Last week, a young woman garnered widespread attention after she shared that Celebrity Cruises accidentally dropped her luggage into the ocean. She stated that Celebrity failed to inform her about the incident, initially denying responsibility, and did not offer sufficient compensation.
The company eventually agreed to provide her with additional onboard credits, new luggage, complimentary spa services, and more.
Dropped into The Ocean but Never Reported
A TikTok user with the handle “throughlindseyslens” shared the first video on July 5. Lindsey narrated how she boarded the vessel with her family and noticed that everyone’s baggage had been delivered except for hers.
While she waited for her bag, she received a call from the Port of Amsterdam, the port they had just left.
| “So, I’m sitting here wondering where my bag is and I get a call,” she told the camera. “They were like, ‘Hi. We just fished your bag out of the port of Amsterdam, out of the canal.” |
The representative informed her that there were no tags indicating where it was headed, only her tag that contained her contact information.
Realizing what it meant, Lyndsey told viewers, “No one reported that it was gone. If someone hadn’t found it floating in the ocean, I wouldn’t have even known that it was gone.”
The Colorado-based photographer became emotional as she contemplated what she lost: two weeks’ worth of clothes, her photography equipment, her medications and supplements, toiletries, and family jewelry.
Getting the Cruise Line to Take Notice
Lindsey’s biggest challenge was getting Celebrity to realize what happened and take responsibility for it. Though she spoke to several crew members, many didn’t believe her. They only provided $400 in onboard credits, a t-shirt, roll-on deodorant, toothpaste, two laundry vouchers, and a toothbrush.Â
The young woman was dissatisfied with the few items she had been given and the lack of support. Through social media, Lindsey asked the vessel’s management, “Why is your mistake my emergency? Because it shouldn’t be.”Â
On July 9, Celebrity received the confirmation it was looking for from Amsterdam’s port authorities. “My bag has been confirmed to be in Amsterdam. It did have water damage. It did go into the ocean. At this point, I’ve just accepted that nothing can be salvaged,” she said in an update.
By July 10, the cruise line’s Director of Guest Relations and Hotel Director had sat down with Lindsey. In addition to the few toiletries she had been given, Lindsey was offered:
- $1,000 in onboard credits (can be encashed)
- New Luggage
- A free massage and facial
- Two complimentary meals in the specialty dining room
- A Wi-Fi upgrade with free Starlink calls
- A complimentary shore excursion
The cruise line also replaced some of her medications.
| “So as far as my medications go, I requested an appointment to go to the medical center and they provided me my necessary medications. So that was, that was covered. It wasn’t exactly what I take, but it did the job with what they had at sea,” she rationalized. |
Lyndsey’s update on July 13 was simple yet eloquent. Her post showed a picture of her missing luggage with the caption, “She has arrived.“
Travel Insurance Covers Damaged and Lost Luggage
Lost and damaged luggage are among the many areas covered by travel insurance. Even if the cruise line agrees to compensate a passenger, an insurance policy offers peace of mind. It can reimburse the cash value of the luggage and its contents, pay for luggage repair, or cover the replacement cost by filing a claim and providing receipts.
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