Dawn 6/21 Lost Luggage Nightmare

[billrach]

This was our honeymoon cruise so needless to say lost luggage made the cruise a little less enjoyable. However, it was the way the Dawns crew handled the situation that made it much, much worse. Probably my last NCL cruise and I have been on 5, 3 being on the Dawn.

 

At 8PM on embarkation day after not receiving my luggage I went to reception. I was told that the housekeeping department will be informed and if the bag is on the ship I would have it by eleven. I was also told they would contact the pier to see if it somehow it got left behind. They asked me to fill out a form describing the bag and to let them know when I last saw it and how I and the bag arrived at the pier. I drove and handed the three bags in total to the baggage handler and paid the non voluntary tip.

 

At 11:30 I went to reception and was told that mine was the only bag missing and that I would have to wait for the morning to find any information. They said they will notify the cabin stewards to look for it as they make up the staterooms. I asked "what I was supposed to do and how does NCL handle these situations" and was told that there was nothing they could do. After repeatedly asking for at least a tee shirt to sleep in, I was handed a womans blouse....I am a 230 pound male! I asked if they had anything else and I was also handed used size 13 sneakers that someone must of left in a cabin....I am a size 10. I asked if there was some kind of credit that could be arranged for the gift shop so I could at least purchase a pair of shorts and a shirt that fit. I was told any such decision would have to come from corporate because it was beyond the authority of anyone on the ship.

 

11:30 the next morning(Monday) I went to reception and was told that they would not have the stewards report till 6 PM and I would have to wait till that time. I again asked for a gift shop credit and received the same answer as the night before, no. I asked to speak to a manager and was introduced to one of the rudest, condecending people I have ever met. Anna was the the persons name in charge of Reception. She repeated the party line and told me that they would leave a message in my VM box by 6PM and I would have a answer.

Keep in mind, I am now wearing the same clothing for two days. After a half hour of negotiating she agreed to give me gratis cleaning of my current clothes. I of course was not provided with any clothing to wear while my clothing was being cleaned and in exasperation asked her if I was supposed to wear a sheet around the ship that day or stay in my cabin while my clothes are being cleaned......I received no response except that they are doing everything they can.

 

Now after dinner the second night, still wearing the same clothes I boarded in I went back to my room to listen to the message that was supposed to be waiting for me. It was not. I proceeded to the desk and was told the stewards report was not in yet. Kit Kat ( yes that was the clerks name) said I would have it later that evening. I asked for a supervisor and again was told by Anna that they are following procedure and that there was nothing more to be done. She said if the stewards report came back without an answer then they would send around a note to each cabin. Heard nothing that night. Called the desk at 11PM and was told the bag was not found and they would send a note the next day for each person to check there cabins for the bag.

 

The next morning I went to the desk and was told that I was getting a $100 gift shop credit! Yahoo!!!! of course $100 in the ships gift shop is one pair of shorts and a tee shirt.

 

Finally a change of clothes.

 

I asked around the ship that day and no one I asked recalls receiving a letter asking about the bag. I went to the desk again and was told that they have done everything possible. The ultimate injustice was Anna telling me at that point that they might want to search my car when we got back to the pier.....she kept asking me if I was certain the bag made it out of the car and into the hands of the Stewards. I asked if there was some credit I could receive to pay for my loss....since I was going to have to replace alot of clothing in very expensive Bermuda and to compensate me for the fact the the first three days of my honeymoon were ruined. I was unable to swim, workout or do many of the things I enjoy including dining...as I felt horrible wearing shorts in the restaurants. It's all I had. She proceded to say have a nice day and walked away mid sentence handing me a card with NCl's corporate address and phone number.

 

Made a few purchases in Bermuda to tide me over and gave up.

 

 

On Friday evening I returned to my cabin to find my bag and a note from reception that the bag was turned in by the guest in cabin 8158......I was in 9158. The gent in 8158 said the steward must of put it in his closet and he didn't notice it till Friday.

 

Sorry for being long winded but I am obviously angry at the way I was treated by NCL. I am stuck with about $400 in expenses that I will never get back. Insurance is not a factor even though I had it since the bag was not lost nor delayed by the airlines.

 

Most importantly it put a bit of a damper on my enjoying my honeymoon, although my wife and I made the best of it and absolutely love Bermuda.

 

 

Moral of the story is Carry On Your Luggage!

[CC Help Michell]

I'm so sorry this affected your trip. :( An additional tip for the future is to do what's called "cross-packing." We always pack half of each of our things in each bag, so if one is misdirected at least both of us will have some of our clothing. I don't understand why your insurance isn't furnishing you with some coverage -- the insurance I buy has a provision for baggage "delay" as well as baggage "loss," and yours was definitely delayed. You might want to re-check those terms. I'm not sure what more you wanted NCL to do, but I am sorry that you found the efforts they made inadequate and condescending. :(

 

I'm glad you had a good time in Bermuda, and wish you the best in your marriage!

[prg2101]

That is definetly a nightmare....:( Glad you and your wife were

able to make the best of it and enjoy bermuda.....I question the person

who had your luggage...:confused:Didnt notice it till friday, I dont know about the

rest of you but I think I would notice a big suitcase in my closet(they arent that big)sometime during the week. As the previous poster said

crosspacking is the way to go....split half of your stuff with half of your wifes.......

 

 

Your encounter with luggage problems arent very frequent and can happen on any line so Im suprised after 5 NCL cruises your calling it quits:confused::confused:

[blindrid]

I looked at my last travel insurance policy and I interpret it to cover the "misdirection" of at least 24 hours from his/her arrival at destination.

 

I'm sure I would have been plenty p***** but I couldn't help thinking of a 230 pound guy in a woman's blouse though. I'm sure not sticking up for NCL on this one as I'm sure some cheerleaders will. Wouldn't you think you would check the rooms with any variation of your room number? I guess not.

 

It's just too bad that the guy in the other room didn't notice the extra piece of luggage. Since they are not put away for us when delivered, I would think I would have noticed.

 

Anyway, congrats.

[Partyatsea]

Since when did stewards start putting luggage in closets? Ours has always been left in the hall outside the room.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

I am sorry that you were so inconvenienced.

I was on that cruise and assure you that notices were left outside of passenger cabins seeking your bag. I thought that we received it on night 2.

 

Please don't let this experience keep you from cruising with NCL again.

Since you have cruised previously I hope that you did in fact have insurance and can recover some of your expenses.

 

Re: the person who didn't notice a bag in their closet maybe some others can take a lesson from that.

[lambs2]

Since when did stewards start putting luggage in closets? Ours has always been left in the hall outside the room.

 

 

ABSOLUTELY! The best we ever got was the cases placed right inside our cabin door. We always place the empty cases UNDER our bed and would certainly notice a case in our closet!!!:confused:

[prg2101]

ABSOLUTELY! The best we ever got was the cases placed right inside our cabin door. We always place the empty cases UNDER our bed and would certainly notice a case in our closet!!!:confused:

 

 

Thats what I was thinking, a bag in my closet would not go unnoticed....We always found our bags in the room by the bed when they delivered em......

[mag]

I don't blame you...I would have been reallllly pi$$ed off too! I'm glad that they really DID send out the notice but I do believe they could have helped you out more in regards to clothing! It was their fault for delivering to the wrong cabin...I would write and email a letter to NCL, telling them you did enjoy the cruise and especially Bermuda, but outlining the luggage situation and advising about your clothing purchases with copies of your receipts included. Ya never know...maybe they will do something to compensate. Also, like others have said, check your insurance coverage again just to be sure. Good luck!

[CruisnGram]

I asked to speak to a manager and was introduced to one of the rudest, condecending people I have ever met. Anna was the the persons name in charge of Reception. She repeated the party line and told me that they would leave a message in my VM box by 6PM and I would have a answer.

 

I'm really sorry you had this problem. I believe you but am SHOCKED that you found Anna to be rude. On our cruise, we had some problems and she was the kindest, most helpful person I've ever encountered on any NCL ship. I even wrote a letter to corporate to let them know how lucky they were to have her. So to say the least, I'm surprised at how she treated you.

 

CG

[gtalum]

A couple of lessons here:

 

1) Always cross-pack if you're checking luggage. Check at least 2 bags, and put some clothes for everyone in each bag. The same policy goes for airlines. Bags get lost.

 

and

 

2) Carry on a swimsuit and a couple of days' worth of clothing.

 

Luggage loss happens. Write a letter to NCL corporate now that you're home and see what you get. Also, I know you said insurance doesn't cover it, but if you had insurance I'd certainly try to file a claim. Document everything.

 

On a lighter note, a lack of clothing shouldn't put a damper on a honeymoon. Are you sure you were doing it right? ;)

[rrobynec]

I was on that cruise, and received the notice at my cabin the second day of the cruise. I even commented to my companions that if it hadn't shown up yet, it was probably sitting on the dock back in NYC--and how much that really stunk.:(

Weird to think somebody would not have noticed a bag of ANY size (and it looked to be a good size from pic on the photocopy we got at the room) in their closet--it's not like there is so much room it in there that it could be overlooked!:eek:

I hope the rocky start on your honeymoon, doesn't discourage you. Try to put this behind you and enjoy the many years I hope you enjoy together!

 

Also, even if your travel insurance doesn't cover it--you can try your homeowner's or renter's insurance--

[mag]

 

On a lighter note, a lack of clothing shouldn't put a damper on a honeymoon. Are you sure you were doing it right? ;)

 

 

 

LMAO...you are baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!

[danp]

When I get home,if you used a travel agent I would file a complaint with them and ask that they send it to NCL.I would also send my own complaint to them and would mention how rude Anna was.And how you feel you just got a brush off from her.

Last year we were on an RCCL cruise and this happened to one of our table mates.When she went to the pursers deck and complained,the head purser came out and tried to help her,She was told to come back after dinner and to see him.After dinner they had not found the bag and the purser took her down so she could get a change of clothes.Well the out come was they found it the next day[sea day],they paged her and told her that her bag was being delivered to her room.Needless to say she was happy.The clothes she got was a sweat suit and a blouse and slacks set.She told them she would return the slacks set as she had not worn them and she was told no our compllments.

But I do hope you did enjoy your Honeymoon and good luck from a 43 years married.

[OfcSupport]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Thanks for posting about your experience. I'm starting to pack now and learned a lesson. I'm going to cross pack things as others have suggested and be sure to put at least one change of clothes in our carry-ons.

[Milaandra]

Notices were sent out on our cruise looking for someone`s luggage and laptop.

 

Does anyone know if there is a problem just bringing your own luggage on board (1 rolling case each)

Is there anywhere to stash it while eating lunch

[ZoneHPH]

Notices were sent out on our cruise looking for someone`s luggage and laptop.

 

Does anyone know if there is a problem just bringing your own luggage on board (1 rolling case each)

Is there anywhere to stash it while eating lunch

 

stash it? no...not until your cabin is ready. now for the PH and suite guests...their rooms might already be done...so should be easier for them.

[Zeno]

You certainly have my sympathies and if I were you I would document what happened and send a letter to NCL. In my opinion they really could have done better - at least providing you with a change of clothes immediately. And of course - there are no excuses for any rudeness. I am glad that at least they sent a note around to the other passengers.

 

Also I am mighty surprised about the passenger who "did not notice" the extra luggage in his room (I mean really!). Too bad he apparently does not read notes too quickly either.

 

Some good advice in this thread re: crosspacking. We always do this and we also have carryons that contain a bathing suit and a change of clothes.

 

Better luck on your next cruise!

[Cary T]

I would certainly expect more from NCL. The o.p. didn't mention if there had been a page over the ships intercom for passengers to keep an eye out for the bag, Lord knows they're on that thing for every other announcement under the sun! There is so much paperwork left in the cabin everyday that some may not even look at it.

I would definitely contact NCL and state your case, it was their mistake and your loss-you should not bear the cost.

[Zeno]

Notices were sent out on our cruise looking for someone`s luggage and laptop.

 

Does anyone know if there is a problem just bringing your own luggage on board (1 rolling case each)

Is there anywhere to stash it while eating lunch

 

It depends on the size of your luggage - it has to fit through their x-ray machines. On our last couple of cruises we have brought on our own luggage (we have medium sized rolling and backpacks). I don't think there is anywhere to stash it though (We were always lucky and could leave it in the cabin.)

[lambs2]

Notices were sent out on our cruise looking for someone`s luggage and laptop.

 

Does anyone know if there is a problem just bringing your own luggage on board (1 rolling case each)

Is there anywhere to stash it while eating lunch

 

On our last NCL cruise on the Jade the Medusa Lounge was specifically set aside as the place to store hand luggage until the cabins were ready for occupancy. There was an attendant on duty and you received a claim check. If you were not back to pick up your "stuff" by a specified time it was to be delivered to your cabin. We went and had lunch in the main dining room and then went back for our hand luggage. The announcement was made that the cabins were ready for everyone just as we got our bags from the Medusa Lounge! :)

[DawnGirl]

Changed my mind.

[mp8shnt]

I would certainly expect more from NCL. The o.p. didn't mention if there had been a page over the ships intercom for passengers to keep an eye out for the bag, Lord knows they're on that thing for every other announcement under the sun! There is so much paperwork left in the cabin everyday that some may not even look at it.

I would definitely contact NCL and state your case, it was their mistake and your loss-you should not bear the cost.

 

I agree - why didn't the Cruise Director make an announcement?

 

Sorry about your lost luggage - I too would have been upset.

[watchdiva]

On our last few cruises, carryons could be dropped off in one of the lounges until rooms were ready.....

[Why Knot Me]

I agree with others about writing NCL. May I suggest that the letter be clear and concise. And include particulars about what you enjoyed of the cruise, but that the problems encountered were disappointing and distracted from your normal NCL experience.