Holland America's Baggage Program

[Sky Sweet]

On Holland America's website they mention a baggage program where you can leave your luggage outside your cabin during the last night of a cruise and not see it again until you arrive at your home airport.

Does anyone know what conditions are required to take advantage of this program?

Delta cancelled our original flight so we will now be taking a much later one that will preclude us from checking in our luggage at the FLL airport before 2:30 PM.

Does the Holland America luggage program work for late flights, or would it go directly to the airport that morning which would be too early to check in luggage?

Thank you in advance.

[silvercruiser]

Had bad luck with this on Ryndam last spring. Had bags all set out in the hall when we got a phone call from the front desk saying the express luggage for us had been cancelled and they were sending up new tags. So I changed the tags and we collected the bags the usual way. Dozens of other people had been ok'd for the express system, by the way.
When we got to the airport they thought we were still on the express deal and had to make out new paperwork for us. I sort of stopped trusting HA at that point. And they weren't even pleasant about it.

[sail7seas]

Sorry that happened to you.

Did they explain why they removed you from the baggage program?

[Sky Sweet]

Deleted post because I realized I was responding to a response that was for someone else.

[Estella]

Just did the express luggage this week out of San Diego. The way I understand that it depends on the airline, time of departure, and port. It worked beautiful for us and was great to get to final airport and pickup your luggage. It was well worth the $15.00 charge as you have your boarding pass and go straight through security and to your gate at the airport. Certainly is great not to have to claim your luggage at the departing terminal and have to lug it to your bus or taxi.
Be sure to read everything that comes in your mailbox as you will receive a letter from front desk in plenty of time explaining if you can do it and follow all instructions they give you.
I hope it works on our next cruise.

[Sky Sweet]

Just did the express luggage this week out of San Diego. The way I understand that it depends on the airline, time of departure, and port. It worked beautiful for us and was great to get to final airport and pickup your luggage. It was well worth the $15.00 charge as you have your boarding pass and go straight through security and to your gate at the airport. Certainly is great not to have to claim your luggage at the departing terminal and have to lug it to your bus or taxi.
Be sure to read everything that comes in your mailbox as you will receive a letter from front desk in plenty of time explaining if you can do it and follow all instructions they give you.
I hope it works on our next cruise.

Hi Estella :)

Thank you for explaining the program and sharing your experience with it :)