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A cruise passenger has taken to TikTok to complain about their Celebrity cruise after the cruise line seemingly dropped her luggage in the sea, losing it.

The story began when Lindsey Hargesheimer, from Denver, Colorado, realised she hadn’t received her luggage when everyone else had.

She called a representative on the ship, only to be told that the cruise line couldn’t locate her bag.

Hargesheimer had packed important medication in the suitcase, along with clothes and family jewellery. Cruise lines do advise that anything important like medication is packed in carry-on luggage, in case bags do go missing when checked.

Hargesheimer turned her phone signal back on while at sea, and almost immediately received a call from someone in Amsterdam, who had fished her suitcase out of the canals of Amsterdam, where it had apparently been carried by the waters.

It has been returned to the Port of Amsterdam but it has suffered water damage, and so won’t be returned to Hargesheimer until she completes her cruise and can inspect the bag alongside port authorities.

Initially, Celebrity were slow to offer much in the way of compensation until they did admit the bag had been lost in the sea.

At first, the cruise line offered her $400 onboard credit and two laundry vouchers, but they then upped their offer after meeting with Hargesheimer.

She has now been given $1,000 onboard credit, with the option to cash out anything she hasn’t spent by the end of the cruise.

She has also been given complimentary spa services, two free speciality dining meals, a free shore excursion, and the cruise line has sent flowers and chocolate-covered strawberries to her room.

Celebrity has apparently also said that they will replace the suitcase itself, though as of the last update Hargesheimer provided, she hadn’t yet received it.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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MSC Cruises has revealed a range of over 90 new shore excursion experiences, exclusively for guests in MSC Yacht Club suites.

The new excursions revealed so far are available in the Caribbean and Europe, with more to be made available worldwide in future.

The tours aim to give guests the best experiences possible, including culinary adventures, adventurous activities, private tours and more.

Guests who book onto the excursions will enjoy priority disembarkation on their day in port, and private transfers. All excursions will be run for small groups only.

Some examples include:

• Perfume-making workshops in Cannes, France
• Whisky tasting at a distillery in Invergordon, Scotland
• A luxury catamaran and snorkelling experience in Cozumel, Mexico
• Private cabana rentals in the forests by Martha Brae River in Falmouth, Jamaica
• A pesto cooking class in Genoa, Italy

The new offering has come following customer feedback and a desire for a more exclusive experience for MSC Yacht Club guests.  Guests will benefit from a seamless experience between the butlers’ service onboard and the excursion experts ashore as well as having the opportunity to relax and fully immerse themselves into each destination’s culture, cuisine and traditions.

Marialuisa Iaccarino, head of shore excursions, MSC Cruises

The MSC Yacht Club is the exclusive suite area onboard MSC ships, where guests can enjoy access to a private sundeck and pool, and an exclusive restaurant too. Guests enjoy special services including a dedicated concierge desk and a butler, available 24 hours a day.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

A new $35 million water park is to be built in Nassau in the Bahamas, offering an exciting new activity for cruise passengers.

The cruise port is getting a wider $330 million redevelopment, and the water park element is due to be completed by December 2025.

It will be built on the western side of the port, and while construction hasn’t yet started, a building permit is ready and just awaiting final approval.

Nassau is already the largest port in the Bahamas and has set several records for the most ships visiting in a single day or the most cruise passengers in a day, which stands at 29,316.

However, many passengers either pass through the port to reach private resorts, or find that the port isn’t the most fun for families, especially on repeat visits.

There is already a water park at Paradise Island’s Atlantic Resort near the Nassau port, which offers day passes for cruise guests from $255 for adults.

But the new water park at the port will be more convenient for cruise guests, and will offer exciting family activities ideal for guests of cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean or Disney Cruise Line, which often call at the port.

However Royal Caribbean is already building its Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island, which the cruise line is hoping will attract up to 2,700 guest per day.

This will also feature a (small) water park along with pools and a private beach area.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

Villa Vie Residences’ CEO and Founder Mikael Petterson has released a video statement, after the company’s three-year cruise suffered yet more delays.

Villa Vie Odyssey was originally scheduled to depart on her incredible itinerary on 15th May 2024, but then suffered a series of delays, being ultimately rescheduled to 15th June 2024.

However, more delays meant that the ship was pushed back even further, and now Petterson has been forced to issue a statement to reassure guests and to set a new departure date of 20th July 2024.

In the update, Petterson explains that the problems are due to the rudder stocks on the ship. Everything internal is ready to go, but problems with the rudder stocks meant that they needed to be replaced.

Petterson admits that, when the company took ownership of the ship (the former Braemar for Fred. Olsen), they had no idea what condition it was in and that all maintenance records had been deleted.

He claimed that the wear and tear on the rudder stocks show that they’ve been deficient for at least 15 years, while sailing for Fred. Olsen, but now that Villa Vie Residences owns the ship, they’ve had to carry out the repairs.

It’s expected that the work will be completed and the ship floated out between 10th and 12th July, with additional time factored in in case of further delays.

“Things haven’t exactly gone perfectly, and this is still an older vessel”

Villa Vie Residences’ CEO and Founder Mikael Petterson

Several guests had already arrived in Belfast in May for the ship’s departure – it’s believed that the company has been paying for their accommodation in the meantime.

Here’s hoping the ship can finally embark on her epic journey and guests can enjoy three years of sailing around the world in luxurious comfort.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

In a week where a video of a Carnival cruise brawl went viral, another cruise fight video has been shared online – this time on a Royal Caribbean ship.

This fight is smaller than the Carnival brawl as it only involves two men, though it’s still a shocking and violent incident.

It’s not clear which ship this fight took place on. The account sharing the video states that it was a cruise out of Galveston.

Several Royal Caribbean ships are sailing from Galveston in 2024, including Jewel of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas.

However only Mariner and Harmony are sailing from Galveston during the summer, so if the video is contemporary, it’s likely to be one of those two ships. I would guess Mariner looking at the video, but I might be wrong.

It’s not clear what started the fight and how long it had already been occurring before the video was filmed.

Often passengers are kicked off a ship for a big fight, and potentially banned for life from cruising again. Whether this fight results in similar punishments remains to be seen.

Related posts

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me