Lost Baggage & Royal Caribbean's response

[kyriecat]

. . . And the funny thing was that she just bought this piece of luggage because it was a unique size and color scheme. Except that the their was one other cruiser that had the same one.

I can relate! I bought a hideous neon blue duffle bag with reflective silver dots because I thought no one else would be crazy enough to buy that bag. It seems like EVERYONE else has one. :rolleyes: When we took our Galapagos cruise someone else had that same bag and we got swapped. Oddly enough we were staying at the same hotel pre-cruise and were able to switch bags easily. Someone else in Houston also has that bag. Ours was missing from the airport but an identical one kept circling on the belt. We finally grabbed it and called the phone number. Sure enough - he had our bag. On my recent Serenade cruise I saw 2 other duffles exactly like mine except mine now has neon orange luggage bands around it. The funny thing is when I used my generic black luggage set, I never ended up with the wrong bag or had my bag turn up missing. :p

 

OP - Hopefully your bag was just picked up by someone by mistake and will be returned. It's unfortunate but it does happen especially with so many bags that look alike. It's only been a couple of weeks so there is still a good chance that your bag will be located. If someone else did grab it, they will need to return it to RC then RC will need to contact you. Hopefully there is identification both inside and outside so it can be returned easily.

[NorbertsNiece]

This remnds me very much of the chaos we experienced in Southampton after an Independence cruise.

The luggage was lined up in thousands, apparantly colour coded. Total chaos whilst people tried to find their own bags. RCCL took no responsibility at that point.... it's all shore based employees/ porters etc.

I lock everything regardless so were someone to find my bag they may have problems locating me.... some recent advice I had about exterior labelling using luggage tags wil be put into play next trip.

I'm so sorry you experienced the loss of luggage and contents and hope you and it are soon reunited.

[waterbugohio]

Just an idea. We have the large neon colored luggage straps. However, I took ours and used a very large black permenant marker and printed our last name across the entire length of the strap. Now if someone picks up our luggage by mistake, our name is printed across the entire side of our luggage!!

[JSR]

When we returned to Port Canaveral last year two of our bags were missing. We waited. We talked to the porters and they were very helpful. They found one bag in the wrong staging area that we could not go to. After another half an hour we gave up on the last bag and went to fill out a form, as we were about the leave the porter found us carrying our other bag, the tag was off. Happy ending but it took a lot of help from the porters and not the RCI people. We were willing to risk missing our flight which we ended up just making without a moment to spare.

[Miata2004]

After reading the responses here, I see this group is seperated into those who care, and those who just want to criticize. My reason for posting was not to look for sympathy. However, when someone responds saying the theft of your luggage is your own fault because you weren't thinking is showing ignorance. My daughter followed the advice of the ship, and did not place expensive items in her luggage (the ipod might be an exception to this). But just what do you suggest she do with her evening dresses? They aren't cheap, so would you have her carry them on her back so no one will steal them? Give me a break. The bottom line is the bags were stolen, probably unintentionally by someone who thought they were taking the right bag. Maybe there is not much the cruise lines can do when handling this number of bags. Maybe it is due to the overall size of the ship, and the number of people leaving at the same time. This is our first cruise on a ship this size. Our other cruises were on smaller ships. When we cruised Celebrity a few years ago on the Galaxy, the bags were placed in rows based on where you were in the ship. When you got your bags, you walked past a Celebrity employee who watched the proceedings. I agree there were no luggage checks, but at least someone was watching. I guess my point is, the cruise lines do not take any responsibility for your baggage, yet it was their system that caused the bag to be lost, and they do not appear to want to do anything about it.

When we were disembarking, there were a number of people carrying their own bags. I think, if we go on another megaship cruise, we will do the same.

 

Thanks to everyone's responses, and I hope this does not happen to you on your next cruise. By the way, we enjoy cruising so much, we still plan to continue. We just will plan to carry our own luggage.

 

Mark

[pop5]

ALL the cruise lines - and the airlines operate exactly in the same manner.

No matter where this had happened to you, the results would be the same.

 

Smart travelers get insurance. Did you?

 

I was about to ask what you were thinking when you left an ipod in an unlocked suitcase.

But it is obvious that you were NOT thinking.

 

You might consider this loss a "not paying attention tax".

What a rude post!

[MrsPete]

We just will plan to carry our own luggage.

This is the best possible option. Suitcases on wheels make it possible for everyone except the very elderly or infirm, and then you KNOW your stuff is safe.

 

Honestly, the cruise ship's system is far from fool-proof. I'd be willing to bet that it's the iPod that caused the trouble. I'd bet it attracted the attention. How many stories have we heard about suitcases with valuable electronics going astray? People don't usually want other people's clothing; too difficult to conceal, too difficult to get the right sizes -- but electronics are small, one-size-fits-all, and easy to re-sell. Several things could've happened:

 

Another passenger could've taken your bag from the hallway, removed what they pleased, then abandoned the suitcase in their own cabin or a stairwell.

An onboard crew member could've removed the items while packing things up, then could've changed the luggage tags to add to the confusion in hopes that you'd never know where the problem originated.

A port terminal baggage person could've done the very same thing.

Another guest could've taken the suitcase from the holding area -- either intentionally or unintentionally.

 

I suspect you'll never know the truth of it.

Edited February 22, 2010 by MrsPete

[Sue L]

I do carry all my formal wear, and my formal shoes. I figure I can get shorts, t's etc anywhere but I put in too much time and effort finding formals that are easy to travel with.

 

I know that doesn't help but I would suggest you call corporate. I suspect by now the people who grabbed your bag instead of their own feel terrible and are trying to get the bag back to their rightful owners. Hopefully you two can track down each other. Also call the port authority in case they called there instead.

Edited February 22, 2010 by Sue L

[MrZoey]

Getting your bags at Port Everglades is nothing short of a circus! Sorry you lost a bag, we know how frustrating it is (we have lost bags three times flying to the Virgin Islands). We now travel with multi-ribbon dressed luggage, especially when using PE. You might want to check with your credit card company to see if they have any travel coverage. One of our cards covers lost luggage. Didn't learn this until well after we lost our bags the first time:rolleyes:

[WarmH2OSailing]

ALL the cruise lines - and the airlines operate exactly in the same manner.

No matter where this had happened to you, the results would be the same.

 

Smart travelers get insurance. Did you?

 

I was about to ask what you were thinking when you left an ipod in an unlocked suitcase.

But it is obvious that you were NOT thinking.

 

You might consider this loss a "not paying attention tax".

 

 

Wow, the tone of this doesn't seem encouraging to any new poster on CC. Looking at the public profile of this one only shows that he's posted over 1100 times...but has not made any friends...ummmm? The OP is, unfortunetly, a victim of cirumstances and I hope that some remuneration is made. In any case, I hope you continue to cruise...too much fun to stop.

[fly2cruises]

Had a similar situation several years ago on Mariner...not as much value in our bag. The good news is that we got a call from RCI 17 days after we returned and they had located the missing bag. It was returned with nothing missing and no damage. Sometimes, I guess, the paperwork helps.

[jmf123]

I can relate! I bought a hideous neon blue duffle bag with reflective silver dots because I thought no one else would be crazy enough to buy that bag. It seems like EVERYONE else has one. :rolleyes: When we took our Galapagos cruise someone else had that same bag and we got swapped. Oddly enough we were staying at the same hotel pre-cruise and were able to switch bags easily. Someone else in Houston also has that bag. Ours was missing from the airport but an identical one kept circling on the belt. We finally grabbed it and called the phone number. Sure enough - he had our bag. On my recent Serenade cruise I saw 2 other duffles exactly like mine except mine now has neon orange luggage bands around it. The funny thing is when I used my generic black luggage set, I never ended up with the wrong bag or had my bag turn up missing. :p

 

OP - Hopefully your bag was just picked up by someone by mistake and will be returned. It's unfortunate but it does happen especially with so many bags that look alike.

 

And are hideous neon blue, with reflective silver dots! :D:p

[Desert Cruizers]

I carry my camera on board, its not even in the carry on because I intend to take pictures as soon as I can. For our upcoming cruise, I already have made up ID tags with DH's cell #, ship & cruise information. Even though I have been on CC some 5 years, I still learn important new tips.

[cruisenfever]

I have taken hundreds and hundreds of trips and I have never once taken insurance. Are you saying I'm not smart?

 

No, the reality is that everyone weights the risk and benefit and makes a decision. I have decided that if something happens, I can afford the hit. And in the long run, I'll probably save money by not paying for all that insurance.

 

Insurance is great if you decide it's worth it.

May you never have a medical emergency while traveling.

[bluegirlum]

May you never have a medical emergency while traveling.

 

I read an interesting article the other day in a travel magazine that says some people's regular medical insurance covers medical emergencies while traveling. I have no idea if mine does--I always assumed it didn't. I'm going to look into it, as my main purpose for getting travel insurance is for medical reasons. I know the chances are so slim that something will happen, but I don't want to risk it!

[Badlands99]

I read an interesting article the other day in a travel magazine that says some people's regular medical insurance covers medical emergencies while traveling. I have no idea if mine does--I always assumed it didn't. I'm going to look into it, as my main purpose for getting travel insurance is for medical reasons. I know the chances are so slim that something will happen, but I don't want to risk it!

 

While you're checking into that, you might want to confirm that your coverage includes emergency transportation. I imagine that helicopter ride costs more than a few dollars.

[vickiw0318]

I hope that your bag will turn up. My DH refused to unpack after we got home last week because he had such a good time that he didn't want the trip to end. Hopefully, there's another reluctent unpacker out there who will soon realize that he/she has the wrong suitcase.

 

P.S. Everything has now been put safely away!

[COMBOY]

I very sorry to about your lost. I had a similar situation where I couldn't find one piece of luggage. Frantically search all around the port I by luck found someone with my bag trying to check it in with an airline representative. We had identical American Tourister luggage. We quickly exchanged luggage and boy was I relieved. The disembarkation process is nothing more than shear chaos at best. Remember the port facilities are not operated by RCCL. Once it off the ship; its out of control of the cruise lines. We can speculate until the cows come home what happen to your daughters luggage..lost, stolen, etc. The cruises lines could care less what happens to your luggage because they are limited to $300 (and probably cheaper then hiring employees to watch your luggage) and that's why either travel insurance or your homeowners policy needs to kick in after $300. I never place anything of value in my luggage and hand carry off anything I wouldn't dare want to lose or get stolen. The probability that this would happen to you again is really slim, but any lost is hard to deal with...so my heart goes out to you. I'm sure there are lost and stolen baggage all the time....it just the law of probability that a certain number of luggage will get misplaced and stolen and unfortunately your number was called. At this point you could either take the $300 and move on or you could continue to fight with RCCL however, I would "assume" you would need to provide them receipts for the IPOD and dresses to get any reimbursement beyond the $300 at the depreciationed value. I'm not sure if the hassles are worth your lost. Your luggage might show up so I wouldn't give up yet. Again, very sorry for your lost.

[nrdsb4]

After reading the responses here, I see this group is seperated into those who care, and those who just want to criticize. My reason for posting was not to look for sympathy. However, when someone responds saying the theft of your luggage is your own fault because you weren't thinking is showing ignorance. My daughter followed the advice of the ship, and did not place expensive items in her luggage (the ipod might be an exception to this). But just what do you suggest she do with her evening dresses? They aren't cheap, so would you have her carry them on her back so no one will steal them? Give me a break. The bottom line is the bags were stolen, probably unintentionally by someone who thought they were taking the right bag. Maybe there is not much the cruise lines can do when handling this number of bags. Maybe it is due to the overall size of the ship, and the number of people leaving at the same time. This is our first cruise on a ship this size. Our other cruises were on smaller ships. When we cruised Celebrity a few years ago on the Galaxy, the bags were placed in rows based on where you were in the ship. When you got your bags, you walked past a Celebrity employee who watched the proceedings. I agree there were no luggage checks, but at least someone was watching. I guess my point is, the cruise lines do not take any responsibility for your baggage, yet it was their system that caused the bag to be lost, and they do not appear to want to do anything about it.

When we were disembarking, there were a number of people carrying their own bags. I think, if we go on another megaship cruise, we will do the same.

 

Thanks to everyone's responses, and I hope this does not happen to you on your next cruise. By the way, we enjoy cruising so much, we still plan to continue. We just will plan to carry our own luggage.

 

Mark

 

I don't see what this accomplishes other than giving you a false sense of security. If they are not matching the ticket on the bag with your claim ticket, then all they are doing is watching people calmly walk off with your bag, either by mistake or by intent.

 

I remember the old days when you couldn't leave the airport baggage claim area without providing your claim tickets to an employee, who would then match them to the tags on the bags. I guess those days are over.

Edited February 22, 2010 by nrdsb4

[broberts]

. . . What was RCI to do, the bag was gone, I really don't see what else they could have done for you. Filling out a form and moving on would be the best thing. Standing there for hours on end wouldn't bring the luggage back. I think that $300 is a great gesture. Again, it sucks to lose luggage, but at least it was on the way home and they did offer some compensation. . . .

 

There is so much more that RCI could have done. In fact there are things that only RCI can do in this situation since it is their premises in which the luggage went missing. The last people to handle the luggage before it went missing were RCI employees or contractors. Who else is there that could implement systems to reduce theft and involuntary luggage swapping?

 

I am not assigning any blame here. But the simple fact of the matter is that in this situation only RCI is in a position to create an environment that minimizes the problem and only RCI is in a position to assist the passenger when something goes wrong. The fact that RCI doesn't implement even the simplest of programs to reduce involuntary swapping, e.g. signs, announcments, etc., speaks volumes. The additional fact that the response of RCI terminal personal is "fill out the form" says even more.

 

You are so right that simply "standing there for hours on end wouldn't bring the luggage back". That is true in large part because in that time period RCI staff would have done absolutely nothing to assist.

 

I suspect that the OP would rather have had $300 of RCI staff time trying to find the luggage rather than the actual money. To me the offer is somewhat insulting. It is not reasonable recompense for the lost luggage, even if one discounts the i-pod, and it lets the company off of having to care about the situation that only they can address.

 

Why doesn't the cruise line spend some of this settlement money posting signs in the hallway and pick-up area, running an announcement loop in the luggage pick up area, putting a notice on the front page of the last Compass, mentioning the problem in debarkation lectures, etc.?

[fcorey]

I read an interesting article the other day in a travel magazine that says some people's regular medical insurance covers medical emergencies while traveling. I have no idea if mine does--I always assumed it didn't. I'm going to look into it, as my main purpose for getting travel insurance is for medical reasons. I know the chances are so slim that something will happen, but I don't want to risk it!

 

almost all will not cover the costs of a Medevac flight, they range anywhere from about $10,000 to as much as $80,000. Thats the worst expenses. Usual hospital stuff many insurance carriers will pay. It really depends upon your carrier and the plan you have. But its better to be safe than sorry. I travel allot for work so I have a policy through American Express and another insurer that cover all medical as well as your run of the mill stuff like lost bags. If you travel allot eventually you may need it.

I have run afoul of a situation like this on a cruise last year I had an Ipod in a carryon. Unfortunately the flight from San Diego to LAX was a puddle jumper and they took my backpack as I was boarding....in that split second I didnt think about the ipod....sure enough it was gone when I went to look for it at LAX. I was more p*ssed at myself than anything. Stuff happens....atleast I had a great vacation

[Mydnite]

I am so sorry this happened to you, I worry about this which is why we do the self disembark now.

[maureencruiser]

Hello, I don't believe the OP ever said if her DD had her name and contact info inside the bag as well. If she did, and noone has called, I guess they decided to keep it. If she didn't, have you checked your roll call to see if someone came back and posted they have the wrong luggage and can't get in touch? It's a long shot, but, I would check. Does Craigslist have a listing for lost luggage and stuff like that? I'm sorry this happened to your DD. I hope it doesn't make her regret cruising....Keeping my fingers crossed...Maureen

[maureencruiser]

Another thing that I think about is what is to stop a thief from going through all the baggage that is put out in the hallways the last night of the cruise? If you lock it, they just cut the locks off, right? I suggest doing self-embark if possible-less stress...Maureen (again)

[hotrod1954]

I'm sorry that the bag was taken, hopefully, unintentionally by someone who thought it was their bag. I would like to hope that people aren't scrounging around for people dirty laundry. As for the IPOD, something that valuable should always be carried with you. even a locked suitcase is not cosidered locked and anyone can get into it. What was RCI to do, the bag was gone, I really don't see what else they could have done for you. Filling out a form and moving on would be the best thing. Standing there for hours on end wouldn't bring the luggage back. I think that $300 is a great gesture. Again, it sucks to lose luggage, but at least it was on the way home and they did offer some compensation.

 

I say job well done!!

I would gladly take 300 dollars for my bag. It might have 75.00 worth of stuff in it