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Luggage guide
Packing your luggage for a cruise holiday can throw up all kinds of questions. Knowing what you should pack in your cruise luggage is just as important as knowing what items aren’t permitted on board. To help clear up any ambiguity, this luggage guide explains all you need to know about bringing luggage on board our ships.
4 min
18 Nov 2024
Luggage limits – how much luggage can I bring on my cruise?
The simple answer to this question is, you can bring as much luggage as you like. We don’t impose restrictions on the amount of luggage our guests can bring on board, beyond asking you to keep each case below 23kg for health and safety reasons. What you will need to bear in mind, however, is how you’ll travel to and from your ship at both ends of your voyage.
Arriving by car or taxi
If you’re getting dropped off at the cruise terminal by car or taxi, or driving your own car and taking advantage of cruise terminal parking, you can – in theory – bring as much luggage as you can safely fit in the vehicle. We recommend letting your taxi company know in advance how many suitcases you plan on bringing, so they can allocate a car with the required luggage space.
Arriving by coach
If you’re arriving by coach, booked via our Cruise Connect service, you can bring three medium-sized suitcases, each weighing no more than 23kg, and one small piece of hand luggage with you.
Arriving by flight
If you’re flying in to meet your ship in port (or flying home at the end of your voyage), you will need to comply with your airline’s allowances for hold and cabin luggage. Allowances vary by airline, and sometimes ticket fare, so it’s always best to consult your booking conditions or contact your airline directly to determine how much luggage you’re permitted to bring.
Storing your luggage while at sea
Once on board your chosen Cunard Queen, your luggage will need to be stored in your suite or stateroom for the duration of your cruise. While we’ve made some allowances for this in your room layout, such as the void under your bed, you may want to factor how and where you’ll store your luggage, when deciding how many cases or bags to bring.
Prohibited items – what shouldn’t I pack in my cruise luggage?
There are many things we encourage you to bring on board our ships; swimwear, activity wear, and comfortable shoes among them, but there are also some items we simply aren’t allowed to accept on board. Prohibited items we ask you not to pack in your cruise luggage include irons, electric steamers, extension cables, aerial drones, scooters, and balloons. You can find a full list of prohibited items on our website, which we encourage you to familiarise yourself with before sailing. All luggage is scanned at the cruise terminal prior to being loaded onto the ship, so please do take care not to pack anything in your luggage that won’t pass our security screening. Likewise, please don’t attempt to check-in any individual item of luggage in excess of 23kg in weight as these won’t be permitted on board and you may be asked to re-pack.
Am I responsible for carrying my luggage on and off the ship?
You are perfectly free to carry your luggage on board if you are able and happy to, however we offer a full porter service at both ends of your journey to save you the hassle.
The service operates slightly differently depending on if you’re embarking or disembarking your ship.
Pre-sailing
Before you leave for the cruise terminal you will need to attach a Cunard-issued luggage label to each piece of luggage you would like to check-in. You can find these luggage labels in your My Cunard account; just log-in in the usual way with your Voyage Booking Reference. Simply print off as many luggage labels as you need (at least one per case) and follow the printed instructions to affix these securely to your luggage. You do not have to attach a luggage label to any hand luggage you carry on board, however, you may wish to do so out of precaution, just in case you accidentally mislay your bag in the cruise terminal. If you have no access to a printer, just call our customer contact centre and we’ll happily post some luggage labels to your home address.
Embarking your ship
On the day of embarkation, we’ll have porters ready to assist you with your luggage at the cruise terminal. Simply arrive at the time allocated to you on your boarding pass and hand over any labelled luggage you would like to check in. You can then proceed directly to the check-in desk inside the terminal, while our porters deliver your luggage to your allocated drop-off point. From here, your cases will be scanned and loaded directly onto the ship, ready to be delivered to your suite or stateroom. Don’t worry about waiting in as we’ll simply leave these outside your door. Similarly, don’t panic if not all of your cases arrive together. Because of the nature of our security screening and loading processes, cases can arrive at different times. However, if you haven’t received all of your luggage by final boarding time, please do make your reception team aware.
Disembarking your ship
When it comes to the end of your cruise, you can either choose to disembark your luggage yourself or take advantage of our ship’s porter service. If you choose self-disembarkation, you’ll need to be able to carry all of your luggage off the ship independently. You’ll then be free to disembark as soon as your ship’s gangways are in position. If you would prefer the ease of disembarking without your luggage, all you need to do is leave your packed cases outside of your suite or stateroom the night before disembarkation, ensuring al of your luggage labels are still intact and attached. If you choose this option we’ll pre-allocate you a disembarkation time, details of which we’ll leave in your stateroom in advance of your voyage end. On the morning of your departure, simply make your way to the gangway when it’s your time to disembark and your cases will be waiting for you in the terminal building. Just look out for the Deck number that corresponds to your accommodation.
What is the Cunard White Star Luggage Service?
Our White Star Luggage Service is perfect if you’re looking to extend your holiday before or after your cruise, or if you’re a guest on one of our World Voyages and flying in to meet your ship. Instead of travelling to the cruise terminal with all of your luggage, you can simply have everything shipped from your home address directly to your Cunard Queen, so it’s there when you board. When your voyage is over, we’ll collect your luggage and return it home to you, exactly the same way; freeing you up to breeze through the airport with the essentials you need and nothing more. We offer our White Star Luggage Service to and from over 200 countries worldwide. To find out more information or to book for your Cunard voyage, just visit our partner website, Luggage Forward.
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