FAQs

Cunard’s White Star Luggage Service is the perfect alternative to transporting your own luggage through airport congestion and customs. It’s also a wonderful option for those who choose to extend their travels pre or post voyage. White Star Luggage Service is provided by DHL Worldwide Express and Federal Express (the courier). Reservations for this service must be secured at least 35 days prior to your sailing date. Domestic and international shipping is available. Rates start as low as $90.00 USD per bag for domestic shipments and $250.00 per bag for international shipments. Rates are based on shipment size, weight and destination and include limited Shipment Value Protection. Additional terms and conditions apply. For more information and rates specific to your particular voyage, please email whitestarluggage@cunard.com or call us from the US or Canada at 1-888-491-0774, from the UK at 0-800-051-6414, from Europe at 0-845-071-0305.

Service is available in the following ports:
Barcelona
Cherbourg
Civitavecchia
Dubai (World Voyage only)
Fort Lauderdale
Hamburg
Hong Kong (World Voyage only)
Los Angeles
New York
San Francisco (World Voyage only)
Singapore (World Voyage only)
Southampton
Sydney (World Voyage only)
Venice

Shipments
Shipments are limited to the shipping of luggage containing personal clothing. Items such as toiletries, cosmetics, medication, vitamins, electronics and jewellery are prohibited. Keep these items in hand baggage and carry them personally. Garment bags are acceptable for shipment of clothing provided they fold in half, remain secured in that position, and resemble a piece of free standing luggage.

Restrictions
Individual shipments may not exceed 108 inches per piece for combined length, width and height. Weight may not exceed 150 pounds per piece. Should an individual shipment exceed number of total inches or weight, additional fees will apply and we cannot guarantee timely delivery of shipment. Goods or items purchased during your travels may not be shipped via White Star Luggage as they could be subject to duties and taxes. Any duties and taxes assessed by customs will be billed to you. Items such as cologne, perfume, lighters are prohibited as they are considered combustible. Shipments may not be locked as they are subject to inspection.

Shipment Value Protection

TYPE: Basic Value Protection
COST: Inclusive in standard rates
COVERAGE*: Up to $2,000.00 per piece

TYPE: Additional Value Protection
COST: $10.00 per piece
COVERAGE*: Up to an additional $1,000.00 per piece

*Actual cash value

Cunard Line will not be responsible for any damage to or loss of luggage or contents. (The courier) will not be held responsible for damage to guest’s luggage (as it is considered the shipping container), loss of or damage to camera or electronic equipment, jewelry, cash, or other similarly fragile and valuable items. Valuable and fragile items should always be hand carried. While an itemized contents list is required for international shipments, we recommend that you prepare an itemized list for domestic shipments as well.

Claims
Any claims for loss or damage pertaining to covered items must be reported immediately to White Star Luggage, who will initiate the claim. Claims must be submitted per the following schedule:
DHL Shipments 30 days from the date of pick-up
Federal Express Shipments 21 days from the date of delivery

Cancellation Policy
Cancellation fees are as follows:
From 60 days prior to sailing until your scheduled pick-up date, cancellation charge is $25.00.
Once pick-up has been made, cancellation charge is 100%.

How to Reserve White Star Luggage Service
To reserve White Star Luggage Service call us from the US or Canada at 1-888-491-0774, from the UK at 0-800-051-6414, or from Europe at 0-845-071-0305.White Star Luggage agents are available to assist you Monday thru Friday from 6am to 5pm Pacific Standard Time.

When requesting rates or reserving service, please be prepared to provide us with the following information:
• Your Booking Number
• Pre-cruise pick-up address and phone number
• Post-Cruise ship to address and phone number
• Number of pieces to be shipped
• Estimated weight of each piece
• Declared value of each piece
• Credit Card for payment

How the Program Works
Once the reservation has been booked, we will provide you with the scheduled pick-up date for your luggage based on your voyage destination.
Prior to your scheduled pick-up date, we will mail you a packet containing the following items:
• Airway bills for each piece of luggage to be shipped
• Sturdy airway bill holders and ties for each piece
• Customs forms to be completed for International shipments
(International shipments also require a copy of your passport to accompany completed customs forms)
• A return envelope for shipping copies of customs forms back to Cunard
• Detailed shipping instructions
• Interior Luggage Insert

Pre-cruise shipments will be picked up as scheduled and delivered to your stateroom on your day of embarkation. For post-cruise shipments, you will be instructed to follow standard disembarkation procedures, which requires you to proceed through immigration and customs formalities. A drop-off area for White Star Luggage will be located just outside the customs area. You will receive specific instructions onboard regarding your disembarkation and specific drop-off location, as this may vary from port to port.

Cunard White Star Luggage shipping service is provided by DLH Worldwide Express and Federal Express (the courier) based on destination. This luggage shipping service is for the personal luggage of Cunard guests only. Rates include basic Shipment Value Protection. A complete list of items that cannot be shipped will be supplied, along with terms and conditions, upon reserving this service. Cunard Line will not be responsible for any damage to or loss of luggage or contents. (The courier) will not be held responsible for damage to the shipping container, loss of or damage to camera equipment, jewellery, electronics, cash or similarly fragile or valuable items. Items such as cologne, perfume and lighters are prohibited, as they are considered combustible. (The courier) is an independent company and is not owned or operated by Cunard Line. Cunard Line reserves the right to modify or withdraw this service at any time.

You will be pleased to know that guests with disabilities or requiring assistance are welcome aboard Cunard vessels.

With lifts and wheelchair accessible routes to all public rooms and the vast majority of deck areas, as well as a number of staterooms adapted for wheelchair users, we aim to make your stay as relaxing and comfortable as possible. Due to the configuration of our ships, however, wheelchair users and individuals with sight impairments may experience some difficulties in accessing certain areas. Where such individuals would be unable to be safely and comfortably accommodated due to such barriers or other criteria, we may suggest that the guest be accompanied by a companion.

If you are planning to bring a wheelchair or any other specialist equipment on board with you, or if you have any personal requirements, it is essential that you let us know at the time of booking so we can advise you appropriately. For the safety of the ship and everyone on board, all wheelchairs and other aids to mobility must be stored within your stateroom when you are not using them. Upon notification by a guest with a disability, Cunard Reservations will provide stateroom and bathroom doorway widths and other pertinent access limitations on board.

On voyages that have a call at a port that requires use of the ship’s launches to get ashore (shown by an 'A' on the itinerary), it may not always be possible for some guests with disabilities or mobility issues to access the launches or the shore quayside. Every effort will be made to enable access, but you must have some independent mobility in order to step into the launch and out of it on the shore side. Our crew are not allowed to lift guests. Please be advised by our officers accordingly.

At the majority of ports visited by our ships, we deploy a short ramped low-level gangway to give wheelchair users easy access to shore. However when choosing your voyage please bear in mind that certain places  become inaccessible due to large tidal ranges. The effect on the gangway configurations required to negotiate varying height differences between the quay and the ship cause steep gangways, that for safety reasons mean wheelchair users may not be able to get ashore. Please contact us for advice if this is of concern.

We strongly recommend that all guests purchase some form of travel protection that includes cancellation and interruption coverages as well as medical expenses and emergency evacuation benefits. For your convenience, we offer CunardCare, a package of benefits comprised of the CunardCare Cancellation Fee Waiver, the CunardCare Travel Insurance and the CunardCare Worldwide Emergency Assistance Programs designed exclusively for our most valued guests. Information on CunardCare can be found by clicking here.

The countries visited during your voyage have specific document requirements. These requirements include passport, visa and vaccination certificates where applicable. Requirements will vary based on the ports visited as well as on your citizenship. Please note that it is your sole responsibility to obtain and have available the proper travel and health documents that are necessary for air travel, voyage check-in and disembarkation at the various ports of call and for re-entry into the appropriate country of origin. If you do not possess the proper documentation you will be denied boarding without any refund of the voyage fare.

Many countries require your passport to be valid for six months from the completion of your travel. Check your passport to ensure it will be valid for this period of time. Make certain your passport contains blank pages for entry and exit endorsements and any visas that may be required. If necessary, you should allow sufficient time to renew your passport and obtain additional pages.

PASSPORT REQUIRMENTS FOR U.S. AND CANADIAN CITIZENS AND LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS
Travel document requirements vary based on the voyage destination and whether international flights are required. Please review the section below to determine the requirements for your voyage. Voyage specific information may also be found in the Voyage Personaliser, under “Notifications” in “Your Itinerary” section.

1) Passports are required for all international air travel to and from the United States, regardless of age and citizenship.

2) Passports are required for all international voyages including: Africa, Asia, Australia, Central & South America, Europe, India, New Zealand, Transatlantic, South Pacific and World Cruise.

3) With the enforcement of Department of Homeland Security Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), as of June 1, 2009, Passports or WHTI-compliant documents are required for U.S. domestic voyages including Canada, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and Panama Canal. Neither oral nor written declarations of citizenship are accepted.

a) U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 16 and above travelling on domestic voyages may present one of the following valid WHTI-compliant documents. In addition to the traditional Passport Book, the new U.S. issued Passport Card, Enhanced Driver’s License, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST Cards all comply with U.S. government secure document requirements and denote both citizenship and identity in a single document.

Passport Book RECOMMENDED travel document; accepted for travel by air, land and sea

US Passport Card Limited to land and sea border crossings

Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) Limited to land and sea border crossings

NEXUS Card Accepted for land and sea border crossings. Air travel is limited to participating airports. For more information visit www.cbp.gov

SENTRI and FAST Cards Limited to land and sea border crossings

For information regarding WHTI compliant documents, please visit www.getyouhome.gov

b) U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 15 years and younger may present an original or copy of their birth certificate, a naturalization certificate or citizenship card in lieu of the above WHTI compliant documents on U.S. Domestic sailings only.

c) U.S. citizens travelling on U.S. roundtrip or “closed-loop” voyages may also travel with an original certified Birth Certificate presented together with a valid government-issued photo identification. In the event the names on these documents do not match due to a name change, please ensure to present appropriate legal documentation to support the name change. In this case, the name on the booking should match the name on the valid government-issued photo identification.

U.S. domestic roundtrip sailings must embark and disembark in the same U.S. port.

These voyages include:
- Canada/New England roundtrip from New York
- Caribbean roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale and New York
- Hawaii roundtrip from Los Angeles
- Mexico roundtrip from Los Angeles
- Panama Canal roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale

Please be aware that even if your voyage does not require a passport to sail, in the event of an emergency should you be required to unexpectedly depart a vessel prior to the end of the voyage, a passport would be required to disembark the ship in a foreign country and re-enter the U.S. by air. We therefore strongly recommend that all guests are in possession of a valid passport.

d) U.S. Legal Permanent Residents are required to present a valid permanent resident document to sail. See below for acceptable documents:

- Permanent Resident Card (ARC/I-55 card)
- Temporary ARC/I-55 card and valid government issued photo identification
- Expired ARC/I-55 card and form I-797 and valid government issued photo identification
- Passport with “ARC” stamp in the passport

e) Canadian Permanent Residents are required to provide a valid passport and valid Permanent Resident Card. Additionally, Permanent Residents must have a nonimmigrant visa unless the permanent resident is a national of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and meets the VWP requirements.

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-U.S. AND NON-CANADIAN CITIZENS Passports are required for all cruises, regardless of destination.

To ensure a relaxed and organised start to your voyage, we operate a staggered check-in schedule. The exact time of embarkation will be advised approximately 90 days prior to departure in your pre-voyage documentation. Cunard Grills guests and Cunard Diamond and Platinum World Club members will also receive priority check-in and embarkation.

When you arrive at the terminal, your luggage will be collected by a porter, screened by security and delivered directly to your stateroom for your convenience.

When you arrive at the international airport on the day of embarkation, you will be met by a Cunard representative who will arrange for your luggage to be taken to the ship and placed in your stateroom.

Please check with the airline regarding any luggage restrictions.

We have recently reviewed our pregnancy policy in light of current medical research on gestation risks and infant mortality outside of specialised neonatal intensive care units. As a result, we will no longer be permitting guests who will have entered the 24th week of pregnancy by the last day of the voyage to travel with us.

All pregnant women are required to produce a doctor’s or midwife’s letter stating that mother and baby are in good health, fit to travel and that the pregnancy is not high-risk. The letter must also include the estimated date of delivery (EDD) calculated from both the last menstrual period (LMP) and ultrasound (if performed). Cunard cannot accept a booking or subsequently carry a Guest unless they comply with the requirements of this clause.

We may not know exact details of your flights times at the time of going to press or at the time of booking. However, your flights will be on scheduled flights or recognised charter airlines (operated under Cunard’s CAA ATOL Licence number 6294). However, about 60 days before departure, we will send you an information pack including your flight details.

We now operate a new system whereby guests can manage their reservation on-line through their Voyage Personaliser. This allows guests the opportunity to view shore excursions, prebook shore excursions, update their immigration questions and download pre-cruise information and documents.  Therefore you will be able to download your boarding pass. Please be aware that flight E-tickets will be sent to you direct or through your travel agent.