Lost luggage at airport in route to ship

[vafamily5]

Does anyone know what happens if your luggage should get lost through the airlines and doesn't get found in time for embarkation?

 

Instead of driving, we are flying to the port of embarkation. We have a straight through flight so I don't think we will have a problem. However, I am wondering if anyone knows how it is handled? I assume that it gets sent to the first port call??????

[OhioJeff]

Does anyone know what happens if your luggage should get lost through the airlines and doesn't get found in time for embarkation?

I assume that it gets sent to the first port call??????

Yes, that is why many will type up their cruise Itinerary and place it inside the luggage. Sadly, often when luggage is lost, it isnt always found quickly.

[vafamily5]

Yes, that is why many will type up their cruise Itinerary and place it inside the luggage. Sadly, often when luggage is lost, it isnt always found quickly.

 

Thanks for the response. I am going to take your suggestion and make sure the itinerary is inside the luggage. Never thought of that....how else would the airlines know where to send it otherwise.....duh me.

[cuyahoga11]

Thanks for the response. I am going to take your suggestion and make sure the itinerary is inside the luggage. Never thought of that....how else would the airlines know where to send it otherwise.....duh me.

 

On our last cruise we were missing a piece of luggage. Direct flight from Cleveland to Fll. Was deliverd to first port 3 days later. Someone from Carnival went to airport to pick it up and delivered to our cabin. But the zip tie on the luggage was never cut off so having the itinery inside was of no help. Had the cruise tags on the bag.

[Smiling Cruiser]

Put some form of your itinery in an outside zippered pocket or make arrangements with a family member or coworker to provide details of your itinery in the event of lost luggage-then leave that persons Phone # in the pocket. Use a note telling the finder to call the number if the luggage is lost. Some insurance carriers provide you with luggage tags bearing their phone number and provide that same service. Make sure your carryon has a set of clean underwear, a change of clothes, a bathing suit and your toothbrush. You can always wear your bathing suit while you wash out your clothes. If you pack a coverup you can even eat at the buffet! :D

[BJHOOSER]

HI, since i dont think i listen to well i put my ship tags on the handles of my suitcases when i left home from the Reno , Nevada airport. Due to bad weather back east we got delayed in Las Vegas, and they re-routed us to Miami instead of Fort Lauderdale where we were to catch our ship.

 

We were going to put in a claim at the airport but because of the delay didn't have time, only had time to put wings on the cab and make it to Fll pier before the ship left.

 

When we boarded, muster, then had dinner, and went to the front desk and reported to them about our luggage. They did the contacting of whom ever it is they needed to and our luggage was brought on board at the first port of call which was Aruba.

 

The delay in Las Vegas, we, being me, my sis, and her DH, and our luggage was taken off the plane in the rain so when we got it back four days later mine was soaked but my sis an brother in laws was only a little moist.

 

Since one of my suitcases was locked and the other wasn't they did bring one suitcase to my cabin but i had to go to the office at the front desk and open the other one in front of them. Since all was wet they were good enough to get it all cleaned for me.

 

Another little tid bit here,They have had to xray the suitcase as they asked if i had an umbrella in there. I had a hat that is in the shape of an umbrealla

 

So the answer to your question would be, if they get your luggage you will get it at the first port of call. They are very good at retreivng luggage i guess they have had a lot of experience at it.

 

They were also good enough to provide a formal, and shoes, but since i am so large they did'n't have my size but they did try, and they also tried to make up for that with a nice bottle of wiine as well. I thought that the Volendam, Holland America, did a great PR in my case. Thank you Holland America.

 

I hope this helps relieve your mind for that ..."JUST IN CASE "

[BlueJacketsFan1]

Travel Ins. might help with clothing while you wait for your luggage. We had a guy on our last cruise that didn't get his luggage till wednesday, and we sailed on sunday. He was wearing the same thing to dinner everynight.

[DeckSwabber]

I work for an airline so I can answer this one fairly easily.

If your luggage is lost enroute, you will file a claim with the baggage service agent at whatever airport you arrive at. (miami, fort lauderdale, etc.) do not leave the airport before you file your claim.

 

hopefully, you are flying in the day before your cruise, and the airline will deliver the bag to your hotel that day. (90% of lost luggage arrives on the next flight, from your connecting city or origination city) Let the front desk know that you are expecting a bag to be delivered and to please call your room when it arrives. I have heard of instances where bags were delivered to hotels and the passengers never know, and leave the hotel and their baggage behind.

 

If you are flying in the same day as your cruise, your chances of getting bag before the ship leaves port just went down considerably. You will need to advise the the agent that you are leaving on a cruise. give them the cruise line and all of the ports of call/ as well as the dates you will be visiting. this will increase your chances of seeing your bag quicker. The airline will pay to have your bag delivered to wherever it has to in order to catch up to you on the next available flight, even if it is on another airline.

 

You will be given an 800 number you can call to check on the status of your bag. there is no need to call every 30 minutes, as the status will not change quickly. you should place the first call 4-5 hours after the claim has been filed for an update and based on the information you are given, you can decide how often to call.

 

like the other passengers have stated, put your name and some kind of contact info on the outside and the inside of the bag. airline bag tags and ID tags can come off easier than you think... ALSO.. remember! dan't pack any medications, car keys, things you may need or are of immediate importance in your luggage! keep it in your carry-on!

 

if your luggage if lost for any more than 24 hours, you need to contact the airline and get an approval to buy any items you may need, i.e. clean undewear, toiletries, clothes, etc.. they will give you an amount that they will reimburse with receipts as proof. dont go overboard (pardon the pun) and buy prada, gucci, etc... they are expecting you to keep it modest, things you can get at a wal-mart, k-mart or target, not nordstroms or macys.

[HookedOnCruisin'2]

Great info DeckSwabber! Thank you.....

[lives to cruise]

DeckSwabber's info is pretty much on the mark but I need to throw in one little caveat.

 

Last year when DH and I were on our way to do a 4 night Disney World stay with a 3 day Disney Cruise right afterwards, the Airline were were traveling on lost every bit of luggage we had. We flew down without taking a carry on with us (DUH!) and we literally only had the clothes on our back.

 

Disney was wonderful and as soon as we knew our luggage was not there and told them an entire army of Disney people began calling the airline. They even sent a Rep. in our place to file the initial claim at the arriving airport for us.

 

Three days later still with no luggage and after contacting trip insurance company and the airlines claim dept. and speaking many many times with them, we found out that if we wanted to get new clothing to continue on we would have to purchase everything out of our pocket. Trip insurance will only reimburse and let me tell you, it takes weeks and weeks. The airlines also "ONLY" reimburse.

 

Long story short, our luggage was miraculously found as we were boarding our plane to come home seven days later. We ended up spending $1,200.00 (2 people) for new everything and luggage to carry it in so that we could continue our trip. We did not purchase outlandish items. This was simply for underwear, pants/shorts, a few blouses, shoes, two bathing suits, a simple dress (to wear in the dining room), toiletries and two suitcases.

 

The first 3 days of our vacation were literally ruined. The mental stress was terrible.

 

My advice, be prepared for anything. Luggage does not always catch up to you. I have since learned to save extra hard before we go anywhere so that when we now travel and if something like this ever happens again, I will have enough $$'s so that I can purchase things we need immediately and not waste our precious vacation time.

 

Hope this helps.

[huxlemo]

Buy travel insurance.

[luv2cruiseny]

another tip that has come in handy is to mix up your packing - if you are traveling with someone else or taking more than 1 suitcase - do not load one suitcase with socks, underwear, shoes, and pajamas - put half of everything in each suitcase - if one suitcase goes astray - you might not have everything you need - but at least you will have some of your things to get you through.

[luv2cruiseny]

another tip that has come in handy is to mix up your packing - if you are traveling with someone else or taking more than 1 suitcase - do not load one suitcase with socks, underwear, shoes, and pajamas - put half of everything in each suitcase - if one suitcase goes astray - you might not have everything you need - but at least you will have some of your things to get you through.

[cuyahoga11]

Buy travel insurance.

 

This is good advice but you must still pay upfront and wait a couple months for reimbursment

[TracersQQ]

The plan is to fly the luggage into the next port, if you are going to a descent sized port. This past January, we flew into Miami a day before, just for instances, like this. We were supposed our home airport at 1:30 in the afternoon. At boarding time, they found some electrical issues with the plane and said there would be a short delay (we had a connection to make in Chicago). So we watched the all the luggage being put on the plane - ours was all very noticeable, so we saw it go on. Even saw them drop one in a big puddle as it was really raining that day. Then around 3:00 we all boarded the plane, as it was we were just going to make our connection, and the airlines found out, for us, that our connection was at the next gate, so there wouldn't have been any problems. Well, an hour later, we were still sitting on the plane, so much for the connection and then they told us that the same e,electrical problem was back that if anyone needed to be anywhere to get off the plane and the airlines would help us find alternate arrangement. So the airlines put up on a completely different airlines and sent us to Charolatte then to Miami and told us to fill out a baggage claim with the new airlines in Miami. By the time we finally got to Miami it was 12:30am. We went directly to the baggage claim office told be told that we need to make a claim with the original airlines. We told them they sent us to the new airlines, so she hesitantly took our info and said they would deliver it to our hotel by 8:00am, but if something happened it would be at the ship by 4pm. We called the airlines first thing in the morning they said our baggage was in Miami and would be at hotel or ship. Well, never arrived at hotel and it was never at the ship. Before we set sail, we let the pursers desk know what was going on and they immediately started tracking down our luggage. They were told it was in Miami at the original airlines baggage claim and they didn't know what to do with it it. So by this time we had set sail and the airlines said they would send it to first port, well first port was Costa Maya and neither the airlines or ship thought it was a good idea to send it there, so decided to send it to Grand Cayman. The ship told the airlines just put it on a plane to GC and a representative would pick it up at the airport, they also told the airline that we would be there a day earlier, just in case the airline messed it up. By the way, the 2nd airline is the one who transported it to GC. Anyway, as we were walking out of our cabin to go off the ship (we waited for a while to get off, to see if our luggage came) someone knocked on our door with our luggage. There was 4 of us traveling together, and 3 of us got all pieces, but my Mom never got hers. The ship said that the airlines said they couldn't find it, so they started tracking it again. They finally, found it in DENVER! Now, all of our travel was on the east coast, how it got to Denver is a mystery. Besides, Denver was getting hit with one snow storm after another, at that time, and they airport kept closing, so we have no idea how it ended up there, but my Mother didn't see her luggage until we got off the plain at our home airport - it came off of the plane we were on, go figure.

 

Now, as for insurance, yes it's a good idea, but this was a trip for 4 ladies, we were doing everything as inexpensively as possible. None of us took extra money, we could have bought clothes if we really wanted to. But, we were on the Victory, there wasn't any clothes to buy other than "Carnival" t-shirts. We did buy a few things in Costa Maya. But we spent most of our port day shopping for clothes that we didn't need. What I'm trying to say is the insurance would have only reimbursed us. Which meant we had to spend our money buying clothes that we will never wear again, things that we would typically never wear. We each did have 1 change of clothes and underwear. But nothing to wear to the dining room, let alone formal wear. I did have an outfit for the dining room, but I forgot to put a pair of sandals in my carry-on and only had Tennis shoes that really didn't go with my dressy outfit. The ship had told us about the airlines usually giving you anywhere from $30-$50/day to buy stuff, well these 2 airlines refused to do that. After many calls and letters, I did get a $150 travel voucher from the original airline, nothing from the 2nd airline. At this point it's in the past, I loved the cruise in spite of everything. My Mom is the one who has been in contact with these airlines and got them to at least get us something for our troubles. My advice, to anyone but really for me, in the future, is to wear a pant suit to travel in, that could double for a dinner outfit, if need be, to put a bathing suit, pair of sandals, underwear and a short outfit in my carry-on. If I have more room than I will add as many more clothes as possible. I have recently purchase a new carry on that I bought just for this reason. My next cruise, is in December and we our leaving out of Port Canaveral. My Dad lives close to there, in Melbourne, so we will be staying with him before and after the cruise. So, if anything happens, I will drive back to the airport and physically look for my bags. Sorry this is so long, but it was just a very frustrating cruise (even though we still enjoyed our cruise). We, also, spent a lot of "cruise" and vacation time dealing with this problem. Now take this next part with a grain of salt, but the Carnival told us if it had been their fault, they would of given us another cruise. Would that have really happened? I'm not sure. But, I do have to say that the pursers on the Victory were absolutely wonderful. I know that the Pursers get some negative comments sometimes, but our experience, with them was very positive.

[vafamily5]

I work for an airline so I can answer this one fairly easily.

If your luggage is lost enroute, you will file a claim with the baggage service agent at whatever airport you arrive at. (miami, fort lauderdale, etc.) do not leave the airport before you file your claim.

 

hopefully, you are flying in the day before your cruise, and the airline will deliver the bag to your hotel that day. (90% of lost luggage arrives on the next flight, from your connecting city or origination city) Let the front desk know that you are expecting a bag to be delivered and to please call your room when it arrives. I have heard of instances where bags were delivered to hotels and the passengers never know, and leave the hotel and their baggage behind.

 

If you are flying in the same day as your cruise, your chances of getting bag before the ship leaves port just went down considerably. You will need to advise the the agent that you are leaving on a cruise. give them the cruise line and all of the ports of call/ as well as the dates you will be visiting. this will increase your chances of seeing your bag quicker. The airline will pay to have your bag delivered to wherever it has to in order to catch up to you on the next available flight, even if it is on another airline.

 

You will be given an 800 number you can call to check on the status of your bag. there is no need to call every 30 minutes, as the status will not change quickly. you should place the first call 4-5 hours after the claim has been filed for an update and based on the information you are given, you can decide how often to call.

 

like the other passengers have stated, put your name and some kind of contact info on the outside and the inside of the bag. airline bag tags and ID tags can come off easier than you think... ALSO.. remember! dan't pack any medications, car keys, things you may need or are of immediate importance in your luggage! keep it in your carry-on!

 

if your luggage if lost for any more than 24 hours, you need to contact the airline and get an approval to buy any items you may need, i.e. clean undewear, toiletries, clothes, etc.. they will give you an amount that they will reimburse with receipts as proof. dont go overboard (pardon the pun) and buy prada, gucci, etc... they are expecting you to keep it modest, things you can get at a wal-mart, k-mart or target, not nordstroms or macys.

 

Thanks for the great info!!! I am sure that this will be of use to many other people.

[CrazieNCruisingGypsy2]

Does anyone know what happens if your luggage should get lost through the airlines and doesn't get found in time for embarkation?

 

Instead of driving, we are flying to the port of embarkation. We have a straight through flight so I don't think we will have a problem. However, I am wondering if anyone knows how it is handled? I assume that it gets sent to the first port call??????

 

 

If it's found in time they send it to the first port. If it's not found before the trip they will courier it to your house.

[BJHOOSER]

I had travel insurance but they only reinburse you, after you get home and file a claim. The airline customer service line was so long that if i had stayed and waited to file with them i would have missed my ship, i did interupt her long enough to get a brochure of where to call for lost luggage and as i said the cab put on wings to get us there in time for the muster and the ship to sail.

 

unfortunately the ship only had a couple of tee shirts and one blouse that would fit me so that is all i could buy on the ship. When we got to our first port of call four days later i did go and buy a couple of cheap outfits, two dresses, and two pj type pant suits. I did not get a receipt for these so the insurance, nor the airline, would reinburse me for them.

 

When i returned to the ship my luggage was there as i stated above but soaking wet. so i still could not wear my own clothes even after they arrived for another couple of days. I wore almost the same thing i left home in from friday night , red eye, till the following friday morning. It was a ten day cruise so i did get to wear some of my clothes for a couple of days.

Not only my clothes went to Chicago and i went to Florida but th esuitcases were bronken up. I did like all seem to do and that is two suitcases and divide the clothes, didnt' matter as they both got lost..

[BJHOOSER]

I had travel insurance but they only reinburse you, after you get home and file a claim. The airline customer service line was so long that if i had stayed and waited to file with them i would have missed my ship, i did interupt her long enough to get a brochure of where to call for lost luggage and as i said the cab put on wings to get us there in time for the muster and the ship to sail.

 

unfortunately the ship only had a couple of tee shirts and one blouse that would fit me so that is all i could buy on the ship. When we got to our first port of call four days later i did go and buy a couple of cheap outfits, two dresses, and two pj type pant suits. I did not get a receipt for these so the insurance, nor the airline, would reinburse me for them.

 

When i returned to the ship my luggage was there as i stated above but soaking wet. so i still could not wear my own clothes even after they arrived for another couple of days. I wore almost the same thing i left home in from friday night , red eye, till the following friday morning. It was a ten day cruise so i did get to wear some of my clothes for a couple of days.

Not only my clothes went to Chicago and i went to Florida but the suitcases were broken up. I did like all seem to do and that is, two suitcases, and divide the clothes, didn't matter as they both got lost..

The only thing that was not wet was my undies as they were in the small zip lock bags, up to then i was hand washing every night.

 

Being a red eye i didn't think to carry any clothing in my carry on. I really am glad i had some snacks though as sitting in an airport all night with no place to eat and still nothing till we were able to get on the ship in time for dinner was a long time not to eat

 

Yes, from now on i will carry a little bigger carry on and throw a change of clothes and a tee shirt, or gown, in just in case. As another poster said, wear a nice pant outfit in case and it can be worn for dinner. I at least did have a nice jacket i was wearing not regular every day one so it diid dress up the crops i was wearing, some what.

 

Good luck to all of you and i hope it never happens to you, but do get travel insurance, not that it will do much for right then but will at least help later.;)

[BJHOOSER]

I am sorry for the double post but that cyberguy was busy stealing my post before i finished it

Have a great day

[YumYumSweetiePie]

The thought of this alone is terrifying me...maybe because my luggage didn't show up with me on a flight a week ago (I never had to switch planes but it did land in Phoenix to pick up more passengers and those *******took EVERYONE'S luggage out, including people traveling to other destinations).

 

I'm considering not checking in bags for my flight to where the cruise starts...

[cusyl]

Another thing you can do is pack in ziplock bags...you can also use those XXL and XXXL ziplock bags to encase all of your clothes in plastic in case your luggage gets left off in the rain on the tarmac.

[redskin80]

another tip that has come in handy is to mix up your packing - if you are traveling with someone else or taking more than 1 suitcase - do not load one suitcase with socks, underwear, shoes, and pajamas - put half of everything in each suitcase - if one suitcase goes astray - you might not have everything you need - but at least you will have some of your things to get you through.

 

 

Absolutely. We also pack half and half. If only 1 bag arrives we have enough on the second bag to het us thru. We would end up having to do some laundry but at least we could get by.

[billsrobb]

HI, since i dont think i listen to well i put my ship tags on the handles of my suitcases when i left home from the Reno , Nevada airport. Due to bad weather back east we got delayed in Las Vegas, and they re-routed us to Miami instead of Fort Lauderdale where we were to catch our ship.

 

We were going to put in a claim at the airport but because of the delay didn't have time, only had time to put wings on the cab and make it to Fll pier before the ship left.

 

When we boarded, muster, then had dinner, and went to the front desk and reported to them about our luggage. They did the contacting of whom ever it is they needed to and our luggage was brought on board at the first port of call which was Aruba.

 

The delay in Las Vegas, we, being me, my sis, and her DH, and our luggage was taken off the plane in the rain so when we got it back four days later mine was soaked but my sis an brother in laws was only a little moist.

 

Since one of my suitcases was locked and the other wasn't they did bring one suitcase to my cabin but i had to go to the office at the front desk and open the other one in front of them. Since all was wet they were good enough to get it all cleaned for me.

 

Another little tid bit here,They have had to xray the suitcase as they asked if i had an umbrella in there. I had a hat that is in the shape of an umbrealla

 

So the answer to your question would be, if they get your luggage you will get it at the first port of call. They are very good at retreivng luggage i guess they have had a lot of experience at it.

 

They were also good enough to provide a formal, and shoes, but since i am so large they did'n't have my size but they did try, and they also tried to make up for that with a nice bottle of wiine as well. I thought that the Volendam, Holland America, did a great PR in my case. Thank you Holland America.

 

I hope this helps relieve your mind for that ..."JUST IN CASE "

I don't want to hijack this thread but I am sailing on the Volendam on 11-3. Could you E-mail me at

billsrobb@cox.net and tell me about your cruise.

Thanks,

Robb

[seafun]

I was on that cruise on the Volendam, and remember people talking about your lost luggage, and thinking how sorry I felt for you.

It's good to hear you're still around! :) I hope you've had your last lost luggage episode -- once in a lifetime is more than enough. Happy cruising!