Goodbye Luggage until home Airport?

[USVI-4-me]

Can I arrange to have my luggage picked up aboard a Celebrity ship for disembarkation in European ports to have it automatically shipped through to my final airport destination in the US or to a stateside home?

 

Has anyone had experience with this, know about shipping luggage, or have an idea of the cost for one or four bags?

 

Please share your knowledge even if it's from a US port to home Airport or to my home.

 

Thank you.

 

Marisa

[kitty9]

They will not pick up from the ship. You must either arrange to meet a shipping agent at the terminal or you must take the bags to a shipping company.

 

It's not cheap to ship internationally, nor is it easy because you have to handle all US Customs forms. You have to list the contents of each bag, and attach it outside the bag along with all the other info Customs requires.

 

I have shipped bags internationally quite often. For one bag, one way, I've paid anywhere from $398 to more than $600 depending on weight and destination.

[Scrapnana]

Here is a link to Luggage Express. For me, it was much cheaper to pay for extra bags on the plane than use their services.

http://www.myluggageexpress.com/

[akowilm]

Celebrity Reflection(Caribbean) offered a luggage valet where you left your bags outside the door as usual, and picked them up at your home airport. It was around $20 I think, and you had to fill the paperwork out early in the trip, with flight numbers, etc. Worth every penny!

[kitty9]

Celebrity Reflection(Caribbean) offered a luggage valet where you left your bags outside the door as usual, and picked them up at your home airport. It was around $20 I think, and you had to fill the paperwork out early in the trip, with flight numbers, etc. Worth every penny!

 

The OP is asking about European ports and the service you're talking about isn't offered there. But you are correct, its great where its offered.

[cruisestitch]

The OP did add "please share your knowledge even if it's from a US port to home Airport or to my home." so mentioning the Luggage Valet program is not off base.

[charlielinda]

I do have a Luggage Valet question regarding a TA -- We'll be leaving England and leaving the ship in Ft. Lauderdale do you think they would offer the Luggage Valet for this trip? I'm not sure when we would have to clear customs. Thanks so much.

[cruisestitch]

You will clear Customs at your first port of entry into the US, which should be the terminal in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Luggage Valet is not currently available for flights going to locations outside the US and Canada.

 

Sometimes it has not be offered after Transatlantics.

 

Where will you be flying to from FLL?

[charlielinda]

We will be going from England to St. Martin, St. Thomas (US), Nassau and then Ft. Lauderdale. From there we will be flying to Washington National Airport. Any advice would be appreciated.

[cruisestitch]

Luggage Valet is not generally available after a TA such as yours, but things do change. If it is available you will find out on board. Not all airlines participate, and not all travelers qualify. Keep your fingers crossed.

[cruiserhal]

From personal experience last month, the Luggage Forward service for international sailings works GREAT! The drawbacks are cost, the luggage must be available for shipping 2 weeks early (from US to UK), customs forms must be completed, and a full inventory must be available. Worth all the effort in my opinion.

[USVI-4-me]

The OP did add "please share your knowledge even if it's from a US port to home Airport or to my home." so mentioning the Luggage Valet program is not off base.

 

 

Yes, I'm looking for all comments as we cruise and do land travel in many places during the year.

 

On the upcoming Celebrity cruise we'll return from Southampton to Orlando. Other cruises may be from Los Angeles, Anchorage, Honolulu, Rome or even Miami to our home or home Airport.

 

Thank you to all posters. The thread is intended to give luggage assistance to others as well as myself.

 

-Marisa

[USVI-4-me]

Celebrity Reflection(Caribbean) offered a luggage valet where you left your bags outside the door as usual, and picked them up at your home airport. It was around $20 I think, and you had to fill the paperwork out early in the trip, with flight numbers, etc. Worth every penny!

 

 

Do you recall whether you booked this service before cruising or after you boarded the ship?

 

Yes, for me -- it's worth every dollar, unless as Darcie posted -- it's in the hundreds of dollars.

 

Thank you,

-Marisa

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Do you recall whether you booked this service before cruising or after you boarded the ship?

 

Yes, for me -- it's worth every dollar, unless as Darcie posted -- it's in the hundreds of dollars.

 

Thank you,

-Marisa

 

Luggage valet is booked on board during the cruise. They usually have something in the daily's, or a separate insert. If you don't see any thing for it after a few days, inquire at guest relations. It is not offered for every airline or at every port. Your flight home usually has to be noon or later. It is $20 per person + what ever baggage fees your airline charges. They always include a disclaimer that homeland security may not approve you for the program, which is just a random denial.

 

You put your luggage outside your cabin on the last night and the fees are charged to your ship board account. There have been reports that you might have to claim your luggage and go through customs with it. That was not our experience flying out of Ft. Lauderdale.

 

 

Mary Lou

[USVI-4-me]

My thanks to all posters for easing my mind about the luggage.

We've printed the thread for our cruise file.

 

Twenty dollars plus airline fees through Celebrity is a relief.

If I have a problem shipping luggage back to Florida from Southampton,

I'll know websites to check to have luggage shipped, even at a high cost.

 

Health issues are causing more concerns about transfers but not enough to keep us from cruising.

 

-Marisa

[jaspersmommy]

Here is something worth keeping in mind if you plan on using the Luggage Valet service. Even if the program is offered on your sailing and your application is processed onboard, it does not mean you will be guaranteed participation. Always be prepared to have to take your luggage with you in case you are denied acceptance into the Luggage Valet program.

 

On the Eclipse in April, we submitted an application for Luggage Valet after it appeared in the dailies (about 4 or 5 days before disembarkation I think). The morning before disembarkation, we received a reminder notice in our stateroom about Luggage Valet and we were so pleased. That evening, I received a call from Customer Relations telling me that we had been declined for participation in the program. I asked why we had been declined. The Celebrity employee told me that the airlines/customs occasionally picks people randomly for one type of action or another. Occasionally, some people are denied for no reason. I was shocked because neither of us has a criminal record, nor is there any reason we would ever be considered a security risk. I can only assume that it was a random decision. In any event, we had to carry our own luggage.

 

As it happens, being denied participation in Luggage Valet did us an unexpected favor. It saved us a big surcharge at the airport. One of our bags was overweight and we didn't realize. If we had been accepted for Luggage Valet, we would have had to pay the surcharge. Since we had to check in the luggage ourselves, it gave us the opportunity to rearrange our belongings in our cases and avoid the airline's charge for overweight baggage.

[kitty9]

For Caribbean cruises, Luggage Valet does have restrictions. Not all airlines participate and you cannot have a flight before noon.

 

On our trans Atlantic sailings, it was not offered because Ft Lauderdale was our first US port and we needed to go through the whole Immigration/Customs process so doing Luggage Valet was not allowed. I didn't understand the reasoning, but that's what happened.

[gracecarmo]

Darcie: Have you used the program where you ship your luggage ahead of time directly to the ship? And what about shipping from ship to home, using the same program?

How do I find out more about the program Celebrity offers? (checked web site and did not see it).

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Darcie: Have you used the program where you ship your luggage ahead of time directly to the ship? And what about shipping from ship to home, using the same program?

How do I find out more about the program Celebrity offers? (checked web site and did not see it).

 

I think Celebrity uses Luggage Forward for this program. I've never used it and it looks expensive but it would be useful in some situations.

 

Mary Lou

[gracecarmo]

Thanks, Mary Lou, I will check it out.

[gracecarmo]

I did go to the Luggage Forward program and it is just what I am looking for. I wonder now, how it works while departing from the cruise? Do you have to go and retrieve your luggage from the luggage departure area or do you put it outside your room and see it when you arrive home at your door?