Luggage on a cruisetour in Alaska

[LoveSanibel]

We are on a cruisetour next week(then on the Sapphire on 6/9). I was wondering about the one bag that travels with you on the land part of the trip. Is there a specific size? Is just a regular standard size suitcase okay? Or a wheeled duffle?

 

I saw in the literature from Princess that the hand carry bag has a restriction, but does the one that they move from place to place? Also, what time to you have to have your stuff outside on the days you move?

 

Thanks so much!

Kathy

[ttwalker23]

Well, I'm not 100% sure about the allowed size, however keep in mind that if your cruise tour includes air transportation the planes can be surprisingly small and therefore size restrictions might apply. A regular standard size should not create any problems, though.

 

As for the times it has to be out... I don't know. Could imagine the latest would be 8pm or so... :confused:

[Toto2Kansas]

It has been many years since we did our cruise tour of Alaska. But when we took the train for the tour, we were allowed only one carry on sized bag pp for the tour. Creative packing was definitely in order. It had to fit on the train with us, no checked luggage. They held the rest of our bags for delivery to the ship.

As said, it was a long time ago, so maybe things have changed. But that is the way it used to be.

[alabama ghost]

We took an Alaska cruise-tour about 3 years ago. We were limited to one suitcase to go on the tour with us which had to be outside our room early each morning, but the time seemed to change each day, according to our schedule. My suitcase was a standard size rolling bag, not too big, but don't know the exact dimensions. I do remember however that they were very strict about the size of your carryon, with good reason because it was sometimes difficult to find a place to put it on the train especially.

 

The standard suitcase was left outside our room each morning and we found it in the new room each evening. The only problem we had was with labeling the suitcases--my husband's tour suitcase was sent on to the ship because it had a "cruise" label on it in addition to the "tour" label. We labeled strictly according to what we had been told by Princess, but I guess the luggage handlers in Fairbanks didn't get the memo.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[Denise40]

Kathy I am on the same trip as you. We are doing our land tour on the 6th to the 9th and then leaving on the Sapphire on the 9th. Our friend that is also going on the cruise with us is a TA and I will ask her if she knows.

[Joy2Day]

I was on a cruisetour in 2005. We started in Fairbanks. All of our luggage was delivered to our room there. Then we tagged one bag as "Meet Me Onboard" and a second as "Follow Me".

 

My "Follow Me" bag was a standard rolling bag. For travel from Fairbanks to Denali and Denali to Talkeetna (McKinley Lodge), the "Follow Me" bag was trucked ahead of us. Most of us used the standard roller bags. My friend's father had a single large bag for the entire 2 weeks, and that bag was also fine. The "Follow Me" bag usually needs to be out in the hallway 2-3 hours before your departure time.

 

Carry-on space is quite limited on the train especially. On the Princess railcars, seating is at 4-person tables with bench-style seats. All the carryon luggage needs to fit under the bench seat. Otherwise, it is around your feet or on the seat with you. On the motorcoach, there is overhead storage as well as storage under the bus for the larger bags.

[LoveSanibel]

Thank you all so much for your input. I talked to my TA today and she said a standard size suitcase or duffle was fine. I just wanted to be sure that the "follow me bag" did not have to be a small bag.

 

I was hoping that would be the case. We each have a backpack for on the train, so I am not worried about that part.

 

Thanks again,

Kathy

[Hornet]

I was on a cruisetour in 2005. We started in Fairbanks. All of our luggage was delivered to our room there. Then we tagged one bag as "Meet Me Onboard" and a second as "Follow Me".

 

My "Follow Me" bag was a standard rolling bag. For travel from Fairbanks to Denali and Denali to Talkeetna (McKinley Lodge), the "Follow Me" bag was trucked ahead of us. Most of us used the standard roller bags. My friend's father had a single large bag for the entire 2 weeks, and that bag was also fine. The "Follow Me" bag usually needs to be out in the hallway 2-3 hours before your departure time.

 

Carry-on space is quite limited on the train especially. On the Princess railcars, seating is at 4-person tables with bench-style seats. All the carryon luggage needs to fit under the bench seat. Otherwise, it is around your feet or on the seat with you. On the motorcoach, there is overhead storage as well as storage under the bus for the larger bags.

 

Just got back from our land tour and cruise last night and it's still the same as 2005. We sent one suitcase each to the ship and kept one suitcase each for the land. My DH had a backpack for the train with cameras and binoculars and I had a small rolling carry-on. The size would be the same as to fit under an airline seat.