Baggage on board?

Hi, nice people!

Here's my remedial, first-time-cruiser question:

I am not "flying in" to my cruise as I live locally -- I'm just being dropped off at the port. Is there a baggage check-in process upon embarking? Will I be separated from my luggage & have it appear in my room later, or will I bring it onto the ship myself?

I feel dumb for asking but it's one of those things you just don't know unless you know! lol

Thanks in advance for your help,

Martha

First Cruise in TWO DAYS!

Martha --

It's not a remedial Q -- it's something you genuinely don't know -- hence this forum.

The answer is yes & no. You may carry on your carry on luggage. It must fit through the x-ray machine for you to do that. Bigger items will be given to stevedores. They do not work for the cruise line & they expect a tip -- $1 - $2 per bag.

If you give your luggage to a stevedore, it will be delivered to your room later. Therefore you should keep valuables, medicine etc with you. It's also a good idea to pack a bathing suit in your carry on so you can go directly to the pool.

Bon Voyage!

Trish

MarthaAnn, the only dumb question is the question that's never asked.

I agree with the above poster. You will take your carry on with you onboard and your larger baggage will be delivered to your cabin. Please be sure to keep your valuables in your carry-on, also keep your cruise documents and your passport or BC with you as well, don't pack it away in your luggage that will be delivered to your cabin.

Enjoy your cruise.

Hello All,

So, am I correct in understanding it is certain that you are not allowed to carry on all your luggage even if you want to?

• RCCI Mariner of the Seas - We're getting closer...

The ships use xray machines similar to those at an airport. If it won't go thru an airport xray machine, it won't go thru the one on the ship.

According to my travel agent, as long as your luggage fits the X-Ray machines, you can carry our luggage on the ship. I plan to do this in Oct.

Cruzntime -- to answer your Q

If your luggage is bigger than the x-ray machine -- i.e. larger than a carry defined by the airline regs -- you will not be allowed to carry it on even if you want to.

Trish

Thanks BaumD, Trish and SS-Sunset. It appears I will have to prioritize and carry as much as possible in the carry-ons. Our luggage affords us the ability to travel fairly well (stacking, hanging, etc.). My thoughts were if I could carry all this onboard then I would have my work of unpacking out of the way and could just enjoy the rest of the night. I guess I could go the other way and just pull things out of my luggage as I need them. Let's see... where is that travel iron?

Thanks gang.

• RCCI Mariner of the Seas - We're getting closer...

We carried our military duffle bag onto the ship but this "carry" on would not hav counted as one for an airline. Airline carry ons are generally smaller as they have to fit underneath your seat. As long as the bag fits through X-Ray(a duffle bag is good for this, you can carry it on with you. our duffle bag had 2 sets of hockey skates and 2 sets of rollerblades in it and it fit through the X-Ray machine that RCCL uses.

I've carried on all of my luggage on Princess twice. The scanners were plenty large enough for just about anything anyone would be checking on a flight, not just carry-ons. I think any policy on this probably varies from port to port and line to line, depending on their equipment.

"I'm gonna book myself on that Princess Cruise."

-- Fox Mulder, X-Files 'Three Words'

Just remember, if you carry on your luggage your room may not be ready when you get on board. Yes you can leave it in your room (cabin) but the door will be open and anyone can walk in to look around. And that is if the cruise line lets you carry on your luggage. You can carry on small cases but most cruise lines will not let you carry on regular size suit cases.

Have a agreat time on your cruise. I just got back this past Sunday from an 8 day cruise... IT WAS GREAT !!!

Just back from our 7 day cruise; and have booked the next one!

We packed whatever we thought we would need for the first afternoon/evening in a carry on bag and planned to unpack the next day. We had time to go grab a bite of lunch, and when we returned the bags were all there. I am one of those people that pack for every possible situation...read - lots of stuff and heavy bags.... it was nice to not have to lug everything to the room! Plenty of time to unpack!

April 17, 2004 Grandeur of the Seas Cruise for 2

The other problem with people carrying on all their luggage is that they take up all the elevator space with their bags. I use a scooter and would like to get to my room too. I often wait for elevators because of this. Once I had to wait for three elevators. I was in line behind one guy that had six bags. Please only carry what you need and let the baggage people do the rest. Now getting off the ship is different, I don't mind it then because it is not a crush of people.

Hopfully a Hawiian Cruise

 Until we sail away on the ocean blue

Navigator of the Seas Western Crib 08/03

Dawn Princess - Eastern Carb 01/03

Dawn Princess Panamal Canal 11/02

I never use the elevators. If my husband and I can't carry our own bags up 7 flights of stairs, they go with the porters. Your comment is interesting, though, because I've always found disembarking to be more of a crush than embarking. Maybe because nearly everyone else is on the stairs when we disembark and almost no one else is using the stairs when we embark!

"I'm gonna book myself on that Princess Cruise."

-- Fox Mulder, X-Files 'Three Words'

Do I have to leave the suitcases unlocked before they are checked in? I know you can't lock them at the airports.

Susan - New Cruiser!

After I pick my luggage up after my flight-I add my luggage tags and lock ALL suitcases.

Going NOWHERE

Miracle, February 13, 2005

Legend, October 22,2004

Voyager August 31,2003

Victory September 22,2002

Regal Empress,June 2001

Sensation,August 2000

You can now lock your luggage at the airport and at the same time, allow TSA staff the ability to unlock your luggage and then safety relock it. I just purchased 4 locks - from a local department - but AAA also sells them - that are TSA approved. TSA personnel have a "code" that allows them to unlock these specific locks and then they relock them - at least they did mine. I have a friend that works both as an Air Marshal (formerly under TSA and now under INS) and I have several friends that work for TSA in administrative type functions, but they have heard the screeners say that the approved locks are a nicer option than those darned cable ties! I paid a total $20.00 for locks - I only needed the smaller ones, however, prices did vary according to size. I was concerned, and still am concerned, that luggage taken by porters, etc. is security screened - I am assuming it is, otherwise, serious security issues arise.

Hi, nice people!

 

Here's my remedial, first-time-cruiser question:

 

I am not "flying in" to my cruise as I live locally -- I'm just being dropped off at the port. Is there a baggage check-in process upon embarking? Will I be separated from my luggage & have it appear in my room later, or will I bring it onto the ship myself?

 

I feel dumb for asking but it's one of those things you just don't know unless you know! lol

 

Thanks in advance for your help,

 

Martha

First Cruise in TWO DAYS!

Not a dumb question just a question I think you can carry it on:rolleyes:

Hello All,

So, am I correct in understanding it is certain that you are not allowed to carry on all your luggage even if you want to?

 

• RCCI Mariner of the Seas - We're getting closer...

if it does not fit through the same scanners that Airport Security uses, you may NOT hand carry it aboard. furthermore, some lines do not make the cabins averrable until after noon or even 1 pm, so there is no where to stash anything and there is no room to lug it around with you at lunch or wherever unless you are okay with finding a corner and never moving.

Not a dumb question just a question I think you can carry it on:rolleyes:

if it does not fit through the same scanners that Airport Security uses, you may NOT hand carry it aboard. furthermore, some lines do not make the cabins averrable until after noon or even 1 pm, so there is no where to stash anything and there is no room to lug it around with you at lunch or wherever unless you are okay with finding a corner and never moving.

Are you both aware that this thread is from 2004?

I am sure they have already gone on their cruise by this time.

Do I have to leave the suitcases unlocked before they are checked in? I know you can't lock them at the airports.

 

Susan - New Cruiser!

Though this thread is old, it has now been revitalized and, sadly, it still perpetuates misinformation. You certainly can (and should) lock your suitcases in an airport. That's why there are TSA locks, which take a key used by baggage inspectors.

Posts #7 and #9 above are also wrong. Airline scanners are larger than the maximum size for carry-ons and those carry-ons have a maximum size that is far larger than the space under the seats.

Hello everyone. My wife and I will be taking our first cruise in December and I am trying to get up to speed on as much info to make our cruise go smoothly.

I found this thread because I too had questions about luggage.

Since our cruise is 15 days with three formal nights, we will need to pack a decent amount of clothes and personal belongings. I understand that valuables should go in the carry on, but some questions about the "checked" luggage.

1. Should we lock those suitcases for boarding the ship (we are not flying into port)? I've seen comments saying yes and no.

2. Someone mentioned that you can leave your bags with the stevedors at the dock, but they are not employed by the cruise line. Does this mean they are just random people willing to help with your bags for a tip or are they more like Skycaps who are uniformed and designated as stevedores?

3. If we are bringing on our two permitted bottles of wine, do you suggest they go in the carry ons or the checked luggage?

4. On disembarking, are our bags again collected and taken off the ship or do we have to take them off ourselves?

The porters are employed by the port. You give them the bags that are too large for the airport size x-ray scanners, and you don't want to schlep around until your cabin is ready. they expect to be tipped about a dollar a bag. Don't put anything valuable in the checked bags, nor anything you would miss if the bag went missing.

Wine must be carried on.

Upon debarkation, you have two choices. You can choose to carry everything off yourselves, without any help from crew, and the possibility that you would have to use the stairs. Or you can put your checked baggage outside your door the evening before debarkation, and you would next see them onshore in the terminal.

You do not need a lot of extra clothing for formal/elegant nights. Two outfits at the most. Sometimes I only take one. If anyone should say anything (they never have) I would say 'this is my favorite dress, and I wear it as often as I can'. EM

And I hope poster#8 wasn't really planning to bring a travel iron on board!

Or you can put your checked baggage outside your door the evening before debarkation, and you would next see them onshore in the terminal.

And remember NOT to pack your next day's clothes with your checked baggage :eek: