Holland America's Lost and Found Department

[GmaPajama]

I had a phone call from Holland America last night. Do you know how exciting it is when caller id shows Holland America - oh my! Though I first thought they were calling to give me a complimentary PH upgrade (yeah, right) ... it turned out that an IPOD was left in a cabin we recently had, and they were looking for the owner. It wasn't us, but I was sure impressed that HAL tries so hard to clear their lost and found. Actively searching for the owner - instead of just trying to match items and claims - takes their customer service to another level. In my book, anyway.

Just thought I'd post a good word for great policy.

[May4]

All the little extra niceties and efforts have a way of piling up. It all counts for a great reputation, HAL employees. That's what brings us back.

And to you, Gma Pajama, may the next message be about that free cruise in the penthouse;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I sure hope that HAL went to all that trouble with the small jewelry box we found in our safe on a ship a couple of years ago -- turned it into our concierges.

[our turn]

Our last Eurodam cruise, there was an album containing pictures of a lovely elderly couple at their vow renewal delivered to our cabin. Trouble was, we had no idea who they were. We turned them into the concierge in the NL and hoped for the best. We will never know but I do hope it was returned.

Kim

[PROCRUISE]

I had a phone call from Holland America last night. Do you know how exciting it is when caller id shows Holland America - oh my! Though I first thought they were calling to give me a complimentary PH upgrade (yeah, right) ... it turned out that an IPOD was left in a cabin we recently had, and they were looking for the owner. It wasn't us, but I was sure impressed that HAL tries so hard to clear their lost and found. Actively searching for the owner - instead of just trying to match items and claims - takes their customer service to another level. In my book, anyway.

Just thought I'd post a good word for great policy.

We were likewise pleasantly surprised when dumb me left 6 bottles of vitamins and other heathy supplements, that I take daily, in a drawer in our cabin when we disembarked. HAL located the bottles, contacted me, AND paid the shipping charges to send them back to me!

[GmaPajama]

We were likewise pleasantly surprised when dumb me left 6 bottles of vitamins and other heathy supplements, that I take daily, in a drawer in our cabin when we disembarked. HAL located the bottles, contacted me, AND paid the shipping charges to send them back to me!
THEY paid the shipping? Can't get much better than that - Amazing!

[IRL_Joanie]

That's OUR HAL!!!

And cruisers from other lines wonder why we are such devoted lovers of HAL.

Joanie

[Spendogirl]

My husband left his car keys and some change in the safe on the Zaandam in February, within a couple of weeks it had been returned to us along with all the pennies and other loose change.. :D:D

[aussiedisneyfan]

Were you on the Volendam? lol. We lost ours last December and it never showed up!

[GmaPajama]

Were you on the Volendam? lol. We lost ours last December and it never showed up!
Sorry, it was the Zuiderdam.
If yours was lost last December, I'd have to guess it might have been picked up by another passenger or something. :(

[0verboard]

It wasn't us, but I was sure impressed that HAL tries so hard to clear their lost and found. Actively searching for the owner - instead of just trying to match items and claims - takes their customer service to another level. In my book, anyway.
It was all well and good until my friend's wife got a call that they discovered some undergarments that she left in her room. A few days later, the package arrived, with.. wait a second... CHARLES? CHARLES! THIS ISN'T MINE! WHO WAS THIS STRANGE WOMAN YOU INVITED TO OUR STATEROOM? ...CHARLES? CHARLES!!

We'll never know if Holland America got the right room or the right stay for that one. At least he had plausable deniability.

[GmaPajama]

It was all well and good until my friend's wife got a call that they discovered some undergarments that she left in her room. A few days later, the package arrived, with.. wait a second... CHARLES? CHARLES! THIS ISN'T MINE! WHO WAS THIS STRANGE WOMAN YOU INVITED TO OUR STATEROOM? ...CHARLES? CHARLES!! ...
That is just TOO TOO funny! :)

[Hutch&Pat]

I didn't want to be contacted or have anyone be in trouble, so I left a note with the old binoculars and book of the sailing area "Free - please donate or recycle".
Pat

[Cruisergal1208]

I too am impressed with HAL's service. I left a suitcase (empty) under the bed and we were already home before we knew we left it. Contacted them and they shipped it to me, no charge. If you are wondering why I did not need it to repack, I had won one of those nice bags on wheels while on board and used it for packing to return home. Now we are going to take pictures of all the luggage and make sure we have the same on the return trip.

[mcgugisa]

These stories are all wonderful; I wish we had a similar one. We cruised on the Ryndam in late May / early June 2011 and left our iPad in our room. It was certainly our fault, but we were disappointed in the response from Holland America. We knew exactly where we left it, in which room and who our stewards were. We contacted our travel agent immediately (less than 24 hours after disembarking), who contacted HAL. It took them 6 weeks to tell us they couldn't find it. I know there is a lot of confusion and many steps along the road to returning a lost item, but with all of the details we provided, this really frustrates me.

[GmaPajama]

My, this is an old thread.

I'm so sorry you lost your ipad - that's not a cheap little toy. Sadly, there's always the chance that the new cabin occupants came into possession of your ipad - and no amount of searching by Holland America is going to turn it up. But I do agree ... 6 weeks is a long time to wait for a response.

[AZNative2000]

These stories are all wonderful; I wish we had a similar one. We cruised on the Ryndam in late May / early June 2011 and left our iPad in our room. It was certainly our fault, but we were disappointed in the response from Holland America. We knew exactly where we left it, in which room and who our stewards were. We contacted our travel agent immediately (less than 24 hours after disembarking), who contacted HAL. It took them 6 weeks to tell us they couldn't find it. I know there is a lot of confusion and many steps along the road to returning a lost item, but with all of the details we provided, this really frustrates me.Welcome to Cruisecritic.

Alas, you getting your missing item back could depend on the next occupants of your cabin being honest and either turning in your item or, at least, NOT saying "Oh, that's mine!" when asked about it. By the time you called, the new cruisers had been in that room for a day and may have already discovered your I-Pad and made it "theirs".:(

[3rdGenCunarder]

Welcome to Cruisecritic.

Alas, you getting your missing item back could depend on the next occupants of your cabin being honest and either turning in your item or, at least, NOT saying "Oh, that's mine!" when asked about it. By the time you called, the new cruisers had been in that room for a day and may have already discovered your I-Pad and made it "theirs".:(

I'm sure that happens a lot. I have had good luck with "left behind" items, so if I find something, I pass along the favor and turn it in.

[Watson's aunt]

I have two stories . I went to Mendenhall glacier on the bus. There were a lot of ships in port so the bus had a mix of people from all the ships. I had my big camera's and my brothers small camera in my pocket. well It fell out. I knew it as soon as I dropped my back pack off in my cabin. It was gone and I knew where it happened. I ran and waited for the bus to come after its return trip. No camera. I was upset one because its not my camera and the loss of photo's. the next morning I got a call someone found the camera. He told me he was tring to figure out who's camera it was. Its the only think I was carrying without a address lable. He found my photo on it the only photo I have of me in Alaska . Funny thing is his cabin was across from mine.



one day at sea while I was walking around the deck I saw what I thought some one's journal. I walk around a few times and it was still there, so I picked it up. It was one of those knook's it was a little damp it had a cover with someone's name on it. I went to front desk and told them I fould it. they ask where and what my room number was. They told me they had no one with that name on the ship. but they took it. I never heard a word. I wondering now if the front desk gave the person my name. I did ask was it claimed and it was.

Mary

[1cruiselvr]

I think the first applause goes to the room stewards that find the item(s) in the rooms and give them to ship mgmt. Second applause goes to the people that stay in the cabin after item(s) are left. They have to be honest and give the item(s) to ship mgmt. when discovered. Without these 2 groups being honest, helpful folks, HAL is helpless. 3rd applause goes to HAL mgmt for paying shipping costs to return item(s) to pax when found. Happy Sailing!

[Krazy Kruizers]

These stories are all wonderful; I wish we had a similar one. We cruised on the Ryndam in late May / early June 2011 and left our iPad in our room. It was certainly our fault, but we were disappointed in the response from Holland America. We knew exactly where we left it, in which room and who our stewards were. We contacted our travel agent immediately (less than 24 hours after disembarking), who contacted HAL. It took them 6 weeks to tell us they couldn't find it. I know there is a lot of confusion and many steps along the road to returning a lost item, but with all of the details we provided, this really frustrates me.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I am so sorry that you lost your iPad and HAL couldn't find it.

[Cruisergal1208]

These stories are all wonderful; I wish we had a similar one. We cruised on the Ryndam in late May / early June 2011 and left our iPad in our room. It was certainly our fault, but we were disappointed in the response from Holland America. We knew exactly where we left it, in which room and who our stewards were. We contacted our travel agent immediately (less than 24 hours after disembarking), who contacted HAL. It took them 6 weeks to tell us they couldn't find it. I know there is a lot of confusion and many steps along the road to returning a lost item, but with all of the details we provided, this really frustrates me.

You may try contacting the Hotel Manager of the Ryndam. That is who helped locate my missing luggage.

[bet410]

This is somewhat related, and it was my very first experience with HAL.

We were doing a cruise-tour in Alaska, with the tour being before the cruise. During our overnight in Denali, we took the Mt McKinley excursion - something like eight hours on the bus. It was very late when we got off the bus. I had a bunch of things in my hands so I didn't notice that I did NOT have my purse! I didn't realize it until several minutes later when I went to pay for post cards at the hotel gift shop.

I immediately went to the hotel manager - big mistake. He could have cared less! Needless to say, I was in a state of total panic because my purse had all my ID in it, passport, credit cards., etc. I noticed a light on in the HAL office nearby so went there with little hope as by now it was about 11:00 PM. The door was locked, so I started to leave, but a moment later a young man came to the door. He invited us in and when I explained the situation, he immediately called the bus service. They checked the bus, found my purse, and the young man drove me to the gate of the bus facility to get my purse.

I tried to tip him, but he refused it, saying it was just part of his job. I got his name, and when I got home, I wrote a detailed letter to the corporate offices in Seattle to tell them. This young man quite literally saved my vacation, not to mention the problems that come with losing a purse or wallet!

Needless to say, I was sold on HAL before I ever got on my first ship!