TMOliver
Jan 26, 12, 8:58 am
A tale of woe and joy (long and detailed, but an exemplar of lost bags and their recovery).
Months ago, my wife and daughters convinced me that we needed a post-Holiday cruise, a week out of Galveston on Carnival's MAGIC. The promise of such grand ports as Key West, Freeport and Nassau did little to increase me anticipation, but here was to be a classic family vacation, with the eldest's husband and the youngest's finance' in company.
Along comes Thanksgiving, and the youngest drives up to tell us that she and her fiance' had decided that a wedding, departure day, aboard MAGIC, was in their plans. OK! Wife and daughter busy themselves with the arrangements.
The morn of January 8 dawns foggy in Galveston, so MAGIC delays her entry, off load, boarding and the wedding (which becomes a saga of its own, convolutions and complications for guests, etc.)
Late, after dark has darkened, we sail away as I render a timely salute to my old friend, the Point Bolivar ferry (upon which I think I took my first of many voyages at sea), the old Golfo de Mejico providing a bit of traditional "corksrew" of opposing wind and seas, well known and to me accustomed, but discomforting to many, and with the reasonable assumption that MAGIC's designers had not spent as much time in the Gulf in craft large and small as I. She's a long, stiff ship, and the placid Gulf can provide a challenge to the best of stabilizers.
A week later and it's the night before return. The cruise was fine, as advertised and expected, but nothing memorable or exciting (other than the wedding). 7 day Gulf cruises are neither the stuff of legend or great satisfaction to those of us who have trod the decks upon the breast(s) of foreign seas. Having seen old Fort Jefferson, Tortugas Light and the looming glow of Key West on the horizon before, I was not transfixed.
Saturday, January 14 - The night before entering port.
1045PM: Placed bag, Tracel Pro 21" Rollaboard (with 2 others) outside stateroom, Blue “Zone 4" tag attached (sailing tags detached, IAW instructions). Heard Carnival employee pick up bags approx. 11PM.
Sunday, January 15:
815AM: As called by ship’s PA system, commenced disembarkation, departing ship by 830AM.
845-9AM: Searched for baggage in Terminal Baggage Area 4. Located 2 bags, but bag described not present.
9AM: Filed Carnival Luggage Form with Carnival employee.
950AM: Cleared Customs/Immigration, departed terminal.
1230PM: Missed call, garbled message on cell phone in car:
1PM: Called displayed number, answered by driver of big shuttle bus who reported that a bag loaded by a Carnival Baggage handler from his cart onto her bus had been left behind when pax unloaded bus (location unknown to me). She checked the ID tag and called my cell #. She agreed to return the bag to Carnival at the Galveston cruise terminal.
Wednesday, January 18:
130PM (approx.): Having heard nothing more, I called Carnival’s luggage care unit in Miami, and spoke one of the baggage customer service reps She held no tracking info on the bag, and agreed to call Carnival’s Galveston facility for info.
4PM (approx.): Carnival called me back and reported that after bag had been returned to the Cruise terminal, it had been loaded aboard MAGIC for day’s departure under the presumption that it belonged to a departing pax.
WAIT ONE!! - Blue Disembarkation Tag attached, NO Departing passenger tag????
The rep stated that she had contacted MAGIC at sea, and that the bag had been located and was being held to be turned over to Carnival’s Galveston staff at the ship’s January 22 return to port.
Monday, January 23:
A morning call to Carnival Miami, a new lady, courteous beyond fault, helpful beyond imagination, re=tracked the bag, and confirmed that not only had it survived the cruise without me, but had been off loaded into the custody of Galveston staff and would be Fedexed to my home 250 miles up the road.
Wednesday, January 25:
Early AM, I checked the FEDEX tracking # provided to find that the bag had traveled all the way to Fort Worth (Alliance?), and ground shipped back South to Waco, arriving there at 7AM, early enough to be loaded out on the day's run to my neighborhood.
2PM: The Jack Russells raise a clamor to notify me that FEDEX is at the gate, bag in hand, intact, with the Blue DPT tag plus substantial others still attached, contents unviolated.
A tale of woe for lost luggage, and the joy at the bag's return. It's hard to blame Carnival. As for the blind idiot who took my bag, festooned with Day-Glo duct tape and a prominent FT tag (and was too embarrassed to report his error to the driver), may he find bad luck, ill fortune and bring further shame upon his uncaring self.
The actions and attitudes of Carnival's staff represented a creditable and laudatory bit of customer service, better than the norm these days.
Months ago, my wife and daughters convinced me that we needed a post-Holiday cruise, a week out of Galveston on Carnival's MAGIC. The promise of such grand ports as Key West, Freeport and Nassau did little to increase me anticipation, but here was to be a classic family vacation, with the eldest's husband and the youngest's finance' in company.
Along comes Thanksgiving, and the youngest drives up to tell us that she and her fiance' had decided that a wedding, departure day, aboard MAGIC, was in their plans. OK! Wife and daughter busy themselves with the arrangements.
The morn of January 8 dawns foggy in Galveston, so MAGIC delays her entry, off load, boarding and the wedding (which becomes a saga of its own, convolutions and complications for guests, etc.)
Late, after dark has darkened, we sail away as I render a timely salute to my old friend, the Point Bolivar ferry (upon which I think I took my first of many voyages at sea), the old Golfo de Mejico providing a bit of traditional "corksrew" of opposing wind and seas, well known and to me accustomed, but discomforting to many, and with the reasonable assumption that MAGIC's designers had not spent as much time in the Gulf in craft large and small as I. She's a long, stiff ship, and the placid Gulf can provide a challenge to the best of stabilizers.
A week later and it's the night before return. The cruise was fine, as advertised and expected, but nothing memorable or exciting (other than the wedding). 7 day Gulf cruises are neither the stuff of legend or great satisfaction to those of us who have trod the decks upon the breast(s) of foreign seas. Having seen old Fort Jefferson, Tortugas Light and the looming glow of Key West on the horizon before, I was not transfixed.
Saturday, January 14 - The night before entering port.
1045PM: Placed bag, Tracel Pro 21" Rollaboard (with 2 others) outside stateroom, Blue “Zone 4" tag attached (sailing tags detached, IAW instructions). Heard Carnival employee pick up bags approx. 11PM.
Sunday, January 15:
815AM: As called by ship’s PA system, commenced disembarkation, departing ship by 830AM.
845-9AM: Searched for baggage in Terminal Baggage Area 4. Located 2 bags, but bag described not present.
9AM: Filed Carnival Luggage Form with Carnival employee.
950AM: Cleared Customs/Immigration, departed terminal.
1230PM: Missed call, garbled message on cell phone in car:
1PM: Called displayed number, answered by driver of big shuttle bus who reported that a bag loaded by a Carnival Baggage handler from his cart onto her bus had been left behind when pax unloaded bus (location unknown to me). She checked the ID tag and called my cell #. She agreed to return the bag to Carnival at the Galveston cruise terminal.
Wednesday, January 18:
130PM (approx.): Having heard nothing more, I called Carnival’s luggage care unit in Miami, and spoke one of the baggage customer service reps She held no tracking info on the bag, and agreed to call Carnival’s Galveston facility for info.
4PM (approx.): Carnival called me back and reported that after bag had been returned to the Cruise terminal, it had been loaded aboard MAGIC for day’s departure under the presumption that it belonged to a departing pax.
WAIT ONE!! - Blue Disembarkation Tag attached, NO Departing passenger tag????
The rep stated that she had contacted MAGIC at sea, and that the bag had been located and was being held to be turned over to Carnival’s Galveston staff at the ship’s January 22 return to port.
Monday, January 23:
A morning call to Carnival Miami, a new lady, courteous beyond fault, helpful beyond imagination, re=tracked the bag, and confirmed that not only had it survived the cruise without me, but had been off loaded into the custody of Galveston staff and would be Fedexed to my home 250 miles up the road.
Wednesday, January 25:
Early AM, I checked the FEDEX tracking # provided to find that the bag had traveled all the way to Fort Worth (Alliance?), and ground shipped back South to Waco, arriving there at 7AM, early enough to be loaded out on the day's run to my neighborhood.
2PM: The Jack Russells raise a clamor to notify me that FEDEX is at the gate, bag in hand, intact, with the Blue DPT tag plus substantial others still attached, contents unviolated.
A tale of woe for lost luggage, and the joy at the bag's return. It's hard to blame Carnival. As for the blind idiot who took my bag, festooned with Day-Glo duct tape and a prominent FT tag (and was too embarrassed to report his error to the driver), may he find bad luck, ill fortune and bring further shame upon his uncaring self.
The actions and attitudes of Carnival's staff represented a creditable and laudatory bit of customer service, better than the norm these days.