Weird situation with luggage

Hello everyone,

Needing an advice from someone who experienced something like this, I'll to make this story short.

We are Russian family who bought a Carribbean cruise on NCL Epic from Dec,01 till Dec,08. The scary things began to happen right from the start, when we arrived to Miami Intl. Airport one day before the cruise and didn't find one of our bags.

Airline (Air France) representative told us that they failed to transfer the luggage during the connection in Paris and offered to deliver the luggage to Miami next day on the same flight.

The problem was that we still couldn't receive the luggage because our ship (NCL Epic) was scheduled to leave Miami on the same day - December, 1. In these circumstances, Air France promised to deliver the luggage to the first shore port on our way - St.Maarten. So we fullfilled the claim and left the airport hoping to meet the bag on St.Maarten.

On the next day, right after the embarkation procedures on Epic, we let the Guest Service desk know about the luggage problem. They fullfilled all required forms and started to make calls trying to provide luggage delivery to the ship all the way.

Despite of all effort by Guest Service officers, the luggage was not delivered to the ship, and nobody on Guest Service desk had any idea where it was. At the same time, during the cruise, my wife had almost nothing to wear because all of her clothes and footwear were located in the lost bag.

Finally, one day before disembarkation, somebody told on the phone that the luggage is found and located in Miami Intl. Airport. But Air France representatives in the airport declined this information.

At the end of December, when my vacation was already over, Air France informed me by e-mail that the luggage was lost completely and paid the compensation for the loss.

Considering the story was over, I got e-mail from NCL:

Good Morning Mr....,

 

I am emailing you in regards to your luggage. Your luggage is currently in the Norwegian Cruise Line headquarters in Miami. Please let me know where you would like your luggage sent to.

 

Best regards

 

Michelle | Lost & Found Coordinator

Norwegian Cruise Line

So I gave them my home address hoping to get the luggage finally, but to my surprise they asked: "Can you please explain to me how your luggage was lost?". I explained, and after this I'm still waiting for some kind of reply from NCL.

I consider that NCL will try to deliver the luggage to my home address by Air France. The questions bothering me are following:

- Does Air France have any reasons to ask me to return the money compensation they already paid?

- Is it worth to try to make it clear who is responsible for all of this stuff?

From your story it seems pretty clear that AF have the responsibility for your lost luggage and have admitted so by paying you compensation. I would check with the airline on what happens now. Technically they have paid you for your loss and now are the proud owners of your lost luggage. They may return it, they may return it but ask for their compensation back or they might just keep it. AF are the ones with your answers as I see it.

You need to do what you think is right. Send the money back to AF after you receive the bags, or forget about AF and tell NCL where to send your bag.

At this point, you really don't know if your bag is intact, or if it really is your bag.

Wait and see if you bags arrive safely and in good condition.

If they do and you want to be honest, then return the money.

You need to do what you think is right. Send the money back to AF after you receive the bags, or forget about AF and tell NCL where to send your bag.

 

At this point, you really don't know if your bag is intact, or if it really is your bag.

Ask NCL to send a photo of the luggage so you can confirm it is yours, and that it looks undamaged. But wait until the bag is returned and you can make sure all your items are there, and not damaged.

Since you live in Russia and AF is an airline in the EU, it's possible that Russian or EU laws may help you.

Although I am a very honest person and would normally say return the money, in this case AF deserves not to be told. They ruined your and your wifes dream holiday and on top of that they added extra shock by saying the luggage was lost completely. As far as AF is concerned, the case is closed.

Thanks everyone.

After a while NCL wrote me the following:

Hi Alex,

 

I am not able to ship items from the US to Russia. I am trying to get a hold of our NCL UK office to make arrangements with them to send it to you.

 

If the UK office is able to ship to Russia, I will have your luggage sent to them in the UK and then have them forward the luggage onto you.

 

I will update once I hear back from them

 

Best regards

 

Michelle | Lost & Found Coordinator

Norwegian Cruise Line ®

So it seems like they don't do anything with AF. I don't know if they really tried to get a hold with UK, but about 5 days have passed since I got the message above, and they didn't write anything more.

In my opinion, both AF and NCL did more lapses than I initially thought. AF not only lost the luggage during the flight, they didn't keep the information that the bag had been transferred to NCL and lost it's track because of that. In their turn, NCL after receiveng the luggage haven't done anything until now, when I'm far away from Miami. And now they say that they are "not able to ship items to Russia", as if Russia is somewhere on Venus and it takes some not-yet-developed spaceship to deliver the bag here. Frustrating.

i would keep the $$$ even if i got my bags back. you were still w/out ur luggage for an entire trip and didnt get it like you were told you would.. compensation for aggrivation and no clothing on your trip. not just for loosing the luggage. which it sounds like you still dont have...

and By the way.. did you say air france emailed saying your bag is forever gone??? yet NCL says that have it??? HHmmm... interesting...

Thanks everyone.

 

After a while NCL wrote me the following:

 

 

So it seems like they don't do anything with AF. I don't know if they really tried to get a hold with UK, but about 5 days have passed since I got the message above, and they didn't write anything more.

 

In my opinion, both AF and NCL did more lapses than I initially thought. AF not only lost the luggage during the flight, they didn't keep the information that the bag had been transferred to NCL and lost it's track because of that. In their turn, NCL after receiveng the luggage haven't done anything until now, when I'm far away from Miami. And now they say that they are "not able to ship items to Russia", as if Russia is somewhere on Venus and it takes some not-yet-developed spaceship to deliver the bag here. Frustrating.

I don't think you should be upset with NCL. They didn't lose your luggage. They are doing their best to get it to you. Shipping anything from the US to another country is expensive and requires customs forms. So, 5 days isn't vey long to wait to find out what is going on.

Keep us posted as to if and when you finally receive your luggage.

Thanks everyone for staying in touch,

Right now the luggage seem to be stuck in London. NCL tried to send it to my home address, but due to the Russian custom regulation rules DHL don't deliver anything for individual persons in Russia. So I asked NCL to use another post service but they didn't have enough time to answer.

Maybe I'll need to change my plans for the next vacation and visit London to pick up the luggage there by myself.