Luggage Valet Service

[ackieboy]

Hi!

 

I am an avid cruiser, having done approximately 26 sailings on various lines. I will be doing my first Oceania cruise in November aboard the Insignia. I am taking my mom on this cruise and we were wondering if Oceania offers any kind of Luggage Valet service, like Celebrity and several of the other lines offer, where for a fee, they will check your luggage through to your final destination on the last day of the cruise. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Regards,

 

Dean

[LHT28]

No they do not offer that service

[Caroldoll]

You can also post on the Crystal board and they will give you the name of the service.

[JimandStan]

You can also post on the Crystal board and they will give you the name of the service.

 

Who needs Crystal?

The company is Luggage Forward

http://www.luggageforward.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjw9-CfBRD8lt_w86zJiDUSJAADZA38zBCWG8LQ3p2UrIPBvm9IQvu-K1OI5ZQG8PFBFPrU9xoCBQPw_wcB

I gave it as a gift one year to Stan who normally handles our luggage, but it is very very very expensive.

[hondorner]

I believe the OP is asking about the luggage service offered by Celebrity and some other cruise lines in which luggage is collected at the airport, loaded on a truck and delivered to the ship and ends up at your cabin. In reverse, it's collected outside your cabin and delivered to your flight.

 

It only works if you arrive the same day as the cruise. It is not offered at all ports, and is not available unless a minimum number of people sign up and agree to the fee, which is nominal.

 

Vancouver is one of the ports it's offered by Celebrity, but when we flew in on the day of the cruise the offer was withdrawn because not enough folks signed up. We weren't expecting to schlep our luggage through customs and to the transfer bus, and were disappointed on arrival in Vancouver to find it had been withdrawn for that cruise.

[hondorner]

I believe the OP is asking about the luggage service offered by Celebrity and some other cruise lines in which luggage is collected at the airport, loaded on a truck and delivered to the ship and ends up at your cabin. In reverse, it's collected outside your cabin and delivered to your flight.

 

It only works if you arrive the same day as the cruise. It is not offered at all ports, and is not available unless a minimum number of people sign up and agree to the fee, which is nominal.

 

Vancouver is one of the ports it's offered by Celebrity, but when we flew in on the day of the cruise the offer was withdrawn because not enough folks signed up. We weren't expecting to schlep our luggage through customs and to the transfer bus, and were disappointed on arrival in Vancouver to find it had been withdrawn for that cruise.

 

Here's one description I found, although it only describes the ship-to-airplane service, not vice versa:

 

Luggage Valet Lite

 

Some cruise lines don't bother with the valet service: Oceania and Holland America are two examples. But others have tweaked the concept to offer their own version of valet, with more affordable rates. Royal Caribbean offers an onboard service that enables passengers to bypass traditional airport check-in on the way home. Passengers check in onboard the ship and receive their airline boarding pass, luggage tags and baggage claim checks. Only available at certain ports and in conjunction with certain airlines, the program costs $20 per guest and offers convenience on the journey home. Arrangements also vary by ship, and specific port qualifications can be found onboard at the Guest Relations Desk during your cruise, though the service needs to be booked before the day of departure.

[Caroldoll]

independantly. I just can't remember the name.

[warburg]

Who needs Crystal?

The company is Luggage Forward

http://www.luggageforward.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjw9-CfBRD8lt_w86zJiDUSJAADZA38zBCWG8LQ3p2UrIPBvm9IQvu-K1OI5ZQG8PFBFPrU9xoCBQPw_wcB

I gave it as a gift one year to Stan who normally handles our luggage, but it is very very very expensive.

 

Right on, Jim. Thanks for the recommendation. That you gave Luggage Forward to your Stan makes me feel better about using it for me and my Stan. We are using Luggage Forward to get our otherwise checked baggage to Riviera for the November 15th Barcelona to Miami. I took advantage of a 20% off sale, but it is still expensive. We will live for four days in Barcelona with just our carry-ons. Farewell, luggage carousel, perhaps forever.

Mary

[hondorner]

Right on, Jim. Thanks for the recommendation. That you gave Luggage Forward to your Stan makes me feel better about using it for me and my Stan. We are using Luggage Forward to get our otherwise checked baggage to Riviera for the November 15th Barcelona to Miami. I took advantage of a 20% off sale, but it is still expensive. We will live for four days in Barcelona with just our carry-ons. Farewell, luggage carousel, perhaps forever.

Mary

What we discovered was that if we could survive 4 days in Barcelona on Carryons, we can survive 16 days on the ship with the same carryons. In fact, we recently traveled for 6 weeks, Florida to NYC in our RV, NYC to London, 4 days in London and 3 in Amsterdam, 7 days on Viking, and 10 days in the RV from NYC back to Florida via Washington, Annapolis, Mount Vernon, Williamsburg, Jamestowne and Yorktown -- all from the same carryons, with a little help from the ship's laundry, fast-drying ExOfficio underwear and Tide sink detergent. The luggage carousel is history...

Edited August 24, 2014 by hondorner

[Mura]

I figure we'll never be able to match you, Don and Betsy.

 

We just went away for 5 days to a cottage in western Mass. Howard took his 26" suitcase (I didn't pack it but I doubt it was really full). He was surprised that I took a small carry-on size.

 

Of course we were taking cooking equipment, and other things that we wouldn't take on a cruise. But we also drove up there in our car. Plenty of room to put the extra stuff.

 

But when we do a "real" trip -- whether 2 weeks or 4 -- I have my 28" suitcase, he has his 26", I have my laptop case ... etc.

 

I don't think we'll ever reform. I wish we could ...

 

Mura

[pacheco18]

We travel with four large rolling duffels. We will never change. At least I won't

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[xrvlcruiser]

I've used Luggage Free (800-361-6871) and have been very happy with their service.

Edited August 24, 2014 by xrvlcruiser

[bissel]

I've used Luggage Free now about six times for cruises and have recommended them to relatives who have used them for bicycles to be shipped from Italy back to the U.S. We all have been very happy.

 

The last time was a bit fraught as we needed to ship 2 bags to Athens. If we declared value over $1000 the tariff the Greek government charged was horrendous. Something like 20% of the value or something.

 

The other unpleasant surprise was finding when we received the charge, not only was weight used but also the dimensions of the suitcases. I had not thought about that when we bought these large but lightweight suitcases nor is there any mention on the website or phone discussions that size is also a factor in final billing. If you call beforehand and give them an approximate weight and suitcase dimensions, they will give you a close estimate.

 

Using Luggage Free is an expense I gladly pay, along with insurance, as a necessity for our cruise. Using them on our return is not usually so important and it depends on the gateway city home.

 

That's our experience.