Missing Luggage?

[Matt8085]

I'm just curious what happens when the airline loses your luggage. I've had it happen to me on a flight home, thankfully. I didn't get it until 10 PM the next day. How do they get your luggage to you if you're at sea? Do they even attempt to get it to your first stop? I would imagine the airline would be on the hook for the costs of getting it to you?

[cb at sea]

You should always put a copy of your itinerary and your cell phone number in an unlocked, outside pocket of your luggage....each piece! Never put your home address! If you must put an address, put your business address!

 

That way, should a bag get lost, they will know how to find you. This is why flying into your port city a day prior is a good idea...it will give you time to get anything that might go astray!

 

If you can't fly in the day before, they will try to catch up to your next port....but I've heard of several folks who's bags chased them through their entire cruise, and they didn't actually GET the bags until they returned home!

 

Cross-pack...a bit of everyone's stuff in each bag....that way, should one go missing, everyone will have at least something!!!

Edited January 27, 2014 by cb at sea

[ducklite]

We cruised with a couple whose luggage went missing when they left LA and didn't show up until they sailed into Venice 10 days later, after six ports and several pre-cruise days in Rome. This is one of the reasons we travel carry on only and if we absolutely need to check a bag, we cross pack and take at least a few days worth of clothing in our carry on's.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[taglovestocruise]

Last year we were on a TA out of Rome and saw two pick-up trucks full of luggage being shuttled from Adventure of the Seas to our ship, Mariner of the Seas, while docked in the Canary Islands. Apparently Luggage was sent from Los Angeles to Puerto Rico and placed aboard Adventure of the Seas from a tour group that started in LA.

[Ethel5]

USair sent our luggage to heaven knows where, while we went to Venice. It is a sinking feeling standing there at the luggage carousel and it doesn't appear. We filed missing luggage at the VCE airport and they knew where we were staying. I also had our itin in a front pocket of the bags. The luggage showed up the next day with courier tags on it. I hope it had a good flight!:)

[4x4bob]

Two friends went to Paris first and then were going to join us in Barcelona for a five day stay before going onto the ship for a Grand Med cruise.

 

When they checked in to the Hotel we were staying at, they told me that their luggage was missing.

 

We were sharing a two bed room apt that had washing machine and drier in the kitchen. They washed every day for four days while waiting for their luggage to catch up. By day four they were getting a little worried, then that after noon the front desk called to report that their luggage was enroute to the hotel.

 

Lesson learned, never pack everything into shipped luggage. Carry some with you.

 

BobR

[Bonnie J.]

I would think the airline would send the suitcase to the next port - if they know which port. We make sure we have our names, address & phone number IN the suitcase in case all tags have come off and the bag is opened to find the owner. Can also put ship, dates and ports on top of everything.

I have seen bags by the purser's desk with no tags waiting for the owners to collect after they complain they haven't gotten their luggage. And we have gotten letters from ship looking to lost luggage that was checked with the porters.

 

The Hotel Director's wife was on cruise with him. They live in SA, Uraquay (Sorry, can't spell!). When she comes for visits she buys lots of stuff because its available here or less expensive. When she left for home she had 3 suitcases but only one got home with her. Other two were lost. Oh, she started her flights from Charleston, SC. This was in August. A few weeks later she got bag #2. In November bag #3 was found, in Texas! How it got there no one knows but it did finally get to her!

Edited January 28, 2014 by Bonnie J.

[ducklite]

I would think the airline would send the suitcase to the next port - if they know which port. We make sure we have our names, address & phone number IN the suitcase in case all tags have come off and the bag is opened to find the owner. Can also put ship, dates and ports on top of everything.

 

I have seen bags by the purser's desk with no tags waiting for the owners to collect after they complain they haven't gotten their luggage. And we have gotten letters from ship looking to lost luggage that was checked with the porters.

 

 

 

The Hotel Director's wife was on cruise with him. They live in SA, Uraquay (Sorry, can't spell!). When she comes for visits she buys lots of stuff because its available here or less expensive. When she left for home she had 3 suitcases but only one got home with her. Other two were lost. Oh, she started her flights from Charleston, SC. This was in August. A few weeks later she got bag #2. In November bag #3 was found, in Texas! How it got there no one knows but it did finally get to her!

 

 

That assumes that they service that port, and that there is an airport within a reasonable distance. Not going to happen on smaller islands and small ports.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[2ndhoney]

We flew out of JFK on Jan 2, 2014 (during a snow storm) to Buenos Aires.

 

We got to BA very late (flight left 5 hours late) and half of the plane didn't get their bags. Apparently they never made it onto the plane.

 

We all filed lost luggage forms and they said it would turn up on the next flight & be sent to our hotels - except that they didn't give anyone a locator number.

 

So, thankfully we arrived on Friday and our cruise did an overnight in BA and left port on Tues.

 

It took many phone calls, trips back to the airport and a "speed shopping" trip to buy things for temps from the 90s to the 40s before we checked in for our cruise. We informed American Airlines that we are going on a 2 week cruise and we have 2 change of clothes. They said to go shopping "within reason" and file a claim.;)

 

Now here was the kicker - we told the Sheraton what happened for the 3 nights we were there and when the airport delivered the luggage on Monday night, they refused it because we were no longer checked in (even though they knew where we were). We had told the airline where our port stops were and that we were at the pier - so why did they deliver it to the hotel where we checked out of when we called them? Haven't a clue.:rolleyes:

 

We had to go back to the airport ($100 round trip - our 2nd trip) and be very forceful with the lady behind the AA counter who did not want to help us and finally a very nice other AA lady came out with our bags.

 

So, long story short - we came home with an extra suitcase full of clothes and are in the process of filing a claim with AA and the cruise line insurance company. Hopefully we will get at least half of what we spent on the new stuff because Buenos Aires is expensive even for us NYers.:eek:

[tigercat]

We traveled from Toronto to NY to Paris. Our luggage went somewhere else. It took a couple of days to show up in Paris. We were staying in Paris so finally the luggage showed up.

tigercat

[Host Anne]

On a recent cruise, friends from England were missing luggage when they arrived in Miami for their cruise. We were departing the next day before the next flight from England arrived. The airline sent their luggage onto St. Thomas where it was delivered to the ship. The concierge on board (Celebrity Equinox) was outstanding in keeping them up-to-date on what was happening and communicating with the airline on their behalf. Made an unpleasant situation better.

[wieslaw]

Sometimes strange things can happen with the luggage even if the luggage makes it all the way to the ship's terminal.

 

In dec of 2012 we were on a cruise on RCI's Vision and I/we met a gentleman who told us that his luggage went on a cruise on the RCI's Liberty, while that man was cruising on the Vision.

He told us, he did everything correctly with the luggage. He had his RCI Vision tag attached to the luggage , the luggage came with him in a taxi / shuttle to the correct terminal where Vision was docked, the luggage was given to the porter at the terminal to be transported to the Vision ......... it got transported to different terminal and different ship. The luggage never made it to the Vision ..... it ended up being sent from the Liberty ( at the end of the cruise ) to his residence.

There was the mystery why and how the luggage went to the wrong ship at a different terminal ?

Edited January 31, 2014 by wieslaw

[agabbymama]

My very first trip to England, we made the connecting flight in Dallas, but our luggage didn't. We filed the lost baggage claim and was told it would be on the next flight. We were on a 7 night land tour and it took 5 days for our luggage to finally catch up to us, but AA told us to buy what we needed and save the receipts for reimbursement. Now I try to book non-stop flights for this very reason.

 

My friend flew from Los Angeles to Vancouver direct non-stop flight for a cruise to Alaska. Her luggage was not on the carousel, she filed lost luggage report. She boarded her cruise ship, completed the cruise with very little clothing. Lots loaned to her by the cruiseline and she did buy a couple of t-shirts etc. but didn't have a lot of cash to be buying a lot of clothes. Her luggage never caught up to her in the week's cruise or a week in Alaska.

 

Fast forward about 3 years, that suitcase is still missing! So maybe my plan of non-stop flights doesn't work either!:D

[gooch47]

Southwest had a delayed flight so we caught a different one from Phoenix to LA where we boarded an Air New Zealand Flight to Auckland. Our bags never left Phoenix in time to make the flight to Auckland.

 

In Auckland we filed our report for lost luggage.

 

We boarded the old Regal Princess with just our carry-on with a few clothes in it.

 

Two days later, the suitcase with all my husband's clothes in it showed up in our cabin. The next day my suitcase showed up. We actually saw it being taken out of the trunk of a taxi.

 

First lesson learned: cross pack.

 

Second lesson learned: use only carry-ons if at all possible.

 

We thought it was amazing that we received them at all considering it took two different airlines plus the cruise line to make it happen.

Edited January 31, 2014 by gooch47

[Talisker92]

I was on a Hebridean Princess cruise in Scotland that left from Oban, some 70 miles from Glasgow. There was one bus to transfer me from the Glasgow airport to the ship, and a second later bus that was just stopping at the railway terminal.

My flight from LAX to London was delayed, and I just made the Glasgow flight, but my luggage did not. The bus showed up at the airport, and I told the driver my problem. He called his dispatcher and made arrangements for the second bus to pick me up.

I lived in the airport luggage office until the next plane from London arrived. Miracle of all miracles, my bag showed up on the carousel 10 minutes before the second bus arrived at the airport.

[melody-s]

On our Mediterranean cruise my son's luggage was lost. It did catch up with us about half-way through the cruise. The airline was very good about getting it to us.

 

The ship (NCL) had little bags for people who lost their luggage which included a t-shirt and toiletries. Also, he was given free laundry service. He had a change of clothes in his carry-on, a friend he made onboard give him another t-shirt, and I bought him a couple of things on the ship. It was annoying and a hassle, but everyone was super helpful. I filed a small claim with our travel insurance for the items that I bought for him on the ship and it was paid promptly.

[gooch47]

Being of the "plus size" persuasion I doubt I could find much that would fit on a cruise ship except for t-shirts.

[willow028]

NCL in 2009 with a diverse group that included two single men that got paired up so they could both cruise - one a 22 year old "hipster" and the other a 50 year old self described "geek". The 50 year old had a delayed flight and made the ship with minutes to spare before sailing, but his luggage didn't make his connecting flight, and he didn't even care at that point. His roomie loaned him clothes for two days until our first port - which made for some hysterical pictures and a lot of laughs.

 

And, his luggage did catch up to the ship in Cabo - he was flying Southwest from Kentucky via Phoenix (where the luggage took a detour) to LAX - still not sure how they made it happen, but he was sure happy to be out of his baggy shorts and back into his chinos and button down shirts!

[ger_77]

Our luggage didn't make it to Athens in time for departure on our first Mediterranean cruise. We were given free laundry (out by midnight, back by 6AM), and found our luggage waiting for us on the pier at Istanbul (3 days later) on our return to the ship after our shore excursion. That experience taught us to pack extra clothing in our carry-ons, not just reading material and sundries. Lesson learned!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Viv0828]

We've never had a bag go missing - probably because we never check our bags! I've never won the lottery either - probably because I've never bought a ticket - LOL!

[NMLady]

. ...

 

We thought it was amazing that we received them at all considering it took two different airlines plus the cruise line to make it happen.

 

The cruise line will always try to help 'make it happen'. So, if luggage is lost by airline, always notify ship's Front Desk as soon as you board, giving them as much information as possible: airline, flight number, description of bags.

 

We've had luggage delayed, but never for a cruise. Even so, we carry one change of clothes each in our carryon and we cross pack in the checked bags.