Carrying On All Luggage

[young_k92]

I'd like to hear from those who have actually done it regarding their experience. Please don't reply in order to give me all the reasons I shouldn't carry everything on. I'm well aware of the arguments. I think there are an equal number of reasons both for and against the practice. I'm just wanting to hear from people who have actually done it about their experiences doing it. Yes, my luggage all fits. I don't need luggage size information either. THIA

[Lee Cruiser]

We did it on one of our cruises out of New Orleans.  We did not arrive to the port until 1:15 or so (1:00-1:30 check in time).  Since we were later arriving, we were able to go straight through security, check in, on the ship, and straight to our rooms to unpack.  Very easy process.  We are platinum now, but if we were taking on all of our luggage, we would wait until after 1:00 to arrive again.

[Carolina Girl 99]

We took our first cruise out of Port Canaveral last summer. We drove down as we normally do, but on the morning of embarkation vs going the day before like we do when we sail out of Miami. We got to the port around 12:30 and decided we didn't need to check any luggage since cabins would be just about ready when we boarded. We had 1 medium sized spinner case and 1 carry-on each and it worked out perfectly- so well, that I plan to do it again when we sail out of PC again this September

[cruisecheap]

We carried all of our luggage on the last three cruises. When we boarded in Honolulu the security person questioned me in why I did not check my luggage. The only issue I have is carrying the luggage up the stairs although you can use the elevator. Also if you board early you may need to carry your luggage around until the rooms open. Our last cruises were destination cruises, so we had tours in embarking cities and arrived late at the port.

[HerbertandB]

We carried on and off for our cruise out of NOLA last year.  Both of us had 26" spinner suitcases which had to be less than 50lbs each since we flew.  Herbert had a backpack with our electronics and the 2 bottles of wine.  Like the poster above,  we arrived later (12:30ish for a 1:00 check-in).  There was a line but it moved pretty quick.  We did have to handle the luggage going up an escalator.  We've done that plenty of times on other vacations so that wasn't an issue.  The only problem we had was I was a weakling and had to have Herbert lift my suitcase on to the scanner belt.   Getting them up the "gangplank" wasn't an issue.  

 

Once on the ship, we made a stop at the excursion desk and then had to wait a few minutes before we could get an open elevator to get to our deck.  By then, it was after 1:30 so we went straight to our room.  

 

B

[Purvis1231]

We never did this but we had some friends who had car trouble and were late so they had to carry on all their bags. Some of their bags were too big for the scanner so it was hand checked. After this they were sent on their way. When a crew member saw them struggling with their luggage up the gangway, the crew member helped them to the ship. He lead them to the cabin to drop off the luggage. 

[bury me at sea]

We travel with one carry-on and one medium sized piece of luggage each.  Our last three or four cruises we have managed our own luggage from the car to our cabin.  Easy as pie.

 

We had FTTF each time, which makes a difference since our cabins have been ready, but I would probably continue to do it this way even without FTTF.

[riffatsea]

We always carry our luggage onto ships ourselves. There are no "cons" to that practice.

We just like to have control of our own things.

We rarely check bags on planes either.

I am the queen of packing and DH is great at it too.

[young_k92]

Thanks to all who replied. This makes me feel confident it is very doable. I plan to schedule a later check in time so our room will be ready. I just don't like the feeling of wondering if my luggage will actually arrive at my stateroom, and carrying it all on will solve that issue for me. Thanks again everyone!

[SRQbeachgirl]

We always carry our bags on ourselves and have never had any problems. We each take a carry-on size spinner and a backpack or tote. If we're going to be snorkeling, we take an extra spinner case with our snorkel equipment (this case usually comes home with more stuff than we take!). That extra spinner case gets checked in at the airport and the rest gets carried on the plane with us. We always get FTTF, so once we get to the ship we just roll our bags straight to our cabin, rather than turning them over to a porter for later delivery.

 

We take our bags off ourselves when we disembark, instead of leaving them outside our door the night before. We don't even bother packing until about 45 minutes before we get off the ship, but we are fast packers. The advantage of this is that we don't use up any of that last precious night with packing.

 

Unlike our flight at the beginning of the trip, once we get to the airport for our return flight we check everything except our backpack or tote (we get two free checked bags each). We do this because we usually have 2 - 4 hours before our flight, so we can have lunch and wander around without having to lug our bags with us.  

[bury me at sea]

15 minutes ago, young_k92 said:

Thanks to all who replied. This makes me feel confident it is very doable. I plan to schedule a later check in time so our room will be ready. I just don't like the feeling of wondering if my luggage will actually arrive at my stateroom, and carrying it all on will solve that issue for me. Thanks again everyone!

 

You're welcome.  I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[Clarasgrandma]

We always carry our luggage on,,,each have a roller bag and a backpack....once we each had a 12 pack too.  We usually board as early as we can, like 11:30 and then find a place to park our stuff and eat while we wait for our room to be ready. A little inconvenient but having control over our stuff outweighs that.

[wealwayswander]

I agree - no cons except the physical packing of your luggage.... encourages you to pack lighter.   If we have FTTF we get there whenever we want and drop bags in the room, no FTTF we just time it so we arrive after 1:30.   I like never worrying about losing my bags

[Emmabelle]

well I wish we had carried off our own luggage on Friday since Carnival lost my suitcase somewhere between the ship and the terminal.  They called late Friday to say they found it, waiting now to see how long it takes to get from POM to our home north of Boston.

 

My husband has a business trip today and he asked me where are my dress shoes?  Idk, somewhere on the east coast?  haha

Edited July 8, 2019 by Emmabelle

[mgasaway]

I almost always carry my own on board and off.  I pack very light and I seldom arrive before a 1:30 check-in so the cabin is always ready.  Some of the gangways onto the ship can be a bit steep, so if you have major mobility issues I wouldn't do it. 

[jimbri]

Except for our first cruise we carry our own luggage.  We sail out of NYC and take the Metro North train to Grand Central and a cab crosstown ( we used to walk crosstown).  This time was a little different.  I broke my hip back in March so I had a rollator walker with me.  We put two cases on it and my husband wheeled the other. Worse part was getting on and off Metro North.  Trains were just running on middle track so we had to go on a metal ramp with a very big gap to the train.  Luckily a conductor helped us - we were quite a sight!.  This was the June 24th cruise. So, I don't think you will have any problems. Enjoy your trip! 

 

[evandbob]

Except for our Alaskan and Med cruises, we have rolled our one suitcase each onto the ship, no problems, I'm not trying to carry a case of water/soda along as well.  I have passed some folk struggling with their multiple luggage on the inclined gangway entering the ship.

 

My suitcase generally weighs in at 25 lbs and rolls so easily, even uphill.  Perhaps in another decade, age or infirmary may make this harder to do, but for now, we are both easily capable of rolling our suitcase onto the ship.

[young_k92]

36 minutes ago, mgasaway said:

I almost always carry my own on board and off.  I pack very light and I seldom arrive before a 1:30 check-in so the cabin is always ready.  Some of the gangways onto the ship can be a bit steep, so if you have major mobility issues I wouldn't do it. 

No mobility issues here. Yet. Thank the Lord. But thanks in case there were.

[obx_fintoo]

We always carry on and off.  No issues.  One thing I will say is that occasionally we have had aggressive porters telling us that our suitcases won't fit through the scanner and that we must drop off.  We just tell them that they have fit the last (insert # here) cruises, thanks!   😎  Enjoy your cruise!

[ed01106]

I have carried onto cruises all of my luggage.  But I also carried that same luggage onto the flight.  If your luggage is small and light enough to carry onto the plane, it is no problem carrying it onto the ship.  OTOH  if you checked a bag for the flight it is probably too heavy bulky to self bring onto the ship.

 

There were people who didn’t carry all their luggage onto the ship, but still were carrying more.  I don’t think the issue is all vs some, but how much can you handle without being a roadblock for others.

[young_k92]

1 hour ago, obx_fintoo said:

We always carry on and off.  No issues.  One thing I will say is that occasionally we have had aggressive porters telling us that our suitcases won't fit through the scanner and that we must drop off.  We just tell them that they have fit the last (insert # here) cruises, thanks!   😎  Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for the heads up. We'll be ready!

[jdemps]

I plan to carry on my bag at port everglades this next FEB on Sunrise.  Does anyone know if there are any stairs to manage at that port?  Escalators are no issue since we manage those at the airports and rental agencies all the time.  thanks.

[mdsgu]

Carrying on your luggage is a breeze when you have just a carry-on and maybe a backpack.  And if you are p/d or have FTTF, you can toss everything in your room right away.  This is what we do.  Our last cruise was in the Med (10 day Italy/Greece) and it was so easy to not have to deal with porters and waiting for our luggage to arrive.

 

You have a great idea, and I highly recommend it!

[pacruise804]

16 hours ago, young_k92 said:

Thanks to all who replied. This makes me feel confident it is very doable. I plan to schedule a later check in time so our room will be ready. I just don't like the feeling of wondering if my luggage will actually arrive at my stateroom, and carrying it all on will solve that issue for me. Thanks again everyone!

 

We carried all our luggage on our two Pride cruises with FTTF.  The later check in time is wise both so your room is ready, but also so you aren't as crowded in the terminal while waiting to board.  That is the only place I really felt crowded and potentially intruding on other's space.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

We always take our luggage aboard with us. Go straight to the room whether ready or not. Never been denied just leaving it in the room and leaving. If the room is ready. Unpack, look where the muster station is located, check the time for it and go eat.