Few things put a damper on your vacation more than the cruise line losing your luggage – which is perhaps extra frustrating when you have a pretty good idea of where it is.
The Merritt family has found themselves in this very situation after embarking on Carnival Magic’s 8-night Southern Caribbean sailing that set sail from Miami, Florida, on February 8, 2025.
The cruise was meant to be a celebration of Jason and Tammy Merritt’s 26th wedding anniversary, but the trip quickly took a turn for the worse when they realized Jason’s luggage had gotten lost.
While losing luggage is always a hassle, this situation was particularly pressing – as the missing suitcase contained essential medication, a CPAP machine, car keys, and valuable electronics, such as an iPad and AirPods.
That said, those very same AirPods may hold the key to solving the mystery of where the luggage went, as the family has been using the “Find My iPhone” App to track the small headphones.
Surprisingly, the app revealed that the luggage was indeed onboard the 3,690-guest ship. Since that discovery was made, it’s just been a question of where.
“It is February 10, 2025, and we’re going to start a game called where is our luggage,” Tammy said in an Instagram video when she first began documenting the ordeal.
“So, our luggage is somewhere on this ship, but Carnival can’t find it.” she shared. “My husband has been without his suitcase since we boarded the ship on Saturday. That means he has had one pair of clothes, including one pair of underwear, for this entire trip.”
Tammy’s hope at the time – which was day 3 of the sailing – was that one of her followers would be onboard or know someone onboard who could help them hunt down the missing belongings.
:However, the cruise came and went without any sightings of the mysterious suitcase and it hasn’t been found since the family returned home – which was more than one week ago.
The family has continued to use the “Find my iPhone” app to track the AirPods, and the data shows that they are still sailing the Caribbean onboard the Dream-class ship.
Finding some humor in this bizarre situation, Tammy has shared screenshots of where the AirPods have been since the family disembarked.
The AirPods, which Tammy calls Daddy-O’s, were most recently pinging in San Juan, Puerto Rico – but have also now sailed to St. Maarten and Charlotte Amalie (the capital of the US Virgin Islands).
“I know you were wondering this morning and YES the Daddy-O’s are STILL aboard the Carnival Magic, in San Juan PR to be exact,” Tammy updated on February 27, 2025.
“Having visited this beautiful port before, I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy as they sail to all of these tropical destinations!,” She joked.
Their location has consistently matched the location of the Carnival ship when compared to cruise tracking data.
Depending on what happened to the luggage, it’s possible that the small headphones fell out and just haven’t been noticed. But odds are, the luggage is somewhere onboard in an unusual hiding place.
How is Carnival Helping?
According to Abbey Merritt, who is the couple’s college-aged daughter, the cruise line gave the family $50 per day – or $350 by the end of the sailing – to replace their belongings.
However, Abbey said that was not enough to get the basic needs – especially because they couldn’t find many of these, including underwear, in the Fun Shops.
Tammy added that Carnival did provide her husband with a free T-shirt and a bag of toiletries as well, but that this was not enough to replace the items in the missing suitcase – which she estimated was valued at around $1,000.
According to Carnival’s website, guests who find their luggage is lost or damaged during the embarkation process must fill out a claim form with a member of the guest services team onboard, while guests who experience issues during disembarkation must do the same with a port agent.
Claims of damage or loss made after guests leave the cruise terminal will not be considered. When guests return home, the next step is to submit copies of receipt(s) showing what it cost to repair or replace broken or missing items for reimbursement.
“Carnival’s maximum liability for lost or damaged bags is limited to US $250 per bag per Guest up to a maximum of two (2) bags per Guest for sailings 14 days or less and up to a maximum of three (3) bags per Guest for sailings 15 days or longer,” the policy states.
But per Tammy’s updates, Carnival has not offered any additional reimbursement – with a recent email from the cruise line stating “regrettably, we are not able to compensate for the replacement of any missing items.”
Read Also: 10 Worst Cruise Fails You Can Prepare For
However, while the luggage has not been returned to the family, Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that members of the 1,386-person crew onboard Carnival Magic are still searching.
“Our team on shore has been in contact with the guest and has been working with our team on board Carnival Magic. Multiple searches for the bag have been conducted on board, and we continue to work toward resolving this issue with the guest directly,” Carnival said in a statement to KFOR (News 4).
And unfortunately, this isn’t the first time luggage has been lost by a cruise line – and it likely won’t be the last.
This family’s misfortune also serves as a cautionary tale to remind guests to pack the essentials they can’t live without – such as medication, medical devices, and valuables – in their carry-on so they can’t get lost for even a short time period.
