Furious with Holland America!

[SoCal Cruiser78]

It would be worth my time as this is what I could claim on my annual policy ($28 per month for both of us)

 

B. NON-MEDICAL BENEFITS

 

1. Baggage & Personal Effects Benefits - If, while on your trip, your

baggage is lost, stolen or damaged, you will be reimbursed up to $1,500 per

insured person to a maximum of $3,000 per family...

 

You might want to check to see if coverage is replacement or depreciated value. If it is the latter, you may actually be reimbursed just a fraction of the above amounts for a loss. This is a VERY important point that I think many people miss. They see the maximum amount, and assume that will be what they recover. I know I used to.

[serendipity1499]

You might want to check to see if coverage is replacement or depreciated value. If it is the latter, you may actually be reimbursed just a fraction of the above amounts for a loss. This is a VERY important point that I think many people miss. They see the maximum amount, and assume that will be what they recover. I know I used to.

 

Agree with you..Just checked our last insurance policy we purchased For our Prinsendam Cruise last year.. It was a Travelex Policy from Old Republic Insurance...Our baggage was covered up to $1000 only & it specifically states under baggage:

 

Quote The lesser of the following amounts will be paid;

 

a) The actual cash value (original cost less proper deduction for depreciation) at time of loss, theft or damage

b)The cost to repair or replace the article

c) 300 per article

Unquote

 

The Old Republic Insurance company pays very quickly...Both DH & I came down with a bug & we were confined to quarters for several days during our cruise.. I submitted two Dr's Bills on March 29 & received both of our checks April12...

 

Edited July 15, 2014 by serendipity1499

[3rdGenCunarder]

Our baggage Insurance is part of the Travelex policy we have for Medical, trip interruption & baggage loss each time we cruise..

 

I must have OCD as when I plan for a cruise I make a list of my & DH's clothing (including dress outfits) & incidentals such as shoes etc...We travel with two 26 in suitcases, one very large hanging bag, plus hand luggage for each of us..I leave a blank space next to each article of clothing to note which suitcase it is in, such as:

white slacks red 26 .. Blck/white top blck 26

Black slacks blk hang..whte lace top red 26

 

Usually have 2 (8 1x2 X 11) typewritten pages for me & one for DH plus an extra one for all incidentals including purses, shoes, meds, makeup etc. Of course I take too many clothes. shoes etc.! Another very OCD thing I do is write down what outfit I've worn for each evening. on board... If a bag is lost I could instantly give the carrier a list of clothing but not prices paid..

 

I'm a list person & wonder if someday I could just throw some clothes into a bag & take off without logging them in.. I save all my lists for each cruise & sometimes only have to tweak them a bit for the next cruise.. Of course our Alaska cruise was a nightmare as needed warm & cold climate clothing..

 

I carry one with us on the trip & leave a copy in my PC home..

 

I also cross pack, so if one or two suitcases happens to be lost, I have similar articles such as underware, & dress clothes for both of us in the other suitcases..

 

I'm another list maker. I take my packing list with me so that when I pack to go home I can make sure I haven't lost/forotten anything.

 

The most OCD list I made was for a 3-week cruise. I couldn't carry a different outfit for every formal night (it was on QM2, so every night was dressy to some extent), so I made a list of all the variations (same dress, change the shawl/jewelry, etc) and then ticked them off as I used them. I'm glad I kept the list because now I have a quick reference when I wonder what accessories I wore with a particular dress.

 

I do all the packing for us, and I cross-pack.

 

We always get travel insurance , too. And valuables never go in the cases we put outside the door before disembarkation. So I guess we do all the things we can to avoid a painful loss.

[Jemima]

Here is Captain Albert's July 2 blog post on luggage handling on another HAL ship. Photos show the luggage trollies and the area where luggage is taken off or brought onboard.

 

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/2014/07/03/02-july-2014-vancouver-canada/

[serendipity1499]

I'm another list maker. I take my packing list with me so that when I pack to go home I can make sure I haven't lost/forotten anything.

 

The most OCD list I made was for a 3-week cruise. I couldn't carry a different outfit for every formal night (it was on QM2, so every night was dressy to some extent), so I made a list of all the variations (same dress, change the shawl/jewelry, etc) and then ticked them off as I used them. I'm glad I kept the list because now I have a quick reference when I wonder what accessories I wore with a particular dress.

 

I do all the packing for us, and I cross-pack.

 

We always get travel insurance , too. And valuables never go in the cases we put outside the door before disembarkation. So I guess we do all the things we can to avoid a painful loss.

Oh my...Another can't believe another OCD person like me..:):)

 

All my Friends laugh at me..I do exactly the same & also do the packing for both of us..

 

On our longer cruises, I'm able to go through all my evening/semi dressy clothes once & then begin again by keeping track of what I wear each evening.. Always take one or two extra outfits just in case of an accident, as try not to send my good clothes out to the laundry with the exception of some slacks. & cotton blend tops...I like to do my tops & jackets myself at home or send them out to our cleaners..However, I do send most of my daytime clothes to the HAL laundry..

 

Unfortunately I was restricted to one suitcase for over 30 years of travel, so now I over-pack..:( LOL

[pearliemae]

Hi Rochelle, please let us know if you finally get your luggage back and an answer to what happened to it.

Thanks

[CowPrincess]

Any update?

[Nan-L]

I've had some idoit cruiser take my lugguage. We checked everywhere and it was gone and after everyone had picked up their luggage - we are talking about waiting for the whole ship to empty out -there was one bag left that looked like ours!!

It had a name tag and phone # on it. We called and yes they had our suitcase were in a taxis on their way to miami. Now when they knew it was the wrong bag was most likely before they got in the taxis at the port and didnt want to return it because of time. Again no concern as to our flight plans!!

We were in ft lauderdale port and had to wait and wait for the bag to come back.

We waited for the "nice" cruiser to get to the airport so he could catch his flight and then waited again for the taxis guy to come back to the port and find us.

The person who took it could have cared less how it was effecting us and was only concerned about him making his flight. He said the cruiseline would just send him his later.

What did I learn??

To buy luggage thsat does not look like everyone else's and to have my phone # of the phone I'm traveling with on the outside of the bag.

It was a very long day. For us at least.

oh and the cruiseline said they would not pay to send his bag to him. He would have to pay to have it shipped.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Nan-L

[sail7seas]

Wow, what an awful experience.

Did you make your flight on time?

 

[ellieanne]

I've had some idoit cruiser take my lugguage. We checked everywhere and it was gone and after everyone had picked up their luggage - we are talking about waiting for the whole ship to empty out -there was one bag left that looked like ours!!

It had a name tag and phone # on it. We called and yes they had our suitcase were in a taxis on their way to miami. Now when they knew it was the wrong bag was most likely before they got in the taxis at the port and didnt want to return it because of time. Again no concern as to our flight plans!!

We were in ft lauderdale port and had to wait and wait for the bag to come back.

We waited for the "nice" cruiser to get to the airport so he could catch his flight and then waited again for the taxis guy to come back to the port and find us.

The person who took it could have cared less how it was effecting us and was only concerned about him making his flight. He said the cruiseline would just send him his later.

What did I learn??

To buy luggage thsat does not look like everyone else's and to have my phone # of the phone I'm traveling with on the outside of the bag.

It was a very long day. For us at least.

oh and the cruiseline said they would not pay to send his bag to him. He would have to pay to have it shipped.

 

This happened to my mother on our first cruise. She left the other bag in the care of Holland America's shore-side services. The other couple called shore-side services when they got the airport and realized they had the wrong bag. But boy were they miffed because mom left the bag with shore-side services. They thought she would just take the bag to the airport and check it in with the airline the way they had done with hers. The airline (and thankfully we were flying the same airline) agreed to hold the bag for my mom until we got to the airport. We claimed it there with no problem. I still do not know if the other couple got their bag back.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...But boy were they miffed because mom left the bag with shore-side services. They thought she would just take the bag to the airport and check it in with the airline the way they had done with hers...

 

I sure wouldn't want to be in possession of a bag that wasn't mine these days.

[sail7seas]

This happened to my mother on our first cruise. She left the other bag in the care of Holland America's shore-side services. The other couple called shore-side services when they got the airport and realized they had the wrong bag. But boy were they miffed because mom left the bag with shore-side services. They thought she would just take the bag to the airport and check it in with the airline the way they had done with hers. The airline (and thankfully we were flying the same airline) agreed to hold the bag for my mom until we got to the airport. We claimed it there with no problem. I still do not know if the other couple got their bag back.

 

How was your mother to know the other people were flying or from which airport? That's ridiculous they should have expected her to bring the bag to the airport. Maybe they were staying over at disembarkation port or driving home? If disembarkation was Port Everglades, if they were flying it could have been from Miami, FLL or West Palm airport?

 

 

Edited July 26, 2014 by sail7seas

[sail7seas]

I sure wouldn't want to be in possession of a bag that wasn't mine these days.

 

 

 

Absolutely. I wouldn't want to have to do that tap dance until authorities believe I was a total innocent if something illegal or dangerous was connected to that bag.

 

[sapper1]

Absolutely. I wouldn't want to have to do that tap dance until authorities believe I was a total innocent if something illegal or dangerous was connected to that bag.

 

 

I so totally agree.

[Casey12]

Rochelle -- I hope your luggage is found. I agree with you that it is probably on your ship somewhere and didn't get off loaded.

[rochelle_s]

I have heard back from the person I was dealing with at Guest Relations. Unfortunately they were unable to recover our luggage on the ship. No additional explanation given at this time but she did say that she would be following up with us via postal mail. Guess we will have to wait a little longer.

 

 

Rochelle

[kazu]

I have heard back from the person I was dealing with at Guest Relations. Unfortunately they were unable to recover our luggage on the ship. No additional explanation given at this time but she did say that she would be following up with us via postal mail. Guess we will have to wait a little longer.

 

 

Rochelle

 

too bad Rochelle. Wish the news was better and I wish you luck.

 

Thanks for coming back to give us an update.

[sapper1]

How very disappointing this must be. It is so hard to believe that bags can disappear into thin air which seems to be the case.

[sail7seas]

Thank you for the update.

Very sorry they have not been able to reunite you with your suitcases.

 

[RuthC]

Thank you for coming back and giving us an update. I'm sorry the news for you wasn't better, though.

Maybe someday, when you've replaced everything and least expect it, your luggage will be delivered to your doorstep. Stranger things have happened.

[RMLincoln]

This is a sad tale that could happen to any of us. And insurance only gives us money, not our possessions, back. I have developed a motto of "Pack like you'll never see it again" but it's still hard to do and hard to see our favorite items and memories evaporate though negligence.

 

There's still hope that the missing pieces will turn up. I had a 20-something nephew have luggage returned about 3 moths after being lost by an airline... and he didn't have an ID tag on the bag! (can't even imagine) but the claims department eventually ferreted it out.

 

Hopefully we'll hear the good news someday here! Sending out good thoughts for a happy reunion. m--

[Hlitner]

A few years ago we dined with a honeymoon couple who had lost their luggage after they checked it in for the ship. These folks had a great attitude and several other cruisers lent them clothes. The cruise line (RCI) tried to trace their lost luggage to no avail. On the last night of the cruise (pretty late at night) there was a knock at their cabin door and a steward delivered the lost piece of luggage. It turned out that that the bag had been accidently delivered to the wrong cabin at the beginning of the cruise. The cruisers in that cabin, knowing the bag was not theirs, simply stored it under their bed until the last night of the cruise and then finally asked their steward what they should do with this "extra" bag. Life is Good!

 

Hank

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...I have developed a motto of "Pack like you'll never see it again" but it's still hard to do and hard to see our favorite items and memories evaporate though negligence...

 

That, unfortunately, is my takeaway from this thread. I am starting to pack for my upcoming cruise, and plan to wear the one shirt I'd hate to lose on both embarkation and disembarkation days. I am also going to try to pack lightly and self-carry my luggage on and off the ship if possible.

 

I am still hoping the OP's luggage turns up at some point!

Edited August 7, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[Cruzin Terri]

Rochelle,

I am really so sorry that HAL has not been able to find your luggage.

Here is hoping that one day it will show up.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Terri

[erewhon]

I have heard back from the person I was dealing with at Guest Relations. Unfortunately they were unable to recover our luggage on the ship. No additional explanation given at this time but she did say that she would be following up with us via postal mail. Guess we will have to wait a little longer.

 

 

Rochelle

 

Thanks for the update.

 

Hope you will soon be reunited with your luggage.