Did the Amsterdam world cruise passengers ever get their luggage?

[Hflors]

I have been wondering if the Amsterdam world cruise passengers ever got their luggage.  I tried to follow the luggage, but where I spent the summer rarely had internet.  If any one knows could you post?   Also I am a bit bummed out that there will be on world cruise blogs this coming January anyone rlse already missing the dailybriefings blogs as the time draws near?

[Essiesmom]

This is being followed on this thread.  Deliveries are beginning to filter in.  EM

 

 

[Lido - Lanai]

11 minutes ago, Hflors said:

I have been wondering if the Amsterdam world cruise passengers ever got their luggage.  I tried to follow the luggage, but where I spent the summer rarely had internet.  If any one knows could you post?   Also I am a bit bummed out that there will be on world cruise blogs this coming January anyone rlse already missing the dailybriefings blogs as the time draws near?

Read through the Any news from the Amsterdam? thread... most of the luggage comments were posted there.

[SharonN]

1 hour ago, Hflors said:

I have been wondering if the Amsterdam world cruise passengers ever got their luggage.  I tried to follow the luggage, but where I spent the summer rarely had internet.  If any one knows could you post?   Also I am a bit bummed out that there will be on world cruise blogs this coming January anyone rlse already missing the dailybriefings blogs as the time draws near?

Some did but many of us are still waiting.  The 3 bags with my husbands tags arrived last Tue but the 4 with my tags are still showing as pending by FedEx. This means they haven't been turned over to FedEx by HAL yet. The last email we got from HAL indicated that all bags should be shipped by Fri Oct 16 but since many as are still waiting they didn't even come close to getting them all out.  Either that or they misplaced a bunch of them (they have tracking #s since they printed those out based on how many bags were listed on the paperwork). And of course there has been no update from HAL since the email with the Oct 16th date. 

[KirkNC]

Those who picked up their luggage from FLL picked theirs up on Sept 29th.  Those who are having their's shipped have had less luck.  Luggage appears to be dribbling out a little at a time.  Some have received all of their luggage, some have received part of their luggage and still today some have not received any.  HAL sent an email a few weeks ago saying all luggage would be shipped in Oct 16th but that has proven to be incorrect as many still have their luggage in a pending status per FedEx.  In our case, we have had to interrupt our time in Hatteras Island to drive 4 hours one way to hopefully receive our luggage today (Per FedEx).  Then another 4 hours back to the beach.

[KirkNC]

Just got an email from FedEx that ours will now be delivered on Monday instead 🙄🙄🙄😡😡😡

[cruzingnut]

LOTS of us haven't gotten our luggage.  We live just south of Miami for heavens sake, and our 8 still show "pending", yet some Canadians have gotten theirs.  That alone shows that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the picking up.  I figure that ours is on the opposite end of the warehouse from the door. 😪   Pending means it's still in the HAL warehouse and FedEx hasn't picked it up yet. 

[FRANKIEDNYC]

Out 4 bags still listed as pending

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, KirkNC said:

Just got an email from FedEx that ours will now be delivered on Monday instead 🙄🙄🙄😡😡😡

🤞🤞that this really happens.

 

Everyone's luggage should qualify as 5 star Mariners by now.

[Hflors]

Thanks for replying.  I have been thinking about everyone on that cruise and wondering how you all made out with getting your luggage back.  I will keep my fingers crossed for everyone to get their luggage in the not too distant future...   Helen.

[iancal]

Some people could have made book on what would come first...refunds or luggage.  The odds may have prove to be not that far apart.

Edited October 18, 2020 by iancal

[LawDog61]

Forgive the stupid question.  Why didn’t they bring it with them when debarking in AU? I understand they would have to pay some extra as I am sure most world cruisers would exceed air limits. Is that the only reason the luggage didn’t go with the,?

[KirkNC]

Well we just received one of our five, mainly shoes and toiletries but a few surprises as we had forgotten what was in it.

[KirkNC]

2 minutes ago, LawDog61 said:

Forgive the stupid question.  Why didn’t they bring it with them when debarking in AU? I understand they would have to pay some extra as I am sure most world cruisers would exceed air limits. Is that the only reason the luggage didn’t go with the,?

A few reason but first it’s important to understand the chaos.  We found out two or three days before we had to get off.  There was a major scramble to book flights which were being cancelled as fast as we could make reservations.  It took three reservations before ours stuck.    Many people like us had driven to FLL and planned to drive home so we were unprepared for flying with what would have been eight suitcases for us (and we were traveling light compared to most).  Second we were told by the ship/HAL that we would get our luggage around mid-May as the Amsterdam was going to Cape Town for fuel and then to FLL.  That would take a month.  A few weeks for customs and shipping and it would be home.  That turned out to be no where close.  At the time, that seemed far better then having to deal with that much luggage going to and from airports.  Even in hindsight, I can’t imagine having to deal with that much luggage.

[LawDog61]

Thanks for the reply.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Ours finally came home on Tuesday! DHL has the contract for the luggage going to Canada. The US deliveries are being handled by FedEx, and much of it is taking its sweet time crossing those last few miles.

@LawDog61, when we left the ship in Perth it was panic and chaos. The Australian government was changing the rules hourly, and the debark windows were small, few, and tightly controlled. There were border guards at the gangway making sure no one got on or off. Before we actually docked, basic permission to land at all was alternately permitted and revoked. When your assigned debark window came, you moved fast before permission was revoked and negotiations to debark passengers began again. And yes, that happened. More than once. On clearing customs, we were herded onto busses for transport to either the airport or a day hotel because waiting around in the airport was not permitted. Multiple ships full of passengers were vying for space on a shrinking number of flights as planes were grounded in droves and existing flight reservations were being cancelled by the airlines.
There was neither the time nor the infrastructure to deal with amount of luggage 1200 people need to cover climates from Antarctica to the equator for 4 1/2 months. One of the many other ships in with us was the Princess world cruise, with a similar load. Taking it all with us was never an option.

As we sailed around the Australian continent looking for permission to land somewhere, we were directed to pack and label our luggage and leave it in the cabins. We took only what we couldn’t leave behind. The plan was for the Amsterdam, minus passengers, to return to Fort Lauderdale and unload the luggage for shipment across country. We were warned it could take up to six weeks. Well, 2020 continued to happen. The Amsterdam never came home again. In the end, she was sold and the luggage was transferred to a freighter in Singapore. The freighter plugged around the globe port by port, finally reaching Florida at the end of August. After a further month of sorting and clearing US customs, it is finally making its way back to the homes it left back at New Years.

Sorry this was so long, but I thought some background might be useful.

[Storylady]

23 hours ago, LawDog61 said:

Forgive the stupid question.  Why didn’t they bring it with them when debarking in AU? I understand they would have to pay some extra as I am sure most world cruisers would exceed air limits. Is that the only reason the luggage didn’t go with the,?

A Dutch couple did take their luggage with them, 8 pieces, mainly because DHL and FedEx don’t ship yo Holland. It cost him $7000 on Quatar Airlines. Don’t ask my why. He was very upset naturally.

[KirkNC]

23 minutes ago, Storylady said:

A Dutch couple did take their luggage with them, 8 pieces, mainly because DHL and FedEx don’t ship yo Holland. It cost him $7000 on Quatar Airlines. Don’t ask my why. He was very upset naturally.

😳😳😳

 

for that amount I would have thrown all but one suitcase worth of stuff away and bought new stuff when I got home.

[oofroggie]

Sounds like a plan to me.

[Mary Ellen1]

KirkNC and Horizon chaser 1957 thank you for the detailed background info.  What an awful situation.  What's the background on your cancelled-in-midstream cruise?  Where did you start?  How long was the voyage supposed to be?  

Edited October 20, 2020 by Mary Ellen1

[gadabout60]

Did you have to pay HAL to get your luggage shipped back?

[Charleston Lady]

Re paying for luggage shipping......it depends on which level of stateroom one chooses. For some it is included and unlimited, for others it is included but imited to 2 bags per person and for some others it is available,  but is extra. Many Florida people or others who drive to the port just bring their bags with them. They also drive home, so could bring whatever their vehicles allowed and were not planning to end up halfway around the globe. Thus they had to either pick up in FLL or perhaps pay to ship things home. 

It has been an adventure! Still waiting on ours......

[KirkNC]

5 hours ago, Mary Ellen1 said:

KirkNC and Horizon chaser 1957 thank you for the detailed background info.  What an awful situation.  What's the background on your cancelled-in-midstream cruise?  Where did you start?  How long was the voyage supposed to be?  

It started in Fort Lauderdale and was an around the world cruise with a 128 day itinerary.  We made it to day 80 before everyone had to get off in Fremantle Australia versus our expected berth in Fort Lauderdale.

[KirkNC]

5 hours ago, gadabout60 said:

Did you have to pay HAL to get your luggage shipped back?

We had to pay $500 for the privilege of HAL holding our luggage for 212 days.  Of course when we had to leave the ship in Fremantle they also charged us $59/pp for our transfer to the airport in Perth.  The ultimate bad PR move.

[prescottbob]

I might add that one had to pay for not only for the luggage transfer, via FedEx, from FLA ( in our case, # 3 large duffels, # 2 small bags) that one needed to pay extra for >$100 insurance / bag,

 

In our case, I didn’t pay for the extra insurance but ended up paying $500 for the baggage transfer that has yet to be shipped from the “warehouse”.

 

Life goes on... I almost forgot about the Pitcairn island ball caps and honey until it was brought up recently. 

 

We’re still in the”Pending Shipment” category, no big deal for us really, but the PR, as mentioned, gives one pause to the Seattle management at the time.

Be well. Don’t let the “drum beat” drive you crazy,

 

Bob