Has anyone ever been without a change of clothes for 5 days of a 9 day cruise?

My wifeand I recently returned from a 9-day cruise in the western Mediterranean (welive in the US). We checked our luggagethrough from our local airport to Boston, to Paris and on to Nice, France. Weflew on two “partner” airlines. In Nice,we were to pick up our luggage for a transfer arranged through the cruise lineto Monte Carlo where the cruise began. Theship was scheduled to sail approximately 8 hours after our arrival in Nice.

When wearrived in Nice, we had no luggage. Thismeant we had only the clothes we had been wearing during the 24-hous of flights and layovers except for a T-shirt andshorts ensemble (unsuitable for day wear) my wife rolled up and carried in abackpack for sleeping “just in case.”

We were toldby the person representing the cruise line who met us in Nice that our luggagewould "probably arrive on the next flight and be onboard the ship beforeit sailed.” My wife insisted on filing a claim before we left the Nice airport;thank heavens she did. If not, we likelywould have never seen our luggage. Neithermy wife nor I speak French and filing the claim was a bit difficult and we wereconcerned some key information could have been missed in translation; we didget a copy of the claim form including the claim number. The airline representative in Nice also noted“our luggage should arrive before the ship sailed.” She said that if, by chance, it didn’t arrivebefore we sailed, it would definitely arrive the next day, as others weremissing their bags as well. As asubstitute for our luggage and all our belongs and personal effects that werelost, we each received from the airline a tooth brush, 2.5ml of toothpaste, 5mlshaving gel, a plastic razor, a one-use deodorant “wipe,” two cotton swabs, athin white T-shirt (way too small for me) and a 5ml tube of “Fabulous Serum.”

When weboarded our ship, we were again told by the Reception staff “your luggage willbe on board before we sail; it almost always is.” It was not. In hindsight we now know that no one had anyidea where our luggage was when we boarded the ship as well aswho-knows-how-long-afterward. Weimmediately contacted the cruise Concierge (who was the person handling oursituation), our travel insurance company, and the airlines again (this time aUS representative who was just going off-shift in the middle of the night UStime). The airline representative said the airline would pay for"essentials" to a "reasonable extent," but other than thiswe received no information about the location of our luggage. Moreover we saw no visible results that wewere receiving any assistance for the ensuing days except for comforting platitudes such as "we're doingeverything possible" and "your luggage will certainly arrive tomorrow,"and -- best of all-- “this happens all the time, we’ll take care of it.”

I mightadd my wife had installed the airline “apps” on her iPhone for both partnersbefore we left home so we could track our luggage. The only time it was working (we think) is whenwe left home for Boston; the app indicated “your luggage is aboard.” On later days when she tried using the apps,they indicated our luggage was in Boston, Paris and Nice, all at pretty-muchthe same time. For a time, the appshowed nothing at all concerning our baggage. As of the writing of this post, theping-pong-ball luggage locations are showing again. But at this point in timethat’s neither here nor there.

Back tothe unfolding of events: during the balance of the first day we boarded theship and for the four following days our luggage was who-knows-where; it couldhave been in Boston, Paris, Nice, or Tombouctou for that matter. All we knew for certain was that it wasn’twith us. We provided baggage “tracking” numbers, the number of the “claim” wefiled in Nice, physical descriptions of the luggage, and each time we spokewith someone we noted we had included a specific day-by-day itinerary in theoutside pocket of both pieces of luggage with the complete cruise itinerary.. It should not have been difficult for any ofthe entities we were dealing with to know where we were every day of our trip,including arrival and departure times for the ports visited.

Over thecourse of the 5 days without luggage (and 12 days hence—we’re now home) we’vemade phone calls sent emails, etc. Noone we’ve talked with at the airlines, cruise line or travel insurance companyhas expressed any interest in the fact that our cruise was for the most partseverely corrupted for 5 of the 9 days, (a cruise which I might add wasexpensive--at least for us "pensioners"--on an "upscale"cruise line).

No onewe've contacted grasps the fact that we were for all intents-and-purposesstranded in our room for the first 72 hours. We went on a shore excursion the fourth and fifth days only because wehad pre-booked them and would have lost an additional $700 that was non-refundable. We went on the excursions wearing the sameclothes we were wearing when we left home. Yes, we washed our clothes (such as they were)once a day. However, I had to stay inthe room with no clothes while my wife did our pitiful laundry consisting of 2shirts, 2 pants, 2 pair of underwear and 4 socks. The cruise line magnanimously offered to sellus clothing in their boutiques at a 25% discount, but this was of little helpas we needed shoes, underwear, so-called "country club chic" attire,etc.--not logo emblazoned hats andshorts, jewelry and designer-trinkets (all at costs that made our eyes watereven after the 25% discount). I wonderif the airline would have considered $80 plus another 20% VAT “essential and reasonable”for a golf shirt.

Bothpieces of luggage were sitting in our room when we returned to the ship at theend of the fifth day--when our cruise was over half gone. The luggage was tattered and torn with piecesmissing and looked like it might have really been to Tombouctou, and beyond.

So, whatdoes one do to get the attention of someone high enough in the food chain atthe various companies that we believe have some culpability in this 5 daydebacle? We’re not expecting any entityto refund the total cost of the cruise, but we have been unable to get even asimple acknowledgement of the frustration, humiliation and severe impact thishad on over half of the activities we’d planed. Many times during those 5 days people on the ship who we didn’t knowwould come up to me and say. “We see you still don’t have your luggage.” Nice, huh?

It seemsas though with every company we’ve contacted, if we are compensated (as theother party sees fit) for “delayed baggage” that’s all that matters. Those lost5 days don’t amount to the proverbial “hill of beans.”

So, ifanyone out there has experienced something similar, kindly let us know how youwent about finding someone (anyone?) who was not totally indifferent and whowould just take the time to acknowledge such and experience was more thansimply “delayed essentials” and tatteredluggage.

We didhave one thought: My wife took a photograph of me sitting in our room, with atowel draped discretely across my lap, while she went to do our laundry. I'm thinking of posting this on a social mediasite—not for laughs but to show what occurred over those 5 days. The post could include the names of the entities’whose representatives comforted us by expressing, in so many words, “it willall be okay.” I thought a fitting title might be "Cruising with noclothes" or “It will all be okay.”

Wondering why you didn't do the laundry at night before you went to bed and they might have been dry when you woke up, giving you clean clothes so you would have had to stay in your cabin all day.

If I'm reading your post correctly, it was the airlines fault, so what do you want the cruise line to do for you, since it wasn't their fault? I would suggest you write a letter to the CEO of the airline that lost the luggage and at least ask them to replace the luggage that was damaged (hopefully you filed a claim for this already).

Have not experienced it but I would send a letter complaint to the airline who accepted your luggage at check-in. They should be able to provide you with a transit tracking info based on your filng of lost luggage at the airport.

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I was without luggage for two nights once, but I wasn't without clothes because I bought some. It never occurred to me to sit in the cabin being miserable, because I thought (correctly) that I could get reimbursement from the airline.

Surely you didn't go long without stopping at a port where you could buy cheaper clothes? I suppose you didn't think about it at the time, but even so, any claim for compensation will be affected if the relevant company doesn't think you did your best to alleviate the problem.

I second writing a letter to the airline. It is their liability so hopefully you can get some satisfaction from them.

Southwest lost our luggage when we sailed to Alaska a few years ago. And the luggage was NEVER found. For the entire week, we checked with the airline every time we stopped at a port of call and nothing. But as mortifying as the experience was, we were able to obtain a fair compensation.

1- Familiarize yourself with what you're entitled to. There are rules, both domestic and international that govern these situations and your compensation will vary based on your specific situation. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you're actually entitled to.

2 - Before you forget, make an itemized list of all the items that were in the suitcase, along with approximate value and where you purchased them. Keep in mind that high value items may require proof of purchase or sales receipts so familiarize yourself with what the cap is before this rule kicks in.

3 - Save all receipts for items that you may have purchased as a result of this situation. Include these items on your claim.

4 - File your claim with the airline and make sure that you include a letter letting them know that you're aware of what amount you're entitled to by law.

5 - Have patience. It may be months before you receive compensation.

In our specific situation, and as mentioned before, the airline lost our luggage permanently. We filed a report right at the airport as soon as we realized that the luggage was missing. The airline gave us $800 on the spot in order for us to mitigate some of the loss. We did fly in the day before the cruise so we had a little over 24 hours before our ship sailed, but we waited until the next morning to see if our luggage would show up.

We called the airline in the morning and even though they assured us that most likely the suitcase would show up before the ship sailed, they couldn't tell us where our luggage was. So we proceeded to a local store and bought clothes for the entire family, personal items, as well as a new suitcase. We saved all receipts. The last thing that we wanted was to find ourselves in your same predicament.

As mentioned above, the luggage NEVER showed up, but we were thankful that we'd had enough time to fix the situation to the best of our ability. Once we got home, we filed claims with both the airline and our travel insurance company. We submitted the claim with a letter as well as the aforementioned itemized list. We were pleasantly surprised when both the airline and the travel insurance came through. We received a full refund of all items lost by the airline, as well as a full refund for all the last minute items that we purchase on the morning of the cruise. Between those amounts and the $800 that we received at the beginning, we received compensation in excess of $3,000.

It's too late for "should've could've" in your situation, but consider the following suggestions for your next cruise:

1 - Don't fly in on the day of the cruise. Allow yourself an extra day or two before the cruise. Not only do you give yourself extra time in case your flight is canceled or delayed, but you also give yourself extra time for lost luggage to catch up with you or to take action in case it doesn't.

2 - Purchase travel insurance with a lost luggage clause that matches the value of the belongings in your suitcase.

3 - ALWAYS bring a carry on with a couple of days worth of clothes. Needless to say, having this would've mitigated some of the hardship and aggravation that you experienced.

Hope that you receive fair compensation for your situation soon!

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This is my worst fear! This is why I always pack a swimsuit, pair of underwear, shorts and tank top, and lightweight dress on my carry on. I figure with these items (and a few items bought at the onboard store), I could survive (on a Caribbean cruise at least!)

Not sure what OP wants. They clearly choose not to go a shore and buy any replacement clothing, so they choose to not be out any money. Lesson learned, when crossing the pond, take one carry on with at least one change of clothes.

We had no luggage for 22 days a few years back. We adjusted and dealt with it

I know it's a conscious decision as I've been there but why did you let it ruin your cruise? Why not just buy a few things?

By all means write a letter to the airlines, giving all PERTINENT information. And clearly state what compensation you want. I'm not sure what you'll get from them, other than money to replace your suitcases, since they were damaged.

If you had gone into port at the first stop and had purchased the necessary items of clothing to get you through at least a couple of days, either the airline or your insurance would have compensated you for this.

Sorry you had a rough 5 days, OP, but you are at least partly responsible for not acting to remedy the situation. Next time pack at least one change of clothes in your carry on, and don't just sit around in your cabin.

You ruined five days of your cruise, and that was a big cost. My advice is never do this. Buy what you need from the ship's store or in port, and get all the enjoyment you paid for out of that cruise. Keep the receipts, make your claim afterward, but don't send good money after bad by ruining the one thing that could still have been wonderful - your cruise.

As well, once you've spent the money, stop fuming about it. You can spend the money and spend the rest of the day grinding your teeth about it, or spend the money and put it behind you for the rest of the cruise. Either way, the money is gone, and I say you might as well enjoy it as gripe about it.

I had luggage delayed for 24 hours once with no compensation because it was returned in 24 hours. I also had luggage that never showed up during our 7 day cruise.

We still enjoyed the cruise in our inexpensive clothes we picked up before we sailed. We found that our insurance was totally inadequate - we received just $300 because the luggage was returned to us - it was actually on the front porch when we got home.

lessons learned

- check the terms of insurance before you purchase to know exactly what can be reimbursed.

- I now travel with just a carryon and a personal item. My luggage stays with me.

- don't travel with expensive items that can not be replaced. no jewelry or costume jewelry is better than losing precious items

- keep valuables and medications as well as one change of clothing with you

- No one truly cares how you are dressed as long as it is consistent with cruise policy.

- dining staff quickly recognize that we have a diminished wardrobe and never refused entry even on formal nights when we showed up in less than formal clothing.

It never would have occurred to me to expect compensation from the cruiseline for the airline mishandling our luggage. perhaps if I had booked air with the cruise, but I always buy airfare separately.

I've never had my luggage lost before a cruise, but I've, when going on cruises with formal nights, purchased insurance from the airlines.

Having been in your situation - although our luggage was only missing for 3 days of the 14 day cruise, I would have suggested you talk to the people at the Guest Services desk to see if they could do your laundry every night so you had fresh (albeit the same) clothes to wear the next day, rather than ruin 5 days of your cruise. I'm sure they would have agreed, considering you had nothing else to wear.

I'm sure the next time you cruise, your carry-on luggage will contain a good deal of clothing in addition to your sundry items.

I strongly suggest you contact the airline and request compensation from them - it isn't the cruise line's fault, it's the airline who didn't get your luggage to your destination on time.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

That would be a terrible way to start a cruise. :( What advice would you give us OP if this happened to us since you've lived through it? Would you handle it the same way that you did or differently now? :)

This happened to me in 2015, CCL Conquest, 7 days. I was told to wait in the terminal-which I did for nearly 5 hours. Not one CCL or terminal person knew what to do. I, too, insisted on completing a report at the cruise terminal and headed to the FFL airport. AS I WAS BOARDING THE LAST FLIGHT HOME my cell rang...it was a Publix grocery store employee saying my luggage had been dropped off in TALLAHASSEE. How the heck did my luggage travel from Fort Lauderdale to TALLAHASSEE??? I missed my flight and HAD to get home--no way to dash to TALLAHASSEE and make the last flight out in minutes. Carnival dropped the ball at every opportunity. Ten (10) days later, FedEx GROUND dropped the bag on my front porch w/o any documentation and did not even ring the bell. My brand new bag was beyond filthy, it had not been placed in a box (this was a small carry on sized bag). I begged Carnival for a box, to ring the bell, to instruct Fedex to hide the bag (all the OTHER FEDEX/UPS drivers all hide packages) but ALL THIS FELL ON DEAF and uncaring EARS. Needless, no apology from Carnival. My bag simply fell between their cracked process. I was just another customer (>53 cruises!!!) who bag had been placed on a Carnival leased truck. The Publix employee was the only shining light in this nightmare-she informed the bus driver had no idea what to do with my bag, so he merely dumped it at a grocery store. Why Carnival does not empower its employees and vendors to take a tiny bit of initiative is the real issue. In 2017, everyone is focused on JUST DOING THEIR JOB TO KEEP THEIR JOB.

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Not sure what you want the cruise line to do. They aren't the ones who lost it. Buy what you can, wash what you can and have a good time. Why let lost luggage get you down.

Best I could decipher from this long post in an unfriendly font, the OP achieved their stated goal of sticking to their guns and not purchasing one stitch of replacement clothing no matter how much their misery multiplied each day. Because it is the principle that counts, right?

And is it not Travel Knowledge 101 that even the most basic travel insurance--including the rudimentary coverage from the credit card you paid for the airline tickets with--will reimburse you for lost or delayed clothing and personal necessities that the airline or cruiseline doesn't? Yes it can take a long time, but having expended the time and effort to fly from the USA to France, you do what you can to mitigate any issues yourself.

I certainly would not be sitting in the cabin while my only clothes were in the laundry

Buy a few items & enjoy the cruise

surely you could pick up another outfit to change into

That would be a terrible way to start a cruise. :( What advice would you give us OP if this happened to us since you've lived through it? Would you handle it the same way that you did or differently now? :)

I'm not the OP but after 22 days I can certainly give some advice.

Get the cruise line involved trying to find your luggage. They have someone who specializes in it

Buy some basics to get you through. I've never been so happy to see a Jones New York sign in Barcelona after store after store of size 2. I bought jeans and a couple of tops. On the ship I bought shorts and a pair of tan pants.

Sit down and get your head in the game. Under no circumstances do you let what can be fixed with a couple of hundred dollars ruin a cruise you've paid thousands for. It's hard, but makes 100% difference

The cruise line (princess) offered to do our laundry for free and offered free formal wear rental...we turned down the formal wear. Definitely keep them involved.

We had 22 days with no luggage, 12 of which was a med cruise, the rest was a France and Belgium land trip. Occasionally now I'll take a top out of a drawer and smile knowing it was an emergency piece bought on that trip.

Practice giving the death stare to the Lufthansa check in person who asks why you have an extra piece of luggage on the flight home..yes, we got our cases on day 22 in Paris and no we didn't pay extra to get that extra piece home ;)

Visibilityunlimited, you're quite an exotic cruiser. While you mentioned elsewhere having "only" 10 cruises nonetheless your travels are far more exotic than many people here in the forum who tend to take closed loop sailings out of Florida or New York. Your posting history mentions Columbia, the Baltic, and most recently the Oceania Riviera from Monaco to Madrid. You also stated last month that you and your wife prefer to "...usually meander on serendipitous DIY visits when in port..."

This trip wasn't exactly your first rodeo. During one of those meanderings did you not find a local store were you could have picked up some basic casual clothing - and underwear? Like something costing less than the $80 logo golf shirt sold on the ship? Maybe it's not your style but many of us adapt in such situations. Did you just want to vent? Or did you budget everything to the last dollar or euro and had little or nothing to pay for unforeseen circumstances? If the later was true now that's scary - to travel half way around the world with no means to handle contingencies like this. You're fortunate it was lost luggage and not a trip to a foreign hospital.

Just buy some new clothes and enjoy the cruise! Period. Yes it is extra money snd yes it is not your favourite things you like to wear but better than staying like this for days. Keep the receipt for everything you buy and the airline will reimburse you in most cases up to 50$ p. Day for everything you bought.

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On a much earlier cruise, when I didn't realise this was a terrible idea, I packed no clothes in my carry on, not even an extra pair of underpants. Of course our suitcases got lost. After a long flight and a long time at the airport in the long queue to report the lost bag, I really wanted a shower. I stripped off my manky clothes, and went to get in the shower, only to reaslise that there were no towels. I called down to the front desk, and instead of assuring me that some would be sent right up, the clerk asked me if I was sure there were no towels. Cue severe sense of humour failure. I put my horrible clothes back on and went to the front desk looking like the wrath of God. I explained to the clerk that I was pretty sure I knew what a towel looked like, there definitely weren't any in the room, and I REALLY needed some. He wisely handed over a huge stack of towels with no further comment, and was allowed to live another day.

We were in Anchorage, and had got there two nights early. We were able to go out the next day to buy an emergency wardrobe and a suitcase, before we joined the overland tour that we were taking before the cruise. Of course, the suitcases showed up just in the nick of time, five minutes before we boarded the coach! Now I travel with a few items in my carry on, so that I at least have a core wardrobe if my case gets lost again.

I'd take the statements of your fellow passengers as empathy. The closest we came to missing luggage was when our flight to Fort Lauderdale was delayed and our connection time in Orlando very close. Our luggage did not make the connection. Fortunately we flew the day ahead and the airline delivered our luggage to our hotel during the night. On that same cruise, we met several people who did not get their luggage until we reached St. Thomas--on the third day of our cruise.

I travel internationally for work. I have had my luggage not show up a couple of times, typically overnight or maybe 2 days. Once a week.

1) File a claim with the airline.

2) When you luggage does not show up, the airline will normally provide you with the amenities (which they did) and some amount of reimbursement for some basics, typically $75 - $100 worth. If your luggage is lost for more than 24 hours, the airline will reimburse the costs of a set or two of clothes and other items needed.

3) If lost while on a domestic flight, you can be reimbursed for up to $3300 per bag, but will need to provide a list of what was in the bag and the value. And high value things may require proof of value. On an international leg, the limit is $1742.

4) If you cannot be without something, DO NOT CHECK IT. Valuables, medications, etc. You might consider carrying some clothes in your carry on. I carry a shirt, underwear and socks. I can send a set to laundry each day and repeat every day. Once in a while, I have to deal with the pants. :)

Also, cross pack. If you have two bags, pack have your shirts, pants, underwear, and socks in each bag. With two people, pack half of each persons items in each bag. And I also have some small travel size amenties and a disposable razor and toothbrush.

5) You should carry an emergency credit card. If you have NO spare funds, maybe you should not be traveling. But if you have luggage lost, GO BUY SOME THINGS. The cruise line and passengers will understand you do not have a vast variety of clothing. You are in EUROPE, not West Africa, there are shops to sell you clothes.

Good article to read - http://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/making-the-airlines-pay-for-lost-luggage/