JLDMED Posted April 12, 2006 #1 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Well, it may not be a huge amount of money -- but it bugs me just the same. We began our Galaxy cruise on Feb 13, and returned on Feb 25. At every port (six) we stopped in, I mailed 7-10 postcards to various people. I paid the prevailing port rate (up to $1.25 a card for some ports) to the "bank" onboard, who in turn were to mail the postcards for me. As of April 11, NO ONE has received a post card! I know it takes a while to mail internationally...but it has been almost 2 months since our return! I get the feeling they ended up in a generic mail bag somewhere and never got sent. Has anyone else had this happen to them? Word to the wise -- mail your postcards yourself on shore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbean dreams Posted April 12, 2006 #2 Share Posted April 12, 2006 I always semd my postcards from the ship and they are received about 7 to 10 days later, I think you are right, somewhere on the ship there may be a bag of mail that was never sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocngypz Posted April 13, 2006 #3 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I've had pc's take up to 3 months from the Caribbean basin, Central America and South America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinelyCruising Posted April 13, 2006 #4 Share Posted April 13, 2006 ....so when the bag gets filled, they finally dump it. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuggers Posted April 13, 2006 #5 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I mailed about 10 in Bermuda through the Visitor's Bureau (who sold me the cards and stamps) and none of them ever were rec'd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrp96 Posted April 13, 2006 #6 Share Posted April 13, 2006 My best friend and I both mailed post cards at the same time on our 2nd cruise. All of hers made it (took about a month) while only about half of mine made it - and most of these were to the same people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 13, 2006 #7 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Hi Everyone ! I mailed postcards from a Cruise ship on more than 1 occasion, several years ago. Most of them were never recieved, and the rest ? I could have put a note in a bottle, and put it in the ocean.... and it would have had a better chance :) Bottom Line ? I would say... dont waste your time mailing postcards from a Cruise ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bethwte Posted April 13, 2006 #8 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I'm so sorry... that is why I buy pretty postcards and just keep them to look at for the memories, or give them to friends once home.... cheap, and easily packable. My kind of souvenir, LOL. Plus, even if I give them to friends when I get home, it would still probably be faster than mailing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjerryw Posted April 13, 2006 #9 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I think the crew members take your postcards and cross out the name and address of the intended recipient and replace it with the name and address of a friend or family member. It's a cheap way to send souvenir cards to their family as you have already paid for the postage and the nice card....:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mii Posted April 13, 2006 #10 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I never have mailed postcards while on the ship becaue it takes forever and sometimes the people never have gotten them. By the way this is not just a current problem. My Mother used to sail in the late 70's and 80's; she always mailed postcards to us and it would take months or not at all received. So I do not mail postcards. Marilyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubrrick Posted April 13, 2006 #11 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I think the crew members take your postcards and cross out the name and address of the intended recipient and replace it with the name and address of a friend or family member. It's a cheap way to send souvenir cards to their family as you have already paid for the postage and the nice card....:rolleyes: And they are written in English!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEESRE Posted April 13, 2006 #12 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Do like we do, buy them abroad and write them on the ship, take with you some stamps and mail them at home when you land off the plane. That way they get there so much faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjerryw Posted April 13, 2006 #13 Share Posted April 13, 2006 And they are written in English!:D Scottsdale, we were just there. Can you please mail me a carrot cake from the Paradise Bakery & Cafe on Scootsdale Road near the Intersection of Doubletree Ranch Road.....:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eliz2 Posted April 13, 2006 #14 Share Posted April 13, 2006 This happened to us too! We mailed postcards from the Mercury in January, and some of them did not arrive until mid-March! The worst part was that some of these were also thank-you notes for holiday gifts. I felt terrible that they took so long to get to some people. I knew they would probably take a bit longer coming from Mexico, but I never would have thought they would take up to 2 months. I guess we learned our lesson :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChoirMom Posted April 13, 2006 #15 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I'm not sure what it is about postcards and international mail. We mailed postcards to each of my children from the small town in Hungary where my father was born (mailed them from the town's post office) in July,2001. They finally arrived in November........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Posted April 13, 2006 #16 Share Posted April 13, 2006 This thread shows just how little we appreciate just what a great job the USPS does in this country. Here, we put something in the mail and correcly assume that, almost without fail, it will promptly arrive. All for a pittance. (I ask you, how much is commercial overnight service? And what else can you buy for $0.39?) Most of the rest of the world, including much of the Caribbean, is not so lucky. It seems that reliable mail service, particularly at a bargain price, is generally uncommon. As to those of you who have, utterly without evidence or basis, accused the eternally hard working crew members of minor league scullduggery, shame on you. Just accept the fact that mail service from the Caribbean is not what you expect in the US, and stop looking for someone to collect from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BindarDundat Posted April 13, 2006 #17 Share Posted April 13, 2006 On Mercury in February, I paid for postage at the ship's bank counter and gave them the cards to mail. The procedure is they give the outgoing mail to the ship's agent to mail. Well, the cards arrived, but postmarked a month after I had turned them in...so they sat with the port agent for a long time. Bindar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Walt Posted April 13, 2006 #18 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I have gone to cyber postcards. That means that I'm now sending periodic emails enroute that summarize what's up, and include a digital photo or two. The facts are that postcards mailed on board ship are delivered to local PO's. Many of the PO workers (esp. in Mexico) are less than honest and will remove the stamps for their own use or for resale. Cyber postcards are well received and get more than the 10-15 seconds of attention that snail mail postcards get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Charlie Posted April 13, 2006 #19 Share Posted April 13, 2006 This thread shows just how little we appreciate just what a great job the USPS does in this country. Here, we put something in the mail and correcly assume that, almost without fail, it will promptly arrive. All for a pittance. (I ask you, how much is commercial overnight service? And what else can you buy for $0.39?) Most of the rest of the world, including much of the Caribbean, is not so lucky. It seems that reliable mail service, particularly at a bargain price, is generally uncommon. As to those of you who have, utterly without evidence or basis, accused the eternally hard working crew members of minor league scullduggery, shame on you. Just accept the fact that mail service from the Caribbean is not what you expect in the US, and stop looking for someone to collect from. Amen to that. DH & I have left stamped post cards at the guest relations box onboard ship for mailing and have also treked to the local post office in ports of call to hand deliver cards to the post office for delivery back home. Always seems to be a crap shoot as to when those post cards will be delivered and if, in fact, they are ever received. I truly believe post cards left on ship for delivery at ports of call post offices are delivered to the local post offices. Also know that postal services in countries outside the USA aren't the same as what we have here at home. Have mailed many a post card during land travels in Europe. Dropped them off at local post offices there and the cards were often received here at home 2 to 3 months later. Some got lost somewhere on the trip across the ocean. On the other hand, I remember receiving Christmas cards delivered by the mailman on Christmas Day when we lived in Berlin, Germany back in the '60s. The mailmen actually had rounds to make on Christmas morning to ensure Christmas greetings were received by the right time.:) Dianne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morebeaches Posted April 13, 2006 #20 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I think you should get a free cruise! ok flame suit on, check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjerryw Posted April 13, 2006 #21 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I think you should get a free cruise! With free first class airfare of course......:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonLou Posted April 13, 2006 #22 Share Posted April 13, 2006 This is fascinating. It's like what happens to socks when you put them in the washer and dryer. Invariably,there will be a missing sock or two and someday in the future, the missing sock mysteriously shows up. I think post cards follow the same weird law of physics that socks are subject to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Charlie Posted April 13, 2006 #23 Share Posted April 13, 2006 This is fascinating. It's like what happens to socks when you put them in the washer and dryer. Invariably,there will be a missing sock or two and someday in the future, the missing sock mysteriously shows up. I think post cards follow the same weird law of physics that socks are subject to. Invariably a missing sock shows up in the drain pipe of my washing machine which causes a whole new scenerio in my laundry room!:( Missing post cards can journey home like a bad dog that has been too long missing from the back yard.:D Dianne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted April 13, 2006 #24 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I've had the best luck mailing from a US post office in San Juan or St. Thomas. Even if I bought the postcards in St. Maarten or Tortola, I mailed them from a US territory. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balcony queen Posted April 13, 2006 #25 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Ihave never had any problems with postcards not being delivered that I left for posting on the ship. I believe they are given to the ships agent as we leave port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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