Sending luggage to ship

[floridababa]

I've read about luggage that can be sent ahead of time to a ship. Does anyone have any info? Who can I contact? Is it reliable?

[ymncruise]

My friend does it for his world cruises. They pick his bags up from his home and deliver them to the ship. Search for luggage transfer on line. Lots come up. 

[WestLakeGirl]

I am trying out a company called luggagefree for a land trip, to see how they do.  So far very impressed with their service. 

[wanderlust58]

We use Luggage Free regularly both for shipping luggage to the ship and sending it home from the arrival port because we don't need cruise wear as we tour wherever after the cruise.  Every time it has been waiting for us in our stateroom when boarding. We just used it April 3 when we arrived in Southampton.  They literally picked it up mere steps from the door leaving the terminal. It arrived, as promised, at my sister's a week later.  Not cheap but totally worth not having to schlep it around for weeks after the cruise.I'll use it again in November for our TA leaving from Rome so I don't have to carry it before our departure too.  When you call, ask if they have any new customer or other specials on.  Sometimes they do.

[floridababa]

Thank you for the info

[floridababa]

Just checked pricing and $609 for 2 pieces of luggage is a bit much for me

[klfrodo]

2 hours ago, floridababa said:

Just checked pricing and $609 for 2 pieces of luggage is a bit much for me

For some, it's a bit much. For others, it's a fair price for the services they desire.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, floridababa said:

Just checked pricing and $609 for 2 pieces of luggage is a bit much for me

 

The concept sounds terrific.  When I checked in the past, I had the same reaction.  Just not worth it to me.  

[Silver Sweethearts]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

The concept sounds terrific.  When I checked in the past, I had the same reaction.  Just not worth it to me.  

What would make it "worth it" to you?  Not having to worry about strained backs and muscles and then seeing our bags waiting for us at our suite makes it worth it to us.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

What would make it "worth it" to you?  Not having to worry about strained backs and muscles and then seeing our bags waiting for us at our suite makes it worth it to us.

 

I was simply agreeing with another poster.  I hope you did not take my comment personally.  If not,  I honestly don't know how to answer your question.   I don't have to worry about strained backs and muscles so my view will be different from someone who does.   If I did find the price acceptable it would be more about convenience than anything else.   

[klfrodo]

It's all about discretionary spending. If I had more disposable income, I wouldn't fly coach. Some folks income allows them to fly commercial in the front of the plane, those who have done better get to fly private. No shade on either participant. Just feeling blessed to be able to travel.

If I were to be taking a 2 or 3 month holiday, and I was going to be visiting colder climates during one period and then warmer climates during another period, I might find myself justifying the cost of shipping luggage. In fact, I have used DHL in the past when we were leaving Jamaica after a week and spending a few days in Miami. Momma didn't want to lug around the luggage and souvenirs for those extra days, so we shipped a piece of luggage home.

Everyone has their own price point and justifications to meet that price point.

[sanger727]

As you have found; yes, the service exists; and yes, it is very expensive. If you are flying business and traveling in a suite - it's an insignificant add on cost that may well be worth it. If you are pinching pennies (no shame, we do); the expense is much larger than hauling your own bag. I've not yet gotten to a point in my life where hauling my own bag seemed like an inconvenience. I'm just happy to splurge on a checked bag fee so that I can bring a full size tube of sunscreen. 

[Lois R]

My story is about shipping my luggage hone at the end of the cruise.....(just another perspective).......I was on a cruise last summer (wow, where has the year gone?😧). Anyway, I had hurt my leg (another story) and ended up using  crutches and a wheelchair throughout the cruise. Oh, I sail solo so keep that in mind. By the end of the cruise I didn't really need the wheelchair on the ship, although I did use one for assistance in the various airports on the way home ( I used a crutch on the ship). You don't realize how hard it is on the body when one limb is not working at full capacity until it actually happens to you. 

Anyway, I had heard about companies that ship luggage and I went to Guest Relations who helped me immensely and I used "Luggage Forward" to ship my checked bag home. The company picked up my bag from the port in Barcelona and I got it within 3 days after I arrived home.  I think it was about 350.00 and it was worth every penny to me. Having to get the bag, then going through immigration...etc...etc......I just didn't have the strength nor the will really.  It actually took another 3-4 weeks for my leg to fully heal after I got home. 

 

So, would I use Luggage Forward again? YES🙂and I am actually thinking about treating myself to them for an upcoming cruise in August. Haven't made a final decision yet. But I want to stress how much I felt the value was so worth it to me for that sailing........probably the best 350.00 I have spent in a LONG, LONG time.

[Mum2Mercury]

On 5/25/2023 at 1:10 PM, klfrodo said:

For some, it's a bit much. For others, it's a fair price for the services they desire.

We've taken cruises that didn't cost that much!  I really don't see how anyone could consider $600+ a fair price to transport two suitcases. 

On 5/25/2023 at 4:48 PM, Silver Sweethearts said:

What would make it "worth it" to you?  Not having to worry about strained backs and muscles and then seeing our bags waiting for us at our suite makes it worth it to us.

Suitcases are on wheels; I suspect not many people strain their backs or muscles.  

[Mum2Mercury]

9 hours ago, sanger727 said:

As you have found; yes, the service exists; and yes, it is very expensive. If you are flying business and traveling in a suite - it's an insignificant add on cost that may well be worth it ... 

I've never bought into the concept of, "I've already spent X, so I might as well spend more."  

8 hours ago, Lois R said:

My story is about shipping my luggage hone at the end of the cruise.....(just another perspective).......I was on a cruise last summer (wow, where has the year gone?😧). Anyway, I had hurt my leg (another story) and ended up using  crutches and a wheelchair throughout the cruise. Oh, I sail solo so keep that in mind ... 

That's a really difficult situation -- especially since you were traveling solo!  Weren't skycaps, etc. available to help?  

[sanger727]

27 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I've never bought into the concept of, "I've already spent X, so I might as well spend more."  

It’s not that, it’s a budgeting perspective. If you have the ‘fun money’ to regularly spend thousands on business class flights and on suites; a few hundred for luggage forwarding is likely not going to phase you. If your travel budget for a trip is $10,000, $600 for luggage shipping is 6%. If your travel budget is $2,500, $600 is 25%

Edited May 26, 2023 by sanger727

[Lois R]

34 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I've never bought into the concept of, "I've already spent X, so I might as well spend more."  

That's a really difficult situation -- especially since you were traveling solo!  Weren't skycaps, etc. available to help?  

Hi, I don't remember to be totally honest with you. I just know it was worth it to me not to have worry about or concern myself with the checked bag. I know the Guest Relations Staff on the ship went above and beyond for me and that includes getting all the information about the luggage for me, getting wheelchair assistance for me and so again, it was more than worth it to me. Oh, I always sail solo and in 20 years of cruising it is the first time anything like this had ever happened to me. I have been on 4 more cruises since that one and going again in August!

 

[sanger727]

10 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi, I don't remember to be totally honest with you. I just know it was worth it to me not to have worry about or concern myself with the checked bag. I know the Guest Relations Staff on the ship went above and beyond for me and that includes getting all the information about the luggage for me, getting wheelchair assistance for me and so again, it was more than worth it to me. Oh, I always sail solo and in 20 years of cruising it is the first time anything like this had ever happened to me. I have been on 4 more cruises since that one and going again in August!

 

your situation was also unique and those ‘one offs’ pop up. Ours was traveling to Vietnam last year. We took a river cruise. The river cruise company told us upfront that an ‘e-visa’ was not acceptable and they recommended a visa service. Using the visa service was like $600 for two of us (included 2 visas and expedited processing because my travel companion had an out of the country trip and couldn’t send her passport in far enough ahead). I would normally never pay that kind of money for that kind of service. BUT…. After a lot of research it became clear to me that there was no other option to get the correct visas in the time we had. So yeah, when risking many thousands of dollars of trip money, $300 each was well worth the peace of mind of getting our visas.

[Mum2Mercury]

52 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

It’s not that, it’s a budgeting perspective. If you have the ‘fun money’ to regularly spend thousands on business class flights and on suites; a few hundred for luggage forwarding is likely not going to phase you. If your travel budget for a trip is $10,000, $600 for luggage shipping is 6%. If your travel budget is $2,500, $600 is 25%

I hear what you're saying, but that's just not the way I personally think about spending.  

46 minutes ago, Lois R said:

... getting wheelchair assistance for me and so again, it was more than worth it to me ...

 

That was a very unusual situation -- wheelchair + solo cruiser.  I'm glad it worked out well for you.

 

[sanger727]

12 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I hear what you're saying, but that's just not the way I personally think about spending.  

 

I don’t necessarily either. I personally am in a situation where trips are budgeted. I frequently travel with a friend who has probably 10x my budget. The reality is she prioritizes things and is willing to spend money differently than me. The only positive is that my DH doesn’t love traveling; so I can spend the whole budget on my half of the trip.

[Lois R]

This is just one person's opinion------but I think we all have budgets (to one extent or another) and how one decides how to spend that $$$ is different for all of us. I would be a big liar if I said I was not on a budget. That money for sending the luggage home did not affect how I live on a daily basis (thankfully).

We all choose to spend $$ differently and that is ok.  I am glad we are all different because life would be VERY boring if we were all the same.

[sanger727]

Agreed. And different people have very different priorities. Someone with mobility issues or strength issues would place a high value on not having to drag a suitcase around. The friend I travel with gets debilitating leg cramps and won’t travel in economy overseas. Her priority is that if she can’t afford business, she won’t take the trip. 

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We've taken cruises that didn't cost that much!  I really don't see how anyone could consider $600+ a fair price to transport two suitcases. 

Suitcases are on wheels; I suspect not many people strain their backs or muscles.  

If you stop to think about it, there have to be tight controls applied in the process:  the bags have to be picked up from your home or hotel, transported safely to your ship or hotel, handed off vs. some receipt (would you want them just left on the side walk outside the hotel or cruise terminal?). All that takes organization and effort.  Anyone who promises the sort of control necessary for just a $100 or so has to be kidding — and anyone who thinks his/her luggage can be safely transported and delivered for that $100 has to be a damn fool.

[Silver Sweethearts]

On 5/26/2023 at 11:27 AM, Mum2Mercury said:

We've taken cruises that didn't cost that much!  I really don't see how anyone could consider $600+ a fair price to transport two suitcases. 

Suitcases are on wheels; I suspect not many people strain their backs or muscles.  

We handled our own luggage for decades.  Our usual items are two 50-pound suitcases and two carry-ons, as we travel in many places and climates.   Now that we are in our mid-70's, moving us and our luggage through airports and hotels in various states and countries became more than just a whim. Expensive, yes, but some things are just worth the money.  

[Elaine5715]

On 5/26/2023 at 5:30 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

I've never bought into the concept of, "I've already spent X, so I might as well spend more."  

That's a really difficult situation -- especially since you were traveling solo!  Weren't skycaps, etc. available to help?  

One needs to bring their luggage to where the skycaps are for their assistance.