Urgent help - parents passport stolen in Athens

[NMTraveller]

14 hours ago, ladylemondrop said:

Are they 100% sure they were stolen from Hotel and not left somewhere or tucked into a bag safely? (am sure they have checked and checked again, but I just wondered) maybe the hotel will have them handed in?? Long shot..... Seems such an odd thing to steal. I really hope that they can get a resolution that means they can enjoy their cruise, hoping for a happy ending to this tale.  

Passport theft is a common thing unfortunately.  Keep your passport in your possession...

[jsn55]

Appreciate the update, Mark.  Every time I saw this headline I thought "Oh boy, maybe they are going to board the ship".  It is a nightmare and they are lucky to have such a wonderful son.

 

Please contact my friend Michelle at Consumer Rescue right away with all the facts.  Michelle is very well known as an incredible advocate and has saved the day for so many travellers who have been 'wronged'.  She has executive contacts at most all the travel providers.  In this case it's not the cruiseline's fault, but they certainly could be more accommodating at rebooking your parents for the next cruise.  THAT's what we want to hear ... they're boarding in a couple of weeks at a rate that's more friendly.  

[zanderblue]

6 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

Hi everyone, sorry for not updating. It's been a hectic and tiring day. 

 

So they have abandoned the cruise and are collecting an emergency passport in the morning from the British Embassy and then flying home on Wednesday. They will therefore miss Apex when she sails tomorrow and have been advised they can ask for a "no show'" letter once the sailing is over. 

 

We are speaking to Celebrity about getting their booking transferred onto the same cruise in 2 weeks in the same category of cabin (ocean view) and identical itinerary, but Celebrity are trying to charge £4000 (~$5000) for that (the original fare was £2500), along with losing their promotional onboard credit. I've emailed the CEOs office to ask if they can help. 

 

The passports were in a pouch that they had been wearing all day whilst travelling with cash inside also, which is now missing so quite certain that they have been stolen and not misplaced. 

 

The hotel was the well reviewed P&T Athens Manor Houses, which is "outstanding" on Hotels.com but recent reviews on trustpilot mention stolen valuables and passports. The room next door to them had the same thing happen that evening. Seems like an inside job as there was no sign of forced entry.

 

Sigh. 

Im sorry to hear that this has happened to your parents. Whilst X is not responsible for the situation you’d like to think that they could show a little compassion?

Would this not be an instance for your parents travel insurance to help?

[DingoMom]

Aw, Mark. I am SO sorry. I sincerely HATE that this has happened to your parents. I hope that the Executive Office does the right thing by them. Or that the Consumer lady can get results. You are a good son, and my positive thoughts are with you all.

[ladylemondrop]

8 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

Hi everyone, sorry for not updating. It's been a hectic and tiring day. 

 

So they have abandoned the cruise and are collecting an emergency passport in the morning from the British Embassy and then flying home on Wednesday. They will therefore miss Apex when she sails tomorrow and have been advised they can ask for a "no show'" letter once the sailing is over. 

 

We are speaking to Celebrity about getting their booking transferred onto the same cruise in 2 weeks in the same category of cabin (ocean view) and identical itinerary, but Celebrity are trying to charge £4000 (~$5000) for that (the original fare was £2500), along with losing their promotional onboard credit. I've emailed the CEOs office to ask if they can help. 

 

The passports were in a pouch that they had been wearing all day whilst travelling with cash inside also, which is now missing so quite certain that they have been stolen and not misplaced. 

 

The hotel was the well reviewed P&T Athens Manor Houses, which is "outstanding" on Hotels.com but recent reviews on trustpilot mention stolen valuables and passports. The room next door to them had the same thing happen that evening. Seems like an inside job as there was no sign of forced entry.

 

Sigh. 

Ouch. That’s really awful. Am so sorry. I really hope that the executive office can help your parents to go without being financially penalised for this horrible situation. A reminder to us all that there are some desperate and nasty people out there! Such a shame. At least your parents are safe, that’s the main thing. 

[Mark_UK]

5 hours ago, JFontaine said:

Please let your parents know that people from all over were rooting for them to have a positive outcome. We look forward to hearing that they get on a ship someday soon. Best wishes to them from NY. 

 

I will do, thank you! Having the ideas and support from you all was a great help as I was feeling rather useless.

 

The Celebrity Execs office reached out to them by email overnight and my dad has sent a heartfelt reply so here's hoping they can work something out for them 🤞

Edited September 26, 2023 by Mark_UK

[the penguins]

On 9/25/2023 at 2:52 AM, tigervixxxen said:

The embassy shouldn’t be able to speak on what celebrity will or will not accept for emergency travel documents. Why hasn’t celebrity answered this question? When is the cruise departing? They shouldn’t give up until they are turned away at the pier. 

Problem for X is it can't allow passengers without full passports to board as every country the ship docks at will require full passports.

The only solution is to go straight to the British Embassy (camp outside if necessary) with as much info as possible including the cruise docs and get new passports.

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, zanderblue said:

Im sorry to hear that this has happened to your parents. Whilst X is not responsible for the situation you’d like to think that they could show a little compassion?

Would this not be an instance for your parents travel insurance to help?

If the hotel room had a safe and the passengers didn't use it most UK Travel Insurance will not help as they will claim the passengers "didn't take reasonable care". The small print in most policiesbwill require you to use a safe "when available".

This is a salutary warning to everyone - always use the hotel safe and if there isn't one carry your passports and credit cards with you in "pick pocket" proof wallets/ pockets. The same rules would apply if the docs were stolen on the ship and you had chosen not to use the safe.

Edited September 26, 2023 by the penguins
Missed a bit at the end

[chemmo]

44 minutes ago, Mark_UK said:

 

I will do, thank you! Having the ideas and support from you all was a great help as I was feeling rather useless.

 

The Celebrity Execs office reached out to them by email overnight and my dad has sent a heartfelt reply so here's hoping they can work something out for them 🤞

My heart goes out to you and your parents. I so hope that between insurance and Celebrity they will be sailing again soon. A sorry tale for us all. Whilst we generally do use a safe we do usually consider a decent hotel room in a decent area as ‘safe’ itself…

 

Sadly, as an older cruiser myself I realise that the worse thing about a bad holiday experience (be it theft, illness or travel issues) it can shake your confidence…We are booked on Infinity from Athens next year. My first priority when looking for a hotel was a view, suddenly a safe has become more important. Get them back on board as soon as you can!

 

Sincere best wishes to you all…
 

 

 

 

[champagnecruiser]

11 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

Hi everyone, sorry for not updating. It's been a hectic and tiring day. 
 

Mark,

Thank you for taking the time to update. I’m so sorry this happened to your parents and disappointed that the situation couldn’t be resolved to allow them to take their planned cruise.

Hopefully Celebrity will help make things right for them. 
Elizabeth

 

[vickykay]

I hope they are able to enjoy the cruise in two weeks.  Terrible experience.

[Edinburghgirl1]

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

If the hotel room had a safe and the passengers didn't use it most UK Travel Insurance will not help as they will claim the passengers "didn't take reasonable care". The small print in most policiesbwill require you to use a safe "when available".

This is a salutary warning to everyone - always use the hotel safe and if there isn't one carry your passports and credit cards with you in "pick pocket" proof wallets/ pockets. The same rules would apply if the docs were stolen on the ship and you had chosen not to use the safe.

I would never book a hotel anywhere that doesn’t have an in room safe to store  cash, passports, watches and jewellery. 

[Guest ldtr]

9 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Appreciate the update, Mark.  Every time I saw this headline I thought "Oh boy, maybe they are going to board the ship".  It is a nightmare and they are lucky to have such a wonderful son.

 

Please contact my friend Michelle at Consumer Rescue right away with all the facts.  Michelle is very well known as an incredible advocate and has saved the day for so many travellers who have been 'wronged'.  She has executive contacts at most all the travel providers.  In this case it's not the cruiseline's fault, but they certainly could be more accommodating at rebooking your parents for the next cruise.  THAT's what we want to hear ... they're boarding in a couple of weeks at a rate that's more friendly.  

Except in this case no one has been wronged by a travel provider. The requirements for having the necessary travel documents is well know. The loss of travel documents is also an area not covered by many travel insurance policies.

 

It is a bad situation, caused by theft. But not the responsibility of the cruise line.

[Mark_T]

3 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Except in this case no one has been wronged by a travel provider. The requirements for having the necessary travel documents is well know. The loss of travel documents is also an area not covered by many travel insurance policies.

 

It is a bad situation, caused by theft. But not the responsibility of the cruise line.

I just reviewed our UK based travel insurance, and as far as I can see the cruise costs would not be covered as loss of documents is not a covered reason for cancellation and not having the right documents is a specifically excluded reason.

 

Cost of getting emergency replacements is covered (up to a limit).

 

I would suggest making sure that the insurance is going to pay out on the cruise before making rushed alternative plans to get them back on board...

 

If Celebrity decide to step-up and help out then that would of course be an ideal solution, but they certainly have no obligation to do so unfortunately.

[Basketball wife]

A decade ago my husband had his carry on stolen in a crowded, Barcelona park with police in sight. It was on his suitcase and he took his hand off of it to look at a map. Two men ran up, pushed him, grabbed the bag and took off. It was the day we arrived and four days before we cruised. The Canadian embassy is/was across the street so we went there after we made the police report at the station that is also in the park.

The outcome:

- received white temporary passports in two days

- made the cruise, arrived as they were closing up the terminal check in—so, we were escorted onto the ship to check in at guest services

- on return home, returned the temp passports and received new “regular” passports within a week

- our credit card travel insurance covered everything: the temp and new passport costs, a hotel room we didn’t use but paid for because we thought it would take longer to receive the passports, taxis we used to get back and forth to the embassy and to get to the ship at the last minute, the flight we booked when we thought  we were going to have to meet the cruise at its first port stop, his camera, a pricey watch, his cash, a new carry on and wallet. There was no deductible.

[Marion B]

Mark,

   After you posted the name of the hotel, I looked up reviews on Tripadvisor.  The first one I saw was dated September 12th, weeks before your parents checked in.  That guest reported that his passport and valuables were stolen from his locked room - from the in-room safe.  He adds that this happened to others too.  Your poor parents never stood a chance.

   Add me to the list of people hoping for a good outcome.  Thank you for posting.  I hope anyone considering a stay will see this and be able to make an informed decision.

Marion

[drakes2]

14 minutes ago, Marion B said:

Mark,

   After you posted the name of the hotel, I looked up reviews on Tripadvisor.  The first one I saw was dated September 12th, weeks before your parents checked in.  That guest reported that his passport and valuables were stolen from his locked room - from the in-room safe.  He adds that this happened to others too.  Your poor parents never stood a chance.

   Add me to the list of people hoping for a good outcome.  Thank you for posting.  I hope anyone considering a stay will see this and be able to make an informed decision.

Marion

Some time ago I read on these boards of 3 young people staying in a hotel room in Barcelona had their passports stolen from the room safe. In fact the entire safe was missing. I always leave my belongings in room safes but now wonder if better to keep them on me in a small money belt well hidden under clothing. There are so many horror stories around.  

[cruising sister]

I was afraid of stolen passports, money etc. when I sailed out of Barcelona in May. I wore a ScotteVest at all times with my valuables in it. Very comfortable and I felt safe. 

[jsn55]

3 hours ago, ldtr said:

Except in this case no one has been wronged by a travel provider. The requirements for having the necessary travel documents is well know. The loss of travel documents is also an area not covered by many travel insurance policies.

 

It is a bad situation, caused by theft. But not the responsibility of the cruise line.

Everyone agrees that the cruiseline has no fault here.  Rebooking another cruise at a decent rate is called a 'good-will gesture'.  It costs Celebrity nothing and will impress a whole lot of cruisers who will appreciate the gesture and spread the word.

[jsn55]

1 hour ago, drakes2 said:

Some time ago I read on these boards of 3 young people staying in a hotel room in Barcelona had their passports stolen from the room safe. In fact the entire safe was missing. I always leave my belongings in room safes but now wonder if better to keep them on me in a small money belt well hidden under clothing. There are so many horror stories around.  

The only absolute guarantee is to leave valuables at home and keep your passport and credit cards with you at all times.  I've never felt the need to carry my PP, but after this story and many others, I'm sold on the concept.  It's not like carrying around a heavy bag, you just put it in a safe pocket, a no-brainer.

[Guest ldtr]

21 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Everyone agrees that the cruiseline has no fault here.  Rebooking another cruise at a decent rate is called a 'good-will gesture'.  It costs Celebrity nothing and will impress a whole lot of cruisers who will appreciate the gesture and spread the word.

You used the term about saving the day for travelers who had been wronged.

 

One issue that vendors face in such a situation is while it may impress a lot of cruisers, it also creates the impression that others count on similar bailouts by the cruise line when something goes wrong.

 

In this case the cruise line is almost certainly not going to resell the cabin so it's not like the cost to them is zero. The funds they paid was for that cabin on that cruise. The cabin is empty, but all.of the cruise lines costs are still they as well as opportunity costs for on board spend that will not occur with an empty cabin.

 

If they allow a transfer at this date without appropriate insurance coverage, a transfer is the equivalent of giving a free cruise.

 

It is a bad situation caused by a thief, but anything provided by the cruise line other than covered by insurance or items like port fees do have a cost to the line.

Edited September 26, 2023 by ldtr

[JFontaine]

14 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

 you just put it in a safe pocket, a no-brainer.

You have heard that some thieves  target people, pushed them down and stolen from their 'safe pocket '? These thieves are practiced and quick and most people don't stand a chance against them.  It happened to my dad when he was tripped and robbed on an escalator in a hotel.  Scream all you want, these people are gone. So take precautions and be lucky. 

[JFontaine]

2 minutes ago, ldtr said:

 

It is a bad situation caused by a thief, but anything provided by the cruise line other than covered by insurance or items like port fees do have a cost to the line.

What will it cost the cruiseline to put them in a cabin that would otherwise sail empty in a week or two? This couple already paid for the food that they didn't eat on the first cruise. There is a paperwork burden, but this is their business. 

[Guest ldtr]

21 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

What will it cost the cruiseline to put them in a cabin that would otherwise sail empty in a week or two? This couple already paid for the food that they didn't eat on the first cruise. There is a paperwork burden, but this is their business. 

Food per passenger per day in main stream lines run maybe 15 dollars per person per day according to 10q filings. The variable costs are pretty small. Most costs for a given cruise are fixed (personnel, fuel, etc)

 

You are assuming that there is a cabin that will be sailing empty in a week or two. Which there might or might not be. even if there is today, it might be booked by the start of the cruise. if the the cruise line gives it away while they is still a possibility that it might be sold there is a cost. Unless the cruise were to offer the equivalent of standby, where they could show up at the port and be let on if there was a room available after all sales was done for a specific cruise.

 

Then there is still the creation of an expectation about what the cruiseline might do if others have a similar problem. Failure to act consistently can cause future problems.

 

The cruiseline has already incurred their costs for the cruise they paid for. They could not resell the cabin.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by ldtr

[Guest ldtr]

23 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

You have heard that some thieves  target people, pushed them down and stolen from their 'safe pocket '? These thieves are practiced and quick and most people don't stand a chance against them.  It happened to my dad when he was tripped and robbed on an escalator in a hotel.  Scream all you want, these people are gone. So take precautions and be lucky. 

Or the razor blade cutting the pocket approach that was common in Rome 10 years ago, safe pocket or not. with some collateral damage if they cut too deep. 

 

One can take precautions,  but even the most cautious can run into problems. Especially when it comes to theft inside hotel rooms and hotel room safes.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by ldtr