Luggage thief on Miami Pier/Celebrity cruise

[betterdaysahead]

Members beware: On February 6, 2012 left my tagged luggage with the handlers in front Celebrity's Mellennium; packed my car at the Pier and went aboard ship. Upon delivery of my luggage I determined my luggage had been opened and dozens of personal items removed that were contained in a black leather case. Once aboard ship there is simply no way to replace items accumulated over time by having traveled frequently. Of course, my luggage was not locked -- no need to suggest that to me. Any suggestions as to how to "surprise" another attempted theft?

[Dizney]

Members beware: On February 6, 2012 left my tagged luggage with the handlers in front Celebrity's Mellennium; packed my car at the Pier and went aboard ship. Upon delivery of my luggage I determined my luggage had been opened and dozens of personal items removed that were contained in a black leather case. Once aboard ship there is simply no way to replace items accumulated over time by having traveled frequently. Of course, my luggage was not locked -- no need to suggest that to me. Any suggestions as to how to "surprise" another attempted theft?

 

Sorry that happened. Unfortunately, you answered your own question. We always use TSA approved locks on all of our bags.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Members beware: On February 6, 2012 left my tagged luggage with the handlers in front Celebrity's Mellennium; packed my car at the Pier and went aboard ship. Upon delivery of my luggage I determined my luggage had been opened and dozens of personal items removed that were contained in a black leather case. Once aboard ship there is simply no way to replace items accumulated over time by having traveled frequently. Of course, my luggage was not locked -- no need to suggest that to me. Any suggestions as to how to "surprise" another attempted theft?

 

Hi BetterDaysAhead,

 

First I see you are new member, so Welcome to Cruise Critic !!

 

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, sadly the possibility of having one's luggage (contents or in whole) is a fact of life when one travels.

 

The best deterent (practice) I've found, is just don't pack anything of value or that you'd hate losing in your checked baggage... if it is important to you, put it in your carry-on !!

 

That said, there is no way to know who stole these goods... and whether they did or did not work for Celebrity (workers on the Pier / Dock work for the Port).

 

As for packing a "surprise" inside your baggage... not sure "what" it is you have in mind, but guessing that doing that would (a) either ruin the contents for yourself, or (b) would harm someone else, or © be illegal.

 

The situation sucks, but it is what it is.

 

Cheers!

 

PS... As international travellers we gave up on physical locks years ago... (even the TSA ones) we now use those plastic strapping locks (see photo), they are a small deterent, most likely only prompting a thief to move on to someone's else luggage... BUT can be easily cut off by TSA if needed (ya know when Security or Customs have been in your bags they either do so with you present, or leave a note). But as I said, even if we find ourselves in a position where someone was to break into our bags, we don't pack valuables in our luggage, so not much beyond clothes and toiletries that they can take, so we can live without if need be (or replace fairly easily).

 

PHOTO = http://www.cccme.org.cn/FileServer_Upload/i_supply/2010/4/28/201012272006116345_131254533.jpg

Edited February 14, 2012 by Sloop-JohnB

[boogs]

PS... As international travellers we gave up on physical locks years ago... (even the TSA ones) we now use those plastic strapping locks ...., they are a small deterent, most likely only prompting a thief to move on to someone's else luggage... BUT can be easily cut off by TSA if needed (ya know when Security or Customs have been in your bags they either do so with you present, or leave a note). But as I said, even if we find ourselves in a position where someone was to break into our bags, we don't pack valuables in our luggage, so not much beyond clothes and toiletries that they can take, so we can live without if need be (or replace fairly easily).

 

Sorry that happened. Unfortunately, you answered your own question. We always use TSA approved locks on all of our bags.

 

This won't even slow a thief down if your suitcase has a zipper, which is what most of us have! Watch this video and you'll see that anyone can get into a suitcase that has a zipper. I tried this on my own suitcase and was successful the first try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI

 

I agree with Sloop-JohnB. The only protection you have with this type of luggage is to not pack anything valuable.

Edited February 14, 2012 by boogs

[cruisegirl1]

Your situation is unfortunate. As you list your address as Naples, Florida, is it safe to assume that you drove to port thus eliminating that the incident occurred at an airport? It does seem off that specific items were lifted from inside a separate case inside the luggage, rather than someone simply taking the entire black case.

 

I was one to lock my suitcases and think contents were safe until a few days ago when I saw the same video posted by boogs.

 

A few years ago – we started using luggage straps, so it would become very cumbersome for anyone to fool with the luggage. While nothing will keep a thief from rummaging through or stealing luggage, I think the luggage straps make it too much of bother to try to open and steal contents.

 

M

[macruisefan]

Putting a TSA approved lock on your luggage and thinking you're secure is like locking the screen door to your house! :D

[Dizney]

Locks are for honest people any way. If someone wants something bad enough, they will take it. Hopefully they pass mine by and pick bags without locks. :D:D

[Karen@Steve]

"PS... As international travellers we gave up on physical locks years ago... (even the TSA ones) we now use those plastic strapping locks (see photo), they are a small deterent, most likely only prompting a thief to move on to someone's else luggage... BUT can be easily cut off by TSA if needed (ya know when Security or Customs have been in your bags they either do so with you present, or leave a note). But as I said, even if we find ourselves in a position where someone was to break into our bags, we don't pack valuables in our luggage, so not much beyond clothes and toiletries that they can take, so we can live without if need be (or replace fairly easily)."

 

Yup, two best pieces of advice...Don't pack anything you would be upset to lose and use the zip ties. We start with them at the very tip and then cut them open and reuse until they are too short. TSA even as rehooked them after opening our luggage for a random check (TSA love note left inside). Also, if traveling internationally you don't have issues with them breaking the locks if they don't have the keys or the locks just disappear.

[dodger1964]

This won't even slow a thief down if your suitcase has a zipper, which is what most of us have! Watch this video and you'll see that anyone can get into a suitcase that has a zipper. I tried this on my own suitcase and was successful the first try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI...

 

 

That is just too scary!!

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi All,

 

Thought I would add some more to this topic for anyone who is NEW TO CRUISING (like we recently were).

 

We were a tad surprised to discover, just how "NON SECURE" the area is where you drop off your Checked Baggage for the ship.

 

Of course, you have to provide the Port Authority with a reason to enter Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)... so they require a look at your Travel Documents, and to see ID for everyone in the vehicle... in our case, as we were being dropped off by family... we all showed our passports.

 

Then you proceed (by car) to the Cruise Terminal relative to your ship... in our case that Day it was Pier 25 at the far end of the Port.

 

Once there, family dropped us at the curb and kissed us good-bye...

 

We immediately saw 1000s (and I mean literally 1000s) of pieces of luggage that had been dropped at the side of the road (spilling off of the curb)... by previous passengers who had made their way into the Terminal.

 

We also saw "a few" baggage transport carts that had been strung together in a chain, and they were in varying degrees of being loaded (some full... some half full)... a bit more of a look around (between the luggage & carts) and we found a uniformed gentleman, who we rightly assumed was a Porter.

 

We told him we were NEW to Cruising, so we just wanted to confirm that it was ok to leave our bags curb-side. He came over to take a look at our bags / tags. And seeing they were marked concierge, he said "great spot... the cart for that Deck is right here" (and pointed to a full cart nearby). He then (with my hubby) moved our bags closer to that cart... and said, he'd be adding a new one shortly.

 

We thanked him... and TIPPED HIM (as we had heard here on this the CC CELEBRITY BOARD that if there is one guy who is important in ensuring your bags make the cruise, it is the Porter... even if he is also a well paid unionized worker none-the-less... NOTE Porters do not work for Celebrity)

 

And then made our way into the Cruise Terminal, to be processe and get onto the ship.

 

--- --- ---

 

Fortunately, our bags showed up at our Cabin many hours later, intact, just as we had left them (and the zip locks still in place)

 

However, it should be NOTED....

 

One's bags when delivered on the ship, are left outside of your door of your Stateroom... not within... and we had no way of knowing exactly how long they had been sitting there (so they are indeed in another situation where they are not secured).

 

So my best info is as I stated ABOVE in Reply # 2...

 

If you have any sort of VALUABLES... choose not to pack them in your checked baggage, but BRING THEM ABOARD PERSONALLY in your Carry-On.

 

We saw folks with "Carry Ons" in a variety of sizes... purses, knapsacks, diaper bags, overnight bags, and even small wheeled suitcases. Just remember you'll have to "manage" whatever you bring onboard until your Stateroom is deemed ready !!

 

Hope this info is helpful,

 

Cheers!

 

PS... Our Carry-Ons contained ALL of the following items... Travel Documents (including our Cruise Info, Airline Tickets, Excursion Confirmations, Hotel Confirmations, Travel Insurance Info) - IDs & Passports - Money & Credit Cards - Jewellery - Medications - Camera(s) - Electronics (Cell Phones, Itouch, Ipad) - 1 Change of Clothing for each of us (incase we didn't see our bags until after Dinner) - A few personal items (toothbrushes, deoderant, cologne) - Our Bathingsuits - and our expensive Snorkle Gear. Lol, and our 2 Bottles of Wine that Celebrity allows us to bring aboard per Stateroom.

 

Basically all the things I didn't want to go on vacation without !! If our bags hadn't showed up for any reason, it would have been a case of replacing just clothing and toiletries. Would have been a PITA for sure... but wouldn't have been the end of the world.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Sloop-JohnB

[Lsimon]

Two thoughts on the above:

 

RE: Opening Zippers with a pen: There are some lines of luggage that claim to be more resistant to this method, such as the Delsey "Zip Securi-Tech". We have these although that isn't the primary reason I bought the luggage as I liked other features. Don't know if other brands have this or not.

 

RE: Locks being useless: While it is true that these won't stop a determined thief I still use them often in the hope that a thief might pass over my locked case in favor of the next unlocked case down the line. I guess my hope is the thief will be both lazy and pressed for time.

[stereo]

if the baggage handler is an agent of celebrity then the cruise line should be liable for the value of the missing items--subject to contract and marine law

[boogs]

Locks are for honest people any way. If someone wants something bad enough, they will take it. Hopefully they pass mine by and pick bags without locks. :D:D

 

While it is true that these won't stop a determined thief I still use them often in the hope that a thief might pass over my locked case in favor of the next unlocked case down the line. I guess my hope is the thief will be both lazy and pressed for time.

 

Or, they see the lock and figure there is something in there more valuable than in the unlocked cases. Ya never know! :(

 

The safest case is a hard sided, clamshell case that uses a latch to secure it, with overlapping edges so no one can slip something in between the two sides and pry it open. But even then the thief can make it "disappear" to a convenient hiding place and then cut it open when everyone else has gone home.

Edited February 14, 2012 by boogs

[kpgibbs]

Put Duct tape around your luggage. I've done it several times.

[Lsimon]

if the baggage handler is an agent of celebrity then the cruise line should be liable for the value of the missing items--subject to contract and marine law

 

I've heard a few complaints about this on and off the ship. But I've never read of someone getting Celebrity to cover any losses here. I think the biggest problem is proof that the items were there and when they went missing. Then on top of that the cruise contract indicates that Celebrity is only liable if they are negligent, so you might have to establish negligence, and even then the liability is limited to $300 per passenger.

[COMBOY]

My suggestion is don't ever put anything of value in checked luggage. The only thing you should have in checked luggage is clothes which in general have very little resale value to a theft and can be easily replaced. Personal items including the black leather case as well as electronic gear, jewelery, money, etc. should always be hand carried on board the ship or left at home. Use you cabin safe to store wallets, cash, jewelry, credit cards during the cruise as you don't need them. Also good travel insurance and/or your homeowners policy should cover any theft/lost as the cruise lines and pier staff are not responsible for lost or theft of your personal belongings. Keep all receipts for purchases of high value items like jewelry and electronic equipment and call your insurance company to make sure they are properly insured. When you go ashore just bring your cruise card, photo ID, credit card and some currency in small bills. Leave your passport in your cabin safe unless instructed otherwise by the cruise line. Also, I like to wait and watch that the porters have put my luggage onto the carts and taken them away - out of sight and not left unattended out in the open.

[Sloop-JohnB]

if the baggage handler is an agent of celebrity then the cruise line should be liable for the value of the missing items--subject to contract and marine law

 

TO STEREO,

 

Not going to happen.

 

For one thing you can't prove in any way WHERE the breach happened (ashore or on ship), or WHO did it... Port Authority Workers (Porters), Security, Celebrity Staff, or even another Passenger (read my Reply # 10 Above and Luggage being in a variety of NON SECURE Situations)

 

Secondly, If you read your Cruise Contract you'll quickly discover that Celebrity essentially isn't "responsible" or can be held "liable" for very little (you sign away your rights... when you sign the Cruise Contract)

 

Thirdly, you CAN BE COVERED for Baggage Claims IF you have any sort of Travel Insurance... be it bought from Celebrity (aka CELEBRITY CRUISECARE) or privately. Although the limitations and coverage is pretty small ($ 1500 max in most cases, and usually "replacement purchases" only up to $ 500).

 

Just 3 more reasons WHY it is imperative, that what you pack in this day in age in checked baggage (truly a NON-SECURE Situation) be of little value to anyone else other than you (ie sentlemental value if your favourite "college" Sweatshirt is stolen)

 

IF it is of any real value to you... leave it at home, or put it in your carry-on.

 

Cheers!

 

PS... See that LSIMON has replied in the time it took me to DRAFT this post... and Larry has posted similiar comments.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Sloop-JohnB

[Wine-O]

if the baggage handler is an agent of celebrity then the cruise line should be liable for the value of the missing items--subject to contract and marine law

 

I don't think anyone knows who manipulated the zipper and stole the goods.

 

We disembarked Millennium 10-12 years ago in Genoa, flew out of Milan and landed in Newark. Our luggage was manipulated (zipper I suppose because we had locks on them), and lots of stuff taken - nylons, my tux accessories, film, jeans etc.

 

Hard to tell when it was done -- On the ship the night before, baggage handlers at Milan, or baggage handlers at Newark. When I found out when I got home, I called Continental. They said I should have reported it when I arrived in Newark. I told them "who inspects the contents of their luggage as it comes off the luggage carousel to make sure everything was intact???"

 

Continental ended up paying the claim, but I cannot replace all the film/memories. Who knows when or where the stuff was taken.

[GiannaD]

This won't even slow a thief down if your suitcase has a zipper, which is what most of us have! Watch this video and you'll see that anyone can get into a suitcase that has a zipper. I tried this on my own suitcase and was successful the first try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI

 

I agree with Sloop-JohnB. The only protection you have with this type of luggage is to not pack anything valuable.

 

Wow! Unbelievable video!

Looks like zip ties and TSA locks are only for honest people and to prevent the zippers from accidentally being opened.

[boogs]

Wow! Unbelievable video!

 

That is just too scary!!

 

Yep! Open and closed in under 30 seconds. This can be done even while a handler is physically moving your bag from one cart to another, using his free hand to open, reach in and search for something familiar and potentially valuable, and close the bag again.

 

If you think about how a zipper works, there isn't much difference in the zipper's built in slider and a pen. Both pry apart the zipper teeth to separate the two sides.

 

I use zip ties to keep the zippers together so they don't catch on something and accidentally pull apart, opening the bag and spilling the contents. This is exactly what I saw happen years ago to an unfortunate airline passenger when their bag's zipper handle caught on something on the luggage carousel, spilling the contents onto the conveyor.

Edited February 14, 2012 by boogs

[bighairtexan]

KAREN@STEVE, i've used the zip ties and automatically just pulled them tight!! Hence a new one each time. What a good (and simple... DOH) idea to start w/ them as loose as is secure and reuse them! Thanks for the tip!

[Sloop-JohnB]

KAREN@STEVE, i've used the zip ties and automatically just pulled them tight!! Hence a new one each time. What a good (and simple... DOH) idea to start w/ them as loose as is secure and reuse them! Thanks for the tip!

 

TO BIGHAIRTEXAN,

 

We too pull them tight... and we pass them thru zipper pulls side by side (or the orignal designed locking loops on our suitcase) either of which makes tampering with the zipper pulls problematic.

 

The advantage in our mind is when they are truly pulled as tight as possible, it takes a real effort to clip them off (be it with a nail clipper or to get the blade of a narrow pair of scissors into the loop).

 

Now I realize that in some instances, as proven above, that someone could get into the bags without dealing with any sort of locking device, but I still think the zip locks can slow someone down enough to be a frustration and they'll move onto an easier bag to deal with (Face it the easiest way... and quickest... for someone to get into your bags without much fuss or be noticed, is just to move the zipper pull a wee bit, and slip their hand inside)

 

We buy zip locks at the Dollar Store (got my latest set at a Dollar General in the US) and there were literally dozens in a package that I paid $ 1 for ... so I don't feel like I'm wasting them, or not getting my "money's worth"

 

Cheers!

Edited February 14, 2012 by Sloop-JohnB

[A Sixth?]

Five words.

 

Travel lite, travel carry-on. :D

 

 

[Dizney]

Five words.

 

Travel lite, travel carry-on. :D

 

 

 

I'm a girlie girl on a cruise. My shoes wouldn't even fit in that! Lol :-b

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WarumistdieBananekrumm]

thanks for the contribution

 

This won't even slow a thief down if your suitcase has a zipper, which is what most of us have! Watch this video and you'll see that anyone can get into a suitcase that has a zipper. I tried this on my own suitcase and was successful the first try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI

 

I agree with Sloop-JohnB. The only protection you have with this type of luggage is to not pack anything valuable.