Long Cruises and Home Mail

[BabySarge]

You might want to try the USPS Premium Forwarding Service. We used it last year when we were gone for 79 days and it worked great. It is a service you pay for and once a week they will package your mail up and forward it to whomever you tell them to. It does not change your address and you set the dates you want your mail forwarded.

 

https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm

 

We live in DE and had the mail sent to my sister in NJ so it doesn't have to be someone close by necessarily but for convenience sake it helped that we are only an hour apart and I just drove up to collect the mail when we got back.

 

AWT

[skynight]

How do folks handle their mail delivery when taking a long cruise? Do you have it forwarded to a PO box and have someone pick it up periodically? Do you have a neighbor pick it up?

.

Where we live we pay someone to watch the house and pick up mail. We do not have curbside mail, it is central boxes.

 

You can figure out what day you expect to be back home, add a 1 or 2 day buffer, count back 30 days and have the mail stopped on that day. Prior to that day you can have someone pick it up.

You can fill out a USPS form and have your mail temporarily forwarded for up to six months.

[DrivesLikeMario]

https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/

 

and:

 

https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm

[caribill]

In many areas of the USA you can get an e-mail daily (not Sundays or holidays) showing photos of the letter size mail that is to be delivered to you that day.

 

see https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

[Thrak]

Our bills are paid online. Some aren't automagically deducted but I still pay them online. Some things, however, can't be done online. We receive new auto insurance cards every six months or so. We still receive financial updates via snail mail. Those is a bit of an anomaly though... Those are mostly from when my wife was working and are in her name. We have never had "his money" and "her money" but the logistics of signing up for those dictated that they ended up in her name. Some mail is still important. Those who say they do everything online must have different circumstances. Please trust me... If I could do everything online I would be so very happy to do so. I recently had a credit card issue and had to get a new one. There is no way to do that without physically receiving a new card.

 

Many thanks to all who have responded here. I truly appreciate your input. This is why I love Cruise Critic. So many people just trying to help someone else they don't even know. You are all great. We leave for our land trip on Friday. It was supposed to be Tuesday but the "wonderful and fabulous" new people at my doctor's office had no freaking clue so I don't have my epidural (back stabbing) when it should be and we aren't leaving on time. Just like the Princess "operational issues" we are delayed. GAH!!!

 

Seriously, you are all great and I truly do thank all of you.

[cr8tiv1]

In many areas of the USA you can get an e-mail daily (not Sundays or holidays) showing photos of the letter size mail that is to be delivered to you that day.

 

 

 

see https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

 

 

 

Wow...this is truly exciting. Thank you very much for locating this link.

 

 

 

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[casofilia]

In small town New Zealand we can ask the Post Office to "Hold" mail for as long as we like and have never had a problem. Even better is that, as we are both superannuitants, we are not charged for that service.

[SadieN]

If you don't "need" to have any of your mail, what if you looked into something like this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006ZJPJ6/ref=asc_df_B0006ZJPJ65023053/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B0006ZJPJ6&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167141158985&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1148054725140950173&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030350&hvtargid=pla-275432997537

 

 

 

Interesting.

Just discovered that those pretty metal locked mailboxes aren't that secure. Saw someone just reach in and take out the mail.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mailbox-Cast-Aluminum-White-Mail-Box-Postal-Box-Security-Heavy-Duty-New/29589542

[Colo Cruiser]

Just like the Princess "operational issues" we are delayed. GAH!!!

Seriously, you are all great and I truly do thank all of you.

 

 

I think it's time to make that proverbial leap!

Sell everything, cut ties with land, live onboard, and sail permanently. You know you want to. ;p

[PescadoAmarillo]

In many areas of the USA you can get an e-mail daily (not Sundays or holidays) showing photos of the letter size mail that is to be delivered to you that day.

 

see https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

Thanks Caribill. We will definitely sign up for this!

 

We've been away from home for as long as four months while someone periodically collects our mail (delivered to an NBU, or locked Neighborhood Box Unit) at the end of our street. We even have medium and large sized parcel locked parcel lockers should the need arise, though we obviously aren't getting many parcels while we are away. Everything is either automatically paid or we can pay it from our iPhones using WiFi. Except for the fact that it is overwhelming to sort through four months of mail to find the few pieces we still need to deal with when we return home, it's worked perfectly.

 

We have only had one issue in 7 years that required human intervention. A credit card that we use for our autocharged bills was compromised in the credit card company's files immediately after we left home one year. They issued new cards and sent them to us, and we had three months to notify all the vendors that charge our bills to that card (cable, water, power, insurance, etc.). But we were not going to be home within three months. A friend had to find the envelope containing the new cards, open it, relay the information on them to us using Vonage, and then we had to contact the vendors to get the numbers changed. The fact that we were enduring poor WiFi in French Polynesia didn't help the matter. But we were even able to accomplish that. It helps to be meticulously organized all the time, even before leaving home.

[cb at sea]

I would have the post office "hold" the mail for the 30 days....have a friend go and pick up the mail, and put in a new "hold" form to continue the "hold" until you get back.

[Kathie13]

It took a while, but I finally learned to fill in the 30 day hold online, then call our local PO and ask for the extra hold. So far, so good... .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[PescadoAmarillo]

Caribill, we didn't realize we were already in the Informed Delivery system. It's the same USPS login and password I've used to buy stamps online. It's simply under another tab. I'm looking at images of yesterday's mail right now. Thanks again!

[Loonbeam]

For 49 days I would assume someone is checking on the house (for that length of time someone needs to unless you are shutting off power and water which has its own issues.

 

I've had mixed luck with held mail, we also are on a route without a consistent delivery person (same guy for 4 days, then someone else for 2) and when we have that its hit or miss, so I just have a trusted neighbor pop over daily (easy for us, close houses) and they grab the mail, packages, etc and toss them in a bin (I use a laundry hamper) inside the door. Over the years, if possible, I have found this both the most efficient and secure way...

 

The key is just making sure that the mail is not exposed for a period of time, nor is a 'pile o mail' visible.

 

On a side note, at least here, when going away for more that 14 days, the local police will perform courtesy checks of the property every few days.

[MTdreaming]

In many areas of the USA you can get an e-mail daily (not Sundays or holidays) showing photos of the letter size mail that is to be delivered to you that day.

 

see https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

Thanks for that information... I had not heard of that service, but have now signed up...very good to know.

[umuva]

A word to the wise if you are accessing financial websites from wifi away from home: use a VPN.

 

 

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[Thrak]

In many areas of the USA you can get an e-mail daily (not Sundays or holidays) showing photos of the letter size mail that is to be delivered to you that day.

 

see https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

 

I had never heard of this but have now enrolled. Many thanks. :)

[charlesb.katz@comcast.net]

l am going on a 60 day south american cruise by myself, l will use the Post Office to hold my mail, even though my daughter and her family live in my home.

l will also make sure the that all my accounts are on AutoPay, and that l have plenty money in the checking account to cover everything. I know l cannot cover every detail, but l'm too damn old to worry about the consequences

[Cruise Raider]

We've been active with our neighborhood association - about 2,500 houses - and after a couple of home burglaries we invited the city police and county sheriff's departments to come out and offer advice. They both said NOT to have your mail or newspapers stopped. Why? Too often workers themselves (at one level or another) shared or sold that information off to burglars. They suggested a slot through the door for mail, where it could gather unseen, and someone coming to get your paper or put the gathered mail into a spot where (again) it could sit unseen from someone who might be looking in through windows. The world's so different to my childhood suburb days when you didn't have to regularly make sure the doors were locked.

 

We're on what the post office says is a "training route", so we have different delivery people every couple of weeks. We regularly get neighbor's mail, and vice versa. For about 8 years we had the same carrier, and we knew her well enough for Christmas, birthday and baby shower gifts. We still miss her.

 

We live in a similar neighborhood and heard the same thing from the sheriffs that have attended our neighborhood watch. Since we usually have at least one neighbor or family member that lives nearby that we can trust more than who knows who that delivers your mail / newspapers. Plus, there are always those little flyers in your driveway or door handle that indicate you are not home. I know it is old school but would never tell people we don't know personally, people that know where we live, that we are going on vacation and the house will be empty for a specified period of time. Too many incidents where we live for that to happen! We have two sets of trusted neighbors that keep an eye on our house as well as any newspapers, flyers, unexpected packages and the mail. Even though they have a key to the house, they don't come in unless they suspect a problem....they just hold the mail and papers for us until our return.

[Thrak]

Decided against a PO box. Put in a temporary change of address and my mail will go to my son's house. His wife will collect it and if anything looks "important" she will contact us. This should work well. We have other folks checking the house, feeding Bob (my insane cat), etc. and they will check the mailbox as well "just in case". My actual main worry is Bob as he seems to be developing mental issues. He's about 16 years old which is pretty old for a cat and I think he's getting "catmentia" (feline cognitive disorder).

[stargazers]

Have fun Thrak! Thanks to your question I now have this service for our 28 day in October we are going on with you!

 

Travel safely!

Kristy :)

[julie3fan]

Thrak, I understand the worries about leaving an aging cat. My pretty girl is 18 and we're getting more and more hesitant to leave her for any length of time. Maybe leave a dirty t-shirt out for Bob to lay on so he can smell you, and maybe ask the cat sitters if they can hang out in your house for a while so he has some companionship. Good luck to him!

[Lucky TGO]

My brother-in-law pick it up everyday. He lives 10 minutes away. I take care of it for him when he's on vacation. :D

Tony

[nanabananna]

Have your mail forward to a relative or a trusted friend. When you return home, remove the forwarding and have it sent to your home.

[GUT2407]

How do folks handle their mail delivery when taking a long cruise? Do you have it forwarded to a PO box and have someone pick it up periodically? Do you have a neighbor pick it up?

 

The Post Office says they will only hold my mail for 30 days and we have a home mailbox that is out at the street. Some "less than fine" folks have moved onto our nice little street and suddenly mail isn't safe. There have been instances of "missing mail".

 

I realize this isn't exactly a "cruise specific" question but, as we are booked for a 49 day cruise I'm wondering how folks handle this sort of thing.

 

 

Started planning a long time ago. Our daughter looks after it.