Newbie lost regarding luggage!

[Pam in CA]

What does ~Princess do well, they give you a free Tux, plus cash to buy stuff, so you will be dressed for formal night.

I love it! There really aren't any excuses. :)

[Cruisin Bob]

I love it! There really aren't any excuses. :)

 

 

Pam, Princess lost Shogun's luggage not an airline so that is a rather odd example that will not apply to most people.

 

Additionally, as you know if someone does not want to wear a jacket they can come up with a ton of excuses. Airline losing the luggage or leaving a bag in the car are just some of the more normal and easily explained. ;)

[rcacace]

Pam, Princess lost Shogun's luggage not an airline so that is a rather odd example that will not apply to most people.

 

Additionally, as you know if someone does not want to wear a jacket they can come up with a ton of excuses. Airline losing the luggage or leaving a bag in the car are just some of the more normal and easily explained. ;)

 

And those that want to dress will fine any excuse to do so & reprimand those who don't.

Ow, I got a sunburn & my shirt & jacket hurt my shoulders. :D;)

[gooch47]

Our bags didn't make it to Auckland, NZ, when they missed a connection in Phoenix. One caught up to us at the first stop on the cruise, the last two caught up at the second stop.

 

I always pack a carry-on with what I consider the clothes I would absolutely have to have on the cruise (minus formal wear). To be honest, I wonder if I could just live out of that bag and not ever use the other stuff. Probably, considering we get free laundry.

 

I always mix clothing among suitcases, too. Learned that the hard way in NZ. My husband's clothes arrived first.

[caber]

Hello Caber,

 

No my questions are sincere :rolleyes: I just have a brain that works in a funny kind of way, I suppose, and I want to soak up so much info before I go so that DH and I can make the most of every minute of our first cruise :p

I apologise again.:o

 

If you have been reading these boards you will know what I was talking about. Some people like to stir things.:D

[UK Cruiser]

Fridaythecat

 

You need a trip to W H Smith. Sharpies are on 3 for 2 at the moment! :D

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

I apologise again.:o

 

If you have been reading these boards you will know what I was talking about. Some people like to stir things.:D

 

Caber,

 

No need to apologise at all - no offense was taken :) I know that some people can do a bit of stirring now and again, but I am just an over-excited first time cruiser ;) Don't know what I'll be like when it is only 8 days to sailing rather than 80 :eek:

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

Fridaythecat

 

You need a trip to W H Smith. Sharpies are on 3 for 2 at the moment! :D

 

Shows how much I notice things... had not heard of Sharpies before :rolleyes: Will check out the 3 for 2 offer. I was trying to reduce my packing as much as possible, based on advice from these boards... but it my "essentials" list seems to be growing by the day :eek: (just hope the case doesn't get lost, LOL, going back to the original theme of this thread!)

[cindep]

Our luggage has always made it (15 cruises with Princess), however we had soggy luggage the last time we cruised out of Ft. Lauderdale. Somehow they managed to leave our luggage out in the rain all day even though we arrived early. All of our formal clothes were wet and smelly. :eek: The good news is Princess onboard the ship cleaned everything for us without charge. Of course we had to wait 24 hours or so to get everything back.

 

Since that trip, EVERYTHING goes into a zip-lock plastic bag when I pack. You have no control over how the people that load the luggage will handle yours ... whether at the airport or at the cruise pier. Some people like using the packing cubes (which I had used), but I found that they do "breathe" which means they are not totally water proof. I've read of people who have had their luggage dumped in the Hudson River in New York City as well. I always thought luggage was water proof, but it isn't if left out in the rain for awhile ... who knew!

 

Funny how all it takes is one instance and you get "wise".

[caber]

fridaythecat.co.uk,

 

The first cruise is always the best but the rest are great too. That is why we are all on this site.

 

I have only ever met one person who didn`t take a second (and more) cruise.

 

My first ten were with P&O but now we are sticking to Princess for the moment. The cruise experience is just as good and the Captain`s Circle perks are better.:)

[FLGolfer]

I love it! There really aren't any excuses. :)

 

I do not like wearing a jacket.

 

There is no room for the jacket in my packed luggage due to new airline luggage restrictions

 

My dog ate my jacket

 

The airline lost the bag with my suit in it. :D :D:D (my favorite)

 

Pam there are plenty of explanations for not having a jacket. Time for casual cruisers to enjoy cruising more.

[luxurysailer]

We also pack one complete changing of clothes in our carry on. But we also take another precaustion. My wife and I never pack all of my clothes in one suitcase and all of hers in another. We put clothes for both of us in each suitcase. That way if a bag is lost, each of us has clothes in whatever luggage, if any, arrived onboard. Never put all of your eggs in one basket.

[cynbar]

Here's a link to some info re sharpies, we wouldn't travel without at least one:

 

http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Products/default.html

 

Also very useful for leaving post its around your cabin --- for each other, for the steward for yourself. With a sharpie, everything is just easier to read. Anyway, returning to the original point of this thread, another idea is to put something very identifiable on your luggage so it is less likely to be grabbed by someone who has a similar bag. A large colored ribbon or special luggage tags (with writing by the sharpie, of course) would do. I have heard of people who leave the airport and get home, only to find that they have departed with someone else's similar-looking bag. This is harder to straighten out if the original owner is cruising on the high seas!

[bonniehgl]

Lost luggage usually varies between 0 and 2% on any given flight. On a cruise you are talking about a few to several dozens of lost bags per cruise.

 

One person claiming a lost bag should not be surprising. Sure some will try to pull a fast one :cool: But there will be several people with lost luggage on every cruise as well.

 

Not knowing the people the Maitre d' will never be able to figure out who is being honest so why would he even try.

 

There are plenty of lost bags on every cruise and it is the easiest and best back up plan for not bringing a jacket.

 

But I also must say that if you simply wear a long sleeve shirt with out a jacket men will not even be questioned by the Maitre d'

 

This is confusing. My husband does not want to bring a suit and I told him he had too. Now it sounds like a suit is not required. what are the facts? How is this handled on the ship?

 

If I tell him he has to and he finds out it is not true he will not be happy.

[cindep]

I just got through putting colored tape around the handles of my new luggage. It is gray ... I figure probably 40 to 50% of the bags will be the same color. This way I can see my luggage easily and know it is mine. Also helps DH find our luggage as he always forgets what it looks like from the house to the baggage carousel!

 

If you want to eat in the dining room on the two formal nights, your husband will want at a minimum a sports jacket, nice shirt, tie, and slacks. Basically, a suit fits the bill. Besides, if you're going to dress up, doesn't he want to look equally fabulous next to his gorgeous DW?

[Cruisin Bob]

[quote name='cindep']
If you want to eat in the dining room on the two formal nights, your husband will want at a minimum a sports jacket, nice shirt, tie, and slacks. Basically, a suit fits the bill. Besides, if you're going to dress up, doesn't he want to look equally fabulous next to his gorgeous DW?[/quote]

He can wear a suit if he wants to but Princess will seat him if he simply wears a long sleeve shirt. So if he does not want to dress for formal night do not tell him he needs to as it is simply a suggestion and not a requirement.

[CCSSDRC]

[quote name='bonniehgl']This is confusing. My husband does not want to bring a suit and I told him he had too. Now it sounds like a suit is not required. what are the facts? How is this handled on the ship?

If I tell him he has to and he finds out it is not true he will not be happy.[/quote]

If he does not want to wear a suit he can wear a long sleeve shirt on formal night. They always let me in on formal night with just a long sleeve shirt.

The jacket suggestions by Princess are not a requirement. Give your DH the infor and let him decide what he wants to wear. There are always several casual cruisers around on formal nights.

[Pam in CA]

[quote name='FLGolfer']Pam there are plenty of explanations for not having a jacket. Time for casual cruisers to enjoy cruising more.[/quote]I agree. And when I want to dress more casually on formal nights, I enjoy the buffet. Have done that many times and had a delicious dinner.

[rcacace]

[quote name='bonniehgl']This is confusing. My husband does not want to bring a suit and I told him he had too. Now it sounds like a suit is not required. what are the facts? How is this handled on the ship?

If I tell him he has to and he finds out it is not true he will not be happy.[/QUOTE]

It all depends on how comfortable he feels with not being fully dressed. I don't own any long sleeve shirts & just bring along my jacket wearing a golf shirt (no tie). The jacket assures me entrance past the Mater D' (in case) & is hung from the chair during the meal.
You can always eat at the buffet but you'll be missing out on the better food offered in the DR on formal nights.

[FLGolfer]

[quote name='Pam in CA']I agree. And when I want to dress more casually on formal nights, I enjoy the buffet. Have done that many times and had a delicious dinner.[/quote]

There are no restrictions on women such as being required to wear a jacket. Many women attend formal night in casual dress. If you do not want to that is fine.

There is no reason in my mind why men can not dress casually with a long sleeve shirt and go to the MDR for dinner like women have been doing for years.

Princess never asks me any questions even though I do not have a jacket and they treat me fine. If I ever run into the mythical Maitre d' that wants to deny me entrance to the MDR I will say that the suit is in the lost luggage. Based on my formal night dinning experiences I doubt that day will ever happen.

I am a casual guy and I am not doing anything dozens of women are doing on formal night. I am rather opposed to the double standard that is imposed on the men.

[cynbar]

Although we hear stories here from cruisers who go to formal night without a jacket, my experience is that they are the vast minority. Actually, I looked closely on my January Ruby cruise, and all the men I saw had at least a sport coat, although I did see a few without a tie. I know that my DH would be uncomfortable if he felt underdressed for the evening, but your DH may feel differently. Also, some maitre d's seem to be more rigid with the dress code than others. Bottom line, men may well be admitted to the MDR in just a shirt, but all the men around them will probably be dressed more formally.

[vette]

[quote name='fridaythecat.u.k.']Hi Vette

Was this with Princess, or a different company? It is very generous of them to give you cash to buy items, particularly as it was the airline's fault and not theirs :) Did you have to pay the cash back at the end of your cruise?[/QUOTE]

Just wanted to answer your questions. The cruiseline was Norwegian (I believe it was our Norwegian Sea sailing) and we had arranged the flights through the cruiseline, so the cruiseline did bear some responsibility. But the ship was very helpful to us and the Matre'd was very understanding with our group. But we learned how important it is to carry-on at least a change of clothes. Hope this thread has helped you. I believe you have received some very useful information.

Vette

[Floflegs]

We lost all our luggage flying via Gatwick to Venice with BA. It was a RCCL cruise. It took 5 days for the cases to catch up with us and there were 47 lots of people on the cruise with no cases. Some never got it at all. It was the fault of the airlines. At the airport we got toiletries and summer PJs and a T-shirt and laundry vouchers on the ship. Although our tablemates and waiter told us to come to formal night in our casual clothes we did not as we would not have felt comfortable. Luckily we had some things in our hand luggage. When the cases did eventually arrive they had travelled further than we had!

[FLGolfer]

[quote name='cynbar']Although we hear stories here from cruisers who go to formal night without a jacket, my experience is that they are the vast minority. Actually, I looked closely on my January Ruby cruise, and all the men I saw had at least a sport coat, although I did see a few without a tie. I know that my DH would be uncomfortable if he felt underdressed for the evening, but your DH may feel differently. Also, some maitre d's seem to be more rigid with the dress code than others. Bottom line, men may well be admitted to the MDR in just a shirt, but all the men around them will probably be dressed more formally.[/quote]


I sit with other men in suits, tuxes, jackets, or just long sleeve shirts. I do not know if they try to sit other men in just long sleeve shirts together or not but it does happen.

Maitre d's seat people in t-shirts and shorts on formal night if their luggage is lost so fearing the maitre d' is not something people should be concerned about if they know how to say the suit is in the lost luggage. :cool:

[cherylakers]

When on a Mexican Riveria boarding in LA we took the Princess bus to the port. We watched all our luggage be put on the bus. When getting off the bus we were told to just go check in, that our luggage would make it to our rooms. Well ours did, but our friends did not. 18 people on the same bus did not have any luggage. They forgot to unload one side of the bus. Since we were 2 days at sea to start with they finally got their luggage on the 3rd day. Princess said it was not their fault as they had port workers unload the bus. Princess did give them each $150 to spend in the gift shop for t shirts, underwear, etc. They also gave them free formal clothes to wear. The problem was my friend was a very large women and they had nothing to fit her but men's tux pants and a ladies top. She wore a pair of her husbands underwear and his belt to hold up the pants. She had on black flip flops. She did have all her gorgeous jewelry though from her carryon. It was really hysterical and they took it really well. She still talks about that trip.

We always pack 1/2 our clothes in each large suitcase and a few items in our carryon. It works for us.