Luggage valet

I'll be boarding in Rome this fall. As I'll be traveling for a few weeks before sailing I would like to send formal clothes ahead. Has anyone recently used the luggage valet program? Did it work well for you?

Thanks very much for your replies.

Another idea for you to consider: you will probably be in a hotel in Rome the evening before boarding. Ship it to the hotel and have them store it. Compare the prices.

Check out Luggage Concierge and Luggage Express. AS previous poster mentioned of you ship to a hotel it will be less expensive.

You can also UPS or FedEx your luggage to your hotel. They will hold it for you until you arrive at the hotel. Just write Hold for arrival xx/xx/xx on the shipping label. Works every time for us.

Rick

Thank to all for your replies.

Again thank you all for the information - however- I just checked with Baggage Valet and Fed Ex and they are both more expensive sending to hotel than Silversea is to send to the ship.

Interesting. Thanx for that.

It is a wonderful idea, especially if you have several air transfers in route to the ship which almost guarantee your luggage won't make it to the ship

However, beware of issues with local custom officials getting your luggage through local customs. We experienced huge delays in getting bags to Ritz Carolton Singapore from Dallas. Be aware you have to fill out custom forms which go into extreme detail as to what is in the suitcase. If you fail to dot the i's and cross the t's, your bags will remain in the custom's warehouse.

I love the concept of having your luggage waiting for you in the cabin, but local custom officers can be a real hurdle. (We used Fedex but it does not matter which carrier you use.)

Not certain we will do it again because of the local customs issues.

Jacko

I would add to the list Luggage Forward and Luggage Free.

I have used Luggage Free and Luggage Concierge.

It is worth a call to each one of them.

Some charge by weight, other by suitcase up to say 70 lbs.

Keith

We used Luggage Free two years ago (La Jolla/Barbados). Waiting at the hotel when we arrive. Would do it again. No customs problem.

I'm considering using Silversea's Baggage Valet service for my August cruise. Any opinions or comments, especially from travelers who have used the service more recently than the last post (September 2014)? I made use of Luggage Forward a few months ago when traveling to and from Manhattan, but I'd like to explore my options for sending my large bag ahead of me to the ship this time. Thanks.

We use Luggage Concierge for all our cruises. Great service and never had a problem. Check them out.

Priced all three for 35lb formal clothes bag for DW and I:

Luggage Free (ship to Barcelona hotel): about $200 (with $25 discount code for subscribing to email newsletter)

Luggage Concierge (ship to Barcelona hotel): over $500

Silversea Valet (ship to the Silver Wind): $425

I can't believe these prices! Well, yes I can, but WOW....So much $$$. It always sounded enticing, but now that I have the prices for the service there is NO way I would spend this kind of money! Penny wise, pound foolish? Probably.

Luggageforward.com - one 50 lb bag $124, 75 lb bag $154. It seemed like a lot of money except we we are touring for a week prior to embarking which means $100 in airline bag fees so $124 doesn't seem so outrageous.

Pricey, yes. However, I often travel alone, and there have been times (when I'm dragging a big suitcase through the airport) when I'd have handed over substantial bucks for someone to take my luggage off my hands. As the airlines' fees for checked bags continue to proliferate, I imagine these services may become more acceptable to travelers, too.

I can't believe these prices! Well, yes I can, but WOW....So much $$$. It always sounded enticing, but now that I have the prices for the service there is NO way I would spend this kind of money! Penny wise, pound foolish? Probably.

I had said the same thing BUT when you consider the total cost of your vacation and then add in the inconvenience of having to juggle suitcases, it become so much more reasonable. Besides, as a former colleague of mine once said "Girl, just what inning do you think you are in?"! While I am hopeful to be in the seventh-inning stretch, reality says that might not be the case.

I have used Silversea's Baggage Valet service on each of my last 5 Silversea cruises... I'm spoiled! They have NEVER let me down, it's GREAT to walk into your cabin and see your suitcase sitting there waiting on you! Why the other cruise lines don't offer it, I don't understand!

I will continue to use Baggage Valet, even though it is more expensive than other options, here's why... FedEx comes to my house to pick up my suitcase about 10 days before the cruise. This makes be be organized and packed WAY in advance of leaving. Usually, I travel somewhere for a few days before the cruise, with the Baggage Valet, all I need to carry is a backpack. BUT, the very best reason is that if my suitcase happens to go astray and not make it wherever I sent it with Luggage Free or Luggage Forward, to my hotel or to the cruise terminal, or wherever... when I use Silversea's service, THEY are responsible for finding my suitcase and getting it to me - I won't have to waste my vacation making long-distance calls from the ship, etc., etc, etc, trying to get my suitcase to me - not to mention further expenses! THAT peace of mind alone is worth WHATEVER it costs!!!!

Thanks for the AWESOME service, Baggage Valet!

Jen

All luxury lines do offer a luggage service. Some use Valet and some use luggage Concierge. We have used both and are spoiled. Yes it does get you packing in advance and you will know when the port agent has received your luggage. Just take what you need if you are coming in early to a port. We never fly in the same day.

I booked Luggage Forward again just yesterday for a September SS cruise out of Southampton. We've used them many times with good results.

I'm all booked to have my large bag picked up and delivered to the Silver Spirit by Luggage Forward. They have performed well for me in the past. At the end of the cruise, I'll let them collect the bag and ship it home to Portland. In this case, convenience outweighs cost for me. Should be one less thing to worry about.