Lost and found - a happy ending

[5012nk]

My husband and I sailed on the Vision of the Seas November 29, 2014 sailing.

On each cruise we bring along several pieces of jewelry to wear for formal nights. These are pieces that we don't usually wear on a day to day basis. Specifically my husband brings along a favorite dress watch. We keep the jewelry in a zippered travel pouch and in the room safe. The cruise was wonderful and when we got home I put the travel pouch aside - not bothering remove the items because we would be sailing with Royal again in about 5 weeks.

About a week before the second cruise my husband asked about his watch. I looked in the pouch - the watch was not there! We looked through our luggage as well but to no avail. We realized it must have been left in the room. I was so upset because the watch is a favorite of my husbands and has sentimental value. He suggested I contact Royal to see if it was turned in. It had been a month since our return from the cruise and I did not have high hopes, but thought it could not hurt to check anyway.

I went on the Royal website and sent an e-mail using the "Contact Us" link, explaining the situation and providing as much detail as I could. It was only two hours later when I received a call from Kelly at Royal saying she believes that the watch had been found. Kelly explained that lost or left behind items are inventoried and a list is sent to the main office and then matched up with inquiries from passengers. She said she would get in touch with the ship and once she received the watch she would send it to us.

We received the watch this week!

I assume it was our room steward who found the watch and turned it in. We are so grateful to him. It really speaks to the integrity and honesty of the employees that we were able to get this watch returned even though we did not realize it was gone until a month after our return.

[clawmachine]

that's great! I was hoping RCI had a system like this, because my family is um, prone to losing stuff! Our first cruise was on DCL and we somehow managed to leave behind an entire bag full of souvenirs, shoes and jackets while having a dining room breakfast on debarkation day. Let's just say it was a LITTLE bit chilly for us when we returned to Baltimore in late January during a snowstorm! lol. Anyway, DCL was extremely helpful in helping us locate it (under the dining room table!) and they sent it home to us in a big box, free of charge. :)

Edited February 5, 2015 by clawmachine

[Debitoo]

Thanks for posting your happy ending. It's nice to hear that there are honest people in this world! :D

[Susie51]

Thank you for sharing. So many times people post the bad things that happen to them. Your refreshing story has brightened my day.

[Ken at the beach]

Glad that it worked out for you and you got your watch back.

 

I am a little surprised that Royal never tried to contact you. As you said it must have been your cabin steward or someone cleaning that cabin that found it. They knew what cabin that it was from so it's pretty easy to find out who was last in it and make a phone call. It's not as if it were a pair of socks that were left behind, it was obviously something valuable. I think Royal lost an opportunity to WOW the guest on this one.

[Paulette3028]

Glad that it worked out for you and you got your watch back.

 

I am a little surprised that Royal never tried to contact you. As you said it must have been your cabin steward or someone cleaning that cabin that found it. They knew what cabin that it was from so it's pretty easy to find out who was last in it and make a phone call. It's not as if it were a pair of socks that were left behind, it was obviously something valuable. I think Royal lost an opportunity to WOW the guest on this one.

 

In a perfect world, the cabin steward would remember the cabin number. But the world isn't perfect -- add to that the pressure the cabin stewards have to turn around the rooms quickly so that the new arriving passengers can have access to their cabins.

 

The cabin steward probably said to themselves -- "I will finish my work and then turn in the watch". Perhaps by then they did not remember the cabin number. Yes, it would have been easy to write down the cabin number, but in the haste of the moment, the cabin steward didn't.

 

Instead of looking for a negative on this....kudos to Royal.

[Ladysilver]

What a great story! Glad you got the watch back! :)

[cjdixon4]

Glad that it worked out for you and you got your watch back.

 

I am a little surprised that Royal never tried to contact you. As you said it must have been your cabin steward or someone cleaning that cabin that found it. They knew what cabin that it was from so it's pretty easy to find out who was last in it and make a phone call. It's not as if it were a pair of socks that were left behind, it was obviously something valuable. I think Royal lost an opportunity to WOW the guest on this one.

 

Clearly the OP was "WOWed" enough to post this, and they seemed to be quite pleased with the outcome. All that matters is that the lost item was retrieved. Kudos to RCI.

[JimAOk1945]

I'm so glad to read about your husband's watch being found and returned. It says volumes about the cruise line and the room steward. There are still honest people in this world.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Starry Eyes]

On a recent cruise, I found a ring in the corner of the safe, and turned it in at guest services. the owner cared enough about the ring to place it in the safe; hopefully they reclaim it.