Did the Amsterdam world cruise passengers ever get their luggage?

[Scrapnana]

Mine is still pending.

[gadabout60]

 

In  my view you should not have had to pay for the luggage.

i know it was exceptional times but HAL should have got your luggage to you original debarkation port free of charge

And the charge for the airport shuttle bus was appalling

 

[Hflors]

4 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

Mine is still pending.

Sorry.  I will miss your blog this coming year....

[Lido - Lanai]

4 hours ago, gadabout60 said:

 

In  my view you should not have had to pay for the luggage.

i know it was exceptional times but HAL should have got your luggage to you original debarkation port free of charge

And the charge for the airport shuttle bus was appalling

 

The luggage was returned to our original debarkation port free of charge, albeit 6+ months after leaving the ship. There was a  cost for FedEx shipping from FLL back to your home, and as Charleston Lady mentioned, only applied to certain stateroom categories. HAL recognized their poor choice in charging for the airport shuttle and it was refunded if you included it on your travel reimbursement request form. I was not charged for it to begin with, nor anyone else who departed the ship on 3/21.

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, KirkNC said:

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.

Question after reading post #29 in this thread, did you try to get reimbursed for the transfers?

[FRANKIEDNYC]

4 bags all still pending.  They must be shipping out very few bags each day as they had been in Fla for almost two months already and so many people have not received anything yet.

[KirkNC]

45 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Question after reading post #29 in this thread, did you try to get reimbursed for the transfers?

HAL allowed $1,250 per person for expenses incurred getting back home, however you need documentation.  We submitted our airline tickets, one night hotel, our luggage shipment and the transfer.  Our airline tickets alone were more then $1,250 a piece.  In their response, HAL also denied the luggage and transfer expenses because we did not have receipts (we had never received a final statement of our account when we disembarked).  Given that we had exceed the limit anyway we did not argue such a ridiculous decision.  Later I did hear that some were reimbursed more then the maximum 

[SharonN]

1 hour ago, FRANKIEDNYC said:

4 bags all still pending.  They must be shipping out very few bags each day as they had been in Fla for almost two months already and so many people have not received anything yet.

They're clearly not spending much time on the bags. Based on the FB group it doesn't appear they have shipped a single bag since Fri since no one has gone from pending to shipped. I emailed HAL on Fri to find out why things hadn't been shipped by Fri as we had last been told and got back the same message we all got a few weeks ago with the Oct 16th date removed and no new date included. And the same paragraph below which indicates they are not giving this ANY priority.

 

We have over 2,500 pieces of luggage to ship via DHL and Federal Express. Each bag or box must be individually prepared for shipment, weighed, and labeled. This is being done by our warehouse staff, in addition to all of their other responsibilities; but DHL and FedEx are making pickups daily.

 

So this isn't going to get finished until they let the workers spend some time doing it or hire a few temporary workers to do it. As I've said before I had no problem with how all of this was handled until they got them out of customs but since then they have totally dropped the ball and don't seem to care. 

[KirkNC]

This sentence 

 

This is being done by our warehouse staff, in addition to all of their other responsibilities;
 

shows how ridiculous is their approach. This should not be a part time job for someone to ship a dozen bags a day to 1,200 passengers.  It also begs the question of what other responsibilities?  No ships are sailing so what would they be doing.  HAL has continued to demonstrate a complete lack of competence.  But most WC’s will be right back on the next world cruise despite their experience so in HAL’s mind there are no consequences.

[Lido - Lanai]

1 hour ago, KirkNC said:

But most WC’s will be right back on the next world cruise despite their experience so in HAL’s mind there are no consequences.

Kirk --- couldn't agree more---- I was thinking the same thing as I read the whining and complaining on here and FB. The same people will be first in line at embarkation on the next HAL world cruise!

[Horizon chaser 1957]

3 hours ago, KirkNC said:

 (we had never received a final statement of our account when we disembarked). 

We did. We were actually called back while we were on the gangway and told loudly in front of everyone that we couldn’t leave the ship until we ‘settled our bill’. I had to fight my way upstream through the flow of debarking passengers. On reaching the front desk, we were told we had a refund of over $3000 in on-board credit coming, and they needed to re-enter the credit card number it would be credited back to into their computer. At an already difficult time, it was very stressful, very embarrassing, and completely unnecessary.

Edited October 21, 2020 by Horizon chaser 1957

[Lido - Lanai]

I was able to get my final statement the day after I returned home by calling HAL's Accounting Dept. I received it by email within minutes.

[Mary Ellen1]

2 hours ago, KirkNC said:

This sentence 

 

This is being done by our warehouse staff, in addition to all of their other responsibilities;
 

shows how ridiculous is their approach. This should not be a part time job for someone to ship a dozen bags a day to 1,200 passengers.  It also begs the question of what other responsibilities?  No ships are sailing so what would they be doing.  HAL has continued to demonstrate a complete lack of competence.  But most WC’s will be right back on the next world cruise despite their experience so in HAL’s mind there are no consequences.

 

Makes me wonder if it's a cash-flow problem on HAL's part?  Because you're right, this answer makes no sense.  There's got to be another reason for the delay.

[FRANKIEDNYC]

47 minutes ago, Mary Ellen1 said:

 

Makes me wonder if it's a cash-flow problem on HAL's part?  Because you're right, this answer makes no sense.  There's got to be another reason for the delay.

I've been saying this since the day the luggage was supposed to leave customs.  Also we will NOT. Be on the next World Cruise.

 

 

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, KirkNC said:

This sentence 

 

This is being done by our warehouse staff, in addition to all of their other responsibilities;
 

shows how ridiculous is their approach. This should not be a part time job for someone to ship a dozen bags a day to 1,200 passengers.  It also begs the question of what other responsibilities?  No ships are sailing so what would they be doing.  HAL has continued to demonstrate a complete lack of competence.  But most WC’s will be right back on the next world cruise despite their experience so in HAL’s mind there are no consequences.

Nickle and diming their most loyal customers hardly seems like a good business strategy. But, if their world cruisers are going to go back to HAL, maybe they are right. But if they abandon HAL, it will be a costly lesson for them.

[prescottbob]

Received #2 tracking numbers today, 21 October, (out of #5 bags) with a delivery date of this coming Monday, 26 October to Northern Arizona. 

 

"Hope springs eternal". Perhaps I should buy a Powerball ticket at the local Safeway today.

 

Be well.

Bob

[SharonN]

10 minutes ago, prescottbob said:

Received #2 tracking numbers today, 21 October, (out of #5 bags) with a delivery date of this coming Monday, 26 October to Northern Arizona. 

 

"Hope springs eternal". Perhaps I should buy a Powerball ticket at the local Safeway today.

 

Be well.

Bob

We also received updates for 3 our of 4 pending bags that they are now in transit with delivery scheduled for next Tue. So that leaves one more in limbo but it's progress.  From the FB group it appears they did work today and get some out. Hopefully that continues and they'll get them all out in the next few days. 

 

[cruzingnut]

There has been quite the flurry of activity today with movement of peoples' luggage.  Finally, our 8 are in the system and are due tomorrow!  Considering that ours left home a year ago August (2019), it's def been away for a long time!  Will be glad to get it and see what is in it that we can't remember, lol!

 

As far as the next world cruise, yep...we are signed up.  This whole thing has been an unprecedented event and who knows how anyone else would have handled it.  And...there's the little thing of just reaching a certain Mariner level that we aren't going to go elsewhere and begin again, that's for sure.

 

Linda R.

[whogo]

9 hours ago, SharonN said:

This is being done by our warehouse staff, in addition to all of their other responsibilities...

That line caught my eye, too. Let's see, Mondays they do inventory, Tuesdays they dust the top of the luggage, Wednesdays they move all the luggage so they can sweep the floor thereunder, Thursdays they have the TPS reports, and on Fridays they try to figure out why the October 14 inventory of cocktail napkins is different from the March 27 inventory when nothing has moved in or out of the warehouse except the world cruise luggage. They have to turn the lights on and off every day, too. It's a wonder they get any luggage shipped.

[iancal]

This has gone from an unfortunate situation to a joke.  Alas, not much of a joke for those who are still waiting, after months and months, to get their luggage.

[LocoLoco1]

I board Cruiseships with 1 carry-on and a ‘man-purse’ if possible; nothing checked. I travelled my entire career; so I learned the hard way. (Recent luggage $fees$ makes it CHEAPER to buy cruisewear upon embarking or at Port #1; plus, your a aching back will thank you. Then I donate it all to a less fortunate one before flying home. 

[sail7seas]

On 10/19/2020 at 2:50 PM, KirkNC said:

😳😳😳

 

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

 

 

Ditto, ^^^

 

 

Who cares about some of the clothes and 'stuff?'

 

 

Pack and have them ship one bag filled with items you really care about/treasure.  IMO

 

 

[prescottbob]

Wise words for LocoLoco.

 

By your post it appears you travel solo & , may I speculate, enjoy shorter ( less than 65 day) cruises. I could certainly be wrong.

I will forward this post to my DW for future packing thought(s).

 

Me thinks she’ll have a negative opinion regarding just a carry-on. Don’t no why?

However, the thought of purchasing new clothing as you go in each port would certainly be a ‘winner’ for my love ( Me = NOT).

 

Donating your stuff is great. You seem to be a very thoughtful individual.

 

Be well.

Bob

 

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2020 by prescottbob
Spelling

[iancal]

We do not do world cruises but we did switch to carry on only when we retired.  Usually two 8 week land trips  each year with the occasional last minute cruise mixed in.

 

It was a challenge at first...especially for DW.   Not so much for me as I was accustomed to business travel.   Now, we would never go back to our old ways.  It would be different if we were simply doing air, cruise, home.
 

This is clearly not for everyone.  Over the past few years we have met a fair number of retirees travelling the same way.

[Scrapnana]

2 hours ago, prescottbob said:

 

I will forward this post to my DW for future packing thought(s).

 

Me thinks she’ll have a negative opinion regarding just a carry-on. Don’t no why?

 

 

 

 

 

She could not fit all her yarn in just a carry-on!!😁  No way I could, either.