Lost luggage

[Sumerwaters]

I have a very tight connection out of Miami. Usually on theses short times between connections is where the luggage is likely not get on my flight. So my question is; if my luggage does not arrive on my flight do I need to hang out on at Thomas until the next flight arrives from Miami hoping to get my luggage? Will they automatically send it to St. John?

[Teresa_Rae]

I've only had a piece of luggage miss a flight once and the airline had someone bring it over on the ferry the next day.

[Pia]

If there is another flight arriving that day you can either wait or have them bring it to St John. Keep in mind if they have to bring it you are at their mercy - you have to meet them at the ferry dock and they will call you when they are on their way. The last time this happened to me I was called by the delivery driver bringing it and he had left the airport at 2:30pm so I was hoping he would make the 5pm ferry (he did also) at 5:10pm when I hoped he was on the ferry (I was at the dock waiting) he called and said he would be on the 7pm so it was a bit of a pain, not long enough to drive home to Coral Bay to get dinner but a pain to wait after a long day in the office.

How about carry on only - if it doesn't fit you don't need (unless you own a home in which case your suitcase is usually filled with sheets, towels, tile, washing machine parts etc )

Pia

[iheartsj]

Leaving airport at 2:30 should have made the 3 pm ferry. Ferries leave Red Hook every hour.

[NJsurfsup]

I'm with Pia, unless there is a truly compelling reason I go carry on only.
Things that are useless on st john: hair dryers, curling/flat irons, heels...

[PA Girl]

Here is what I learned back in 2007 as it relates to lost luggage -

It is the waiting for the call part of the process that is frustrating. If you give the villa phone number and you are not there to receive the call, you are sh_t out of luck because your bag goes back to St. Thomas if no one is there to meet the ferry.

The availability of an answering machine doesn’t help because if you are out all day and miss the message, you are again out of luck. We had a 20-minute window from the time we received the call to the time to we had to be at the dock. It was only by luck that we happened to be at the house when the call came in.

Using a cell phone doesn’t help much either as service is spotty. If the calls go to voice mail, you miss the delivery time.

Here is what we learned:

1. Get the name of the person at the airline baggage service desk AND the local phone number at the St. Thomas airport. US Air’s 1-800 number was absolutely worthless as you cannot speak to a live operator.

2. Get the schedule of incoming flights so you have a general idea about what time you might expect a call.

3. Prior to leaving the airport, check the baggage claim areas of the other airlines. We actually found some of our luggage at a different airline. (several pieces came down on a different flight)

4. Have your contact number available at all times in case you need to provide it after the initial claim is filed. I called to check on our claim from downtown and was asked to provide the villa phone number, which I did not have on me at the time.

[ski2play]

Ditto, carry-on is the only way to go! Makes your vacation "lost luggage" proof!

[FlaGeorge]

This past October as we were boarding our flight in Tampa – we were told that the pilot said that all the overhead was full and that everyone else will have to gate check their carry-on. We were late getting into Miami and had to run to get to our connecting flight to STT. We were the last ones on the plane. The bag we checked in Tampa that had all the “water toys” made it to STT. The gate checked bags didn’t make it, but were on the next flight from Miami which was about 45 minutes after our flight. So we just hung around the airport and drank expensive beer until the next flight showed up. I’d wait at the airport to make sure I got my bad – my 2 cents.

FlaGeorge

[Pia]

iheartsj - not necessarily as he was delivering to hotels on St Thomas to the guests that did not get their luggage also - then he probably went to dinner.

Living on STJ you understand things do not work the way you would expect nor the way they do in the States but that can be frustrating for visitors especially when it takes a day out of their vacation having to wait for the "call" and then the next "call" and then the "yes it is on the boat "call"

Pia

[Teresa_Rae]

Leaving airport at 2:30 should have made the 3 pm ferry. Ferries leave Red Hook every hour.

We've rarely, if ever been able to make that trip in only 30 minutes.

[GratefulDad]

Lost a bag on a direct flight from Newark to St Thomas. Had to fill out a form in STT then continued to the Westin. When I arrived at the check in desk I told them I was missing a bag (cooler I checked made it down). They handed me a $50 credit ( even though it was no fault of the Westin) and told me to relax and have lunch on them. The next day I spent poolside at the Westin as is my normal first day ritual before hitting the beaches. When I returned from the pool, my bag was in my timeshare villa. Just another reason to love the Westin.

[snorkeler525]

When we were there last July, one of our bags did not make it. They called and told us what ferry it would be on. When we went down to meet the ferry, our bag was already there, just sitting on the dock! The delivery guy apparently sent it over with a buddy on an earlier ferry and didn't bother to tell us. American gave us a $250 voucher for such shoddy service.

Sharon

[RickG]

We've had enough late and missing luggage over the years to only check things we are willing to miss for days, or forever. Lately we've been bringing old luggage down with boat items in them. Leave a suitcase next to a dumpster and its gone in 15 minutes. All the good stuff stays in a carryon.

Sweet Christine had her suitcase delayed 36 hours on her very first visit to St. John. We had different itineraries and she was diverted twice. When she arrived she only had the clothes she was wearing, no backup anything.

We left Sweet Christine's suitcase from that trip next to the dumpster this past Saturday. It was gone before we finished our first Bloody Mary.

Cheers, RickG

[Sumerwaters]

No worries. All arrived on time. But I did plan accordingly and packed my must haves in the carry on and "luxury items" in my suitcase.