Only three weeks until our Alaska cruise/land tour! I have a couple of quick questions regarding luggage:
1. We will arrive in Anchorage a day early. Will all of our luggage accompany us to the hotel; or will the "Join Me Onboard Ship" luggage be picked up by Princess at the airport and taken directly to storage? (Our land tour is first and then the cruise)
2. The tags we have received to designate "Take Me With You" or "Join Me Onboard" don't seem real sturdy. The brochure recommends placing them on the luggage before leaving home, but couldn't that be done at the Anchorage airport before handing them over to Princess?
I asked our friends who went on the cruise last year how this was handled and they couldn't remember. It's heck to get old!
We will take the similar cruise like yours in June. Somewhere I read that the tour bus or train can not carry all the luggages during the land tour. That is why Princess ask you to pack separately. One bag for the land and one to join you later. Hope this helps.
By the way, I suggest that you separate your luggages at home so no matter where you need to be apart with them, you will be ready. For the second question, I cannot think of any reason why you cannot put the tags on until you get there. Just have your tags handy so you can put them on whenever is needed.
You should put your tags on the luggage before you leave home. If the airline loses your luggage and you've already started your land tour, then the luggage has a better chance of getting sent to the ship.
Thank you csnj1w and Cruise Fanatic for the advice! My brain is getting fried from thinking of all these things. Isn't that part of the fun of cruising--the preparations? This last couple of weeks will be cruise-focused. I love it!
If you cant take ALL your luggage onto the train, what happens to those people's luggage who do the cruise first then the land tour, as we will be doing in August/September. Our cruise/tour is the northbound Vancouver to Whitter and then on to Fairbanks by train. We are also extending our stay in Alaska for an extra 10 days with a self drive leg. As we will be flying from Australia to Vancouver (arriving 3 days prior to our cruise)we will be having to pack for approx 26 days/nights so there will not be any time when we will be able to get by without our luggage. I've learned to pack conservatively, but even so we will have at least 1 large bag each,1 carry-on bag each as well as a backpack with my photography equipment and a folding tripod. Our luggage all falls within the airlines limits, but what about the limits on the train. Any Answers would be appreciated. Nadine M please tell us all about you cruise/tour experiences when you get back, I am sure you will have a great time and I can't wait to hear about it.
Hi Narrell! I can't answer your questions, but I am sure someone on the board can. I am impressed that you can travel for 26 days and only have one large bag each. We will end up with two large suitcases apiece, I'm sure!
I will be glad to write when I get back. Enjoy your cruise preparations!
Put the tags on before you leave home. Princess looks for those tags because when you arrive if you are on a cruise tour, then Princess takes your bags off the luggage belt for you along with the other princess passengers. Then, after they take off all the bags (while you check in at Princess desk), they will assemble them in rows with aisles between them. Then, you will take hotel tags you receive when you arrive and one person from your party will go to the luggage and put those tags on. It is done in a very very orderly fashion. We were quite impressed. Regarding the train, there is very little room for storage of bags on the train, so you should be prepared to take just what you need for the train ride with you. The rest is taken from your room that morning as I recall and rides the train with you. If you are staying at a hotel in Fairbanks the first night or at Denali, all your luggage can go with you. If, for some reason, you need more luggage with you (I have to travel with breathing machine for instance), the Princess people at arrival can give you additional "goes with me" tags.
Good luck and have fun. Alaska is amazing with a capital A!
If the tags are too flimsy, put clear packing tape on both sides....makes them very strong and less chance of them tearing....Happy cruising...You will love Alaska...
Waterart, thank you for the great clarification. I feel more relaxed now that I know what will happen when.
Berick1234, the tag idea is helpful, too. Yesterday we laminated my Mom's luggage tags, but I don't have any laminate at home so I will try the clear packing tape. Should work fine.
"Your hand carry tote bag should be a size that is comfortable to carry and should be able to be stowed under seat. We recommend soft-sided tote bags no larger than ceed 17"x14"x4" with a zip enclosure."
The normal size airplane carry on will fix under your seat on the train portion of your landtour. On the bus you put your carry on under the bus in the luggage area. We did the Alaska land tour last spring and had no problems with our normal carry on items.
Narrell, We too are doing the land/cruise the end of August beginning of September - what ship are you going on? We are taking the Sapphire Princess - our first time to Alaska. I really appreciate all of the information concerning the tags. This website has been so helpful.
Originally posted by LizzyjaneFromGA: Narrell, We too are doing the land/cruise the end of August beginning of September - what ship are you going on? We are taking the Sapphire Princess - our first time to Alaska. I really appreciate all of the information concerning the tags. This website has been so helpful.
Hi there LizzyjaneFromGA, We will be travelling on the Diamond Princess-- leaving Vancouver on 30th August (our 28th wedding Anniversary), and starting our land tour 6th September, It's also our first cruise and we can't wait although I'm a little nervous as we also have to fly from Australia to Vancouver and I'm not to good with the flying part Hope you enjoy your holiday and perhaps we will meet somewhere on the Train or at the lodge..
We fly up to Fairbanks on the 25th of August and will travel down to Whittier for a boarding on the 30th. We will dock in Vancouver on the 6th of September. I am sure that we will pass somewhere in the middle and I will wave at your ship while we are passing. What day will you be in Juneau?
Lizzy We will be in Juneau on the 2nd September, This is were I will be doing a photographic Tour. I can't wait and I'm sure this will be one of many wonderful memories of our trip. Along with the freezing cold nights I intend to spend hoping to photograph the Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks. If we happen to meet in passing,you will easily recognise me I'll be the short lady with the funny accent and a camera around my neck.
Have a great time on the 2nd of September in Juneau - I'll be there on the 3rd. We will be in Skagway on the 2nd. Flying will be fine - I take a sleeping pill if it is over 7 hours long, helps calm me down. I know that you will have a wonderful time!
