Concerned about disembarkment...questions about luggage?

[matzmum]

My 80 year old mother and I will be on our first cruise in August on the Wonder. My concern is handling our luggage after disembarkmet. We have purchased the Disney transportation to the Vancouver airport. Can anyone explain the process to me? We will have to collect and check in our luggage when we arrive at the airport?

 

[jetskigrl]

My 80 year old mother and I will be on our first cruise in August on the Wonder. My concern is handling our luggage after disembarkmet. We have purchased the Disney transportation to the Vancouver airport. Can anyone explain the process to me? We will have to collect and check in our luggage when we arrive at the airport?

If you put your luggage out the night before, you will collect it again inside the terminal before heading to the buses. There were some porters there last May that would bring the luggage to the buses for you (for a tip, of course). The bus driver will load the luggage under the bus and you will need to collect it from the bus when you arrive at the airport to take it inside to check in for your flight.

 

[YawningDodo]

I would check with DCL about whether onboard check-in for the flight is available, and whether you're eligible for it based on when your flight leaves. I don't know whether it's available at all in Vancouver, but it was offered in Miami--if you're eligible, you can get your flight documents on the ship before you debark, and they'll check your luggage with the airline for you so you don't have to deal with it again after you leave it out for the porters. It's an opt-in thing you need to set up ahead of time, though, not something they automatically do.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Isn't there a customs process you need to go through between disembarking and getting on the plane?

 

[Shanti]

Isn't there a customs process you need to go through between disembarking and getting on the plane?

They'll have to go through customs twice. Once at the port for entry into Canada, and once at the airport for entry into the U.S. prior to the flight. You do not need your luggage with you to go through customs at the airport, though. We just flew out on Tuesday and had already checked our bags prior to customs. I don't know whether or not your baggage is required at the cruise port customs, because we happened to have ours with us when we disembarked on Monday.

 

[matzmum]

Thanks everyone!