Carry on luggage? Am I just being paranoid?

[rufflesmom]

2 things to know about carrying on your own luggage. It has to fit thru the scanner at security, if not they will make you check it. And you will have to carry it around with you until your cabin is ready, unless you board after 1:30. After 12 cruises I have never had a piece of luggage lost.

[LuckyZ]

After reading posts on here about lost luggage I am really beginning to get paranoid. We leave for our first cruise tomorrow and I’m considering carrying on our luggage instead of checking it in. Both of us will have one 26” spinner and a small bag. In order to make everything fit our spinners will be just under the 50lb mark. Will we look completely ridiculous carrying it on ourselves? Do others do this? Lol :)

 

 

 

Never had an issue with lost luggage but we have had luggage that showed up very late on the first day. So we usually carry on swimwear, dinner clothing , toiletries , etc that cover the first day on the ship

 

 

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[ray98]

You are being paranoid.

[lizardhowson]

Yep, you're being paranoid.

[searoses]

My sister watched about a dozen bags hit the water while going onboard.....they were fished out so not technically lost but that was enough for me to never hand them over....we only do carryon for flights so not that much if a burden!:cool:

[grandmarnnurse]

My sister watched about a dozen bags hit the water while going onboard.....they were fished out so not technically lost but that was enough for me to never hand them over....we only do carryon for flights so not that much if a burden!:cool:

While getting off the ship after a cruise back in 2002, we saw a bag that looked like ours fall off into the water. We joked that that looked like ours. Well, ours WAS missing, and ended up being delivered to our house via UPS about a week later. Thank goodness it was only all personal products.

[luckybecky]

We always take a small (carry-on) size suitcase that we keep with us at all times -- for any method of travel. Air, cruise, whatever. We aren't paranoid, but we know that in a very small percentage of cases, stuff happens.

 

In that suitcase, we include one complete change of clothes for each of us. Something to sleep in. Basic toiletries such as toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant. Medications. NEVER check your meds. Also medical devices such as CPAP machine if you use such. If you like to use your expensive jewelry on formal night, you should never check that. Keep it in your carryon. Some people like to put their swimsuit in there too, in case luggage is delivered late. You can change in the spa locker room and hit the pool the moment you get onboard.

 

I have posted similar to this before, and I will continue to always advocate a small carryon suitcase always. If you prefer, it could be a backpack with basic essentials. We also cross-pack as others have already suggested. If one of your suitcases is lost, you still each have half your clothes.

 

If you travel with tons of luggage, then yes you should check those. The chances of something happening to them are very slim and you should be fine. No need to haul all that around with you. But do always have that "just in case" small suitcase that you keep with you. It's not hard to hang onto it until you can put it in your room at 1pm.

[SkyPiglet]

After reading posts on here about lost luggage I am really beginning to get paranoid. We leave for our first cruise tomorrow and I’m considering carrying on our luggage instead of checking it in. Both of us will have one 26” spinner and a small bag. In order to make everything fit our spinners will be just under the 50lb mark. Will we look completely ridiculous carrying it on ourselves? Do others do this? Lol :)

1. Are you being paranoid? Maybe a little, but it is understandable. Though really rare, there are occasions where things go missing.
   
2. Will you look ridiculous? I don't think so, you will NOT be the only ones.
   
3. Do others do this? Yes, but not everyone.
   

It sounds like you guys packed relatively light, so if it makes you feel better, I would just carry it on. The only concerns are "Do you care if you have to keep track of your stuff until your room is ready?" and "Will your stuff be in other people's way?" As long as you can manage to keep track of your things, and be mindful of others, it's all good. My wife and I pack light. Last cruise (7 day), we had a 26" spinner and backpack each, like you. After boarding, we found a small table, placed out bags underneath, and then took turns getting food, and remained there until about 1:15pm, then headed down to doors leading to the staterooms and waited for the rooms to be ready at 1:30pm. Next cruise (7 day), we are downsizing to one spinner and two backpacks between the two of us.

 

I think a lot of folks pack a lot (their choice), and it is really cumbersome to NOT use the porters. For light packers, it is not problem at all to self-assist, as long as you are ok with it. At any rate, have a great cruise!

[briehon]

Just off the Valor. First time I had ever carried on because of threads on this forum. LOTS of people carried on. And sure enough, second to last day received a notice in our room to look for misplaced luggage. I asked the room steward about it and he said it happens almost EVERY cruise. Never checking again.

 

 

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[Purvis1231]

A cruise port is not like a airport where dozens of different planes are going in different directions. Most cruise ports luggage is all going in one direction- on the ship. There is much less chance for lost luggage but anything could had. I always buy insurance that covers lost luggage, I know that really is not much help while on the ship but at least it is something.

[DrSea]

it is just faster to carry on. the line to check it in for me was very long.

[simplelife]

On one of our short cruises we took only a small rollaboard each and a tote bag. We carried our luggage on - no lines or tips for checked luggage. Who cares if others though we looked stupid?

[Elaine5715]

Some people whose luggage was "lost" will not mention that they didn't attach their tags well or at all. They likely didn't have a name tag attached as a back up. I have seen multiple people leave bags without tags with the porters and run off so they don't need to tip.

[Surrealistic]

We pretty much always carry on............but we take an airline approved carry on size and a backpack each. Had a scare once.............on "another cruise line".......got the luggage 1 am after embarking. No harm , no foul but we like to keep it with us ................same on airlines. Don't want to have a problem on my vacation about lost luggage. Not for everyone, but we like packing light anyway. Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide to do!

[Harrier1961]

After reading posts on here about lost luggage I am really beginning to get paranoid. We leave for our first cruise tomorrow and I’m considering carrying on our luggage instead of checking it in. Both of us will have one 26” spinner and a small bag. In order to make everything fit our spinners will be just under the 50lb mark. Will we look completely ridiculous carrying it on ourselves? Do others do this? Lol :)

 

 

 

Do you realize that the people that post here are a small percentage of the cruising public?

 

 

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[Rudyard]

Put half of your clothes and half of your husband's clothes in each checked luggage. If one gets lost, at least you'll each have some clothes to get you through

 

We do it this way as well, plus I carry on a backpack with a couple of changes of underwear and a couple of extra shirts. This way if things really go south we at least have clothes to get us to the next port.

[healizord]

If you pack light, carrying your luggage is no big deal. It doesn’t take that long before you can drop your luggage in your room and unpack. That way you don’t have to worry.

 

 

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