Items Left Behind

[rslex]

This is all after the fact, but it would be good to know for the future.

Last February, after debarkation, and halfway up the Florida peninsula, my wife realized that we left my suit hanging in the closet in our state room.

She was on the phone repeatedly, for days, talking and leaving messages to various departments for NCL. All to no avail. No one ever acknowledged finding it. We finally gave up.

I just wonder, what happens to stuff that gets left behind. Do the workers claim it for their own? I suppose I should have started looking on ebay for the suit.

Is there anyway I could have gotten compensated for it? (I know that would be a long shot. It was our fault for leaving it behind.)

[lambs2]

This is all after the fact, but it would be good to know for the future.

Last February, after debarkation, and halfway up the Florida peninsula, my wife realized that we left my suit hanging in the closet in our state room.

She was on the phone repeatedly, for days, talking and leaving messages to various departments for NCL. All to no avail. No one ever acknowledged finding it. We finally gave up.

I just wonder, what happens to stuff that gets left behind. Do the workers claim it for their own? I suppose I should have started looking on ebay for the suit.

Is there anyway I could have gotten compensated for it? (I know that would be a long shot. It was our fault for leaving it behind.)

 

Do hotels compensate folks when they leave something behind accidentally? Honestly, if I goof up and leave something behind there is no way I expect any kind of compensation from the place that I left it! One time I accidentally left a shoe in a hotel room and it was found and mailed to me. I sent the maid a small reward and repaid the hotel for the postage. I considered myself VERY LUCKY that I got it back. Probably most of the time things like that just get thrown away. I have read a few accounts where items have been returned to folks here on Cruise Critic. I guess it is just one of those things.

 

If you purchased cruise insurance than you might be able to place a claim through the company, however. It is worth a try. Sorry that you lost the suit, but unfortunately it is like leaving your wallet behind at a checkout counter. Some people are more honest and accomodating than others.

[bakerintn]

another good reason to go out of your way to meet the Hotel Director on your ship and get one of his/her cards. If you had that, you could have emailed the HD on your way home and hopefully gotten a more satisfactory response.

[billie5]

A wise comment. I never even thought about meeting the HD before.

 

I did once have a problem where I needed very early tender service to meet my privately arrange excursion, but all the early tenders were reserved for the ship's excursions. I went to the entertainment director when no one else could help, and he was kind enough to get us on the first tender

 

Bill.

[newmexicoNita]

This is all after the fact, but it would be good to know for the future.

Last February, after debarkation, and halfway up the Florida peninsula, my wife realized that we left my suit hanging in the closet in our state room.

She was on the phone repeatedly, for days, talking and leaving messages to various departments for NCL. All to no avail. No one ever acknowledged finding it. We finally gave up.

I just wonder, what happens to stuff that gets left behind. Do the workers claim it for their own? I suppose I should have started looking on ebay for the suit.

Is there anyway I could have gotten compensated for it? (I know that would be a long shot. It was our fault for leaving it behind.)

 

Only way to get compensated is if you had insurance. I think too much time has passed now anyway. Who knows what happens to stuff left behind. One time our daughter left an entire suitcase right outside of customs. That she was able to get back. On the same cruise we left some stuff on the airport bus which was constracted by NCL. We didn't get it back even though we reported it immediately.

 

Nita

[G'ma]

Ship happens.....

 

Next time, buy insurance.

 

Next time, open all the drawers and doors right before you leave the cabin to make sure nothing is left behind.

 

And, don't assume that somebody has stolen the merchandise and would sell it on eBay.

 

That's just silly.

 

It may or may not show up at some future date...but whatever..you left it behind, nobody took it from you.

[cruiseat50]

On our recent one nighter on the Star I unfortunately became very ill and in the morning was not completely focused. I didn't realized until the next day when I was getting ready for work that I didn't have my 20th anniversary ring. Somehow I must have left it onboard as I didn't put it on before disembarking. I either left it somewhere in the room or it fell off at some point on the ship. DH called the lost and found and they did check with the stewards but nothing was found. It is a little disheartening that whoever found it whether a employee or passenger that they didn't turn it in.

 

I was heartbroken but my DH and another kind soul helped renew my spirits. DH has been on medical retirement for the last 2 years so money is not easy so he decided he would sell his electric guitar he has had since he was very young so that he could replace the ring. Even with this he would not have been able to afford replacing it unless the jeweler graciously hadn't been so generous. The ring pattern had already been retired but the jeweler told DH after hearing how much it meant to me that he would make one for me and would sell it to him for 1/2 the price he had originally been charged for it 9 years ago.

 

For a one nighter I never really considered getting insurance but not even sure that would have been covered or not.

[wibeachbum]

A ring may be covered by homeowners insurance.

[howard6933]

This question came up on another posting last week. I posted at that time and will do it here. I left a sports jacket on a ship and remembered about it while we were in the terminal waiting for our bags. They wouldn't let me go back on the ship to get it and told me that my chances of getting it back were slim and none. They also told me that when they find clothing left on the ship, they donate it to the Salvation Army or some other charitable organiztion. :O On the other side of the coin, several years ago when I was in the Air Force, we stopped at a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland for the night. Upon leaving the hotel, about 70 miles down the road I remembred that I left my ROLEX watch on the sink in the bathroom. I stopped at a RR station and called the hotel. They told me that that the chamber maid turned in the watch and they would mail it to me ASAP. What a difference compared to the lack of service you get from the cruise lines when it comes to lost & found. :rolleyes:

[garycarla]

... It is a little disheartening that whoever found it whether a employee or passenger that they didn't turn it in....

 

Big assumption that somebody found it. Lots of things can get lost and wind up in the trash, etc.

 

PS - Sorry for the loss.

[Fishbait17]

A few years ago, my daughter's friend (sailing with us) left her teddy bear in our suite on the sofa. It was discovered missing while still at the dock. Despite trying at the dock and repeated calling and emailing, it was never recovered. During all the contact, nobody knew of any type of Lost and Found (we were told they were taken to the dock, kept on the ship, and donated to charity from three different contacts). What a shame that NCL does not have some kind of Lost and Found provision. It doesn't seem like it would be that difficult!

 

Robin

[cruiseat50]

What a shame that NCL does not have some kind of Lost and Found provision. It doesn't seem like it would be that difficult!

 

Robin

 

Actually there is a L/F dept. which dh spoke with several times. They were quite helpful and sympathetic but unfortunately to no avail. Sorry that you were not put in touch with them.

[rslex]

Ship happens.....

 

Next time' date=' buy insurance.

 

Next time, open all the drawers and doors right before you leave the cabin to make sure nothing is left behind.

 

And, don't assume that somebody has stolen the merchandise and would sell it on eBay.

 

That's just silly.

 

It may or may not show up at some future date...but whatever..you left it behind, nobody took it from you.[/quote']

 

Actually, we did have cruise insurance. It just never occurred to either of us that it might cover the situation. My comment about ebay was intended as a joke. I know the suit wasn't stolen. We forgot it. It was our fault, no one else. If some crew personnel wanted it for themselves, more power to them. If they found it and wanted to sell it, I really don't care. If it got donated to a charity, that's fine by me. It wasn't a terribly expensive suit. Just happened to be my newest suit.

I do think I'll follow the advice to get a card from the hotel director for this next cruise. Couldn't hurt.

Plus check the closet before I leave!

[PlayTheAces]

Here's a horror story that was related to me over dinner last week by some nice folks that had taken a cruise on Carnival. We were on the Star at the time and had just met them.

 

When leaving the ship at the end of their cruise, they left her jewelry behind in a small container. As soon as they got home they called to report the loss. They continued to call for a couple of weeks. Nothing was found. They then left the country for two weeks.

 

On returning home, there was a message to call Carnival. It turns out the jewelry had been found and turned in within days of their having lost it. Carnival told them they only keep things like that thirty days, which had passed. Carnival had pawned the jewelry and pocketed the money. They were out of luck.

 

They received nothing. Nada. Not ever the proceeds from the pawn.

 

Hard to believe, but this is what I was told and I have no reason to doubt them. Take it for what it's worth.

[Pickels]

This is all after the fact, but it would be good to know for the future.

Last February, after debarkation, and halfway up the Florida peninsula, my wife realized that we left my suit hanging in the closet in our state room.

She was on the phone repeatedly, for days, talking and leaving messages to various departments for NCL. All to no avail. No one ever acknowledged finding it. We finally gave up.

I just wonder, what happens to stuff that gets left behind. Do the workers claim it for their own? I suppose I should have started looking on ebay for the suit.

Is there anyway I could have gotten compensated for it? (I know that would be a long shot. It was our fault for leaving it behind.)

 

Could have been worse!!:eek:

Be thankful you didn't leave your wallet in your suit, :) OR, did you? :(

[Cary T]

I wonder, if the beach towel from your stateroom was missing after debarkation, would they charge your credit card? If they could do that they could probably let you know they found something in your room.

Just a thought.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

What a shame that NCL does not have some kind of Lost and Found provision. It doesn't seem like it would be that difficult!

 

Robin

 

NCL actually has a pretty impressive lost and found system in place. As soon as debark is finished all the lost items are gathered and logged a second time (first log is made as soon as the item is turned in) and all valuable items are sent to Miami the same day (cameras, passports etc) and all non valuables are kept on the ship for about a month after. You can always report a lost item with the Miami office who then emails the ship asking if it was found. Its a system that works very well IF the lost item is found and turned in.

 

James

[Sailaway Girl]

Last year my husband left his cell phone in the cabin safe on the Caribbean Princess. We notified Verizon then went online to Princess customer service lost and found. They acknowledged my email and I heard nothing for a week or two. Then one day I got a call and email from Princess. They emailed me a picture of a phone and asked if it was the phone we left. When we emailed back it was they mailed it to us free of charge.

[Fishbait17]

NCL actually has a pretty impressive lost and found system in place. As soon as debark is finished all the lost items are gathered and logged a second time (first log is made as soon as the item is turned in) and all valuable items are sent to Miami the same day (cameras, passports etc) and all non valuables are kept on the ship for about a month after. You can always report a lost item with the Miami office who then emails the ship asking if it was found. Its a system that works very well IF the lost item is found and turned in.

 

James

 

That's good to know, a shame it didn't work in our case. We just kept getting a runaround, telling us items were taken off the ship, left on the ship, discarded, etc. It was just a teddy bear, really not a big loss, but the poor girl had had it since early childhood (her "nubby" sort of thing). With all the calling and asking, we were never once told there was a central Lost and Found - only that someone else was always responsible.

 

Robin

[Caligirl33]

My daughter left her baby doll (that she has had since birth) on the Star last Thanksgiving. We were all just sick about it, thinking there was no chance to recover her. I called NCL, they gave me the phone number to the ship. I called the ship and spoke to the lost and found department. Within 2 hours they had found "baby" and told me I could pick her up when the Star returned to port the following week. My 11 year old was sooo happy. She will never leave baby anywhere again!

[Arwenmark]

Actually, we did have cruise insurance. It just never occurred to either of us that it might cover the situation. My comment about ebay was intended as a joke. I know the suit wasn't stolen. We forgot it. It was our fault, no one else. If some crew personnel wanted it for themselves, more power to them. If they found it and wanted to sell it, I really don't care. If it got donated to a charity, that's fine by me. It wasn't a terribly expensive suit. Just happened to be my newest suit.

I do think I'll follow the advice to get a card from the hotel director for this next cruise. Couldn't hurt.

Plus check the closet before I leave!

 

What I find surprising is that you never thought of travel insurance you have, but you thought the cruiseline might compensate you for YOUR leaving something on board.

 

And I have left things and gotten them back from the Lost and found department. However it usually takes a while for them to receive it and catalog it etc.

[PrincessCarolyn]

This is all after the fact, but it would be good to know for the future.

Last February, after debarkation, and halfway up the Florida peninsula, my wife realized that we left my suit hanging in the closet in our state room.

She was on the phone repeatedly, for days, talking and leaving messages to various departments for NCL. All to no avail. No one ever acknowledged finding it. We finally gave up.

I just wonder, what happens to stuff that gets left behind. Do the workers claim it for their own? I suppose I should have started looking on ebay for the suit.

Is there anyway I could have gotten compensated for it? (I know that would be a long shot. It was our fault for leaving it behind.)

 

 

I hate when I leave things behind (just this year I left behind my bathing suit in a hotel in Minnesota) I just thought "glad it was only my bathing suit"

Was the bathing suit really expensive/designer style to be on the phone for days?

Sorry about your loss!

[jdenn4]

We are just off the Spirit Repo cruise and DH discovered he'd left his lap top on board after we'd gotten our luggage but befor we went through customs. In a panic he tried to go back and the guards stopped him, luckily Erika (the concierge) was there and she escorted him back to the ship found the computer and escorted him back off again. Since he needed it for work the next day it could have been a real disaster...Kudos Erika!

[DMH15]

When I was 18 I went on a trip to Hawaii. Somehow I lost all my jewelry. Never really knew how it happened. I had it the morning I was packing to fly home. My parent's homeowners policy paid me $500, the maximum on the policy. (I lived at home still). That seems like a lot of money back then, but I lost my high school ring, a very nice ruby birthstone ring and a very nice turquoise bracelet (which alone cost $230). Since then I have always been very careful. But I can understand how easy it is to be distracted.

 

My brother taught me a great trick: if you say something out loud you are much more likely to remember it. Things like, "I am unplugging the iron now", which keeps me from wondering if I had. So there I am on the last morning, walking through the stateroom (or hotel room), talking out loud, as I make a last sweep. I must look really silly, as the doors are open and the stewards are in and out. I am saying stuff like "the safe is empty", the closet is empty, etc...."

[Down-Unders]

This is all after the fact, but it would be good to know for the future.

Last February, after debarkation, and halfway up the Florida peninsula, my wife realized that we left my suit hanging in the closet in our state room.

She was on the phone repeatedly, for days, talking and leaving messages to various departments for NCL. All to no avail. No one ever acknowledged finding it. We finally gave up.

I just wonder, what happens to stuff that gets left behind. Do the workers claim it for their own? I suppose I should have started looking on ebay for the suit.

Is there anyway I could have gotten compensated for it? (I know that would be a long shot. It was our fault for leaving it behind.)

 

 

 

I would write a letter to NCL but not for compensation, it is long shot but you have nothing to lose. As far as NCL staff go I have great confidence in their honesty.