Where do you claim luggage when you get off the ship?

[kelfen]

I know they take your luggage the night before the ship returns to Port Canaveral. Where do you claim your luggage once you get off the ship? How do you get your bags to the airport? Thanks!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Color coded luggage tags are given to you the night before the ship docs.

When you get off the ship, follow the crowd where you will be lead to a big room where your luggage will be in the color coded zone you were assigned along with about 1000 other pieces of luggage. Baggage handlers are there with dollys to help you get your luggage to your car or to the buses.

[Edit]

The last time we left via plane, the airlines had trucks at the port. You simply checked your baggage with the airline at the port. You then (hope to) find that luggage at your final airport destination.

I say "hope" because when we last did this, they were filling out the tags with the airport codes by hand. Well someone transposed two of the digit for our airport code and half our luggage was sent somewhere towards Singapore. We eventually got all the luggage back (airport had it delivered to our house the next day). But it's sad to think my luggage got to travel farther than I did.

 

[mmouse37]

It is an extremely efficient process, I might add!!! Luggage is broken down by cabin # sections and color coded to make it very easy!!

MJ

 

[TheWog]

If you are using DCL transfers and flying on one of the carriers at the port you can check your bags and receive your boarding passes right there and you won't see your bags again until you arrive in your home airport. It used to be for everyone, but lately I have read you need to have DCL transfers to take advantage of that. The color tags are Disney characters and very easy to locate once inside the terminal.

 

[kelfen]

I thought after 9/11 you could no longer check your luggage with the airlines at Port Canaveral for your return flight. Please clarify for me!

Hopefully you're going to tell me that I can reclaim my baggage when I get off the ship and then check it with American Airlines at the Port, get my boarding passes and be on my way to the Orlando airport!!!

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

They re-instated the port luggage check for the airlines some time ago. Which airlines participate seems to vary, so I'm not sure if AA does. I don't think they'll give you boarding passes, though. I think you still have to check in at the gate to get those.

 

[mmouse37]

I believe AA is at the port, but you MUST have purchased DCL transfers in order to use this service.

I believe if your flight is scheduled with 4-5 hours of checking in you can get your boarding pass right there (we did) but if it is later than you must get the boarding pass at the airport. We were often offered an earlier flight by the folks at the port checkin with no extra charge that we took advantage of.

MJ

 

[jlowejd5]

And I would whole-heartedly endorse the use of the porters they have there in the luggage area. I'm already sad that I have to leave the ship and go back to my dreary life, and if I can belay that a few minutes by having somebody tote my bags (and it only cost me a couple of dollars), I'm all for that.

Plus they're fast, courteous, and efficient.

 

[lbgraves]

ITA that the porters at the port are awesome. Both times we have tipped $2 per bag and the man carried out ALL of our bags so we just had to worrry about the kids. Once out in the lot we opened the back of the car & while we were putting the kids in the carseats & hooking up their TV, he put everything in the back & closed it up. DEFINITELY worth the money!

 

[micki7337]

The system they use at port was totally awesome. We did have a problem locating one of our smaller bags - but it was totally my fault! In the caios of the last night trying to get everyone packed and all the bags outside the door, I transposed the last two numbers of our room number. So when they lined all the bags up, my incorrectly numbered bag was back 7 or 8 rows. The poor porter had loaded up all our bags (13 of them!) and then helped us look from row to row. The porter finally gave up and off loaded everything to move on to other guests. Someone from DCL finally found it based on our name.

So lesson leared! From now on I will have someone else verify the room number on every tag before I put the bags in the hallway.

 

[tvguy]

I don't recall any porters being on the ship side of customs/immigration. No big deal, but we had to bring them up to the counter, and there were porters on the other side of customs.
Remember, your baggage is subject to inspection.
Yes, several airlines are at the port. We had DCL transfers, but booked our air on our own. AA had our name on a list, not sure if that came from DCL or whether AA, so not sure how they track whether you paid for transfers or not. DCL had their own list that they checked before we boarded the bus.
I read somewhere that the largest portion of DCL passengers fly AA, so I suspect that airline will always be at the port.

 

[lbgraves]

WOW! That is amazing that they didn't have any porters with the luggage. I wonder what the circumstances were after your cruise?

 

[8 Ears]

We did not use the porters as they all were very busy and we had an earlyl flight.

Yes, we got our boarding passes while they whisked our luggage away. Then at the airport we found our gate and tried to soak up the last of the sun until our section was called.

Mary

 

[mamalle]

what a easy process! we had a porter right from the beginning to the van.

 

[earpiemom]

we used the elevator as we had a stroller and as soon as we stepped off there was a porter waiting there...he went and got our bags and took us thru the line and went to the van and helped put the luggage in the van..all of this took place during a heavy downpour of rain...certainly worth $20 to us....