Question about Bags (and do bags get lost?)

[lenquixote66]

Crazy! You can roam around the ship and found your missing luggage but a staff member couldn't. You deserved a tip. ;)

 

 

The more interesting thing is that when we disembarked one piece of our luggage was missing from the baggage area. I saw a rep from the ship and told him and he had no interest in helping us find the suitcase .Then my wife and I began search number 3 with no luck. I found another ship rep and she was very helpful .She walked the entire luggage area and 45 minutes later found the missing suitcase.

We arranged for a family member to pick us up at the port and he had to drive around because he was not allowed to wait at the port .

[davekathy]

The more interesting thing is that when we disembarked one piece of our luggage was missing from the baggage area. I saw a rep from the ship and told him and he had no interest in helping us find the suitcase .Then my wife and I began search number 3 with no luck. I found another ship rep and she was very helpful .She walked the entire luggage area and 45 minutes later found the missing suitcase.

We arranged for a family member to pick us up at the port and he had to drive around because he was not allowed to wait at the port .

Reading your last two posts all I can do is shake my head. Glad it eventually worked out for you and your wife. Hope you don't experience that in your future travels.

[minikiss]

On our 1st cruise (not RCCL) the airline lost 1 of our cases, learnt a valuable lesson to share pack them better in the future.

The story I want to tell was there were multiple ships docked that day and on one visit to guest services I could see 1/2 a dozen or so cases left in a corner. There were there for days, it seems they had been miss loaded on our ship and should have been on another. Note we were the only Princess ship in that day so the porters loaded cases for a totally different cruise line ship.

Felt really bad for the guys missing those cases, we were without ours for 3 days.... I was pulling my hair with half our clothes and stuff missing. Had no idea how long there had been there and if there owners finally got them.

 

So miss loading can and does happen.

Now I like to see my cases handed to the porters at the dockside when ever I can.

[bruadhin]

Tip the "porters" or not, your decision, but know that they are not like skycaps at the airport, these are union longshoremen making six figure wages for less than 40 hour weeks.

 

And yet they do such a great job of making it seem like that is all they get.

 

I get tipping the guy who carries the luggage to my car. But handing it to someone for him to throw on a cart, I don't get it. Yet I feel like I'm getting shaked down for a tip every time.

[linkerbink]

We usually cruise from Port Liberty (Bayonne) and since we live only about 2 hours from there, we take a bus to the port (much cheaper than parking!) When the bus arrives, the driver just starts unloading the bags from under the bus while everyone gets off. The porters have no idea which bags belong to which person. However, one time I had a bag that I wanted to carry on the ship but which had been put in the bus’s baggage hold for the trip to the port. When I got off the bus I saw that it had already been loaded onto one of the carts, buried under other bags. I asked one of the gentlemen if he would pull it off for me, which he kindly did, so I gave him a nice tip.

[lenquixote66]

And yet they do such a great job of making it seem like that is all they get.

 

I get tipping the guy who carries the luggage to my car. But handing it to someone for him to throw on a cart, I don't get it. Yet I feel like I'm getting shaked down for a tip every time.

 

I give $5 per suitcase .I doubt very much that these people make 6 figures per annum.

[UKWLDCruise]

The airlines have missed laid my luggage many times but RC has only been involved once. We got off the ship and my suitcase wasn't there but one like it was. After waiting for virtually everyone to leave they confirmed it was missing and started the paper work. It took six weeks to find it and it was Delta who came up trumps as it was abandoned on a luggage carousel. Delta were really good and flew it back for me for free even though I hadn't flown with them. I had to make a customs declaration for a search at Garwick as anything could be in my bag having not had control of it for weeks, nothing added though though one item taken out.

 

By the by cross packing is ok but when you have to make an insurance claim they will charge you two lots of excess.

 

Someone who has had their luggage go missing a dozen times but only once permanently.

[SRF]

I give $5 per suitcase .I doubt very much that these people make 6 figures per annum.

 

About half of West Coast union longshoremen make more than $100,000 a year — some much more, according to shipping industry data.

The analyst firm has compared salary data from Pacific Maritime Association's (PMA) homepage with the average salary in the U.S. According to the website, the longshoremen on the U.S. West Coast earn an average of 98,603 USD a year including two and a half weeks of vacation on average.

That is AVERAGE.

According to the association, the average dock worker makes $147,000 per year in salary, $35,000 a year in employer-paid health care and an annual pension of$80,000.

About half of West Coast union longshoremen make more than $100,000 a year — some much more, according to shipping industry data. More than half of foremen and managers earn more than $200,000 each year. A few bosses make more than$300,000. All get free healthcare.

And BTW, cruise ship baggage loading is a prime job, so those doing are very senior.

But yes, they DO make over $100K. And probably make way more than those tipping them.

[LSUfan4444]

IJust wondering if I should avoid a bigger bag if at all possible.

 

If that's what the port and/or cruise line recommends, yes. Take something smaller. No need to make it harder than it needs to be. If you need to, take more smaller bags.

[chengkp75]

I give $5 per suitcase .I doubt very much that these people make 6 figures per annum.

 

While West Coast longshoremen make more than East Coast, here is a figure of $102,000 - $124,000 per year for a NYC longshoreman, on average:

 

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Longshoreman/Salary/501c572a/New-York-NY

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/nyregion/in-new-yorks-port-the-rise-of-the-machines.html

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dockworker-pay-20150301-story.html

 

https://shippingwatch.com/Ports/article5762950.ece

 

And if you think that unions strong enough to shut down the West Coast ports a few years back, would allow anyone else to handle "cargo" on a public pier (and by the way, they voluntarily decided to continue working the cruise ships during the strike (why? tips)), you're seriously mistaken.

[John&LaLa]

While West Coast longshoremen make more than East Coast, here is a figure of $102,000 - $124,000 per year for a NYC longshoreman, on average:

 

https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Longshoreman/Salary/501c572a/New-York-NY

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/nyregion/in-new-yorks-port-the-rise-of-the-machines.html

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dockworker-pay-20150301-story.html

 

https://shippingwatch.com/Ports/article5762950.ece

 

And if you think that unions strong enough to shut down the West Coast ports a few years back, would allow anyone else to handle "cargo" on a public pier (and by the way, they voluntarily decided to continue working the cruise ships during the strike (why? tips)), you're seriously mistaken.

Any data on the Florida ports? Probably what most here are familiar with

 

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[chengkp75]

Any data on the Florida ports? Probably what most here are familiar with

 

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The ILA is the union for all East and Gulf Coast ports, so their contracts are very similar to NYC, if not the same. I don't know whether the ILA negotiates individually with each port, or whether they use a "standard" contract. The ILWU handles the West Coast ports.

[bruadhin]

I give $5 per suitcase .I doubt very much that these people make 6 figures per annum.

 

Even if they didn't, why are we tipping someone to take a suitcase I hand them and throw it onto a cart full of other luggage?

 

But as has been posted later in the thread, they clearly are making that much.

[Mickeymouse22]

I have encountered folks that have:

 

1. Had bags put on the wrong ship when they boarded on a day with multiple ships in port at the same pier

2. Had bags that had to be retrieved from the water when an entire container got dumped when being loaded onto the ship (the ship paid for laundering all of the clothes and cleaned the bags, was 2 days before they got access to their belongings). The ship sent divers down to retrieve the bags from the bottom. Some floated and they were able to fish them out fairly quickly. Entertaining to watch from the ship.

3. Had bags left on the pier

4. Had bags delivered to the wrong room (the occupants just stuck them under their bed and never reported that they had the bags until the last night when they put their bags out and then asked the Steward what they should do with them)

 

While it is rare sometimes things do happen. Far more problems occur with baggage on airplanes on the way to the ship.

I will also say that I have never had a problem with my bags. But I do use clear plastic luggage tag holders both embarking and disembarking the ship and put two tags on each bag. Just in case.

 

A few years ago one of our bags was lost - I mean really lost. It was never found. We checked it in at the port, it was clearly marked but never appeared. Royal did compensate us and we did have insurance as well but what a hassle. All of our dress clothes- gowns, tux, etc. Hey, you never know!

[vacationlover_mn]

We always carry on our electronics...

 

 

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[poncho1973]

I give $5 per suitcase .I doubt very much that these people make 6 figures per annum.

 

Your doubt is severely unfounded.

[NewSalt]

We always carry on our electronics...

 

 

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A porter in Ft. Lauderdale asked me if a small case with the rest of my bags contained a laptop. When I replied it did, he handed it back to me and told me never to check it. (I hadn’t meant to check it; DH didn’t realize what it was and just put it with the other bags.) I took the warning to heart.

[NewSalt]

I second these tags. We've had them for several years and they ROCK.

 

I give them as small gifts to friends who are taking their first cruise. Love them.

[peymas]

We had this happen two weeks ago from Fort Lauderdale port. We were off the ship with zone 1-8. Went to zone 8 and only 1 of our suitcases was there. I looked for awhile and went up to the desk where the luggage is taken without tags, etc. They were very helpful and had other workers looking for it too. I walked around that entire area numerous times and couldn't find it. I was standing at the missing luggage desk an hour later with another lady and she said there's my luggage! (it was on top of another cart full of suitcases) About that time a worker came around wheeling my missing luggage. I was very relieved.

 

I have to say that I wasn't a happy camper for that hour since we have such a long drive home, but it was all ok. I am going to try to figure out a way for me to be able to carry the suitcases off myself. Husband has a rollator walker and can't roll a suitcase also, but we can use the seat to carry our totes.

 

 

uote=lenquixote66;56563694]The more interesting thing is that when we disembarked one piece of our luggage was missing from the baggage area. I saw a rep from the ship and told him and he had no interest in helping us find the suitcase .Then my wife and I began search number 3 with no luck. I found another ship rep and she was very helpful .She walked the entire luggage area and 45 minutes later found the missing suitcase.

We arranged for a family member to pick us up at the port and he had to drive around because he was not allowed to wait at the port .