Lost Luggage NCL

[CruisnGram]

I'm so sorry that this happened to you. And you are taking it better then most of us would. I agree with others that no matter if the porters work for NCL or not, NCL should at least FEEL responsible for your luggage. $200 OBC is okay, but doesn't go very far in the gift shop and I certainly wish they would have done more for you.

 

Okay, now I have to ask:

 

a "box of thong underwear" (which is all they had),

 

What I do know is carry what you can and enjoy you cruise.

;) Brian

 

When I first read this I "assumed" you were female. So the "Brian" threw me for a loop. It was thong underwear for GUYS??????? I feel really bad for you now. And I hope that at least you and your DW got at least one little chuckle out of your new "wardrobe". :)

 

CG

[Addictedtwo]

You know I don't care if NCL has any jurisdiction over the baggage handlers or not, is it asking too much that they DO have employees that take a look around and see there are not pallets of luggage that have the particular ship and date that is about to sail?

 

After all checking your bags with the porters is what the CRUISELINE tells you to do. That gives them some responsibility to try to ensure things go smoothly.

 

You know I am beginning to think that the cruiseline should keep a supply of adaptable clothing on board and accessories just for these occasions, that guests could check out items from in addition to the $200 credit in shops for incidentals.

 

 

It's called "UNION" thats why. NCL cruise shipemployees are not unionized

[Chuck2810]

I'm kind of with you on this one for sure. I could give a rats behind who the porters actually work for, if they are union, i don't care what. I turn my bags over to them when I get out of the cab and to me, that is turning them over to NCL. I could careless from there. I hold NCL fully and completely responsible for getting my luggabe from the curb to the stateroom. It is up to NCL to make sure of that and to compensate me for any issues that arrives by me not getting my luggage. NCL can go after the union or whoever those porters work for to get my compensation taken care of. If they can not do the job, damn the union, fire that company or do something to make it better.

 

OP... I am so sorry that your cruise was less than what you hoped for because of this. Hopefully your next one, with whom ever it is with, will make up for it.

 

I have to agree, it another example of why the US has lost it's edge in the world. To many of these unions promote 'do just enough to get by' and I see a lot more of it in my industry. To the point where you have to hire an electrician for an entire 8 hours to work one hour at the beginning and end of the shift. The rest of the time they read papers and play cards. People complain about immigrants taking jobs from Americans. Immigrants are willing to work for a wage. Bust their hump, actually. Just like my ancestors that came to the US 200 years ago did. So many (not all) worker today just want to get by, not to excel. Yes - off topic, sorry. But it hit a raw nerve...

[CruisnGram]

NCLFriend ~ So sorry for your misfortune. What a disappointing way to cruise, especially for a woman.

 

Okay, now I'm really confused. Are maybe a husband and wife both posting on this thread under the same user name? I need a drink. :p

 

CG

[smeyer418]

I have to agree, it another example of why the US has lost it's edge in the world. To many of these unions promote 'do just enough to get by' and I see a lot more of it in my industry. To the point where you have to hire an electrician for an entire 8 hours to work one hour at the beginning and end of the shift. The rest of the time they read papers and play cards. People complain about immigrants taking jobs from Americans. Immigrants are willing to work for a wage. Bust their hump, actually. Just like my ancestors that came to the US 200 years ago did. So many (not all) worker today just want to get by, not to excel. Yes - off topic, sorry. But it hit a raw nerve...

 

 

????Union membership as a percentage is the lowest its been since 1930's. If you take out the government Unions its the lowest its been since before 1900.....That's right its all the unions fault management has nothing to do with it. they -the management-deserve those bonuses!

[terrymtex01]

I feel I need to make something clear from my posting. I have absolutely no issue with unions at all. I feel they have helped build America and I feel they still fill a vital role in protection of workers. My point was I do not care if the dock is union or not. If something is broken, fix it. We pay for the POM with every cruise we take from there and we pay for the use of those porters. My point was that the cruiselines need to get together if this is a POM issue and see that some resolution gets done.

[smeyer418]

BTW Florida has a percentage of Unionized employees that is half the national average

 

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=20&cat=1&rgn=11

 

I would bet more than 75% of these are governmental employees in Florida...

[truck1]

First of all, I would like to say to NCLfriend, I am sorry to hear about your loss of luggage.

 

Second, after working in a major airport for a major airlines cargo division I can see how easy it is to "lose luggage".

There is a really easy way to keep it from happening and it doesnt take anything except a little paint. From what I have gathered from this thread, there were 2 NCL ships in port at the same time. Luggage was being loaded into the bldg for both ships, to be run through security, and for some reason at least 3 luggage trams got confused on which ship was supposed to be loaded in.

 

Heres the really simple fix. Take the carts assigned to the terminal, and paint them distinct colors. (say Red for one, Blue, green etc, for however many ships that the terminal can handle on 1 day)

When one ship is in port, it does not matter which color is used or all colors.

When there is 2 ships in, use the red for one ship and blue for the other. Simple.

 

You can even go as far as to paint 2 walls in the terminal baggage area the same colors as the carts, so that when staged, they dont get mixed up.

Or even simpler, it could be just a matter of retraining the guys on the dock.

Or how about this, If the ships are supposed to sail at say 5pm, at 400 do a walk through of the wharehouse, and if there are bags left, something is wrong. ID the bags, and put them on the ship.(Most lines I know of put the name of the ship on the luggage tags.)I do know that nothing will happen if no one talks to anyone to say How do we fix this?

 

With that said, imho, it doesnt matter if the people who load luggage are union, non union, or aliens. In the end, the company that handles the luggage, is under a contract to provide a specific service to the cl. The lines themselves should do a better job at saying this is unacceptable, and changes need to be made. If it were me in charge of that particular contract, or the rep to the contractor,(Been there at Kennedy Airport on the cargo side for multiple 747 arrivals daily,dealing with 3 different handling companies) I would work with the contractor, identify the problem, and correct it. What happens otherwise, is a lot of hard feelings and a lot more lost luggage occurs due to spite.If that does not work, then you place a monetary punishment on them.

For example, In the ops case, the luggage went to at least 2 different ships, then left in the terminal, and never made the trip to an airport to meet the ship. Go in, Id how it happened, and if it happens again, then the contractor is now responsible for

A re imbursing the guest for the missing luggage, and the items needed to be purchased on the ship,up to a point (I know but unfortuantley there are some people that will take advantage of the situation and go overbaord on purchasing top end clothes, if all that was lost was say tennis shoes and tshirts.)

B now pays a daily penalty for everyday, and every bag that is left in the terminal, until the luggage is reunited with its owners.

 

Put it in the contract and believe me, youll see a major change in the way that the luggage is handled.

 

The problem with most ports, is that no matter what you do, there is usually only 1 company that is certified (for lack of a better term) for that port,to handle the luggage, security etc.

[*Wink*]

Okay, now I'm really confused. Are maybe a husband and wife both posting on this thread under the same user name? I need a drink. :p

 

CG

No... My mistake.. When I saw "a box of thong underwear" in the OP, I assumed he was a she.

 

And yes.. you need a drink. ;)

[johnql]

Put it in the contract and believe me, youll see a major change in the way that the luggage is handled.

I agree, but my cynical nature tells me that's a lot easier said than done.

[terrymtex01]

I agree, but my cynical nature tells me that's a lot easier said than done.

 

LOL..and I agree with you. I think it would make a change, but there is no telling how long the current contract they have is for.

[truck1]

I agree, but my cynical nature tells me that's a lot easier said than done.

 

Yeah, but its better than doing nothing.

 

LOL..and I agree with you. I think it would make a change, but there is no telling how long the current contract they have is for.

 

True, but you can always make an addendum to an existing.

[chrisbd1]

I feel I need to make something clear from my posting. I have absolutely no issue with unions at all. I feel they have helped build America and I feel they still fill a vital role in protection of workers. My point was I do not care if the dock is union or not. If something is broken, fix it. We pay for the POM with every cruise we take from there and we pay for the use of those porters. My point was that the cruiselines need to get together if this is a POM issue and see that some resolution gets done.

 

I'm not sure what percentage of dock space is used by cruise lines, but I'm sure there are others shipping that comes in and out of ports. The only alternative would be for ALL cruise lines to pull out of POM if they aren't satisfied. I shutter to think what port would be a good alternative and can handle the traffic and the size of the new ships. Since I refuse to believe that ANY company wouldn't scream bloody murder when this happens and I'm sure the union has heard about it. Luggage still gets lost.

 

Where I work, there are many customers tell us how we can do better. Unfortunately, they only see a small percentage of what is involved in our job. There are some things I simply can't tell customers because there are some things that can literally change within 20 minutes. If there were a "simple solution", we really would have done it already. We work within certain parameters and don't want things to be any harder than they have to be. I'm sure the cruise lines are in the same situation. There is just so much they could do but they are prevented from doing more.

 

This isn't defending NCL since most every cruise line has had customers luggage get lost, left behind, or fallen in the water (true story). I would be kinda cranky if my luggage was misplaced, believe me. I wouldn't however place blame where it isn't warrented, i.e. the people who have no control over the situation.

[BIG_Steve]

BTW Florida has a percentage of Unionized employees that is half the national average

 

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=20&cat=1&rgn=11

 

I would bet more than 75% of these are governmental employees in Florida...

 

Fl is a right to work state. I'm surprised that there are any Unions here.

[Arwenmark]

It's called "UNION" thats why. NCL cruise shipemployees are not unionized

 

Hey I am not unionized either but I can see from my balcony when they leave a pallet of luggage sitting on the dock. Don't tell me that no one in NCL could be keeping an eye out on things, they don't walk around pier blindfolded you know so they don't see the "secret" union only activities. Geesh!

[dtracker]

First of all, I sympathize with the OP. That said, just like the current economy, there's a lot of blame to go around.

 

1. Someone else mentioned, "Did OP buy travel insurance?" That would have mitigated much of the unpleasant situation. Insurance companies do reimburse for late or lost luggage. If someone cannot afford travel insurance (and it's not all that expensive), then maybe they should wait to travel until they can.

 

2. We can blame the union workers, and disparage their work ethic, but how many people are all too quick to claim a union discount for cruises? Yes, the dock workers are rumored to be notorious. I'm sure they do their jobs to the best of their ability, but they do share some of the blame.

 

3. And NCL...I can't blame them entirely because it really isn't entirely their fault for the system in place. Just like everyone else, they are forced to use the system available. But maybe they could begin to put pressure on the unions to bring some new measures to bear that could help solve the problem.

 

Now, what can we learn from this story? It's been mentioned in numerous posts on CC to distribute our clothes into two suitcases; one to carry on with at least a couple full days of clothing and the rest in a large suitcase to be transported on by dock workers. I personally put at least 1/3 of my clothers into my carry on, and all of the items I could not do without for the entire length of the cruise. :)

 

Things I put into my carry on: 1/2 of my underware and socks, 2 pocket t-shirts, 1 nice sport shirt, 1 pair of slacks, 1 pair of short pants, 1 light windbreaker, 1 pr. casual shoes (not tennis shoes), flip-flops, swimsuit, nightlight, camera, and 100% of all meds, hygene items, important docs and papers, credit cards, and cash. :rolleyes:

 

Again, my heart goes out to the OP and family. Maybe someone else can learn or be helped from the experience. :)

 

DT

[tiggerfan616]

Yeah, but its better than doing nothing.

True, but you can always make an addendum to an existing.

Did you ever try to make an addendum mid contract, not as easy as you think.

I beleive NCL is fully aware of the issues at the POM as are the other companies. The luggage loss is just one of many issues they are having, I wouldnt be suprised if you see ships start pulling out after contracts are up because of this.

[watchdiva]

DH and I pack his dive bag (when he's not taking his scuba stuff) and carry that on. It's quite large, holds tons of clothes (we can get 3 days each in there) and best of all fits through the scanner. I also bring on a small roll-on with toiletries, meds, docs, swim suits/cover-ups, etc.

 

God forbid something like the OP were to happen to us, we'd have 3 days worth of clothes and we'd become the laundry's best friends:D.

 

What happened to the OP stinks and is just one more reason we always buy trip insurance that includes loss/delay of luggage whenever we cruise.

[sjbdtz]

I don't BLAME NCL I hold them responsible for making an extra effort to observe what is going on at the dock. I realize they do not control anything there. But as I said they can certainly be observing the luggage loading onto their own ships. and what is still sitting there when they are about to pull away.

 

I also hold them responsible to help the passengers put at a disadvantage by any such dock screw ups. After all the people who lose luggage etc. did not just decide to drive down to the dock and set down their bags, they are there to take a cruise, they are NCL customers. It behooves NCL to do everything in their power to help them. A $200 credit is not everything in their power.

 

I know that legally they are not liable for much of anything, but that is not the point.

 

 

And the scammers? How does NCL protect themselves against those who would abuse the system?

 

By capping their response at a nominal amount of $200 they undermine the impetus to defraud.

 

A passenger could, for example use only carry-on; then claim no bags showed up...that they had given them to the dockworkers.....their own room steward would confirm that they hadn't delivered any bags to that room, and nothing could be done to prove that the bags existed in the first place.

 

 

I do like the idea someone put forward of having a "closet" of cleaned clothes in various styles / sizes, etc. where the unfortunate passenger can "check-out" what they need if their luggage has been lost, much like a library.

 

Then NCL's only out-of-pocket would be maybe $50 for incidentals (toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.), and the cleaning of the clothes.

 

 

The downside to THIS is how many will just choose not to pack :rolleyes: in the first place, and figure.....no luggage, no laundry.....just borrow what you need onboard and then drop them off at the end of the cruise... :eek:

 

 

 

 

 

Ourselves, we only use carry-on. It's quicker on / off flights, and it's quicker on/off the ship. It forces you to pack smart, which is good practice anyway.

[grandmkmk]

This was very enlightening to read! My DH and I 'cross packed' for our last cruise in case the airline lost a bag (I packed 1/2 my stuff in his suitcase, and vice versa). But we never considered the possibility of the bags not making it from the pier to the ship! Since there is no other option for cruisers than to trust the porters with the luggage, we will certainly be trying to use all carry-ons in the future. It seems that the cruiselines need to put more pressure on the pier authorities to straighten out this problem, and perhaps demand compensation from them (to make up for the $200/pp that they give to passengers). I agree that $200 does not go very far in the ship's gift shop on any line! And I have never seen any clothing I am remotely interested in wearing in any of their onboard shops anyway! We ALWAYS pack our swimsuits, one change of clothes (ie shorts) as well as medicine and toiletries in our carryon luggage, but plan to try to get it all into carryons after reading this. We are sailing NCL out of Miami next February...

[truck1]

Did you ever try to make an addendum mid contract, not as easy as you think.

I beleive NCL is fully aware of the issues at the POM as are the other companies. The luggage loss is just one of many issues they are having, I wouldnt be suprised if you see ships start pulling out after contracts are up because of this.

 

 

You are correct. It can be very difficult, to change something midstream. This is my personal opinion, in that it all hinges on how things are approached. If one side, goes into a meeting with the my way or no way mentality, nothing will get done. If it is approached, as Ok, heres the situation, what can WE do, then, its far more likely to be corrected.

 

I think you are also correct in that, someone at NCL may know there is an issue, but is it the correct person that can do soemthing about it?

 

As an example only, since I am not sure where NCL office is, Ill use DCL.

 

DCLs office, is over in Celebration, about 45 minutes from PC. They on occasion, prob have the same issue, with luggage for what ever the reason getting lost. Bldg manager/customer service sup or whomever is responsible, rights it up, and 2 or 3 days later makes its way to the coporate office. At that point, they may know luggage is lost, and something may or may not have been done to remedy that particular case. He may not know that, the people that are on the dock loading the luggage, may have had a large turnover, and theres lot of new hires that are not fully aware of whats going on. Or that due to security issues, the luggage is getting delayed thru the bldg, and the ship is sailing with out it.

 

Now lets say that there is someone from an individual cruise line, that is always at the bldg, not behind a desk, watching the operations. He can now say , heres the issue, get with the people running the luggage and work out a solution. Its kind of hard to do that over a phone, fax, email etc, if you do not know the root cause from a hands on perspective.

 

I can see from both sides of the issue, that in reality, someone from NCL, Disney, Princess,etc, would need to get together with a supervisor or what ever their title is, from whomever, and communicate. If no one is talking to no one, the problem is never going to get resolved.

[BIG_Steve]

Really, none of us have any way of knowing if the union (if there is one?) even plays into this. Even if they have a Union, here in Florida unions have no teeth.

 

It's obvious the crew at the port of Miami is asleep at the wheel. The question is, what can NCL do about it? They pay fees for the services of the port. They should have some influence. But how much?

 

Technically, I suppose NCL really didn't have to do anything. So a $200.00 on board credit was better than nothing. It still seems to fall pretty short though. Fares and profits are down, so I suppose perks/comps are too.

[jla418]

Hey I am not unionized either but I can see from my balcony when they leave a pallet of luggage sitting on the dock. Don't tell me that no one in NCL could be keeping an eye out on things, they don't walk around pier blindfolded you know so they don't see the "secret" union only activities. Geesh!

 

Ok, 2 ships in at the same time. Ship "A" departs before Ship "B". Say the pallet of luggage that should be on Ship "A" is on the dock by Ship "B". Even if Ship "A's" staff checks their dock for luggage that is not loaded, they will never see the missing pallet, because it is over by Ship "B". That's one way this can happen. Not to mention if the pallet for ship "A" is actually loaded onto ship "B."

 

I agree, the cruise lines should be working with the Port of Miami to develop a plan to minimize this problem. If its happening to NCL in Miami, it is probably happening to Carnival, RCL, and any other line using the port. If ALL the lines get together they would have an even stronger voice with the port to implement change.

[chrisbd1]

My luggage was delayed getting to our cabin, though MsBelp's suitcase made there quickly. We were in Miami, after leaving Dallas, so I still had on jeans and long sleeved shirt. Never again will that happen. If we're using suitcases, we cross pack and I have a change of clothes in my carry-ons.

 

Actually, we've started packing lighter, so I can get all of my clothes in my carry-ons. My laptop bag has a space on the other side that can hold a few clothes, so I can have both with me on the plane. We take one big suitcase that is full of smaller bags for bringing back souvenirs.

[dtracker]

Really, none of us have any way of knowing if the union (if there is one?) even plays into this. Even if they have a Union, here in Florida unions have no teeth.

 

It's obvious the crew at the port of Miami is asleep at the wheel. The question is, what can NCL do about it? They pay fees for the services of the port. They should have some influence. But how much?

 

Technically, I suppose NCL really didn't have to do anything. So a $200.00 on board credit was better than nothing. It still seems to fall pretty short though. Fares and profits are down, so I suppose perks/comps are too.

 

The dock workers have one of the strongest unions in America. If they shut down, millions and maybe billions are lost each day. You have rotting containers on the docks, hundreds of ships anchoring off shore...it's not a pretty sight.

 

I agree it's a big problem and someone needs to solve it...but I think Congress has bigger fish to fry right now, than lost baggage by vacationers. :eek:

 

DT