What Happens to Luggage When You Miss the Ship?

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Yes, I could have said that but didn't thought that was important.

 

I don't have a solution to it but the cruiseline doesn't have any obligation to find someones passport and if they take it when it's a mistake they are responsible to find a solution, I think.

 

Most of the time it's probably good for the passenger if the cruiseline leave the passport onshore because the system is seldom wrong. (As I said I have never heared that it has happened.)

 

When a cruise line officer says in a presentation that they will open the safe and look for the passport (as I have heard them say on two cruise lines), I would argue that they DO have an obligation to find someone's passport since that is what they have said they would do. It takes very little effort to do that considering that this would typically be for only one or two people, and would go a long way in helping a passenger in a difficult situation. It is in the cruise line's better interest to help as much as possible, as it would minimize any bad publicity. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

But why do they make announcements if they are sure and trust the system?

 

(I know that you don't have the answer and I don't think that we disagree about this!) 

One of the reasons they call for John Smith might be in the hope that his wife, Mary Smith, could advise them. Perhaps he had to fly home for some conference and she could let them know that they did not have to wait for him

 

There are many possiblties.

[Underwatr]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

Different circumstances, to a pax missing the ship by not returning in accordance with the gangway board. In the unfortunate occasion of illness, the ship is off-loading a passenger, so will task the agent to provide follow up, especially when the cruise line doesn't have customer care reps on hand.

 

By offloading the passport to the agent I'd expect the line to exercise the same care.

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

When a cruise line officer says in a presentation that they will open the safe and look for the passport (as I have heard them say on two cruise lines), I would argue that they DO have an obligation to find someone's passport since that is what they have said they would do. It takes very little effort to do that considering that this would typically be for only one or two people, and would go a long way in helping a passenger in a difficult situation. It is in the cruise line's better interest to help as much as possible, as it would minimize any bad publicity. 

Saying they will look for it and that “...they DO have an obligation to find someone’s passport...” are two very different things.

 

Failing to meet an “obligation” can be see as exposing them to liability.  Suppose they opened the safe, but failed to look through a small purse and missed the passports, with the result that the passengers incurred several days of hotel expenses before being able to fly home - when they could have easily flown had the line met what you see as their “OBLIGATION” .

 

I do not think it is up to us to impose any “obligation” upon the line - especially in connection with negligence on a passenger’s part.

[SantaFeFan]

40 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Saying they will look for it and that “...they DO have an obligation to find someone’s passport...” are two very different things.

 

Failing to meet an “obligation” can be see as exposing them to liability.  Suppose they opened the safe, but failed to look through a small purse and missed the passports, with the result that the passengers incurred several days of hotel expenses before being able to fly home - when they could have easily flown had the line met what you see as their “OBLIGATION” .

 

I do not think it is up to us to impose any “obligation” upon the line - especially in connection with negligence on a passenger’s part.

 

I have always trusted what the cruise lines have told me regarding everything else they say they will do, and have not yet been disappointed. I choose to trust that they will also do as they say in regards to locating passports and turning them over to the port agent. 

 

I find it odd that some people will trust the cleaning staff to enter their rooms and not steal anything, the kitchen staff to cook their meals properly, the bridge staff to operate the ship safely, the maintenance staff to maintain the ship correctly, the accounting staff to handle their accounts without cheating, yet don't trust the staff to perform a simple task that will take mere minutes to accomplish in order to help a passenger in trouble, regardless of whose fault it is. And it isn't always an issue of "negligence" on the passenger's part. An accident, sudden illness, or any number of situations could force them to miss the ship at no fault of their own. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[clo]

12 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

yet don't trust the staff to perform a simple task that will take mere minutes to accomplish in order to help a passenger in trouble,

This.

[Underwatr]

There's a wide gulf between looking in the safe for passports plainly visible and looking in purses or other storage locations in hopes of finding them in the short time available.

 

I like the suggestion of storing them in a ziplock with a couple of days of critical meds. I hadn't thought of that.

[geoherb]

We had tablemates on one cruise who told us about the time the missed the ship in St. Thomas. The ship's staff left their passports with the port agent. They ended up staying a few nights in St. Thomas then flying to Norfolk to meet the ship and retrieve their luggage. They said they had a great time on the island, while the people they spoke with from the cruise talked about how miserable they had been due to rough seas.

 

On my cruise last week, we left four passengers behind in Juneau. They caught up with the ship in Ketchikan. 

[SRF]

On 7/9/2019 at 1:52 PM, Heidi13 said:

If time permits, the Hotel staff/Security may enter your cabin to check the safe and have a cursory look around for passports, possibly even other official documents. Any passports found will be handed to the Ship's Agent, just prior to gangways being cleared. However, if the Captain has valid navigational/scheduling concerns, he/she may not permit this additional delay.

 

 

Thank you for stating this.

[gooch47]

On 7/9/2019 at 3:06 PM, SantaFeFan said:

 

They scan your card and it makes a sound when accepted, both when leaving and boarding the ship. If no sound is made, the staff knows it hasn't been accepted, and will re-scan the card. Most modern systems also display the passenger's photo for further confirmation. Yes, mistakes can happen, but highly unlikely. 

 

Unless the passenger climbs up one of the ropes securing the ship to shore, the staff will know if that passenger is aboard or not. 😁

 

As a system verification engineer in my pre-retirement days, I can assure you that mistakes can and do happen.

[SantaFeFan]

1 hour ago, gooch47 said:

 

As a system verification engineer in my pre-retirement days, I can assure you that mistakes can and do happen.

 

Yes, mistakes can happen. But, due to the systems in place I would expect that to be extremely rare.

 

Of all the years reading Cruise Critic, I have never heard of any instance where someone was on board and their passport was turned over to the port agent. Could happen. But so could a meteorite hit the passenger as he was using the gangway and he was vaporized and then the crew thought he had missed the ship and they gave his passport away. 😊

 

I am always amazed at how many people on these boards always think the worst will happen. Must be rough going through life always expecting things to go wrong. 😲

Edited July 13, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[sverigecruiser]

4 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

I am always amazed at how many people on these boards always think the worst will happen. Must be rough going through life always expecting things to go wrong. 😲

 

I do not think that the worst will happen. I even wrote that it may never happen.

 

 

[gooch47]

On 7/9/2019 at 3:06 PM, SantaFeFan said:

 

They scan your card and it makes a sound when accepted, both when leaving and boarding the ship. If no sound is made, the staff knows it hasn't been accepted, and will re-scan the card. Most modern systems also display the passenger's photo for further confirmation. Yes, mistakes can happen, but highly unlikely. 

 

Unless the passenger climbs up one of the ropes securing the ship to shore, the staff will know if that passenger is aboard or not. 😁

 

As a system verification engineer in my pre-retirement days, I can assure you that mistakes can and do happen.

[gooch47]

I've sat on our balcony listening to the list of names being called out and often the list would get shorter (names no longer being called) even though I saw no one approach the ship and board.  The people were almost certainly on board but weren't shown as such on the computer.

[SRF]

10 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Yes, mistakes can happen. But, due to the systems in place I would expect that to be extremely rare.

 

Of all the years reading Cruise Critic, I have never heard of any instance where someone was on board and their passport was turned over to the port agent. Could happen. But so could a meteorite hit the passenger as he was using the gangway and he was vaporized and then the crew thought he had missed the ship and they gave his passport away. 😊

 

I am always amazed at how many people on these boards always think the worst will happen. Must be rough going through life always expecting things to go wrong. 😲

 

Because not only does the staff hear the bong, they also visually compare the picture that pops up to the person standing there.

 

That is why you have to take hats and sunglasses off.

 

So a double check.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, SRF said:

 

Because not only does the staff hear the bong, they also visually compare the picture that pops up to the person standing there.

 

That is why you have to take hats and sunglasses off.

 

So a double check.

In addition, at least with the company I worked for, the gangway security are periodically tested with a newly joined crew member scanning in with the wrong card.

[ed01106]

No actually experience, but I expect what would happen might vary based on circumstances.  E.g. Cruiser calls ship an hour before scheduled departure explains is at hospital with spouse and politely requests that cabin be packed up and luggage to be left with port agent vs. same couple was over an hour late at the last two ports for no good reason and was warned about getting to ship on time and left behind at the third time they were late.

[SantaFeFan]

4 hours ago, gooch47 said:

I've sat on our balcony listening to the list of names being called out and often the list would get shorter (names no longer being called) even though I saw no one approach the ship and board.  The people were almost certainly on board but weren't shown as such on the computer.

 

Or were notified by a family member or a traveling companion that they will not make it to the ship in time so now the name no longer needs to be called. 

 

Personally, I prefer to relax on my balcony with a favorite beverage rather than spend my time monitoring who name is or is not being called, and then matching those names to how many people have or have not arrived. I leave all of that logistical stuff to the people who's jobs are to run the ship. After all, I am on vacation and not working as a passenger management contractor. 😊

Edited July 13, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[gooch47]

Nobody said I was monitoring anything.  I like to watch people walking up to the ship, especially those who are tardy. 

 

But I agree that the ship might have been notified that someone's name no longer needs to be called.