Lost Luggage CAUTION TO ALL

[gerif]

3 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Bright colors and a guard dog works for us

Yes, exactly. Mine is similar to the blue one, maybe a bit brighter. Adorable guard dog - I just have fluffy cats who would help the thieves carry the stuff out. 

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, travelplus said:

 

Hence this is the reason for bringing old clothes that are still in good shape but if they are lost then I can purchase them in Europe 

 

I for one am not going on a nice vacation with old clothes 😱

[Bloodgem]

5 hours ago, Sunny Sailer said:

They do not protect our belongings.  It should be stated that place your things out the door at your own peril. 

Sorry this happened to you but how is this RCI's fault.  Yes a warning would be nice but is it RCI's  responsibility to post the warning as the pier terminal has its own staff, which is suppose to take care of the luggage. Unless you think one of the RCI crew stole your case 

[Lollipop's Mom]

We use brightly patterned and colored 'crazy' luggage. If I was going to try to steal a bag,I would go for a plain everyday black bag that will blend in. This is just another tip to help with theft at airport and cruise.

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Our bag was not tan, and the person who took the bag by mistake was already in their car on their way home to the Cocoa Beach area.  They had to drive back to exchange bags.

 

Nice people in Cocoa Beach 

[Aquahound]

Here's a short story, which may also be what happened to you....

 

This once happened to a family member of mine.  They weren't in any hurry so they waited in the warehouse until all passengers were debarked and through Customs.  In the end, 1 piece of luggage remained that looked exactly like theirs.  They (with security) contacted the name on the tag and sure enough, that person carelessly took the wrong bag without confirming it was theirs.  

 

 

[actuarian]

5 hours ago, Sunny Sailer said:

The best is to protect yourself by NOT PLACING LUGGAGE out the cabin door.  Money doesn't replace so many things.

Unfortunately, not placing luggage out the cabin door is not an option for everyone.  More specifically, it is not an option for those of us who need wheelchair assistance to get on and off the ship.  The wheelchair pushers will not take luggage.

[John&LaLa]

7 minutes ago, gerif said:

Yes, exactly. Mine is similar to the blue one, maybe a bit brighter. Adorable guard dog - I just have fluffy cats who would help the thieves carry the stuff out. 

 

Blue one is actually more Aqua

[actuarian]

4 hours ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

Who brings "personal things which are so dear to me and cannot be replaced" on a cruise anyway???

Usually, people for whom the cruise is only a small part of a much longer trip.

[time4u2go]

6 hours ago, Sunny Sailer said:

The important thing here is that they don't protect your belongings.  They just want to get you off the ship quickly.  They don't warn people that they are really not responsible for the luggage once they have it.

 

Yes they do.  From the contract of carriage:

 

"b. Liability for Loss of or Damage to Baggage. Unless negligent, Carrier is neither responsible nor liable for any loss of or damage to Passenger's property, whether contained in luggage or otherwise."

Edited June 18, 2019 by time4u2go

[h20skibum]

Maybe just get one of those suitcase wraps with your face on them.

 

Disclaimer - This is not my face

[Tree_skier]

57 minutes ago, katiel53 said:

Several years ago we had a cruise from San Juan and went 2 days early because we fly from the Northeast and there were huge storm warnings.  We arrived in San Juan and my sister's luggage wasn't there.

 

The airline first tried to say she didn't check in early enough, even though she was at the airport a few hours before the flight, but the airport was very busy.  We saw one suitcase, similar to my sister's going round and round on the carousel.

 

We told the airline that we thought the passenger whose luggage was left there took her suitcase by mistake.  They said no way etc, etc, etc.  She was given an allowance for immediate needs and the airline gave no other info.

 

The next day she received a call from the airline stating that the person whose luggage was on the carousel had picked up my sister's luggage.  He would bring it back to the airline "at his convenience."  What???????  

 

He finally agreed to return it late in the day.  The airline couldn't care less about having him return it earlier.  He did return the suitcase, but he had rifled through the entire case.  I can understand if he thought it was his, opened it and saw a woman's purple coat, knew it wasn't his, but to go through everything and not even call the airline, to me, was despicable.  

 

He wasn't the one calling the airline to return the case, the airline called his home and there  was voicemail advising to call another number.  The airline tracked him down, he did absolutely nothing, but delay the return.

 

We learned our lesson to always go a couple of days early, so that if anything happens to the luggage, hopefully, it will still get to the ship.  So far, we haven't had any problems returning, but the last several cruises we have done self-assist and I am thinking we will probably continue to do so.

Yikes, what a nightmare.

[Sunny Sailer]

1 hour ago, katiel53 said:

Several years ago we had a cruise from San Juan and went 2 days early because we fly from the Northeast and there were huge storm warnings.  We arrived in San Juan and my sister's luggage wasn't there.

 

The airline first tried to say she didn't check in early enough, even though she was at the airport a few hours before the flight, but the airport was very busy.  We saw one suitcase, similar to my sister's going round and round on the carousel.

 

We told the airline that we thought the passenger whose luggage was left there took her suitcase by mistake.  They said no way etc, etc, etc.  She was given an allowance for immediate needs and the airline gave no other info.

 

The next day she received a call from the airline stating that the person whose luggage was on the carousel had picked up my sister's luggage.  He would bring it back to the airline "at his convenience."  What???????  

 

He finally agreed to return it late in the day.  The airline couldn't care less about having him return it earlier.  He did return the suitcase, but he had rifled through the entire case.  I can understand if he thought it was his, opened it and saw a woman's purple coat, knew it wasn't his, but to go through everything and not even call the airline, to me, was despicable.  

 

He wasn't the one calling the airline to return the case, the airline called his home and there  was voicemail advising to call another number.  The airline tracked him down, he did absolutely nothing, but delay the return.

 

We learned our lesson to always go a couple of days early, so that if anything happens to the luggage, hopefully, it will still get to the ship.  So far, we haven't had any problems returning, but the last several cruises we have done self-assist and I am thinking we will probably continue to do so.

Sorry to hear another distressing story.  I shall always take my luggage with me and I suspect that you will also.  

[robtulipe]

6 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I lock my luggage with plastic zip ties that need to be cut off. This way I know if someone has been in there while it's out of my sight. 

Zip ties are easily and quickly removed without cutting by jamming a small knife blade or screwdriver in the locking slot between the locking tab and the slotted channel in the tail piece which will lift or disengage the tab to allow the tie to be removed and  re-attached. 

It is better to use an actual luggage lock.

Edited June 19, 2019 by robtulipe

[Iamcruzin]

43 minutes ago, robtulipe said:

Zip ties are easily and quickly removed without cutting by jamming a small knife blade or screwdriver in the locking slot between the locking tab and the slotted channel in the tail piece which will lift or disengage the tab to allow the tie to be removed and  re-attached. 

It is better to use an actual luggage lock.

Not worried about anyone getting in the bag. I just want to know if they have especially TSA in the airport. I don't pack anything that can't be replace and anything of value doesn't leave my side. Any lock can be cut with a bolt cutter.

[ONECRUISER]

7 hours ago, springfire said:

Knowing that the luggage does not belong to them and keeping the luggage, that would make this an intentional act.  

Agree, 100%

[ONECRUISER]

42 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Not worried about anyone getting in the bag. I just want to know if they have especially TSA in the airport. I don't pack anything that can't be replace and anything of value doesn't leave my side. Any lock can be cut with a bolt cutter.

TSA hits my bags 1/3 the time, well at least that much as when a letter is left. I must be one step down from the No Fly list...

[ONECRUISER]

3 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Blue one is actually more Aqua

Nice. I have Burgundy and my Daughter's has some Pink. Easy to spot

[brillohead]

10 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Sorry this happened to you. I don't  often read about lost/stolen luggage so this is good heads up for  all of us.

 

 If at all possible we try to  carry our luggage off.   

M

The fact that you don't hear about it often tells you just how rare an event it is. 

 

Some very rough math (and I'm sure some of the stockholders or travel agents can correct this number) tells me that Royal handles over four million passengers per year.  And how often do we hear about lost luggage?

As for having people check that the person's luggage actually belongs to them, can you imagine the additional lines this would create in the terminal?  And the cost to staff such a service -- that would increase the cruise cost for everyone across the board.

How about an add-on "Security Class" service that people can pay for if they want to accept the cost?  You pay an extra $25 fee per bag, and your luggage is picked up from your room by a courier the night before rather than left in the hallway (of course, someone has to stay behind in the room the last night to meet the courier and hand over the bags), then placed in a separate area overnight, and when put in the terminal, it's in a roped-off area with security at the entrance to check that your tags match the person picking up the luggage.  

I'm guessing that 99.9% of people don't want to pay extra and/or hang around the room on the last night to meet the courier, so such a service wouldn't be feasible.  That's another way of saying that the current system works just fine and doesn't need to be changed, because trust me -- if there was a way for Royal (or any cruise line) to make more money off charging us to take our luggage off the ship, they'd be doing it!

Yes, it sucks that some people pick up the wrong bag and don't bother to return it when they realize their mistake.  Yes, it sucks that some people steal things intentionally (although I think this is a VERY rare event... very few people put anything of value in their luggage, and people who can afford a cruise generally aren't in such dire financial straits that they steal dirty laundry in the hopes of finding a designer gown that can be pawned).  But the plain fact of the matter is that it just doesn't happen very often.  

[Bailey & Sophie]

8 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Bright colors and a guard dog works for us

Some guard dog. She's posing for a treat. I'm a sucker too. Can't resist a silent beg.

[sgmn]

15 hours ago, marci22 said:

On our last cruise they placed my suitcase outside of the wrong door on embarkation day. It was locked. The lady thought it was hers and that one of her family members had locked it. She had security come to her cabin and break the lock off. Only then did she realize it was not hers. She did come to my room to apologize. Not sure if she saw my cabin # on the tag or security told her.

 

 

So sad the security guys didn't simple check the  cabin number against the one on the tag. Think I would of asked that security gets some basic training 

[leisuretraveler223]

15 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

Right, who knows why? But they do!  I’m sure Sunny Sailor doesn't appreciate your criticism. I’m pretty sure about that! No one is judging what you do, don't judge her. She’s upset.   Shes looking for a bit of support and empathy.  Got any?

 

Bull.  She's not looking for "support or empathy".  She's pissed that her bag full of dirty clothes isn't fetching her more than $300.

[johnjen]

18 hours ago, Sunny Sailer said:

 We placed our luggage outside of the cabin door the night before The Anthem arrived at Bayonne on May 19,2019.  The next morning at the pier it was missing.  They could not find it and I asked if they check that passengers take their own luggage.  They said they don't have too.. not even airports check and why should they.  To make a very sad story short, it is a month and they said it was "lost," but I know it was stolen.  I lost all my beautiful clothes, pants, dresses, tops, bathing suits and all other personal things which are so dear to me and cannot be replaced.  I am so sad.  They will only pay up to $300 dollars for everything according to the contract we sign in order to obtain our ticket.  The luggage itself almost costs that amount.  They do not protect our belongings.  It should be stated that place your things out the door at your own peril.  I am giving a heads up to all.  Carry ALL your things off the ship yourself.  Has anyone else had an experience like this?  I  am sick over this... and I thought I should warn you all...so sad.

This is precisely why we now keep our luggage with us the night before and independently leave the ship with our belongings. I am so sorry this happened to you, but I wonder: isn't there cameras in the passageways?

--not related, but we won't cruise out of Bayonne ever again because of the "incident" at the taxi loading area....we were waiting on a cab back to the hotel to get to our car. Some nice bloke came up and asked if we needed a ride, he was Uber so we took him at half the rate of the cab and some gangster came up to me in a threatening manner saying I wasn't allowed to do that and this was a "union" order.....screw that. The whole Bayonne thing will never occur again for us for cruises.

[kathy884]

16 hours ago, travelplus said:

17 hours ago, Baron Barracuda said:

As far as carrying off your luggage, this is do-able for some but not for many.  Lots of seniors plus have you seen how much luggage some folks bring?

  The above is so true.  I know we are traveling with my dad in his 80s, and he needs a cane and cannot manage his own luggage (will get wheel chair assistance in to the ship).  Also, I am fine with daily living things, exercise - play tennis, etc.  but with my back curvature, I have a porter take my bag too (just lifting a heavier bag up a few steps, things like that messes up my back, so I need to be so careful).  Maybe if I instead of a regular bag bring a really small one I could manage it, but I would be much happier with a regular sized bag with a week long cruise including two nights pre-cruise and will risk it.  My husband and son could manage their own bags, but not ours too.  For us it's using the porter service or don't cruise and just do another type of vacation.  This might be the last cruise I do, but unfortunately managing our own bags is not going to be a good option for us on our cruise in February that we have committed too.  I feel your pain OP.  Many of us don't have that many options except for insurance for mitigating baggage loss risk.  I won't have anything I cannot replace in my bag, but still replacing clothes I like, cosmetics, my sun hat, etc. would be  a real pain.  DS will be the only one with an expensive camera and electronics and will be carrying those himself in his backpack. 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2019 by kathy884

[UKWLDCruise]

Happened to me in the early nineties on a cruise from Miami.  Delta called me six weeks later to say that my bag had flown from Miami with Delta and had been abandoned on the carousel at another US airport I suppose when whoever took it realised it wasn't theirs.   

 

I had to pick it up from Heathrow and make a declaration I hadn't seen it for so long it could have anything in it so was requesting a customs search.  Nothing had been added but the lock and one item had been removed.

 

Always make sure your details are available somewhere on or in the case.