I need a "Luggage Valet for Dummies" lesson, please!

[Fa-Li]

Just want to make sure I understand how luggage valet works. Trying to decide if it's going to be a help or a hassle!

 

So far I think I understand:

- $20 pp (except for suite guests, but we are junior suite, which doesn't count?)

- Bags go in hallway night before end of cruise and we don't see them again until we arrive at our home airport

- Any other "stuff" that we're not ready to part with the night before, such as our clothes from night before, pj's, toiletries, and whatever we want for a day of touring before a red eye flight, must go in our carry on bags for the flight.

 

Any finer points I am missing?

 

Has anyone used this service with a redeye flight? Seems like it might be more beneficial if you are going straight to airport from ship anyway?

 

Also, what happens if we don't use the luggage valet? How does getting the bags off the ship and back to us work? Or do they just stay with us? Obviously a complete newbie here!

[Clarea]

Just want to make sure I understand how luggage valet works. Trying to decide if it's going to be a help or a hassle!

 

So far I think I understand:

- $20 pp (except for suite guests, but we are junior suite, which doesn't count?)

- Bags go in hallway night before end of cruise and we don't see them again until we arrive at our home airport

- Any other "stuff" that we're not ready to part with the night before, such as our clothes from night before, pj's, toiletries, and whatever we want for a day of touring before a red eye flight, must go in our carry on bags for the flight.

 

Any finer points I am missing?

 

Has anyone used this service with a redeye flight? Seems like it might be more beneficial if you are going straight to airport from ship anyway?

 

Also, what happens if we don't use the luggage valet? How does getting the bags off the ship and back to us work? Or do they just stay with us? Obviously a complete newbie here!

You would need to be in a Grand Suite or better to have free Luggage Valet.

 

If you don't have luggage valet, you would still put your bags outside your stateroom on the last night. The difference is that you would collect your bags in the terminal building after you walk off the ship, and you would have to get them to your car/bus/shuttle. With luggage valet, your bags are taken to the airport by a courier without you having to collect them in the terminal.

Edited March 3, 2014 by clarea

[cruisegirl06]

Does the whole cabin have to sign up? (I.e. Can we just sign up DH and check two bags on his ticket and hand carry our other stuff?)

 

Also, does anyone have experience with this with a lap child? I knowledge usually have to go to the airline check in gate with the lap child, so I'm not sure if valet is even an option (unless we can "split" our room as I mentioned above).

 

Can I send a car seat through valet and will they know that there is no (airline) charge to check a car seat? Of course, I may need the seat depending on transit options to the airport, so this may be a non-issue.

 

DCL has a similar service that we loved:)

[Clarea]

Does the whole cabin have to sign up? (I.e. Can we just sign up DH and check two bags on his ticket and hand carry our other stuff?)

 

Also, does anyone have experience with this with a lap child? I knowledge usually have to go to the airline check in gate with the lap child, so I'm not sure if valet is even an option (unless we can "split" our room as I mentioned above).

 

Can I send a car seat through valet and will they know that there is no (airline) charge to check a car seat? Of course, I may need the seat depending on transit options to the airport, so this may be a non-issue.

 

DCL has a similar service that we loved:)

The entire stateroom does not have to sign up. You can just sign up one person if you wish.

[cruisenfever]

Does the whole cabin have to sign up? (I.e. Can we just sign up DH and check two bags on his ticket and hand carry our other stuff?)

When you sign up for Luggage Valet each person signed up will receive boarding passes prior to leaving the ship. If only one person signs up with 2 pieces of luggage, only one boarding pass will be issued with 2 airline luggage tags. Everyone else will have to check in at the airport.

 

If your airlines charges any additional check luggage fees, those additional charges will appear on your SeaPass Account.

[jaspersmommy]

Just a heads-up re luggage valet. I tried to use it last year while on a Celebrity cruise (and I'm assuming the Celebrity program is the same as the Royal Caribbean one), and I got declined!

 

On that cruise, we had been assured that luggage valet was available to us. We filled out the paperwork a few days before disembarkation, and on the second-last day of the cruise I got a call from a customer service person telling me that we'd been declined. I was somewhat surprised and asked why. The rep couldn't really give me a good answer. She told me that every so many people that apply are randomly declined for luggage valet - apparently the airline feels it's smart to decline a certain percentage of individuals. We have no criminal record, our flight was straightforward... it was quite bizarre. There was absolutely no good reason why we would've been declined.

 

I'm just letting you know in case you're as lucky as I am and you need to have a Plan B in place. :confused:

 

So, I just wanted to make sure you realize that because luggage valet is offered, it isn't a given that you will be allowed to use it.

[bradntx]

Not to hijack the post but I have a follow up question. Why would I leave my luggage to be picked up when I can just roll it off the ship with me when I disembark?

 

Is this some kind of requirement to have your luggage picked up the night before? I travel with one big bag and I'll have some kind of carry on. When I get off the ship I will be going just down the street to the offsite parking and getting in my car to drive home.

[Clarea]

Not to hijack the post but I have a follow up question. Why would I leave my luggage to be picked up when I can just roll it off the ship with me when I disembark?

 

Is this some kind of requirement to have your luggage picked up the night before? I travel with one big bag and I'll have some kind of carry on. When I get off the ship I will be going just down the street to the offsite parking and getting in my car to drive home.

Some people have more bags than they can easily handle, or are otherwise unable to carry off their own bags. Once the bags are in the terminal, there are porters to help, so using the ship's luggage handling service can be much more convenient to people.

[goodycruising]

The implication on the ship is that you must put your luggage out for collection. To carry off yourself it is implied that you are wanting to rush off early. That to me is how it is worded. Then you get on this board and find out that many people carry their own luggage off. So you ask around when on your next trip and in very serious tones many people tell you that it is very hard to get the lift and you must be able to carry it yourself down all the stairs.

 

It is all a big weird scare. We go to the front elevators and have very little wait if any and the distance you have to roll your case is not that far. It saved us getting stuck in the theater for ages waiting for our number and putting up with a bunch of people coughing on us.

 

That is my experience and I am happy to have my case with me and not sitting out in the terminal for anyone to take.

[nomad098]

Hi

I know you cannot use of the valet system for international flights but would I be able to use it if I have to make a connecting flight in the US

(Orlando-Charlotte Douglas-London) with one of the carriers in the valet system

 

thanks

 

Damon

[cruisenfever]

Hi

I know you cannot use of the valet system for international flights but would I be able to use it if I have to make a connecting flight in the US

(Orlando-Charlotte Douglas-London) with one of the carriers in the valet system

 

thanks

 

Damon

Unfortunately not. Your flight must be completely domestic.

[cruisegirl06]

Just a heads-up re luggage valet. I tried to use it last year while on a Celebrity cruise (and I'm assuming the Celebrity program is the same as the Royal Caribbean one), and I got declined!

 

On that cruise, we had been assured that luggage valet was available to us. We filled out the paperwork a few days before disembarkation, and on the second-last day of the cruise I got a call from a customer service person telling me that we'd been declined. I was somewhat surprised and asked why. The rep couldn't really give me a good answer. She told me that every so many people that apply are randomly declined for luggage valet - apparently the airline feels it's smart to decline a certain percentage of individuals. We have no criminal record, our flight was straightforward... it was quite bizarre. There was absolutely no good reason why we would've been declined.

 

I'm just letting you know in case you're as lucky as I am and you need to have a Plan B in place. :confused:

 

So, I just wanted to make sure you realize that because luggage valet is offered, it isn't a given that you will be allowed to use it.

 

Thanks all for your help with my tag-along questions :-). It seems like whoever's ticket has the lap child on it is frequently flagged, so if we do this I should probably just do valet for whoever has a non-lap-child ticket. Obviously airlines can flag you for any number of reasons (I've had it randomly), but i don't think I've ever been fully able to fully check in when I had a lap child on my ticket (likely because the ticket counter needs to verify the baby's age).

 

The advantage for us is not having to haul 2 young kids and all our stuff from the terminal to the bus/cab/whatever then in to bag check (assuming I understand the program correctly).

[travelbuddies]

When I called RCI the last two years to verify there would be valet service for my sailing I was assured there would be. Turned out it was not offered. I would say they have it but you can't count on it being available for your sailing.:eek:

[MikeinSA]

We are returning to Ft Lauderdale on the Liberty TA in October, Will we be able to use luggage valet since the flight is on American from Ft Lauderdale to San Antonio?

[APDMOM]

Just to add some detail... here is what we got on Indy. It was an 8 day cruise, and the forms had to be completed by the end of day 5:

 

 

 

[MikeinSA]

Thanks APDMOM this answered all my queations.

 

Just to add some detail... here is what we got on Indy. It was an 8 day cruise, and the forms had to be completed by the end of day 5:

[smc99]

Another consideration is if you have any "No Baggage Fees" benefits that you might qualify for with your airline. We get up to two checked bags per person at no extra charge, but ONLY if we check those bags in ourselves at the airline terminal.

I could be wrong, but with the Luggage Valet service I think we'd lose that, and we'd have to pay the standard luggage fee to the airline.

[Fa-Li]

Another consideration is if you have any "No Baggage Fees" benefits that you might qualify for with your airline. We get up to two checked bags per person at no extra charge, but ONLY if we check those bags in ourselves at the airline terminal.

 

I could be wrong, but with the Luggage Valet service I think we'd lose that, and we'd have to pay the standard luggage fee to the airline.

 

 

This is helpful info! I would not want to lose our free checking of bags!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[killtheump]

Another consideration is if you have any "No Baggage Fees" benefits that you might qualify for with your airline. We get up to two checked bags per person at no extra charge, but ONLY if we check those bags in ourselves at the airline terminal.

I could be wrong, but with the Luggage Valet service I think we'd lose that, and we'd have to pay the standard luggage fee to the airline.

 

You are right you could be wrong! You will not have to pay for bags. I have heard of some problems with connecting flights with Southwest connecting with AirTran but not if using the same airline.

[jamesr3939]

Paying fees, on Carnival in January there was a spot on the form where we checked "exempt" from luggage fees. We were flying 1st class so I checked that option and it worked just fine. The form said very clearly that any airline required fees would be charged to your Sea Pass account. I see the RCCL form says the same.

 

I also have an option on my AMEX card where I don't have to pay on Delta, but not sure how that would work with LE.