What if someone mistakenly takes your suitcase at debarkation? It happened.

We all know the warnings to check carefully before taking a bag because so many look alike. Coming off The Spirit yesterday in FLL someone took away our main suitcase. It was very clearly marked with a total of six tags and markings. But in the end, we were fortunate because the offenders were honorable and decent and got the bag returned to us. They called us from the airport and reported their mistake and then they hired a car to drive the suitcase up to our home near Palm Beach. Lesson: always have your phone numbers clearly displayed outside the bag in several places. Be polite to the offender who is owning up because you will probably get the bag back. And,when claiming luggage, pick out each bag personally and don't have a porter grab a few. And thanks to the Canadians who fessed up and did the right thing! Silversea will write up a report if you lose luggage, but they never called us or did much.

With so many black suitcases looking alike, we use a (locking) multi-color strap around each one. You can't miss them at all.

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We all know the warnings to check carefully before taking a bag because so many look alike. Coming off The Spirit yesterday in FLL someone took away our main suitcase. It was very clearly marked with a total of six tags and markings. But in the end, we were fortunate because the offenders were honorable and decent and got the bag returned to us. They called us from the airport and reported their mistake and then they hired a car to drive the suitcase up to our home near Palm Beach. Lesson: always have your phone numbers clearly displayed outside the bag in several places. Be polite to the offender who is owning up because you will probably get the bag back. And,when claiming luggage, pick out each bag personally and don't have a porter grab a few. And thanks to the Canadians who fessed up and did the right thing! Silversea will write up a report if you lose luggage, but they never called us or did much.

You are indeed quite lucky. I have to wonder if they had the same luck finding their suitcase which must have also been lost!

We also use luggage straps, but one time were disappointed to see that one had been removed by someone between the time we put the luggage outside the cabin and when we picked it up in the terminal.

I always photograph the outside of the suitcase and try to photograph the contents as well.

It gets more interesting. We have subsequently heard from Silversea and they said they are holding the man's own suitcase until they know we have received ours back from him. He had good incentive along with best intentions to send ours back. Apparently Air Canada made the arrangement. So, thanks to Silversea for the follow up and thanks to the gentleman for calling us and returning the bag.

By the way, this bag was marked with 2 Silversea purple ID tags, a red ribbon with bow, a green ID handle, a leather name tag and a leather business card pouch. Very well marked with six IDs. The biggest help in getting it back was having two phone numbers clearly written on the tags.

With so many black suitcases looking alike, we use a (locking) multi-color strap around each one. You can't miss them at all.

 

 

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You will find it idfficult to believe, but on one of our cruises a fellow passenger staying in a neighbouring suite - a doctor from Hampshire - actually removed the straps off of our luggage (they were set to zero,zero,zero) presumably in the hall overnight and put them on to his own. They were easilly identifiable because they were unique prototypes that a client of mine had specially made up for us with a special colour combination before deciding to add straps to his luggage range. The different size of our cases even left the indentations exactly where they were. I had even put magic marker lines on them so as to know where to set the strap length for our different sets of luggage. There was absolutely no doubt whatsoever he had taken our straps.

We told SS on the port side and asked that they call the police. They asked whether they could compensate us instead. Wanting to continue with our journey home we agreed!

Your post reminded me of the event ....

Jeff

We all know the warnings to check carefully before taking a bag because so many look alike. Coming off The Spirit yesterday in FLL someone took away our main suitcase. It was very clearly marked with a total of six tags and markings. But in the end, we were fortunate because the offenders were honorable and decent and got the bag returned to us. They called us from the airport and reported their mistake and then they hired a car to drive the suitcase up to our home near Palm Beach. Lesson: always have your phone numbers clearly displayed outside the bag in several places. Be polite to the offender who is owning up because you will probably get the bag back. And,when claiming luggage, pick out each bag personally and don't have a porter grab a few. And thanks to the Canadians who fessed up and did the right thing! Silversea will write up a report if you lose luggage, but they never called us or did much.

We had an issue last year in Singapore. On debark we collected our 3 rather unusual red bags which had a number of various markings. On collecting i remarked one seemed to be missing its Lizard Tag. We looked around the terminal quickly but there was no other similar luggage.

On arrival at the airport I discovered we did indeed have the wrong bag ( the weight) and duly rang Raffles to let the owner know and ask for a swap. Raffles were extremely rude to us and told my daughter to drive out to deliver the bag personally despite having a representative at the airport! We then arranged for a Raffles driver to collect at our expense. SS rang at the same time to say they were on the way with our bag and could we please do a swap, which we were more than happy too.

The Raffles driver did not arrive in the extra 50 minutes we waited for him so we went through for boarding. I had rung Raffles twice during that time to cancel the driver and they were extremely rude and told me how their guest was being inconvenienced and the driver was coming to check the bag was handed over.

This was my second "bad attitude" experience at Raffles so they are on my never to stay list.

Our bag had been mistakenly taken by someone else before we debarked, possibly from the other cruise which arrived at the same time, they realised later and returned it just after we had left. The coincidences of having so many similar markings on such unusual bags on collection the SS staff guy just did a double take.

The "offender" :rolleyes: doesn't want your clothes, they do want their own bags and luggage.

If you do use a strap (which I recommend) get a locking one that is TSA approved!

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I also had an issue several years ago, when a suitcase of mine was missing after a cruise on SS Whisper. We debarked in Barbados. For those of us that had a flight late in the day, Silversea gave us a tour of Barbados. Silversea took our luggage to the airport and left it all sitting in a spot in the departures area. I don't know if there was someone watching the luggage while we were on the tour, but there was nobody there when we arrived at the airport. My suitcase was not there, and I wondered if it had been stolen. However, after all bags were picked up I noticed a lone suitcase somewhat similar in size and color to mine. I surmised the owner had taken mine by mistake. Luckily, the tag SS gives to attach to luggage was there, so I could see who the owner was and what airline they were on. I took the bag to that airline's counter, explained the situation, and they retrieved my bag. Indeed that person had checked in my suitcase without ever noticing they had someone else's bag. The airline then paged this person, but I don't know if she responded, because I saw that suitcase still sitting in the airline counter area some time later.

So yes, very important to check and be sure that you are taking the right luggage.

Sometimes the stupidity of other people (never me, of course) is just breathtaking.

My current luggage is a maroon case with orange zips and a lime green strap, plus a bright purple cabin roll aboard - haven't bought black or red luggage in years - and these two cases were standing together behind me as I checked into my hotel yesterday (boarding the Wind tomorrow). I was alerted by a voice saying 'not that one, honey, I already got our blue case' and turned to see a woman walking off with my not-blue roll aboard. I think she just made a genuine mistake but it was a little difficult to understand how.

Sometimes the stupidity of other people (never me, of course) is just breathtaking.

My current luggage is a maroon case with orange zips and a lime green strap, plus a bright purple cabin roll aboard - haven't bought black or red luggage in years - and these two cases were standing together behind me as I checked into my hotel yesterday (boarding the Wind tomorrow). I was alerted by a voice saying 'not that one, honey, I already got our blue case' and turned to see a woman walking off with my not-blue roll aboard. I think she just made a genuine mistake but it was a little difficult to understand how.

Breathtaking is right :D. Enjoy your cruise, and keep an eye on those suitcases.

When we disembarked the Silversea Spirit last January we were waiting for a private car that we booked through Silversea and we were standing with two of the contractor land based representatives who we actually know from cruises on another cruise line.

A woman with two pieces of luggage started walking up to them and noticed that one of the pieces was not hers and the rep was able to take that piece inside and get her own. That is not often as simple because I have a friend who a few years ago forgot one of their pieces (that was in Miami on another cruise line vs we were in Port Everglades for the Spirit disembarkation and it was not easy given the local authorities.

Anyway, they got the piece for her.

The colors were not your typical colors for the luggage as it was a flowery pattern.

Anyway, the reps told me that in Florida (they cover both Miami and Port Everglades) that it usually happens one time per cruise.

We also put ribbons on our luggage.

With that said, this is a reminder to fill out some information outside your luggage including your cell phone telephone number. On another occasion when we were shipping some luggage via one of the luggage service companies to Vancouver the customs official forgot to put back the shipping information that was provided by the shipping company back on one of our pieces of luggage. Federal Express needed to figure out what to do with the luggage when it was handed over to them. Because on another tag our names and cell phone number were on them along with my e-mail address Fed Ex got directly with me.

Keith

Be careful to have your phone number but not address on your bag tags.Probably more important at airports as was seen in Melbourne here a few days ago-

A number of suitcases were stolen from the Terminal 4 carousel at Tullamarine Airport by a woman about 3pm on 20 November last year.

Police believe the same woman then robbed the home of one of the people who had their luggage stolen.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/a/34221530/woman-steals-luggage-from-airport-carousel-breaks-into-victims-home/#page1