Need a phone number or email for Oceania Customer Relations ASAP

[SteelCity Cruiser]

We disembarked from Sirena today in Athens and one of our bags was missing.  We think someone with a similar bag took ours in error.  I completed the claim report with one of their reps but haven't heard anything yet and they didn't give me any contact information to follow up with them.  We're in Athens for 1 more day, but I think Sirena sails out either tonight or tomorrow.  I'm pretty desperate to find some way to follow up with them on this.  Can anyone help me out with contact information other than their general number (which I have called but they can't help and when they forwarded me to the Customer Relations department I got their voice mail!!!!)

 

[LHT28]

Maybe try the Port authority  or Harbour master in Athens/Piraeus

https://www.olp.gr/en/contact

Hopefully if someone took your bag  returned it to the port   or if your contact info in on/in the bag  will let you know  they have it

 

I put our itinerary inside & in a pocket on the outside of  the case with email & any hotels  we will be at

Good luck 

[WayneLaR]

Adding that info to your luggage is a great idea, thanks!

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, SteelCity Cruiser said:

We think someone with a similar bag took ours in error. 

If that is the case, they won't likely know until they get home, so I'd be working on Plan 'A': buy replacements to get you through the rest of your trip.  As Plan 'B', in case your bag got left on the ship or misplaced on the dock, it's Oceania's "Port Agent" you need to track down.

 

Yeah, every time you step off a cruise ship you need to have the "Port Agent"s name and phone number (check Currents) for just this sort of thing or if you're too late back at a port of call.

 

One more thought (not that it will help you today).  Do *not* pack "his" and "her" suitcases.  Split your stuff between two suitcases so that if at least one suitcase shows up you can cope.

[LHT28]

Did you use  a TA? Maybe email them & see if they can  help you get  in contact with  the ship

[SteelCity Cruiser]

4 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Did you use  a TA? Maybe email them & see if they can  help you get  in contact with  the ship

My TA is traveling with us and has the same general number as everyone else.

[Hambagahle]

Value of hindsight but we have fluorescent "sleeves" that wrap around the handles of our suitcases.  They make it easier to spot our bags when we collect them after getting off a ship but also help stop someone else confusing the bag with theirs.

[SteelCity Cruiser]

Thank you everyone for your recommendations, but the good news is, the woman who took my bag got my voice mail and contacted me.  Good fortune that she was still here in Athens in a hotel only a 15 minute walk away from ours and I was able to go over and retrieve our bag.  SHE was contacted by Oceania about her bag left at the port and they are delivering it to her.  She WASN'T asked if she took a bag in error, and I still haven't heard from Oceania about our formerly missing bag.

 

One more thought (not that it will help you today).  Do *not* pack "his" and "her" suitcases.  Split your stuff between two suitcases so that if at least one suitcase shows up you can cope.

This is what I do when we are traveling TO our destination, as well as always carrying on a 3-day supply of clothing just in case.  However when going home I don't always follow that strategy depending on what else we need to fit in our bags (e.g. - we like to bring home local wines and need to distribute them for weight purposes). 

 

 

[LHT28]

good you got it back

 People do not look at "their " bag  in the scrum to see if  it is actually theirs

We had that happen  but the person was still in the terminal when they discovered it was not their bag

[ORV]

I missed something here. How did you get the woman's number that took your bag and leave her a voice mail?

[YourWorldWithBill]

Glad to hear that everything worked out, and great suggestion about splitting suitcases with your companion. We do something similar to what @Hambagahle suggested, but a bit more ostentatious. We wrap a large, colored strap around our bags. Not something I really like doing, just for appearances, but (knock on wood) we worry a bit less.

[RD64]

Duct tape your initials on both sides.

[babysteps]

Yay for reunitiing with your bag!

Airtag or Tile could also help

[SteelCity Cruiser]

11 hours ago, ORV said:

I missed something here. How did you get the woman's number that took your bag and leave her a voice mail?

Her bag was still on the dock in the group next to ours. In fact, I first thought it was ours from a distance (we have azure blue Travel Pro and her's was a different brand, but similar color).  My TA suggested I take a photo of her luggage tag and the bag just in case, so I did call her but it went right to voice mail.  I left her a message and she texted me back several hours later.

[SteelCity Cruiser]

13 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

If that is the case, they won't likely know until they get home, so I'd be working on Plan 'A': buy replacements to get you through the rest of your trip.  As Plan 'B', in case your bag got left on the ship or misplaced on the dock, it's Oceania's "Port Agent" you need to track down.

 

Yeah, every time you step off a cruise ship you need to have the "Port Agent"s name and phone number (check Currents) for just this sort of thing or if you're too late back at a port of call.

 

One more thought (not that it will help you today).  Do *not* pack "his" and "her" suitcases.  Split your stuff between two suitcases so that if at least one suitcase shows up you can cope.

Calling the port agent was the next step when I got the woman's text.

 

I can tell you all that the next set of replacement luggage I buy will be the brightest, most obnoxiously colored/designed luggage I can find that is highly unlikely to be confused with someone elses!   LOL!!

[PhD-iva]

15 hours ago, RD64 said:

Duct tape your initials on both sides.

My father always did this! Great idea.
As for me, I wrap a colorful (sturdy) scarf around the handles.

[ToxM]

AirTags would have also been useful here. My stuff always travels with them now. 

[Snaefell3]

Glad you were reunited.

 

You'd think folks would be *real* careful about going through customs with someone else's bags.  😳

[GeezerCouple]

We always put a lot (a LOT) of really obnoxious, bold tape on the various sides of our luggage.  And we have a bunch of frilly-but-short streamers attached to the sides of the handles.  The current tape is bright reflective silvery, with multi-colored day-glow stars.  JUST what any 5- or 6-year old little girl would love! 😆

AND... our handles have special padded wraps "for comfort", but they are also very heavily textured.  There is NO way someone could accidently grab one of those and not realize instantly "something is *wrong*, even without looking! 😉

 

Yes, with those appearances, sometimes checking in at top hotels gets a sideways glance or ten...

 

Nevertheless, we are about to buy some Airtags for extra peace of mind.  They aren't that expensive for what they do.

 

We've only lost (and only temporarily) one bag thus far (knocking VERY hard on wood as I type these possibly doomed words!???).

DH got off a flight from a short consulting trip, so he only had a foldover checked bag, and not a huge one.  It was still back in the "plain black bag" days.

He found "his" plain black foldover bag.  He had to make a couple of phone calls.  By then, there was nothing else left for luggage for his flight but "his bag".  So he grabbed it and came home.

 

And worse, he didn't unpack immediately, being exhausted from travel and presentations, etc.  And then... and then... he went to unpack, a day or two later.

OOOPS!  NOT HIS BAG!  😱

We found some ID inside, thank goodness.  Called the number, and "that guy" was still at his conference near our town.  So we drove out to the conference center, and swapped bags.  That guy, at a professional conference, still seemed unaware he had the wrong bag when he got DH's call.  "Whatever..." 

 

We've been lucky all these years, and don't want to tempt fate.

Paying about $100 for a few Airtags seems like a rather inexpensive extra sacrificial offering to the Travel Gods...

 

GC