usvi-on-line
Losing Luggage
Losing Luggage
How often does luggage get lost??? I am flying out of DFW to MIA to STT. Im getting married so the carry on only thing wont work out to well. To much stuff to get ready for the wedding. My fiance is a megapacker too.
It depends--seems to often have a lot to do with how much time there is to make your connection...Although my longest missing bag, circa 1984, was on a direct flight Miami--STT, and it didn't get here for about a month. In many decades of flying in and out of the VI, I've never had anything permanently lost- usually they get here in the following 24 hours.
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
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bayer40601
- Posts: 612
- Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 1:06 pm
- Location: Kentucky
We've only had luggage lost once and that was when we paid Princess Cruise Lines to give us Express Service. It arrived the next day direct to our home since we were returning home. Have never lost luggage going to or from STJ from Louisville, throiugh Charlotte to STT and return.
How many more days?
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sailorgirl
- Posts: 1644
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm
Delta lost one of our bags last summer. We flew on Saturday and they located it on Thursday!!! In the interum I spent hours on the phone, on hold with Delta. Took over two months to get a check from them to cover the cost of the replacement clothing we had to pick up.
If it were me I'd carry on anything which is esential to the wedding. Hopefully the flight attendants will take pity and find some extra space for you.
If it were me I'd carry on anything which is esential to the wedding. Hopefully the flight attendants will take pity and find some extra space for you.
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California Girl
Our luggage got lost between San Juan Puerto Rico & STT, but it came in a couple flights later and our villa rep delivered it to us. It is a very wise thing to take at least one carry-on with a change of clothes, your swimsuit & snorkel gear. That way if you don't get your bags right away, at least you can survive and go to the beach! You could even get married in your swimsuit! LOL! 
Congrats on your upcoming wedding and don't worry, I'm sure your luggage will get to STT with no problems! 
Congrats on your upcoming wedding and don't worry, I'm sure your luggage will get to STT with no problems! 
I agree with California Girl--it's a good idea to bring essentials like bathing suits and a change of clothes in a carry-on, just in case. I haven't had lost bags going to STT (knock on wood!), but I've had lots of lost bags over the years, especially since I have to fly out of Philly on USDespair most of the time. 
My niece had one of her bags left at the taxi stand in STT, and she got it back the next day after the dispatcher finally located it.
Congrats on the wedding--what a fabulous place to get married!
My niece had one of her bags left at the taxi stand in STT, and she got it back the next day after the dispatcher finally located it.Congrats on the wedding--what a fabulous place to get married!
Amen! I will add cross-pack as an additional safety net.California Girl wrote: It is a very wise thing to take at least one carry-on with a change of clothes, your swimsuit & snorkel gear. That way if you don't get your bags right away, at least you can survive and go to the beach!
Both Hubs and my mother lost bags two trips ago and it was a silly nightmare in the sense that Hubs wears size 15 shoes (not easy to find on STJ)and a Rx mask and my mom had to go without her stash of special chocolate. There was withdrawal.
It took two days for the bags to reach us and about 4 hours waiting at the ferry. I was really drunk by the time the second bag arrived.
I'm going to second the advice about taking on enough to last a couple of days in your carry-on and also will second the whole cross packing thing. In other words put some of your stuff in your soon-to- be-wife's bag and ditto for her. That way you've got some extra "insurance."
KNOCK ON WOOD I have never had a bag lost ever in all my years of travel (of course now that I have said this I will) and I travel A LOT!!
Of course if it really is important, you can always go another route altogether. In the past we have used http://www.LuggageForward.com for international travel.
There are several companies (Luggage Free, etc.) that offer this kind of service. They ship your bags straight to your destination. You just have to pack them in advance and they come to your home or office to pick them up. And they're there for you when you arrive.
Not necessarily cheap but they are excellent and it's kind of liberating not having to worry. They assign a coordinator who tracks the bags every step of the way. It cost about $500 to send two large bags to Florence, Italy. Of course you don't have to ship them back you can just check them on the way home as per normal. I would think the VI might be cheaper.
Definitely something worth looking into.
KNOCK ON WOOD I have never had a bag lost ever in all my years of travel (of course now that I have said this I will) and I travel A LOT!!
Of course if it really is important, you can always go another route altogether. In the past we have used http://www.LuggageForward.com for international travel.
There are several companies (Luggage Free, etc.) that offer this kind of service. They ship your bags straight to your destination. You just have to pack them in advance and they come to your home or office to pick them up. And they're there for you when you arrive.
Not necessarily cheap but they are excellent and it's kind of liberating not having to worry. They assign a coordinator who tracks the bags every step of the way. It cost about $500 to send two large bags to Florence, Italy. Of course you don't have to ship them back you can just check them on the way home as per normal. I would think the VI might be cheaper.
Definitely something worth looking into.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
I was going to suggest shipping the bags as well (especially if there are wedding things that HAVE to get there), however, I have also heard shipping horror stories about getting stuff to STJ too.
Last year, I had a similar issue. I had to fly to Miami for my brother's wedding and I had no option but to check the big, giant dress that I had to wear. I figured if I arrived Tuesday morning and the wedding was Saturday afternoon, then I had plenty of time to wait for my luggage if it got lost.
However, I almost had a catastrophe of a different sort. I always put all my toiletries in a plastic bag in case they come open in flight, and that was a good thing. When I opened my bag, I found a little note from TSA saying they inspected my bag (I figure that it was because of the digital picture frame I had in there for a wedding gift), and I also had a toiletry bag filled with sunscreen because they hadn't put the lid back on all the way when they inspected my bag. Had that not been in a separate bag, I'm sure my dress would've been ruined.
Just say a little prayer that your wedding dress makes it to the wedding in time (or see if you can carry it on and get the flight attendants to take mercy on you -- might be harder these days) and pack a bag of essentials with you for your carryon. Include all prescriptions (even eyewear) in that bag.
Congratulations, and remember to post pictures when you get back!
Last year, I had a similar issue. I had to fly to Miami for my brother's wedding and I had no option but to check the big, giant dress that I had to wear. I figured if I arrived Tuesday morning and the wedding was Saturday afternoon, then I had plenty of time to wait for my luggage if it got lost.
However, I almost had a catastrophe of a different sort. I always put all my toiletries in a plastic bag in case they come open in flight, and that was a good thing. When I opened my bag, I found a little note from TSA saying they inspected my bag (I figure that it was because of the digital picture frame I had in there for a wedding gift), and I also had a toiletry bag filled with sunscreen because they hadn't put the lid back on all the way when they inspected my bag. Had that not been in a separate bag, I'm sure my dress would've been ruined.
Just say a little prayer that your wedding dress makes it to the wedding in time (or see if you can carry it on and get the flight attendants to take mercy on you -- might be harder these days) and pack a bag of essentials with you for your carryon. Include all prescriptions (even eyewear) in that bag.
Congratulations, and remember to post pictures when you get back!
OH ABSOLUTELY carry that dress on the plane. DO NOT CHECK IT. That's just asking for trouble!!
I have seen lots of girls carrying their wedding dresses on the plane over the years. Technically you can take one carry on bag and one personal item plus a jacket or coat etc. Hopefully the dress isn't huge or anything and they can hang it with the jackets in First Class.
I have seen lots of girls carrying their wedding dresses on the plane over the years. Technically you can take one carry on bag and one personal item plus a jacket or coat etc. Hopefully the dress isn't huge or anything and they can hang it with the jackets in First Class.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
The only bag that ever got "lost" for me was on a flight from South Carolina to DC. I was only there for the weekend and had packed 1 carry-on only. That's right they LOST my carry-on.
The plane was so small they gate checked everyone's bags, but then forgot to load any of them on the plane.
Thank GOODNESS it was on the return flight not the outbound one.
The plane was so small they gate checked everyone's bags, but then forgot to load any of them on the plane.
Thank GOODNESS it was on the return flight not the outbound one.
