Missing luggage on Princess

[MrCruise]

Has anyone had experience with lost luggage on a Princess ship? We just disembarked the Coral on Sunday 12/4, but one of our large bags was nowhere to be found in the baggage claim area.

 

I'm having some difficulty getting any help from Princess. If anyone has advice, I'd appreciate it.

[chrysalis]

When we got off the Sun last March one of our large bags was nowhere to be found. A very helpful Porter walked us over the a corner in the back of the hall that contained a few assorted bags..they were all bag that had lost their "tags" and therefore could not be stacked in the correct area. Our missing bag was there, and all became well with the world.

 

Did you check that area?

 

Good luck with it, and I hope that another passenger didn't take off with it on purpose!

[donna5]

Same happened with ours, handle was torn off. I just happened to see it in a section of unmarked baggage and they all had labels missing. Now I put two on each bag in different sections.

[MrCruise]

Thanks for the advice. We stayed until EVERYONE had gotten off the ship. They were down to about six bags that had not been claimed, and ours was not among them. Even the ones with the tags torn off had been claimed. We were there so long even customs packed up and left before we exited.

 

The staff in the claim area was very helpful. They helped us look and were encouraging, but trying to reach anyone on the phone since has been near impossible. At this point we've been told to wait about two weeks and then call to see if there have been any develpoments. The claim document even states that we won't hear ANYTHING from them if it's not recovered. It just doesn't sound like a policy that a company that prides itself on superior customer service should have in place.

 

If anyone else has advice, please weigh in- I'm anxious for any and all tips!

[Toto2Kansas]

There is a possibility that someone grabbed your bag thinking it was theirs and will not realize it until they arrive home. I have heard of this happening before.

I hope you had something in the bag with your name and address on it. If you did, I would think you will be contacted soon.

[Druke I]

Once, in Vancouver, we could not find one of our bags in the luggage area.

 

We found it in the next section, under wrong #. Don't know if porter made mistake, or someone picked it up by mistake, realized their problem, and then dumped it in wrong row.

[Dreamer333]

I wonder if its possible that your luggage was accidentally taken back on the ship?

Perhaps you can contact the ship and ask them.

[imsulin2]

MrCruise - did you by any chance purchase trip insurance? If so, call them yesterday! Good luck to you!

[tbruin3235]

On one of my cruises (don't remember cruise line or port), I couldn't find one of my bags. I happened to look up and saw a man wheeling my bag towards the exit. I ran after him yelling that he had my bag. He just let go of my bag without looking around and kept walking out the exit. I figure he intended to steal it (lets face it, if he accidentally thought my bag was his luggage, logic says he would have gone back to the luggage area to look for his real bag, something he didn't do.) I was lucky I happened to spot him before my bag was gone for good.

 

Makes you wonder if this guy was a passenger on the ship. If not, I really wish they would improve security around the luggage area so this type of thing wouldn't happen. You'd think they wouldn't let outside people except porters past the customs point.

[jnc411]

On one of my cruises (don't remember cruise line or port), I couldn't find one of my bags. I happened to look up and saw a man wheeling my bag towards the exit. I ran after him yelling that he had my bag. He just let go of my bag without looking around and kept walking out the exit. I figure he intended to steal it (lets face it, if he accidentally thought my bag was his luggage, logic says he would have gone back to the luggage area to look for his real bag, something he didn't do.) I was lucky I happened to spot him before my bag was gone for good.

 

Makes you wonder if this guy was a passenger on the ship. If not, I really wish they would improve security around the luggage area so this type of thing wouldn't happen. You'd think they wouldn't let outside people except porters past the customs point.

 

 

Oh my thats creepy. Makes you think about the security checks while leaving the port doesn't it.

 

I sure hope the OP gets some information about the bag soon, that must be so frustrating. I would think a registered letter to the corporate office would be in order , one way or another.

Good Luck, post again and let us know what happens.

Cori

[cherylandtk]

Chances are that another passenger took your bag by mistake; hopefully they are honest and will contact Princess (or you) to have the bag returned. About all you can do is wait--difficult, but that is really all you can do at this point. Bear in mind that if you did not put a phone number inside or on your baggage ID tag (or that part became detached), it can take a while for a letter to reach you.

 

If the bag is gone forever, Princess owes you a minimal amount for the lost bag. Since you made a claim, and have the claim document, you have already done what is under your control and just have to wait for the claims process to work its way through the system. Very similar to the airline lost baggage process. Just keep an eye on progress by calling for an update once a week or so.

 

As for customer service and Princess's policy, this is one of those areas where the limits are spelled out in the fine print of the contract, which even frequent passengers may only read in detail after a problem actually occurs--and it's a rude awakening. If they can't find your bag within a reasonable time, Princess owes you a maximum of $250. Travel insurance usually covers higher amounts, but they do have limits as well. If you have insurance, you should file a claim with them now, too.

 

I am sorry to learn of your misfortune, and hope that it will resolve itself with your bag being returned.

[fntsysprtswidow]

I had a very frustratiing experience with "express" check out on the Island Princess in Vancouver earlier this year. Princess switched luggage tags between my luggage going to L.A. on Alaska Air, and another passengers luggage, who was traveling Delta to Colorado. Only after numerous calls on my part to L.A. airport, Delta Airlines, and Alaska Air, did I get anywhere. And that was only due some extremely kind personnel with Delta. (Alaska Air still has my luggage as lost.) I asked my TA if my cruise insurance would have paid for the luggage had it been lost for good. She thought that since the "cruise" portion of my trip had ended, that I would be out of luck.:cool: Does anyone know any different?

 

My suggestion to the original poster is "The squeaky wheel gets the grease!" I sincerely hope you get your luggage back!

[pcsanity]

I had a very frustratiing experience with "express" check out on the Island Princess in Vancouver earlier this year. Princess switched luggage tags between my luggage going to L.A. on Alaska Air, and another passengers luggage, who was traveling Delta to Colorado. Only after numerous calls on my part to L.A. airport, Delta Airlines, and Alaska Air, did I get anywhere. And that was only due some extremely kind personnel with Delta. (Alaska Air still has my luggage as lost.) I asked my TA if my cruise insurance would have paid for the luggage had it been lost for good. She thought that since the "cruise" portion of my trip had ended, that I would be out of luck.:cool: Does anyone know any different?

 

My suggestion to the original poster is "The squeaky wheel gets the grease!" I sincerely hope you get your luggage back!

 

Not sure how it works if you purchased your insurance with your agent for the cruise, but I always get the insurance seperate and put the value and dates of the airfare in the mix so that it is covered. We had a bag lost on a flight home a couple of cruises ago and Travelguard paid. (for the most part.)

[fntsysprtswidow]

Not sure how it works if you purchased your insurance with your agent for the cruise, but I always get the insurance seperate and put the value and dates of the airfare in the mix so that it is covered. We had a bag lost on a flight home a couple of cruises ago and Travelguard paid. (for the most part.)

 

Thanks! For our next cruise in May, we do have Travelguard insurance, as opposed to insurance through the Auto Club, which we had last time. I'll make sure our TA includes the extra days.

[LHT28]

This year I purchased these Aerotags and put them on my luggage

http://www.aerotag.com/new/en/home_E.cfm

 

I also put my address and itinerary inside one of the outside pockets just incase my tag come off intransit.

Hope you get your bags back.

[donna5]

This year I purchased these Aerotags and put them on my luggage

http://www.aerotag.com/new/en/home_E.cfm

 

I also put my address and itinerary inside one of the outside pockets just incase my tag come off intransit.

Hope you get your bags back.

 

That is a good point. We also put our itinerary inside an outside pocket. I also try to remember to put old luggage tags inside that have our name and address. I also just thought, we should start putting our e-mail address inside the luggage.

[cruznliz]

fntsysprtswidow: My boss had exactly the same thing happen to him on a Princess Alaska cruise that ended in Seattle in 2004. He flew home to Los Angeles, and his bag went to Denver. The family was frantic because the missing bag had all the photos and souvenirs they had purchased. He even went to the airport and was allowed to search the lost luggage area. He did get it back about a week later. The disconcerting thing is that the bag had a luggage tag and info inside the bag and the airline never bothered to check it.

 

Personally: someone accidentally took our bag in San Pedro after a Princess Mexican cruise. They drove it all the way to Palm Springs, CA before realizing it wasn't theirs. They drove it all the way back the same day and Princess paid a deliverary service to get it to us. :) Also at an airport once one of our bags was missing. We were on our way to the airline office to put in a claim and we saw it sitting off by itself about 3 carousels down. We figured someone had realized their mistake and just abandoned it. :(

[fntsysprtswidow]

Cruznliz,

 

How funny! I, too, drove to LAX to look for my luggage. It also was the bag with the majority of the souvenirs we has purchased. That's what was the most upsetting to me. And yes, I learned more than one lesson on packing and labeling luggage from this experience. Thankfully, both our stories ended with a :).

[Frugalist]

Makes you think about the security checks while leaving the port doesn't it.

 

Princess has NOBODY checking to make sure you are leaving the terminal with the correct bags. At least not at Port Everglades. It would be very easy for someone to walk out with your bag, whether intentionally or not. This is a very big reason why we only check one large bag with some of our clothes and other nonessential items. We have no problem rolling on a bag each, plus I have a backpack. On short cruises of 3 or 4 days we don't check anything.

 

[rant]

I don't understand why the cruise line doesn't issue numbered luggage claim stickers like the airlines do. Since the luggage stickers are delivered to your room a couple of nights before the end of the cruise, everyone gets as many tags as they need. Then as everyone is exiting the terminal security can match the tag number on your luggage with the number on your stub. Of course this slows everything down and everyone's in such a damn hurry to get going. It would also add a few extra bucks to the cost of the trip to cover the added costs.

[/rant]

[LHT28]

[rant]

I don't understand why the cruise line doesn't issue numbered luggage claim stickers like the airlines do. Since the luggage stickers are delivered to your room a couple of nights before the end of the cruise, everyone gets as many tags as they need. Then as everyone is exiting the terminal security can match the tag number on your luggage with the number on your stub. Of course this slows everything down and everyone's in such a damn hurry to get going. It would also add a few extra bucks to the cost of the trip to cover the added costs.

[/rant]

I have never had my baggage claim tickets checked at the airport so how would having them at the cruise terminal be any different.:confused:

People can walk off with any luggage ...no one checks.

[Pam in CA]

One thing I do is put a Princess tag on two sides of each piece of luggage for both embarkation and disembarkation. I've had handles pulled off bags and figure this is a little insurance that's so easy to do.

[Frugalist]

I have never had my baggage claim tickets checked at the airport so how would having them at the cruise terminal be any different.:confused:

People can walk off with any luggage ...no one checks.

 

I have not flown a lot in the last 5 years. The only place I've flown to with checked bags in that timeframe is Las Vegas (LAS), where they definitely check the baggage tags against your stubs for every piece as you leave the baggage claim area. Sure, someone can get away with a carryon-size bag by ripping off the tag before reaching the exit then claiming he carried on that piece. But all large pieces of luggage are checked for matching numbers.

 

I grant that other airports may be more LAX.

[Frugalist]

One thing I do is put a Princess tag on two sides of each piece of luggage for both embarkation and disembarkation. I've had handles pulled off bags and figure this is a little insurance that's so easy to do.

 

Great idea! I have just added a second tag to the one bag we are checking when we arrive at Port Everglades tomorrow morning.

[LHT28]

But all large pieces of luggage are checked for matching numbers.

I grant that other airports may be more LAX.

 

We flew into SFO in Oct

..we picked up our bags and walked right out of the baggage area ...no questions asked!

Same when we arrived back home in Toronto.

[donna5]

The only place our baggage claim ticket was looked at was at the Miami Airport and that was almost 10 years ago.