Stolen Luggage

[MoCruiseFan]

1 hour ago, BoatSkipper said:

Will is not been returned so I'm some shape or firm its stolen

 

So it is not a possibility that whoever has teh bag did not ntive it was the worng bag until well after leaving the port, even after they got home?  You are making ass-u-mptions.

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, BoatSkipper said:

Will is not been returned so I'm some shape or firm its stolen

 

whether the bag has been returned is not a reliable indicator of whether the bag was stolen. lots of ordinary people mistakenly take things or find things and never make the effort to return them.

 

also, if the bag was taken mistakenly, once through customs and immigration, the person who took your bag can not go back the other way to return it and may have simply left it outside the terminal, in which case, it may be treated as any other lost item and may take a few days to be processed.

[laudergayle]

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Most likely it was taken by someone who thought it was their bag.  

 

Yes it does happen.  In fact, in October ‘22 we disembarked the Breakaway in Manhattan.  Our suitcases are red (DH) and royal blue (me).  Hubby woke up with a racked back on disembarkation day…so I offered to wheel his suitcase which is larger and heavier.  In the arrivals hall, I quickly found our suitcases right next to each other.  I grabbed the red and DH grabbed the blue.  Off to the NCL transfer bus to Newark.  As soon as the bus started to pull away my air tag dinged…it said my bag was last seen at the pier.  But since I watched as the bags were loaded I just figured it was a slight delay on the tag.

 

Well…a few minutes later my phone rings.  I ignore.  It immediately rings again.  I answer.  The nicest person says…I think you have my bag.  Connect the dots…I said yes, I think I do.  Is it blue?  
 

They were boarding a bus to JFK.  Fortunately both our flights were around 2 pm.  Once we got to Newark we jumped in a cab and off to JFK to switch bags.  Our cab arrived at the exact moment the bus did…which was amazing. 
 

I mentioned that the Newark-JFK-Newark cab ride was like an excursion through NY boroughs…whereby our driver started pointing out different sites.  That trip, we went under the Verrazano, over on the lower level and back on the top level.  Our excursion cost us $250.

[Homosassa]

40 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

@Homosassa...I had something similar at the Marseille cruise port.  Only, I thought I'd be smart and carry everything in a "sling bag" thinking no one would be so brazen as to try to take it slinged (slanged?) over my shoulder.  

 

While that may be true in some areas, reboarding the ship from an excursion, typical line to have items scanned, I had to take off my pack and send it through the X-ray.  Of course, sitting it on the belt, the person in front of me would not go through the body scanner, blocking me from going through while my pack did make it through.  This was a coordinated effort by two older teens.  Fortunately, I kept me eye on the pack and saw a teen grab it and head to the elevators.  

 

 

The family involved already had attracted my attention because of their behavior in joining the line (it was for higher end rooms and loyalty members that some of us were directed to because the line was short) and their seemingly taking their time to actually decide to go through the scanning line.

 

Then once all the family except the one member who lingered behind the rest to walk through the body scanner continued to delay everyone else in claiming their belongings, my immediate reaction was to look for the family group and yelled for security to stop their casual walk by the next  port person employee. 

 

They were far enough away that I couldn't see my pocketbook, but as they were returned to the security line, the mother "discover" the daughter had my purse. She tried to claim her daughter had taken it from the belt because she thought it was her mother's. 

 

Nope - didn't buy it and once the other security line employees nodded in agreement in my statements about their behavior, they quickly took them away.

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, BoatSkipper said:

It was clearly stolen as if it had been mistaken identity another similar case would have been left behind and it wasn't.  Nor was a case returned.

I am sure it is rare. Which is why we thought NCL would st m show some compassion

We stole a bag once, party of 9 and grabbed an extra. Fortunately we were close to the airport the person was flying out of. NCL does not employee the folks who work at the port, and the folks working at the port can’t prevent people from taking bags.

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, BoatSkipper said:

We have id in and outside the bag.  NCL take control of the luggage the night before so they do have a duty of care.  It is the fact they will not talk to you post cruise that is annoying.  If course we reported to the police and yes we have insurance,  it is NCLs unwillingness to even have a discussion that is annoying. 

You're making a common mistake.  The persons in the terminal are not NCL employees but are employees of the port authority.  

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

use a "lost and found smart QR code tag, which doesn't tell you where your bag is, but allows anybody who finds it (or walks away with it mistakenly) to scan the code and be put in touch with you.

I just use a good old fashioned luggage tag with my name, address and phone number.

[G-DawgMN]

6 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I just use a good old fashioned luggage tag with my name, address and phone number.

 That way if your luggage gets stolen they can send you a thank you card?

[cruiseaholic78]

I have been told never to add your address to your luggage label as it is possible that thieves will also know that your house is empty!

[UKstages]

similarly, i am always surprised at the number of people who share their exact cruise dates, itineraries and cabin numbers here on cruise critic before they go on their journeys.

[reeinaz]

2 hours ago, BoatSkipper said:

Other than Airtags and walking of with it ourselves we do all that. We now have samsung tags. If it had been a mistake another bag would have been left,  it was not,  and it would have been returned or they would have contacted us,  none of that happened

They also could have left it at some random place when they realized it wasn’t their bag or threw it in the trash. Not all people care enough about a stranger to put forth effort. 

[jimsig]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

 

use TSA-approved locks on your bag, making your bag less desirable for a genuine thief. place an apple air tag or other portable GPS tracking device in your luggage to help you retrieve it. use a "lost and found smart QR code tag, which doesn't tell you where your bag is, but allows anybody who finds it (or walks away with it mistakenly) to scan the code and be put in touch with you. choose a luggage color other than black... most bags are black! and use inexpensive luggage.. if your bag looks like it cost $800, it's more likely to be stolen.  use NCL's "self-assist" disembarkation scheme which allows you to walk off the ship with your luggage (best if you have no mobility issues and have only one bag and a carry on.) 

 

Unfortunately all a TSA approved lock does is make people feel warm and fuzzy and gives them a false sense of security that they bags are safe.  Anyone can buy the master keys for the TSA locks from Amazon and in most cases a thief can use a pen to open up zippers. They can help when your bags are going through the airport or on the ship and left out etc as someone on the inside is looking for the quick and easy bag to get into.  However if you have someone steal your bag from the carousel or luggage drop post cruise they will just break the lock/luggage if they don't already have the master as they don't want the bag, just what's in it.  

[david_sobe]

Keep us posted if your luggage is ever found.  They are not supposed to give you compassion but are enabled to find your bag.  This is not the first time they had to deal with such a situation and they have experience in locating lost bags.

This never happened to me on a cruise ship but has happened a few times at airports.  The worst feeling in the world is waiting for your luggage at the carousel and it stops and everyone from your flight is gone and you are standing there alone with no luggage.  The airline has always found my bag and delivered it to me the next day.  
Keep us posted. 

[laudergayle]

5 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Keep us posted if your luggage is ever found.  They are not supposed to give you compassion but are enabled to find your bag.  This is not the first time they had to deal with such a situation and they have experience in locating lost bags.

This never happened to me on a cruise ship but has happened a few times at airports.  The worst feeling in the world is waiting for your luggage at the carousel and it stops and everyone from your flight is gone and you are standing there alone with no luggage.  The airline has always found my bag and delivered it to me the next day.  
Keep us posted. 

I,too, have had the no bag on the carousel, more than once.  When it did happen, I found the airline representatives to be helpful…and empathetic.  Perhaps the empathy on behalf of those the OP dealt with was missing.  Unfortunately, many people are not emphathetic. 

Edited March 10 by laudergayle

[ChiefMateJRK]

15 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

The worst feeling in the world is waiting for your luggage at the carousel and it stops and everyone from your flight is gone and you are standing there alone with no luggage. 

 

10 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

I,too, have had the no bag on the carousel, more than once.

This happened to me last year.  I stood there while the carousel emptied and our bags were nowhere to be found.  Thinking ninja fast, and having come fully to grips with the fact that my brain isn't what it used to be, I dashed to the info screen.  A sea of calm swept over me as I realized I had been standing at the wrong carousel.  Moments late we easily found and grabbed our bags, as they were the only ones left at the correct carousel fifty feet away.😎  Yes, this really happened.

[david_sobe]

18 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

I,too, have had the no bag on the carousel, more than once.  When it did happen, I found the airline representatives to be helpful…and empathetic.  Perhaps the empathy on behalf of those the OP dealt with was missing.  Unfortunately, many people are not emphathetic. 

Its nice if they show empathy but they have an entire section devoted to this.  You realize how many calls and bag issues they deal with on a daily basis?   We all look for empathy but I would rather they find my bag than hold my hand and cry with me.

[UKstages]

28 minutes ago, jimsig said:

Unfortunately all a TSA approved lock does is make people feel warm and fuzzy and gives them a false sense of security that they bags are safe.  Anyone can buy the master keys for the TSA locks from Amazon and in most cases a thief can use a pen to open up zippers. They can help when your bags are going through the airport or on the ship and left out etc as someone on the inside is looking for the quick and easy bag to get into.  However if you have someone steal your bag from the carousel or luggage drop post cruise they will just break the lock/luggage if they don't already have the master as they don't want the bag, just what's in it.  

 

as you mentioned, the reason to use a TSA-approved lock is so airport personnel can open your bag if your bag is singled out for inspection without your being present. you have a much better chance of your bag and your lock not being destroyed or damaged.

 

the reason to use a lock - any lock - is simply as a visual deterrent. thieves are expedient opportunists. all things being equal, it's a lot easier to steal a bag with no locks than a bag with locks. that is all.

[ChiefMateJRK]

36 minutes ago, UKstages said:

the reason to use a lock - any lock - is simply as a visual deterrent. thieves are expedient opportunists. all things being equal, it's a lot easier to steal a bag with no locks than a bag with locks. that is all.

I've been told that the smart thieves (oxy-moron?) will target the bags with locks, figuring that there must be something worth stealing inside.

[UKstages]

no, the smart thieves target briggs and riley, rimowa, paravel, tumi and luis vuitton, as there is much more likely to be something of value inside, not to mention the bag itself is worth $600 - $2500.

 

who are these people who so consistently give you such erroneous information?

 

Edited March 10 by UKstages

[julig22]

41 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

 

This happened to me last year.  I stood there while the carousel emptied and our bags were nowhere to be found.  Thinking ninja fast, and having come fully to grips with the fact that my brain isn't what it used to be, I dashed to the info screen.  A sea of calm swept over me as I realized I had been standing at the wrong carousel.  Moments late we easily found and grabbed our bags, as they were the only ones left at the correct carousel fifty feet away.😎  Yes, this really happened.

On my last trip, I gate-checked my carryon so didn't think I had to worry about it getting on my flight since they load it from the gangway. Got my checked bag, the carousel stops, about 6 of us still waiting... Heard someone shouting about more bags over in the oversize area (it's a really small airport). Didn't think my carryon qualified as oversize but OK.

So you never know where your bag might end up LOL.

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 minutes ago, UKstages said:

who are these people who so consistently give you such erroneous information?

Nobody ever actually told me that.  I just made it up to make a (still valid!!) point.😁

[laudergayle]

14 minutes ago, julig22 said:

On my last trip, I gate-checked my carryon so didn't think I had to worry about it getting on my flight since they load it from the gangway. Got my checked bag, the carousel stops, about 6 of us still waiting... Heard someone shouting about more bags over in the oversize area (it's a really small airport). Didn't think my carryon qualified as oversize but OK.

So you never know where your bag might end up LOL.

On our last flight, I was sitting in the airport lounge when my phone notified me that our bags were now loaded on a flight that wasn’t ours, arriving two hours earlier.  I imagined our bags on the carousel hoping someone wouldn’t lift them.  The desk agent assured me this was common and they would be put aside in LAX…they were.

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

I have been told never to add your address to your luggage label as it is possible that thieves will also know that your house is empty!

Well, if they’re looking at your address on the luggage tag, they aren’t at your home.  

Edited March 10 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

21 minutes ago, UKstages said:

no, the smart thieves target briggs and riley, rimowa, paravel, tumi and luis vuitton, as there is much more likely to be something of value inside, not to mention the bag itself is worth $600 - $2500.

 

who are these people who so consistently give you such erroneous information?

 

I’m safe….my luggage is temu and ebags!

[RocketMan275]

18 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

On our last flight, I was sitting in the airport lounge when my phone notified me that our bags were now loaded on a flight that wasn’t ours, arriving two hours earlier.  I imagined our bags on the carousel hoping someone wouldn’t lift them.  The desk agent assured me this was common and they would be put aside in LAX…they were.

We were once booked on a HSV to SLC connecting through ATL.

Our HSV flight was delayed and the HSV gate agent told us we might  make our ATL connection but our bags would not so they were booking us on a later flight so we would arrive SLT same time as our bags.

(You know where this is going right?)

We waited at the carousel in SLT and our bags didn't show.

We went to lost baggage where we found our bags.

The bags had arrived on the original flight, the one we were told our bags would make.