My lost and found experience on the Caribbean Princess

[VOLEYMOM]

Just got off of the Caribbeann Princess, another wonderful Princess cruise. Thought I would let other cruisers know about my lost and found experience since it might be some help to others. On our last formal night I had my camera with me, (stupidly didn't put it in my purse) visited the casino and left it at the craps table. Put it on the shelf under the table and just walked off without it. Think I was losing so no wonder! The next morning I realized I left it behind and went to the Pursers. They looked in the lost and found drawer, no camera. Went onshore and when we came back checked again, once again no camera. Was so bummed, camera not expensive but pictures priceless. The casino has opened by then so went to the cage and they had found it and turned it in to the Pursers that night. Huh! Already been there twice, back to the Pursers and asked again. Told them about what the Casino told me, this time they went into the back and looked. Brought out 2 cameras neither one mine. I insisted that it was turned in. Then they got out a book and sure enough a posting had a camera turned in. They finally went and got a key from someone and looked in what I guess was the safe, and there it was. Glad I persisted but they really need one place to put all the lost and found. Luckily too that someone helped me who took the time to really look. So if you lose something be persistant and keep checking!

[Ginnyfyr]

Just got off of the Caribbeann Princess, another wonderful Princess cruise. Thought I would let other cruisers know about my lost and found experience since it might be some help to others. On our last formal night I had my camera with me, (stupidly didn't put it in my purse) visited the casino and left it at the craps table. Put it on the shelf under the table and just walked off without it. Think I was losing so no wonder! The next morning I realized I left it behind and went to the Pursers. They looked in the lost and found drawer, no camera. Went onshore and when we came back checked again, once again no camera. Was so bummed, camera not expensive but pictures priceless. The casino has opened by then so went to the cage and they had found it and turned it in to the Pursers that night. Huh! Already been there twice, back to the Pursers and asked again. Told them about what the Casino told me, this time they went into the back and looked. Brought out 2 cameras neither one mine. I insisted that it was turned in. Then they got out a book and sure enough a posting had a camera turned in. They finally went and got a key from someone and looked in what I guess was the safe, and there it was. Glad I persisted but they really need one place to put all the lost and found. Luckily too that someone helped me who took the time to really look. So if you lose something be persistant and keep checking!

 

Wonderful to hear that you got your camera back! I've lost cameras before and knowing that your pictures are gone really is the worst part. Kudos to the honest staff member or fellow cruiser that turned it in! Nice to hear a happy ending :D

[scranger]

Following someone else's suggestion, I keep a picture of a 3x5 card with my name/address/phone info as the first photo in my camera. It would at least help an honest person return it.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I'm glad you recovered your camera, and I can also highly recommend persistence in checking with PSD. I misplaced a shopping bag sometime between reboarding the Star Princess on St. Kitts and arriving back at our cabin, but didn't realize it until hours later. The contents were souvenirs for two 7 year olds, not valuable except that they couldn't not be replaced later in the cruise. I checked at the PSD- nothing. I checked with security the next day when I disembarked at St. Thomas, asking if, perhaps, the bag had gotten stuck in the x-ray machine (it was very light). They hadn't seen it. I checked again at the PSD- still nothing. The final evening of the cruise I was frantically checking out the shops on board for anything that might work. Giving up (7 year old boys are too old for the kids toys and really don't appreciate any clothing that says Princess), I returned to our cabin only to find the lost bag on the bed! DH had checked PSD 'one more time'...this was over 3 days after I lost the bag, and it had been turned in, contents intact. Definitely never give up asking!!

[VOLEYMOM]

Good idea about the picture with information, my husband is going to engrave my name and number on the camera so next time (hopefully there won't be one a next time) I can be found. I am really grateful to the staff at the casino for turning my camera in!

[Coolmama_1]

Glad you found your camera. Thanks for sharing.

[Bobed1927]

You were lucky. My SO left a beautiful sweater in the Lido. I checked at the lost and found every day and it was never turned in. Call me a cynic but I believe that there's less than a 50% chance that a lost item of any value will be turned in.

[erewhon]

Thank you for sharing your story.

Pleased that your camera was returned.

[Loonbeam]

A couple of hints..

 

One, check out EZFind.com. You can purchase coded stickers for your items that can be reigstered online, they act as both identification and possible retrieval. There is no ongoing fee just one time for the stickers.

 

As far as photos, I change my memory card at least daily, regardless of space remaining. That way if something happens to one of my cameras, the loss is minimal picture wise. SD cards are cheap enough now that this is feasible. Also helps you sort pictures when you get home (I have an SD card case that I have labeled slots Day 1-Day 10)

[habita]

On our South America cruise I lost my favorite warm hat at one of the museum. When we got back to the ship my husband jokingly suggested I check the lost and found on the ship. sure enough some nice passenger picked it up at the museum and brought back to the ship.:)

[DrivesLikeMario]

The Pursers' desk ALWAYS says they don't have cameras turned in, even if they do. Don't know why, but it's annoying. Glad you persisted or someone would've had a free camera.

[rdsqrl]

Following someone else's suggestion, I keep a picture of a 3x5 card with my name/address/phone info as the first photo in my camera. It would at least help an honest person return it.

I took a photo of my cabin number -- I figured that would be enough of a clue if I left it somewhere on the ship. But obviously for gadding about on land, that won't work so the card idea is a good one, although I'd probably just put an email address rather than a street address. No need to advertise that no one's home; I'd hate for my extensive collection of empty gin bottles to be stolen . . .

[Loonbeam]

Unfortunately, its a known scam at resorts (and probably cruise ships) to go up to desks and say "I lost a <insert popular electronic model here>" Since they all look generally the same, its very easy for someone to get a quick hit. I've known desk crews to be very wary of those claims unless the claimant can identify a very distinctive item (which is why I put ez-find stickers on everything in a visible location)

 

On our South America cruise I lost my favorite warm hat at one of the museum. When we got back to the ship my husband jokingly suggested I check the lost and found on the ship. sure enough some nice passenger picked it up at the museum and brought back to the ship.:)

[SRQfireman]

Following someone else's suggestion, I keep a picture of a 3x5 card with my name/address/phone info as the first photo in my camera. It would at least help an honest person return it.

Just to elaborate on this a little. I have my name/phone # and email address on a card I take a pix of, and I put it on the camera's internal memory....not on a flash card.That way it's always going to be on the camera. I also do what somebody else mentioned.....I upload the pixs to my laptop at least daily to make more space on the card, and know that if I did misplace my camera, I'll have lost a minimum amount of pixs.

[RAPM5856]

A year ago we were on a Princess Hawaiian cruise and while on Maui (in Lahaina) I lost our cruise/room cards. I had been keeping them in the same pocket as my digital camera and I suspect one of the times I pulled out the camera to use it, the cruise cards popped out. Well, naturally we paniced when I noticed the cards were missing. We went back to the tender boarding area and were told we could get back on using our driver licenses but they had to get the right person who had a passenger list to check against. While standing there waiting, a Princess crew member came up and asked us if we were the ones who had lost our cruise cards. Someone (probably a fellow Princess passenger) had found them and had just turned them in. After comparing the cards to our driver licenses, all was well and we were more than relieved. Lucky us!!