Taking luggage on board

Hi everyone. Interested in your views/experiences. On all my previous cruises I have happily handed over my suitcase to a porter at check in and never had a problem

It arrived eventually outside my cabin . I've heard from a friend that her suitcase didn't turn up for a week and had been opened and items removed. These weren't banned items. We're talking about perfume and jewellery. She obviously followed this up but I'm wondering is it a common occurrence. Would I be better just taking my case on myself. Being without all your stuff would be miserable :(:( Any thoughts appreciated

I guarantee that you will get your luggage.

Your friend is most likely lying...

Airline yes, but I've not heard of the cruise ship losing luggage for a week.

I have been on many cruises. Never had an issue and handing in your luggage is something that is not usually optional. Anything precious like jewellery I would keep in my hand luggage.

We are thinking of taking our luggage ourselves too - as we had some bad experience too!

Our luggage has been misplaced 2 times now as the baggage handlers just seem to throw them on the right deck theses days but not necessarily anywhere near your cabin…..we talked to many folks that also found their luggage on the wrong side of the deck or way down the hallway :eek::mad:

I have been cruising for many years and never had a problem.

Medications, jewelry, expensive electronics should always be in your carryon/hand luggage.

Keep in mind your luggage has to fit through airport-type scanners to be carried on board. You also have to walk up steep ramps and gangways to get to the ship. You also have to keep your luggage until cabins are open, which is usually around 1:00 p.m.

21 cruises across 5 different lines and never once have I had an issue with my checked luggage.

Most checked luggage problems I have heard about have either been due to airline transfer service or passenger error. Many cruise lines have discontinued their relationship with luggage forwarding companies like Luggage Express because too many misplaced or forgotten at the airport bags.

While most passenger errors occur at ports with multiple ships leaving the same day. It is always smart to check with the porter that they are transporting for your particular cruise. I remember one time at the port in NYC our car service driver was impatient, and pulled up to what looked like an empty drop off area way in the front of the terminal (almost halfway to the next terminal). It turned out that the porters there were handling baggage for the Breakaway not the the Splendor. If I hadn't asked my bags would of be loaded on to the Breakaway and not found out till they would of sorted it on board. Since the ships were heading in different directions, Breakaway to Bermuda and Splendor to Canada if I had just turned over the bags, I would not have seen them for over a week.

I have read here on Cruise Critic that it has happened several times. Mostly seems to be related thefts and as the cruise reaches its end, the bag probably was "returned" With the amount people/luggage having these type of incidents are almost expected. However I don't think it is a wide spread problem, and I will contine to use the porters.

Close to 100 cruises and once, and only once missing a bag..that showed up around 11p. I am on vacation, pack critical things in carry on. I am not a Sherpa!

This is why you LOCKED any checked bag, anywhere.

We go on 5-6 cruises a year and have never had any problems. However, we practice defensive packing where we have our clothes split between our two suitcases,,,,, just in case.

We have never had a problem with the cruise lines and our luggage, however I have since down sized to a carry on so my suitcase is carried on with me. Regardless if it is 1 week or longer, everything I need goes in my 22 " Before this all valuables went with me and never in a checked bag.

We've been carrying our luggage on for many, many years- probably ~40 cruises where we carry everything on and off.

The only "issue" we've had was someone at the port in Boston said that we could not do that. Which isn't true.

Other that that, no big deal.

To be clear- 1) we do carry on only when flying, 2) for 1- we pack light. and 3) we try to step on board very near the time cabins are open.

Good planning makes carry on only very easy.

In 17 cruises, never had a piece of luggage lost or stolen. We did have a piece of luggage opened and the wine bottle kept until the end of the cruise, but a note was put in our luggage to let us know what happened. Nothing else was touched or removed.

However, I would always keep valuables and personal items with me in a carryon. I will say that I would not attempt to take all my luggage onboard -- it can be cumbersome and a nuisance when trying to get lunch, etc.

I guarantee that you will get your luggage.

 

Your friend is most likely lying...

Wow ! You obviously know my friend of 30 years better than I do ! Thanks for your constructive contribution.

To everyone else your comments are appreciated 😀😀

We carry everything, on airplanes, and cruise ships.

We each have a roller board suitcase, 20-21 inches, and a carry on soft bag. I put my purse inside that soft bag, DH has computer bag as well.

We've traveled like this for 45 years!

It probably comes from being a former flight attendant, traveling standby and never wanting to let your luggage get out of your sight.

21 cruises across 5 different lines and never once have I had an issue with my checked luggage.

Most checked luggage problems I have heard about have either been due to airline transfer service or passenger error. Many cruise lines have discontinued their relationship with luggage forwarding companies like Luggage Express because too many misplaced or forgotten at the airport bags.

While most passenger errors occur at ports with multiple ships leaving the same day. It is always smart to check with the porter that they are transporting for your particular cruise. I remember one time at the port in NYC our car service driver was impatient, and pulled up to what looked like an empty drop off area way in the front of the terminal (almost halfway to the next terminal). It turned out that the porters there were handling baggage for the Breakaway not the the Splendor. If I hadn't asked my bags would of be loaded on to the Breakaway and not found out till they would of sorted it on board. Since the ships were heading in different directions, Breakaway to Bermuda and Splendor to Canada if I had just turned over the bags, I would not have seen them for over a week.

The porter should also be checking the tags on the luggage you hand them to be sure they are getting the right ship's bags! That's why they give passengers those luggage tags -- to help distinguish the bags. We come down from the parking terminal to check in our bags and I always ask the porter on curbside which ship he is collecting for -- I could see that being the biggest reason that bags are misdirected is that there are so many ships in port.

And I SO AGREE about a previous poster's comment about packing defensively -- splitting up all the clothes and shoes between bags. We knew a family who packed all their shoes in one suitcase -- and that was the one that got left behind.

Our last Transatlantic we each carried one 22 & 21 " suitcase and cross packed.

Hi everyone. Interested in your views/experiences. On all my previous cruises I have happily handed over my suitcase to a porter at check in and never had a problem

It arrived eventually outside my cabin . I've heard from a friend that her suitcase didn't turn up for a week and had been opened and items removed. These weren't banned items. We're talking about perfume and jewellery. She obviously followed this up but I'm wondering is it a common occurrence. Would I be better just taking my case on myself. Being without all your stuff would be miserable :(:( Any thoughts appreciated

Given the number of CCTV cameras about, this scenario seems unlikely.

If you had trouble, I'm gonna guess you didn't tip the porter. I always tip and always get my bags quickly. 15 cruises.

I always carry my bags on board, no matter the size. On one or two occasions, I have had someone in the terminal try and tell me I could not. One tried to tell me it was too big. I corrected him and took it on.

We tried taking our bags off by ourselves one cruise thinking it would get us out quicker. Number one, trying to get an elevator was a nightmare and then the line was so long through the terminal (in NYC) that we could have easily waited to just get them in the terminal. We saved no time and had to lug them around. Never again.

If you had trouble, I'm gonna guess you didn't tip the porter. I always tip and always get my bags quickly. 15 cruises.

So where to the porters "hide" the 500 or so pieces of luggage for the non-tippers like me? You do know the bags, that are handled by the porter, is only touched by that porter once? The rest of the journey to your cabin is handled by a dozen other people who did not get the tip. Guess they also hide the bags.....

One tried to tell me it was too big.

If it won't fit through the x-ray, it probably is too big.

We always keep our luggage with us. We never give it to the porters. We each travel with one airline roller carry on. More than adequate for a seven day cruise.