CAUTIONARY TALE - Checking Bags on Flights to Your Cruise

[letsgogogo]

I have read much discussion over time regarding the pros and cons of checking bags on the flights heading to cruise ports.

 

we flew from the USA to London for a pre-trip in advance of a sailing out of Rotterdam this Sunday. I have been worried about lost bags so I insisted DH and I pack only with carryons. Glad I did. Another couple traveling with us has a missing checked bag. (They were to meet us in Belgium after flying into Amsterdam.) Their Amsterdam flight was canceled due to a mechanical issue, and they were rerouted to Washington DC for a connection and onto Brussels. Main luggage did not make it. Now, instead of our plans to explore a different city by train each day prior to our cruise, we are grounded in Ghent, awaiting delivery of a bag with no info on if or when it will come. They can’t leave Ghent to explore anywhere else in case they get a call to arrange a drop off at our Airbnb. And if it doesn’t arrive by Saturday, then Saturday is to be spent buying luggage and new clothes for a cruise. Yesterday required clothes shopping, fine if that’s your thing. But it also required cancelling guided tours we had arranged in these other cities, plus not knowing if/when we can rebook any. 

 

I always thought, well if you fly in a few days before, no big deal as you have a buffer. But I wasn’t considering, even with a buffer, a lost bag interrupts every other part of your trip with a domino effect. It’s not about the money. The airline is being cooperative, etc. But a huge hassle and the loss of other plans on the itinerary while staying put to take delivery, IF it shows up in time.

 

It's true that lost or delayed luggage is not the norm. But do you really want to have YOUR trip go like this?

 

For our carryons we fit clothes for about 6 days. For the price of laundry service on the Apex, we were able to eliminate bag check fees and ensure we can move about without any headaches. When the trip is over, our memories will not be “Oh I wish I hadn’t worn the outfit twice.”  None of us are interesting or important  enough for others to take notice of our limited wardrobe, and we won’t likely see these people ever again. Lean into the casual side of evening chic. Pack neutral basics that pair with everything else. 2 pair of shoes tops including what you wear on the plane. Another trick…if anyone in your party uses a cpap or travels with  other medical supplies, put it in a 3rd carryon and slap a red “medical” luggage tag on it (Amazon) now you have another bag to supplement. I carry my cpap in a bag larger than necessary. Not had any trouble with the conspicuous medical tag. I keep the tag right out visible to gate agents. 

[Mark_T]

We'd rather take the extra precaution of AirTags and keep checking 2 bags with an even split of clothes between the two.

 

The extremely low risk of being separated from one of the bags for more than 24 hours just isn't worth the limitations of travelling with only carry-on for us.

 

The AirTags don't stop the bags getting delayed, but when sorting out this sort of thing the knowledge of exactly where the bags are becomes vitally useful, both in reducing the impact on whatever else you were planning to do and in making sure the airline knows where they really are...

[gold1953]

If we were wait8ng for bags we would have told our friends to go on without us

[micruiser2002]

I think another issue here is staying in an AIRBNB, if you were in a hotel you would not be locked into being close by.  The airline should be able to deliver the luggage at the hotel without you needing to be there.  Also when checking bags you should still do a carryon with at least a few days change of clothes.

[Lena11033]

2 hours ago, Mark_T said:

We'd rather take the extra precaution of AirTags and keep checking 2 bags with an even split of clothes between the two.

 

The extremely low risk of being separated from one of the bags for more than 24 hours just isn't worth the limitations of travelling with only carry-on for us.

 

The AirTags don't stop the bags getting delayed, but when sorting out this sort of thing the knowledge of exactly where the bags are becomes vitally useful, both in reducing the impact on whatever else you were planning to do and in making sure the airline knows where they really are...

 

This, coming back from London my flight to Toronto was delayed so bad there was no way my bag would make the connecting flight. I literally had to run through the airport, customs etc to the gate with 5 mins to spare. 

As soon as I landed in Windsor I reported my bag to be 'missing' as I could see with the air tag it was still in Toronto - they asked if I had a feeling where my bag was - pulled up the app and was like 'Terminal 1 Pearson' so they were able to find it quickly and have it sent to my house - so it arrive a day or two after I did.

 

Not always but seems a lot of issues with bags are tied to delayed or cancelled flights where the changes don't make it to baggage people quick enough. This is why with some flights now I'm driving to the US to fly because no connections.

[Bo1953]

Perchance, did your friends have travel insurance to help with purchases of new clothing?

 

While I must admit that it has been decades since having had luggage lost, would it not be possible that the airline would have called to say that the luggage had arrived and pending on where you and friends were on tours could arrange to have delivered upon return or gone to the airport at next earliest convenience to retrieve???

 

Frustrating? Yes!

 

Hopefully, soon, everything will be back on track and you all can proceed to enjoy the rest of your vacation.

 

IMO, no need to be grounded just go for it and enjoy the pre-cruise vacation as much as possible, luggage should appear within a few days.

 

I will presume you or they are not in your teens, 20's or 30's and just going with the flow is not totally comfortable for you or them.

 

I trust the luggage will appear before your ship sails... make the best of it as this can happen to any of us, especially when there is a quick air equipment and routing change.

 

Generally, for us, it is much better to be on our way/close to the port/sailing instead of being stuck at the originating airport trying to get out to get to the port.... luggage or not.

 

Hopefully in a few years you and your friends can look back on this experience and laugh at how you coped or not... 

 

bon voyage

Edited June 16, 2023 by Bo1953

[TMLAalum]

Yup. 3 bagless weeks thanks to Airberlin in 2016. No reimbursement. Thank goodness for the C&A store in Amsterdam, which I have since heard it referred to as Cheap and Awful!

 

We have 3 weeks in Europe later this summer, with a Rhine River cruise sandwiched between France and Switzerland. Carryons only, not just because of fear of lost luggage, but to make schlepping on the Thalys and Swiss Rail more manageable.

[Esmerelda]

We also have air tags in our bags.  It’s been very helpful. 

[prmssk]

I'm sorry for all you went through.  It's not going to make us switch to all carry on though.  We cross pack between suitcases and our carryons enough that if we really had to we would be able to get buy mostly (with a few quick purchases) if some went missing that I can't imagine sitting around waiting for a bag in a foreign city instead of exploring it and going on our tours.  We also stick with hotels that generally would be able to receive a suitcase for us from the airlines while we are out.  And we recently have purchased AirTags.  I know none of that is foolproof but it's enough precautions to make me plenty comfortable.

[wrk2cruise]

Oh great, now everyone is going to get a red medical tag from Amazon and carry yet another oversized bag onto the plane.   No wonder there is no room for the one legal size roll aboard my wife and I share. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

I am sorry about the delayed luggage. What a pain!  I appreciate the ‘cautionary tale’ but there is no way I could get by with just a carry on for a European cruise…any cruise, really. I would certainly have had a carry on though with enough in it to get by in addition to a checked bag. (Where do you pack all of your souvenirs without the checked bag?) We did it this way when we sailed out of Barcelona. That was before AirTags. Good luck getting all this sorted. You were kind not to go off on your own and leave your travel companions to wait.  Not sure I would have been so willing to do the same. 

[Mark_T]

1 minute ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Not sure I would have been so willing to do the same. 

On the flip-side I would have been insisting that you should go off on your own, no point in having everyone tied down 'just in case'...

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

Oh great, now everyone is going to get a red medical tag from Amazon

Side story…we recently bought a new car. The agent wanted to know if we wanted to apply for a handicap license plate. I was baffled. “What for?”  I asked. He said people commonly do this so the can park up front in bigger spaces to avoid parking lot door dings. All I could do was SMDH and say ‘no’ of course. 

[3CanadianBears]

We did carry on only for our recent cruise to Alaska, and enjoyed not having to worry about lost luggage, no waiting at a luggage carousel and most importantly being able to easily handle our bags. 

 

Saw so many people struggling with loads of luggage coming out of the airport, walking to shuttles, getting on to public transportation etc.  More than just the chance of having luggage lost to consider - be sure you can easily manage lifting, moving your own bags. 

[paulh84]

There can be another plot twist when you are forced to fare check your carryon because others have abused the carryon allowances. Keeping a change of clothes in your personal item like a small backpack is your only guarantee you will make it with at least a few items. 
 

AirTags are okay for your peace of mind (although you can track your bags in many airline’s app) but when the location hasn’t updated or the baggage office is uncooperative they aren’t going to do any good.

[cw2go]

16 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I am sorry about the delayed luggage. What a pain!  I appreciate the ‘cautionary tale’ but there is no way I could get by with just a carry on for a European cruise…any cruise, really. I would certainly have had a carry on though with enough in it to get by in addition to a checked bag. (Where do you pack all of your souvenirs without the checked bag?) We did it this way when we sailed out of Barcelona. That was before AirTags. Good luck getting all this sorted. You were kind not to go off on your own and leave your travel companions to wait.  Not sure I would have been so willing to do the same. 

I am a "Carry On Only" girl! Luggage has been lost twice and I'lll never deal with that debacle again. It was awful! 

 

Have done 3 weeks Europe and 2 weeks Alaska many times without ever needing to check a bag. There are many tricks I use and I always shop for souvenirs. My hubby

says I can pack an elephant in shoe box 😁

 

It's become a quirky challenge, 

Patty 

Edited June 16, 2023 by cw2go

[cw2go]

1 minute ago, paulh84 said:

There can be another plot twist when you are forced to fare check your carryon because others have abused the carryon allowances. Keeping a change of clothes in your personal item like a small backpack is your only guarantee you will make it with at least a few items. 
 

AirTags are okay for your peace of mind (although you can track your bags in many airline’s app) but when the location hasn’t updated or the baggage office is uncooperative they aren’t going to do any good.

 

I book Priority Seating to avoid this. 

 

Patty 

[mrgabriel]

I’m sincerely sorry that this luggage issue has put a damper on your holiday. 
 

We made the switch to carry on last year - not because of lost bags but because of waiting for bags at the airport when coming home & realizing that we didn’t wear or use everything we had hauled around.

 

I’ve resigned myself to wearing things many times. We just did 18 nights including London in non-expandable carry ons. It’s not for everyone … I personally don’t care if someone notices that I’ve worn the same thing to dinner three times. 
 

My mantra is that my wardrobe doesn’t make or break my holiday.

[Silkroad]

1 minute ago, wrk2cruise said:

Oh great, now everyone is going to get a red medical tag from Amazon and carry yet another oversized bag onto the plane.   No wonder there is no room for the one legal size roll aboard my wife and I share. 

Indeed. I flashed back to the time we checked bags and tried to board with one legal size carry on each. The flight was full. We were both required to gate check our carry on bags. We were able to remove electronics, prescription glasses, and medications and stuff them into our personal bags and a small folding tote bag. I had to stuff my medium sized personal bag- a cross body travel purse - into the tote bag with our gear to be allowed to use it as my personal bag. When we landed, I saw people pulling down oversized “carry on” bags the size of our checked bags! So no, I don’t care for the extra “larger than necessary bag” for a cpap. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I hope airlines will start checking everyone’s carry one size , since  it appears some carry on are larger my check bag 😁

one of traveling friend bag was delay , and the owner of the Airbnb was around to accept to bag when it came next day in Barcelona 

[Georgia_Peaches]

17 minutes ago, cw2go said:

It's become a quirky challenge, 

Well I do love a good challenge!  We have a last minute cruise coming up and it's a drive-to embarkation.  Maybe I'll give it a try...it's the Caribbean though...I don't feel like I need as much as I did in Europe...this challenge might be fun 😁

[cw2go]

1 minute ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Well I do love a good challenge!  We have a last minute cruise coming up and it's a drive-to embarkation.  Maybe I'll give it a try...it's the Caribbean though...I don't feel like I need as much as I did in Europe...this challenge might be fun 😁

You Can Do It! I believe in you 😊

[Bo1953]

30 minutes ago, 3CanadianBears said:

We did carry on only for our recent cruise to Alaska, and enjoyed not having to worry about lost luggage, no waiting at a luggage carousel and most importantly being able to easily handle our bags. 

 

Saw so many people struggling with loads of luggage coming out of the airport, walking to shuttles, getting on to public transportation etc.  More than just the chance of having luggage lost to consider - be sure you can easily manage lifting, moving your own bags. 

3c My spouse does this well, it is to be sure I can handle the two (2) 32" pieces of luggage we take... and I do! LOL

 

Over the last few years I have been using porters and private transportation services more to accommodate... LOL

 

Thanks and bon voyage

 

 

[Bo1953]

32 minutes ago, cw2go said:

I am a "Carry On Only" girl! Luggage has been lost twice and I'lll never deal with that debacle again. It was awful! 

 

Have done 3 weeks Europe and 2 weeks Alaska many times without ever needing to check a bag. There are many tricks I use and I always shop for souvenirs. My hubby

says I can pack an elephant in shoe box 😁

 

It's become a quirky challenge, 

Patty 

Well, cw2, I have not gotten there yet... maybe soon??? LOL

 

Not envious, yet!!!

 

bon voyage

[hcat]

A few years ago, we had 100% non arrival  of  our 2 small checked bags flying from Islip NY to Seattle on SW Air..(changed planes in Chicago) for a short cruise. It was very sad to see everyone leave with their bags but not us.. and the airport is  not really close to Seattle hotels!

 

  Our Town owns the  Islip Airport so our Town Supervisor Ofc got involved.   Excuse  given was that  the bags fell off the loading belt in Islip....

 

We had to plan a day of shopping pre cruise in lieu of sightseeing,  but the Town and airline pulled out all the stops and  the bags arrived at our Seattle hotel via Taxi  around 11 p.m.  We lucked out!

 

Now we  not only cross- pack but also squeeze lotsa clothes in our carryons.. undies, socks. nighties, swim suits, 2 casual  and 2 dress outfits with shoes.

lesson learned.. so while we hate seeing everyone with heavy carryons.. it has become a necessity for certain trips!