Sad end to our Grand Cruise

[cruisenwithchris1]

Hi Mary,

Don't assume the TSA locks are better, they are not!

My husband had his laptop and ipod stolen from our luggage last November on the RC Mariner of the Seas that he put out the night before. He also has learned a valuable lesson about what he should/shouldn't leave in the hall. We did not notice the luggage was tampered with until we returned back to the hotel and unlocked the suitcase (with a TSA lock). They were both missing.

You would think if a crew member mysterisouly ended up with a laptop and ipod someone might ask questions?? So we think it might have been the handlers the next morning. Who knows? It just makes me sick when people act this way, what makes people take things that don't belong to them?

I also now use the plastic ties to know if someone has been in my luggage....better then nothing!

Happy Cruising

Chris

[cecilterwiliger]

its been said TSA or cable ties. problem with cable ties is that if they are cut off you still never know by whom. TSA locks with the "it was opened" indicator is the way to go.

Last year, I had the "it was opened" indicator on my luggage on a cruise beginning and ending in Rome. One bag was opened by what was shown on the indicator. It happened sometime between the time that I put it out in the hall and got it back at SFO. We had one stop in ATL on the way back. All the TSA locks told me that it was opened by someone with a TSA key, that's all, not when and where it happened. Not really much more help than a cable tie or the regular TSA locks. As far as I could tell, nothing was taken, so my best guess is that, at the airport in Rome, they were inspecting a transformer that I had in the bag. They didn't leave a note like the TSA does, though,

[kenexx]

If you arrive in LA on a cruise, thinking specifically of my upcoming Sapphire, would the TSA be liable to go through your baggage that is left out the night before?

 

I thought they would only possibly go through it if you were departing a port in the United States.

 

One is very tempted to rush out and buy some of those realistic rubber snakes and put one on the top of all the stuff in the bags :D

 

Possibly this may not be a good idea however :eek:

 

Maurice

[lovetosew]

I think that we were on the same cruise as you last year. It was the one that left out of Osaka and debarked in Beijing. We did the land portion after the cruise (Yangtze river-Warriors fabulous!} but flew back out of Beijing (Nov 3) on the way home. Walker was missing his navy jacket when we arrived home and thought that we may have lost it in Beijing. Hard to belive with all those TSA guards!. It was a great cruise and we did not let it bother us too much. This year after last years experience we have bought real TSA locks with key locks instead of the plastic ties because we are going through Italy and Spain on the Emerald and are just skiddish about all that we have read and heard, and our last experience. As an aside Jackie was a fabulous tour director and I hope that he is doing well.

[Snoozeman]

So sorry for the DH. Lots of good suggestions here.

[lovetosew]

After I had time to think about it, our flight went through via Minniapolis on Northwest. Walker stuffed his jacket in the outside pocket of the suitcase. This theft makes more sense stateside that Beijing. There theft is life in prision or execution, here in the States it is 6 months probation. See you on the next cruise.

[fireflytx]

its been said TSA or cable ties. problem with cable ties is that if they are cut off you still never know by whom. TSA locks with the "it was opened" indicator is the way to go.

 

 

Where can you purchase TSA locks?

[SusieS]

Please don't put blame on Princess without knowing for sure. What a shame to let the unknown control future travel plans.

[Stevesan]

A good argument in favor of Express Disembarkation. We remove at least one source of temptation.

[whm]

TSA locks are only allowed for domestic flying within the US and international departures FROM the US. The whole purpose of them is that the TSA has the only keys to open the locks and those keys are very carefully tracked. Outside of the US we use zip ties.

[A Sixth?]

We always need to fly to the cruise ship because we live too far from most of the ports we like to sail from. We try to carry our bags off with us because we can't lie to the airline like the majority of cruise people do to the question "have your bags been out of your sight since packing them?" If you say yes, they get the sure fire rifling through by security and since we now pack our liquor in check on, cant carry it on any more, we worry that the officials won't take care to repack as well as we did. :mad:

 

We're almost more worried about somebody putting something into them then taking stuff out.

 

too bad the watch is gone....

[Dee]

Why are the cruise line employees and passengers being blamed for this? Things dissappear from bags in the airports when they are being inspected. Don't pack anything in your bags that you don't want to lose. :(

[KCCruiseGals]

Sorry to hear about your watch. I had some jewlery taken out of a suitcase when it went through airport screening. Now that TSA hand checks many bags, it is easy for them to see something they would like. Sad, but true.

[rjack22]

Why would you put a laptop in your luggage that you set out the night before?

 

Never...ever...put valuables in the luggage you set out.

[SaylorGirl]

Why are the cruise line employees and passengers being blamed for this? Things dissappear from bags in the airports when they are being inspected. Don't pack anything in your bags that you don't want to lose. :(

 

I believe the original poster is from Houston and they were sailing on the Grand out of Galveston, they would not have used an aircraft.

[davejohn]

Where can you purchase TSA locks?

 

You can find them at any luggage store. I bought this set from Ebags.com

 

Dave

[piper28]

I tend to think these days that it's probably a little naive to think that TSA are the only people with the keys that open the TSA locks. It's been long enough that I'm sure they've been compromised.

 

Zip ties have worked for me well enough. Most luggage locks aren't going to stop someone that has more than a few seconds from getting in luggage anyways.

[jlp20]

I tend to think these days that it's probably a little naive to think that TSA are the only people with the keys that open the TSA locks. It's been long enough that I'm sure they've been compromised....

 

 

These keys are like any other cheap lock. Local super stores have rows of these things. Just like the old "American Touristor" suitcases, one key fits all. With the "new" rules, I would never put anything of value or anything that could not be replaced like a memory stick.

[cruisenwithchris1]

rjack,

This is what I needed to tell my husband....the night before, I told him not to, but he wanted to, so he did.....of course totally regrets his choice of trusting everyone. I can't believe I didn't at least insist on putting his ipod in my purse.

Oh well, live and learn, it won't make it any better for me to say "I told you so" now....he knows it now.

A week of cruising (even with the theft) is still better then a week of anything else!

Take care,

Chris