Luggage dropped into water

[Havinsnest]

I read on here a while back about a lady on the Conquest that her luggage went to the bottom of the Galveston Bay. If I remember correctly it was during Embarkation.

This might have been me. It was at Debarkation in Galveston on December 30, 2007.

 

As the forklift driver was moving a metal container full of luggage two pieces fell off and into the Gulf. We were originally told both pieces were ours but in reality one was ours and the other belonged to another cruise critic couple who'd been our next door neighbor and dinner mates.

 

Carnival treated us very well. In addition to extra care getting off the ship with the ship's 2nd purser we were put into the care of a pier supervisor who walked us through Customs (no standing in line) and who acted as our porter once we got all our luggage. We have been given our next cruise at 50% off the cost (more or less buy one get one free) and reimbursement of all the things that were ruined (the suitcase itself, my husband's dress shoes and 3 of his silk ties, several shirts, etc).

 

Chief Purser, Phil Holmes, gave us a business card with the reference number on it and he'd already filled a report and we knew about the discounted next cruise and reimbursement before we left the ship that morning. Since it was a holiday week I had planned to call Carnival on January 2. They called me before I had the chance to call them.

 

I hope the OP was treated as well as we were. I have bragged about Carnival's customer service to everyone who hears our wet luggage story. We are thankful for how wonderful it was handled.

[jetskier]

I was thinking the same thing. The bag still might have been ruined but at least the contents would have survived.

 

Unless the bag sunk and the $2000 worth of dive computers and regulators were lost. Getting it wet would not have been that big of a deal to me other than the dive log book.

 

Dave

[gazingm42]

Pick a porter with an almost empty cart. Then even if it hits the curb YOURS won't go flying... OH MY!! I would be going crazy at the terminal!!

 

But those porter carts are emptied and your bags are placed in these fork

lift style cages...

 

It must be a common practice to loose bags in the water. As I seen nets by

the ramps on several ports. Several loads I have seen have been overloaded

and could easily go in.

 

[gazingm42]

I never thought about this before, but does luggage float? How much time does one have to get it before it sinks? How much luggage just sinks and goes away and no one says a thing about the loss? Can someone purchase a waterproof floating suitcase? Maybe I will pack everything in a Coleman cooler!

 

This is why a love CC, just when you think you see it all, someone comes along with a whole new topic.

 

Depends how much booze you stuffed into that bag!!!!

[IndyGirl]

This is one of the reasons we use the space saving pak bags and split our clothes between each suitcase. We never pack 1 suitcase with just 1 person's clothes in it. I would rather know that if 1 suitcase is lost I've only lost part of our clothes and not all of 1 person's.

 

Fortunately on all of our cruises we've not seen or heard of anyone's luggage taking a dive.

 

 

Good idea, I'm going to use it!

[Havinsnest]

But those porter carts are emptied and your bags are placed in these fork

lift style cages...

 

It must be a common practice to loose bags in the water. As I seen nets by

the ramps on several ports. Several loads I have seen have been overloaded

and could easily go in.

 

 

And the cage like thing is where our luggage fell from. One bag hit the netting, bounced down into the water and was wet but retrievable. The other bag missed the netting and went into the water. We were told it had to be retrieved by a diver.

[jae1969]

I was on this same ship in January and they really did a job on my luggage, as I had to replace it. I feel that Carnival should take a serious look at the way our luggage is handled by their personeel, as it appears it is their employees are extremely careless at this port (and I am sure all of the other ports). They should be held fully responsible for this luggage as it is most likely Carnival personnel responsible for this "accident".... This has become an issue with me because on my last two cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale my luggage has been damaged unrepairable.

 

Please remember that Carnival does not employ the porters. :)

[VentureMan_2000]

And the cage like thing is where our luggage fell from. One bag hit the netting, bounced down into the water and was wet but retrievable. The other bag missed the netting and went into the water. We were told it had to be retrieved by a diver.

 

 

 

Those Port Authority workers are as talentated as I have heard about... to those who do not TIP...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK... joke... just a joke... :D

[AZaTaz]

I am suprised this does not happen more often. One of my favorite pasttimes when we get on early, which is almost always, is to watch them load the ship. I have seen bags dropped and run over, dropped and caught by the net and then those that miss the net and go into the water. The dock works in each case do not get all that excited and I take this to mean it happens all the time.

These people are not cruise line people so no it is not the cruise lines fault.

[nolaAlive]

As my son's luggage was being taken from Miracle to the pier Sunday, it fell into the water! When we could not locate his bag in the numbered areas, we discovered it off to a side wall inside a black garbage bag. One of the porters asked if something inside was leaking. When we opened the bag, his luggage and its contents were soaked and dripping with salt water. Nasty!

 

Has anyone else had this happen, or are we just incredibly unlucky?

 

It is not common at all. It does happen occasionally.

 

A leaking suitcase is more common - particularly if someone doesn't know how to pack liquor or (gasp) red wine!

[lisad63]

This might have been me. It was at Debarkation in Galveston on December 30, 2007.

 

As the forklift driver was moving a metal container full of luggage two pieces fell off and into the Gulf. We were originally told both pieces were ours but in reality one was ours and the other belonged to another cruise critic couple who'd been our next door neighbor and dinner mates.

 

Carnival treated us very well. In addition to extra care getting off the ship with the ship's 2nd purser we were put into the care of a pier supervisor who walked us through Customs (no standing in line) and who acted as our porter once we got all our luggage. We have been given our next cruise at 50% off the cost (more or less buy one get one free) and reimbursement of all the things that were ruined (the suitcase itself, my husband's dress shoes and 3 of his silk ties, several shirts, etc).

 

Chief Purser, Phil Holmes, gave us a business card with the reference number on it and he'd already filled a report and we knew about the discounted next cruise and reimbursement before we left the ship that morning. Since it was a holiday week I had planned to call Carnival on January 2. They called me before I had the chance to call them.

 

I hope the OP was treated as well as we were. I have bragged about Carnival's customer service to everyone who hears our wet luggage story. We are thankful for how wonderful it was handled.

 

 

No, we weren't treated as well as you. No one contacted us on the ship to let us know about the dropped bag, no one has contacted us since we got home on the 30th, and there was no offer for a discount on a future cruise.

 

I sent a letter today with my receipts for cleaning and replacement of a couple of items. If they offered to give us a discount on a future cruise (50% off sounds nice!), we would accept that with a smile and feel much better about the situation. We'll see.....

[sassy0930]

WOW!! I posted earlier about getting on the bottom because in Port Canaveral it didn't look like different cages when they were loading them on. but of course they would have to screen those bags, so they must be reloaded. I'm corrected again!! DRATS!!

[mek]

This happened to my son and DIL on Princess in NY. Princess promptly paid his claim. We were all impressed how it was handled.

[Tbay-eh]

Are you all freaking crazy - there is no space for luggage to fall between the ship and dock. It was probably the water-soda-booze-beer that broke and wet your luggage

[SaltyBunni]

My hubby thought I was crazy when I packed everything in pilot cases.

 

I got one to two pilot cases per person, and a child with a backpack.

 

We carry on everything - and carry it back off too :)

 

I do not like to be parted from my luggage - ever.

[tinlizzy]

My hubby thought I was crazy when I packed everything in pilot cases.

 

I got one to two pilot cases per person, and a child with a backpack.

 

We carry on everything - and carry it back off too :)

 

I do not like to be parted from my luggage - ever.

 

LOL - did you show him this thread?

[SaltyBunni]

LOL - did you show him this thread?

 

*hehe*

 

I definitely should! He'd never question my judgement on that again! :D

[louie_jr2005]

I was on this same ship in January and they really did a job on my luggage, as I had to replace it. I feel that Carnival should take a serious look at the way our luggage is handled by their personeel, as it appears it is their employees are extremely careless at this port (and I am sure all of the other ports). They should be held fully responsible for this luggage as it is most likely Carnival personnel responsible for this "accident".... This has become an issue with me because on my last two cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale my luggage has been damaged unrepairable.

 

 

the porters are not employees of carnival they do work on the own and are not connected to carnival in any way shape or form.

[steve4040]

It is not helpful to repeatedly state that this issue is not Carnival's legal responsibility. This does not even help Carnival. I am new to cruising, and am greatful for the cruise critic. In sureveying the other boards about other cruise lines, it seems to me that Carnival consistently outperforms other cruise line. So I hardly think that Carnival is at risk because of this thread.

 

These porters may not be Carnival employees . . . but they are getting paid by somebody, and somebody must be contracting with Carnival to get the luggage on and off. Also, they are the first impression and last impression that people have on their cruise. Having your luggage lost at any point is not a good experience and would erase most of the positive experiences from a cruise.

 

 

Now if I am sitting on the ship watching these guys do a half ass job of loading luggage, that does not give me a positive experience either. Most people know that airlines are responsible to a point for lost luggage, and they will assume the same with Carnival. Now this may be an erroneous assumption, but the issue could be avoided if these luggage handlers presented a more professional attitude about their job.

 

It seems to me that Carnival should at least monitor this, if it is really the problem that it appears to be, an encourage the port authorities to correct the actions of the employees, or who ever is in control of them.

 

Now I don't know the exact details of who does what with cruise ships, and i think it is important to focus on the overall issue and how to correct them to focus in details.

[jkeivel11]

I've contemplated the vacuum sealing clothes, but how do you vacuum seal them for the way home?

[Cruiser from MS]

It is not helpful to repeatedly state that this issue is not Carnival's legal responsibility. This does not even help Carnival. I am new to cruising, and am greatful for the cruise critic. In sureveying the other boards about other cruise lines, it seems to me that Carnival consistently outperforms other cruise line. So I hardly think that Carnival is at risk because of this thread.

 

These porters may not be Carnival employees . . . but they are getting paid by somebody, and somebody must be contracting with Carnival to get the luggage on and off. Also, they are the first impression and last impression that people have on their cruise. Having your luggage lost at any point is not a good experience and would erase most of the positive experiences from a cruise.

 

 

Now if I am sitting on the ship watching these guys do a half ass job of loading luggage, that does not give me a positive experience either. Most people know that airlines are responsible to a point for lost luggage, and they will assume the same with Carnival. Now this may be an erroneous assumption, but the issue could be avoided if these luggage handlers presented a more professional attitude about their job.

 

It seems to me that Carnival should at least monitor this, if it is really the problem that it appears to be, an encourage the port authorities to correct the actions of the employees, or who ever is in control of them.

 

Now I don't know the exact details of who does what with cruise ships, and i think it is important to focus on the overall issue and how to correct them to focus in details.

 

 

I could not agree with you more. I have always tipped the porters very well and I have always been very nice to them, but on my last two cruises with Carnival they totally destroyed my luggage. That should not be allowed to happen no matter who employes them, and I to believe that Carnival should take some of the responsibility for the way our luggage is handled since it is being loaded onto a Carnival ship for a Carnival passenger. Carnival should make the Port Authority, or who ever is in charge of these porters, do the job they are getting paid to do and make them do it well.

[jcanino]

I doubt it...have seen some very gross people at hedonism and i heard it's like that on the cruise also,anyways

 

When people ask me what type of guests they will see at the Hedonism resorts, I tell them to go to WalMart or Target and look around. It is sort of like that old movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. :D

[dan40]

The porters mantra,

 

NO TIPS, DEEP SIX :p:D

 

dan

[Rowan555]

When people ask me what type of guests they will see at the Hedonism resorts, I tell them to go to WalMart or Target and look around. It is sort of like that old movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. :D

 

 

Yeah, someone should sue them for false advertising ;) - all the "guests" in the photos are gorgeous! We've considered going, but that's a lot of money to spend to see your average Wal Mart crowd waddling around in g strings...

[Cuizer2]

When people ask me what type of guests they will see at the Hedonism resorts, I tell them to go to WalMart or Target and look around.

Should they go to Wal*Mart and/or Target before or after their luggage gets dropped in the water?