Celebrity Lost all my Luggage. Am I screwed?

[tallyho8]

We disembarked the Eclipse in Vancouver June 26. The night before we put our 2 suitcases out to be brought to the terminal marked with the #1 tags that they had given us. This is the 5th cruise we have taken on Celebrity in the last year and we are used to getting low numbered tags because we usually have an early flight. When we went to the terminal there was no spot for #1 bags and the attendants told us that #1 bags were for the Hop On Hop Off excursion that ends at the airport and that all #1 bags were put on a truck for that excursion.

 

We identified our bags to them and they phoned the truck driver who said he didn't see them on top and could not unload all the bags to look for them. They would not let us go look in the truck and said they did not know when or where the truck would unload them. We filled out a Personal Property Report and were told that when (if) they found them, they would ship them to me. We searched the terminal for them to insure they were not in there and due to an early flight had to then try to rush to the airport and we have not heard from them.

 

I phoned Celebrity today and all they could do was give me the web site of an independent company that searches for lost luggage. I filled out a form with them and don't have high hopes of them recovering anything. Living in Louisiana it is hard to deal with people in Canada about lost luggage.

 

Is Celebrity responsible for my lost luggage or do their terms of agreement release them from liability? We hate losing some of our best clothes, camera, binoculars, souvenirs, battery charger and basket for my wife's scooter and other items.

[Charles4515]

If you have insurance you are not screwed. Did you buy travel insurance? 

[RTShaker]

I hope they find and return your bags to you soon. That being said, I never place any cameras, electronics, jewelry, etc into my checked baggage either for the ship or airlines for just this reason.

[abbydancer2003]

I hope they find the luggage.  Here's a true story to give you hope.

 

Many years ago, my sister, her now thankfully ex husband and their small daughter went skiing in Utah for a week (they live in NY).  It was early March, and my sister being both brilliant and a dingy, didn't realized DST kicked in, and they missed their flight (ex wasn't a big believer in getting to the airport early.  They booked through SF to New York on United, but then changed to a nonstop on a different airline.  They made it but their luggage didn't.  The airline had no idea where it was, as they said they never had it.  My sister was distraught, not because of all the expensive skis, but because the baby Cabbage Patch Kid I'd given my niece when she was born and her stuffed animal (both of which she slept with) were in the luggage.  

 

Five days later, she goes into her building, and her doorman tells her a lot of stuff has arrived.  Turns out it was all the luggage.  Apparently United put it in their lost luggage place and eventually got it sorted out.  The toys never traveled again.

 

[Arizona Wildcat]

Hope you get your luggage.

 

Another true story.

 

We had a late flight so waited to be virtually last off at San Pedro.  There were 2 bags in the area.  One was our and one similar.  The other bag from a person from Las Vegas.  Port manager tried without success to contact the other person.  We left with one bag.  The person that took our bag eventually shipped our bag to our home.

 

The important part - Celebrity does not operate or have anything to do with the bags once.they go into the "racks" and leave the ship.  It is the responsibility of the port, but without any matching of tags, bags are often picked up by the wrong people.   Not Celebrity's fault.

 

FWIW we will always carry our own bags when leaving a cruise.

[chemmo]

The truck driver was alerted to your suite cases being on board…I would think that there is a good possibility that they have been identified and are being processed for redirection to you. 

 

I would keep in regular contact with the company in charge of finding your luggage by email or telephone.

 

We usually have a personalised tag on our suitcases too with name and address and email on and a similar but slight larger name/address/email/phone number on top inside the cases. Did you have either or just the Celebrity tag? The biggest risk to not getting luggage back is if there is no clear contact information.

 

In the meantime I would start making a list of all items so if, in a few more days time, the company in charge of finding your luggage report they have not been successful you will be ready to make an insurance claim.

 

Very odd you were given the #1 tags…Was there any communication between you and your room attendant prior to them arriving in your room or did they just appear? 
 

I wouldn’t give up hope yet, sincere best wishes. Please report back (hopefully with good news)…

[cruisestitch]

How unfortunate that you didn’t notice that #1 tags were for the HOHO on the disembarkation paperwork they send to the room.  I wish you good luck.  

[songbird1329]

My father learned the hard way that you don’t put your medication in your checked luggage. My father was a cardiac patient and took several different pills every day.  He and my younger sisters flew from NYC to Miami.  The plane then flew from Miami to a city in South America.  My father’s suitcase flew to South America and back to Miami, where it was returned to him.  Not only was he without his meds for two days, but his suitcase a

had been thoroughly searched.

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 minute ago, songbird1329 said:

Not only was he without his meds for two days, but his suitcase a

had been thoroughly searched.

Not surprising as it could have been co-opted to be used for smuggling. 

Glad your dad did okay without his medication, and that his luggage was found and returned to him.

[DevilinaBluDress]

We disembarked on the previous sailing to yours. We booked the hop on/hop off excursion and there was a couple in the terminal who had the exact same experience as you- given the #1 tags but they didn't book the excursion, either. I'm not sure what the resolution for them was. 

 

For us, our bags were at a baggage storage facility in the YVR domestic claim area near carosol 6. Maybe they have your bags? Here is the website : http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/

[Mark_T]

On 7/1/2022 at 1:28 PM, cruisestitch said:

How unfortunate that you didn’t notice that #1 tags were for the HOHO on the disembarkation paperwork they send to the room.  I wish you good luck.  

It is no help now of course, but we always verify the tag numbers against the provided list to make sure we have got what we asked for.

 

4 minutes ago, DevilinaBluDress said:

For us, our bags were at a baggage storage facility in the YVR domestic claim area near carosol 6. Maybe they have your bags? Here is the website : http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/

That is where I'd  expect to find them as well, with any luck...

[Jim_Iain]

A similar Celebrity story with a good resolution.    We disembarked with a Zenith/Suite tag and when we went to recover there was only one of our two bags.    We look around the other numbers and nothing.   I flagged down an agent who said something into a walki talki and said she would be right back.

 

5 minutes later she came back and said someone had accidentally picked it up and discovered at the curb.   It was waiting for us on the other side of Customs.    I was relieved and happily went on our way. 

 

After that I bought some Apple Air Tags.   On a recent trip when our luggage didn't arrive with the majority of the luggage  at Glasgow Airport I checked the Where's My App and it showed on the Tarmac near the plane.   Since there were still about 20 people waiting for luggage we waited and about 10 minutes later I could see it was then in the terminal.   Shortly thereafter it came out into the baggage carousel. 

[Dancing Shoes]

Oh no.  Homeowner's or renter's insurance many cover your lost luggage.  Best of luck to you.  I always have a contact number inside my bags even though they are TSA locked.

[tallyho8]

Good news. Celebrity emailed us and said they found our luggage. Of course Hop on Hop Off says it is our fault for not picking it up at the airport but since we never booked HOHO we never knew where to look for it and besides we had an earlier flight. They want us to pay for the shipping from Canada to Louisiana which I will grudgingly do although it was celebrity's fault for giving us the wrong luggage tags.

 

They say it wil be two weeks before we get it so if there are any changes we will reply later.

[Loracpin2]

4 minutes ago, tallyho8 said:

Good news. Celebrity emailed us and said they found our luggage. Of course Hop on Hop Off says it is our fault for not picking it up at the airport but since we never booked HOHO we never knew where to look for it and besides we had an earlier flight. They want us to pay for the shipping from Canada to Louisiana which I will grudgingly do although it was celebrity's fault for giving us the wrong luggage tags.

 

They say it wil be two weeks before we get it so if there are any changes we will reply later.

If you didn't book HOHO and it was Celebrity who gave you the wrong luggage tags then how can they charge you for shipping when everyting was their error?? Only a suggestion but you might want to consider elevating this higher up to a Management level.  

[Algebralovr]

I would email the Exec Suite about your bags being given the wrong tag and you not receiving them, and that you request the bags be forwarded to you at Celebrity’s expense.    
 

if you have travel insurance, it is reasonably likely that it will cover your bags being shipped home, as well. 
 

We had one get misplaced years ago, but it was just my dad’s dirty laundry.  Eventually it was found at the pier (in Port Everglades) and they shipped it to him. Their expense. 

[Marie51]

1 hour ago, tallyho8 said:

Good news. Celebrity emailed us and said they found our luggage. Of course Hop on Hop Off says it is our fault for not picking it up at the airport but since we never booked HOHO we never knew where to look for it and besides we had an earlier flight. They want us to pay for the shipping from Canada to Louisiana which I will grudgingly do although it was celebrity's fault for giving us the wrong luggage tags.

 

They say it wil be two weeks before we get it so if there are any changes we will reply later.

Did you have travel insurance? The insurance should pay at least enough money to pay for the luggage to get shipped back to you.

[WestLakeGirl]

Always check that the luggage tag number you are given is the number you need!

[TeaBag]

Thank you for getting back to us.  I'm glad your luggage was found but I don't think you should have to pay for the shipping.  Celebrity gave you the wrong number and they should pay.  I agree that you should escalate this as algebraluvr said.

[Charles4515]

33 minutes ago, WestLakeGirl said:

Always check that the luggage tag number you are given is the number you need!

A good idea but most would think #1 means first group without thought. The guest relations crew member who gave out #1 to someone not on the hop on/off was a nincompoop. They should have known better. It is not unusual for the first several groups off to be going on excursions. They should have checked. Celebrity is responsible. 

Edited July 3, 2022 by Charles4515

[WestLakeGirl]

What kind of disembarkation instructions were given? Usually they have options like “those on excursions meet at Theater” or “Elites meet in Tuscan” and from there staff make announcements that “we are now calling tag #1” and such.  What kinds of instructions were you given?  Did they ever call #1 or was that only for HOHO excursion passengers?  These are questions that will come up if you try to pursue this with either your insurance company or Celebrity

[TXranchgal]

I highly suspect that with so many new crew members -there are many who may have no idea what the numbers mean.   Things will get sorted out soon I hope.

[Oville]

OP, we’re you given #1 originally in your cabin or did you go to guest services to exchange a higher number to #1.  

[cruisestitch]

It’s so great that they located your luggage.  Now as you attempt to be reimbursed for the cost of shipping it to you there will be some other questions that are sure to be asked.  How did you fill out the disembarkation form? Did you request an early time? Did you give Celebrity your flight information?  Where did you wait for the disembarkation announcements?  Did you get the name of the person or person that you spoke to in the terminal? There will probably be more things asked of you, but you get the general idea.

Edited July 3, 2022 by cruisestitch

[osborne66]

The morale to the story and glad they found your bags always walk off with your own bags and never tag them and place them outside your state room. We learnt the hard way back in 2003 and have never tagged them since. We keep them in the room and leave on embarkation day at our time and leisure and never have to wait for bags in the hold area. See so many people hunting for bags and getting upset. Normally from the time we walk down the gangway we're gone within 10 to 15 mins from the terminal