Luggage Tags - When Do U Put Yours On?

[Froufie]

Just got my docs and luggage tags and ready to sail. My TA told me NOT to put my luggage tags on my luggage until morning of the cruise (we are flying in day before) cuz she claims they get torn off/lost etc by airport handlers.

 

I always heard to put them on in case luggage gets lost - if they see cruise tags they may handle them w/priority as they know you are leaving on a ship!

 

What do you do and why? (Honestly if they do get torn off or lost can't you just get more from the pier porter and just put them on their?)

 

Your thoughts?

 

Froufie:cool:

[mikesteg]

Do the luggage tags have the flight info also? I wouldn't think so, and I would not want to have anything but the airport routing tags on the bags as they go through that system.

 

I would (always do) put a printed page with my info, WORK address, cellphone number, and the cruise information (including cruise line phone number) in side the bags and/or in a front pocket. Hopefully this would help the bags find their way more quickly if lost. For the cost of a few cents, can't hurt...

[Wennfred]

Just got my docs and luggage tags and ready to sail.

 

Mine go on at the hotel if Im driving down. If Im flying they go on before we leave the house. Because if your luggage gets lost, I heard the Carnival staff at the Airport will get them to you, probably at the next port. Those tags are pretty hardy, I never lost one yet.

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

Do the luggage tags have the flight info also? I wouldn't think so .

 

Yes they do. The following info is off the back of my Pride Main Aft tag:

 

Name

Address

City, State Zip

Phone

Sailing Date

Airline

Orig. Flight No.

Returning Flight No.

Cabin No.

 

All in that order.

 

Fred

[Zyzygy]

As above, I put mine on before leaving home.

 

At least in the past airlines tried to prioritize cruise luggage, because it is more expensive for them to forward them on to a subsequent cruise port, and no airline wants someone complaining vocally to a thousand fellow passengers about their lousy luggage service.

 

I was on a European river cruise, when five days into a cruise a passenger announced sarcastically at dinner that Delta had finally gotten their bag to them. It was bad publicity for Delta.

 

You also never know when a plane might be overweight and luggage offloaded, etc. With the cruise tag on the bag, you at least have a fighting chance that the bag might make it to the ship.

 

Also, if you are flying on the day of cruise departure, you might not have time to wait in line at an airport like Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, etc., to file a written baggage claim form.

 

Having the cruise tag on the bag will give them a clue as to where it is supposed to go, as the tags include ship name and sailing date.

[GoinCruisin]

I don't bother to put them on until I get to the port... first cruise, they were all ripped off at the airport :mad: Won't do that again... I always get there the day before, so I'm not worried about them finding me... and I don't buy that they prioritize the luggage... I've had a luggage tag on one of my bags since my last cruise (I just hate taking it off!!! LOL)... my luggage was lost and not delivered for 3 days several months ago. They surely didn't rush to find it... I think that argument is a nice thought, but that's about all it is...

[finoky]

We always fly down a day early and we put the luggage tags on at the hotel the morning of embarkation.

[Homeseller]

DW & I always pot the tags on before we leave the Hotel on the day we sail. I have been told that the less you have on a suitcase besides the airline tag the better you are. It stands to reason that if some handler sees a cruise ship tag they micht think that there is something of value and try to take it.I do put contact information in the case incase it is lost but that's about all I do.

[Cotton]

Airport personnel seem to be confused enough already. Why add to that by having an assortment of tags on your luggage?:D

 

From what I've read on these boards, most seem to take the airline tags off and put the cruiseline tags on - before reaching the port. Makes sense to me.

[AppleValleyCruisers]

Another vote for at the hotel the night before or the day of the cruise. Paper tags with little rubber band things wouldn't seem to stand much of a chance in pre-and post flight handling, me thinks.....

[Guest YesitDonna]

We always put them on at home. I have never had them pull of and if I did, we can just more at the port.

[judyjbest]

We put ours on at the hotel after flying in a day early. Don't know why, but that's what we do.

 

I have heard warnings that the cruise luggage tags combined with your airport luggage tags can give any would-be burglar a heads up of your home address and your absence from your home during the cruise. I think the odds of that happening is slim, but I don't believe in advertising my empty home in any event.

[mrdood]

First cruise we put them on at home, airline lost two tags, we had extras with us, now we put them on right before going to the port.

[Lurkyloo]

This didn't happen the first time, but on our last cruise two of our tags were completely ripped off (which made it difficult when we were trying to located them at disembarkation!) They were in the "unknown" section. One of my Aunt's tags was also ripped off (just the stretchy string left on!) and one of them was half ripped off.

 

When my son went on his 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. for a week and was going to be in a different hotel every night, I was worried - he had the same type of tag! So I laminated the tag and put it on his bag with a zip tie. There was no way that sucker was coming off! ;)

 

Next time we cruise I am going to do the same with our luggage tags - it worked out great!

[LHP]

If we have to fly in (which I hate) we put them on at home and take extras with us in case some get torn off. We have always figured should our luggage get lost, it would help direct it to the proper ship (and/or port).

 

With the huge airline luggage sheets they put on them today, I doubt a small colored tag is going to create a mis-sort.

[ParrotRob]

Invest a couple of bucks and get some durable, more "permanent" bag tags with your information on them. Stick them on your bags and leave them there. Forever. Then put Carnival's on, but only when you're handing them to the porter at the terminal, that way you won't have to worry about them getting ripped off during the airline baggage handling process by human or machine.

[L2J]

Just got my docs and luggage tags and ready to sail. My TA told me NOT to put my luggage tags on my luggage until morning of the cruise (we are flying in day before) cuz she claims they get torn off/lost etc by airport handlers.

 

I always heard to put them on in case luggage gets lost - if they see cruise tags they may handle them w/priority as they know you are leaving on a ship!

 

 

Certainly makes sense to me - putting them on just before you get to the port.

 

I think that's wishful thinking.

[Stircrzy]

I'm always so excited to be cruising again that I fill mine out and laminate them as soon as I receive them in my docs pack a couple of weeks before my cruise.

 

Then I hang them from my ears and wear them until I get to the port...:D

[Froufie]

Well - certainly a mixed bag of responses? I never put my home address on my tags in any case as no need to advertise that one is away! I will be putting itinerary and ship info inside the luggage just in case.

 

I am tending to put tags on at home - and cruisemate McFinnigan is a laminating guru so I shall set her to work! Maybe that will help avoid them getting destroyed? And of course I can get more at the port if required.

 

Thanks to everyone for their insights and responses!:)

 

Froufie:cool:

[etwright]

On our first cruise recently, we flew in the day of and put the tags on our luggage at the baggage claim upon arrival. Except for the one suitcase that got lost. We were told that due the late arrival of the next flight that we would not be able to get our luggage if it showed up and they would fly it to the first port. To our surprise, the "lost luggage" showed up in our stateroom after dinner and someone had put a Carnival tag on it.

 

Any how, we did not remove them for the trip home and on our arrival back at Seattle, one of them had gotten ripped off in transit. So I would suggest waiting until arrival before putting them on. (Or bring the extra tag just in case).

[crusinpsychRN]

Just went to Cruise Critic gear to check out luggage tags and they are out of stock!

[Froufie]

Cruisemate McFinnigan (the laminating freak) is currenty (as we 'speak') doing a fabulous job of laminating those suckers - and to ensure they DON'T come off - we are going to attach them with the ever popular CABLE TIES!

 

YA - WATCH THOSE BABIES HANG ON!!! We believe this is the perfect solution and will report back on our return.

 

Froufie:D

 

P.S. I now have my laminated tags and they are fabulous - no way these will rip!....they even have a little hole in them for the cable tie attachment!:rolleyes: (yes I know - how 'anal' can one get?? ha ha ha )

[Caliber1]

We usually drive to the ports so we put them on when we get there. I tend to drive a little over the limit and the bags are in the back of the truck, wouldn't want them to blow off. We just hand the tags to the porter when he unloads the bags and it's no problem. We'll see how it works in Ft. Lauderdale in Jan.:D

 

Jess

[Wennfred]

Just went to Cruise Critic gear to check out luggage tags and they are out of stock!

 

They are out of Blue and White Polo shirts too !!! had to order 2 t-shirts.

[JulieMcCoy]

On Disney, they always told us not to put on the tags until the day of embarkation, if we were flying down a day early. I figured they didn't want the bags to accidentally get to the port a day early.