For those who care or find it amusing, my cello survived the month long cross country journey without an incident. It is only slightly out of tune and very dusty. I had loosened the strings a tiny bit, supported the bridge and the tail piece with bubble wrap, and placed a dampit inside. It traveled horizontally in the case wrapped in a blanket in a cradle I made out of boxes, inside the shipping container. I think the deciding factor in the instrument’s health was the fact that the shipment took the Northern route. Were it to travel through the South, the outcome may have been different. Now I will let it rest for a few days and adjust to the humidity.