Unattended Luggage -- Note to NCL

[DonfromNC]

I haven’t found an Email address to contact the appropriate person at NCL so, knowing they monitor this board, I will post it here. It can also serve as a reminder to future cruisers who might find themselves in a similar situation.

 

My wife and I were on the 3:00 AM bus from the Jade to the Istanbul Airport on April 11. We had booked the transfer along with our air travel through NCL. After all the bags were unloaded from the bus the driver drove away. As we were walking into the terminal I noticed one bag from the Jade still sitting where it was unloaded, almost in the lane of traffic. It had the Jade tags on it, so clearly belonged to a fellow passenger. My wife, always the cautious one, told me to leave it alone but I, always wanting to be helpful, went over and moved it to the curb assuming someone forgot to retrieve it.

 

 

I looked at the tags for ID intending to go inside to find the owner. -- BAD MOVE -- A policeman saw me with the bag and said “You can’t leave that here”. He didn’t speak any English and just kept saying “You can’t leave that here”. He took us and the stray bag to security where they just repeated “You can’t leave that here”. I tried to explain it wasn’t mine, but to no avail. They took us and all our luggage inside to a police station and took our passports. My wife was sure we were going to be arrested.

Finally they found an officer who spoke some English. We tried to explain we were from the Norwegian Jade. He had never heard of NCL or the Jade. We showed him our boarding card and he decided we must be from Norway. We showed him our itinerary and other paperwork we had printed out before the trip. He asked where the bags owner is -- I don’t know the owner. Where is escort or guide? --no guide. Where is the port representative? -- no representative we’re aware of. Where is the bus driver? --he left the bag and drove off. Do we have a phone number for the Jade? -- no. A number is on the boarding card, but it’s not local so they weren’t interested.

 

They inspected the bag and, lucky for us, all that was in it was clothes, etc. I shudder to think where I would be now if it had contained any contraband. The bag had the yellow Jade ID tag including the owner’s name, flight and destination. (I believe the name was “Rum--something” going to Houston, Texas). Eventually they took us and the bag to the Lufthansa desk . Apparently (all this was in Turkish) they found the owner’s reservation and they had not yet arrived (I assume they were back at the Jade looking for their bag). The officer turned the bag over to Lufthansa, returned our passports and let us proceed on our journey. We thanked him profusely for his kindness.

 

I can only imagine what would happen if a Turkish man who didn’t speak any English was observed leaving an unattended bag outside LaGuardia terminal. Not a pleasant thought. What if the police had found the bag at the curb instead of me? In the US they would have called the bomb squad and blown it up.

 

Recommendations to avoid a repeat of this incident:

 

NCL -- 1) Instruct the bus drivers to NEVER leave a bag unclaimed. They should remain until all the passengers have picked up their luggage and then return any leftover(s) to the ship. Leaving baggage unattended is illegal at every airport and the driver could have been arrested. It’s much better to deal with misdirected luggage at the ship than getting the police involved.

 

2) Have an NCL representative at the airport to help with any problems. We’re overrun with NCL people helping to get us to the ship, but at the end of the trip we’re left to fend for ourselves.

 

CRUISERS -- If you see a bag unattended head the other way. Better someone loses their luggage than to spend the night in a Turkish prison.

---------------------------------------------

Except for the anxiety it all worked out for us. I don’t know if the bag ever got to its owner.

[Travel Nymph]

Your 1st recommendation should have been "always listen to your wife".:D

[Ms belp]

Always listen to the "cautious ones". It's born of past experience.

[AFAMILY]

Your 1st recommendation should have been "always listen to your wife".:D

 

Ain't that the truth!!:D

 

I wonder how many "I told you so" he had to hear.

 

Glad it all worked out for you in the end. I probably would have done the same thing. After 30 years you become "wife deaf". :)

[Ms belp]

Ain't that the truth!!:D

 

I wonder how many "I told you so" he had to hear.

 

Glad it all worked out for you in the end. I probably would have done the same thing. After 30 years you become "wife deaf". :)

 

Then, I recommend you go get a hearing aid, asap!:)

[Sea Hound]

Don,

 

You were fortunate that the luggage was legitimate! The last time I had a run-in with Turkish police, I (and my traveling companions) had to pay an on-the-spot fine of every cent we had before we could be released to go on our way (wonder where THAT money went)!;)

 

Like you, I did not want to spend even a second in a Turkish prison!:eek:

 

Sea Hound:D

[newmexicoNita]

you know the story could have been funny if it wasn't so scary with possible reprocusions. Overall I think you advise is good, thanks for letting us know what happened and giving us advise. As for the bus driver not leaving, well, if the people were already gone or not yet on the bus I don't know how long he would have been able to stay at the airport. I imagine he had others to transport that morning.

 

Thanks again, as usual, we women know what to do. All you need to listen to us,

 

Nita

[antmilant]

Just a word of wisdom for all the men out there. "Us women may not always be right but we are NEVER wrong" :D DonfromNC learned the hard way.

[mush71]

When we took the Disney bus to the airport last year. They were very organized. It sounds like NCL needs to get a lesson from them.

They pick people up at different hotels. But before the driver puts the luggage on the bus he asks which terminal. Based on your terminal it is put into one of 3 or 4 spots on the bus.

 

When you arrive at the terminal the bus driver unloads the bags and once everyone has claimed all the bags then he drives off to the next terminal.

 

This way if anyone doesn't claim the bag it gets put back on the bus and then returned to disney world if it isn't claimed at the other terminals.

 

I think most of the luggage does get claimed though because if you are going on the bus your luggage gets loaded with you. You don't have the risk of your luggage getting to the terminal before you.

[mylesf]

When we took the Disney bus to the airport last year. They were very organized. It sounds like NCL needs to get a lesson from them.

They pick people up at different hotels. But before the driver puts the luggage on the bus he asks which terminal. Based on your terminal it is put into one of 3 or 4 spots on the bus.

 

When you arrive at the terminal the bus driver unloads the bags and once everyone has claimed all the bags then he drives off to the next terminal.

 

This way if anyone doesn't claim the bag it gets put back on the bus and then returned to disney world if it isn't claimed at the other terminals.

 

I think most of the luggage does get claimed though because if you are going on the bus your luggage gets loaded with you. You don't have the risk of your luggage getting to the terminal before you.

 

 

I don't think you can compare a US based land transfer operator to a Turkish land operator. I am going to asume that you have never been to Turkey because things are not done the same there as they are here. I think the original post is important because if NCL is reading this they can contact the company they hire this service out to and discuss. But once again, Disney is not located in Turkey and therefore, dependent on that culture to deliver their "magical moment" transfer!

[newmexicoNita]

I don't think you can compare a US based land transfer operator to a Turkish land operator. I am going to asume that you have never been to Turkey because things are not done the same there as they are here. I think the original post is important because if NCL is reading this they can contact the company they hire this service out to and discuss. But once again, Disney is not located in Turkey and therefore, dependent on that culture to deliver their "magical moment" transfer!

very good observation.....

[iheartbda]

I don't think you can compare a US based land transfer operator to a Turkish land operator. I am going to asume that you have never been to Turkey because things are not done the same there as they are here. I think the original post is important because if NCL is reading this they can contact the company they hire this service out to and discuss. But once again, Disney is not located in Turkey and therefore, dependent on that culture to deliver their "magical moment" transfer!

 

Absolutely correct!!!

I won't go into the whole story but my sister ended up in prison, along with her 18 month old son, in Turkey after an accident with a train. She went throught a trial? all spoken in Turkish. The only way they got out of the country was by my BIL paying money "under the table" and under the cover of darkness at night. Needless to say, they'll never go back to Turkey.

 

BTW, this was a land based trip. They had trip insurance and the company really helped them out.

[floridacruiser63]

Always listen to the "cautious ones". It's born of past experience.

Excellent advise!!!

[floridacruiser63]

I don't think you can compare a US based land transfer operator to a Turkish land operator. I am going to asume that you have never been to Turkey because things are not done the same there as they are here. I think the original post is important because if NCL is reading this they can contact the company they hire this service out to and discuss. But once again, Disney is not located in Turkey and therefore, dependent on that culture to deliver their "magical moment" transfer!

 

Very true. Great observation!!!

[mpk218]

Don , remember No good deed goes un-punished..:D

 

mpk

[VoyageVirgin]

Wow. And I thought we had a very "eventfull" travel month. But then, we didn't go to Turkey. Hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it? I really don't blame the driver for leaving the bag. He only loaded what was past to him and really isn't responsible to ensure the people owning the bags are in the shuttle/cab. It was very nice of you to be concerned about it but frankly I wouldn't touch a bag that wasn't mine, in any country. (but then I'm female) ;) At least in the end you were able to catch your flight and hopefully the owner of the bag was able to retrieve it as well. Last time in Miami we were over at the Bayside Market wandering and I spotted a lovely wrapped package with suitcase sitting with a lady on a bench, next passing the package was there but the lady had left. I actually thought about picking it up and leaving inside the restaurant but thought better of it. Next morning I was wondering if she had retrieved it when it dawned on me that it was on a bench outside of Bubba Gumps - yup, you guessed it, they were props for Forrest Gumps bus stop - Life is like a box of chocolates :D No Turkish prisions for me - just a foolish moment. ;)

[DonfromNC]

Your 1st recommendation should have been "always listen to your wife".:D

 

Seems I recall her mentioning that.

 

As she gets older I notice my wife talking to herself more. She doesn't know she's doing it -- she thinks I'm listening.

[Red-Bird]

Just a word of wisdom for all the men out there. "Us women may not always be right but we are NEVER wrong" DonfromNC learned the hard way.

 

I can tell you for sure that it would MY wife getting involved with the errant suitcase while I would be telling her to MHOB and walking the other way. :D

 

Another Don :)

[maryln]

This is bringing back memories. In the early 70's I bought a leather hippie coat at the bazaar in Istanbul. The store wrapped it up in brown paper & string. Boy, did they tear that open at the airport & I ended up wearing the coat in the stifling heat. Remember that movie "Midnight Express"? That came out after I was there. Scary stuff.

 

A couple years ago, when I was in Venice, we were getting ready to climb through the hotel window to get into a water taxi to go to our ship. My luggage was no where to be found. The hotel staff was in a panic. We were all hoping it went with the people that left before us. Sure enough. Everything was sitting in the hall in front of my cabin. I had the hotel's # & gave them a call. Whew! Gotta keep an eye on those things!

[Muldoon432]

I was on the same cruise, but on a later bus. They dropped us off at the curb, but the sidewalk had plastic tape across it leaving all of us about 2 feet to get our luggage and drag it past everyone else's luggage to get to the terminal. Then we had no idea where to go. We finaly found the pack of familiar weary faces and got in line. What they need to do is send one of those perky NCL folks with each bus to make sure we get where we are going (and no bags are left behind!). Since we paid for the transfer, they should make sure we at least get to the right place and have no problems. After all, even though we are technically done with the cruise, it still reflects on them.

[dino2067]

Hi Don-

 

We were on the same cruise but ended up staying a few days in Istanbul and at every venue we went to visit there was a visible military presence with automatic (not semi-automatic) weapons at the ready.

 

 

From the US State Dept website:

 

“Istanbul: In November 2003 al Qaida-affiliated suicide bombers blew up the British Consulate, the HSBC Bank, and two synagogues, killing dozens and wounding hundreds of people. These incidents represent a significant change from prior attacks in Turkey and show an increased willingness on the part of terrorists to attack Western targets. As indicated in the State Department’s Worldwide Caution, it is possible that transnational terrorist attacks can occur without warning.

 

On April 8, 2007, Turkish police captured a PKK terrorist in Istanbul’s much-touristed Taksim Square. She was intercepted carrying a bomb made of five-kilograms of A-4 explosive. Her intended target was that day’s celebration in the square of the founding of the Turkish police.

Small-scale bombings and violent demonstrations have occurred regularly throughout 2006 and 2007. Most, but not all, of these incidents have happened in neighborhoods not generally frequented by tourists.

 

PKK/KADEK/Kongra-Gel supporters, on a number of occasions, have set public buses on fire after ordering passengers to disembark. On April 3, 2006, an attack of this type resulted in three deaths and at least one severe wounding. Thus far, no attacks on buses have taken place in tourist areas of the city.”

 

 

 

While I am VERY pleased that there was a happy outcome for you and your dear wife for what I see as trying to do the “right thing” (and which I would be very tempted to do the same), also know that I am also VERY pleased that there was the awareness upon the Turkish authorities part to insure there was not something else going on.

 

Kathleen

[crew mom]

DS spent the past couple of summers doing the Med run which included Turkey. There were a couple of incidents on days that they were in port at or near the marketplace in Istanbul.

 

Better to inform one of those gun-toting soldiers than to try to deal with anything you happen upon yourself. You never know what you are getting yourself into either abroad or here in the US anymore. Better to be safe.

 

As she gets older I notice my wife talking to herself more. She doesn't know she's doing it -- she thinks I'm listening.

LOL!