Luggage Forward or similar?

[jdaa]

Hello, has anyone had recent experience with Luggage Forward or a similar service on Silversea?  We'll spend 10 days traveling prior to our upcoming cruise and would love not having to haul an extra suitcase around with us that won't be opened until we get onboard.  Thanks!

[Observer]

My most recent experience with Luggage Forward was around a year ago, and it was very unsatisfactory. I will not use them again. 

 

As a regular user of this board might recall, I have several times in the past recommended Luggage Forward.  But the most recent experience with them demonstrated a lack of customer service and follow up that was unacceptable.  

[Lois R]

56 minutes ago, jdaa said:

Hello, has anyone had recent experience with Luggage Forward or a similar service on Silversea?  We'll spend 10 days traveling prior to our upcoming cruise and would love not having to haul an extra suitcase around with us that won't be opened until we get onboard.  Thanks!

Hi, I used Luggage Forward once and all worked out well.  I was sailing out of Barcelona in 2022 and I used them when coming back home. I got my bag within about 3 or 4 days after I arrived home so I had an excellent experience.

[Observer]

The OP might want to consider this:

 

SILVER SHORE BAGGAGE VALET
Silversea offers an optional baggage handling programme that
conveniently begins and ends at your front door, enabling you
to travel with ease.
For your convenience, we offer round-trip and one-way
service options, with pricing based on the weight and number
of pieces to be shipped. For most international embark ports,
we require the luggage be picked up 10-14 business days
prior to your sail date. Each piece of luggage is insured up to a
maximum of US$2,000.
 

It is not cheap, but when I have used it, I've been quite pleased.

 

You can contact them at: <valet@Silversea.com>

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

JDAA,

My DW & I used Luggage Forward in the last couple weeks to send two large suitcases to our ship in Seward, Alaska, and back home.  Everything worked perfectly, and we could track things along the way.  We have now used them on 4 different trips, and will use them again without any worries.  Our experience has been nothing but good.  Not cheap, but they do what they say they will do, and save us a lot of hassle schlepping heavy bags through airports.  It changes the way we pack - we pack just enough for the trip to the ship, with provision for delays, but everything else goes in the bags to the ship, via LF.  We are very happy campers.  

[Carolfay]

I agree with the previous comments.  I've had several good, albeit pricey, experiences with Luggage Forward - and I've arranged to use their service for my upcoming cruise.  Be aware that they don't serve every port on the globe; I was unable to ship a bag to the port in Lima, Peru, earlier this year.

[jdaa]

Thank you all for your very helpful replies!  For those of you who have used Luggage Forward for sending luggage to the ship, how does it work?  Do you need to retrieve your bag from somewhere, or is it delivered to your cabin?  And thank you Observer for your referral to the Silver Shore Baggage Valet. They weren't on my radar but I'll check them out! Would you care to elaborate on your unsatisfactory experience with Luggage Forward?

[Carolfay]

It's always been delivered right to my cabin when I board.  When you disembark, you'll be responsible for handing your bag over to the Luggage Forward representative at the terminal.  Your bag will be picked up at your home several days before your cruise departs.  For example, for my cruise departing September 2, I've been told to have my suitcase ready for home pickup on August 22.

[Observer]

4 minutes ago, jdaa said:

 Would you care to elaborate on your unsatisfactory experience with Luggage Forward?

 

There were two such experiences, separated by several years. Both involved the failure by Luggage Forward (LF) of the promised monitoring/tracking of the shipment. The client has the FedEx/UPS/DHL tracking number from the paperwork, and I track my shipments carefully.

 

In the first case, I saw that the bag arrived at the destination and was at the shipper's facility. I saw that it had not departed the facility on embarkation day and contacted LF. They assured me that all would be well. I arrived at the ship (which was meant to depart at 11 PM) and saw there was no bag. If the bag were not delivered before 11, it would be five or six days before the bag could reach me. LF needed to be alerted to this matter by me. They were clearly not tracking. The shipper was at fault, but LF was not monitoring the shipper. A courier service was engaged and the bag reached me just in time.

 

In the second case, I knew the bag had been picked up, but there was no progress report on the shipper's website.  There was not even evidence on the website that the bag had been picked up by the shipper. For days, LF gave me the runaround, telling me to be patient, that all would be well, etc. At one point, they told me that the shipping label had disappeared, which accounted for the situation. This was not the case. When the bag arrived, 10–14 days later than promised, the shipping label was attached and in good shape.

 

In both cases, I had to contact LF repeatedly about the matter. The lapses were with the companies, LF engaged (whom they repeatedly referred to as their partners.) LF was not tracking as promised. 

 

After the second incident, I moved my business to Siilversea and have been very pleased. What is especially reassuring is that one does not have to look for the LF agent outside customs on disembarkation day. The Silversea port agent who is in the customs hall takes the bag..

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

JDAA,

On our recent cruise from Seward, Alaska on Muse (we're coming from Oregon, US) our two bags were picked up from my office a few days before, and the next time we saw them was sitting on luggage stands in our suite on the Muse.  At end of cruise, after we packed them and affixed the big shipping label they provide, we put them out in the hall by 11pm night before disembark, and next time I'll see them is back at my office.  On previous international trip (starting in Venice, ending in Greece), we put out in hallway night before, then after disembarking the ship picked them up in holding area, rolled them through customs, and handed them over to a Luggage Forward person who was waiting for them, under a LF sign.  Once they had them, next we saw was back at my office.  (I used office as someone is there during normal business hours, and bags might beat us home in some cases.) LF sends you a packet with labels and very clear directions, and info on tracking and phone numbers.  Hope this helps. 

[jdaa]

Thank you all, so helpful!!  Observer I can certainly understand why you switched luggage services.  Again thanks to everyone who responded, great information!

[tfred]

I didn't realize the advance shipping time that is needed for this ( or the Sea valet service)  In house valet needs almost 3 weeks before the cruise date to organize it. LF is about 12 days. Both need time to send you baggage tags   I did make the cutoff for mt 26 August cruise via LF

 

You definitely  want to do the set up on line. I had a question and called the LF number. !0 minute wait and then the person wasn't the best with understanding my questions. I figured out what I needed on my own and politely hung up

 

It is via FedEx so I am somewhat sure that it will get to the port on time. 

[Observer]

32 minutes ago, tfred said:

I had a question and called the LF number. !0 minute wait and then the person wasn't the best with understanding my questions.

 

This unfortunately resembles my latest encounters with them. Before I simply gave up and began using the somewhat more expensive but reliable Silversea service.