Cruises - Need to receive FedEx Letter during cruise, any ideas?

Hello, I will be traveling on a transatlantic cruise shortly and as luck would have it, I might need to receive some documents, sign them, and return them back to the US via FedEx or UPS. I contacted the cruise line (RCC) and they said there was no way to receive packages at one of the ports and have them hold it for me. Their only suggestion was to receive an email attachment, print, scan and fax back onboard, but that won't work in this case, it has to be an original signature and original watermarked document.

So I'm wondering if anyone else has needed something similar and if they figured something out. I am going to try to call a UPS Store/Mailboxes Etc place at one of the ports (Palma de Mallorca) and see if they can receive something on my behalf but if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.

You could always receive the documents by e-mail. Then print them, sign them, and mail/fedex them back at the next port.

Thanks but the document itself must also be the original, watermarked document, so that won't work. I've edited the original post to reflect that both the document and signature must be original, so it must be physically mailed.

Stay home...

If you are in the true transatlantic portion of the trip (no ports), you're out of luck.

If you can reliably predict when you will receive the package, you can always book a hotel for a port of call on an appropriate day and have the FedEx letter sent to the hotel. But keep in mind that FedEx to most overseas locations is not overnight, and often transit time can't even be guaranteed due to customs.

Another solution is to bail out of the boat at one port, fly to wherever your package can meet you, then fly back to the next port and meet up with the ship a day or two later.

None of these solutions are cheap or convenient. You have a tough problem.

Good luck.

If you can time receipt of documents prior to your Las Palmas stop, I would have them sent to a port agent or hotel. Power of Attorney will not work?

I agree with booking a hotel for that day it's going to arrive.

Also, I don't know about overseas but FedEx will hold a package at their location. I mean, say someone sent me a FedEx. Apparently I can go online or call and tell FedEx, don't deliver it to my house or the original mailbox destination. Instead keep it at your FedEx location and I'll come pick it up. Hope that helps!

Power of Attorney will not work?

+1^

That is what I use, I have people who I have assigned POA to and have POA for
my parents.

I can see a further nightmare of playing hide and seek with a Fedex overseas envelop which does not have guaranteed delivery due to international shipping and local custom office.

One can always hire a private jet to drop the envelop off onto the ship like in the James Bond movies.

What on earth are you doing? If it is so important that it must be the original watermarked doc, then you may be simply out of luck.

POA is the only thing I can think of to work.

well the advice to 'stay home' doesn't help because I'm already on an around-the-world trip. My question was directed at long-time cruisers and I thought maybe at the different major ports there might be some sort of facility for this type of thing but that was wishful thinking.

I think the hotel room will make the most sense. I'll be able to time everything pretty well, and I think I can find a cheap 3* hotel in Palma for about 40 euros. We've been doing the FedEx thing off-and-on during this whole trip for other mail so we pretty much have it down as far as transit times, etc. The 'hold at FedEx location' won't work outside of the US/Canada as far as I know.

POA is a good suggestion but won't work at this point for this type of doc and since I'm already out of the US; the alternative is to turn the docs in late after arrival in the US and deal with the consequences. It is a risk but not a life-and-death type of thing.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

Have you looked at the American Express Travel Services? I know they used to have a way to recieve mail for a card member at various offices around the world. The traveler could then pick up the mail when they arrived. This was big before the internet and email and cell phones.

http://www.amextravelresources.com/services.html

maybe it is not the right way, I might my spouse or friend that I can trust to receive, sign and return the document for me.

And this is "something" that can't go through the regular government mail systems? Poste restante used to be the answer when traveling abroad and yes, American Express used to also be the place to get and receive mail when traveling abroad.

Always kept up with my parents that way -- address the letter to the American Express office in XYZ city and when they arrived they picked up the letters there in the days before email and when it took weeks to months to even get a letter overseas.

Make a contact with an international hotel chain in the ports you will be visiting that has business services and see what you can arrange for a fee, that can act as your "middle man".

If there is a FedEx office, normally the package can be delivered to the office with notification that you will arrive between X date and Y date to pick up the package. When I travelled a lot I used to do this as I wasn't always sure what hotel I would stay at in any given city. I've never done this in europe however but I can't see why it would be a problem. It's worked well in the US and Canada.

I would be gravely concerned you miss the port where the document is sitting. I would have a very clear backup plan ready - contact the hotel you've booked and ask if they will forward the document to the next port (port agent, etc).

So in the end, I was able to contact a Mail Boxes Etc outlet in Palma, and they allowed me to arrange for the package to arrive with them one day prior to my scheduled arrival in Palma. Good thing too because with the big snowfall in Europe this week, the package was delayed by one day. So I got the package there by about 3pm, signed the docs right there in the store and then sent it right back to the US with them via UPS. They didn't charge me anything for receiving the package there and the return UPS Saver rate was pretty good, about US$45. So it worked out perfectly, thankfully I was able to have that one day buffer in there. Very nice people and great service, muchas gracias a ellos!

Thanks for letting us know the positive outcome -- and enjoy the rest of the ta cruise:)

Can't do it on board.

If you have an Am Ex card, you can send it to any Am Ex office overseas and they will hold it for you

Good Hotels will also, but AmEx probably best bet