? About Mailing Cards/Letters from the Ship

[Terre]

We seem to always be on a cruise when my MIL's birthday comes. Even though I will have flowers sent on her birthday, I thought about sending her card from the ship this year...does anyone have experience with mailing something home from the ship. Does it get there on time or is it a week later?

 

Do they take the mail off in each port to mail? Just wondering how it all works.

[MSPCUBS]

I have mailed things from a ship before with no problems. BUT, I have also run into situations where they tell me they have no stamps from the particular port and the card can't get mailed. Depending on where you will be, you may see a post office while in port and can mail the card. Realize that no matter where you are, it WILL take a long time to get there. Any chance you have a neighbor that can mail a card for you from home near the date?

[Rascal1]

We were told on the Grand last year that they take the mail off at the next port and would sell us stamps for that port. I would imagine you are then in the hands of the postal system for that country for how long it takes. We've had mixed experiences with timescales, some have been a couple of days whilst others arrive weeks after we have returned home.

[paul929207]

They take the mail off about an hour before sailing. Usually the Purser's Desk has local stamps for mailing post cards. Note that the stamps on each card must be from the country where you are mailing the card. So US stamps will not work in other countries.

[Toto2Kansas]

I have heard many tales of passengers mailing things from the ship (or actually they are mailed at the next port), and long after the passenger returns home, the mail finally arrives. And for some, it never arrives, depending on the country it was mailed from.

I would ask a neighbor or relative to put it in the mail for you on a certain day, that way you will be assured it gets to her on time. ;)

[whatcruiseisnext]

dont do it....I had things take up to 4 weeks to get from the ship. Mail it yourself in a port or have someone do it for you from home as suggested above.

[agabbymama]

I have heard many tales of passengers mailing things from the ship (or actually they are mailed at the next port), and long after the passenger returns home, the mail finally arrives. And for some, it never arrives, depending on the country it was mailed from.

I would ask a neighbor or relative to put it in the mail for you on a certain day, that way you will be assured it gets to her on time. ;)

 

Absolutely agree. Have someone at home mail it, if you really want it to get there.

 

I used to send my kids postcards, but only the ones from Hawaii USA ever got to them. The ones from the ships in the Caribbean, Med, and even Canada never made it. Lots of money in wasted postage. So I gave up. I no longer try to send any mail to anyone.

 

I did send a package home from Dawson City Yukon with dirty clothes, etc to make room for souvenirs purchased, and it took a month. I was home from my trip two weeks before the box arrived. Ha Ha Ha It was sooooo funny.:D

[MSMcDuffy]

Count me along with those who had a bad experience. The postcards I put in the mail slot on the ship during the middle of my cruise took way longer to get to the states than the ones I put in a land mailbox on our last port stop.

 

Also, never hand anything to the person behind the desk and expect them to mail it. They were out of stamps and the guy said they would get stamps at the next port stop so he took my postcards, charged the postage to my shipboard account and the postcards got lost at sea.:(

[Cafabi]

While DS was in Marine Corps boot camp, we found a last minute deal on a Bahamas cruise. We didn't have the heart to tell him (or the means, for that matter) so we sent him a postcard from Nassau. We couldn't even remember the official address, so we just put his name and Parris Island, SC USA. He did get it. I wouldn't risk it for something this important, though. Where are you going?

[jody]

Better to mail it early from home or have someone else mail it for you if you want to guarantee it to be on time.

 

I always mail a lot of postcards from the ship. I sent over 60 postcards to different friends and family members on my 12 day Med cruise several years ago. Just be sure you have the correct stamp for the country you are in that day and be sure to mail it before the posted cut off time, otherwise you'll end up with the wrong country's postage.

 

A postcard I sent from Jamaica took about 3 months, but the longest was a postcard sent from Venice at the end of my Med cruise. I was picking up the mail for my then boyfriend (now my DH) in January and wondered who had sent him a postcard from Turkey. Turns out it was from me! I'd mailed the card the previous June from Venice. I've heard that the postman position in Italy is a part time job and that most have 'real' jobs and so they deliver the mail when they feel like it. I'm not sure if that is true or not (hopefully not!), but the mail from Venice must have been rowed across the pond on a gondola or something......

[cowprintrabbit]

I would have a friend/neighbor mail one and then send one from the ship too - if it makes it, you get extra points and if not, you're covered :D

[serenity27]

I sent several postcards last year from Cozumel and Grand Caymen, and they all took around three months to arrive. I have mailed from Europe and Asia, and those have only taken a couple weeks. I agree with everyone else- have someone else mail it from home and mail another from your trip as an extra treat.

[Loonbeam]

If you have a good relationship with your mail carrier, ask them to hold and then drop in the system at a given date when and if you put a mail hold on.

[Putterdude]

Our experience is that it seems that it depends which country the you mail it from, we have some mail delivered on a timely basis (read not over night or following day) but in other countries it can take a week or two.

[itsajoke]

We have seen the same thing.

 

I sent several postcards last year from Cozumel and Grand Caymen, and they all took around three months to arrive. I have mailed from Europe and Asia, and those have only taken a couple weeks. I agree with everyone else- have someone else mail it from home and mail another from your trip as an extra treat.

[Terre]

We will be in Alaska so as suggested, I may just drop it off in one of the ports myself where we won't be rushing off to an excursion. Thanks so much for the suggestions and process information. I never thought about the stamps and different countries...I'll file that info away for future cruises.:D