Help me find my cell phone.

[Ahhh]

I did the Bon Voyage Experience on the Star Princess on Monday, May 12. About half an hour after disembarking I realized that my phone (with all my pictures, contacts, and personal info) was not in my possession, and that I had left it on the ship (somewhere) :eek:. I of course dashed back to the dock too late, as the ship was leaving on a 12 day Alaskan cruise. :(

 

Well, here is my second problem. I had to purchase another iphone for $800 (ouch). I can return it within 14 days for a full refund if I get my original phone back. I contacted Princess and explained my situation to them, to see if there was any way of getting hold of the reception desk on the ship, to see if it was turned in (it would be good to know that anyway, for peace of mind). I was told that it was not possible, and that anything left in "Lost & Found", at the END of the voyage will be shipped to Miami.

 

The Princess customer service rep checked with his supervisor, to see if there was any way that I would not have to wait for all that red tape, but the answer was no. If I were to fill out a "Lost on board" form, which could be emailed to me (I still have not received it, after many hours), Miami would then get in touch with me in about 3 weeks, to let me know if it was retrieved.

 

Does anyone know of another way? I know if I wanted to contact a passenger (via the ship) in an emergency that there would be no problem doing it, so I really don't understand why the ship cannot be contacted to see if a phone has been turned into Lost & Found :confused:.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, David

[antsp]

Wow $800 on a phone, could you not just buy a cheap $50 phone for now and wait it out until the ship returns to Fort Lauderdale.

[Bucky3]

That's a bummer! If all else fails, if you live in SF and the ship is coming back there, I'd make a reservation for another BVE on that turnaround day, and go back myself to check with lost and found on the ship. That should give you a day or so to turn in the new phone. Good Luck.

[pablo222]

Wow $800 on a phone, could you not just buy a cheap $50 phone for now and wait it out until the ship returns to Fort Lauderdale.

 

I think that will be a really, really long wait.

[BratDet]

For that ship and sailing, put a succinct message titled missing cell phone.

 

Then describe your problem, contact info (email) and maybe someone on board will see it and check for you...They could send you a free postcard from princess while on ship with a message if it was found or not..

 

Bernadette

[Coral]

I would email starprincess@princesscruises.com and maybe put a title on the email Lost Cell iPhone on Bon Voyage on 5/12 with your contact info. Hopefully they will take the email seriously.

[Coral]

For that ship and sailing, put a succinct message titled missing cell phone.

 

Then describe your problem, contact info (email) and maybe someone on board will see it and check for you...They could send you a free postcard from princess while on ship with a message if it was found or not..

 

Bernadette

 

In addition to the roll call, maybe put a message on the Princess board (this board) and call it "Anyone on the Star Princess now". If someone is onboard, they may or may not check out the roll call.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Coral

[saratoga]

I would call the missing cell phone. If it's turned on, it should have connected to the ships cell system.

 

Maybe someone will hear it ring and answer it. If so, you will know where its at.

 

Good Luck

[paul929207]

Check and see if anyone is posting from the cruise. They may be willing to help you

[Potstech]

Also if you know anyone on the cruise get ahold of them and see if they can check for you. Do you have any idea where on the ship you left it? Also try calling when you know the ship is in port that way you may be able to get it to ring with the cell phone provider in that port.

[rollingstone]

Please let us know if you DO get your phone back. I left my phone plugged in the room when we left. I called Princess that evening and was told the same thing about everything being sent to to their office. I knew people on the next segment and e mailed them to ask the new people in our room if they had found it. They even asked the room attendant ( who turned it in to lost & found). lost & found would not confirm or deny that they had it????? What's up with that?

Bottom line, after phone calls to every phone number I could find, I was never called back by anyone and never got back my phone. No one knew where it was and everyone blamed it on someone else.

A phone can be replaced but replacing all your contacts is a pain and the pictures are impossible to replace.

Princess employees must all be walking around with nice, pricey phones!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Ahhh]

This is one of the beauties of Cruise Critic! You get instant results. Also, does anyone know the email address of any of the officers (Future Cruise Consultant, Concierge, etc. on board?

 

Could you not just buy a cheap $50 phone for now and wait it out until the ship returns to Fort Lauderdale.

I know you meant "when it returns to San Francisco", and I thought of doing just that. Unfortunately, when dealing with my phone provider, and being in month 6, of a 2 year contract, it was not an option. I need my smart phone for my work. More than anything I'd like to get back all my pictures and recordings off the phone, which cannot be replaced.

 

I'd make a reservation for another BVE on that turnaround day, and go back myself to check with lost and found on the ship

I do live in SF, and that is my plan! Even if I am unable to confirm that it was found, at least I'll have lunch in the dining room and drown my sorrows with a glass of wine :o.

 

For that ship and sailing, put a succinct message titled missing cell phone. Then describe your problem, contact info (email) and maybe someone on board will see it and check for you.

Excellent idea Bernadette!

 

I would email starprincess@princesscruises.com and maybe put a title on the email Lost Cell iPhone on Bon Voyage on 5/12 with your contact info. In addition, put a message on the Princess board and call it "Anyone on the Star Princess now".

Thank you for the email address! Two excellent ideas I will try!

 

I would call the missing cell phone.

Thank you for that idea. I called numerous times before heading back to the dock, but it was never answered. I had the phone shut off when I bought my new one, so as to avoid any further complications.

 

Check and see if anyone is posting from the cruise. They may be willing to help you

Thank you Paul. I will do that as well.

 

If you know anyone on the cruise get a hold of them. Do you have any idea where on the ship you left it?

If I knew someone on board my frustration of the unknown would be lessened to a degree, depending on if it were found AND turned in. I believe I left it in the Sanctuary, where I was resting on one of those comfortable lounge chairs with a view of downtown :cool:.

[Ahhh]

Please let us know if you DO get your phone back. I left my phone plugged in the room when we left. I called Princess that evening and was told the same thing about everything being sent to to their office. I knew people on the next segment and e mailed them to ask the new people in our room if they had found it. They even asked the room attendant (who turned it in to lost & found). lost & found would not confirm or deny that they had it????? What's up with that?

Bottom line, after phone calls to every phone number I could find, I was never called back by anyone and never got back my phone. No one knew where it was and everyone blamed it on someone else.

A phone can be replaced but replacing all your contacts is a pain and the pictures are impossible to replace.

 

I figure the sooner I act on all this the better chance of getting it back. The longer the wait, the greater the chance of non recovery. Yes the phone can be replaced (albiet costly) but it's the other stuff that is priceless. If it is turned in, the ship will have a log of that.

[Ahhh]

Hello. This is a long shot, but I thought I would excercise all options...

 

I was aboard the ship in SF for a Bon Voyage Experience, and misplaced my iphone. If you are on board the ship currently, would you mind checking Lost & Found, at the reception desk, to see if it has been turned in? Could you then email me your results? I am happy to pay for any expenses incurred. It would be a relief to know one way or another, if it has been turned in. I would greatly appreciate it.

 

David

dfreardon@aol.com

Edited May 14, 2014 by Ahhh

[antsp]

My niece left $40 dollars and Bose headphones in her shorts pocket as they where sent in to the Laundry. Now I know it was her own daft fault, but they never ever showed up even after numerous attempts at the pursers desk.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Sorry about this... it's so easy to do!

 

Did you not have insurance, either on the phone itself or for the cruise? If you did, that might be an easier solution... since there's no guarantee that it will be found.

[Griff4AU]

Any chance you activated the Find My Phone app? Or tried it?

[Loonbeam]

Find my phone won't work once the id is switched to another phone in most cases (service is off) which is also good because if the phone was left on it could pick up roaming data until the battery dies.

 

If your phone offers a cloud or HD based backup, its always a good idea to use it before traveling.

[kimstonepost]

there was a post of someone that did the bve experience post name was trbarton, not sure if you can search to see if they are on the ship or not but it had the same date as your post worth a shot? Kim

[Grannycb]

It won't help you find your phone but maybe next time you could link your iPhone with another device. I have my iPod Touch 5, iPad, and iMac set up to share files with iCloud. What goes on one shows up on the others. It's a very handy feature. I hope your phone fines it's way back to you.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Grannycb

[RNGALNG]

It won't help you find your phone but maybe next time you could link your iPhone with another device. I have my iPod Touch 5, iPad, and iMac set up to share files with iCloud. What goes on one shows up on the others. It's a very handy feature. I hope your phone fines it's way back to you.

 

I too 'lost' my iPhone on our Hawaii cruise (second day out) in a lounge. It was never returned. The Princess insurance covered it and I was backed up on my Macbook, so didn't loose any contacts. We also got online right away and turned that phone off so it couldn't be used for anything but the games I had on it!

 

I didn't have a lock on it (now do) nor did I have a finder app on it. I don't like people knowing that I have arrived at. . .hairdresser, doctor, restaurant. . . you know. But we learned quickly how to turn it off! Also learned that the parts sell really well. . . even if they can't use the phone.

 

Sorry you lost yours as well. I think everyone has given you great ideas on how to try and find it. Good luck! Maybe there is a good sole onboard who will turn it in!

[Coral]

Any chance you activated the Find My Phone app? Or tried it?

 

I had to laugh - I can see using "Find my iPhone" and see a spot in the ocean indicating that the phone is somewhere off the coast.

 

The feature works great when I see what house my phone is in but when I try it at work, it just puts a dot on my college campus which isn't anywhere near where I am. It sees my campus as one location and not separate buildings.

 

So sometimes technology works great and sometimes it doesn't.

[MIJOY]

A couple of years ago I lost my phone. Went on line & checked my ATT account, which showed several calls made and the numbers called. I phoned those numbers, let that person know the person calling them at 1:45 pm talking 10 min. Etc. Was using a phone that didn't belong to them. Took 3 phone calls, to locate my phone.

[Colo Cruiser]

I too 'lost' my iPhone on our Hawaii cruise (second day out) in a lounge. It was never returned. The Princess insurance covered it and I was backed up on my Macbook, so didn't loose any contacts. We also got online right away and turned that phone off so it couldn't be used for anything but the games I had on it!

 

Princess insurance covered the loss of you phone?

Interesting........please can you provide some more details?

I was not aware that they would cover a scenario like that.

[RNGALNG]

Princess insurance covered the loss of you phone?

Interesting........please can you provide some more details?

I was not aware that they would cover a scenario like that.

 

Yes. I was playing trivia in one of the lounges. Afterward, we went back to the room to change for dinner and I remembered I left the phone, in my new Vera Bradley bag - WITH A NEW COFFEE CARD in the lounge. By the time I ran back, the phone was gone but the purse and card still there. Went to the front desk to report it missing. Filled the report and went back every day to ask if it had been returned. It never was.

 

Once home from the cruise, we had to send in a missing item report so the ship could look for it. It didn't show up in the lost and found or onboard.

 

By then, we had already replaced it with a new iPhone (the lost one was a 3 and the new was a 4 - the lowest I could find.) We then sent in the receipt for the new phone along with the paper work asked for and we received a check for the phone.

 

We had the Platinum insurance with Princess and the claim went to Barkley.

 

DH had had to have hospital treatment the night before we left the ship and they paid for everything our regular insurance didn't.