Luggage Forwarding Service Recommendation Needed

[MHF]

The quick question...can anyone recommend a luggage forwarding service that is not the Ss one?  I'm looking at Luggage Free but hoping for suggestions.

 

The long explanation...a college friend invited me to Italy for 3 weeks in October.  We're done 3 days before I'm boarding the Shadow in Lisbon.  My thought is to fly over with day touring clothes (she doesn't do dressy dinners) which can be washed before I board.  Then ship "fancier" clothes and a few other pieces to Lisbon.  I will fly to Lisbon from Rome a few days before boarding Shadow for 3 weeks.  We are doing a lot of trains, stairs, apartments, etc, and I don't/can't mess with 2 large suitcases.  The other alternative is to spend the 4 formal nights in the Grill or La T which isn't a bad thing and hope I can fit a few informal items in the suitcase.

 

Any other planning thoughts about almost 7 weeks away appreciated!

 

Yes, Lois, retirement = travel.  Have an a-MUSING time in Alaska!

Missy in Maryland, fingers and toes crossed that I get to go somewhere this fall

[Gourmet Gal]

For one, consider packing more lightly by carrying items that are easily hand washed and dried overnight.  I highly recommend you check out Anatomie clothing.  The pieces are made for travel and are so comfortable, stretchy, light-weight for flying and they are incredibly packable. You can wash in the sink and the pants are so light-weight they dry faster than a swimsuit.  The pants are made of a special fabric from Italy and you can dry them in minutes with a hair-dryer.  By saving the cost of luggage forwarding you can invest in some Anatomie pieces that can work for casual and dressier.  Just add t-shirts for day and a few silky blouses for dressier formal nights. Check out their website before you make your decision.

[Observer]

I have used Luggage Forward multiple times and have been very pleased by their efficient and personal service.  In a couple of instances there were surprises not of their making, for example a Crystal ship made the sudden decision to disembark passengers in San Diego rather than Los Angeles. Luggage Forward come through. 

[jollyjones]

It doesn't matter how long you are away for, if you have any access to laundry facilities (even just rinsing out in the basin and hanging over the bath) you only need clothes for four or five days max. As Gourmet said, get travel clothes - easy to wash, dry and pack.

Yes, it's boring wearing the same stuff but soooo much better than lugging heavy suitcases around. No-one else cares or even notices that you are repeating clothes.

I haven't checked a bag for many years now, it's such a relief to know I'll have all my stuff when I arrive at my destination. And I like cruises around three weeks long, so I'm usually away for quite a while with pre- and post-cruise stays. And the dreaded packing is a breeze, done in ten minutes.

Formal nights are easy with dark pants and a pretty tee shirt. Maybe a necklace. Men can get by with dark pants, a decent jacket (which can be worn when travelling), shirt and tie.

OK, a couple of caveats:

A large variation in temperatures during the trip is trickier but just needs a warm jacket and carefully planned layers.

Liquids - if you need more than you can fly with or SS provides, you have to work out a plan to purchase what you want before embarkation. Easy if you always fly in well ahead, but maybe not so easy for pax who fly in day of embark, which I find incomprehensible.

 

Sorry this isn't what you asked for, OP, but maybe it's food for thought. I never considered that cruising without a big suitcase full of stuff was possible, until I tried it. 

 

I'm off to Alaska on the Muse soon (not the same date as Lois) and, as always, will only travel with carry on despite the temperature range I'll be facing from here in Bermuda to Skagway  - after so long not being able to travel it's great to be dusting off my wardrobe of travel clothes. And dieting off the Covid weight to fit into them.

Edited July 27, 2021 by jollyjones

[Lois R]

9 hours ago, MHF said:

The quick question...can anyone recommend a luggage forwarding service that is not the Ss one?  I'm looking at Luggage Free but hoping for suggestions.

 

The long explanation...a college friend invited me to Italy for 3 weeks in October.  We're done 3 days before I'm boarding the Shadow in Lisbon.  My thought is to fly over with day touring clothes (she doesn't do dressy dinners) which can be washed before I board.  Then ship "fancier" clothes and a few other pieces to Lisbon.  I will fly to Lisbon from Rome a few days before boarding Shadow for 3 weeks.  We are doing a lot of trains, stairs, apartments, etc, and I don't/can't mess with 2 large suitcases.  The other alternative is to spend the 4 formal nights in the Grill or La T which isn't a bad thing and hope I can fit a few informal items in the suitcase.

 

Any other planning thoughts about almost 7 weeks away appreciated!

 

Yes, Lois, retirement = travel.  Have an a-MUSING time in Alaska!

Missy in Maryland, fingers and toes crossed that I get to go somewhere this fall

Hi Missy, hope you have a great trip but keep your eyes on Portugal....the CDC moved them up to a level 4 for travel😲....I have a cruise booked on Spirit out of Lisbon in October too.......you have to wonder how long SS will wait to make a sailing decision.........

[MHF]

5 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Missy, hope you have a great trip but keep your eyes on Portugal....the CDC moved them up to a level 4 for travel😲....I have a cruise booked on Spirit out of Lisbon in October too.......you have to wonder how long SS will wait to make a sailing decision.........

Yep, I found that out about 45 minutes after I booked the Rome to Lisbon flight!  Thank goodness it was only about 8,000 Visa points for the ticket. ($100 for Premium Economy w/1 bag)

 

Spain was moved up too and we have 2 stops in Spain.  I am now wishing I did like you and hoped on a Greek cruise this summer!

\

[bitob]

I use Luggage Forward for every trip I take.

Very reliable

Never had a problem

[luvmesometravel]

Curious, why do people forward their luggage? I have always lugged my own bags and hate it but I just recently checked out a luggage company and wowza!! they are as much as an airline ticket. I am thinking there might be reasons I do not know of as to why people do it.  

[bitob]

We do it because we can!

It is just easier to travel without checked baggage.

We think it's worth the money.

We live in Tucson where we NEVER have a direct flight to anywhere.

We do not want to worry about the luggage making it to the destination.

We do not want to shlep it if we have to overnight between flights or go from Southwest at LAX over to the Bradley international terminal.

 

We just returned from a Crystal cruise to the Bahamas.  Our outbound flight from Tucson was cancelled due to mechanical issues (we were already on the plane).  We had to drive to Phoenix to get a flight later that day.  Good thing our luggage was already in Nassau and we did not have to worry about getting it off the Tucson flight.

 

We ship to our precruise hotel and it is there waiting for us.

BTW -- we do not ship it home.  If it is late, delayed or lost no big deal.

[luvmesometravel]

12 minutes ago, bitob said:

We do it because we can!

It is just easier to travel without checked baggage.

We think it's worth the money.

We live in Tucson where we NEVER have a direct flight to anywhere.

We do not want to worry about the luggage making it to the destination.

We do not want to shlep it if we have to overnight between flights or go from Southwest at LAX over to the Bradley international terminal.

 

We just returned from a Crystal cruise to the Bahamas.  Our outbound flight from Tucson was cancelled due to mechanical issues (we were already on the plane).  We had to drive to Phoenix to get a flight later that day.  Good thing our luggage was already in Nassau and we did not have to worry about getting it off the Tucson flight.

 

We ship to our precruise hotel and it is there waiting for us.

BTW -- we do not ship it home.  If it is late, delayed or lost no big deal.

Thank you for your answer.  That all makes perfect sense.  With the airlines being the way they are these days it might just be worth the money.  We NEVER have a direct flight to anywhere either now (we moved last year)  and have not traveled since nor thought about those points.  

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, bitob said:

We do it because we can!

It is just easier to travel without checked baggage.

We think it's worth the money.

We live in Tucson where we NEVER have a direct flight to anywhere.

We do not want to worry about the luggage making it to the destination.

We do not want to shlep it if we have to overnight between flights or go from Southwest at LAX over to the Bradley international terminal.

 

We just returned from a Crystal cruise to the Bahamas.  Our outbound flight from Tucson was cancelled due to mechanical issues (we were already on the plane).  We had to drive to Phoenix to get a flight later that day.  Good thing our luggage was already in Nassau and we did not have to worry about getting it off the Tucson flight.

 

We ship to our precruise hotel and it is there waiting for us.

BTW -- we do not ship it home.  If it is late, delayed or lost no big deal.

Hi, and the luggage has always arrived at the ship correctly? On time? No issues?

Oh, you ship it to the hotel that you are staying at pre-cruise...that probably makes it easier too.

[bitob]

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi, and the luggage has always arrived at the ship correctly? On time? No issues?

Oh, you ship it to the hotel that you are staying at pre-cruise...that probably makes it easier too.

I always ship it to the hotel precruise -- not to the ship -- usually to arrive 4 or 5 days before I will arrive -- gives you a chance to find it in case of a problem but I have never had any problem.

The hotel concierge always notifies me when the luggage arrives.  Luggage Forward also notifies you and I have now put Apple Air Tags in my luggage so I always know where it is.

[cece50]

Highly recommend Luggage Forward especially for cruises. We have used it for every cruise.  The staff in Boston are on top of everything and follow up with texts.  Our luggage has always been on time or early. Not everyone can do a carry on for a two week cruise, I certainly can’t and I am a light packer. Some people can’t handle heavy carryons that they have to hoist into the overhead or tire easily dragging suitcases to airport. This service is great for those of us who prefer to travel stress free and still have our wardrobe choices at hand.  It really helps at international ports where taxis are small.  Certainly understand the carryon fans,  but if that’s not important to you, I recommend Luggage Forward.  

[spinnaker2]

This has been really helpful to me as I am not a light packer( sorry JP and Gourmet and Jolly I tried, i mean I really tried). I did better on this cruise to the Moon, but not good enough. 

Now that DH has some issues with his back i think the sending of the luggage is a very good alternative.

Thanks for all of the posts and info. 

[Lois R]

Spins,  no need to apologize🙂........I use one checked bag and one carry on every cruise. I realize some cruisers like to pack light and bring a carry on only and that is great.  We are all different people and what works for one person may not work for someone else.  I don't feel like I am an overpacker but I do know what I want to bring will not fit in a carry on only.

 

Different strokes🙂

[scottjeanne]

Luggage First does not service South America.  We have an extension (through the ship) to Iguazu falls and then on to Rio and home. I understand that I cannot take all our luggage on the domestic flights and will need to send it home.  Other post extension excursions are round trip Buenos Aires and so they store your luggage at the hotel, but that will not work for us.  Anybody have any suggestions?

[bitob]

4 hours ago, scottjeanne said:

Luggage First does not service South America.  We have an extension (through the ship) to Iguazu falls and then on to Rio and home. I understand that I cannot take all our luggage on the domestic flights and will need to send it home.  Other post extension excursions are round trip Buenos Aires and so they store your luggage at the hotel, but that will not work for us.  Anybody have any suggestions?

There is also a BIG difference between Luggage Forward and Luggage Free for South America.  When we did our Antarctica cruise, we shipped bags to our Santiago hotel.  Luggage Free advised me that Chilean regulations required us to pick up our bags at customs (talk about inconvenient!    Luggage Forward sent the bags right to the hotel.