Signature Express Travel service - ms Zuiderdam

[askworldtraveler]

A few quick questions to help plan our needs.

Does AA participate?

If yes....

Does the service go to MIA (not just FLL)

IF yes
is a 6 pm departure ok?

If yes

Our FF program doesn't charge for 2 bags each - (thank you AA).... does the Signature Express program acknowledge this or will they want to charge the AA fee's?

The answers make a difference in our need to rent a car vs having a friend pick us at the dock in there cramped 4 seater.....

Many thanks in advance for the input

[camp637]

Originally Posted by askworldtraveler

A few quick questions to help plan our needs.

Does AA participate?

If yes....

Does the service go to MIA (not just FLL)

IF yes
is a 6 pm departure ok?

If yes

Our FF program doesn't charge for 2 bags each - (thank you AA).... does the Signature Express program acknowledge this or will they want to charge the AA fee's?

The answers make a difference in our need to rent a car vs having a friend pick us at the dock in there cramped 4 seater.....

Many thanks in advance for the input

Yes, AA is a participating airlines ... but the service is not available for passengers flying out of MIA.

If you want to avoid either renting a car or having your friends pick you up, you may purchase HAL transfers to MIA for $30/person, a least that's the 2009 price. With the HAL transfer, you pick up your bags and schlepp them thru Customs and Immigration and out to the bus, then reclaim them at MIA and check in with AA there.

HAL suggests MIA flights no earlier than 1PM.

[benatty]

Actually, HAL does the Signature Express Baggage out of Miami. We are just back from the Westerdam on November 8th and we were able to do the Signature Baggage program and we flew out of Miami. Our flight was also at 6:00 p.m., so this will not be a problem. If leaving from Miami, your flight needs to leave after 3:00 p.m. We were on AA, so I know you will be able to do the program.

I am sure that the cost per bag will not take into account your status with AA as we had a lower rate due to the date we purchased our tickets but were charged the higher rate that was posted by HAL. They told us the simply do not go through every person's information to determine the appropriate charge (or no charge in your case). Despite the additional cost, it was money well spent as we had an entire day to kill and we would have had to go straight to the airport to dump our bags if we didn't do this program. The other thing that surprised me is that you don't claim your bags and take them through customs. You just get off the ship and go on your merry way. We didn't see our bags, after we left them out the night before disembarkation, until we got to baggage claim in Denver.

[camp637]

Originally Posted by benatty

Actually, HAL does the Signature Express Baggage out of Miami. We are just back from the Westerdam on November 8th and we were able to do the Signature Baggage program and we flew out of Miami.

Thanks for clarifying ... the last time I asked HAL was late 2008, and the service, at that time, was not available for MIA passengers. Sorry to have posted incorrect iinfo ... I was ignorant of the change.

Edited to add: I surmise the service into MIA is a recent enhancement of the program, as it is not yet on HAL's website. Perhaps it is a pilot program at this time for MIA.