Simple question from a newbie.

I've read several places that it's best to secure the zippers on luggage with plastic tie straps. While this seems to be a good idea, what do you use to cut them off? Are you allowed to take a small pocketknife or something? Just wondering. We'll be on our first cruise on the Fascination 9/13!! Can't wait!

I think someone posted that you can use fingernail clippers to cut them off.

I've read several places that it's best to secure the zippers on luggage with plastic tie straps. While this seems to be a good idea, what do you use to cut them off? Are you allowed to take a small pocketknife or something? Just wondering. We'll be on our first cruise on the Fascination 9/13!! Can't wait!

Put a small pocket knife or pair of scissors in the outside pocket of one of your checked bags. No problems (I usually have a cork screw/bottle opener that has a small blade on it in the outside pocket of my luggage... always good to be prepared for whereever you end up when traveling).

Furry

if you're flying...NO KNIVES AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no nail clippers no pocket knives, no hardware of that kind at all!! but you should already know that...

Nail clippers ARE allowed in carryon luggage, you can get the list of all approved and prohibited items at this website: http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/pr.cfm?id=1435

Most plastic ties will severely dull your nail clippers though. I had to borrow scissors from a hotel in Italy to get one off (that was my first experience with the plastic "wire ties" (ususally they are used for networking and communications cabling)... on the last cruise the steward left us a knife with our fruit basket so we used that!

Thanks to everyone for the ideas. We've found lots of helpful ideas on this website. Again, thanks to all!

I recently purchased from Magellans catelog, the TSA approved locks. I purchased the ones that are 2 for $19.95, combination locks. If TSA breaks them, by accident, Magellans replaces them for lifetime. ;) Now we can lock our luggage!

Plastic zip ties and a nail clipper are what I have always used. I have taken the clipper in my carry on through security several times without any problems. Not the scissor type but the little kind you pinch. If the ties blunt the clipper, no big deal, they only cost 59 cents.

Hi, Newbies! My husband and I are also going to be on the Fascination (Nassau, 3 day). It's my second and his fourth cruise. Since there will be 2000 aboard, we probably won't meet, but it's nice to know you'll be on it. Have a great trip!

Slinkie

We always use the cable ties for "locking" our luggage when travelling - keep a few "extras" in your carryon should you need them. And we pack a small pair of scissors n an outside "checked" luggage pocket (which we obviously leave "open") to cut the ties as required. Of course no valuables EVER packed in checked luggage anyways....

Is it always best to use suitcases? or backpacks or something?

One word of advise though, airlines reserve the right to "inspect" your baggage, even if it's checked. This means they can open it. They usually tell you not to lock your suitcase when checking it, otherwise they may cut it off. Just an FYI. Dont' know the frequency but I know Southwest does it regularly right at the check in.

We always bring along a nail clipper - the airlines allow them in your carry-on luggage as long as there isn't a nail file attached. Of course, I could always nip somebody's jugular vein with the clippers, but no matter. :)

We have used cable ties for a few years now and always make sure we get the boldest, brightest ones possible. If the bags need to be inspected, the airport personnel don't have the same colour and we can tell at once the bags have been opened.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Shouldnt we be locking our bags with regular luggage locks that open with little keys??? I read all the time that your lugguge is usually waiting for you outside your stateroom so wouldnt you want them locked? Where can you buy lugguge locks? $19.99 for 2 sounds really high!!

I got mine at a Samsonite Outlet for half that price and they are TSA approved. I hope this helps, but if you don't have an outlet nearby it might not :(

You can use regular locks on your luggage if you are not flying to your cruise. At the pier if Security wants to examine the contents of your bags closely they will contact you to come open it up. The TSA approved locks are for the airports. You can lock your luggage and the TSA screeners have a master key to open and relock them when they're done. No need to cut off the locks. $19.95 for two locks was a very good price, I paid a little more at the travel store in the local mall.

I found TSA approved locks at Target for $7.99 each. But I returned them and got 40 plastic cable ties at Menards for about $1.20 when I read that the airlines may cut the TSA approved locks. They don't have time to be putting the combination in the locks, so have resorted to cutting them. I don't recall what airline this was, but I thought I wouldn't take the chance of wasting the money on locks.

I use "zip ties" to "lock" my checked baggage. When I "lock" it, I don't snug it up tight but leave a bit of space. This way if I forget to put the small scissors in the outside pocket I can break the tie by putting a key in the loop and twisting.

One time when I forgot to leave that bit of space and didn't have my scissors (we won't discuss who was distracting me when I was packing), I just asked the hotel desk for a pair of scissors and cut the tie in the lobby. I suspect a cabin steward could supply a way to cut the tie, if needed.

You can also reuse the zip ties by pulling up on the extra portion, putting your fingernail in the tab and pulling it out. Some of them are harder to do. My husband travels each week for work, and uses zip ties whenever he travels. He finds this effective (learned it from a TSA agent at the airport). Hope this helps.

Just carry a set of finger nail clippers or a small Swiss Army knife in your suitcase. ;)

Locking your baggage with those little locks with keys is useless. Those keys are everywhere.... You might as well use zip ties. They're just as effective.

what i found most interesting is that you cant carry a nail clipper with that small file because you could hurt somebody but on the plane (in first class anyway) if there is a meal you get a plastic knife and a real metal fork ---do you really think that the nail clipper file could do more damage then a metal fork

test

We used the plastic cable ties on our last cruise. When our luggage arrived on the ship, the cable tie was missing on one piece of our luggage (I had always heard with the ties, the airport personnel would replace it). Anyway inside the suitcase was a note saying that piece of luggage had been randomly picked for inspection.

I was glad we didn't have our lock broken, or that I had to worry about getting another to go home again, we just put another cable tie on when we were packing to go home.:)

By the way, if you have anything at all that could possibly leak, even though you have packed it well, make sure you put it in a zip lock bag - my husband had shoe polish (the kind that shines his tuxedo shoes) and I had packed it inside one of his shoes, so that it wouldn't open. When they went through that piece of luggage, they must have opened the shoe polish and didn't put it back in the shoe - when we opened the luggage, one of my husbands dress shirts had the oily shoe polish all over it! :mad: Needless to say we had to send it to laundry on the very first day.