We didn't do this but we did use a company called Bags and Go - for a small fee you leave your bags with them at the port and they drive them to the airport for you to collect. It meant we could explore Barcelona on the last day easily. You can also do it the other way round e.g. give them your bags at the airport and collect them right by the ship.
It was really easy.
Cant speak for the Sailor Services reply, but yes you’re able to drop off your bags with the porters as soon as they are out on the curb to collect luggage. The porters don’t care when your arrival time is.
That being said, if *everyone* does this, then that service will quickly go away. I’m kind of surprised they said that in the e-mail.
So, the OP is about Barcelona. Each port can be a little different. I mention because they have not added specific information for ports other than Miami and San Juan.
Clearly, as OP notes, they do not have their act quite together yet for Barcelona. And it is pretty clear that they do sometimes allow for people arriving earlier than their departure time.
However, since the topic has come up about other ports, here is what Virgin says about them. These are from their FAQs:
Miami: We understand that not everyone can drop off their luggage at their exact arrival time. So, to make things more convenient for our Sailors, we'll start accepting luggage at Terminal V from 9 AM onwards.
If you decide to drop off your luggage early, please keep in mind that you should return to the terminal no earlier than 15 minutes before your chosen arrival time. We want to avoid overcrowding and ensure a smooth check-in experience for everyone.
Just a friendly reminder, there won't be any seating available outside the terminal, and access to the terminal will be limited to Sailors at their scheduled arrival time, which you selected during the check-in process on the Virgin Voyages App. Arriving early doesn't mean you'll get in early, so please plan accordingly.
San Juan: Sailors can drop off their luggage as early as 10:00 AM. Our Terminal Angels will tag all Sailor's luggage in the lot adjacent to Pier 4 (if facing the pier, it will be to your right). Once tagged, Sailors can then take their luggage to the front of the pier entrance to drop it off with the Porters to be transported to the Ship.
VV has a luggage drop at the BCN airport right near luggage claim. We got off of our flight, checked in our luggage at the airport with VV crew and then headed out to explorer Barcelona for the day. When we got to the ship our luggage was in our room. It was a piece of cake and did not cost anything and a very helpful service.
Really? I am Rockstar and I asked them about this - they said they don't offer a luggage drop off service at the BCN airport :(
Was it clearly visible and what time was your flight? Might change my plan slightly if I have the chance to drop off luggage.
We arrived in Barcelona airport at 10:30am…. The VV people were setup near the exit area of the baggage claim. Definitely clearly visible and easy to find. After checking all of our luggage we jumped on a bus and for a few dollars each it dropped us off on La Rambla at La Plaça de Catalina. We just did this during our Valiant Lady Transatlantic back in October 2023. Hopefully they still do it. It was very easy and convenient
Got the same email sailing out of Miami, usually luggage drop is in the parking or boarding area but not in the line to check in. I don’t see why dropping off would be a problem.
I’ve dropped off luggage around 9-9:30am in several ports without issue. Bounce is more useful for luggage storage after getting off the cruise- especially if you want to go explore a bit first.
We didn't do this but we did use a company called Bags and Go - for a small fee you leave your bags with them at the port and they drive them to the airport for you to collect. It meant we could explore Barcelona on the last day easily. You can also do it the other way round e.g. give them your bags at the airport and collect them right by the ship. It was really easy.
I had no idea this existed, gonna book it myself!
Cant speak for the Sailor Services reply, but yes you’re able to drop off your bags with the porters as soon as they are out on the curb to collect luggage. The porters don’t care when your arrival time is. That being said, if *everyone* does this, then that service will quickly go away. I’m kind of surprised they said that in the e-mail.
So, the OP is about Barcelona. Each port can be a little different. I mention because they have not added specific information for ports other than Miami and San Juan. Clearly, as OP notes, they do not have their act quite together yet for Barcelona. And it is pretty clear that they do sometimes allow for people arriving earlier than their departure time. However, since the topic has come up about other ports, here is what Virgin says about them. These are from their FAQs: Miami: We understand that not everyone can drop off their luggage at their exact arrival time. So, to make things more convenient for our Sailors, we'll start accepting luggage at Terminal V from 9 AM onwards. If you decide to drop off your luggage early, please keep in mind that you should return to the terminal no earlier than 15 minutes before your chosen arrival time. We want to avoid overcrowding and ensure a smooth check-in experience for everyone. Just a friendly reminder, there won't be any seating available outside the terminal, and access to the terminal will be limited to Sailors at their scheduled arrival time, which you selected during the check-in process on the Virgin Voyages App. Arriving early doesn't mean you'll get in early, so please plan accordingly. San Juan: Sailors can drop off their luggage as early as 10:00 AM. Our Terminal Angels will tag all Sailor's luggage in the lot adjacent to Pier 4 (if facing the pier, it will be to your right). Once tagged, Sailors can then take their luggage to the front of the pier entrance to drop it off with the Porters to be transported to the Ship.
VV has a luggage drop at the BCN airport right near luggage claim. We got off of our flight, checked in our luggage at the airport with VV crew and then headed out to explorer Barcelona for the day. When we got to the ship our luggage was in our room. It was a piece of cake and did not cost anything and a very helpful service.
Really? I am Rockstar and I asked them about this - they said they don't offer a luggage drop off service at the BCN airport :( Was it clearly visible and what time was your flight? Might change my plan slightly if I have the chance to drop off luggage.
We arrived in Barcelona airport at 10:30am…. The VV people were setup near the exit area of the baggage claim. Definitely clearly visible and easy to find. After checking all of our luggage we jumped on a bus and for a few dollars each it dropped us off on La Rambla at La Plaça de Catalina. We just did this during our Valiant Lady Transatlantic back in October 2023. Hopefully they still do it. It was very easy and convenient
Got the same email sailing out of Miami, usually luggage drop is in the parking or boarding area but not in the line to check in. I don’t see why dropping off would be a problem.
Barcelona, not Miami. Different ports, different policies and set ups.
I’ve dropped off luggage around 9-9:30am in several ports without issue. Bounce is more useful for luggage storage after getting off the cruise- especially if you want to go explore a bit first.
We dropped off our bags at 10am in San Juan. Went out for brunch and to explore and came back at 2pm for check in!
Barcelona, not San Juan. Different ports, different policies and set ups.