To All Sailing Brides- Warning!

[holstang]

Hi Girls,

 

I just wanted to inform you all about some info I received from our baggage handler a couple weeks ago. While we were checking our bags in, our handler told us to make sure to put on your tags the following information ONLY:

 

Your Name

Sail Date

Cabin Number

Ship Name

 

Apparently some of the shadier handlers will use information on your luggage tags such as your address and phone number to rob you while you are on vacation!

 

He said there was a poor old lady that would come to the port every Sunday to protest, because Carnival said they were not responsible, and they cleaned her out! Just wanted to pass this information on, because it's so important! Needless to say, we spent an extra 10 minutes making sure we took off all of this info from our bags. If this helps one person, then I feel a lot better!

[MarieSam]

Wow that is awful!!!!!!! Very good tip for the cruise brides

[drbrainfreeze]

I read this on cruise critic too! Did you post that there too?

 

I might also put a phone number on there. We actually had a suitcase that got misplaced on the way to Jamaica and had we not put our phone number on the luggage, we wouldn't have gotten a call from the airline in reponse to finding the luggage!

[da.shmoopies]

I've also read that you should use your business card contact info (if you have it) when traveling rather than all your personal info. So all my luggage tags have my business card in them instead! You can never be too careful sometimes!

[JenniferSS]

My thought is you would really only need to worry about this if you are local to the cruiseport as I can not imagine that the crime ring reaches all the to a state in the middle of the country ......

 

However, I would still just put an emergency contact number (who has your itinerary) and your name & number on your luggage tags. I would also include an itinerary & your address inside your luggage so if it is lost or stolen, or the luggage tag gets taken off there is a way to get it back to you.

[finzup]

I think this applies not only to cruise vacations but even when flying -- I mean the baggage handlers at the airport could copy down the information and use it, too -

 

I only put my name and phone # (cell) on there so there's no way to trace it to my addr

[LIW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by finzup I think this applies not only to cruise vacations but even when flying -- I mean the baggage handlers at the airport could copy down the information and use it, too

I agree. It's really awful to hear of such things happening. It makes me angry that people would do this, but unfortunately it happens, so you have to take measures to protect yourself.

Thanks for the tip.

[weddingchick]

Great tip for all travel.

[march132010]

Great tip, thanks will add to my newsletter

[kpuckrin]

Thanks for sharing, that is certainly good to know! I have heard that about luggage in general actually. Airport luggage handlers do have the same accessibility to luggage as well.