Luggage Direct service

This sounds like a very interesting service that avoids dealing with baggage and check in at the airport. It only costs $25 but has anyone used it, and if so, how did it work?

This sounds like a very interesting service that avoids dealing with baggage and check in at the airport. It only costs $25 but has anyone used it, and if so, how did it work?

Used it many times. It's great. You're almost first of the ship and through customs early. No bags to find and roll around. Worth ever cent paid. Bags end up at your destination.

Dan

We have used it twice and loved it. Unless something has changed it is only available for cruises disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale, Seattle and Anchorage and not all airlines participate.

Yes! It was fabulous in Seattle coming back from a Alaska cruise. They pick up our bags late the last evening, took them to SeaTac and gave them to our outgoing airline. We filed out a form giving our flight # and they took care of the bags and bused us to the airport the next day. We did not have to stand in the long lines to check in and check bags. We went straight to the TSA security lines.... breezed thru while others still stood in long lines to get rid of their bags.

Yes you WILL still pay you bag fee IF your reservation has a bag fee. HAL will charge your onboard acct for bag fees plus the Luggage Direct fee. They say they will also charge over weight fees too but have no experience with that issue. The service is soooooo worth it!

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We've used this service in every port its available. Its well worth the price.

Put your bags out the night before debarkation and pick them up at your final destination. No schlepping from customs to bus/taxi, and from drop off thru ticket counter.

Be sure to check the details. Not all airlines participate and there are time constraints as well regarding your departing flight time.

Bon voyage!

Just off of the N/A after Christmas. Had the opportunity to use this service for the first time and we loved it! Placed suitcases outside cabin door before midnight the night before disembarkation with the appropriate ship supplied airline tags and our suitcases were on the baggage round about in Edmonton on arrival! Well worth the $25.00 a piece fee! Not to mention being able to avoid the lineups at FLL airport! Might just be the best idea HAL has had in a long time. Seemed to be available for most airlines except Delta..they had some restrictions.

Can anyone tell me if Luggage Direct is available in Tampa? I think it Was Not last time we sailed there. Thanks

This service sounds better than I expected. Since it is available for FLL and JetBlue, I am inclined to give it a try. I do have 2 followup questions:

1. Can I sign up on board, or should I do it before we sail?

2. How will HAL know that I have free baggage because I booked with a JetBlue credit card?

Here is the link from HAL's website for Luggage Direct. Just put in your cruise info and airline for specifics or call them.

https://www.maketraveleasier.com/holland/services

This sounds like a very interesting service that avoids dealing with baggage and check in at the airport. It only costs $25 but has anyone used it, and if so, how did it work?

Well worth the $25. We opt for this every time we cruise.

Can anyone tell me if Luggage Direct is available in Tampa? I think it Was Not last time we sailed there. Thanks

From HALs FAQs:

Luggage Direct is available on most of our vessels when sailing domestically in and out of the following ports:

Anchorage

Fort Lauderdale

Seattle

Copenhagen — NEW — our first international option (available for Lufthansa and SAS Airlines only)

We got to use it once on a Celebrity cruise when we flew Delta but unfortunately for many Canadians, AC does not participate.

I'd thought customs were the challenge but it's the airline's choice.

Ruth

It looks like I might be the sole negative. Thought it was a great idea so I signed up on board (out of Ft Lauderdale). I got home and my luggage didn't. I filed a report with American who couldn't locate my luggage, although they claim it was scanned. I called Luggage Direct and they were hunting for it. Two days (and several conversations) later I got a call from HAL that my luggage had never left the pier. So they ended up sending it via FedEx to me. Happy that it was found and delivered to me but I will think twice before using it again.

If you are entitled to no baggage fee with your airline, be sure to bring proof of that onboard. We used luggage direct on NA for JetBlue flight from FLL in December, 2016.

I had purchased a checked bag option from JetBlue when booking our flights. When the NA forwarded our info to luggage direct they initially tried to charge another bag fee. Fortunately I had a copy of my original booking that clearly showed the fee had been paid. The front desk made a copy, emailed it to luggage direct and reversed the fee. Otherwise the service worked fine and we would use it again.

BTW, you do not have to leave the ship early if you use luggage direct. We had breakfast in the dining room and strolled off with one of the later groups, as we wished to do.

We get free bags with Alaska and initially we did get charged for bags but without my doing anything that charge was reversed in about 72 hrs.

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One negative at least in Fort Lauderdale is you have to disembark by 8:15am at the latest. My flight yesterday was not until 12:40pm, so I opted against using the service. Left the ship at 10:00am which was much nicer.

One negative at least in Fort Lauderdale is you have to disembark by 8:15am at the latest. My flight yesterday was not until 12:40pm, so I opted against using the service. Left the ship at 10:00am which was much nicer.

Why did you have to disembark by 8:15??

In case custom requests to check your luggage you are asked to disembark with the 8:15 group. This allows ample time for Luggage Direct to "re"-collect all the bags and get them to the airport.

I see .... thank you.

It must be rising in popularity. It was only $19 a little over a year ago.

Can anyone tell me if Luggage Direct is available in Tampa? I think it Was Not last time we sailed there. Thanks

Sadly it was not available in Tampa when I got off the Oosterdam on December 30th and, to add insult to injury, you can't check luggage for United flights more than 4 hours ahead of the flight time. As a result I had to "schlepp" my luggage around the airport for almost 4 hours. On the other hand, Tampa does have some very nice lounges, bars and restaurants before TSA security, so I was able to find a place to be comfortable and wait.

We have used it for several cruises out out of Seattle and Fort Lauderdale and have always had a positive experience!

I'm cruising on the Eurodam to Alaska out of Seattle in August. My return SWA flight has a layover in San Diego, so I'm wondering if Luggage Direct can accommodate a change of planes to the final destination. We're in a Neptune Suite, so we should be able to disembark shortly around 8am and our flight leaves at 11am. Will Luggage Direct work for us? I tried to sign up online, but it said it couldn't find the "parameters." I'll try calling them on Monday. Just wondered if anyone knew. Thanks!

I'm cruising on the Eurodam to Alaska out of Seattle in August. My return SWA flight has a layover in San Diego, so I'm wondering if Luggage Direct can accommodate a change of planes to the final destination. We're in a Neptune Suite, so we should be able to disembark shortly around 8am and our flight leaves at 11am. Will Luggage Direct work for us? I tried to sign up online, but it said it couldn't find the "parameters." I'll try calling them on Monday. Just wondered if anyone knew. Thanks!

I have done Luggage Direct out of Fort Lauderdale and with a change in planes... on Southwest too. No problem. regarding the 11 AM flight... if there are a few ships in port on that day, you are cutting it close. I have done one flight at 11:30 and made it to the gate.... with the flight already loading. Way too much stress. Good luck. And have a great cruise.

You can use Luggage Direct and change planes. I've done it more than once (always on SWA).

What is keeping you from booking the service is the time of your flight. Even in Ft. Lauderdale, where the airport is within spitting distance of the pier, the earliest flight allowed for Luggage Direct is 11:30. In Seattle you need a lot more time than this, as the airport is the other side of town from the pier.

Are you arriving on a weekday? If so, you need to allow for morning rush hour traffic, as you need to travel right through town. Even on a weekend, you need 45 minutes to an hour to get to the airport.

Our flight out of Seattle is not until 23:00. Also if we use our Delta Miles Credit card the luggage fees are waved. That said would we have to pay our airline luggage fee if we use this service?