First Timer's Luggage Questions

[Cirlonde]

Could some kind cruise-veteran walk me through the luggage process for a cruise out of Port Canaveral? My husband and I are planning our first cruise, and despite having looked through about six pages of old threads via a search for the world "luggage" I'm just not finding the info I'm looking for.

It will just be the two of us; at most we will have two suitcases but it is more likely we would only have one. We are planning to rent a car to drive from Orlando to Port Canaveral and back, so we aren't concerned about having our luggage transported to/from the airport.

My specific questions are:

1. Are you required to check your luggage when you arrive or is this just a convenience that 99% of people take advantage of? Could you opt to carry your luggage onto the ship yourself instead?
2. Are you required to check your luggage when you depart the ship or can you carry it off yourself?
3. If the answer to #1 is that you are required to check your luggage, what are the carry on luggage regulations? How many pieces of carry on? What size? (Like, if it qualifies as carry on for the airplane, you can carry it on the ship?)

Thank you so much!

 

[lanejudy]

Any luggage carried on must fit through a security scanner -- similar to airport carry-on size. So if your luggage is all smallish, you are welcome to carry it on. There really are no limits as to number of bags you may carry-on, just that you will need to keep it with you until staterooms are ready around 1:30pm. There are no luggage carts like used at a hotel. Larger suitcases must be checked at the port curbside with the porters.

At the end of your cruise you are welcome to carry off all your luggage if you so choose. Again, there are no luggage carts and the elevators tend to be quite busy and full of people and bags on debarkation morning, which may make it challenging to carry off a lot of luggage. But many people opt for "express debarkation" and carry their own.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[rhinodadz]

1. You do not have to check your luggage. If you don't you will have to carry it around until the staterooms are ready at 1:30pm. However you can only carry on something that's the size of an airline carry-on. So a full-sized suitcase would need to be checked.
2. You can do "express walk off" which lets you carry your own luggage off and not have to put it out for collection at 10pm the last night of the cruise. We've done that several times - very easy.
3. See answer to 1.

 

[PlanoNana]

The EASIEST way in my opinion is to put clothes and non critical stuff in a large bag to check and take a small carry on with meds, swimsuits if you want and a change of clothes. Just be aware that your checked bag won't be available to you until sometime in the later afternoon. That works for us.

 

[jrabbit]

other things to go in your carryon and NOT checked luggage in addition to: meds and swimsuits

• Electronics - NEVER a good idea to check these - locked suitcases are easily opened by anyone
• Money, Credit Cards, Jewelry, ID's, etc
• Bring some sun screen in your carry on - better protected than burnt

 

[Cirlonde]

Thank you all!! This was very helpful!

I should have mentioned that we are only doing a 3 day cruise and that we are hoping to book concierge level. Both of which led me to thinking about doing just carry on. Since the cruise will be so short, I'm thinking surely we can get by with just a small suitcase and maybe a backpack. Plus, I've read that with concierge, your room is sometimes available earlier, so we might be able to get unpacked sooner if we didn't have to wait on checked bags.

 

[ktb2002]

Thank you all!! This was very helpful!

I should have mentioned that we are only doing a 3 day cruise and that we are hoping to book concierge level. Both of which led me to thinking about doing just carry on. Since the cruise will be so short, I'm thinking surely we can get by with just a small suitcase and maybe a backpack. Plus, I've read that with concierge, your room is sometimes available earlier, so we might be able to get unpacked sooner if we didn't have to wait on checked bags.

If you do concierge they will hold your bags in the lounge if your room isn't ready yet.

 

[Cirlonde]

If you do concierge they will hold your bags in the lounge if your room isn't ready yet.

Oh wow, that's great! Carry on only is definitely looking like a good option for us. Plus this way I can bring my Dr. Peppers along...the one piece of magic Disney doesn't provide!

 

[hudsosa]

Oh wow, that's great! Carry on only is definitely looking like a good option for us. Plus this way I can bring my Dr. Peppers along...the one piece of magic Disney doesn't provide!

I've heard as a concierge guest you can request things that are not standard like Dr. Pepper. We're booked concierge for next summer so I have been researching concierge benefits...

 

[Cirlonde]

I've heard as a concierge guest you can request things that are not standard like Dr. Pepper. We're booked concierge for next summer so I have been researching concierge benefits...

I had read that too! Honestly...we're doing concierge more for the room type than for the extra perks and we're not really used to that level of service, so I'm a little nervous about making any kind of "special requests"! But I had thought about emailing shore-side concierge and asking if that was something we could request. I have a feeling that I will not be getting my money's worth out of concierge just because of my own awkwardness with asking for stuff, haha!!

I'd offer to report back to you on our experience, but we won't be cruising until May of 2018. We are starting the planning process super early so that we can make sure we get the room we want (hopefully) and have plenty of time to save our pennies.

 

[hudsosa]

I had read that too! Honestly...we're doing concierge more for the room type than for the extra perks and we're not really used to that level of service, so I'm a little nervous about making any kind of "special requests"! But I had thought about emailing shore-side concierge and asking if that was something we could request. I have a feeling that I will not be getting my money's worth out of concierge just because of my own awkwardness with asking for stuff, haha!!

I'd offer to report back to you on our experience, but we won't be cruising until May of 2018. We are starting the planning process super early so that we can make sure we get the room we want (hopefully) and have plenty of time to save our pennies.

Us too, we're doing the 1 bedroom on the 4-Day Dream because it made more sense. I have no issue requesting things via email, but when it comes down to asking for something in person I will just go without. This will likely be the only time we ever sail, let alone sail concierge.

 

[Cirlonde]

You sound just like us! Especially the part about this probably being the only time you ever sail. We don't anticipate becoming "cruise people". But like I told my husband...we said the same thing about our first trip to Disney World in 2014. We've been back twice more since then, have a Disneyland trip coming up soon and two more WDW trips planned (2017 & 2018). So, we'll see!