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Port of Seattle launches free airport luggage service


MVPinBoynton
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Yes, it is. Apparently, for one reason or another, neither Norwegian nor Carnival opted to participate in that program. That makes me wonder why they would not want to be a part of a program which gives a free benefit to their passengers. Oh, well....

 

Tom

 

Hopefully, they'll "get on board" if they get enough feedback from passengers!

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Actually NCL does participate. They have flyers about it as you ate embarking. Guest services gave me the form plus I got one with freestyle. However, they don't do it well. Filled out form turned it in a day early. Sat we teceived material, for DH only. After standing at GS for about 15 minutes while they looked for form, she brought it out and told me when we both have sane confirmation #, we only need for one person. When I explained, we both have to have boarding passes, she informed that I'd have to ask airline why I didn't get a boarding pass. Needless to say I was not happy. So we checked the one bag, carried the other one, sat at check-in counter for an hour while we waited until it was close enough to flight that they would let us check bag. Bag checked through port valet arrived just fine, would have been a great program if they knew what they were doing.

 

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Actually NCL does participate. They have flyers about it as you ate embarking. Guest services gave me the form plus I got one with freestyle. However, they don't do it well. Filled out form turned it in a day early. Sat we teceived material, for DH only. After standing at GS for about 15 minutes while they looked for form, she brought it out and told me when we both have sane confirmation #, we only need for one person. When I explained, we both have to have boarding passes, she informed that I'd have to ask airline why I didn't get a boarding pass. Needless to say I was not happy. So we checked the one bag, carried the other one, sat at check-in counter for an hour while we waited until it was close enough to flight that they would let us check bag. Bag checked through port valet arrived just fine, would have been a great program if they knew what they were doing.

 

Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Forums mobile app

 

Hmm, apparently NCL offices don't know about it then. See msg #173!

 

Oh, well. :rolleyes:

 

Tom

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From our short experience with NCL, the right hand doesn't know what left hand is doing. We'll be looking for a different cruise line.

 

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Sorry to hear that you weren't happy with NCL. I would suggest that maybe you give Princess a shot. My wife and I have always been happy with their cruises, of course we've never been on any other line, so the breadth of experience isn't that great either. ;p Well, she did cruise on the QE2 once with her mother, so she's done that. If you are a veteran and you go on a Princess cruise, make sure you download a copy of their Veterans' Benefit form and fax/mail a completed copy of that form and a copy of your DD214 to them at least 2 weeks prior to your cruise and you'll receive a reimbursable OBC of $50-$250, depending on the length of the cruise, on each and every cruise you take on Princess.

 

Whatever cruise line you decide to try next, I hope it's your best cruise ever and every one after that one is even better! :D

 

Tom

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I had spoken with NCL before and just spoke with them again yesterday. They are not participating in this program.

 

It is mostly Pier 91 ships, NCL is Pier 66. NCL no longer has their own valet service that they did years ago either. You'll have to store your bags downtown at the Pier, the Edgewater Hotel or Nordstroms.

 

That is incorrect.

 

Just disembarked 8/20/17 in Seattle from NCL Pearl. We signed up for the luggage valet by Wednesday, put our luggage out by midnight Saturday 8/19 and didn't have to do a thing until we reached our home airport on 8/21. NCL checked us into our flights, provided boarding passes and luggage tags by 6pm on Sat (though they say 7pm but our cabin steward said she put the envelope in our cabin earlier knowing what they were). Seamless. We had a wonderful day in Seattle without having to worry about dragging bags around and finding storage. It is only offered for certain airlines.

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I had spoken with NCL before and just spoke with them again yesterday. They are not participating in this program.

 

It is mostly Pier 91 ships, NCL is Pier 66. NCL no longer has their own valet service that they did years ago either. You'll have to store your bags downtown at the Pier, the Edgewater Hotel or Nordstroms.

 

Probably the reason it is "mostly" Pier 91 ships is there are 7 or 8 (depending on the week) different ships from 5 different cruise lines that call at Pier 91 every week and only 2 different ships on 1 line that call at Pier 66 every week. :) Only one of all those 6 lines has opted not to participate to the best of my knowledge now that it's been determined that NCL does participate.

 

 

Tom

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That is incorrect.

 

Just disembarked 8/20/17 in Seattle from NCL Pearl. We signed up for the luggage valet by Wednesday, put our luggage out by midnight Saturday 8/19 and didn't have to do a thing until we reached our home airport on 8/21. NCL checked us into our flights, provided boarding passes and luggage tags by 6pm on Sat (though they say 7pm but our cabin steward said she put the envelope in our cabin earlier knowing what they were). Seamless. We had a wonderful day in Seattle without having to worry about dragging bags around and finding storage. It is only offered for certain airlines.

 

 

That is fantastic news. Clearly the gentlemen I spoke with over the weekend was unaware of this because he had no clue what I was talking about.

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Just off the Ruby Princess. The port valet program worked seamlessly! We got our luggage tags, but had to print our boarding passes for Southwest at the airport. It was no big deal, since we had no luggage to check. We talked to a few people struggling in the cruise terminal who wanted to know how we could travel so lightly, and they said they wished they had signed up for the program. Thanks to this the information on this thread, I knew to look for the form and turn it in right away.

 

How did you get your boarding group assignment? Did you do online checkin 24 hours out or did Princess check you in through the Port Valet program? We're sailing this week, and I'm trying to figure it out. It sounds good, but I don't want to end up in group C.

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How did you get your boarding group assignment? Did you do online checkin 24 hours out or did Princess check you in through the Port Valet program? We're sailing this week, and I'm trying to figure it out. It sounds good, but I don't want to end up in group C.

We were on Southwest, checked ourselves in via Internet and printed our boarding passes on board. Though we checked in at the 24 hour mark we were in group B, but didn't get to sit together. We were able to get aisle seats in tandem - so not bad :)

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We were on Southwest, checked ourselves in via Internet and printed our boarding passes on board. Though we checked in at the 24 hour mark we were in group B, but didn't get to sit together. We were able to get aisle seats in tandem - so not bad :)

 

Thanks for the info! :)

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How did you get your boarding group assignment? Did you do online checkin 24 hours out or did Princess check you in through the Port Valet program? We're sailing this week, and I'm trying to figure it out. It sounds good, but I don't want to end up in group C.

 

Princess checked us in through the Port Valet program, supposedly 24 hours in advance. We didn't purchase internet on board, so we printed boarding passes at the airport. It was easy at a kiosk without luggage.

 

We were in the middle of Group A, HOWEVER, we had already purchased the Southwest option (I think for $25 per person), where they check you in automatically 36 hours in advance. At the time we purchased our SW tickets, we didn't know anything about Port Valet, and figured it was worth it, since we would be at sea at check-in time on our return. Even with the 36 hour check-in, there is still priority boarding with frequent flyers, and people who pay an additional fee to get on first.

 

If I were to do it again, I would do it the same way. Our flight was filled to capacity, and the gate area was really crowded with all of the flights coming and going.

 

It was incredibly easy to get out of the cruise terminal without our luggage, and avoid all of the check-in lines at SeaTac, which was very crowded.

 

Have a great cruise!

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Princess checked us in through the Port Valet program, supposedly 24 hours in advance. We didn't purchase internet on board, so we printed boarding passes at the airport. It was easy at a kiosk without luggage.

 

We were in the middle of Group A, HOWEVER, we had already purchased the Southwest option (I think for $25 per person), where they check you in automatically 36 hours in advance. At the time we purchased our SW tickets, we didn't know anything about Port Valet, and figured it was worth it, since we would be at sea at check-in time on our return. Even with the 36 hour check-in, there is still priority boarding with frequent flyers, and people who pay an additional fee to get on first.

 

If I were to do it again, I would do it the same way. Our flight was filled to capacity, and the gate area was really crowded with all of the flights coming and going.

 

It was incredibly easy to get out of the cruise terminal without our luggage, and avoid all of the check-in lines at SeaTac, which was very crowded.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Thanks for the info! It's exactly what I was looking for. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

We're back from our cruise now, and we did use Port Valet. We got B boarding group, and numbers 18 and 19. I'm not complaining, since it all worked out fine for us, but I really don't think they check you in automatically at exactly 24 hours out. I'd definitely do Port Valet again, since it was great. But I'd do my own check in at 24 hours out on the dot.

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If your cruse ship and airline offer the free valet luggage perk, get the form, fill it out and turn it in pronto. It worked flawlessly - I was on Solstice for Sept 1-8 cruise, flying Southwest - what a lifesaver. I caught a viral sore throat, started feeling bad in Victoria B.C., and woke disembark day with sore throat. Not having to even think about a big (overweight, but NOT charged a penny) case and smaller case I normally carry on, until I got to my home airport was a blessing. My two bags were on the carousel just like promised. BTW: If you normally check one bag, but might change your mind like I did, write in two bags so you have two luggage tags - I checked only one first day onboard. But by thursday was feeling unwell and decided to check two bags. With Concierge's help, was able to get two luggage tags the afternoon we had to tag bags and put them out the door for pick up.

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We're back from our cruise now, and we did use Port Valet. We got B boarding group, and numbers 18 and 19. I'm not complaining, since it all worked out fine for us, but I really don't think they check you in automatically at exactly 24 hours out. I'd definitely do Port Valet again, since it was great. But I'd do my own check in at 24 hours out on the dot.

 

Did you fly Southwest? I paid $15 for "Early Bird" check in (your assignment is based on ticket purchase date and they start checking us in at 36 hours not 24.) - mine were SEA A-33, and BNA A-36. I also got pre-TSA priority boarding.

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Did you fly Southwest? I paid $15 for "Early Bird" check in (your assignment is based on ticket purchase date and they start checking us in at 36 hours not 24.) - mine were SEA A-33, and BNA A-36. I also got pre-TSA priority boarding.

 

Yes, I flew Southwest. I understand very well about Early Bird, but I don't usually do it since I fare pretty well on my own. I only do it if I simply can't check in myself. I always get TSA PRE. No idea why, since I never signed up for it, but I'm not complaining. :D

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This is a great service, and I have used it on RC, Carnival and NCL in both Ft Lauderdale and Miami.

 

However-- it only works on certain airlines, and the flight must leave after a specified time...like in Miami, the flight had to leave after 11:45, I think. So check the flight departure times carefully.

 

And you do end up paying like $20 per bag. But so much easier than slepping off the ship and to ground transportation, and checking it in at the airport.

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