Left Something on a Cruise? 2026 Lost & Found Guide (8 Lines)

Over 700,000 people take a cruise every week, according to the latest data from CLIA.  While this style of vacationing allows you to unpack once and see the world, a good portion of these passengers forget things in their cabin.

In fact, recent surveys have shown 21% of cruisers have left something on the ship before.

It happens on just about every sailing. Whether it’s a cheap pair of flip-flops or an expensive pair of sunglasses, in the rush to get off the ship and back to reality, we forget stuff.

Common Things Left Behind

Phone chargers top the list since they’re usually still plugged in by the bed, behind the TV, or hidden next to a towel animal.

Sunglasses come in a close second, constantly left on deck chairs, poolside, bars, or balconies. Passports and ID cards cause the biggest panic when spotted missing at the gangway, while cruise cards are frequently dropped in lounges, bars, or left in the cabin door slot.

Other regulars include jewelry (earrings, watches, and fitness trackers left on bathroom counters or removed before swimming), single shoes or flip-flops, books and Kindles abandoned on loungers, hats and caps that blow away or get left on tables, and clothing such as swimsuits, jackets, or items forgotten in the self-service laundry.

There’s Still Hope

Fortunately, cruise lines have a plan for this.  And while it’s not a 100% foolproof way to get your stuff back, it’s the best shot you have.

Most major cruise lines use a service called Chargerback, which acts like a digital lost-and-found bin.

If you’ve left something behind, here are some simple rules for the next steps you should take.

• Act Fast: Most cruise lines only hold “non-valuable” items (like clothes) for about 7 to 30 days before they are donated or discarded.
• Be Specific: “Black camera” won’t help. “Black Sony Alpha with a scratched lens cap and a 64GB SanDisk card” will.
• Expect to Pay: If they find it, you’ll be on the hook for the shipping costs. Think of it as a “convenience tax” for getting your stuff back.

Where to File Your Report for Each Cruise Line

Below, we listed eight major cruise lines with links to the forms each company uses for those left-behind items.  Be prepared with your ship name and exact cruise dates along with your booking reservation #, item description, and all of your contact info.

Carnival Cruise Line: Lost and Found Form

Carnival is very efficient with their lost and found. They use Chargerback to manage the thousands of items left behind on their “Fun Ships.”

• Policy: Items are logged and held at a central warehouse after the ship returns to its home port.
• The Form: Carnival Lost and Found

Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruises: Reporting Lost Items

Since these two are sister lines, they share a similar backend system. They are great about tracking high-value electronics and jewelry.

Disney Cruise Line: Recovery Links & Policy

In true Disney fashion, they try to make the “lost” experience as painless as possible. However, they have a strict “no-hold” policy for things like food, medications, or soiled clothing for hygiene reasons. 

Disney uses Chargerback as well which provides a lost item report number and sends periodic updates.

• Policy: If it’s a “no-hold” item, it’s disposed of immediately. Everything else goes into the system.
• The Form: Disney Lost and Found

Princess Cruises Form for Lost Items

Princess uses the same Chargerback portal. Be sure to have your booking number and stateroom handy, as they use these to verify that you were actually in the room where the item was found.

Princess also states on their form that “items that have been in close bodily contact such as hearing aids, dental items, toothbrushes, etc.” will not be processed by the return system.

Norwegian Cruise Line: Lost and Found

NCL does things a little differently. Instead of Chargerback, they use a site called Lost and Found Site. The website states that the standard response time is 10 business days.

Virgin Voyages Form for Lost Items

Virgin keeps it simple for their “Sailors.” If you left something behind on the Scarlet Lady or her sister ships, they use a customized version of the Lost Returns system.

You start by selecting your ship, whether it was lost while on sea or dry land, and then you can report a missing item and check on its status in the same area.

MSC Cruises Lost and Found Form

MSC is the world’s largest privately-owned cruise line, and they manage their lost and found through a dedicated portal for their North American and global fleets.

You’ll notice only a handful of ships on the lost and found page.  That’s because these are US-based sailings so the ships shown will change as ships move around.

Once you select the ship on which you lost your item, you can submit your report.

One Final Tip: Check the Terminal

If you think you dropped your item after you got off the ship (like in the security line or the luggage hall), the cruise line probably doesn’t have it.

In that case, you need to contact the Port Authority of the specific city where you disembarked. They manage their own lost and found separate from the cruise ships.