Only One Mishap

We're home from cruisin' on the Mississippi River and it was in a word, wonderful aside from one incident on the return home.

Hands down, this adventure is one of the best we've experienced in the U.S. without the need to do any driving or changing hotels. Granted this was not the fastest way to travel from New Orleans, LA, to Memphis, TN, but it was the most relaxing. 

The American Melody riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines

We traveled on the American Melody riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines (ACL).  It holds up to 180 passengers, but there were only 157 on this trip. By the time we docked in TN, we had dined with most of these fellow travelers and knew them by their first names. On a small ship, you also quickly learn the names of the crew members.

The distance in land miles from New Orleans, LA, to Memphis, TN, is about 395 miles. The total driving time is 5 hours, 42 minutes. Taking a bus or a train, this time would expand to about 8 hours and 45 minutes.

Buses identical to this one travel on roads following the riverboat route

Traveling on the river took 8 days to cover the distance, so this is definitely the slowest way to go between these cities. There were several in port days and one full day of just river cruisin' on the Mississippi. Land excursions were done on tour buses operated by ACL. At least 3 buses would travel by land and meet the boat at the port stops. We took many of the complimentary excursions, there were several to choose from in every port.

The weather was perfect which made up for the snowy start on April 7 when we left NH. We had rain-free days with daytime temperatures in the mid to high 70s and no rain except on embarkation day. Although the ship's crew covered passenger's luggage with tarps, it was definitely the worst weather for such a task.

There was a slight hiccup to the trip, unfortunately one which was all too familiar to me — damaged luggage. This happened in October 2024 trip after our Tuscany trip finding when we arrived at Logan Airport in Boston my suitcase had been being badly damaged (photo at left of the actual damage).

Fast forward a couple of years later to this trip with replacement soft-sided luggage an identical piece, different color, same brand, (American Tourister). But, this time, the damage wasn't different. There were security locks on three zippered compartments. The bottom (largest) largest one had both the lock and two side zippers missing. Unfortunately, this wide open compartment resulted in the loss of three pairs of recently-purchased, costly socks, the most valuable things stored there, aside from some other way-less-costly items. which did not go missing.

The arrows above indicate where the zippers were on each side of the luggage. These zippers had been locked at the top with a lock like the one below.

So how did the lock and both zippers go missing? That's a very good question and one which we still can't figure out. The lock was a TSA-approved one which means it could be unlocked without a forcible removal.

A word of advice here — if your luggage is damaged on a trip do not hesitate to file a baggage claim at the airport. Be insistent, no matter what you might be told by someone in baggage claim or how long it will take. It will save you a lot of time later if your luggage is damaged or items go missing. And, be sure to save receipts when and if you buy new luggage as proof or purchase will be needed when filing a claim. Saving airline receipts would also be helpful. 

I neglected to file a claim at the airport even though I showed the damage to baggage claim folks. They were not the least concerned with one telling me that the broken zipper wasn't the airlines responsibility.

It darn well is their responsibility and, while I inherently knew that, there's no good reason for my failure to insist action be taken. We were exhausted from a long trip home with an airport transfer and 30 minute gate delay, also a pickup driver was waiting. So at 10 pm, I was too tired to pursue the matter. That was a BIG mistake that won't be repeated if a similar incident happens on future travels (hopefully not).

Once you have left the airport, It's not possible to file a baggage claim report. At the time, I was unaware that the 3 pairs of socks had escaped from the unzippered compartment. I learned that sad fact when unpacking Sunday a.m.

Contacting Delta Airlines by texting with several representatives was a futile effort. Despite their empathy with my situation, it was made clear that in lieu of not having filed a claim at the airport, nothing else could be done from their end. I did mention the baggage claim folks attitudes and filed a complaint, but really do not expect anything more to happen.

Yes, we did have travel insurance with Allianz insurance and a claim was filed today, but only for the luggage damage. The travel insurance provider will always want to know if a claim had been filed with the airlines as that's usually the first step. In the online form, I explained that no claim had been filed and why.

Why not file a claim for the socks?

The 3 pairs of Open Wide socks, a subsidiary of Darn Tough Vermont were among six pairs bought before the trip at a lofty cost of $20 each. Yes, that's expensive, but after years of going through many brands and not being comfortable, I took the plunge based on the fact that these socks come in wide sizes and have a lifetime warranty. If they wear out, you can request a replacement pair after filing a claim and returning them.

My original order included duplicates of these 3 colors

I called the company to share the plight of the recent purchase made a week before our departure. You can order online or call to place an order without going through an automated system and you connect to a human being — imagine that !

After explaining what happened, the customer representative said that an exception would be made and the socks would be replaced at no additional cost — happy day after the Delta Airlines run around and I ordered two additional pairs. This is an unabashed plug for the company, I'll admit. However, wearing the socks and also receiving such great customer service I would highly recommend their products to anyone who values foot comfort, well fitting socks. All their products are made from Merino wool in the U.S. and right here in New England.

Today, I filed an online baggage claim with the travel insurance provider, less the sock replacement. I should receive a claim determination within 2 weeks or less. Thankfully, we have no long-distance travel plans until fall, which gives me time to shop for replacement luggage, if necessary.

As usual, there's a lot of photos to sort through, plus the next week or so will be spent catching up on matters here at home. That's why blog reading/commenting will be a bit slow for the next couple of weeks. As much as I enjoy the blogging community, at times, life has other priorities.

This river cruise was a great first experience. We're happy to be home until the next river cruise. An onboard offer of 15% off a future cruise booked while onboard was too tempting not to resist, so we didn't. This October we'll riverboat cruise with ACL and explore the Pacific Northwest on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. We have one more far-off adventure before then in early fall, details shared later.

Your turn — ever have luggage damaged on a trip, if so what did you do?