Long shot lost and found, money clip with $$

[mm24fan]

That is so awesome! Glad to see a happy ending to this story :D

[Buffettfan 225]

This is a super story. Love to see a happy ending. CC posted a link to it on their Facebook page!

 

I always live in fear of losing my camera on vacation, and someone gave me this hint. Before leaving, take your first photo. Make it of a an index card. On that card put your name, cell number, email address and any other pertinent information (like what ship you are sailing on or what hotel you are staying in). If you lose it, and anyone turns on the camera and looks at the pictures for clues, they'll be able to find you.

I agree with same idea on photo of index card. I also have learned it is better to take many memory cards with you that are say 1-2G in size and change daily. The memory cards have come down in price allowing me to do that. That way if camera malfunctions,lost and "not returned" whole trip and memories are not gone.

 

I also got a reply from my email to Laura Community manager of CC- loved story. Perhaps that is how it got to facebook. I wanted to share such a great story. I really need to create a Facebook account!

[Randy & Carmen]

This is a super story. Love to see a happy ending. CC posted a link to it on their Facebook page!

 

..

Yes, I just read it on FB as I missed the story on the boards from not being on the last several days.....but in the future....you can email me and I'll get you in touch with the right people at Carnival....

 

I actually left a special CC tote bag that is not available to the members yet.....(it was a gift from Laura to us Hosts last year)....and in it was several items...one of which was an ipod...I said I think I left it under the bed.....the room steward had already found it, turned it into lost and found on the ship and it was mailed to me about a week after my cruise this last April.:D

[Randy & Carmen]

Yes, I just read it on FB as I missed the story on the boards from not being on the last several days.....but in the future....you can email me and I'll get you in touch with the right people at Carnival....

 

I actually left a special CC tote bag that is not available to the members yet.....(it was a gift from Laura to us Hosts last year)....and in it was several items...one of which was an ipod...I said I think I left it under the bed.....the room steward had already found it, turned it into lost and found on the ship and it was mailed to me about a week after my cruise this last April.:D

 

BTW.....it had everything in it too :D

[GHarkness]

I am 50% sure that if I brought this to the pursers desk, that the clip would be in the garbage and the $$ would be split 3 ways. I hate that I am that distrusting of other people, but I can't help it.

 

My husband found someone's wallet on the Ecstasy three weeks ago. Money in it, Sail'n'Sign, credit cards...the whole nine yards. He took it to guest services, and the agent took a full inventory, wrote it all down. Had my husband sign the inventory sheet. SHE signed the inventory sheet, and then she had another agent sign the sheet too.

 

Not too much later, here comes the passenger. His eyes sure lit up when he saw that it had been turned in and all the contents were intact. We were still in the atrium, and the agent pointed out my husband. The passenger was very grateful, and came over and said so.

 

Frankly, I think it's unlikely any agent would be willing to jeopardize their job and their livelihood over a few measly hundred dollars, and it was handled very professionally all around. We were impressed.

[SaucyPirateWench]

I think it's great that you've made the effort to find the rightful owner. I lost a new paperback and insulated lunch sack on the Carnival Freedom a week ago, and no one bothered to turn it in to guest services. They weren't worth alot of money, but it still ticked me off that someone kept them (especially since I had just started reading the book:().

 

Auggie...we were also on the Freedom 9/11...I found a paperback on the stairs near the photo gallery. I showed it to the worker there and shrugged his shoulders and ignored me when I tried to tell him again that someone had left their book on the stairs...I lost a pair of capri pants and a new Anne Taylor Loft shirt at either the hotel or on board...neither place has felt it important enough to call or email me back. :/ Hope you had a great trip otherwise!

Kimberly

[bepsf]

I just had to read this - I must say I'm so proud of the OP for taking personal responsibility for something so clearly important to the owner.

The response from the owner nearly brought tears to my eyes tonite...

 

Happy Travels to all those involved!

[thebutlerdidit]

This is a great story. It made my day. I love happy endings and do-gooders of all sorts.

 

Auggie...we were also on the Freedom 9/11...I found a paperback on the stairs near the photo gallery. I showed it to the worker there and shrugged his shoulders and ignored me when I tried to tell him again that someone had left their book on the stairs...I lost a pair of capri pants and a new Anne Taylor Loft shirt at either the hotel or on board...neither place has felt it important enough to call or email me back. :/ Hope you had a great trip otherwise!

Kimberly

Kim, about 3 days into my cruise I noticed that my black sweater was missing. I figured I must have left it at the hotel (Hyatt Regency Vancouver). When we got home I called and was put through to housekeeping. They did indeed have a lost and found, and she asked me the date we checked out and which floor I was on. She confirmed that they did find the sweater, took down all my information, and I received it today in the mail. Kudos to the Hyatt and their friendly and efficient staff.

[bajkej]

This is a super story. Love to see a happy ending. CC posted a link to it on their Facebook page!

 

I always live in fear of losing my camera on vacation, and someone gave me this hint. Before leaving, take your first photo. Make it of a an index card. On that card put your name, cell number, email address and any other pertinent information (like what ship you are sailing on or what hotel you are staying in). If you lose it, and anyone turns on the camera and looks at the pictures for clues, they'll be able to find you.

 

 

That is an awesome idea. Thank you for sharing it. With that information on a picture there would be no reason other than pure evilness to not return the camera to its rightful owner.

[mitsugirly]

This is a super story. Love to see a happy ending. CC posted a link to it on their Facebook page!

 

I always live in fear of losing my camera on vacation, and someone gave me this hint. Before leaving, take your first photo. Make it of a an index card. On that card put your name, cell number, email address and any other pertinent information (like what ship you are sailing on or what hotel you are staying in). If you lose it, and anyone turns on the camera and looks at the pictures for clues, they'll be able to find you.

 

 

Thanks for that recommendation. That's an excellent idea and I'll have to remember to do that.

 

This is such a wonderful story! I read about it on CC's facebook. I definitely hope good things come to you OP. You deserve it!

[CruisinManiac]

My husband found someone's wallet on the Ecstasy three weeks ago. Money in it, Sail'n'Sign, credit cards...the whole nine yards. He took it to guest services, and the agent took a full inventory, wrote it all down. Had my husband sign the inventory sheet. SHE signed the inventory sheet, and then she had another agent sign the sheet too.

 

Not too much later, here comes the passenger. His eyes sure lit up when he saw that it had been turned in and all the contents were intact. We were still in the atrium, and the agent pointed out my husband. The passenger was very grateful, and came over and said so.

 

Frankly, I think it's unlikely any agent would be willing to jeopardize their job and their livelihood over a few measly hundred dollars, and it was handled very professionally all around. We were impressed.

 

Thanks for posting this!

[masterbaker]

It's so nice to read stories like this. Kudos to all the honest people in the world. :)

 

I left my evening bag in a public restroom on a ship a few cruises ago. (Too much to drink :eek:) I thought I would never see it again but the next morning when I went to guest relations to ask if it had been found.... there it was. :D I wish I knew who to thank but I don't.

[twop'scruising]

I just had to write a note and thank you for your honesty and I am so glad the people will soon be reunited with their special money clip. Cool story.

A couple of cruises ago I had just purchased a new very expensive Kodak camera it was over eight hundred dollars and was taking such great pictures. It had a huge memory card in it. I was so careful with it and did not let it usually leave my side. Pictures are our life after our cruises and holidays. Needless to say after day 6 I misplaced it and did everything to find it. Finally on the last day (#9) of the cruise I was called to come down to the security department to identify a camera they had found. Thank goodness I had my original receipt for it in my wallet. I was sick to my stomach for three days when I thought it was gone for good. It did bother me though that the camera was turned in on day 7 and it took that long to call our room. They would not even tell us who turned it in. I would have liked to thank someone other than the security people who treated me like a criminal. I was not impressed with that experience. Before my experience I use to believe there were honest employees on cruise ships, now I would think twice.

Kudoo's to you for a job well done.

I'll bet if they meet you someday on a cruise you will have a nice DOD together.

And to the people who recommended to take a photo of the places you are staying, address, cruise dates etc I think that is a very cool idea and have already put it onto our camera

[NorbertsNiece]

Just surfed in from Facebook. Applause to the OP. Awesome job.

[marsda]

Last year we found an elderly gentleman in the aft hallway by our room. He had no Sea Pass card on him and was clearly disoriented. He was asking how to get to the elevator. We took him and got on the elevator with us to go to Bingo in the theater. He thanked us as we got out, and stayed on the elevator. 30 minutes later we left Bingo, pushed for the elevator, and when the door opened, there he still was....talking to his "brother" in the mirror. We got him off the elevator and asked for his name. He did have a driver's license. We called Guest Services and asked what to do or where to take him. They looked up his name, but found no room reservation in his name. They were not all that concerned, and told us that was all they could do.:eek: We took him down to the infirmary and explained that he was disoriented and talking to people that weren't there. They really weren't grasping the fact that he was LOST and needed help. After explaining 3 times, they finally took him in to examine him. We waited a while, and after about 30 minutes they finally came out to say they had located his son and they were coming to get him. Amazing, we were with him for over 1 hour and a half, and no one called and reported him missing. Given that Guest Services didn't seem to care if a PERSON was lost, I doubt they would have cared about the money clip. Good call and good detective work!

[ThinkingInPink]

What a beautiful story!! Thanks to the OP for being honest and doing all this work to find the owner!

 

While on AOS last year I was up on the deck catching some sun. I took a small shoulder bag with me with my lotion, coverup, etc. in it. I also had my cell phone as I had no watch and wanted to keep tabs on the time. Somehow I either left my phone out of the bag or it fell out but I didn't realize until later in the evening. It was a long shot but I thought I would go to guest services anyways.

 

They had a log book with dates and descriptions and such. They asked me what my phone looked like and such. I told them the brand and that when flipped open the picture on the screen was a picture of my german shepherd. I was so thankful that someone actually took the time to turn it in, and secondly that RCI employees were thorough in not just handing the property over to someone who might not be the owner. I was so worried that someone was using my phone to make calls while out at sea and making plans to cancel my service ASAP if guest services didn't have it.

 

Thanks to all you wonderful cruisers for stories like this.

[kujobie]

Thank you everyone for the kind words. Funny thing is, I don't believe what I did was special in any way. I have always tried to live my life by "The Golden Rule". And I believe that is at least part of the reason that I have been so fortunate in my life. I like to think that most people would have done the same thing for me. As it turns out, it wasn't difficult at all to find the owner. And after reading the dedication on it, I knew I had to try to get it back to them, not only because it was obviously a special gift, but also because I had to find out what the letters meant! :) I said I'd post the full dedication on here when I found them and, at this point, I don't think they'll mind. The front of the clip is monogrammed with his initials and the back says, "To my husband, ILUWAMHSFEA, Love Always, Shell. July 7, 2007". They were married on 7-7-07 and this was a wedding gift from the bride to the groom. Anyways, I'm glad this story was as touching to everyone as it was to me and I'm so happy to be able get this back to them.

[abb4k]

Thanks for that recommendation. That's an excellent idea and I'll have to remember to do that.

 

 

A variation on that recommendation is to photograph the front page of your passport. That way, if you lose your passport, you at least have all the relevant information stored on your memory card. (Years ago, my wife dropped her passport on the gangway at Vancouver, and we didn't know where her passport had gone until we returned to Vancouver a week later. Luckily, the port agents had found her passport and returned it to us, but ever since, we always photograph our passports, just in case).

[CruisinManiac]

twop'scruising - It could be that a crew member found your camera, and intended on keeping it, until they were caught with it? :( Hence the delay and the secrecy for not telling you who found the camera. :(

 

Last year we found an elderly gentleman in the aft hallway by our room. He had no Sea Pass card on him and was clearly disoriented. He was asking how to get to the elevator. We took him and got on the elevator with us to go to Bingo in the theater. He thanked us as we got out, and stayed on the elevator. 30 minutes later we left Bingo, pushed for the elevator, and when the door opened, there he still was....talking to his "brother" in the mirror. We got him off the elevator and asked for his name. He did have a driver's license. We called Guest Services and asked what to do or where to take him. They looked up his name, but found no room reservation in his name. They were not all that concerned, and told us that was all they could do.:eek: We took him down to the infirmary and explained that he was disoriented and talking to people that weren't there. They really weren't grasping the fact that he was LOST and needed help. After explaining 3 times, they finally took him in to examine him. We waited a while, and after about 30 minutes they finally came out to say they had located his son and they were coming to get him. Amazing, we were with him for over 1 hour and a half, and no one called and reported him missing. Given that Guest Services didn't seem to care if a PERSON was lost, I doubt they would have cared about the money clip. Good call and good detective work!

 

Very sweet of you to take this man under your wing. I would hope that someone would do that for my Dad if he became disoriented. However, I don't think it is strange that no one reported the man missing for a couple of hours. The son and his family could have been out doing something, and not known that there was a problem. ;) We will be taking my parents on a cruise soon. My father is starting to show signs of dementia. We do not plan to watch him 24/5, but will check on him periodically, and will also let my parents know where we will be at most times. We will do all shore excursions together.

 

Oh BTW, your story reminds me of the woman that my parents found wondering a beach road many, many years ago. They ended up taking her to the police station, about the time that a family member came in to report the lady missing. She had alzheimer's, and it was the first time that I (as a then teenager) had ever heard of the disease. Very sad! :(

 

A variation on that recommendation is to photograph the front page of your passport. That way, if you lose your passport, you at least have all the relevant information stored on your memory card. (Years ago, my wife dropped her passport on the gangway at Vancouver, and we didn't know where her passport had gone until we returned to Vancouver a week later. Luckily, the port agents had found her passport and returned it to us, but ever since, we always photograph our passports, just in case).

 

Not on your camera! :eek: If your camera was stolen, so is your passport information. Better to make a copy and hide someplace safe.

[griffy116]

We took an aunt and uncle (79 years old) on a family vacation a few years ago. She went "missing" from their cabin, saying she was going to play Bingo. We knew not to let them be roaming a large ship on their own, however, my uncle didn't give it a second thought for her to leave alone. We went to find her and found out there was NO BINGO GAME. She had only been gone for 15 minutes and we had split up into groups of 2 (over a dozen of us) to find her. We were in port, which made us very anxious as we were afraid she had left the ship. It was getting close to time for the ship to leave port, as we all hit our panic button. She showed up in their cabin as if nothing had happened. When we questioned her on where she had been, she replied, "playing Bingo." We later found out that they left the ship alone in one of the ports. We decided we just couldn't take responsibility for looking after them on future cruises. :eek:

[SpeedGeek]

A variation on that recommendation is to photograph the front page of your passport. That way, if you lose your passport, you at least have all the relevant information stored on your memory card. (Years ago, my wife dropped her passport on the gangway at Vancouver, and we didn't know where her passport had gone until we returned to Vancouver a week later. Luckily, the port agents had found her passport and returned it to us, but ever since, we always photograph our passports, just in case).

 

Yeeeech... no. If you lose your camera, or it is stolen, your passport information is also stolen. The index card idea is likely better, but do note that this also gives any potential thieves information as to where you are staying.

 

Copy the first page and store in a secure location. Also, make note of all the customer service numbers for each of your credit cards (you shouldn't have to make a copy of those, the CC company can look up your accounts using your social security number). If your passport is lost, you can use your copy to assist in getting a replacement in a hurry, and if your wallet disappears, the numbers mean you can cancel the cards quicker than someone can use them.

 

We all hope the anyone who finds our stuff will be like the OP, but we still must be wary about the folks who would better themselves through our misfortune. Travel safe!

 

Good on the OP and a great happy ending!

[cruzinnluvinit]

I'm proud to read you. You may have done what you think others would have done but your generation is more apt to try to find the person. I have found wallets, money, sun glasses in the water, and waited till the owner of the car my cart hit came out of the store and I can tell you from all the dings in my car, that isn't normal but it is honorable. I'm glad there are people out there that are honest.

 

I will be in Clearwater for a visit in 10 days and am glad you are there just in case I drop something.

[onthehighseas606]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I am 50% sure that if I brought this to the pursers desk, that the clip would be in the garbage and the $$ would be split 3 ways. I hate that I am that distrusting of other people, but I can't help it.

 

That's my take as well. I do not trust anyone at the pursers desk. But I do trust myself to try to find the rightful owner.

[Walt fan]

Kudos to Kujobie-all I can say is wow- what a heartwarming story; you have restored my faith in humanity; I have to add my two cents as you can see that the money clip was such an important sentimental item; four years ago I drove our boys from Texas to Colorado for a week's vacation; DH couldn't go due to issues at work; driving back from Colorado Springs all the way to Amarillo TX I was very, very tired; we stopped to eat at an Outback restaurant; I have three rings to my wedding set which I had to have unwelded due to arthritis; I washed my hands in the restroom and accidently left one ring of the set on the counter; I sat down to order and realized what I had done; I raced back inside but it was already gone; reported it to the manager and called the manager many many times for over a month but it was never turned in; you could easily tell it was part of a wedding band set; I was heartbroken, but life goes on; I am so glad to see the CC poster take the time to find the rightful owner; God bless you greatly

[txgolfergrl]

I have found many items over the years and have tried every time to get them back to their owners. Sometimes successful..sometimes not. On the other hand, I have lost items that were not returned and have been robbed at gunpoint. I have ALSO won $8500 on a gambling trip, won a brand new truck from my company, and found money that was never claimed. I will ALWAYS try to do the right thing and know that God (and Kharma) will reward me. :) Do the right thing, people! It matters! Awesome ending to this story, btw.