Originally Posted by nwflyboy
...and since we board before most of the coach cabin, I expect we'll be able to get our carry on bags up in the overheads, and only have a small personal item or two at our feet.
Maybe I missed something earlier in the thread, but why do you board early? Remember that NW is now using cattle-call boarding, meaning all of coach boards at once. Unless you need special assistance, I think you'll have to board with everyone else. Camp out by the podium right before boarding.