New Orleans baggage storage question

[justinslot]

I am going from SAS to NOL in the morning. I am at the end of a two and a half week trip and have more stuff than I want to drag to a hotel for two nights (I am leaving on the Crescent on Sunday.) Can I leave a couple bags at the station? Like, can I just not pick them up from checked baggage, retrieve them on Sunday morning and then check them on to PHL? Or is there a more, ummm, above ground way I can leave two bags there for a night?

 

[BuffaloBoy]

There is no baggage storage service at NOL. I would advise you to check your baggage to NOL and haul it with you to your hotel. If you check it in to your final destination it will arrive well before you if you are staying for 2 nights. It would probably be okay if they were checked to PHL and would be there but I, myself would not be comfortable with that.Just sayin....

 

[zephyr17]

Interesting. I just verified that there is no baggage storage at NOL on Amtrak.com. Most stations that offer checked baggage offer baggage storage, I wonder why they don't at NOL.

 

[justinslot]

Yeah, and what happens if someone doesn't pick up their checked luggage on arrival? Surely they must lock it up somewhere...

(Not that I want to risk leaving my two checked bags unclaimed there at this point.)

 

[justinslot]

My concern at NOL, for the record, is similar to my concern at SAS if you saw my earlier thread: I have too much stuff to carry in a single trip out to a cab. At SAS this ended up not being an issue because it's a small, out of the way station populated entirely by fellow passengers where I felt secure leaving some of my bags unattended for a moment while I went and got the others. I am expecting no such feeling of security at NOL. But I would be happy to be informed differently.

 

[trainman74]

I would just check the bags through to PHL and not have to worry about it. I'm sure it won't be a problem for them to be stored at PHL for a couple days.

 

[justinslot]

I would just check the bags through to PHL and not have to worry about it. I'm sure it won't be a problem for them to be stored at PHL for a couple days.

That's what I'm going to try to do when I arrive at NOL tonight--hope they let me since it will be in advance of 24 hours before my train departs on Sunday. I have no problem with my bags being in PHL a day ahead of me.

 

[ehbowen]

My concern at NOL, for the record, is similar to my concern at SAS if you saw my earlier thread: I have too much stuff to carry in a single trip out to a cab. At SAS this ended up not being an issue because it's a small, out of the way station populated entirely by fellow passengers where I felt secure leaving some of my bags unattended for a moment while I went and got the others. I am expecting no such feeling of security at NOL. But I would be happy to be informed differently.

I believe that New Orleans does offer red cap service, so you could have help moving everything out to the cab stand in one go.

 

[justinslot]

My concern at NOL, for the record, is similar to my concern at SAS if you saw my earlier thread: I have too much stuff to carry in a single trip out to a cab. At SAS this ended up not being an issue because it's a small, out of the way station populated entirely by fellow passengers where I felt secure leaving some of my bags unattended for a moment while I went and got the others. I am expecting no such feeling of security at NOL. But I would be happy to be informed differently.

I believe that New Orleans does offer red cap service, so you could have help moving everything out to the cab stand in one go.

They do! I googled this and this is not mentioned on Amtrak's page listing the stations with red cap service:

https://www.amtrak.com/baggage-services

Anyway: Upon arrival (late) last night I went to the front desk and asked if I could check my excess bags to PHL. That was denied. But I was allowed--and the woman at the desk told me to do this--to simply not pick my bags up and I could forward them on today, which I did. They stored them in the area behind the front desk (which was hopefully secured overnight.) So I guess there is not a formal baggage storage at NOL but there is something like baggage storage if you ask for it (and who knows, like many Amtrak things it could just depend on who is working the desk that night.)

I always like detailing this stuff on this forum, which is kind of a TripAdvisor for Amtrak people.

 

[PaulM]

This sounds like standard procedure.

I believe the rules let you not claim your checked baggage AT LEAST one day later without charge. And they will let you check your baggage at least one day before departure. That adds up to the two days you need.

 

[CAMISSY55]

Good comparison, justinslot! A bit off topic- but, for me, this site is even better. TripAdvisor (unless it has changed recently) presses you to download their app if you want to have full access to their reviews or forums. Yelp is another one that limits access to reviews without downloading there app. I can't tell you the amount of restaurants, pubs, etc.

that I opted not to try because of that issue. It seems business owner's would be better served if this wasn't the case. Sorry! I'm getting off my soapbox now.

 

[justinslot]

Good comparison, justinslot! A bit off topic- but, for me, this site is even better. TripAdvisor (unless it has changed recently) presses you to download their app if you want to have full access to their reviews or forums. Yelp is another one that limits access to reviews without downloading there app. I can't tell you the amount of restaurants, pubs, etc.

that I opted not to try because of that issue. It seems business owner's would be better served if this wasn't the case. Sorry! I'm getting off my soapbox now.

What I've found over the years that for any specific Amtrak topic you google ("are there rental cars at X station?" "how is the waiting room at Y station?") this site usually appears in the first page of results. So now I just start searching here. And it helps that is isn't a for-profit review app like the others you mention--though one kind of wishes train travel was popular enough to justify such a thing.

 

[GaSteve]

Good comparison, justinslot! A bit off topic- but, for me, this site is even better. TripAdvisor (unless it has changed recently) presses you to download their app if you want to have full access to their reviews or forums. Yelp is another one that limits access to reviews without downloading there app. I can't tell you the amount of restaurants, pubs, etc.

that I opted not to try because of that issue. It seems business owner's would be better served if this wasn't the case. Sorry! I'm getting off my soapbox now.

"TripAdvisor (unless it has changed recently) presses you to download their app if you want to have full access to their reviews or forums." Not true. I use their web-based site every day and am active in the forums. They have a mobile app, but its not required to use the site. The do have a Chrome add-on, but I've never used it.