Taking Your Own Luggage to Cabin during Embarkation on Oasis?

[alocsin]

For our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, we are taking two small roll-away bags that we plan on carrying onto the plane.

 

During embarkation, what are the advantages/disadvantages to skipping the porters and just bringing our bags ourselves to our stateroom and leaving them outside until the room is ready?

 

Isn't that what porters do anyway? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using porters for our two roll-aways?

 

Thanks.

[Clarea]

For our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, we are taking two small roll-away bags that we plan on carrying onto the plane.

 

During embarkation, what are the advantages/disadvantages to skipping the porters and just bringing our bags ourselves to our stateroom and leaving them outside until the room is ready?

 

Isn't that what porters do anyway? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using porters for our two roll-aways?

 

Thanks.

You will not be able to leave your bags outside the stateroom because no guests are allowed in the corridors the staterooms are ready, usually around 1pm.

 

So you will have to keep your bags with you until the staterooms are ready.

Edited May 7, 2015 by clarea

[micmacmissy]

 

Isn't that what porters do anyway? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using porters for our two roll-aways?

 

Advantages:

You don't have to schlep those bags through security, through the port, up the gangplank, and around the ship (which will be crowded, people milling around everywhere). I didn't see ANYONE - not a single person - who carries their own luggage on. Off, yes, but not on.

 

Disadvantages:

None that I can think of! Tip the guy $5 and be done with the bag until later that day.

[alocsin]

You will not be able to leave your bags outside the stateroom because no guests are allowed in the corridors the staterooms are ready, usually around 1pm.

 

So you will have to keep your bags with you until the staterooms are ready.

Bob, could you clarify about guests not being allowed in the corridors?

 

Our stateroom is on Deck 8, near the elevators just outside the entrance to Central Park. Do they somehow cordon off the stateroom corridors around that area so we couldn't visit the room before 1pm?

 

Thanks.

[cruisenfever]

Bob, could you clarify about guests not being allowed in the corridors?

 

Our stateroom is on Deck 8, near the elevators just outside the entrance to Central Park. Do they somehow cordon off the stateroom corridors around that area so we couldn't visit the room before 1pm?

 

Thanks.

The fire doors are closed and not opened until the Deck Supervisors have inspected each room. Cabin doors remain open until this inspection is completed.

 

As Bob has said, rooms are usually available for access around 1PM.

Edited May 7, 2015 by cruisenfever

[silentbob007]

Turn-around day is the most hectic day of the cruise schedule. They have just a few hours to reset the cabins. In order to let the stewards accomplish this, they pull the fire doors closed so that they can move around unhindered and cleaning can be done in the most efficient way with all cabin doors propped open. Beyond interrupting the stewards and assistants trying to make their deadline, it is not the safest place to store your belongings just yet.

[Havingfun2010]

There are two types of cleaning. Normal cleaning and turn around day cleaning. The halls are filled with carts, and supplies to turn the rooms around. All the doors are propped open, and I imagine the last think the crew wants is to also stumble over luggage and passengers.

 

Porters do not deliver the bags. Porters work for the docks. All they do is load onto the ship. Ship personnel deliver the bags.

 

If you plan on getting on the ship before 1:00, you will need to carry your bags everywhere you go. Not my idea of fun, but and the majority see it my way.

 

I don't know exactly how you are traveling, but personally, I don't want to carry bags onto a plane, try to stuff them into overhead bins, fight with them getting off, carry them on the layover, repeat the process on the next flight than arrive at the ship, and carry them again. I would rather just pay the $50.00 for the bag, and be done with it.

[LMaxwell]

The only bag we carry on is a backpack with

-Passports

-Camera (or other electronics + chargers)

-Medications

-Cruise documents

-Other important items that would be difficult or impossible to replace if luggage did not arrive.

[nolesrule]

The only bag we carry on is a backpack with

-Passports

-Camera (or other electronics + chargers)

-Medications

-Cruise documents

-Other important items that would be difficult or impossible to replace if luggage did not arrive.

 

For us, it's those, plus 2 750mL bottles of wine

[cruisegirl1]

OP - if you plan to arrive to the ship after 1PM you should have no problem bringing your bag on board and heading straight to the cabin. Otherwise you will need to drag it around till at least 1PM, sometimes later. The ship is very crowded and the bags really are a nuisance. Usually what happens is you have to stay in the same spot ( to avoid dragging the bag in crowds, up/down steps, fitting in crowded elevators) so in effect, you loose your first few hours exploring the ship.

 

 

On the three day, we see a few more folks bringing their bags on board with them, and it is a real headache till the cabins open. I did it once, and it wasn't worth the trouble.

 

By the way - you must be some great packer to get a week's worth of clothes in a carry on. I am somewhat of a light packer and can't seem to do it for a week.

 

M

[Paul65]

For our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, we are taking two small roll-away bags that we plan on carrying onto the plane.

 

During embarkation, what are the advantages/disadvantages to skipping the porters and just bringing our bags ourselves to our stateroom and leaving them outside until the room is ready?

 

Isn't that what porters do anyway? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using porters for our two roll-aways?

 

Thanks.

 

If your bags are just carry-on size, as you say, then what you describe would work fine. If you do board before staterooms are ready, then you'll have to keep those bags with you until they are. That's the disadvantage. The advantage would be that you have all you stuff with you, and don't have to wait for your room to be ready.

 

In fact, if you are boarding at or after 1pm, that's probably the best thing to do - you can go straight to your room, drop off your bags, then go explore or do whatever, with no worries about when your bags will be delivered. If you're boarding much earlier, you have to decide whether you want to hang onto those bags while you explore (but you'll see other people around the ship with carry-on sized bags).

[alocsin]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I wasn't aware that the fire doors would be closed, which would make it impossible to leave the bags by the stateroom. So we'll just pay the porter to take our roll-aways. We really don't want to be rolling them all over the ship, since we plan on getting there early.

 

I was just looking for a way to have our things with us early but as long as the bags get there before dinner, that's fine.

 

Not to brag, cruisegirl1, but we are superb packers. We carry less when we do our month-long land trips to Europe or Asia. We only have slightly larger bags now because we're bringing suits with us.

[spookwife]

For our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, we are taking two small roll-away bags that we plan on carrying onto the plane.

 

During embarkation, what are the advantages/disadvantages to skipping the porters and just bringing our bags ourselves to our stateroom and leaving them outside until the room is ready?

 

Isn't that what porters do anyway? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using porters for our two roll-aways?

 

Thanks.

 

 

you do not have access to the cabins until 1 ish when the hallways are open for access. furthermore the bags must for inside the same X-ray machine as the airport security screening for carry on bags.

 

it wil be massively crowded in some areas( like th buffet) when first boarding

 

so unless you do not plan on ARRIVING until after 1, you will be hauling you bags with you everywhere.

[cruisegirl1]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I wasn't aware that the fire doors would be closed, which would make it impossible to leave the bags by the stateroom. So we'll just pay the porter to take our roll-aways. We really don't want to be rolling them all over the ship, since we plan on getting there early.

 

I was just looking for a way to have our things with us early but as long as the bags get there before dinner, that's fine.

 

Not to brag, cruisegirl1, but we are superb packers. We carry less when we do our month-long land trips to Europe or Asia. We only have slightly larger bags now because we're bringing suits with us.

 

We are leaving for a month long land and cruise tomorrow and even with "light" packing, I will have one large and one medium bag for the two of us. What tripped us up was one bag was way over 50 lbs., so we did a pack-unpack and repack.

 

enjoy

M

[alfaeric]

Advantages:

You don't have to schlep those bags through security, through the port, up the gangplank, and around the ship (which will be crowded, people milling around everywhere). I didn't see ANYONE - not a single person - who carries their own luggage on. Off, yes, but not on.

 

Disadvantages:

None that I can think of! Tip the guy $5 and be done with the bag until later that day.

We do, every cruise.

 

We pack like alocsin does- so that we can carry everthing on the plane.

 

We also are somewhat strategic when getting on board- knowing access to the rooms is at 1:00 or 1:30, we try to arrive to the port to step on the ship at 1:15. So it's pretty easy to slowly work our way to our hallway, which will generally be open by then. To room, unpack, and done.

 

It's also not that hard to find an open elevator that isn't crowded- when getting on board, you are generally at one elevator area- seems like mostly on the forward elevators. It's not hard to navigate to the opposite elevators (aft, port or starboard), and nobody is there.

 

alocsin- if you can carry on, so that you can walk and move around an airport, manage to lift them into a bin, and have them small enough to fit- bringing your own luggage on board is a piece of cake.

[Shekim]

Luggage has to be scanned so if you carry your large luggage it must fit through the scanners at security. I know my suitcases wouldn't fit through there.

[bluegirlum]

OP, this is probably obvious, but if you have anything valuable, put that stuff in a little bag and take that as a carry on with you. Also, you SHOULD get your bags before 5, but if you want your swimsuit or a change of clothes for dinner, I would carry those on too. You just never know. I always carry on a swimsuit, flipflops, shorts (I'm coming from WI, so...) and clothes for dinner, as well as my prescriptions, and anything I think I might need the first day (which always seems to be way too much!!).

[spookwife]

 

By the way - you must be some great packer to get a week's worth of clothes in a carry on. I am somewhat of a light packer and can't seem to do it for a week.

 

M

 

I routinely do that actually. busting Hubby can do it as well, we just pack one large rolling duffle plus his garment bag and let them schlep it for us. for carry on, he has a Camelback which gets used on shore excursions and I bring a beach bag type carry on for poolside

[Ocean Boy]

you do not have access to the cabins until 1 ish when the hallways are open for access. furthermore the bags must for inside the same X-ray machine as the airport security screening for carry on bags.it wil be massively crowded in some areas( like th buffet) when first boarding

 

so unless you do not plan on ARRIVING until after 1, you will be hauling you bags with you everywhere.

 

The OP stated these are the same bags that they planned to carry onto the plane so the size of screening machines at the port should be a non issue.

[Desert Cruizers]

We always drop off the larger suitcases and bring our carry ons or duffle bag. Although I have not used a duffle bag as a carry on and do have one, I might consider using it. Disadvantage, it doesn't have rollers so I would need to carry it around with me. Soemthing to think about for the next 5 months.:) We go get some lunch then our rooms are ready to drop the carry ons off. I also have my camera with me or anything else I wish right away, everything else is checked in.

[Pumbaamd]

We've never had a problem finding a place to put our carry on bag in the Schooner Bar, while waiting for the cabins to open.

Rick and Deirdra

[Spurschick]

For our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, we are taking two small roll-away bags that we plan on carrying onto the plane.

 

During embarkation, what are the advantages/disadvantages to skipping the porters and just bringing our bags ourselves to our stateroom and leaving them outside until the room is ready?

 

Isn't that what porters do anyway? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using porters for our two roll-aways?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Advantages for doing it yourself.

 

1) you can pack everything and keep it with you at all times.

 

2) when cabins open you are guaranteed to have all your belongings. You can unpack and be ready for the rest of the cruise before muster even takes place.

 

3) you don't accidentally put something in luggage to be delivered later and then realize you needed it sooner than you thought.

 

4) you have a full wardrobe to chose from first night:D

 

5) you don't run the risk of getting called to the naughty room;)

 

Disadvantages,

 

1) You have to wheel the case around. We go for the 4 wheel variety as easier to move.

 

2) You have to keep with you, we overcome by getting a table, one person staying with bags and the others getting food, having a walk around the ship etc. until rooms ready. Not a big deal to us.

 

Advantages:

You don't have to schlep those bags through security, through the port, up the gangplank, and around the ship (which will be crowded, people milling around everywhere). I didn't see ANYONE - not a single person - who carries their own luggage on. Off, yes, but not on.

 

Disadvantages:

None that I can think of! Tip the guy $5 and be done with the bag until later that day.

 

I have never seen any parties checking in without at least 1 roll on in tow or being weighed down by a big bag without wheels. :eek: At least with wheels it rolls and it doesn't hurt your shoulder in the process;)

[John&LaLa]

Carry on luggage is one of the big reasons The lunch venues are a zoo on boarding day. ;)

Edited May 7, 2015 by John&LaLa

[alfaeric]

Carry on luggage is one of the big reasons The lunch venues are a zoo on boarding day. ;)

 

Don't take them, then. done.

 

Such an easy solution. :D

[John&LaLa]

Don't take them, then. done.

 

Such an easy solution. :D

 

Well you convinced me, now how about the other 6000 people onboard