Only One Mishap

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

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

We traveled on the American Melody riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines.  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 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.

This river trip took 8 days to cover that distance, so definitely this the slowest way to travel that distance. There were several in port days and one full day of just river cruisin' Excursions from the boat were on tour buses operated by ACL. At least 3 buses would travel by land and meet the boat at the port stops.

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

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

Fast forward a couple of years later to this trip with replacement soft-sided luggage of the same brand, American Tourister, an identical piece, different color. However, this time, the damage was not the same. There were security locks on the 3 zippered compartments and the largest one had both the lock and the two side zippers missing. Unfortunately, this wide open compartment resulted in the loss of 3 pairs of recently-purchased, costly socks, which were the most valuable things stored there, aside from some toiletry items.

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

A lock identical to the one above was on the damaged compartment

So how did the lock and both zippers go missing. That's a very good question and one which I still can't figure out. The lock is a TSA-approved which means it can 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 right at the airport, no matter how long it will take or what you might be told by baggage claim.

That's something I neglected to do even though I showed the damage to baggage claim folks who were not the least concerned telling me that the broken zipper wasn't the airlines responsibility.

It darn well is and while I inherently that, there is no excuse except for my failure to insist action be taken. We were exhausted from a very long trip home with an airport transfer and 30 minute gate delay, also a pickup driver was already waiting. So at 10 pm, I was too tired to pursue the matter further and that was a BIG mistake that will not be repeated if a similar incident happens in the future.

But I should have because it's not possible to file a baggage claim report after leaving the airport. At the time, I was unaware that the 3 pairs of socks had "escaped" from the now unzipped 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 and a claim was filed today, but only for the luggage damage.

Why not for the socks?

The 3 pairs of Open Wide from Darn Tough Vermont were among six pairs bought before the trip at a lofty cost of $20 each. Yes, I know 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 a lifetime warranty. If they wear out or one is lost, you can request a replacement pair after filing a claim.

My original order included duplicates of these 3 colors

I called the company. Yes, you can order online and also call to place an order without going through an automated system. You will connect to a human, imagine that !

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

Today, I filed an online baggage claim with the travel insurance provider; minus 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.

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 and commenting will be a bit slow for the next couple of weeks.

It was a great adventure and we're happy to be home until the next river cruise. An onboard offer of 15% off a future cruise if booked while on the cruise was too tempting not to resist, so we didn't. This October we'll riverboat cruise again and this time will explore the Pacific Northwest on the Snake and Columbia Rivers.

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