Luggage limits
I am a beginner at foreign vacation travel.
While we will try and pack most of our things into the two checked bags (1 for each of us), I was wondering about the carry-on luggage. With only two bag tags from Tauck, what is the process for ensuring the carry-on luggage is picked up at the hotel and taken to the ship?
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You would ask when you arrive at the hotel. Though I have taken many tours with Tauck, I’ve only taken one river cruise with them and it was this year. We always keep our carry on with us unless we want to site see and then we check it with the concierge. There should be a Tauck rep around who can give you an extra tag, but they need to know they have an extra bag to collect.
Unlike many people we use small backpacks for carry on, taking iPad, camera, travel docs two changes of clothes, book to read, meds etc and all valuables, we never put valuables in checked baggage. We can easily carry that around with us no problem and it’s easier to run through an airport when necessary because of flight delays and when getting off the plane to briskly walk to immigrate lines.
When you check in you will be offered additional luggage tags for any carry-on luggage you want transferred from the hotel to the ship and from the ship to the final hotel, and/or from that hotel to the airport. All the bags you leave with those tags will automatically be transferred to the next stop. That's great if you bring a carry-on on the flight with essentials but trust Tauck to get them to your next stop.
You can also take a carry-on with you on bus transfers (like from the hotel to a tour that will then end up on the ship) and leave it on the bus. Small bags can go in the overhead rack and they will put larger ones in the luggage compartment below. We were told the buses were locked and safe to leave belongings in during the tour.
Thanks to both of you - very helpful. I had not thought about keeping the medicine with me once I made it to the hotel. I was planning on a small day pack for essentials only, with the carry-on backpack for the suggested change of clothes, etc.. in case the luggage got misplaced on the flight.
We packed a change of clothes, meds, etc. in our carry-on for the flight, but once at the hotel checked the carry-on, including meds, with Tauck and let them handle them. I think we even checked the carry-on on the flight back as there was no longer anything essential in it.I put the meds needed on the flight back in a small bag with other in-flight needs, like the iPad for watching movies.
Very helpful - will do that. Thanks!
I love the luggage topic. I’ve posted here before about our trip to Russia with Tauck during the time that all of British Airways shut down do to a computer failure. The end result ... we did a two week trip to St. Petersburg with nothing but our carry-on. We each travel with a a backpack and a roll-aboard. Now ... they contain everything we consider essential for the trip. The checked luggage carries only the ‘nice to have’ stuff. The ‘gotta have it’ stuff never leaves our possession. Even on this Russia ‘near disaster’ trip, we each had at least two changes of nice clothes and essentials in our carry-ons. We did just fine. The scary part was that we were stuck in London for three days and almost missed our boat out of Copenhagen. Once we got tickets on SAS to Copenhagen, the emergency was over and we enjoyed an unexpected three day vacation in London, all expenses paid by our Tauck insurance.
CWW, the basic routine on river cruises is:
You will get some printed info when you check in with information including when/where the TDs will be available to talk to. This is usually in the lobby (9ish) the morning of the cruise start day. They'll answer any questions and provide extra tags (never been denied one in 4 cruises). Bags are left inside the room with the tags and you'll be told when to have them ready. You'll also learn when and where to meet at the hotel for the bus ride to the ship. Usually the lobby about 3pm. Once we've met with the TDs, gotten all the info, had breakfast, got our bags ready for pickup and checked out we then head out for some independent sight seeing.
Worst case, if the TD won't provide extra tags, you can always leave bags with hotel reception to be locked up until you come back for the bus to the ship.
I keep slightly changing my bag "system" every trip. On our cruise this past summer I had one checked 24" bag, a small under-seat roller bag and a cheap backpack from Walmart that folds into it's own pouch. On the plane the roller had the "not to be lost items" like meds and power cables stowed in the overhead and the backpack held the things I'd want in flight like my headphones, neck pillow. While on the tour, the backpack was super lightweight and used for daily activities to hold extras like rain jacket, guide book, any shopping picked up, etc.
thanks - I am tweaking my "loading" in line with your suggestions. Will see if it all fits!
Cww, most people on their first trip pack way too much. I definitely took too many dressy items and shoes on our first cruise that never got worn. Tons of old threads on this subject.