My experience on the lost & found service from RCCL

[Cruiser_1977]

@murfturf the last point was a bit in jest. I should have found a way to make that more clear on a message board. My apologies. I agree that human beings should attempt to return things to their owners. 

Edited November 12, 2019 by JennyB1977

[GEORGIEGIRL]

6 hours ago, murfturf said:

 

I don't think it's pulling up a 3 year old situation. It's a compilation for people who have had issues. Take it as a warning, or to find people in the same boat. Or, to praise the system and prove it works. My issue wasn't 3 years ago. 

 

I was only commenting on the original dates that were posted. Their words, not mine... Please see them below

 

I was on the RCCL mariener of the seas on this Jan,8 2016 - Jan,11 2016.

[murfturf]

9 minutes ago, GEORGIEGIRL said:

 

I was only commenting on the original dates that were posted. Their words, not mine... Please see them below

 

I was on the RCCL mariener of the seas on this Jan,8 2016 - Jan,11 2016.

 

 

Yes, I know. I was the one who resurrected it. Not the original poster. They posted this issue 3 years ago (almost 4!) and I searched for "lost and found" threads. I brought it up again, and added my own lament. 

 

 

I can concede and see that we should move on and chalk this up in the "our fault" column. 🤷‍♀️

 

Earlier today, in my frustration I was searching for people who have had similar experiences to ours. I came across many not just the one on this message board.  It was just so irritating to me that an item that I knew exactly where it was that was labeled with our name and number, reported missing through the proper channels did not make it home. I am lucky this was not a wedding set. I also can see how Royal  needs to have a pretty hard and fast rule on lost and found items because it can be easily exploited. I appreciate the input and that hopefully this post is here for people to see in the future and maybe act as precautionary tale before they sail about personal belongings and that there really is a little hope in recovering lost items. 🙁

[SRF]

11 hours ago, murfturf said:

 

That's the exact link we used. And received "we're still looking" emails every 5 days for a month.

 

Nice to hear that Princess found your headset - that's the exact headset my husband left on Freedom of the Seas. We realize it's gone. We are baffled by the ineptitude and dishonesty all around. My children have lost things at school, and other kids just bring them home. Whenever I find an item, I try to find the owner rather than "turn it in" because I know how rarely that makes it to the original owner. 

 

So maybe that what happened to your item.  The person who found it did not turn it in and is looking for you.

 

Of course, they have no way of finding out who you are and how to return it.

 

If it is turned in, it gets into the system.  The cruise line is not out looking and searching for your item for days and weeks.  They are comparing found AND TURNED IN items to the list of reported missing items.

[JupiterTwo]

On 11/12/2019 at 2:12 PM, murfturf said:

I think the staff know that left items are free game and that is the larger problem, more so than reimbursement. I'm shocked as I read more how many people do NOT recover lost items on Royal...

 

I'm glad to hear Princess recovered an item, that is encouraging. 

 

Let me add this:

 

We thought we lost it at one of the Princess lodges in Alaska, as we did the land portion first. When I got home, I called every hotel first and spoke to their security/lost and found, and then I went on the website and entered the case for the missing headset. We think it got misplaced as we were packing up a suitcase for "direct to ship" instead of taking it with us, but we were constantly shuffling suitcases and it could have gotten swept aside anywhere.

 

I never found out exactly where they found it, but I suspect it was at a hotel and not on the cruise ship. Without casting aspersions, I think behavioral differences are that these Alaska hotels are staffed by mostly locals (augmented by seasonal American college kids who are afraid to "backpack across Europe"), while ships are staffed by contracted foreigners from mostly third-world countries. I would hope that Royal tracks the "found" rate on their ships, but it might be a case of "ignorance is bliss."

 

Steve

 

[mugtech]

18 minutes ago, JupiterTwo said:

 Without casting aspersions, 

 

Let me guess, some of your best friends are third-worlders.

[thrifty99]

I’ve left some things in a hotel room before and take full responsibility for their loss. I’ll make a call to see if they find it, but usually never happens. My perspective is always “the person who found it probably needed it more than me”.  My items are not expensive, sentimental items like jewelry so I understand the frustration and disappointment by some who have posted here and their items were not turned in.

 

If it is taken by a crew member, realize that some of these items could be worth several months wages for an employee. It doesn’t make it right, but realize the value to them and possibly their family situation back home could be a considerable temptation. 

 

I didn’t read all the posts, but one thing to try in the future is to post on the next cruise roll call (one that left the day you disembarked). Maybe see if someone on that cruise would be willing to contact the hotel manager on your behalf or even stop by that cabin / talk to a room steward handling that area to see if they know anything about the items. Obviously this is overkill for a lost pair of glasses or jacket, but I would help someone out if it were something more valuable / sentimental like a wedding ring. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Once we got a phone call on embarkation day in our cabin.  It was the person that had just ;left.  they had left something in the safe and wanted me to check if it was still there. It was not and I told them that.  . . . but, I told myself this would be a good way to try to get my items back if I left something.  I would have been willing to mail the item back to them or turn it in to the ship--their choice. 

 

edit:  I mentioned this to the cabin steward.  He said he had not seen anything. 

Edited November 14, 2019 by DragonOfTheSeas

[SRF]

9 hours ago, JupiterTwo said:

while ships are staffed by contracted foreigners from mostly third-world countries.

 

And I have found that those third-worlders are more honest than the first-worlders.

 

I left some things in a hotel room in a third world country.  I also left some change, intending it as a tip.  EVERYTHING was returned, including the change (and I had not asked for it back).

 

I have left cash out in my room in third-world countries (not on purpose) and never had a penny taken.

[SRF]

8 hours ago, thrifty99 said:

If it is taken by a crew member, realize that some of these items could be worth several months wages for an employee. It doesn’t make it right, but realize the value to them and possibly their family situation back home could be a considerable temptation. 

 

Where are they going to hide it?

 

And if caught with it, they will be off the ship at the next port, trying to pay to get home.  REALLY not worth it.

[mjkacmom]

I hate to say it, but I’m guessing many of these items just get tossed. Turn around day is extremely busy, heck every day is extremely busy for the crew. Considering the amount of items that are probably left behind week after week, it’s just much easier not to get them back to their owners. Hotels have actual lost and found departments. 

[SRF]

I bet more likely, they got missed by the staff, and the new guests found them and kept them.

Edited November 14, 2019 by SRF

[Big_G]

I don't know how little some of you think crew members are paid but we've seen some in port sporting and buying better swag than I would ever buy. These ships aren't exactly Dickens' workhouses. They work hard but they're not paid pennies.