What happens to luggage if cabin not assigned until pier check in

[duck tune]

For those who have booked a "guarantee" category and did not get your cabin assignment until check in at the cruise ship terminal, did your checked luggage get forwarded to the correct stateroom? Where you given instructions to make sure it got directed correctly or is this a non-issue?

 

I know on the HAL luggage tags we list staterooms so am curious about luggage that has no stateroom to begin with and how it finds the right owners. We had an upgrade at the pier and were told to tell the front desk and they notified housekeeping to watch for our luggage with the original cabin number and label it for redirection to the new cabin. It arrived without any trouble. Just wondered if anyone has had experience with this since luggage is checked before passengers check in for the ship.

[jhannah]

The luggage handlers have a manifest so they can check cabin numbers when none appear on the tag. If you put a number on the tag and were upgraded at the pier, then your luggage will be delayed a bit while it is delivered to the stateroom you thought you would occupy. (We had this happen to us once. But it made it to us in good time.)

[Copper10-8]

Yup! And if that happens to you, i.e. due to an upgrade, you will see the new cabin number in big black marker numbers written over the old number on your tags

[tjcox9]

Yup, love to see the big black updated cabin #!

 

On one cruise, I didn't realize it until I got excursion tickets that I've booked on line - somehow, I'd been bumped up three times in the process!! Not complaining and it hasn't happened again and my upgrade fairy probably worked overtime on that one for sure.

[Navy_Chief]

No worries, we didn't have our cabin number until we arrived at the pier for the Rotterdam. We left the room number blank until we got there and the HAL staff members told us what the room number was. I wrote it in on the spot.

[duck tune]

Thank you for the information. We have booked a cruise on the Oosterdam in December and decided to try a "guarantee" so was curious what would happen with luggage if no cabin was assigned until we get to San Diego. We have always booked a specific cabin but thought it might be fun to be surprised. On the first cruise we ever took several people did not have luggage for 3 days and they were not happy!

[cruisequeen10]

I always carry my luggage on board myself. I pack so I can carry everything with me. That way my luggage arrives at the cabin the same time that I do.

[Navy_Chief]

Yeah that cruise on Rotterdam was a "Guaranteed Upgrade" and we were in Greece visiting with family during the Olympics in 2004. I didn't have access to the internet so we just waited until we got pierside and we weren't dissapointed with the room assignment. We got to the ship and passed rapidly through the checkin process and taken strait to the room. To our suprise, the luggage arrived within 10 minutes while we were still checking out the room. Have a good cruise.

[jhannah]

I always carry my luggage on board myself. I pack so I can carry everything with me.

Everything??? All you need for the entire cruise? Please ... share with us how you do it.

[duck tune]

I agree! I'd like to know how to pack myself and DH for a cruise with only carry on luggage!

 

I understand about the chnaging the room numbers of the cabin if you originally had a cabin assigned, I just didn't know what the crew would do if there was no number there to begin with!

 

Thanks!

[cruisequeen10]

First I have my wheelie which has my water, gingerale, video camera, cosmetic stuff etc. Then I have one of those bags on wheels (you know the ones that the cruise lines sell towards the end of the cruise, because everybody has bought so much stuff that they need an extra bag to carry them home in and the bag also expands). With both of them on wheels, it is easy to manouver them. My travel agent told me a couple of cruises ago to never check you luggage at the pier, but to pack light and carry them on yourselves. One day I am going to check the bag and it will go missing and I won't have my stuff. This had happened on our Panama Canal cruise (14 days) way back in 1983 to someone else and I felt sorry for her. Can you imagine it happening to you. You go shopping and spend all that money on new clothes and then something happens and you can't wear them. Also the rule of packing is to pack, then remove half then half again. Trust me it works. You can wear the same thing twice you know. Unless you spill something on them then you can't.

[peaches from georgia]

I understand about the chnaging the room numbers of the cabin if you originally had a cabin assigned, I just didn't know what the crew would do if there was no number there to begin with!

The reps at the terminal have a list of all pax/cabin #'s. If you don't have any cabin # written on your luggage tags they will write it in. Lost bags are from airline problems, not that HAL crew can't figure out where you are, even if your luggage got on the ship w/out a completed tag.

[Copper10-8]

I understand about the chnaging the room numbers of the cabin if you originally had a cabin assigned, I just didn't know what the crew would do if there was no number there to begin with!

That's why it's so important that you have a luggage tag (or more than one) with your name/address on it attached to your luggage. And I'm not talking about the tags that HAL sends you~

[NHBob]

First I have my wheelie which has my water, gingerale, video camera, cosmetic stuff etc. Then I have one of those bags on wheels (you know the ones that the cruise lines sell towards the end of the cruise, because everybody has bought so much stuff that they need an extra bag to carry them home in and the bag also expands). With both of them on wheels, it is easy to manouver them. My travel agent told me a couple of cruises ago to never check you luggage at the pier, but to pack light and carry them on yourselves. One day I am going to check the bag and it will go missing and I won't have my stuff. This had happened on our Panama Canal cruise (14 days) way back in 1983 to someone else and I felt sorry for her. Can you imagine it happening to you. You go shopping and spend all that money on new clothes and then something happens and you can't wear them. Also the rule of packing is to pack, then remove half then half again. Trust me it works. You can wear the same thing twice you know. Unless you spill something on them then you can't.

That's all well and good if you travel to the port by road. However, my experience is that when things go astray, it's on the air line, not the cruise line, and you obviously can't carry all your stuff on the plane (or if you do I hope I'm not sitting next to you!).

 

One other point: at one time HAL in Ft. Lauderdale was intercepting HAL-tagged bags before they reached baggage claim. Therefore, I never put the HAL tags on until after I claim the bags at the airport. At least that way if the airline has lost a bag I'll know it before sailing and can file the necessary paperwork. On one Caribbean cruise American manged to lose some 40 bags including one of mine on a Boston-Ft. Lauderdle nonstop flight, but at least they did get mine to me at our first port, St. Thomas, a couple of days later. Would have been a different story if I had been leaving on a transatlantic crossing.

[cruisequeen10]

Of course if I was flying, I would take the wheelie on board, then the other bag I would check. But once you get to the ship, they both go on with me.

[RuthC]

I think the unasked question comes down to How do you fit even a week's worth of clothing, necessities, etc, in two carry-on size pieces of luggage?

After all, the luggage you bring onboard yourself has to fit through those security devices.

[Copper10-8]

I think the unasked question comes down to How do you fit even a week's worth of clothing, necessities, etc, in two carry-on size pieces of luggage?

After all, the luggage you bring onboard yourself has to fit through those security devices.

 

You wear five sets of clothing on top of each other and put your formals on last!;)

[carole52m]

More power to you to fit it all into two bags and shlep it on the ship yourself. Not for me!!!

 

If you are a business traveler and need to restrict what you bring on business trips, nothing is as much fun as overloading on the wardrobe for cruising. Not me - I will take my chances with checking - and if items are lost - thats what insurance and stores are for!!!:D So far, I have never lost luggage. If I wear everything I pack on a cruise - then I didnt pack enough!!!

 

One tip, if travelling with a spouse - intermix your clothes and undies with your spouse - so no one is completely without items in the event of a loss and always carry a change of clothes/undies in the hand carried.