LUGGAGE

[GeriatricNurse]

Can I take my 'weekender' size suitcase with me through Security at the 'Manhattan Cruise Terminal' prior to 'Check-In' rather than leave it with the porters outside the entrance?

[fox02554]

we always take our " carry on " with us , you'll be surprised by the people dragging fullized suitcases around the ship while they wait for their cabins to be ready 🙄

 

[cruiseny4life]

4 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

Can I take my 'weekender' size suitcase with me through Security at the 'Manhattan Cruise Terminal' prior to 'Check-In' rather than leave it with the porters outside the entrance?

Unless your "weekender size suitcase" is the size of a car, you'll be fine. We generally take just take our bookbag style backpacks, but on our nine day cruise we took our meets airline regs as a carry-on bag too (unless you're flying domestically in Russia, then the Aeroflot staff will yell at you). It was fine going through MCT security. In March, it's back to our backpacks only. 

[dbrown84]

you won't have any problems at all.  Everyone is different.  I never check any bags with the porters.  I don't want to wait for them to show up at some point

[julig22]

Simple answer. Your suitcase has to fit through the scanner.  Otherwise it has to be checked.

[GeriatricNurse]

4 hours ago, julig22 said:

Simple answer. Your suitcase has to fit through the scanner.  Otherwise it has to be checked.

My suitcase is 12" deep by 18" wide.

I've read that the limitation for the suitcase to fit through the scanner is 16" deep by 24" wide!

The length of the suitcase does not matter.

So, my suitcase will fit through the scanner.

[BirdTravels]

9 minutes ago, GeriatricNurse said:

My suitcase is 12" deep by 18" wide.

I've read that the limitation for the suitcase to fit through the scanner is 16" deep by 24" wide!

The length of the suitcase does not matter.

So, my suitcase will fit through the scanner.

As long it fits through a standard airport scanner, you're o.k. That being said, your fellow passengers would greatly prefer that you check your luggage with the porters. The terminal, gangway, and ship is very crowded and busy on embarkation day.  

[BirdTravels]

People are excited to be on vacation. They are excited to be on a cruise ship. There is no reason for someone to push their way past someone taking a photo (even with a somewhat polite excuse me). To the best of my knowledge (and we only cruise 6 or 7 times a year), the ship won't be leaving dock with people in the gangway. 

Edited October 7, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Ready to Sail!]

We took both our small carry on bags and 24 inch bags on board  with us on one of our NCL cruises. We were aware we could take our bags to one of the lounges and check them which we did. We walked around, had lunch for a couple of hours before our cabin was ready. Then we went and claimed our bags.  Not sure if all sailings offer this as we only did on our last NCL cruise but will in the future if possible. 

[PATRLR]

13 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

I must say, I'm also really baffled by the "dragging" luggage around comments.  Add me to the "couldn't care less" group.   I never had, and never will, check my luggage with the porters.  If someone has a problem with that, that is their problem

I'm OK with it as long as they aren't dragging it through the buffet line and blocking access, or, piling it up next to their table and again blocking access to walk by.

[hernando52]

I always bring my 16" under airline seat wheeled carryon with us onto the cruise ship.  This little case contains our medications, our travel documents, and anything else we perceive of value that we have with us.  Sitting on top of it is my husband's CPAP.  We go to O'Sheehan's as soon as we board and this luggage is tucked close to us and under the table.  We check our larger bags with the porters, but this case and CPAP will stay with us.   After lunch, we generally find a place to sit and stay out of the way until our room is ready.  I really have never taken note of what other cruisers are doing with luggage on embarkation day because we are starting our vacation!

[nferr]

I hate lugging stuff around. I take a good size tote bag with essentials, necessary papers, electronics, medicines, etc on board. My carry on size suitcase goes with the porters. Cruising for many years and never had an issue with that. That way I'm free to enjoy and explore the ship.

[styxfire]

It varies by port, staffing, maybe even season, clientele or the # of embarkations that day.

[hernando52]

Our luggage never causes a backup.....but husband does....1 knee, 2 hips & 1 shoulder replaced with metal parts...all of the bells and whistles go off when he goes through the metal detector!

[SeaShark]

12 minutes ago, CptAleSpill said:

Absolutely.  There are also three times as many things that people just make up on the internet.  I was just asking for confirmation that it was a "real" concern.  So far?  Crickets.....

 

Well, I figure that since the poster you addressed said it was a concern, that it, in fact was. At least to them. I have seen this behavior myself...on more than one occasion. Plenty of people drag luggage onto the ship themselves. It would almost be foolish to assume that none of them go to the buffet where that very luggage would be taking up space.

[GeriatricNurse]

25 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

Well, I figure that since the poster you addressed said it was a concern, that it, in fact was. At least to them. I have seen this behavior myself...on more than one occasion. Plenty of people drag luggage onto the ship themselves. It would almost be foolish to assume that none of them go to the buffet where that very luggage would be taking up space.

Whenever I board an NCL ship, I (immediately) proceed to my stateroom to deposit al my luggage, place some items in the safe, then proceed to a dining venue for lunch, (without) having to carry/pull ANY luggage/bags along with me!

[cruiseny4life]

22 minutes ago, GeriatricNurse said:

Whenever I board an NCL ship, I (immediately) proceed to my stateroom to deposit al my luggage, place some items in the safe, then proceed to a dining venue for lunch, (without) having to carry/pull ANY luggage/bags along with me!

Don't expect this to be the norm. We stay in the Haven and neither time was our stateroom available for us as soon as we boarded. In April we waited about half an hour. In September it was nearly three hours.

 

I'm not saying you haven't done this or that it doesn't continue to occur now, but in my experience I haven't been lucky. Thankfully we only carry backpacks with us.

[goldfada]

14 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

Whenever I board an NCL ship, I (immediately) proceed to my stateroom to deposit al my luggage, place some items in the safe, then proceed to a dining venue for lunch, (without) having to carry/pull ANY luggage/bags along with me!

I do this also. I smile at the stewards and say that I’m just going to drop the luggage in the cabin. It’s never been an issue. It does require ignoring the signs on the doors, however. 

[Ready to Sail!]

I really doubt it’s to avoid tipping.   There are a few good reasons for keeping your bags with you other than being cheap. 

[Laszlo]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Yes, several times.  Interesting what some will do to avoid tipping the SeaCaps.

I think its more about keeping your bag(s) safe and with you. 

[hernando52]

I don't feel relieved until our checked suitcases are in our stateroom.  When portside, DH & I sit on the balcony & watch the loading of goods & passenger suitcases.  We'll never forget when we watched a forklift with a pallet of suitcases drop the entire load into the water.....ooops!  Glad ours weren't amongst the load that got a free salt water rinse.......

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Yes, several times.  Interesting what some will do to avoid tipping the SeaCaps.

It has nothing to do with not tipping.  My first cruise, I simply didn't know you could check your bags and no one offered to check them.  Since then, I've seen no need to check them.  I don't want to wait around for my bag to show up or worse, get lost.  I have checked them at the luggage storage area before and tipped the attendant.      So, it's actually interesting that this is what you think 

[PTC DAWG]

All your giant bags, give them to the porters. 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

I think its more about keeping your bag(s) safe and with you. 

Perhaps but I've read too many comments complaining about the need to tip the porters, about how if you don't tip them, bad things happen to your bags.

[Treasure Hunter]

Good grief. The cruise line asks you to carry all meds and important papers ( and glasses) and a change of clothing or bathing suit in a carry on. Since I pack every medication known to man ( a doctor friend once joked that he could preform open heart surgery with what I bring) , I need a case with wheels. If you’ve ever gone to the ship’s medical center and ended up with a $1400 bill, you’ll know why.  Big bags,  we leave with the porters and tip generously ( they work really hard) and we are so happy to be cruising. Only once in 50+ cruises have we not received a bag in a timely manner and it was the trip around Cape Horn from Argentina . The tags had ripped off. So now we triple tag ( one in plastic) and info inside. And I pack half my clothes and half my spouse’s in each case. But I have no problem with people who are nervous and want to take everything with them. We have friends who went to Peru with carry ons. The husband had two drip dry shirts, one yellow and one blue but drew the line at paper panties.