Lost Luggage - FtLauderdale Nov 19

[CHOPPERTESTER]

Risk  prevention 101 - Mitigate the risk by, if you are able, taking your own bags off the ship. No one else to blame then. Weird tags or colorful yarn works at the airport as well. Get to the carrousel before the bags come out and scan the discharge to make sure they do not "walk off" on their own, RFID tags are good but will only tell you they are heading up I95 in the trunk of someone's car.

[nocl]

4 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

After a Princess cruise we had the same scenario--both our suitcases out to the hall at the same time, my husband's never maade it to the terminal.  Or, more likely, it was picked up there by another passenger by mistake.

 

Princess helped us look, but otherwise had no other way to help.  They did give us a free ride to the airport!!.  Received a measly $250 from them as compensation.  Even the suitcase cost more than that!

 

 

Depending upon when this happens that sounds like the limits stated in the cruise contract if you do not buy travel insurance.  They are quite clear about their liability limits when it comes to luggage.

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Per the FAA ---

Size limits: Lithium metal (non-rechargeable) batteries are limited to 2 grams of lithium per battery. ... With airline approval, passengers may also carry up to two spare larger lithium ion batteries (101–160 Wh) or Lithium metal batteries (2-8 grams).

 

 

Could this be for carry on only?

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 hours ago, nocl said:

Depending upon when this happens that sounds like the limits stated in the cruise contract if you do not buy travel insurance.  They are quite clear about their liability limits when it comes to luggage.

 

We have to remember "travel insurance" is a blanket a term; you can buy travel insurance that doesn't even cover lost luggage.  Yet paying for cruises with certain credit cards may offer some reimbursement

[nocl]

17 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

We have to remember "travel insurance" is a blanket a term; you can buy travel insurance that doesn't even cover lost luggage.  Yet paying for cruises with certain credit cards may offer some reimbursement

no joke. I was referring to the insurance plans, including the cruise lines that do. Actually the luggage and other coverages provided through credit card companies are usually processed by an insurance provider, it is just that the credit card holder does not have to pay for it.

[chemmo]

On 11/20/2021 at 4:00 AM, Lauren14 said:

Really annoying finish this morning  to a GREAT 13 day cruise on Equinox.  One bag never made it from outside our room to the terminal building for pickup. No Celebrity personnel well-versed in what we should do with only 2 hrs to catch a flight and no advice on any quick solutions to the problem.  We just left for the airport one bag down and spent 2 hrs after getting home just trying to talk to the right person.  Turns out their solution is for us to file a claim on a non-Celebrity website and wait to see what happens.

 

Anyone have this happen and was your luggage found?

So sorry…

 

Obviously file the claim as suggested. Also if you do not have travel insurance check the details of your credit cards, many do offer some included cover.

 

Long shot, phone the port authority direct and ask to speak to whoever deals with lost property. It could have been left somewhere on site if someone took it through security before realising it wasn’t theirs. 

 

A couple we spoke to received a phone call from a car rental company who found one of their suitcases (fortunately with a name and phone number) at the end of the day left at the door. Obviously someone had taken it all the way to car rentals before realising it wasn’t theirs then just left it without any attempt to let anyone know. Agree with others, more likely taken in error rather than a handling fault.
 

 

[isdoo]

13 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Very interesting.  Are these legal on planes?

Of course.
 

[twincheryl]

23 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

I put a tag on EACH handle of my luggage; (and my luggage has three handles; top, side & bottom)!

I now do that as well... a "check in" person at the airport suggested that.

[basenji56]

20 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Per the FAA ---

Size limits: Lithium metal (non-rechargeable) batteries are limited to 2 grams of lithium per battery. ... With airline approval, passengers may also carry up to two spare larger lithium ion batteries (101–160 Wh) or Lithium metal batteries (2-8 grams).

 

 

I have flown with the airtags in checked baggage and never had a problem.  Not saying that I won't have a problem in the future.

[Fouremco]

37 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

I have flown with the airtags in checked baggage and never had a problem.  Not saying that I won't have a problem in the future.

Apple AirTags use the very popular CR2032 battery. Typical Li content is 0.109 grams (Energizer), well below the FAA 2 gram limit.

[esther e]

I put a bright yellow strap north and south on my  bag as well as a bright green one east and west on the bag.  Hard to miss those.

 

[hcat]

Luggage  lost or misplaced by cruiseline on disembark day is scary, esp if there is pressure to make airline flights.  We have had a few mishaps..all resolved okay but for a long time we did walk off to avoid issues.

 

Once had someone walked away with a piece of our luggage..Chased him down as he was getting into a cab in NYC... He did not give up easily but tags confirmed  suitcase was not his so he had NO choice.

 

Closest call was when SW Airline on Long Island NY never put our bags on the belt.  Nervous day in Seattle..Finally,  bags mysteriously arrived at our hotel  via taxi in the middle of the night!   Good Save!

[hcat]

On 11/20/2021 at 4:33 PM, GeriatricNurse said:

I put a tag on EACH handle of my luggage; (and my luggage has three handles; top, side & bottom)!

We do this too..all Orange. Plus we  attach colored ribbons so we can locate it easily at baggage claim!  Usually a free for all

 

If they had someone checking tags  after cruises and at airport luggage  belt exits alot of gruef woukd be avoided..stopped doing that years and years ago. Everyone is in a big rush..

[kokopelli-az]

On 11/19/2021 at 8:00 PM, Lauren14 said:

One bag never made it from outside our room to the terminal building for pickup. No Celebrity personnel well-versed in what we should do with only 2 hrs to catch a flight and no advice on any quick solutions to the problem.  We just left for the airport one bag down and spent 2 hrs after getting home just trying to talk to the right person. 

 

Anyone have this happen and was your luggage found?

Well, I have to fess up what happened to us.   We had our one carry-on taken the night before disembarkation for us to pick up in the morning.   The morning we left the ship our suitcase was right there in the terminal so we grabbed it and off we went in a taxi to the FLL airport.   Once we got to the airport, we realized the suitcase we picked up in the terminal was not ours.   So here we are at FLL with someone else's suitcase and we didn't have ours.   We ended up taking the other person's suitcase to the Celebrity area in the airport terminal where the passengers for the next cruise were waiting for the cruise ship transfer from the airport to the pier.  We told the Celebrity person in charge what had happened and to please take the wrong suitcase back to the ship,

So here we are at FLL without our suitcase.   We did not have time to go back to the ship and look for it in the terminal.   

 

However, our suitcase ended up at our house, compliments of Celebrity, the next day.   I'm sure the owners of the suitcase we accidentally took received theirs, too.

 

Actually, this was a good way to get our suitcase shipped home for free. 😄

 

I am attaching photos of the two suitcases (ours and the one we thought was ours).   I now really double check our suitcase to be sure it's the right one (like at the airport baggage pick-up).  

 

[Guppy99]

1 hour ago, kokopelli-az said:

Well, I have to fess up what happened to us.   We had our one carry-on taken the night before disembarkation for us to pick up in the morning.   The morning we left the ship our suitcase was right there in the terminal so we grabbed it and off we went in a taxi to the FLL airport.   Once we got to the airport, we realized the suitcase we picked up in the terminal was not ours.   So here we are at FLL with someone else's suitcase and we didn't have ours.   We ended up taking the other person's suitcase to the Celebrity area in the airport terminal where the passengers for the next cruise were waiting for the cruise ship transfer from the airport to the pier.  We told the Celebrity person in charge what had happened and to please take the wrong suitcase back to the ship,

So here we are at FLL without our suitcase.   We did not have time to go back to the ship and look for it in the terminal.   

 

However, our suitcase ended up at our house, compliments of Celebrity, the next day.   I'm sure the owners of the suitcase we accidentally took received theirs, too.

 

Actually, this was a good way to get our suitcase shipped home for free. 😄

 

I am attaching photos of the two suitcases (ours and the one we thought was ours).   I now really double check our suitcase to be sure it's the right one (like at the airport baggage pick-up).  

 

I use the same pom-poms!  I would have likely grabbed the wrong one too.

[Nebr.cruiser]

On 11/20/2021 at 9:22 PM, nocl said:

Depending upon when this happens that sounds like the limits stated in the cruise contract if you do not buy travel insurance.  They are quite clear about their liability limits when it comes to luggage.

Oh, we know--just not right, since it was supposedly in their hands when we set it outside the door.  I do get that luggage often looks alike.  But really, who doesn't check to be sure it's theirs.  Princess did say that often when that happens, whoever took it takes the easy way out and either just abandons it or makes no effort to get it back to the owner, which of course would cost money.

 

We have distinctive ribbons on our cases, so that should be a clue it's not someone else's.  

 

One time we flew to Hawaii and our luggage went to Australia.  We actually got it back several days into our trip, but of course we had to buy things to get along until then.

[UKWLDCruise]

Happened to me in Miami,  they asked us to wait and see if anything was left and as I had a late flight I could do that.  There was a bag similar left behind but without tags.

 

They took a report at the pier and I was contacted at home but in the end it was an Delta that came through.  They contacted me to say that it had been abandoned on a luggage carousel somewhere and they would fly it back to Heathrow, which was nice since I travelled BA.  

 

Turned up at the airport and I had to be escorted airside and make a declaration to customs that the bag had been out of my sight and control for days and anything could be in it.  After a hand search found it to be clean and I got it home I found it had been opened and one item removed.

[Guppy99]

3 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

Oh, we know--just not right, since it was supposedly in their hands when we set it outside the door.  I do get that luggage often looks alike.  But really, who doesn't check to be sure it's theirs.  Princess did say that often when that happens, whoever took it takes the easy way out and either just abandons it or makes no effort to get it back to the owner, which of course would cost money.

 

Luggage is handled by different companies in the embarkation/disembarkation process.  It depends upon who last handled it as to whose responsibility it is.  As for other passengers...clearly based on the posts here, people often don't check.  One piece of black luggage often looks identical and often is identical to another. (Also, H may not know that W tied a purple ribbon to the handle, which is a whole different problem) The only solution is to check each bag has its rightful owner before being allowed to leave. the terminal So... instead of the occasional issue with the occasional passenger, there would be thousands of people waiting on line to be allowed to depart. This in turn would affect flying options for thousands.  The current process is not full proof, but it beats the alternative.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Guppy99

[GeriatricNurse]

6 hours ago, kokopelli-az said:

Well, I have to fess up what happened to us.   We had our one carry-on taken the night before disembarkation for us to pick up in the morning.   The morning we left the ship our suitcase was right there in the terminal so we grabbed it and off we went in a taxi to the FLL airport.   Once we got to the airport, we realized the suitcase we picked up in the terminal was not ours.   So here we are at FLL with someone else's suitcase and we didn't have ours.   We ended up taking the other person's suitcase to the Celebrity area in the airport terminal where the passengers for the next cruise were waiting for the cruise ship transfer from the airport to the pier.  We told the Celebrity person in charge what had happened and to please take the wrong suitcase back to the ship,

So here we are at FLL without our suitcase.   We did not have time to go back to the ship and look for it in the terminal.   

 

However, our suitcase ended up at our house, compliments of Celebrity, the next day.   I'm sure the owners of the suitcase we accidentally took received theirs, too.

 

Actually, this was a good way to get our suitcase shipped home for free. 😄

 

I am attaching photos of the two suitcases (ours and the one we thought was ours).   I now really double check our suitcase to be sure it's the right one (like at the airport baggage pick-up).  

 

The FIRST thing that I do when I come upon luggage that 'appears' like mine is to READ the luggage tag, carefully, BEFORE taking it!

[GeriatricNurse]

On 11/20/2021 at 7:50 AM, basenji56 said:

What a disaster.  So sorry. One thing I did was purchase an Apple AirTag  and put it in my bag.  You can then track it with the Find My Iphone function.  

 

AirTag - Apple

 

On 11/20/2021 at 7:50 AM, basenji56 said:

What a disaster.  So sorry. One thing I did was purchase an Apple AirTag  and put it in my bag.  You can then track it with the Find My Iphone function.  

 

AirTag - Apple

I've ordered a 'Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+ Plus Bluetooth Smart Home!

[neenee61]

 I use luggage covers which stand out in a crowd. Great for identification and also protects luggage. Found best quality, style and price from AliExpress.

Edited November 22, 2021 by neenee61

[melbrook]

Sadly this happened to us on a 11 day Celebrity cruise in Europe in 2013 and both our suitcases went missing after we set them out in the hallway.  We stayed at the luggage area on the pier for hours and nothing was left (meaning it was not a mix up of bags), we contacted the airport and pier daily for the 3 days we were in Rome and to no avail.  All our luggage disappeared along with all our souvenirs etc.  Because we were just packing to drive to our rental apartment in Rome we literally had everything in the bags except toiletries and what we wore that evening.  For 3 days in Rome we hoped our bags would be found and delivered yet they never were. 

 

I fought for months afterward but the contract is iron clad - $300 per bag from Celebrity.  We filed an insurance claim through our home owners insurance and recouped the money there, but money doesn't replace things easily.  We lost 7 pairs of shoes, formal wear, costume jewelry, electronics...stuff that may have been gifts or I bought on sale.  Just replacing 2 large suitcases cost almost as much at Celebrity gave us.  It was very upsetting.  The general theory was they were stolen since no "extra" bags turned up.  The idea someone would steal just our 2 bags, only our 2 bags has never really made sense but there is also no easy answer.  Rome Cabs was there to drive us from the pier to our rental and they went above and beyond calling the airport and putting word out for us.  They followed up with us daily which they didn't have to do - they were actually more helpful than Celebrity in their efforts.

 

For a few years after that we refused to set our bags out for pickup ever again and we carried them off...down flights of stairs and in jam packed elevators.  That finally passed and I figure now, what are the odds it could happen again??  I did learn, never travel with anything (sentimental, irreplaceable etc) that you would be sad to lose. So a favourite dress or pair of shoes stays safely at home or comes in the carry on!

 

Hopefully you have MUCH better luck and the fact it happened in North America - if it does turn up it will much easier to reunite your bag with you.  

[gold1953]

 My SIL arrived home from a government trip where he finished up a Canadian military course similar to secret service .. no luggage. Well inside that case was a high end bullet proof vest and a few other things issued to him that should not get into the hands of others. Airport was very dismissive of missing luggage and said they were busy and had a lot of suitcases to sift through. He made several calls over 2 days and said it was hard to miss a bright yellow hardside case. Finally I hear him on the phone again.. he told them what was in it and gave them 2 hours to have it at his door or action would be taken. Yes, it showed up very quickly!!

[mfs2k]

 

Does Celebrity still have the Special luggage service (with a fee) from FLL where the bags go right to the airport and onto the plane if you book flights with certain airlines?  I used that service on Equinox in 2019.  It was great not worrying about the bags and they were there when we landed in NY. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

42 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

 

Does Celebrity still have the Special luggage service (with a fee) from FLL where the bags go right to the airport and onto the plane if you book flights with certain airlines?  I used that service on Equinox in 2019.  It was great not worrying about the bags and they were there when we landed in NY. 

 

It has NOT resumed in FLL, website doesn't give any info for when it'll resume.  It should also be noted that if the "luggage valet" loses your luggage, because it's a 3rd party and not cruise line or airline, credit card lost luggage protection and travel insurance won't cover it.  Some policies may allow you add luggage valet lost luggage into it but its not covered under the standard lost baggage coverage.  I learned this first hand in Seattle.