Advantages/Disadvantages of Self-Carrying luggage off the ship at Baltimore.

[cathysmom]

Hi, we sail next week from Baltimore and heard that there is an option where we can take our luggage off vs putting outside the cabin the evening before. Since we've never done this I'm wondering:

How it works (do we have to make special arrangements) ?

How easy is taking luggage down that gangway in Baltimore (we have 3 cases..on wheels)

Do we need to go somewhere after getting off or do we go directly to our vehicle? (Customs...)

 

So far the one perk I can think of is that we won't have that being rushed feeling, or being stuck waiting to be called....our cabin in on deck 4 so I was thinking of breakfast in MDR and then departing....but that sounds too good to be true!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

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[sandy toes]

Those taking their own luggage off ship are the first to leave ship. When I have done this we were in our care and on the beltway by 830. If you are healthy, there is no reason why 2 adults or even a fairly grown child and adult could not handle 3 bags, especially on wheels. You do have to go through Customs, your form is filled out and you show ID, hand off the form and that is about it unless you have ALOT of purchases to declare.That might take 5 minutes longer. There is no MDR breakfast the last morning, just Windjammer. Also, no room service last morning. I had some neighbors take their first ever cruise and they had luggage outside door the night before, have not earned any status (1st cruise) and were in an IS cabin. They were off by 930 and they ate relaxed then went to find seat somewhere comfortable to wait. They said it was very easy and not at all rushed because they just took their time. Really, it is all about what will work best for you. You say you want to relax, I would let Royal deal with your bags, eat, and read a book or people watch and leave when called. You do NOT have to sit where they assign you. There are many areas around ship to wait.

[edjny]

We have done it both ways at Baltimore. The number of bags, size of bags, extra bags of goodies you carry over your shoulder and weight of bags have a big impact on how easy it is to haul it yourself. Remember, you will be dragging those bags for a relatively long distance when you factor in from your cabin, down stairs or elevator, down the ramp and customs. It is a lot faster carrying the bags and getting out first. But, getting out first means you are driving right into the morning rush hour on the interstate. When we left early, we sat in traffic for half an hour.... :(

 

If you think you might want to haul your own bags off the ship, try doing at home what you will be doing on the ship. Get ALL the bags you will be hauling and start carrying/rolling them around for about the distance you will be doing it on the ship.

[KeywestK]

As long as you can comfortably manage carrying your own luggage, there is no downside to doing it, especially since you are on Deck 4, which is where you will disembark from. The biggest benefit of doing this is that you will get through Customs on the earlier side, before it backs up.

[Big_G]

I'm sure it was probably out of the ordinary but we did it once because we were using a private car service and their was a hold up in debarking. Needless to say, there was a long line leading up to the Centrum that extended down through the cabin halls. If you ever felt the need to see people at their worst that was the place. Luggage every where, people tripping, bumping, cutting line, whining, and even a few arguments. Like I said, it probably isn't the norm but after that we decided to stick with luggage valet and take our time.

[dixieva]

We have always had breakfast in the MDR on the last day. True, no room service but the MDR is open as is the buffet.

[S&Slovecruises]

August cruise - We had breakfast in the MDR around 7am then went back to our room and got our luggage (2 large and 1 smaller rolling suitcases). We had no wait getting off ship - just a little back up on ramp. Handed in our customs form and were in our car by 8:05am. This is the way we would suggest doing it.

[S&Slovecruises]

August cruise - We had breakfast in the MDR around 7am then went back to our room and got our luggage (2 large and 1 smaller rolling suitcases). We had no wait getting off ship - just a little back up on ramp. Handed in our customs form and were in our car by 8:05am. This is the way we would suggest doing it.

 

Just noticed that you are also from Columbia, MD. We were home in our driveway by 8:30am.

[spookwife]

Hi, we sail next week from Baltimore and heard that there is an option where we can take our luggage off vs putting outside the cabin the evening before. Since we've never done this I'm wondering:

How it works (do we have to make special arrangements) ?

How easy is taking luggage down that gangway in Baltimore (we have 3 cases..on wheels)

Do we need to go somewhere after getting off or do we go directly to our vehicle? (Customs...)

 

So far the one perk I can think of is that we won't have that being rushed feeling, or being stuck waiting to be called....our cabin in on deck 4 so I was thinking of breakfast in MDR and then departing....but that sounds too good to be true!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

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it's easy.

 

first off if you wanna carry your own, simply do not place your luggage outside the room before 2300.

 

you will be required to stand in line and as soon as it is cleared you can begin the Ramp of Doom( it is STEEP) trek down to the terminal and Customs. after customs the parking lot is right there.

 

we got off GR on Friday.. we were in a suite so were the second batch of people off after the Self disembark people. they were cleared at about 0730. By 0815 we were off the ship and in our car on the way to breakfast. this included waiting for Francis to make a second trip from deck 11 to deck 1 with his magic key to control the elevator ( we were lucky and avoided the Ramp of Doom altogether)

[spookwife]

There is no MDR breakfast the last morning, just Windjammer. Also, no room service last morning.

 

incorrect. MDR serves breakfast from 0600-0800.

[cathysmom]

Thanks everyone! From the sound if it we may give it a whirl!

 

 

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[NorbertsNiece]

Won't be self carrying any more.... after my last Adventure of the Seas cruise I slipped a disc.... admittedly they had me schlepping the case all over the place as there was confusion over my eligibility to actually leave the ship with the others.... but that's a whole other story at a whole other port. Stairs were involved and my back gave up.....

[14Terry]

Our first 2 cruises we left our bags outside the cabin. The last 4 cruises we elected to carry ours off ourselves. I hope we continue to do so on all our future cruises. It has really worked well for us! Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[turbo321]

Question If you carry your own off do you have to be the first off the ship or can you leave anytime during disembarkation.

[Clarea]

Question If you carry your own off do you have to be the first off the ship or can you leave anytime during disembarkation.

You can leave anytime after disembarkation starts.

[turbo321]

You can leave anytime after disembarkation starts.

 

 

Thank you very much.

[evelyn51]

I'm sure it was probably out of the ordinary but we did it once because we were using a private car service and their was a hold up in debarking. Needless to say, there was a long line leading up to the Centrum that extended down through the cabin halls. If you ever felt the need to see people at their worst that was the place. Luggage every where, people tripping, bumping, cutting line, whining, and even a few arguments. Like I said, it probably isn't the norm but after that we decided to stick with luggage valet and take our time.

 

 

We had the joys of seeing the worst! I personally got a suitcase wheel hooked up on another cruisers case. Then because of it got separated from my husband eventually meeting up. (The noise level is so loud he couldn't hear me trying to get his attention). Unnerving!

 

The ramp worries me with the possibility of wearing a wayward case.

 

We will leave later in the future!

[edjny]

Question If you carry your own off do you have to be the first off the ship or can you leave anytime during disembarkation.

 

You can, but it is not a very good idea if you are going to be going to the trouble of hauling your own luggage. The people hauling their own bags can get off first. That means that there is a minimal delay going through Customs. If you wait until after that time when they are pushing the people out of all the waiting areas, you will be in a LONG line getting to Customs. Also, if you are looking for a taxi or shuttle, you will be able to get right on if you leave first. Again, if you wait, you will be in a big line for the transportation.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I don't think that I would want to carry off my own luggage. We always put it out the night before, and have the cruiseline deal with it.

 

We are on vacation, looking forward to breakfast and leaving the ship at the latest possible time. We never book early trains home, so what's our hurry.

[edjny]

A few reasons we have left first with self-carry...

 

-someone picking us up

-long drive home

 

Another reason might be getting to the airport in plenty of time.

[cathysmom]

Well we did the self carry....once they started it was smooth going. We were home before the others in our group had their numbers called. I would do again....

 

 

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[motherof]

One big advantage of self-carry is that, if you accidentally pack an essential item of clothing for the next day <cough> you still have access to it. :pOtherwise, unless you are planning to leave early, there isn't much of an advantage, and the thought of struggling with large suitcases as you inch down the ramp is not pleasant.

 

The MDR was open on my debarkation day, but there was a long line to get in.

[RSLeesburg]

it's easy.

 

first off if you wanna carry your own, simply do not place your luggage outside the room before 2300.

 

you will be required to stand in line and as soon as it is cleared you can begin the Ramp of Doom( it is STEEP) trek down to the terminal and Customs. after customs the parking lot is right there.

 

we got off GR on Friday.. we were in a suite so were the second batch of people off after the Self disembark people. they were cleared at about 0730. By 0815 we were off the ship and in our car on the way to breakfast. this included waiting for Francis to make a second trip from deck 11 to deck 1 with his magic key to control the elevator ( we were lucky and avoided the Ramp of Doom altogether)

 

This was one of the best suite perks - early disembark with dedicated elevator, and our bags were waiting for us on the other side of customs. Although the CL can get a bit crowded in the morning...

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We always do self disembark now. On our Alaska cruise we had to leave them outside the door because we were headed to a tour. It was hard to loose control.

 

I do not find it difficult to manage our bags. A BIG factor is how many and how large your bags are. We travel light most of the time. [2 wheeled suitcases and 1 tote]

[spookwife]

This was one of the best suite perks - early disembark with dedicated elevator, and our bags were waiting for us on the other side of customs. Although the CL can get a bit crowded in the morning...

 

EN didn't offer it though when she was here.. not sure why. we sat in the MDR upper deck with a very small Continental breakfast.. it was basically the pastry tray the MDR uses for sit down breakfast patrons the rest of the time and a few watered down OJ pitchers. and we had to schlep down the Ramp of Doooooom.

 

with Francis, we had the full on Concierge breakfast plus the coffee machine. it was one thing that he has Reyno beat on.