Missing luggage on disembarkation- who pays the price?

[Yammo]

Hi all, I wonder if anyone else had this problem and can give me advice. We cruised on Brilliance 30th November to the Eastern Med. We had a fantastic time, no problems. Left 4 pieces of luggage outside stateroom last night, but only 3 pieces on carousel next morning. Ground staff searched, no sign of it. We had to leave to catch our plane. That was 12th Dec. Yesterday, 14th Jan. RCCL rang to say they'd found our case but they wany us to pay e591 to send it to us!!! We left it in their care, they lost it, we pay? Insurance doesn't cover it. Help?

[birdylady]

I would imagine somewhere in RCCL's legal documents you agreed to it says they are not at fault. That said, I would argue they should pay. YOU did exactly as was requested of you and THEY did not follow through successfully with their responsibility. I wouldn't hire a lawyer for that amount but if you are friends with one, maybe they can write a very short quick letter on their letterhead (if that's allowed) to RCCL.

 

Good Luck.

Erika

[nancronin]

Two years ago after our cruise, we picked up all our luggage - went through Customs - and went to wait for our hotel van to pick us up. When we reached the hotel, we realized my friend had left a small carryon on the curb (with no name tag on it at all) when we boarded the van. Our DH's took a cab back and looked and checked with lost and found but no luck.

 

When we arrived home, she called the cruise line that we had been waiting in front of (I believe it was Costa) and they said that they rented the terminal so there was no permanent lost and found there. About one week later, Costa called her, said her bag had been found on the ship, and they then shipped it to her - no cost to her - and we hadn't even been on one of their ships.

 

So, I really think RC should be paying to ship your suitcase back - it's the least they could do. They were responsible for the bag!

[Alexis]

Hi all, I wonder if anyone else had this problem and can give me advice. We cruised on Brilliance 30th November to the Eastern Med. We had a fantastic time, no problems. Left 4 pieces of luggage outside stateroom last night, but only 3 pieces on carousel next morning. Ground staff searched, no sign of it. We had to leave to catch our plane. That was 12th Dec. Yesterday, 14th Jan. RCCL rang to say they'd found our case but they wany us to pay e591 to send it to us!!! We left it in their care, they lost it, we pay? Insurance doesn't cover it. Help?

 

Can you translate what that cost is?

I would continue to try and get them to send it to you at their expense. It is their fault that it was missing.

Continue to call and ask for higher ups. ;)

If they will not change their mind:

If the items and the bag are worth that much to you, I would pay it.

If they are not, I would leave it there.

[boulders]

e591 = 849USD :eek::eek::eek:

 

Are they going to drive it across Europe in a limo?? That's ridiculous. They should pay for shipping.

[yogimax]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Your very first post will certainly bring a multitude of responses

[sbhdmh]

e591 = 849USD :eek::eek::eek:

 

Are they going to drive it across Europe in a limo?? That's ridiculous. They should pay for shipping.

 

Royal Caribbean should be ashamed of themselves! For that price I would fly to Europe and pick it up myself. Then I would notify every media outlet I could to cover me at the airport returning with it...

[Redheada]

You are really expecting/demanding alot from RCCL. You should have carried your own luggage off - now you are going to drive up costs for all of us passengers that dont lose things!!!!

 

JUST KIDDING! These are the kind of responses we got on another board when luggage was lost/damaged from dock to ship. I cant even imagine what kind of responses you will get to this one losing from ship to dock.

 

If the airline misplaced your luggage - they would deliver it to your door if found at no charge and frankly RCCL should absolutely do the same. Keep working up the chain. Otherwise, if you had travel insurance - that should cover it. Honestly with all the stories and comments I read on here I am very afraid to leave home without insurance it when cruising.....

[Colorado Kat]

The definitely should pay to return it - that is a ridiulous amount of money! They had it over a month and finally found it?

 

Go higher up the chain of commanf.

Kathy

[gatour]

You followed all of the instructions per RCCL policies about leaving bags out the night before, I would insist that RCCL ships it at their cost.

[dutchess43]

Ten years ago we were on a Princess cruise that disembarked in Vancover. We were told that the luggage would automatically be placed on the bus to Seattle along with us. We had special tags on the luggage & we did not have to collect the luggage from the carousel. This was all booked through Princess we were all traveling as a group. As luck would have it we were on bus number 1 & by the time bus 7 came we had only 3 pieces of luggage. Two weeks later we come to find out that the 4th piece of luggage never made it off the ship(yes all 4 pieces were put out the night before). Princess wanted me to pay to have it shipped home via American Airlines. Well after a few go rounds there was no way I was payng for it. Princess sent it home to me free of charge. My question is where did they find your piece of luggage? I would stongly suggest to them to pay the cost!

[Loki_77573]

Not exactly the same problem and not exactly RCCL but...,

 

A few years back sailing on Celebrity's Millennium, "I" left a bag on the carousel at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. I had already boarded and received my luggage when I realized what I had done. We had yet to leave port so I went to the lovely and talented Wendy, the ship's concierge. She said she would do what she could and immediately got on her 2-way and I had shoes to wear to dinner that night. How awesome was that! Believe it or not that added personal service was just (forgive me I can't help it) was the tip of the ice burg as far a customer service. Although sometimes it just takes that one person to make your experience worth repeating. ;)

[Yammo]

Thank you to all who replied to my query. I also think that I shouldn't have to pay to get my luggage back. I've emailed the company suggesting that they should bear the cost. No reply as yet. Thanks again, great to feel part of the cruising community. It won't put me off .

[pcur]

Thank you to all who replied to my query. I also think that I shouldn't have to pay to get my luggage back. I've emailed the company suggesting that they should bear the cost. No reply as yet. Thanks again, great to feel part of the cruising community. It won't put me off .

 

I know you said there was no insurance to cover the cost, but are you speaking only of travel insurance? If you used your credit card to purchase the cruise, call your credit card company and ask if they have coverage. My Visa does cover luggage, I believe, if I purchased the travel using the card.

 

Also, check your homeowner's policy.

 

You might be able to split the cost between RCCL and one of the above.

 

By the way, RCCL should cover the cost, and when you talk to them again, find out how they were planning on sending the suitcase. Sounds like international DHL or something like that. See if there's a cheaper way for them to send it.

[G'ma]

I'd probably make the effort to convince them to waive the charges....however, I wouldn't spend much time on it if I wanted my things back.

 

Not worth it.

 

Bags get lost, that's a fact. RCCL is only liable if it is shown to be their negligence that caused the loss....and it needs to be proven.

 

Just saying they are liable doesn't mean a thing.

[cruiseknots]

I was missing a bag in Miami after a recent cruise. RCI informed me that if they found it, they would ship it to me at my expense which I thought was totally ridiculous. I figured I would let them find my bag first, then I would worry about who was going to pay for it. Turns out, another passenger grabbed my bag by mistake and they paid to ship it to me.

 

I would insist that RCI pay for it. If they don't, tell them you are going to write a song about it and post it on YouTube like the guy who had his guitar broken by United Airlines.

 

[rwdnj]

Back in 08 we did RC's transfer to and from MIA. For $20. they will print your boarding pass and take care of your luggage at disembark You don't see it again till you arrive at your home airport. So I put the bags in the hallway the night before as requested. When we got to Newark, everyone got their bags but I was one short. Went to the airline counter and they said to call then the next day. Called the next day and was told the bag never made to the MIA. Called RC and was told the didn't know anything about it. So long story short, my bag showed up 5 days later at my doorstep. Shipped by RC via UPS. NO CHARGE!!

Funny thing, My son used the same bag in 09 and the same thing happened again, with the same results.

Needless to say, That bag is staying home this time!!

[wolfcathorse]

who lost the bag? RCL or the port. If it made it off the ship into the terminal, then its the ports fault. Our tags get torn off all the time between the time I put it outside my door and the time I go looking in the terminal. Always end up finding it in the pile for untagged luggage in the terminal. So now I always get extra tags and one goes on the handle per instructions ("remove backing from this area only") and one goes on the side (remove the entire backing to expose the entire sticky back). Have never "lost" a bag since doing it that way. Maybe you should be contacting the port agent to claim your bag

[CruisinGerman]

Here in Europe our travel protection laws offer more protection than laws in the United States.

 

If you purchased your cruise from one of the EU offices of RCCL or an EU travel agency (and, therefore, not from a U.S. agency or the U.S. RCCL office), you are protected by both the EU Travel Package Directive and the EU Common Carrier Passenger Rights rules.

 

RCCL is definitely responsible for your loss, but does not want to admit it. Stand your ground.

 

This brings up another related matter which cruise lines have been purposely avoiding for years.

 

That is, when you leave your luggage outside your cabin on the last night with those colored luggage tags, did anyone ever notice that those tags do not have serial numbers and there is no receipt or stub given to you. Therefore, unlike with airline checked baggage, it is virtually impossible to legally make a claim that your luggage did not make it down to the pier.

 

I think consumer groups should start advocating a better tracing system for luggage left in the cruiseline's care on the last night of the cruise, so that these situations do not occur.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[dutchess43]

Here in Europe our travel protection laws offer more protection than laws in the United States.

 

If you purchased your cruise from one of the EU offices of RCCL or an EU travel agency (and, therefore, not from a U.S. agency or the U.S. RCCL office), you are protected by both the EU Travel Package Directive and the EU Common Carrier Passenger Rights rules.

 

RCCL is definitely responsible for your loss, but does not want to admit it. Stand your ground.

 

This brings up another related matter which cruise lines have been purposely avoiding for years.

 

That is, when you leave your luggage outside your cabin on the last night with those colored luggage tags, did anyone ever notice that those tags do not have serial numbers and there is no receipt or stub given to you. Therefore, unlike with airline checked baggage, it is virtually impossible to legally make a claim that your luggage did not make it down to the pier.

 

I think consumer groups should start advocating a better tracing system for luggage left in the cruiseline's care on the last night of the cruise, so that these situations do not occur.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

Twenty six cruises & I never paid attention to the tags when disembarking outside of the color. You raise a great many questions. I wish they had a better system for taking your bags off of the ship.

[1BDNANA]

I was missing a bag in Miami after a recent cruise. RCI informed me that if they found it, they would ship it to me at my expense which I thought was totally ridiculous. I figured I would let them find my bag first, then I would worry about who was going to pay for it. Turns out, another passenger grabbed my bag by mistake and they paid to ship it to me.

 

I would insist that RCI pay for it. If they don't, tell them you are going to write a song about it and post it on YouTube like the guy who had his guitar broken by United Airlines.

 

 

Holly Smokes. I freekin love that.I have always said."Be nice to all,you never know who you may peee off and what they may do".

 

I do think that RCCL needs to pay to send it back.I bet if everybody said they would self assist so they would not lose their bags they would take another tack.

[Yammo]

Hi I just wanted to let you know that I got my luggage back last night at no cost to me! My son took on our cause and sent a few strongly worded emails to the company. They said they never got the missing property report we filled out at the port and so were treating the case as unclaimed baggage, hence the charge to us. The case had turned up later in the day of our disembarkation in Barcelona, was transported to the lost and found depot in Miami and sat there for a month. Luckily we had kept copies of the property report and sent it to them. So a happy ending. Thanks to all the kind folk who took the time to give their advice and tell their tales.