Lost luggage? What do you do?

[Hangman]

I have one question we just got off the Spirit we had the 1/4 sailing date. Well as soon as we got on they did not take our bags to our room untill late then two of our bags were missing I asked my room stewart he took me to the desk to ask about my bags well we found one. It seem that on all cruises some of the bags loose the tags on them and they put all the bags next to the desk and have people look for there bags well like I said they found one but not the other. Well I kept going down the first three days they kept telling me that they did not find it but when they do they will let me know. Now what should I do call or wait for them to call me? Also when we got home we found out all that was in our bag so all that they wrote down was not all that was in it so if anyone has had this happen please let me know on what I can do next thanks. Even after the loss of our bag we had a great time for our first cruise. Will do it again but carry all my bags aboard.

[Cotton]

Wow, that sounds a little confusing, but I think I understand what you were saying. The stewarD did whatever he could do, the purser's desk tried to find your one lost bag, but didn't, right? Not sure what you meant by the last part, but I know one thing - If you cruise again, you won't be carrying all your luggage aboard w/you unless each piece is 11x17 or smaller.

 

Glad you had a nice cruise.

[GoinCruisin]

LOL, quite a long sentence:D Carnival will do everything they can to try to find the bag... however, unless you paid them a fee ahead of time, they are only liable for $50 per bag. If you had travel insurance, your policy should state how much coverage you have. good luck!

[voyagerfl]

What a Nightmare...we've had lost luggage from the airline before but thankfully not the cruiseline. But on our Alaska cruise, it was 3 days before our luggage containing our Coats caught up with us!

 

First...did you have the trip insurance ? If so contact them.

 

Second.....keep on the track you are on..$50 is nothing, the luggae alone would be worth more than that.....the fine print may say $50, but you might be able to get something more by calling customer service, e-mailing, etc.....Make the person you are talking to feel sorry for you.....try not to get angry.

"Policy Be Darned" Even if it's a future cruise discount or room credit, you deserve something.

 

Now that said......try to dwell on the good stuff from your cruise. Do not let this ruin your experience....;)

 

x

[voyagerfl]

On our last Carnival cruise.......there was some luggage sitting in our Hallway the entire week..there were even Name Tags on the luggage (but no cruise line tag) ...I kept wondering if some poor fellow pass. was waiting for their luggage to show up.....could you imagine......having no luggage and it is just sitting in a hallway on another deck !

[SouthernCaribbean]

Im not being sarcastic by asking this, but...Did you tip the porter in San Diego?

 

I truly hope things workout for you.

[sea_u_onboard]

Did you fill out a claim form while onboard? You will need this when you contact Carnival.

 

Maybe this will make you feel better. Let me tell you the story of our lost bag - it happened to be the one with 98% of our underware in it. We went right away to the pursers desk. They asked us to return the next day if we still didn't get it. The next day - still no bag. We went back to the pursers and again explained that almost all our underthings were in that bag. They credited our S&S like $50.00 and also offered to wash things through the laundry for free. That didn't do us much good since it takes so long to get the items back. We did find out on this cruise (our 2nd) that they had laundry facilities on board (which the crew was always using and it was hard to get a washer and dryer without waiting forever). At this time they didn't carry underware in the gift shops (they do now). What made it worse is our youngest has a spastic bladder and at that time we would have to change him several times a day. It made for a miserable time in the laundry - but we really didn't let it get us down. All in all they credited $200 to our S&S before the end of the cruise. They suggested we buy underware while in port - Yeah that's what I wanted to do - go underware shopping. They even gave us VIP tags so we could get off the ship early enough to speak to someone at the pier. The entire time they ASSURED us that the cabin stewards have a list of missing luggage and that they would check the cabins. Sometimes what would happen is two people would be sharing a cabin that didn't know each other (I don't think they do this anymore), anyhow one would think the bag belonged to the other and visa versa and usually the bag would turn up after a few days. As it so happened on the last night of the cruise (7 nights) the bag was "discovered" in the cabin next to us (same cabin steward and we had showed him an identical bag) where 2 young men were staying without their parents (they had a suite). One boy thought the bag belonged to the other - and visa versa. So we got the bag back and decided we were still going to get off the ship early because of all the inconvenience. Now here is where it gets really funny. We are actually pretty excited about having the bag back so we go to the casino and have a great time - after all we have the $200 credit and the bag. Well we don't get back to the cabin until like 2 - and realize that we need to put the bags in the hall - there are a few out there. So the bags go into the hall. The next morning we get up and open the closet and the BIGGEST bag we own - you know the monster ones - is stilling in the closet. You thought I was going to say we had no clothes to wear off. So now we have to roll this bag around the ship while we wait to disembark - talk about stares - crazy people dragging that bag around. Remember we have VIP tags so first group called we are gone - it is like 8 o clock and we were going to be on the road by 8:30 home to Ft. Worth by nightfall. We go to the staging area and start looking but the bags aren't there. We start spreading out - which really doesn't make the customs people very happy. At one point they threatened to arrest me (another long story) and I am usually a very calm person but this was the straw that broke the camels back. So now we are standing in an empty warehouse (well almost empty - some people left without bags). There are 2 other couples without luggage - the ones had scuba gear. Well we start talking and it appears we were all on the same deck and all put our luggage out late. So they tell us our luggage may be in with the crews. We have to wait for the crew to get cleared by customs then they have to bring in the crate and the dogs have to give it the once over and then they start unpacking. There was our luggage - on the bottom. Who knows if the people packing thought it would be funny to make us wait - as punishment for putting our bags out late - or it was just an accident - either way we didn't leave until 11:30 - so much for getting out of there early. Now we are the first to get our bags into the hall.

 

[Charliesmom]

Cotton - you said that if you want to carry your own bags on board they have to be 11 x 17. Where did you get that information?

 

We were just on Holland-America and they accepted standard airline carryon bags.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Roberta

[GoinCruisin]

Charliesmom, Carnival's carryon allowance is quite similar to airlines. It has to fit through the xray maching...

 

from the Carnival Website:

 

For security purposes, Carnival limits the size of hand-carry luggage to 11"X 17" which is the dimension of the opening of the X-ray security machine (similar to those at the airport); there is no measurement for length as the hand-carry luggage will lay flat on the conveyer belt. Luggage larger than 11"X 17" will not be permitted through the security machine and must be checked-in with a curbside porter. Once on the ship, the luggage will be delivered to the guests' stateroom by 7:00pm that night...

[Hangman]

Well no insurance for bags. We did make out a lost baggage report but when we got home I found other things that were in that bag we did not have it put on the report, extra glasses, power strip, extra watch only one year old, new razor and two or three other things that I did not put on the report. They did give us a VIP to get off but that was about it I really miss my glasses bi I need them to read and my watch it was a citizens elegant series. I am going to call them on Monday I know things happen so I cant blame the person on the phone I just hope they have found it and were waiting to call us. Well thanks for your ideals will let you guys know how it turns out.

[pelletib]

Let me tell you all about luggage drop off in San Diego..WHAT A JOKE !! They have no specific lines or signage. Everyone just kind of joins the conga line. at one point, the line goes 3 DIFFERENT ways and there is one guy that does not know how to direct people. By watching, you realize that the drop off line is past the main door and BEYOND the line. NO SIGNS. Guys with flatbeds, just grab luggage and throw it on the flatbeds..NO TIPPING INVOLVED...No time. It gets whisked towards another door and if your bags get onto separate flatbeds, you have no idea if it's coming or going or even where...Meanwhile, the people that have handed off their luggage, now must go back the opposite way and here is where the lines get scary. People that are not observant of where luggage is going, are trying to enter the terminal with their bags, people with just carryons are trying not to let these people merge or cross the line as well as trying to keep the people who have dropped off their bags from not merging either. Then you have the ones that managed to get into the terminal with their bags, trying to get out to drop off their bags. Unbelievable..the chaos !! Carnival has a huge opportunity for improvement here. There are not enough signs or porters. Coming back, to get a porter, I waved a disabled placard in the air and had 2 come running!

RCCL has it right in Vancouver. Your vehicle pulls up, luggage loaded on the spot into the cages and when its nearly full, it heads for the ship. No place to lose it.We had all our suitcases by the time muster drill was over.

So in a nutshell...San Diego has a bad way of handling bags. I was happy to get my three!!

[ladycaveat]

It's been a long time but I still remember it as if it were yesterday. 1973 . . . our honeymoon. We had three suitcases . . . two for me and one for my new husband. We flew from Washington, D.C. (with a change of planes in Miami) to board our beautiful ship in San Juan. Two suitcases arrived at our door prior to dinner . . . both mine. My husband's suitcase? So sorry . . . did not arrive. We spent our first day in port (after one full day at sea) buying new underwear, swimsuit, shorts and tee shirts for my hubby (formal attire . . . none to be found). Twas a very interesting cruise (this was prior to being able to rent anything onboard for formal evenings). We went to dinner on our two formal nights, heads held high, with me in my beautiful gowns and my hubby in his only pair of long pants (he'd worn them on the plane), a tee shirt that our cabin steward "painted" a tie on. We sat at a table for two and I don't think anyone in the dinning room knew the reason for my husband's strange attire but we didn't care . . . we were on our honeymoon. His suitcase was waiting for us (or a note to pick it up at Dulles) upon our return from our cruise (seems it had somehow gotten lost in Miami and had been in lost luggage in D.C. during our entire cruise). My former husband and I still joke about how it was an omen (divorced for over twenty years . . . we remain very good friends) . . . I was meant to cruise alone . . . which I still do and have not "lost" a bag in over twenty years . . . .

[Cotton]

Cotton - you said that if you want to carry your own bags on board they have to be 11 x 17. Where did you get that information?

We were just on Holland-America and they accepted standard airline carryon bags.

Thanks for your help.

Roberta

 

Hi Roberta. Sorry I wasn't here, but I think GC answered for me quite accurately.:)

 

Carnival has their carry-on policy spelled out in all their brochures and on their website. The 11"x17" dimensions are width and height, but the carry-on bag can be any length. I, for one, cannot imagine carrying enough small bags on board to hold all the things I need to take for a cruise...but maybe some travel 'lighter' than me.:D I've never had a problem getting my luggage, and I think it's VERY rare for luggage to be lost.

[SxyEbnyFem]

Just off the 1/9 sailing of the Conquest.

One of our travelmates had a bag that was lost. Actually, it was her garment bag with all her nice formal clothes in it. She was stressing. She hasn't purchased travel insurance. (Silly, if you ask me!)

5pm came & went, no bag. 7pm came & went, no bag. 9pm came & went, still no bag.

I felt for her & told her not to worry, it would be found. Her bf didn't care either way as he was offering no help whatsoever to do what he could to calm her down or even locate the bag. All he could do was sit at the bar & drink, drink, drink. :rolleyes:

Midnight came & she was near tears about the bag. Of course, my bf & I tried to console her. I told her to go right down to the Purser's Desk to inquire about it there. Lo & behold, it was there. The tag came off somehow.

The one thing that leaves a sour taste in my mouth about it is how her so-called bf reacted - or didn't, I should say. TACKY!! Needless to say, she saw a new side of him this cruise as well as I did.

Happy sailing,

T.

[Cotton]

That poor girl and all that stress, and a jerk for a BF....! I'm surprised she didn't check earlier with the purser's desk and saved herself all that worry.

[Hangman]

That is how we found our garment bag. We went down and thier it was without our tag on it was hoping the other bag was going to be found but I guess not I just hope who ever found it will give it back. Like I said nice watch inside.