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I never knew that Amtrak offered home pick up of luggage?

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I never knew that Amtrak offered home pick up of luggage?
Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Monday, May 23, 2016 9:22 PM
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Posted by ROBERT WILLISON on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 4:36 PM

Yeah kinda if cool.  A lot of cruise ship lines offer the same  door  to destination service.

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Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 6:20 PM

Whats the charge?

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Posted by CMStPnP on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 7:01 PM

American Airlines provides the same service at DFW at least as a way to skip baggage claim during extremely busy periods or if your bags were mishandled, flight is very late and you want to get home.     AMR does it for free usually if it is because of their fault..........otherwise they charge $20-30 a bag.     You just stop at the AMR lost baggage office and fill out a short form.

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Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 7:30 PM

My bags probaly will get there before me. Of course there still Amtrak Express see

https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Content_C&pagename=am/Popup&cid=1241245658041

RME
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Posted by RME on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 8:10 PM

"Amtrak" doesn't offer this service; they partnered with a New York 'concierge' service that goes to your location, carefully wraps your things, gets them where you need 'on time' and also ensures they return afterward.  It does not take long on their site (www.luggagefree.com) before you begin to understand two things: they are very, very careful not to mention what it's going to cost while you are reading up about them, and they are a service targeting a very wealthy demographic.

Along the general lines of J.P. Morgan and the Corsair, pretty much all you want to know about the cost is summed up in their repeated tagline:

"None of these services could top New York's Luggage Free, which seemed to grasp the concept that if you're paying for a premium service, you want premium service..."  --The Wall Street Journal
 
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Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 3:56 PM

So its not "FREE"?!!...Let me do some homework and get back to you guys about rates?

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Posted by CJtrainguy on Thursday, May 26, 2016 1:51 PM

"Free" only as in hands free, you don't have to carry your own luggage.

Their pricing structure: https://www.luggagefree.com/pricing/

Me thinks it might be cheaper to just buy some clothes once at destination Smile

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Posted by NKP guy on Thursday, May 26, 2016 4:58 PM

   "Luggagefree" doesn't mean free luggage: more accurately, it means "free of luggage."

   This service isn't meant for Everyman; it's intended for people who are willing to pay serious money for not schlepping their suitcases, etc. around.  It's not cheap, let alone free.  I often travel with a suitcase weighing 35 or so pounds.  At their domestic rate of $5.80 per pound, that's $203.  So for me that's not a great bargain.  But under certain circumstances it might be, someday.  For someone else that might be a reasonable price.  

   Yet if one figures that dragging the bag along and checking it at about $25 makes the $203 now a price of $178, that's 12% less, and one is not schlepping the bag, waiting forever at a stopped luggage carousel, etc.  If your bag weighs half what mine does, you're paying half what I am, or $76.50.

   I confess that sometimes when I'm on vacation or traveling, especially in Europe, I want to lighten my suitcase or make more room for souvenirs, so I have sometimes mailed home stuff like dirty laundry, clothes I'm not going to need, etc.  That can cost a bunch of money, too, but it's a great feeling sometimes to ditch a good part of what I'm lugging around.

   My 35 lb suitcase is always a great reason to take Amtrak and have a roomette or bedroom.  No fee, right nearby if I need anything, etc, but for some people "luggagefree" will be a welcome choice.  

   As far as Amtrak services, on January 1 or 2, 1994, my wife and I travelled home from NYP in the bedroom of the Three Rivers.  By my special arrangement with Amtrak, in our bedroom was a beautiful vase of flowers and a chilled bottle of champagne!  How's that for an Amtrak special?  Of course, I paid for it and it wasn't too expensive, but it really had a limited market.

   Let's see if "luggagefree" lasts very long.  I wish it success.

 

 

 

 

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Posted by ROBERT WILLISON on Sunday, May 29, 2016 10:59 AM

I checked with princess cruise, my cruise line. Thier Currier service charges 150 for 35 PDS and under and 178 for 36 to 50 PDS. Could buy them a airline ticket for that price. But some don't mind paying for  service. That would include picking it up at the ship, boxing it and taking it to fed ex or dhl.

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Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 3:01 PM

The US Post office will take your luggage and if you want to hit up dumpsters for boxes will ship you luggage via 2 nd class mail station to station general delivery. This is used often by hikers on the Appalacian Trail see-https://backpackingvegan.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/how-to-ship-boxes-to-yourself-on-the-appalachian-trail/

 

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Posted by CMStPnP on Thursday, June 2, 2016 12:16 AM

CJtrainguy

"Free" only as in hands free, you don't have to carry your own luggage.

Their pricing structure: https://www.luggagefree.com/pricing/

Me thinks it might be cheaper to just buy some clothes once at destination Smile

Average bag for me is 40-50lbs.   If I had to guess I would guess you could get a Cabbie to retrieve your luggage for less and deliver it.

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