Just of Oasis Dec 13 sailing.. Lost luggage & cruise review

[CruizeDoggies]

Oasis of the Seas Eastern Caribbean, Dec 13th, 2014.

This will be my first ever online review, so forgive me if it isn’t the best. A little bit of background on us, this was my 14th cruise and my 7th cruise with Royal Caribbean. It was my second cruise on Oasis of the Seas (first back in Dec 2009 when she was brand new). This was my husband's first cruise ever. He was skeptical of cruising and we have been doing all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean for our vacations until I finally talked him into going on Oasis of the Seas.

 

PRECRUISE and DAY 1: Due to our hectic work schedules, we were not able to fly in to FLL early the day prior to sailing, like I usually do. We were able to get a flight out of our home airport in NC at 5PM Friday which had us arriving into FLL around midnight. I usually prefer to have a lot more leeway due to possibilities of missed connections, delayed bags, ect. I have always been lucky and on my 13 prior cruises I never had a problem, but I like the extra cushion and this time we didn’t have much of an option. And of course, before we even left our home airport we were already having problems. Before we get to the airport on Friday, I get a text message from the airline that states our flight is delayed 2 hours. We would surely be missing our connecting flight through TN so we immediately went to the airport to see what our options were since the boat was leaving the next day. If we flew to TN, we would definitely miss our connection and the next flight didn’t leave out to FLL until 12pm on Saturday... no way were we going to risk that. All aboard was at 3:30! So, after a lot of searching, an awesome gate agent was able to get us a flight into FLL for arrival Friday night a little before midnight.... only problem is it went through Chicago. No big deal, we thought... a little out of the way but we were almost guaranteed to get a flight into FLL and arrive before the boat left. The flights were smooth, we had no problem getting our connection in Chicago, and we boarded and pushed the gate on time. We arrived into FLL just after midnight, very tired. We waited at the carrousel for our bags.... and we waited some more.. and some more. And it stopped spinning. MY WORST NIGHTMARE! ONLY 1 bag of 2 had arrived... of course we had my husband’s bag... mine was no where to be found. So off to the luggage office we go. We file the claim and they discuss with us that they don’t scan luggage until it reaches its final destination so they have NO IDEA WHERE MY BAG IS! that’s right... I can track my 5$ order from amazon down to the mile but a well known US airline cannot tell me where my bag is. Ok, well we had a little over 12 hours before all aboard...maybe they would still get it to us. The man at the baggage office said “it’s okay, dear. sometimes you have to get through hell to get to heaven”. WOAHHH BUDDY. That did not make me happy. But I sucked it up and called our hotel for our free shuttle. We waited a few minutes for the shuttle to arrive and we were off to our hotel.

 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Airport Cruiseport. We had hilton hhonors points so we used those knowing we wouldn’t be at the hotel long. We went to bed a little before 2AM. The hotel was very nice and comfortable. In the morning, they had a nice continental breakfast but the lobby was packed with cruisers. We had 7 ships in port at Port Everglades and most of the hotel’s occupants were cruising. We went to the front desk to check if our bags arrived. They didn’t. We told the front desk our problem and they were extremely helpful. They provided us with shaving cream, deodorant, toiletries, and everything they could. We were lucky because the hotel is right next to a strip mall with several shops. There was a dollar store, shoe store, and grocery store. We tried to cross pack some of the bags and our carry on consisted of two changes of clothes, two swimsuits, and some basic necessities, but most of our things were checked since TSA rules are so strict now. Plus, you think it won't happen to you. We bought several items including a cheap pair of black heals to wear for dinner (some of my dresses were packed in the bag that did arrive, but my shoes were in the bag that did not arrive). We bought some sunscreen at the grocery store so we wouldn’t pay 15-20$ for it on the boat. We called the airline... they still have no idea where my bag is. They said if it doesn’t arrive before the ship leaves, they will give us 100$ to spend per day of the cruise with a maximum of 600$ for incidentals. Well, that’s a nice gesture and some might think, oh man... you get 600$ of free clothes. Well, since I wasn’t new to cruising, I knew that 600$ wouldn’t go very far....Unless I wanted to wear “Bahamas” or “St Marteen” T Shirts to dinner. :)

We finished shopping and walked back to the hotel in time for the first shuttle to arrive and load guests to go to the port. This is when it hit me... we were up a creek. I had no luggage and it was already 11:30. I always get to the port early. We decided to go ahead and head to port. I’d rather get on the boat than miss it waiting for a bag that wouldn’t arrive. Plus it's just a bag...We decided to call a taxi so we didn’t have to wait for the next shuttle. The shuttle from the hotel to the port was 6$ per person, the Taxi was 10$ for the two of us plus we tipped. I don’t know which way was better, but in our case, we just wanted to get there. This Taxi was nice, but our experience with Fort Lauderdale taxis were all very different... some people would probably prefer the slightly higher price for the shuttle. At least you know what you are getting....More on that later.

 

Around 12:15 we were at the port entrance... along with 1000’s of other people. The traffic was a nightmare. With 7 ships sailing out, I guess we shouldn’t have expected anything different. We got to the port and waited in a line a short time to go through security. We got priority check in and skipped lots of the lines so that helped. We were on the ship within 15 minutes after arriving to the port... not bad. Especially since we were checking in at prime time rush hour. First thing we did - went to guest services to file a claim about our missing luggage. We also put them up to the task of harassing the airline... which they did a great job of! They provided us with several t shirts and toiletries. They actually have a selection of formal wear they said I could look at to borrow for formal night. They told us not to worry because our first port of call was Nassau and if the bag didn’t arrive for sail away, the airline would get it to the Bahamas for us. By this point, we were so involved in the luggage situation, we didn’t even have a chance to be wowed by the ship. It’s massive and beautiful... and it looked just as clean and new as it did when I was on her in 2009. I had a large chunk of cruise credits from my RC Visa Card so we planned on purchasing the ultimate drink package on board. As soon as we finished up at Guest Services, we went over to the Champagne bar to purchase our package. The package included Moet and Chandon by the glass so we started off with that. We had a cheers to our vacation and sipped our champagne until the rooms were opened around 1:30pm.

 

To Be Continued.

[reedprincess]

Thanks for the review, looking forward to reading the rest. I would suggest more paragraphs though. It's very difficult to read with just two or three long, long paragraphs.....Otherwise, bummer about the luggage. Looking forward to an update.

[gred1994]

Can't wait for more! Great start to your review.

[Aussie Jeep]

Hope the luggage turns up. Enjoying the review

[maggieq]

Not that it will help how.....always cross pack.

[CruizeDoggies]

DAY 1 continued

We got into our stateroom shortly after 1:30PM. We had a superior ocean view with balcony on the 7th floor. Cabin 7322. We were port side, aft. After all was said and done, this was a great cabin. We were close to everything, the schooner bar, Central Park, Dinning rooms, and Promenade. We were far enough down the hall that the room was very quiet. Also, there is still a “Secret balcony” on deck 7. They did not turn that area into an aqua theater suite so we actually watched the aqua theater show from there one night and it was a great view! It’s also a nice quiet area with wooden lounge chairs to relax on during the day if you want some peace and quiet.

 

The cabin was what I would expect, ample storage space for our needs. The storage under the bed was ample for our one bag :) We had robes and mini bottles of toiletries in the bathroom. There was some discussion on what toiletries are delivered to the room: for Oasis we had a small bottle of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion. Once we met our cabin attendant, who was amazing, we told him about our luggage situation and he replenished our toiletries and even added extra stuff for us every day. The balcony had a small table and two chairs. It worked well for us for breakfast each morning and the room overall was very nice.

 

As soon as we got settled in, I was reviewing my SeaPass and in all the drama of the luggage situation, I saw we had no assigned table or dinning room. We had selected 8:30PM seating, which was printed on the card, but no location or table. So off to the dinning room. I have not sailed since My Time Dinning was initiated, so I was a little confused. We ended up waiting in line on the 5th floor dinning room for 10 minutes before we realized we had to go to the dinning room for traditional seating, which is on the 3rd floor. We got to the 3rd floor and there was a waiter standing at the entrance. We told him we needed a seating assignment and he took my SeaPass and placed it in the bottom of a stack of about 10 other SeaPasses. I wasn’t sure what to do with all this. I have never had to wait to be assigned a table. The waiter said, “please enjoy coffee and cookies while you wait”. I thought OH MAN.

[twindaddy]

Subbing in, great review so far, I feel like I am there with you.

 

I am debating the taxi vs. shuttle question, so I look forward to hearing your take on that.

 

Hope the bag shows up! I am a big guy so no one would have shirts in my size, a lost bag would be very bad!

[CruizeDoggies]

After 30 minutes of waiting, I asked what number we were. We were number 9. Okay, so it shouldn’t be too much longer. 20 Minutes later, we were number 8, yet several other people had spoken to the Maitre D'. I didn’t want to say anything so I started watching carefully. Another woman was apparently waiting for over an hour and approached the staff claiming people who arrived after her were getting helped. I also observed this but did not say anything. The waiter claimed this was not happening but I continued to watch carefully. I noted that two waiters were holding SeaPasses and they would frequently take breaks. When one waiter left, he simply handed the pile of SeaPasses to the other waiter, who placed that pile at the BOTTOM of his pile. So people who were next in line were moved back since they were placed at the bottom of the new pile. It was really unorganized and people began getting very frustrated. By this time, the Guest Assembly Drill was getting closer and I know they shut everything down, so I was hoping we would get in.

 

Finally, they called my name and we asked for a table with similar age group. They told me it wasn’t possible and they assigned me a table for 6:30 seating. This was not acceptable for me and I explained this to the staff. They found a table of 6 for us with 1 opening: they ended up adding an additional chair to make it a table of 7. I didn’t know it at the time, but later I appreciated how they were able to accomodate us. Moral of this story: CHECK YOUR SEAPASS. If there is no seating assignment and you have traditional dinning, go to the 3rd floor dining room immediately to get an assigned table to avoid the chaos.

 

We finished just in time to head to our assembly station. The drill went really quick. I remember when we had to line up and wait for our name to be called, so I really couldn't complain about sitting in the Aqua Theater and watching a cartoon video on how to properly wash my hands.

 

We headed up to the pool deck, port side, for sail away. We got some drinks and enjoyed the view. Although it was a beautiful sail away, all I could think about was if my luggage made it. To be honest, I was optimistic that it arrived, but I was wrong. It never did.

 

By the time we got back to our cabin, our one bag of luggage was already at the door. We quickly unpacked what we had and did an inventory of what I was missing. Like I said, we tried to cross pack, but last minute my husband actually ended up having an emergency surgery and I had to pack some things last minute and just fit stuff where I could. So I still had some dresses and a few swimsuits and flip flops, but not much else.

 

We hit the rising tide bar and enjoyed a Martini and then came back to the room to prep for dinner. I had a message on the machine from guest services which confirmed my luggage didn’t make it and the airline WOULD NOT be shipping my bags to the next port of call. I immediately called the airline. They stated they cannot ship bags to our ports of call because #1, they don’t fly to our ports of call and #2, they can’t guarantee it would clear customs and get to me. I don’t know what that comment meant, but I was furious. They still did not know where my luggage was.

 

We had reservations to see Cats at 8PM which would have us missing our first dinner. After all the drama, we were so tired we decided to forgo cats and go to dinner. Ive seen cats on Broadway and my husband is not a fan of musicals. We were off to dinner and met our table mates. They were wonderful. Our waitress and assistance waiter were amazing and the food and service was excellent. I couldn’t complain about anything. We ordered glasses of wine and the bar staff did ask for our SeaPasses, but after the first night, they never asked us again. Every night we had our glass of red wine delivered to the table. When our glass was empty, it was immediately replaced. If we wanted something different, it was delivered immediately. Excellent service. No complaints.

 

After dinner, we went back to our room and called it an early night. We had a big day in Nassau tomorrow.. we had to shop for clothes! :)

[A&L_Ont]

Cruizediggie, you have such a positive approach to a situation that really sucks. I look forward to reading the rest of your review. :)

[CruizeDoggies]

Thanks for the review, looking forward to reading the rest. I would suggest more paragraphs though. It's very difficult to read with just two or three long, long paragraphs.....Otherwise, bummer about the luggage. Looking forward to an update.

 

Thanks for the tip. Like I said, I'm new at this. :) I'll try to separate a little more. I don't want to make it confusing for people. Appreciate your feedback

[CruizeDoggies]

Subbing in, great review so far, I feel like I am there with you.

 

I am debating the taxi vs. shuttle question, so I look forward to hearing your take on that.

 

Hope the bag shows up! I am a big guy so no one would have shirts in my size, a lost bag would be very bad!

 

I hear you on the clothes situation. I'm smaller so I have the same problem. Nothing is ever in my size!

The taxis are dirty and very unpredictable. Some are down right sketchy. Some are wonderful. It's hard to tell what you will get. The shuttles heard you like cattle and drag you to multiple other ships before you get dropped off at your ship but they are clean. In the end, if I had kids i would take the shuttle. My husband and I did fine with the taxi but we stayed in Fort Lauderdale after the cruise and while most of our taxi experience was ok, we had a rather sketchy experience on our way to the airport for departure at 4am....

[reedprincess]

Great review so far, and second update was easier to read with the extra paragraph breaks, thanks. Lol.

As far as your luggage, that sucks. But it is part of travel unfortunately. Have had.lost baggage on several trips, where it finally found me after being home for a few days, or found me at hotel, or never found me at all. It's a bummer, but you make it work anyways! Very positive attitude.

As far as them not being able to fly it to you, if they flew to your next port destination, the luggage would have to clear customs, as it's a foreign country, and the airline can't take that responsibility - it's your luggage. Since they don't fly to your next port, most point. But for future trips, you would actually have to go to whichever airport, and go through the customs process. Kind of a pain.

Enjoying your review, thanks for sharing with us! We love Oasis, and love seeing others enjoy her too.

[Lionesss]

OMG

How frustrating sailing without your own luggage, and all you would have wanted to cruise with.

 

I love your review and cannot wait to read more.

 

Thank you

 

Hoping it gets better.

 

Sea Ya

[JasonTehGreat]

Oh wow. I have to admit that you handled it better than I would. I couldn't imagine going through a cruise without luggage. My next cruise will be my first that we have to fly to so we will definitely cross-pack. I couldn't imagine either my cousin or I having practically no clothes for a cruise!

[CruizeDoggies]

Cruizediggie, you have such a positive approach to a situation that really sucks. I look forward to reading the rest of your review. :)

 

I tried my best to stay positive. After all it's only luggage. But it's a cruise! I had things in my luggage that still had tags on them!!

I have to admit, the Ultimate Drink Package definetly helped with my coping ability. :) lol

[Jimmers]

Great review CruizeDoggies. I'm a nervous traveler especially about our suitcases and I always breathe a sigh of relief when they're safely back in my hands. I'll be even more nervous now that I heard your story:D. Definitely going to cross pack on our next trip.

[A&L_Ont]

I tried my best to stay positive. After all it's only luggage. But it's a cruise! I had things in my luggage that still had tags on them!!

I have to admit, the Ultimate Drink Package definetly helped with my coping ability. :) lol

 

That package might have been worth its weight in gold. ;)

 

I try to avoid Chicago and Atlanta at all costs, even with just carry-on. Just think, the clothing with the tags still on will come in handy for your DH's second cruise.:p

[retiredgram]

I tried my best to stay positive. After all it's only luggage. But it's a cruise! I had things in my luggage that still had tags on them!!

I have to admit, the Ultimate Drink Package definetly helped with my coping ability. :) lol

 

You definitely handled the lost luggage better than I would have. That drink package definitely helped you with coping. :D;)

 

Enjoying your review. Keep it coming.

[CaribbeanDreamer80]

Great review so far. I am following along. Sorry about your lost luggage. I would have been so upset. Cant wait to read more.

[quirty30]

Enjoying your review so far. I have only had one lost luggage scenario in my lifetime; fortunately it wasn't for a cruise, but rather a Disney World trip. It was the only time we've ever booked a connecting flight, and Delta was able to tell me the suitcase was still sitting in ATL even though we made it to MCO. Like you, it was after a very late arrival. And we got it back less than 24 hours later. I'm thinking that it was not a good omen that your airline didn't have a clue where your bag was. I also admire your attitude and your situation is definitely making me reconsider a late arrival into FLL when we sail on the Oasis next August. Perhaps I should take an extra vacation day and get in earlier on Friday.

[pajazz28]

Nice review so far. Sorry about the lost luggage but I was impressed with your attitude.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Forums mobile app

[riclop]

Enjoying your review so far. I have only had one lost luggage scenario in my lifetime; fortunately it wasn't for a cruise, but rather a Disney World trip. It was the only time we've ever booked a connecting flight, and Delta was able to tell me the suitcase was still sitting in ATL even though we made it to MCO. Like you, it was after a very late arrival. And we got it back less than 24 hours later. I'm thinking that it was not a good omen that your airline didn't have a clue where your bag was. I also admire your attitude and your situation is definitely making me reconsider a late arrival into FLL when we sail on the Oasis next August. Perhaps I should take an extra vacation day and get in earlier on Friday.

 

D don't E expect, L luggage, T to A arrive. Its the worst airline.

[Wildcatfish]

If only our missing luggage received additional bonus frequent flier miles!

 

Sorry to hear about your luggage. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your cruise!

[readytolose]

Thank you for your review! I'm in the process of packing for our cruise so I will definitely cross pack!

[mychild]

Wow. I am so sorry!! I have never has this issue and vacation 2 times a year. I feel so bad for what you went through. I am happy you stayed positive. I am going to pack differently now!! I never thought of cross packing but now I will!! Thank you for the great review.