Q: My husband and I recently took a cruise on the Star Princess to the Mexican Riviera. When we disembarked in Long Beach, Calif., we were advised that our luggage had been “dumped” into the ocean.
Princess representatives assured us they would take care of everything. They sent divers to retrieve our luggage and noted our contact information at the hotel where we had planned an extension of our vacation
When we checked into our hotel, we anxiously waited for a call or for the luggage to arrive. However, despite their promises, we heard from no one from Princess Cruises. We spent the rest or our vacation with only the clothes on our back.
What started out as a wonderful vacation turned out to be a nightmare. Princess eventually told us it wasn’t responsible for the luggage. It sent us to a company called Metro Risk Management for compensation. The company didn’t respond to any of our inquiries, so we went back to Princess.
Finally, we reached someone at Princess who said he would be in charge of our claim and that Princess Cruises along with Metro Risk Management were going to compensate us for all our losses and aggravation. Part of the compensation, he said, would be a free cruise.
Months later, my husband and I received checks for $500 from Metro Risk Management. That didn’t even come close to covering our losses, which were in excess of $5,000. Princess never made good on the free cruise. Can you help us?
– Miriam Lehrer
Boynton Beach, Fla.
A: This is the first time I’ve heard of luggage being “dumped” into the ocean. The cruise lines, unlike the airlines, are not required to report mishandled luggage to the federal government, so I can’t tell you how common this problem is. But if I had to make an educated guess, I’d say the amount of bags that go swimming is statistically insignificant.
Still, after looking into your claim, it’s obvious that your luggage did indeed go overboard.
That’s an unfortunate thing, and Princess Cruises should take full responsibility for it. Instead, it appears as if you were sucked into a bureaucratic vortex, bounced between the cruise line and its insurance company in your search for compensation.
I’ve always found it curious that travel companies are constantly coming up with innovative ways to take your money from you quickly. For example, I just read about a new Internet-based system for car rental companies that handles a credit-card transaction in just five seconds. But when it comes to paying you back, travel companies tend to be painfully slow.
Princess should have worked with you to secure a prompt refund for your lost luggage. Instead, by your account, it dragged its feet. (I asked Princess to respond to your complaint, and it didn’t contradict that aspect of your account.)
The company representative also erred when he offered you a free cruise. As a matter of policy, Princess doesn’t offer free cruises as compensation for luggage loss.
How could you have prevented this from happening? In one sense, you couldn’t. Your bags went into the water by accident. But you could have – and should have – bought your own travel insurance, which would have covered your loss. Also, you should consider carrying all valuables with you when you board the ship. Better yet, don’t bring anything valuable on the ship.
And if someone offers you a free cruise, remember to ask for it in writing.
Princess spokeswoman Karen Tetherow acknowledged that the cruise line referred you to Metro Risk Management and confirmed that the company paid you the $500. But she said that amount was “the highest compensation” and could find no record of a free cruise being offered.
In other words, Princess is unwilling to give you anything else for your trouble.
Although Princess is technically correct, I’m disappointed by the outcome of this case. Errors were made by both parties, and to me it seems as if you’re paying more for your mistakes than Princess.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
As for this being the first time you have heard of such a problem, my daughter and I just returned from a 38-day trip on the QM2 and word on the ship was that someone’s luggage had been “dumped” into New York Harbor the day we left: January 15, 2006.
We never spoke to the person it supposedly happened to but we heard the story from several other passengers and felt it did have a “grain of truth” to it.
Give me a break. I should buy expensive travel insurance in case the cruise line dumps my luggage overboard. How about I just sink their boat.
interestingly, we took a HAL Mexican Riviera cruise out of San Diego this past December. and it was the first time I didn’t leave my luggage at the terminal to be delivered to the stateroom and instead we took our luggage ourselves to the stateroom, and it really wasn’t much trouble.
we did, however, leave the luggage out the last night and picked it up at the terminal, hopefully luggage wouldn’t get ‘dumped’ at that point. I’m sorry to hear about this happening to this family. and what is the cruise line’s policy on ‘lost luggage’ anyway?
I’m confused. How is this not Princess’ fault? The customer should have bought insurance? Give me a break. Whether it was an accident or not is irrelevent. Princess took possession of the luggage, then “dumped” it. They should pay up, in full. Come on, Chris, throw your weight behind this lady and get her the full amount of her loss.
I would firstly take them to small claims court; get slips to prove what you have lost;and the cost of replacing clothing items etc. write a review on cruise critic detailing your horrible experience; and if you are traveling on acruise or tour or a vacation which invoves flying hotels etc, purchase trip insurance,
I would of booked another cruise with them and while at sea I would of gone around the ship and thrown off anything I saw that wasn’t bolted down into the ocean. That would of included all the furniture and TV in my room. Then I would of taken a huge dump on the Captains table in the dining room. Oh heck, I would of tossed the Captain overbord too.