We’re cruising again

Yes, we’re at it again. It is March, 2009, and this is our 9th cruise. As I write this essay, it is a full two days before we leave (we’re driving to Ft. Lauderdale), and we are almost all packed. We seldom wait until the last minute, in that way all the essentials are packed, and our minds can spend time on details (e.g., refills for my writing pens, jogging shorts, heating pad for Andrea, etc.) Fortunately, I brought our suitcases down from the attic almost a week in advance of leaving because I had forgotten that on our last cruise to the Mediterranean, those handling our bags not only ripped the canvas covering, but broke off one of the two wheels as well. The suitcase was so badly damaged it was no longer useful. The suitcase was one of the victims of frequent travel.

From the outset (when I brought the old suitcase down from the attic), My wife wanted to make certain I did not save it. She knows I’m a saver. So, despite my feeling — who knows what some potential use I can find for it? — I promised to dump it upon getting a new one. More on the acquisition of a new one in a moment.

You may wonder how luggage is broken. You may, of course, be able to guess; however, (unless you are a cruiser yourself) I don’t think you can conger up, in your wildest dreams, how luggage is ruined. Forget about airline personnel, conveyer belts, throwing it into the hold of an airplane, and all the other pre- or post-cruise possibilities; I’m talking about on-ship handling.

It became clear to us (how luggage is broken) when we arrived early to the ship for one of our cruises. Our stateroom had been changed, and we were absolutely convinced (correctly, I might add), that our luggage was heading to our old room and not to the new one we had recently been assigned.

When visiting the deck where our former/original room was located, we watched (witnessed is more like it!) luggage being distributed by the ship’s handlers, to the various floors. It was one of the most eye-opening, amazing, spectacles we have ever witnessed on our cruises. Luggage is brought to the floor by elevator, then handlers literally throw the bags from the elevator into a large pile in the lobby. How and where the bags land is irrelevant: the sole goal of the handlers is speed — getting those bags off that elevator so it can return to the lowest floor and gather more. There is no concern of any kind for the care or safekeeping of customer luggage.

But, this is not the end of luggage handling. Room stewards on each floor are responsible for transporting the bags to individual rooms. They are the ones who pull the bags down the hallways across the metal threshold dividers that occur periodically down the hallways. Speed, again, is the essential element as the bags are pulled to each room. This is where the wheels of each bag get their most severe test as they are rolled over these metal thresholds. Most luggage wheels are small and made out of plastic. (I will be anxious to see whether or not the wheels of my new bag survive the test.)

I want to return now, to the purchase of my new piece of luggage. The first thing we did was to check advertisements for sales. Kohl’s, within less than a mile of our home, had a “buy one, get one free” ad, so I went there first even though we had no need for a second bag. Having measured the one I was replacing, I could not find one of the exact dimensions I needed, so I began checking other local stores (i.e., Target, Meijer, K-Mart, and Walmart). I found one at Target and purchased it, then I found a better one at Meijer and purchased it, returning the one to Target immediately.

After bringing it home and comparing it with my old bag, my wife determined that it was too big. Although I liked the bag, it would be far too heavy when full.

The next step was to have my wife accompany me to Kohl’s, which proved to be just the right solution, and here’s why. We wanted a bag slightly smaller than my old one (actually, the same size as my wife’ suitcase), which means one that fit the dimensions: 25-inches high, 9-10-inches deep, and 17-18-inches wide. The one we found was a superb suitcase.

The suitcase was part of an exhibit of Samsonite luggage, and there was a single sign on the exhibit that advertised the pieces at 50% off. The luggage tag on the piece we selected was $359.99, so the sale price (as it came up on the cashier’s register) was $179.99. My wife and I looked at the cashier in shock, because the sign advertising the pieces on this exhibit clearly said that the price for this sized bag was $139.99. My wife went back to the exhibit to make certain we had read the sign correctly, and she determined that that was, indeed, the price we expected to pay.

The cashier spoke into her lavalier microphone, and she had an assistant go back to the exhibit to check the price. I accompanied her. She looked at the sign and the luggage, and she determined that the bag we had was part of the “Drive Collection” whereas the sign referred only to the “Austonia Collection” in the same exhibit — not to the “Drive Collection.” At that point, she told me, it’s up to the cashier to determine what to do.

I went back and joined my wife at the register, and the cashier quickly decided to give us the bag at the advertised price of $139.99, which was a $40.00 markdown for this item at the 50%-off price. At this point, my wife produced her 20% off coupon she had received in the mail. This reduced the cost of the bag another $28.00, to a total (with tax of 6.5%) of $119.27. We were, in effect, getting a bag offered at the suggested retail price of $359.99 (plus tax of $23.40) for only 31% of that price — an incredible (and lucky) deal! Whether this bag is able to withstand the handling on this forthcoming trip, of course, is yet to be known.

One of the features on this new bag which I worry about are the heavily advertised, “Four Spinner Wheels for Effortless Mobility.” The wheels are small (2-inches in diameter) and as most wheels, they are plastic. Will they handle the metal thresholds that punish bags, or will the canvas be stronger and more durable than bags of lesser “quality” is to be determined. That essay is yet to be written.

What can you learn from all this? Start your packing early. Understand that luggage is treated in the most extreme manner that your mind can imagine. On one trip our bag came apart so radically that we had to purchase a luggage strap in the ship store to hold it together until we could get home. Buy expense bags? I have no clue on this one. (I’ll let you know!) All I can say is that I feel incredibly lucky to be heading out on this trip with a bag that I feel is so special, so much more than I have paid for any previous luggage, and one that will test the theory: the more you pay the less likely the damage. (As an afterthought, and written well after this original essay, I can attest to the strength of this piece of luggage. It withstood all tests.)

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At CruiseDiva.com, Linda Coffman offers excellent advice in her essay, “Tips for Selecting Luggage for Your Cruise.” She presents the problem: “Airport and pier baggage handlers are notoriously rough with suitcases, so a top consideration is sturdy discount luggage. It doesn't have to be top-of-the-line, but it should be well-built to withstand the rigors of conveyors and sorting machines; not to mention being stacked, dropped and thrown through the air. Really! I've seen that happen!,” and she gives a number of considerations, one of them being, “Brand name luggage that comes with a good warranty is always desirable, but no-name or private label brands can also stand the test of time.”

At DoctorCruise, there are six excellent suggestions regarding your luggage.

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Copyright March 2010 - And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.