A couple celebrating their 26th wedding anniversary aboard Carnival Magic had their missing luggage returned—only to find several items gone.
Carnival Cruise Line informed Jason and Tammy Merritt that Jason’s luggage had been in another passenger’s cabin, giving its female occupant full access to his belongings.
The Oklahoma husband and wife joined Carnival Magic’s February 8 to 16 Caribbean sailing, but Jason’s belongings never reached their stateroom.
Though the Merritts conscientiously labelled their luggage, took photos of it, and tracked its location with Apple AirPods, Carnival took over 20 days to deliver the bag to its rightful owner—well after the eight-day itinerary had ended.
Their daughter, Abbey Merritt, added that Jason’s iPad, car keys, prescription glasses, medication, CPAP machine, and other valuables were lost with the suitcase.
Carnival responded by offering the couple $50 per cruise day and an additional $250, but the family believes it was insufficient compensation for the inconvenience they endured.
Couple Tracked Missing Bag, But Carnival Dismissed Their Claims
Once they got home, they monitored the bag’s location online with the AirPods which revealed that the missing luggage was still onboard. Tammy repeatedly contacted Carnival with updates on its location. “We kept showing them,” she recalled. “Hey, we’re tracking it. Hey, it’s here.”
However, crew members dismissed their claims. “They told us, ‘We’ve searched all the floors. Every room’s been checked. There’s nothing,’” she told KFOR-TV in an interview.
When the suitcase was finally found—onboard as the Merritts had claimed—it was missing around 39 items, including most of Jason’s clothes, toiletries, medicines, the key to their SUV, and eyeglasses. “It will cost a lot of money to replace the clothes and some of it can’t be replaced,” he lamented on Facebook.
Cruise Line Allegedly Let Thief Walk Away
Carnival said a passenger staying a few staterooms away had stolen the bag. Despite this revelation, the cruise line allowed the alleged thief to disembark without consequences, further frustrating the Merritts. “They let her off of that boat without checking any of her belongings. They just let her go,” Tammy said in disbelief.
Due to the incident—and a cruise far from satisfactory—the Merritts plan to consult authorities and pursue legal action.
In July 2024, another cruiser discovered that Celebrity Cruises had dropped her missing suitcase into the ocean.
When these incidents occur, travel insurance can minimize the inconvenience by reimbursing policyholders and allowing them to replace their missing belongings.
