← How It Works
End-to-End

Full Customer Journey

From the moment a guest books to the moment their bags are waiting in the stateroom (or back home) — every step, explained in detail.

1

Guest Books the Shipment

Via one of the 3 paths: online at your co-branded URL, by calling our Concierge team at (855) 566-2085, or onboard via Guest Services. Works for both directions:

  • Embarkation — Luggage shipped from home to cruise ship stateroom
  • Disembarkation — Luggage shipped from cabin back to home after the voyage
  • Hotel option — Luggage shipped to/from a pre- or post-cruise hotel instead

After booking, the guest receives an email confirmation with their Ship&Play order number, tracking link, and label instructions.

Booking window matters. Guests should book at least 3 weeks before sailing for domestic shipments, 4–6 weeks for international. This ensures enough time for the Welcome Packet to arrive and for pickup scheduling.
2

Welcome Packet Arrives by Mail

Within a few days of booking, the guest receives a Welcome Packet mailed to their home address. Inside the packet:

  • Pre-printed shipping labels (one per bag)
  • Adhesive label sleeves
  • Zip ties for bag security
  • Luggage tags with order number
  • Customs forms (for international shipments)
  • Instructions card with pickup day reminders
No printer? No problem. Guests can choose "mail me a packet" or print their own label at home from the confirmation email. Ship&Play sends a physical packet by default when timing allows.
3

Guest Prepares Bags & Applies Labels

Guests pack normally — no special containers, no repackaging. The only rules: follow the weight and size guidelines per bag type (carry-on: 25 lbs, checked: 50 lbs, oversized: 65 lbs).

They apply the pre-printed label to each bag using the adhesive sleeve and zip tie. Done. The guest does not need to interact with the carrier, customs, or the port agent — Ship&Play handles all of that.

4

Carrier Pickup at Home

On the guest's chosen pickup date, a carrier (FedEx, UPS, or DHL) arrives at their home Monday–Friday between 8am and 6pm. The guest sets the bags outside — no signature required in most cases.

The carrier scans each bag and the tracking timeline begins. The guest receives an SMS and email confirmation that their bags are in transit.

Pickup window advice for guests Tell guests to schedule pickup 10–14 days before sailing for domestic, 3–4 weeks for international. This gives Ship&Play the buffer needed to route bags to the port agent, handle any carrier delays, and ensure bags arrive before embarkation.
5

In-Transit Tracking

Once in carrier hands, each bag has its own tracking number. Guests receive automated updates at key milestones:

  • Pickup confirmed
  • Arrived at carrier sort facility
  • Out for delivery to port agent
  • Received by port agent
  • Delivered to Guest Reception / stateroom

Guests can also track in real time at shipplay.com/track using their order number.

6

Port Agent Receives & Holds Bags

For cruise ship shipments, bags route to Ship&Play's local port agent — a third-party logistics partner located near the embarkation port. The port agent:

  • Receives bags 1–3 days before sail date
  • Cross-checks bags against the Ship&Play 3-day manifest
  • Holds bags in a secure facility until embarkation morning
  • Coordinates delivery timing directly with Ship&Play operations
About the port agent buffer The buffer exists to protect against last-mile carrier variability. Guests never interact with the port agent — it's entirely behind the scenes. Ship&Play coordinates everything.
7

Bags Delivered to Guest Reception by 9am

On embarkation morning, the port agent delivers all bags to Guest Reception at the cruise terminal by 9am. Bags are tagged with guest name, cabin number, and order number — exactly as your team handles standard checked luggage.

Your Guest Services team distributes bags to staterooms per your normal embarkation-day process. No special handling, no coordination with Ship&Play — just labeled bags arriving at the right time.

8

Bags Waiting in the Stateroom

Guests board the ship and find their luggage already in their stateroom. They never waited at a baggage carousel, checked bags at the airport, or hauled anything through the terminal. The cruise begins from the first step aboard.

That's the moment guests remember. Seeing their luggage in the stateroom before they even unpack is the Ship&Play experience. It's the detail that turns a satisfied guest into a loyal one — and a loyal one into an advocate.
D

Disembarkation (Return Shipment)

For guests who booked a disembarkation shipment, the process reverses. On the last evening of the voyage:

  • Guests set their labeled bags outside their stateroom door
  • Your Guest Services team collects bags to Guest Reception per normal procedure
  • The port agent picks up the next morning and hands off to the carrier
  • Bags ship directly to the guest's home address

Guests disembark the ship with their hands free — no bags, no queues, no airport stress. They arrive home to find their luggage already there.