mentioned? Thanks, Don I just used Seabourn Valet Service from West Texas to Dublin, Ireland (Ryder Cup) then Gloucester, Mass back to West Texas. Worked perfectly!! In Gloucester I called the Purser Desk......they
sent a Bell Captain to come close my two large pieces of luggage, tag them and then he took them from my suite at 7:30 am, the morning of disembarking. (placing luggage outside your suite the night before is long gone.....) My luggage was delivered 5 days later!!
As to using our Valet Service to the Caribbean (Barbados) in Dec., YES, I indeed plan on having Anita Mann arrange this.......worth every penny~~~~it's sooooo nice to disembark the ship with a carry-on and fly home without luggage!! Makes the Seabourn voyage even more special~~~~THANK YOU Seabourn!
Happy/Safe weekend,
Martita B.

[Martita B.]

Don,
Anita Mann manages Seabourn's Valet Service. She is in her office on Mon., Tues. and Thursday. This is her direct # 305 463-3161
She is very efficient and extremely pleasant.
I have used the Seabourn service several times and will again use the Valet pick-up on Dec. 5th!!! I laughed and said, "yes, it's kinda expensive, but considering expenses of back surgery OR having to
get a'round in a wheel chair for life......it's worth every penny!:p
You will be very pleased~~~~as Airport/flying is a breeze!
Martita

[JDRMYS]

Anita Mann arranged for our luggage to be shipped to the Pride in London in June. She is extremely efficient & polite. She is a pleasure to deal with and provides wonderful service.

[LaPaloma]

MARETITA--THANKS--I THINK I AM GOING TO TRY IT--ITS ONLY TUCSON TO CALDERA THRU DALLAS, BUT THE REPORTED NUMBER OF LOST AIRLINE BAGS WORRY ME--WOULD HATE TO LOSE MY DRESS UP DUDS!Don,
Anita Mann manages Seabourn's Valet Service. She is in her office on Mon., Tues. and Thursday. This is her direct # 305 463-3161
She is very efficient and extremely pleasant.
I have used the Seabourn service several times and will again use the Valet pick-up on Dec. 5th!!! I laughed and said, "yes, it's kinda expensive, but considering expenses of back surgery OR having to
get a'round in a wheel chair for life......it's worth every penny!:p
You will be very pleased~~~~as Airport/flying is a breeze!
Martita

[Martita B.]

You will certainly enjoy working with Anita~~~she is a real gem and a huge asset to Blue Lagoon Dr.
I now simply tack on the Valet Service expense to my ship passage~~~ once I used the service I decided I wouldn't/couldn't go back to "luggin' and draggin' my baggage to, from and thru' the airports.
And you're "right on" as to lost luggage these days~~~it's such a comfort to know when you arrive in your Suite the luggage will be on your bed and ready to unpack!
Happy Sails!
MB

[LaPaloma]

Martita--Anita is really good--she was a great help--thanks, Don

[Martita B.]

Don,
You may want to go ahead and have your Passport copies ready to place in the clear luggage sleeves. I keep copies handy then when Anita mails the clear "jackets" to me, Voila.....I just slip them in, sign the document and I'm set and ready to attach them to the luggage.
This fabulous service is truly a "God's send!"
A funny story.....when I arrived at the hotel in Boston, after our bus ride from Gloucester, (we were going to be transferred to the Airport later) everybody was worrying and "weighted down" with all their luggage......I had only my 'lit roll-on piece of baggage. A fellow shipmate came up to me and said, "how did you EVER manage to be on Seabourn for 21 days with THAT little bag??" I said, "Oh,
I just pack very light!" Then another Gal chimed in and said, "Ohhhh
no you didn't.....you had on something different every night, because I saw you!!" Then we laughed and I told them I had used Seabourn's Valet Service~~~boy, were they ever interested in hearing more! These ladies will, no doubt be calling Anita!
You will enjoy going thru' the Airports, now~~~~
Martita

[CruisinMatt]

I decided to use Seabourn's luggage service for my March 31 cruise. Anita could not be more helpful! :)

I'm looking forward to not shlepping my cases all over! :D

[SantaAna,CA]

Last time I checked, for some reason Seabourn doesn't offer their valet service to the Caribbean. I can't figure why not. Anyway, if anyone is interested, I used a luggage delivery service called Luggage Free for my diving equipment bag, and I was very happy with them. All except the price of course, it was astronomical, almost $400 each way. The only thing is, you can't lock your bags; even though I had a TSA lock on it, they had to cut it off in Barbados for customs. It sure got home fast; only took two days!

Jane

[CruisinMatt]

I have not yet received my "packet" regarding the Valet service for my next cruise. Does DHL provide a tracking number so I can track it? It was on my list to ask Anita, but I forgot. :rolleyes:

Jane, when I tried to use the service to St Thomas, I think I was told they don't deliver on weekends. I'm not sure if that was smoke-blowing or the truth, but I am glad you found an alternative, albeit expensive.

[Martita B.]

Matt,
I believe you will receive your shipping packet perhaps a week (or so) before DHL picks it up.The only thing you need to have is a copy
of your passport (front page) You just slip it in before signing the shipping document. Then Mr. DHL driver will be on his way~~~~
Seabourn Valvet service is truly a "God send!" And Miss Anita is a most efficient manager. I will always use the service. Worth every penny.

Happy and safe Sailing
MB

[PeaSea8ch]

Matt,
In addition to what Pinkie said, your local DHL office should call about 2 weeks before your scheduled luggage pickup date and reconfirm the appointment. In your Seabourn Valet packet you will find detailed instructions and, for each piece of luggage shipped, a plastic document holder, completed DHL air-waybill, proforma invoice (stating the shipment only contains clothing and personal effects for cruise) and 2 plastic cable ties, one to attach the document holder to your bag and the other to secure the zippers. You sign the air-waybill and proforma invoice and you are good to go!

Since I will be on the cruise before your sailing, I will post here when I receive my "packet" so you can gage the time frame. I think you will be very pleased with the service as I will be using it from now on.

[CruisinMatt]

Thanks Pinkie and Peach!

So should I assume that the tracking number will be in the DHL paperwork the DHL man leaves with me? :confused:

[PeaSea8ch]

Matt,
Yes, Mr. DHL will leave with you a copy of all air-waybills. When you visit DHL's website to track your shipments (a separate tracking number and $2,000 insurance coverage is assigned to each piece of luggage shipped), click the "Email Confirmation" (or something similar) button for each air-waybill number and DHL will automatically send you an email when your luggage is delivered, most likely to, the port agent. Additional peace of mind that you can unpack the instant you arrive at your suite. :D

[CruisinMatt]

Perfect - thanks! :D

[Two4Sea]

Matt, the tracking number is the preprinted waybill number that is on the partially filled out send & return bills in the packet. Just a detail however, the waybill number is different for the return and DHL didn’t sign it and pickup our bags from the agent dockside until long after we left the pier. But this was okay because I had gotten a Xerox of the bill at the purser’s office after I filled it out the day before. In fact I brought another copy of my passport page and a copy of the outbound bill and declaration page from home to save figuring out the bits of info they need again (weight, dimensions, 6-8 line customs contents description and insurance value for each group of items).

Bill

[CruisinMatt]

Thanks Two4Sea, I was wondering how it worked on the return!

[LaPaloma]

We used the valet to Caldera for the Mexican Riviera Cruise--worked fine, the one small problem--the ship(the Legend) had our bags when we arrived, but no one "upstairs" knew it--we got our bags delivered to our suite as the ship was departing. Some how they had been received, and put in a storage area, This happened to all the bags delivered on the valet service. We were a sick bunch till someone found our stuff! A problem that is easy to fix--I will use them again!

[JaneBP]

One thing I learned is that when one is using the DHL service in the States, the form doesn't need a copy of one's passport. (Of course it's always helpful to have a few on hand when traveling. Also, I sent one large suitcase to LA and will send home 2 from FLL. I don't need any of my warm-weather clothes in Philly in February. I have two slips and it will work just fine. In FLL one has to claim luggage and take it through customs and then it's left outside for Seabourn to handle it.

I am in love with this service, worth every penny.

Jane (Currently in Cabo San Lucas!

[CruisinMatt]

The excitement level is building.......my valet service information packet with waybill was waiting at my door today! :D

[PeaSea8ch]

The excitement level is building.......my valet service information packet with waybill was waiting at my door today! :D
Matt,
ALRIGHT! Now you know what you are getting in to. ;) I have not received my packet yet for the march Pride crossing but am not too worried. If I do not have my packet by two weeks before sailing (1 week lead time required for domestic shipments), I will email / call Anita to get this sorted out. After all, the whole point of the excercise is to have your bags waiting on your bed in your suite for immediate unpacking. :D

[CruisinMatt]

After all, the whole point of the excercise is to have your bags waiting on your bed in your suite for immediate unpacking. :D


Can you imagine if you found everything unpacked??? :D

[PeaSea8ch]

The excitement level is building.......my valet service information packet with waybill was waiting at my door today! :DMy luggage valet packet was waiting for me on Friday (DHL needed a day to fly it to the west coast)! :)

Can you imagine if you found everything unpacked??? :D
Actually you can by spending mucho $$$ and booking a Queens Grill Suite on the QM2. I enjoyed my Hawaii cruise on QM2 (Britannia Restaurant cabin) last February and will sail on her again. However, I prefer to do my own unpacking and packing, be pampered in other areas of the cruise experience while sailing on Seabourn! :D

[CruisinMatt]

My luggage valet packet was waiting for me on Friday (DHL needed a day to fly it to the west coast)! :)



Great! :D

Now all I need are final docs and I'll be good to go! :rolleyes: :) :cool:

[SantaAna,CA]

I just found out that Seabourn's luggage service is for clothes, etc., only...which of course makes sense since I'm probably the only person on a Seabourn ship trying to send ahead of herself a large bag of scuba equipment! Anyway, I can't use them. Just in case anyone ever comes up with the same situation. But Anita was very nice, thank you for the number.

Jane :rolleyes:

[Iamboatman]

I just found out that Seabourn's luggage service is for clothes, etc., only...which of course makes sense since I'm probably the only person on a Seabourn ship trying to send ahead of herself a large bag of scuba equipment! Anyway, I can't use them. Just in case anyone ever comes up with the same situation. But Anita was very nice, thank you for the number.

Jane :rolleyes:

The biggest problem you have is that your items may include compressed air or compressed air fittings. (You may recall supposedly empty small compressed air tanks caused a fire on a jet some years ago.)

What I might suggest is that if you are staying at a hotel pre-cruise make arrangements directly with DHL to ship them to the hotel. FedEx will do it, but it may be more pricey. (In my other business I ship all sorts of weird stuff to yachts all over the world, so I know you can do it.) There are a couple of easy forms to fill out and you should be fine.

[SantaAna,CA]

I don't have tanks or weights. It worked fine last year with Luggage Free, both ways. I'm sure it will get straightened out; I have seven months to come up with something!

Jane

[blackbird71]

I just found out that Seabourn's luggage service is for clothes, etc., only...which of course makes sense since I'm probably the only person on a Seabourn ship trying to send ahead of herself a large bag of scuba equipment! Anyway,

Jane

I guess I am lost. I thought they charged by WEIGHT http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/images/shrug.gif I could understand no tanks but the rest of the gear :confused: LOL I have my rolling duffel down to 44lbs. And I carry a monopod for my camera and a walking stick, plus lots of electronic and camera things. :eek:

Something to laff about for you Jane, from a poster on another forum named SoCalDem :)

http://socaldem.smugmug.com/photos/134920585-O.jpg

She has a great number of Shark ones too

[Iamboatman]

Jane,

Luggage Free is pretty much what I told you can do by yourself, though they may have a relationship with port agents which can get it to, but not on, the ship. (I am not sure.)

I hope you work it out, but why worry about Seabourn's service if Luggage Free will do it for you?:confused:

[SantaAna,CA]

I'm not "worried" about anything. Eric. Just discussing *wink*.

BB....I don't know. The Seabourn representative told me it had to do with customs. I guess there is a difference between having to declare a tuxedo and having to declare a wetsuit and flippers. Go figure.

P.S. Loved the bunnies.....

Jane

[Martita B.]

Again I used Seabourn Valet Service for the March Pride Crossing~~Anita and this luggage service is worth every cent!
In Lisbon, on March 31st, 2 pieces of luggage were sent back to West Texas. J.B. and I disembarked the ship with only "roll-on's"
and headed to our hotel for a few days. Flying home from Portgual was a snap~~no checked luggage! I arrived home on Tues. afternoon,
both pieces of luggage arrived Wed. at noon~~~the bags almost beat me home! WOW What service!
Kudos to you Anita Mann again~~~~and thank you!:p
Martita B.

[CruisinMatt]

Martita - that seems much quicker than last year!

My bags are being picked up next Wednesday! :D

[PeaSea8ch]

I too am a big fan of this service. Late yesterday (Wednesday) morning I went to DHL's website to check on the status of my luggage shipment. I was amazed to see that DHL had already been at my house at 9:15 am attempting to deliver my luggage! I wasn't expecting it until the end of this week at the earliest! I called my local DHL office and told them to hold my luggage there and I will pick it up on the way home from work tonight. Needless to say, I will be contacting Miss Anita in October to book the reverse luggage itinerary for the Legend Nov. crossing!

For those of you who may be interested in this service, the domestic US shipments are sent next day air and international shipments are sent international express. In the US, for domestic shipments to the ship luggage pickup is 1 week minimum before sailing date and international shipments to the ship are picked up 2 weeks minimum before sailing. This ensures ample lead time to get your luggage to your suite for pre-sail-away unpacking. :) Miss Anita even coordinates and arranges the DHL pickup date and time with you as well.

[SantaAna,CA]

You know....it just occurred to me. We've been talking about shipping stuff to the Caribbean and I was commenting on not being able to ship my dive bag via Seabourn's valet. Why don't I ship my large clothes suitcase and take my dive bag on the plane with me? I can make sure the clothes I'm shipping won't include anything I'll need the few days I'm staying pre-cruise in Barbados. Duh.

Also, another question. My plane doesn't leave until 2:30 in the afternoon the day I leave the Pride. I couldn't get a day room at the Hilton like I did last year. (That is another problem; I planned to have the luggage service pick up my bag there). I think a couple of you have stayed a little longer on the ship if you had a plane departing later in the afternoon, is that so? Any particulars would be appreciated. Thank you! Sorry I'm so dense.

Jane :rolleyes:

[PeaSea8ch]

Jane,
The only stupid question is the question that is not asked. When I have asked nicely to stay onboard "2 or 3 hours" becuase of a late flight, I was politely told no. I think they really want us off the ship to make the necessary preparations for the next cruise.

I booked my air through Seabourn for my first cruise on the Legend. Since I had booked my air through Seabourn and my flight did not depart until 4:00 pm, Seabourn transferred all air - sea passengers with afternoon flights to a hospitality suite at a local hotel, provided a buffet lunch and then transferred to the airport according to departure time for our flight home.

If you are doing your own air, I suggest you or your TA call Seabourn and ask if you can purchase the transfer with hospitality in advance or onboard. If you can, you can arrange to have your shipper pick up your luggage at that hotel (bring your cell phone to call your shipper in case a hotel substitution is made at the last minute).

[CruisinMatt]

Since this thread has been "woken up" - I'll post my experiences so far with this service.

DHL picked up the bags on 4/11 - and they arrived in Athens three days later! As of today, the tracking shows that they arrived at the DHL facility, but they have not been actually delivered. :rolleyes: I'm sure it's customs or some other sort of hold-up. Plus, the cruise is not until next Tuesday the 24th - so all is good! :D

Congrats Jane on figuring it out!

[LaPaloma]

You know....it just occurred to me. We've been talking about shipping stuff to the Caribbean and I was commenting on not being able to ship my dive bag via Seabourn's valet. Why don't I ship my large clothes suitcase and take my dive bag on the plane with me? I can make sure the clothes I'm shipping won't include anything I'll need the few days I'm staying pre-cruise in Barbados. Duh.

Also, another question. My plane doesn't leave until 2:30 in the afternoon the day I leave the Pride. I couldn't get a day room at the Hilton like I did last year. (That is another problem; I planned to have the luggage service pick up my bag there). I think a couple of you have stayed a little longer on the ship if you had a plane departing later in the afternoon, is that so? Any particulars would be appreciated. Thank you! Sorry I'm so dense.

Jane :rolleyes:

Hi Jane --we had the late flight problem on our last arrival at St Thomas--we have spent many days there, and enjoy the shopping. and lunch places. What to do with our bags??We checked around the ship and found about 6 other couples on our flight--some wanted to tour-- some wanted to shop--we had Seabourn arrange for a van--with plenty of luggage space-- to give the tour people a look around, and they came back to town in time to pick the shoppers up for the trip to the airport--it worked like a charm, and was quite inexpensive. We are planning to do the same thing next year when we arrive in St Thomas! Have you ever dived in the Cayman Islands--you know we had a home there for 20 years--close to Sting Ray City! Don

[SantaAna,CA]

Thank you Don, that's a great idea about touring around the island. I'll think about that, as well.

I haven't been to the Caymans. I know there is a lot of good diving there. And you lived in those parts for about 20 years! I didn't know that! Hope to see you and Lola again soon on Seabourn.

Thanks so much for your input.

Jane :)

[CruisinMatt]

Hello - I just wanted to come full circle and share with everyone that my use of the Valet Servce was perfect! The luggage was waiting in our suite in on the Pride in Athens!

I will certainly be using this service again! We had a few "snags" with our european airport connections and if we would have had checked bags, I'm almost certain they probably would have been late or lost!

[TootyJane]

Considering the fact that our luggage was lost on our recent trip (Lisbon to London, Pride, 5/12 - 5/26) Mom and I are considering using the valet services for our upcoming cruise (Monte Carlo to Monte Carlo in September). We did get our luggage in Bordeaux on day 5 of the cruise but not having our formal wear was soooo disappointing. From reading the posts I know that your luggage is picked up somewhere from 2-3 weeks before your cruise. My question is, how long does it take your luggage to get home? TIA

Lisa :)

[CruisinMatt]

Lisa, it took my luggage one week to get home from Monte Carlo in May. :)

[JaneBP]

>" My question is, how long does it take your luggage to get home?"

I am addicted to this service! My luggage is picked up 2 weeks before boarding. I can't speak for the overseas returns, because I have disembarked in the states. In the states, it arrived before I did.

I understand from Anita Mann that in SA it's more problematic shipping luggage back home. I will disembark in Rio and apparently my luggage will be kept onboard and sent home from FLL. Since it will be winter in Philly, that won't be a problem.

You will need a photocopy of your first passport page to add to the documents, so you can be ready for that.

[SantaAna,CA]

On last December's trip to Barbados, I used these guys round trip for my dive bag. Since the Thanksgiving holiday was happening a week or so before my cruise, I think they picked it up about 10 days early. It was waiting for me at Peach & Quiet, the little hotel I stayed at a few days before getting on the Pride.

I dropped off the bag at the Hilton, where I had a day room before leaving on my afternoon flight back to California, after the cruise. I got home on Saturday, my dive bag got home on Wednesday!

I thought Luggage Free was awesome. The downside: each leg of my dive bag's journey cost $400. I could buy new equipment for that.

Jane

[PittsburghJack]

On last December's trip to Barbados, I used these guys round trip for my dive bag. Since the Thanksgiving holiday was happening a week or so before my cruise, I think they picked it up about 10 days early. It was waiting for me at Peach & Quiet, the little hotel I stayed at a few days before getting on the Pride.

I dropped off the bag at the Hilton, where I had a day room before leaving on my afternoon flight back to California, after the cruise. I got home on Saturday, my dive bag got home on Wednesday!

I thought Luggage Free was awesome. The downside: each leg of my dive bag's journey cost $400. I could buy new equipment for that.

Jane

Jane,
I explored luggage free option companies and found them remarkably costly. I finally contacted FedEx about moving our bags to Lisbon for our departure.
FedEx was much more reasonable, but refused to ship luggage into Portugal due to their goverment regulations. Have you or anyone had these difficulties?:confused: Thank you Jack

[PeaSea8ch]

Jack,
Seabourn Luggage Valet uses DHL so you may want to contact them. With the exception of the Caribbean, Seabourn Luggage Valet ships to and from all other embarkation / disembarkation ports. It is expensive but worth it IMHO. All forms are filled out for you and all you do is sign the forms and for international shipments include a copy of your passport for each bag. Each bag has its own airwaybill (tracking number) so tracking is a breeze. If you procrastinate and decide to ship your bags home while onboard, just contact the Purser's Office a few days before disembarkation and they will take care of everything for you.

With lost / misdirected luggage at an all-time high, it is a viable option to trusting your luggage to your airline and making the trek from the curb to your departure gate a lot faster and stress-free.

[PittsburghJack]

Thank you for your input, Paul. We've been very fortunate in that we've not had a bag lost or misplaced in all our years of travel.
The concept of "bagless" travel, I must say, interests me. Although we've deleted many clothing items and suitcases throughout the years (for my first 7 days cruise, Mrs. Jack packed 18 polo shirts):eek: , the thought of having to carry only a small carry on bag seems wonderful. Jack

[SantaAna,CA]

Well here's a question that's going to be something of a tangent off the main topic. Has anyone checked, and paid for, an extra suitcase while leaving for your cruise, or coming back from your cruise? I'm thinking, the heck with it, American Airlines lets you pay for an extra bag, and round trip it would be about $200, as opposed to $800 for the luggage shipping service. However, I don't have a direct flight; I go LAX - Miami - Barbados (and then reverse coming back).

My one concern was getting to the airport in Barbados and having them say, "we don't have room for your extra bag and paying extra won't help".

Jane :confused:

Who won't be doing bagless travel anytime soon