Lost Luggage and our NCL cruise to Alaska

[petalpalz]

My husband and I had the misfortune of having our luggage lost by the airline on our recent cruise to Alaska. We traveled from Monterey to SFO to Vancouver. Our luggage stayed behind in SFO due to :mad: poor handling by Air Canada and United. We weren't the only ones on our flight to lose luggage. There were quite a few pieces lost on our flight as the lost luggage line was quite long. I have always had good luck with luggage and didn't take the usual precautions :o (carrying a second set of clothes, medications, and carrying a jacket), so we were really unprepared for this kind of eventuality. Our cruise started on Sunday, and our luggage didn't catch up with us until Wednesday night.

The staff on the NCL Sun was outstanding. They offered us warm sweaters and a jacket on loan until our luggage was found. They followed up frequently with the Airlines to try to track our luggage. They offered us free daily express laundry service and complimentary toiletry packs. These services were life savers for me.

I can't say enough for how this was handled by NCL. With the casual dress code and versatile clothes that I wore for travel, we managed very nicely.

I think the trip would have been ruined if the cruise line was more formal as I would have felt terribly out of place with my casual capri khaki pants, open backed sketchers, and casual top.

Distastrous as it felt at the time, we still had a wonderful trip, and incidently, once the luggage arrived... I felt overwhelmed by the bulk of it.(and realized I overpacked) :)

[Cosmopolitan]

Great post...thanks for sharing.

 

I'm sure that everyone will appreciate your experience, insight and how NCL/and you handled it all.

 

This is the reason why we travel with meds., in our carry-on and dress in boarding clothes that we could wear to dinner if we had to:)

[F5Loar]

We try to book non-stop flights for this very reason....lost luggage because it does happen and seems to more likely happen when doing connecting flights. It happens more often then you think so it is a good idea to carry as big a carry on as you can with those thing you know you can't do without.

Glad NCL helped out.

[jennew]

You have a great attitude about what some would consider to be a disaster. I am glad you were able to enjoy your cruise anyway.

[Harley3801]

That's somewhat of a nightmare . . . . our luggage was lost at the end of our June trip to AK . . . we got home Sunday evening and our luggage got home late Monday night. Definitely the better situation!

[candygirl27540]

Did you book air with NCL or on your own? Glad to hear things worked out OK for you.

[petalpalz]

I booked via expedia because we had to finesse some post cruise travel arrangements. It didn't seem to matter to NCL that I didn't have travel insurance or with whom I booked. They just were trying to help me have a good experience in spite of the major inconvenience of lost luggage. Good for them, I say!:)

[petalpalz]

You have a great attitude about what some would consider to be a disaster. I am glad you were able to enjoy your cruise anyway.

 

Thanks! It wasn't that hard to have a good attitude considering there was so much to do and we had such a lovely cabin. Ours was an aft mini suite with a lovely large balcony. And our room steward was so thoughtful and sympathetic. It's hard to pout when you are being pampered and when every experience is new! It was a virgin cruise for us, but NOT our last.

[petalpalz]

That's somewhat of a nightmare . . . . our luggage was lost at the end of our June trip to AK . . . we got home Sunday evening and our luggage got home late Monday night. Definitely the better situation!

 

I have to agree, however, our vacation was continuing in southern california and not having our luggage at the END of the trip wouldn't have been any fun either!!! But fortunately, it arrived with us. What cruise did you take? The Vancouver or Seattle? Did it start on the 17th or the 24?

[petalpalz]

sorry duplicate