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I'm a pier agent - 2 Tips


aralcairam

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Embark tip: The best way to go with the test result is printing it, but if you want to have everything digital, before arriving to the port make a screen shot for the results of all the people in your cabin. The reason is sometimes the internet signal in the port is not good and it can take a loooong time to be able to show the results, and there is nothing that can be made before showing the results. When you do the screen shot make sure that is the full page and you can see clearly the name of the person, type of test, date it was taken and, of course the result.

Debark tip: Make sure to put something distinctive on every piece of your luggage so you can recognize them right away: A ribbon (NOT red, please), a bright tag, a pompom, duck tape, etc. This is not only for you to spot your luggage but for other people not to take it by mistake. You have no idea how many times it happens that when someone go to get their baggage they cannot find it because somebody took it and is already gone. The other thing you can do that is very helpful to find quick your luggage is to take a picture with all the pieces when they are ready to be left outside your cabin with the number tags and whatever you put on them to be recognized, so next  day at debark if you don't find them right away it would be easier for the agents to help you. This is really a good way to do it.

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Normally, we have always put all but 1 small bag outside our room the evening before. Recently, we got off the Harmony after a BtB. We tried something different. We did not put our bags out the evening before, and wheeled 2 bags each off the ship by ourselves. This was defiantly much faster doing it this way, but while pulling the bags through the terminal it kept crossing my mind if we were being rude? I could see that there were some people not thrilled that they needed to go around us because we were not running as fast as they were? Also we waited to be called, and did not get off @6am it was more like 945 ish.

Was this a no-no?

 

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16 minutes ago, RorySC said:

Normally, we have always put all but 1 small bag outside our room the evening before. Recently, we got off the Harmony after a BtB. We tried something different. We did not put our bags out the evening before, and wheeled 2 bags each off the ship by ourselves. This was defiantly much faster doing it this way, but while pulling the bags through the terminal it kept crossing my mind if we were being rude? I could see that there were some people not thrilled that they needed to go around us because we were not running as fast as they were? Also we waited to be called, and did not get off @6am it was more like 945 ish.

Was this a no-no?

 

Generally speaking, taking your own luggage has been reserved for those 'walking off' in the first group. The reason is so that there are not people trying to manage their luggage in elevators and stairs...becomes a space and safety hazard. Can you imagine 3000+ people struggling with their luggage around the ship, in the buffet and down the gangway?

Also, you will find in many terminals that unless you have a hand free to hold a hand railing on an escalator, they will make you take the elevator. That...can be a long wait.

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13 minutes ago, Gears said:

Generally speaking, taking your own luggage has been reserved for those 'walking off' in the first group. The reason is so that there are not people trying to manage their luggage in elevators and stairs...becomes a space and safety hazard. Can you imagine 3000+ people struggling with their luggage around the ship, in the buffet and down the gangway?

Also, you will find in many terminals that unless you have a hand free to hold a hand railing on an escalator, they will make you take the elevator. That...can be a long wait.

Makes sense, was just scared to loose another bag. It is about time for new luggage anyway. I am thinking I will purchase bags that are so ugly and wild colors that nobody would grab them anyway.

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1 hour ago, RorySC said:

Normally, we have always put all but 1 small bag outside our room the evening before. Recently, we got off the Harmony after a BtB. We tried something different. We did not put our bags out the evening before, and wheeled 2 bags each off the ship by ourselves. This was defiantly much faster doing it this way, but while pulling the bags through the terminal it kept crossing my mind if we were being rude? I could see that there were some people not thrilled that they needed to go around us because we were not running as fast as they were? Also we waited to be called, and did not get off @6am it was more like 945 ish.

Was this a no-no?

 

I don't think this is rude at all.  I usually carry off my bags with the first group, but last time we sailed, we ate a nice breakfast in the MDR and then left.

You just have to be able to handle all of your luggage without assistance.

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1 hour ago, RorySC said:

Normally, we have always put all but 1 small bag outside our room the evening before. Recently, we got off the Harmony after a BtB. We tried something different. We did not put our bags out the evening before, and wheeled 2 bags each off the ship by ourselves. This was defiantly much faster doing it this way, but while pulling the bags through the terminal it kept crossing my mind if we were being rude? I could see that there were some people not thrilled that they needed to go around us because we were not running as fast as they were? Also we waited to be called, and did not get off @6am it was more like 945 ish.

Was this a no-no?

 

No it isn't rude at all. I don't like checking my luggage in at the end of a cruise I did it on my first cruise and never again. There are no rules that state if you walk off the ship with your own luggage then you must be one of the first customers off the ship when the doors open.  If you can manage your own bags you can and should enjoy breakfast and get off the ship when you are ready.  Don't allow other people to make you feel like you are doing something wrong simply because you are walking off the ship with your own bags at 945 instead of 6am.

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Good info! Here’s another tip. Nearly every time I go through security at Port Liberty, there is a delay. The hold up is always people who haven’t listened to the port worker advising them to place all of their electronics and metal into their carry on before they get to screening. I know people are excited, but please stop talking and listen to the instructions when they’re given by the workers! Stop taking off your belts with the tiny buckles and your shoes…it’s not an airport! Leave your jackets on, just make sure all the metal…cell phones, keys, coins…are in your carry on. You don’t need to waste time when you get to the head of the line emptying out your pockets and using the little rubber buckets, then beeping because you forgot something…again, and again.  Keep the line moving and more people will be admitted into the terminal from outside. Be considerate. Just one of my peeves!

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Because we lost a piece of luggage in Galveston, we never leave our bags outside anymore.  We always walk our bags off regardless of when we depart the ship.  Since we are usually in a suite, we just gather our bags and go with the Concierge when he/she walks everyone off.  The Concierge "walk-off" is not always worth much but we usually still do it.

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19 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Because we lost a piece of luggage in Galveston, we never leave our bags outside anymore.  We always walk our bags off regardless of when we depart the ship.  Since we are usually in a suite, we just gather our bags and go with the Concierge when he/she walks everyone off.  The Concierge "walk-off" is not always worth much but we usually still do it.

It never occurred to me that luggage could be lost at disembark.  Did you put it out the night before and it simply disappeared?  Or do you have a theory on how it was lost?  My anxiety brain has a whole new thing to focus on now!

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55 minutes ago, BrianB said:

Good info! Here’s another tip. Nearly every time I go through security at Port Liberty, there is a delay. The hold up is always people who haven’t listened to the port worker advising them to place all of their electronics and metal into their carry on before they get to screening. I know people are excited, but please stop talking and listen to the instructions when they’re given by the workers! Stop taking off your belts with the tiny buckles and your shoes…it’s not an airport! Leave your jackets on, just make sure all the metal…cell phones, keys, coins…are in your carry on. You don’t need to waste time when you get to the head of the line emptying out your pockets and using the little rubber buckets, then beeping because you forgot something…again, and again.  Keep the line moving and more people will be admitted into the terminal from outside. Be considerate. Just one of my peeves!

Great Tip!!!

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LOL. Sorry to add to your stress level.  😬

Yes, we left it outside the night before and when we went to pick it up it was just gone.  Never located. Luckily it is our "big" suitcase and the big suitcase is always the dirty clothes bag, going home.  So lots of clothes but little else.  I was distressed the most over losing the luggage itself.  It was a very expensive piece of TravelPro with a lifetime guarantee.  Oh well....lesson learned.

I really have no theory about what happened to it other than it was pretty generic-looking and I choose to believe that someone took it by accident.  Of course, that begs the question of why didn't they return it once they realized their mistake ?  ....but we never found it, so....

That disembarkation was one of the ones that I referred to above as a rather useless Concierge walk-off.  The Concierge had us meet somewhere on the Promenade (don't really remember exactly where).  When the time came, he opened a side door and ushered everyone out....which simply put us at the back of the line where everyone else was already getting off the ship !  Complete waste of time.  He told us that he wasn't allowed to escort us off the ship....but when we were downstairs much later, looking for our lost luggage, who saunters by ?  Of course....the Concierge.  So he totally lied when he said that he wasn't allowed to leave the ship.  To be fair, I know that there are some ports where they are not permitted to leave the ship but apparently Galveston (at least, then) is not one of them.

It's actually pretty rare to lose a bag in this manner.  The luggage handlers do an incredible job with the volume of bags that they have to deal with....I'm just one of the lucky ones, I guess.

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4 minutes ago, Allen2 said:

WAAYTOO: Question: Did Royal offer any credit for lost luggage?  How much effort on your part?  How long did reimbursement take?  Thanks.

That's a long story.  Short version:  yes, they offered $300 (which wouldn't have even covered the cost of the bag).  I could have placed a claim with my travel insurance but I did not.  I could have just taken the $300 from Royal and cut my losses but I told them to shove it where the sun don't shine.  I just "ate" the loss.

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4 hours ago, fa-li said:

It never occurred to me that luggage could be lost at disembark.  Did you put it out the night before and it simply disappeared?  Or do you have a theory on how it was lost?  My anxiety brain has a whole new thing to focus on now!

It happened to us once too, in Barcelona, although our tale had a happy ending.

We were with the Royal rep filling in the missing luggage form when a woman came running in with our bag. She'd not paid attention when collecting "her" bag but realised when she was about to put it into the taxi that it wasn't hers thanks to the couple of coloured ribbons tied to the handle.

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I totally agree with point #1 about printing your COVID results and would add your see pass to that.  I'm not sure what the obsession is with having it all on your phone and having to swipe back and forth.  We had all our paperwork printed and in hand prior to entering the building for our Apex sailing last month and it could not have gone faster or smoother.

As a side note we had 11:30 check-in and actually arrived at 11:00.  We walked right up to the line labeled for 11:30 and they let us right in. we were on the ship in 10 minutes.

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