Ever have luggage stolen from terminal after disembarking?

[hcat]

Once located in the pile, one could stop to look for name on the external luggage tag to make sure it is theirs.People are in too much of a rush!

 

Of course we also put an ID card inside, just in case the tags comes off.

 

Glad we are carrying off our bags on next 2 cruises and hoping for luggage valet for longer trips.

[vulcan1971]

Getting my son off the ship is always a struggle and we tend to always be the last ones off. Is there a risk that our luggage could be stolen in the terminal while we are taking our sweet time getting off the ship? Has anyone ever had their luggage stolen? I know it's risky at airports where thieves take bags off the carousel before their owners can get to them. Was wondering if this is an issue at ship terminals as well.

 

I think this question is one that most people never think about, even when it happens to someone they know, because it will ONLY hit home when it "actually" happens to you. Airports are much better equipped with tracking and locating your baggage. They are equipped to deal with this from a customer service standpoint as well. This is not the case with the cruise lines. Chances are great or very likely that you will have a smooth process to disembark the ship and collect your luggage with no issues. In the past, I've always been upbeat and positive, but after the events from my 2013 cruise, reality has set in and I have adapted. Read on....

 

I was on the the Reflection last year for a westbound transatlantic that disembarked in Miami. Since I was staying overnight, there was no rush to get off the ship and we planned to get the last time slot available to depart the ship. Once in the luggage carrousel area, we looked and waited for luggage to arrive. Given that most had already come through, I was surprised at how long it took to start arriving.

 

No point in playing up the suspense.... after about 25 minutes of waiting, ultimately only 3 of the 4 pieces arrived on the carrousel. I was heart broken when the 4th piece never turned up. It was my favorite piece of luggage.

 

Because the luggage was expensive, I am more inclined to think that the luggage was "stolen" than picked it up by accident. I always travel with current contact info in my luggage, including my mobile number. IF the person was a honest do-gooder, they would have been able to reach me to arrange for a pick-up/drop-off of the luggage. My piece of luggage was worth about $650, which doesn't even cover the cost of the contents (probably another $500-$700 in clothing items).

 

For those who have never had to file a claim... it sucks!! That was the second time on that cruise that I had to fill out a claims form since I had laundry that was sent out during the cruise for cleaning and it never returned as well. The agent filling out the form was more concerned with clearing the terminal to prepare for the next round of customers coming through to board the ship than providing any kind of service to a customer in distress and on the verge of tears. As one would expect, I was not thinking clearly and quite upset.

 

Celebrity is not very good at follow up when it comes to them dealing with their own mistakes.

 

Oh, and by the way.... the most that Celebrity will offer you is $300, regardless of the value of the luggage or its contents.

 

Due to this issue, I now choose to self-disembark with my luggage.

 

I'm glad other people have had happy endings to their situations, but this left a very sour taste in my mouth for the luggage handling process and with how Celebrity handled this issue of lost/stolen luggage and also how they dealt with me as a customer.

Edited September 30, 2014 by vulcan1971

[scdreamer]

Not a "theft" story, but a cautionary tale.

 

We were heading by hotel shuttle to the airport, prior to flying to a foreign port to begin our cruise. The airport shuttle stopped at our terminal, and the driver gave us our bags.

 

After waiting in line at the airline ticket counter to check bags for about 15 minutes, we were first in line, when we heard a harried voice calling our last name. It was the shuttle driver, who had given us the wrong bag! Yes, one of the identical bags actually had someone else's id tag attached, and it had only been luck that caused that passenger to check the bag (our bag!) that was given to him when the shuttle arrived at his terminal.

 

It was so lucky that we hadn't already checked the bag through and gone through security - what a mess that would have been.

 

Now I ALWAYS check the tag on my bag, no matter if there is a distinctive ribbon or any other marking. That was a very close call!

[Queen of Oakville]

when my kids were younger and we had to roll them off in strollers, we had no choice but to have our bags taken off the ship for us. Fortunately, we never had any issues.

 

But now, no more strollers, and everyone rolls off their own bag.

 

Personally, I love the freedom of not having to rush to pack and have the bags ready for pickup before we leave. The last formal night is usually on the last night of the cruise, and it just seems so hurried trying to leave for dinner and pack too. I find it far less chaotic to roll our own bags off. Nothing gets lost or stolen, and we are in total control of the process and our debarkation.