Carry ons

[Shannonk1886]

My and my son are sailing on the Dream in July. I just bought a carry on from Target but the size says 22.5x15x10 and I know my sons is about the same. Is that something we would have to check or we should just bring a backpack instead?

 

[Weedy]

You can carry it on. But remember you have to keep it with you until cabins are ready usually 2:00

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

22.5x15x10

Just as a note, many airlines now state a 22x14x9 carry on size in case you are planning to fly. This is a reduction in size from the allowed slightly larger size from about 5 years ago. That being said, I've taken a bag your size as a carry on with DCL. It does have to fit through the security screening machine at your port of boarding. So your mileage my vary. Worst case, you just quickly walk it out to luggage check in. It wouldn't be a huge hassle in my opinion, but I've never actually done it.

 

[Cheburashka]

Just as a note, many airlines now state a 22x14x9 carry on size in case you are planning to fly. This is a reduction in size from the allowed slightly larger size from about 5 years ago.

The airlines might state that, but I have flown many different lines, both domestic and international, in the past several years and have never seen such a restriction enforced. I have carefully measured my bags to make sure they fell within the airlines' printed guidelines (they typically just barely qualified), only to board & see many, many people with significantly larger bags stuffing them in the overhead bins.

OP, you'll be fine with that carry-on bag. An extra half inch would never be a concern upon boarding the flight.

 

[Calantha]

I have flown many different lines in the past several years and have never seen such a restriction enforced.

I agree. In 30+ years of flying, I have only had a gate person complain once about my carry-on bag - and it was Austrian Air to Vienna in about 2008.

 

[JimJoonie]

Keep in mind that if it looks like overhead room is starting to run out on the plane, the airline might require you to gate check your carry on. Flying out of NYC area, this happens to me often.

 

[Cheburashka]

Keep in mind that if it looks like overhead room is starting to run out on the plane, the airline might require you to gate check your carry on. Flying out of NYC area, this happens to me often.

True, but that can happen to anyone regardless of the size of your bags (unless they can fit under your seat). It's all about how quickly you board the plane.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

The airlines might state that, but I have flown many different lines, both domestic and international, in the past several years and have never seen such a restriction enforced.

I agree it isn't enforced often in my opinion, but I have seen it enforced. The point is they can enforce it if you are over, so if you are very concerned about not having a bag checked for any reason (there are lots I can think of) you should be aware that if you are slightly over and your airline keeps to that 22x9x14 size there may be a small possibility of checking it.

 

[Cheburashka]

I agree it isn't enforced often in my opinion, but I have seen it enforced. The point is they can enforce it if you are over, so if you are very concerned about not having a bag checked for any reason (there are lots I can think of) you should be aware that if you are slightly over and your airline keeps to that 22x9x14 size there may be a small possibility of checking it.

You've seen it enforced for a person whose bag is half an inch larger than printed guidelines? I don't buy that at all. People with obviously oversized bags occasionally get pulled aside, but I've never experienced, seen or heard of anyone be gate checked for a bag that's half an inch (or even a couple of inches) over printed guidelines. The gate agents wouldn't even be able to visually notice such a slight difference, and they certainly don't routinely measure everyone's carry-on bags. That could take as long as the flight itself.

 

[Kwami]

The only time I've ever had my carry-on measured was when I took an inter-island plane in Hawaii. They were very, very strict about carry-on sizes because the bins were small and the larger carry-ons had to be loaded in the back of the plane where the cargo nets were.

 

[princessmommyx3]

I was waiting at a gate once and a flight (not mine) lined up for boarding. I think it was a Spirit flight. An airline employee was walking down the line looking at carry on bags. If she thought one was too large, she would ask the person to make it fit inside of the display thing that is a basically a container of the maximum dimensions. I saw at least 2 people try to fit their bags in and although it was close, they couldn’t cram them all the way in. One person agreed to check the bag, and the other tried taking things out of the suitcase to make it smaller. She was finally able to get it to fit. Anyway, my point is that I have seen it enforced before.

 

[lanejudy]

You've seen it enforced for a person whose bag is half an inch larger than printed guidelines?

Like the PP, I have seen it enforced where if it doesn’t fit in the box it had to be checked. Now the box measurements weren’t checked with a tape but are supposedly the size allowed. If the suitcase was 1/2” too big to fit in the box, no go. Often it was due to wheels because people only measured the actual interior dimensions and not the full piece.

 

[Dug720]

You've seen it enforced for a person whose bag is half an inch larger than printed guidelines?

Actually yes, I have. The announced at the gate that we were a completely full flight and they would be sizing all bags and any that did not fit in the sizer would be checked. And they specifically called out the bags with the extender zippers as ones that would not fit and we needed to zip those extenders closed. I had my extender zipper open and immediately sat on the bag and rolled around as someone else in line helped me to zip it. Everyone was helping everyone else try to make bage so that they would fit. But there were quite a few people who had their bag gate checked because it did not fit in the sizer - sometimes by less than an inch.