Gary Bembridge was still eating lunch when a WhatsApp message landed on his phone. Someone had found his camera on the floor under a restaurant table, and he had not even realized it was missing.
The cruise expert behind Tips For Travellers says a tiny QR sticker made that happen. It is one of several fixes he shares for the nightmares that hit cruisers, from lost prescriptions to missing suitcases.
A Brand New $600 Pair Of Sunglasses Vanished In Port
If Gary loses something on the ship, there is a lost and found box at the Guest Services Desk. In port, he says, that used to be the end of the story.
Then he lost brand new prescription varifocal sunglasses that cost over $600. He also lost the Osmo Pocket camera he uses for most of his videos.
His fix is a little sticker with a QR code from a company called Boomerang Tag. He puts one on all his valuables, including his glasses case, cameras, phone, earbuds and even his wallet.
A WhatsApp Message Arrived Before He Knew The Camera Was Gone
Through the company’s app, anyone who finds the item can scan the code and then WhatsApp, text or call him. That is how he got his camera back.
“I got a WhatsApp message even before I realised I had lost it,” he says. A stranger had spotted it under a table at the restaurant where he had eaten lunch.
He says it matters most in port, because you are only there for a limited time. If the finder can tell who the item belongs to and message right away, you have a real chance of getting it back before the ship sails.
A Tracker Card Found His Passport Wallet In The Airport Lounge
In his wallet and in the plastic folder holding his passport, his USA ESTA and a copy of his insurance policy, Gary has the sticker. He also carries tracker cards the size of a credit card that work a bit like an Apple AirTag.
It paid off when he dropped the folder with his passport on the floor of an airport lounge. As soon as he noticed, he found it with the Find My app, with no need to retrace his steps.
He mentions a post about a couple who missed a cruise because they could not find their passport. It turned up later in a hidden pocket of a bag, and he says a tracker would have located it right away.
The Ship’s Medical Center Will Not Replace A Lost Prescription
The video opens with a follower named Chris, on a cruise from the UK to Iceland, who panicked when his daughter’s prescription medication disappeared. The ship’s medical center, Gary explains, is not a floating doctor’s office or pharmacy, and it would not replace the prescription.
Gary had solved the same problem when his mother-in-law left her medication on a flight to Sydney before a cruise. He found an online video doctor service, did a video call, and they sent a prescription to a pharmacy near the hotel.
Chris did the same from the ship, and the medication was picked up from a pharmacy in the next port, Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. If no online service works, Gary suggests a walk-in medical center at the next port, and the cruise line’s port agent, listed in the daily program, can suggest the closest one.
A photo of the medication bottle for the physician helped both times. Gary keeps those photos in a phone folder with his passport and visas.
Ships Have No Dentists, So He Packs A Tooth Repair Kit
Teeth are another cruise nightmare, and again the medical center cannot help because ships do not have dentists. The night before an Oceania cruise from Miami, one of Gary’s teeth cracked in half.
He always travels with a tooth repair kit, which will not last a whole cruise but can patch a cracked tooth or a lost filling. Then he found an emergency dentist, in Key West, the next port, by searching online since cruise lines do not keep these contacts.
He recommends calling ahead to explain the time limit, and says most dentists will fit you in around the ship’s schedule. Because that means calling a landline, he uses an inexpensive app called Yolla that works over the ship’s Wi-Fi. Before longer trips to remote places, he also gets a dental checkup.
Freeze A Stolen Card In The App Instead Of Calling Long Distance
On an excursion in Rome, two people on Gary’s tour were pickpocketed and lost their credit cards. They panicked about calling the issuer long distance.
The simpler trick is that almost all bank and credit card apps can freeze a card immediately, usually for seven days. No transactions process on the card, but Apple Pay and Google Pay still work, and existing standing orders are not canceled.
It also helps if you just misplaced a card and find it later, since you can lift the freeze. These days Gary leaves his cards behind and uses Apple Pay, and he says even small stall holders in remote places take it.
When The Luggage Does Not Arrive Before The Ship Sails
Gary’s bags missed his flight to a Windstar Wind Surf cruise from Venice. That is why he flies in at least one day early, two for long haul, so missing bags can be forwarded before boarding.
Once the ship departs, it is hard to arrange delivery to the right port. Some lines will work with the airline, and Windstar’s Guest Services did that for a guest whose bags missed a flight from the USA.
- Split clothes between two suitcases when traveling with a partner.
- Pack a change of clothes, underwear and toiletries in your hand luggage, along with medications, chargers and cameras.
- Put an Apple AirTag in every case.
- Keep a photo of your bag with distinctive ribbons, and a luggage tag with your name and number inside and out.
If a bag is lost, ask the airline what it will pay for in the meantime, keep receipts and check the claim deadline. Most cruise lines compensate up to a maximum of $250 per bag and exclude high-value items, jewelry, electronics, cash and delicate items.
Know Your Port Agent Before You Step Off The Ship
For any trouble in port, from crime to an accident to running late, contact the cruise line’s port agent. Gary takes a picture of the agent’s details from the daily program before going out.
If you miss the ship, the line can leave your passport and essential medication with the agent, who can help you reach the next port. Getting home or to the next port is your responsibility and cost.
For problems on board, senior crew tell him to make sure the issue is recorded and escalated through Guest Services to the Hotel Manager. Once you leave the ship, he says, it is almost impossible to resolve. Travel insurance, he adds, is one of the most important ways to cover the cost.
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