Lost All our bags...Advice

[ken987]

Hi,

 

I'm sitting here in my Ft Lauderdale room....waiting to go to the port to board the Oasis. Ok...don't yell at me..but I trusted the airlines with all my bags. So I have nothing. My bags are somewhere in La La land....SO best case scenario...they arrive and are delivered to the ship...what is the latest time the ship will accept my bags? The Oasis leaves at 6pm I believe. Does anyone know what time is the cutoff? I'm assuming I should board the ship and hope for the best.

Also...if I get on the ship and then at 2pm I'm told my bags are lost can I get off the ship to go buy clothes? The airline won't reimburse me until they say they are lost. OH and the kicker..I got a voucher for $100 for my next flight...Like I would even use them again. This is the 2nd time they lost my bags in a year.

[marci22]

If it was me, I would go out right now and buy some clothes. If you don't need them they can be returned and if you do need them you'll be glad you did it because it's hard to find socks and underwear on a cruiseship.

[boulders]

On my very first cruise, RCCL lost my luggage. I went through the whole 7 night cruise without seeing it again. I definitely agree with the previous poster. Start shopping now!

[1BDNANA]

I am getting ready to book my flights. Who did you book with so I can avoid them? You have also given me a good reason to get trip insurance. If you don't have enough time to shop before sailing you can get some items on the ship and stock up when you hit the first port. I hear that RCCL can be vary kind to cruisers you have lost their luggage.

I wish you luck.

[Happy ks]

I do hope your bags find their way to you! What a horrid thing to happen. I'm assuming you have contacted the airlines several times now. Plead, beg and try to be nice, if you're nice people will want to help, if you're rude they will treat you just like you would treat someone being rude to you.

 

I'll agree with the others, grab a cab and get to the mall or Target or somewhere, maybe the bellman at your hotel could give you a lift. Even a couple changes of clothes will be better than just having the clothes on your back.

 

The last thing I will write is not what you want to read...next time pack a carry on with essentials and a change of clothes ;)

[cruisegirl1]

I'm sure the situstion is upsetting to you.

 

As mentioned, get to a store immediately. It happened to me ( not for a cruise) but luckily I travel in decent clothes and always carry some make up and a set of underwear in a small carry on tote.

 

I purchased a two tops, a few colorful scarves and pretty necklaces and a second pair of shoes . I got by for 5 days.

 

Washing underwear every day did get old!

 

No one will notice that you have the same few pieces of clothing

 

You can get make up and any accessories on the ship.

 

Good luck

 

m

[Boston lab girl]

My husband lost one bag getting on the ship. It had all of his clothes. First if you have insurance read the policy. Our insurance which we did not read said we could have up to $500 to buy clothes if our bags were delayed by 24 hours. We didn't know that so didn't take advantage.

 

 

They have laundry on the boat so you can keep to a minimum what you have to buy. They can return your clothes in 24 hours.

 

 

Also you would be surprised at what you can buy on the boat. NO shoes or underwear though so make sure you get those before your depart.

When we were going through this all of the ship personal thought it was an airline problem and thought our luggage would simply be sent to the next port.

 

Make sure you call the airline explain your situation but also call royal caribbean. This probably happens more than you think and they probably know exactly how to handle this.

 

Good luck and one more piece of advice. Don't let this snafu ruin your vacation. buy what you need and worry about it when you return. May you have a great cruise and wonderful weather.

[tomko2]

Go shopping now!

Sorry this has happened but if you make a quick basic list and get to a mall you could be all set for your cruise within 3 hours.

Kathy:)

[ken987]

Thanks for all the advice. Yes I do understand that I need some clothes. My main reason was I was hoping to see if anyone knew the cutoff time for a 6pm cruise....when would they stop accepting bags?

 

My airline is a very major airline...so no point in bashing it here.

[TEXASMUNK]

It would appear you have taken the time to file the lost luggage claim.

#1 Carry the phone number with you, and call every hour

#2 Did you depart from a snowbound city? If so, you may have a problem that cannot be solved in one day.

#3 Go shopping....underwear, minimum 2 sets of beach wear stuff, and maybe one or two evenings. If you bags show up, great, return the stuff. If not, you are covered.

#4 Confirm with the airline..not!!!! "airlines" (they are not some monolith like the US government, but individual companies....so many folks refer to them as "the airlines" duh!) that they KNOW you are on a ship. Get them to cmmit to putting it in a taxi if it shows up today and take directly to the ship. Often times luggage delivery services are used which means multiple stops.

#5 If you have time, go back to the airport, visit with the staff on duty, be NICE, beg them for help and a commitment to use a taxi for direct service.

#6 You must be checked in 90 minutes prior to the ship's scheduled departure. That means you! Your bags would (if you had them) be then go to the ship...so work with that 90 minute window for the bags to arrive

and......

Good Luck!!!!

[Cruising89143]

I agree with the others, go shopping for some clothes. If the bags do not make it today then it will be Tuesday before they can catch up with the ship. Good luck and sorry that your trip has started off on a sour note. The Oasis is a beautiful ship and I hope that you have a great time.

[MrPete]

When I was on NCL one cruise, that happened to a family. They gave him money to buy clothes on board. The luggage showed up on day 4, and he was sort of disappointed. :)

[silentbob007]

They will probably stop accepting bags when check-in ends ... perhaps 4ish? I had an airline lose my bag last year and it was not fun ... I finally got them on day 3 of the cruise. Thankfully they at least knew where my bags were (scanning tags).

 

My suggestion to you is to buy a few things you would need. When you board, talk to guest services so that they will know what is going on and can advise you.

[NorbertsNiece]

Did you book the flights through RCCL? Hope this gets resolved. Been there myself.... not on a cruise though. Best of luck.

[MrsPete]

Wow, ALL your luggage? The mind boggles at the airline's ineptitude.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would not board until the last minute (well, you have to go shopping, so you really can't). I'd do my best to reunite with my luggage BEFORE boarding. Boarding/disembarking can take some time, and it just makes sense not to do it twice.

 

I wouldn't worry about the money now. You have limited time and can only do so much. You can deal with the airline's financial responsibility in this situation later, once you're home.

 

And the airlines wonder why so many of us insist upon cramming maximum-sized carry-ons in the overhead compartments!

 

This is also one more reason -- as if we needed another reason -- to fly in a day ahead! If you had flown in on the "day of", you'd have had absolutely no chance to reunite with your luggage.

[MrsPete]

They will probably stop accepting bags when check-in ends ... perhaps 4ish? I had an airline lose my bag last year and it was not fun ... I finally got them on day 3 of the cruise. Thankfully they at least knew where my bags were (scanning tags).

 

My suggestion to you is to buy a few things you would need. When you board, talk to guest services so that they will know what is going on and can advise you.

You're probably right about the end time . . . but if you do end up boarding sans luggage, it wouldn't hurt to talk to the people in the terminal about your luggage. IF it should show up at the last minute, it would be good for them to know the situation. I'd like to think they'd take pity on you and run it on through -- but if they're not aware, if they think you were just slack in getting it there, they won't KNOW to do it.

[TEXASMUNK]

Be sure the airline has your itinerary!

If it becomes apparant that your bags will not make it, talk about which port they can be delivered to....

[Desert Cruizers]

Ken hopefully your bags arrive, but go out and grab some needed items. We always pack in our Carry one, some extra clothes for min 3 days. That includes evening attire for dinner.

[MrPete]

Wow. Talk about a balance act. Taking advice and going out and getting some clothes and then your luggage shows up anyway. Decisions, decisions!

[glenneagle]

This has happened to us 3 times.I would go to the airport and look thru the bags,all 3 times we found our bags just sitting there,they had come in on the next flight,airlines are very slow to respond when they get lost bags,In fact they told us our bags were still missing and there they were at Fll,

Good luck.

[kris4842]

ugh, Im so sorry that this happened but one good thing, I was just on oasis and they have much better stores to shop at now. They have two stores that have great clothes and even sells shoes. One is called Prince and Green and another store is on the boardwalk. These stores actually sell name brand clothes and not the typical cruise t-shirts and the prices were not bad at all. Hope this helps a little and btw Oasis is amazing, have a great time

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

ITA with everyone who said go shopping!

I also agree that they will stop accepting luggage at the same time the passengers are cut off about 2 and a half hours before sailing.

 

Good luck, hope your luggage arrives and you have a good cruise! :)

 

***

[BroncosFan2010]

We lost our garment bag on our honeymoon. Luckily, we had our ship tags on the bag when we left our home city. The cruise line was able to track our bag, and it made it to the ship on the 1st island. I suggest you get a hold of the people at the courtesy desk as soon as you get on the ship, let them know your situation, and they will help you call the airline so that the luggage will meet you somewhere along the cruise. Good luck!

[Maraprince]

What you need to carry in your hand luggage or even in your hand bag....underwear and something to sleep in (even if it is only a tee-shirt). The ships do not sell underwear and you can make do with just 2 sets...wear one, wash one. Other clothes can be purchased cheaper in the port. If your luggage shows up, at least you have a head start on new clothes for your next cruise.

 

But I can't stress enough the importance of having travel insurance. How many times has our luggage been damaged just going from the pier to the ship WITHOUT flying to the port! Sometimes the damage was temporarily repaired by the ship's personnel enough to be used for the return trip and then taken in to the repair shop at home.

 

Good luck on your bags showing up...miracles can happen. I would definitely want more than $100 off my next flight with THAT airline due to the stress and inconvenice they have caused you. If you paid to check in the bags, I would ask for that to be refunded as well.

 

Also, you may want to consider shipping your luggage ahead on your next cruise. The cost is worth it if you consider what it would cost you to pay the airline fee to check the luggage in the first place, the cost to replace the bags and their contents.

 

MARAPRINCE

[lcguy]

Hi,

 

I'm sitting here in my Ft Lauderdale room....waiting to go to the port to board the Oasis. Ok...don't yell at me..but I trusted the airlines with all my bags. So I have nothing. My bags are somewhere in La La land....SO best case scenario...they arrive and are delivered to the ship...what is the latest time the ship will accept my bags? The Oasis leaves at 6pm I believe. Does anyone know what time is the cutoff? I'm assuming I should board the ship and hope for the best.

Also...if I get on the ship and then at 2pm I'm told my bags are lost can I get off the ship to go buy clothes? The airline won't reimburse me until they say they are lost. OH and the kicker..I got a voucher for $100 for my next flight...Like I would even use them again. This is the 2nd time they lost my bags in a year.

You don't have to bash the airline here. Luggage stuff happens. However, American flies to St. Thomas regularly and can catch you up with your bags there, although a couple of days late. Moral of story... don't check bags... especially don't check all of your bags.