Royal Caribbean brings back beloved passenger perk
A helpful service that’s been on hiatus for some time is available again for certain Royal Caribbean cruises.
For some cruise passengers, disembarkation day can be a stressful end to the cruise experience. Wrapping up a relaxing vacation at sea often involves waiting around to get off the ship just to rush off to the airport to catch your flight home.
The more passengers your cruise ship has, the longer it can take to disembark. Plus, the ship has to be cleared by customs officials before anyone can even begin to get off.
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This is why it’s always recommended to buffer a few hours between your cruise disembarkation time and your return flight departure time. Smart cruisers choose afternoon return flight times to make sure that potential disembarkation delays don’t cause them to miss their flight.
Once you’ve made it off the ship, you’ll also need time to pick up your luggage, travel to the airport, and get through airport security. All of these steps will feel less hectic if you’re not worried about the possibility of missing your flight.
To help the process go more smoothly from cruise ship to airport, some cruise lines like Royal Caribbean offer flight arrangements and airport transfer services that passengers can purchase in conjunction with their cruise reservation.
Royal Caribbean also has an additional service that can make the transition from cruise port to airport even more hassle-free, but it hasn’t been widely available in the last few years.
For lucky passengers booked on select sailings, that’s changing, though.
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Royal Caribbean is expanding its ship-to-airport luggage transfer service
Luggage Valet, a service Royal Caribbean once offered for cruises from Florida, is making a comeback on select sailings, according to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com, an unofficial fan blog not affiliated with the cruise line.
Basically, the program allows passengers to skip the traditional airport check-in lines and check their luggage for their flight while still on board their cruise ship. Participating passengers will receive their boarding passes, luggage tags, and baggage claim tickets in their staterooms.
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Passengers who take advantage of Luggage Valet don’t need to lug their bags around on disembarkation day. After setting their tagged bags outside their stateroom on the night before disembarkation, they’ll only need to pick up their luggage when they arrive in their final destination. Royal Caribbean will transport the passengers’ luggage directly to the airport where it will then be sent on to their flight.
Luggage Valet is available for a fee added to the airline luggage fees. It’s only available from select ports and airlines on sailings of seven nights or longer. Flights must depart on the same day as the ship’s arrival.
Royal Caribbean’s Luggage Valet service returns for select cruises from Florida
For a while, the service was only available for Alaska cruise passengers sailing from the port of Seattle who are flying with select airlines. Recently, passengers sailing from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale have reported that Luggage Valet is again being offered for select cruises of seven nights or longer.
Along with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the program is now available for flights on select airlines departing from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport or Miami International Airport.
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To participate, passengers need to complete an enrollment form and return it to the guest services desk by no later than day three of their cruise. The current cost for Royal Caribbean’s Luggage Valet is $29 per passenger. Participating passengers will have the Luggage Valet fee plus the applicable airline baggage fees charged to their onboard account.
Although the service does add an extra fee to your cruise, some passengers say it’s well worth the cost to avoid dealing with your luggage on disembarkation day.
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