I tried a little-known hack on my cruise ship’s disembarkation day, and it made the last day of my trip so much better.
Like most passengers, I don’t love the final morning of the cruise. Not only is my vacation coming to an end, but I need to make my way from the cruise terminal to the airport with my luggage.
With thousands of other (grumpy) passengers doing the same thing, too, disembarkation day is anything but enjoyable.
So, on my recent Alaska cruise, I tried Royal Caribbean’s Luggage Valet service—also known as Port Valet—and it greatly improved my experience traveling home.
It’s something I’ll use again and again when I cruise. Best of all, the service was completely free.
Royal Caribbean’s Luggage Valet service brings your suitcase to the airport for you
Royal Caribbean offers a service called Luggage Valet, which puts the easy button on disembarkation day.
Passengers who sign up for this service place their luggage outside their cabin door the evening before disembarkation. The next morning, their luggage is transferred directly from the cruise terminal to the airport and onto their flight.
This means that once passengers place their suitcase in the hallway, they won’t see it again until they arrive at their home airport.
Currently, the program is offered at three airports: Seattle (SEA), Miami (MIA), and Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
Related: Royal Caribbean is bringing back a luggage perk its customers loved
In Seattle, the program is called Port Valet, and it’s a partnership with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The service in Seattle is offered free of charge aside from any applicable baggage fees from the airline.
In Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Luggage Valet costs $29 per person in addition to airline baggage fees.
I signed up for Seattle’s Port Valet program during my cruise
On the second day of my cruise, I received a sign-up form for Port Valet in my cabin.
The form had general information about baggage fees and logistics about which flights are eligible for the program. Not all flight departure times qualify, and while most US airlines participate, international airlines are not included on the list.
You can register for Port Valet ahead of time on the Port of Seattle’s website here, but it was just as easy to register onboard my ship.
Related: Guide to Seattle cruise port for Alaska cruises
My Alaska Airlines flight departed from Seattle at 9:30PM on disembarkation day. I filled out the form with my flight information and brought it to Guest Services to be registered.
Because I was flying First Class, my checked bag fee was waived by Alaska Airlines. If I were in economy, I would have paid $35 for the bag, but the Port Valet service itself remains free regardless of your flight class.
Registering took just a few minutes, and I was hopeful that Port Valet would take the stress out of traveling to the airport with my big suitcase.
I received my luggage tags and boarding pass on the last evening of my cruise
After I finished dinner on the last evening of my cruise, I headed back to my stateroom to pack my belongings.
On my bed were my Port Valet luggage tags, which I placed on the handle of my suitcase. In addition, my boarding pass for my flight was also delivered at this time.
I was already checked in for my flight and I hadn’t even left the ship yet!
I placed my suitcase outside my cabin door — I wouldn’t see it until I landed in my home airport
Passengers participating in Port Valet must place their suitcase outside their cabin door by 10PM on the evening before disembarkation.
On most cruises, I do self-disembarkation, which is when you bring your own suitcase off the ship with you on disembarkation day. Therefore, it was a bit of an adjustment to pack everything the night before.
I had to make sure I had enough toiletries for the morning, and, of course, a change of clothes so I didn’t walk around the next day in my pajamas.
Related: How disembarkation day works on a Royal Caribbean cruise
However, I also had to ensure I packed my carry-on backpack appropriately, too. Because I wouldn’t see my suitcase until I got home the following night, I needed to make sure I had everything necessary for my day in Seattle and trip to the airport.
If I forgot anything important, my suitcase would not be accessible on disembarkation day.
After carefully packing my carry-on and checked bag, I placed the checked bag outside my cabin door with the appropriate luggage tags.
I waved goodbye to my suitcase hoping that everything would go to plan. If so, I would see my trusty purple suitcase when I landed at home.
On disembarkation day, it felt strange to leave the cruise terminal without my suitcase
As your vacation comes to an end, disembarkation day is anything but fun. Nonetheless, getting off the ship and through the cruise terminal was a breeze without carrying my heavy luggage.
When I walked out of the cruise terminal, I felt like I was missing something. All I had was a small backpack, and my suitcase was headed off to the airport in Seattle.
With twelve hours until my flight departed, I felt free to explore the city without worrying about where to store my luggage. I walked around downtown, grabbed coffee at a quaint cafe, and enjoyed lunch at a delicious dim sum restaurant in the city.
When it was time to head to the airport, I hopped on the light rail, which conveniently travels from downtown to the terminal in just under 40 minutes. For only $3 per person, it was cheaper than ordering an Uber or Lyft to the airport.
With luggage, I would have opted for the private ride, but having just a small backpack made it easy to take the cheaper public transportation option.
Once at the airport, I breezed past the baggage kiosks
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the US, with over 52 million passengers transiting through the airport each year.
Crowds can be expected virtually anywhere, but especially at check-in desks and security lines.
Luckily, because I already sent my luggage off with Port Valet, I could go straight to security once I entered the airport.
I noticed long lines and crowds near the terminal’s luggage drop off desks and kiosks, and I was so grateful I didn’t need to worry about dropping off my bag.
After a relatively quick security line, I headed to the lounge to relax before my flight. It felt odd to have not seen my luggage for nearly an entire day, but I trusted that it would be placed safely onto my flight home.
I picked up my suitcase from the luggage carousel at my home airport
My 90-minute flight home was short and effortless. Once I landed, I walked to the luggage carousel hoping that my bag had made it all the way from outside my cabin door to my home airport.
Like clockwork, my bag was one of the first on the carousel. I was pleased everything went as planned, and I promptly grabbed my bag and ordered an Uber home.
I couldn’t believe how convenient my disembarkation day was because I used Port Valet. I also couldn’t believe the service, aside from any airline baggage fees, was complimentary.
It seemed crazy that such a useful travel hack was offered free of charge by Seattle’s airport, but I’ll take any opportunity I get to make my travel days less stressful.
Because the service is complimentary, I really can’t see a reason to not use Port Valet for an Alaska cruise. If you’re paying the fee to check a bag anyway, why deal with the hassle of bringing your bags to the airport yourself?
Instead, you can simply place your luggage outside your cabin door and pick it up once you return home.
The convenience is simply unmatched, and it’s a hack I’ll use on every Alaska cruise I take.
