You can carry bags onto a cruise, but may not want to. Here's why

Flying isn't the only time travelers have to decide whether or not to check a bag.

Cruise passengers can check their luggage, too. “Essentially, once you arrive at the port with your bags, guests are met by porters,” said Jeffrey Blanchette, owner of the Jeffrey B Travel agency, independently affiliated with Avoya Travel. “These are folks employed by the cruise port authorities, and they assist you with your bags.”

Unlike for many airlines, there's no fee, but it's customary to give them a gratuity.

Travelers can also opt to bring carry-on bags with them through security at the terminal – but there are times that may be more trouble than it’s worth. Blachette walked us through that and other cruise ship luggage logistics, from storing bags once onboard to disembarkation.

Here’s what travelers should know.

Should I check my luggage on a cruise or bring a carry-on?

That comes down to personal preference, but Blanchette recommended checking large bags and carrying smaller items like backpacks on. 

“You don't want to bring anything too large on the ship, because you're going to be dragging it around with you until your room is ready, and that usually doesn't happen until mid or late afternoon,” he said. 

Just like at the airport, guests typically need luggage tags to check their bags. If the cruise line provides those, they typically email them to passengers to print at home or mail them, according to Blanchette. Porters have extras at the terminal, just in case.

“The key here is, do not put those tags on your bags if you are flying, because there's a good chance they're going to get ripped off in the process of baggage handling at the airport,” he noted. Guests should wait to attach the cruise luggage tags until after their last flight.

Regardless of whether travelers check or carry their bags on, Blanchette said it’s important to keep boarding passes and passports – which they’ll need to board – “on your person,” along with medications, cash and any valuables.

What is luggage storage like on a cruise ship?

Checked bags are delivered to guests’ staterooms. Cruise accommodations can be tight on space – interior cabins frequently measure about 150 square feet, The Points Guy reported – but passengers should be able to comfortably store their suitcases.

Staterooms typically have extra space under the bed for that purpose. “If for some reason, they do not (fit), you can usually ask your stateroom attendant to store them for you, and then they would return them the last day of the cruise, but that's really the exception,” Blanchette said.

On newer ships, in particular, passengers should have enough storage space for their belongings, including in closets and drawers, especially if their sailing is less than two weeks long.

Do I have to put my luggage outside the door at the end of the cruise?

Not necessarily, but guests might want to. 

Passengers have the option of leaving their bags outside their cabin doors the night before their cruise ends with luggage tags provided by the cruise line that correspond to an estimated disembarkation time, or carrying them off themselves. Those using bag tags are called to head ashore by group, while passengers forgoing luggage assistance can get off the ship at any time after it has been cleared by authorities.

All guests usually need to vacate their staterooms by a certain hour (click here for USA TODAY’s full disembarkation guide).

Blanchette noted that the disembarkation process can take longer than expected, depending on various factors. Travelers taking flights home should choose those carefully, and he suggested picking afternoon departures to be safe.

Blanchette recommended that guests with large bags have the cruise line handle offloading. “It can be really difficult and cumbersome, especially if it's an older traveler, or if it's a family traveling together and you have multiple bags that you're juggling, trying to get through hallways, through crowded public areas, into the port area, where maybe there's not an elevator, and you have to navigate an escalator with large bags,” he warned.

Those who do so will pick up their bags at the cruise terminal. Be careful to remove any necessary items before placing them outside, though. And be sure to allocate time for bag pick up, as there might be a line or backlog upon arrival.

Blanchette suggested keeping a small bag to carry toiletries and any other necessary goods off the ship, which guests can later transfer back into their checked luggage.

“People forget to leave out the clothing that they want to wear the next day, and so they wake up in the morning with whatever they've worn and nothing else to put on to get off the ship.”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].