David KrisoSince February 2009, I have enjoyed being a cruise line shoreside agent. I have worked at all three New York area cruise terminals; Cape Liberty (Bayonne, NJ), Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Aside from the New York area, I have had the privilege of working at the ports of Boston, Baltimore, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and New Orleans. No matter which port I have worked at, there’s never been a shortage of stories; stories shared by guests, stories shared by my colleagues, and stories of my own which I love telling every week. Disembarkation is the very element of every ship day when the most unprecedented situations happen. They may be unheard of, but they can unfold into situations no one looks forward to. Candidly, I thought I’ve dealt with just about every situation. I stand corrected. It was the morning of one disembarkation in Bayonne, NJ when I came across the ultimate situation.
It was beautiful morning in January 2018, at the Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal. Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of The Seas had returned from a twelve-day Caribbean voyage. That morning, I was assigned to wheelchairs. Disembarkation was a breeze. Just about all 4,000+ guests had entered the luggage hall, collected their bags, and successfully cleared customs. Towards the end of disembarkation, I was assisting an elderly couple. I was pushing the husband in the wheelchair, while the wife had her cane. I was keeping an easy pace so she could keep up. Entering the luggage hall, the wife pointed out their luggage number. We proceeded to the numbered area. Their three bags were among the last ten bags remaining. The longshoreman came over and offered his assistance. He placed all three bags on his cart, and we began to follow him to the customs hall. As the husband, wife, and I were clearing customs with the CBP officer, the unthinkable happened. That morning turned from wonderful to mere worst. Having successfully cleared customs, I started looking left and right for the longshoreman. He was gone. Neither I did I see him waiting against the wall, nor at the exit. I continued to push the husband in the wheelchair out through the exit with the wife following behind. Once outside the cruise terminal, I still didn’t see the longshoreman. Neither did I see him, nor did I see their luggage. I’ve had some challenging matters in my fifteen years, but this one will forever stand atop the list.
Outside the cruise terminal, I was baffled. Where on earth did the longshoreman go? He was right with us in the luggage hall. Not only that, but he was right with us near the CBP officer’s cubicle. Most important, where was this couple’s luggage? Every worst thought was coming to mind. I started thinking my colleagues and I were going to get bad ratings for the day. I had no idea what to think. I quickly ran back to the pier office manager and brought the situation to her attention. The pier office manager said “Once luggage is in the public area, nothing can be done”. I was less than happy. No way on Earth was I going to let this couple’s cruise vacation end on such a horrific note. How does a situation like this happen? I tell friends and family to this day, “This stuff, we don’t make up!”.
Despite the stressful situation, I didn’t panic. Everyone has heard the line “Grace under pressure”. I accompanied the wife to her car in the guests’ parking garage. The guests’ parking structure was adjacent to the terminal. I then hurried back to the husband in the wheelchair. He was going to wait curbside for the wife to pick him up. I took the husband inside the terminal to get him out of the weather. While inside the cruise terminal, away from the frigid cold, I took down the description of the couple’s luggage; the make and color of each bag, as well as the couple’s contact information. The husband was the utmost appreciative of my efforts to resolve the matter. He could tell I was doing everything in my power to handle the situation. I never left his side. Immediately afterward, I spoke with the foreman for the I.L.A. (International Longshoremen’s Association) and the port director. I alerted them of the situation and took them through my steps. I even spoke with one of my colleagues and advised him of the situation. Disembarkation was merely complete, with embarkation about to commence. The couple’s luggage still had not turned up. I was trying desperately to keep my cool and feel my way through what may have been the most stressful disembarkation scenario I had ever encountered.
For the record, I didn’t report to my guest check-in station until the couple’s situation was under control. The port agent, too, was made aware of the situation. I finally heard some good news that the situation was under investigation. At that moment, I got the chance to breathe easier. I was fortunate I had no difficult matters during check-in. Guests happen to misplace their travel documents or may have left their travel documents home. With the grace of God, nothing of the sort happened. When I finally took my afternoon break, I was approached by my colleague. I had alerted him earlier of about the couple’s luggage. While in the break room, I was having my lunch. While we were talking, my colleague said, “Oh, about that couple’s luggage-we located it!”. I jumped out of my chair. Merely shouting, I said “What? What happened?”. My colleague shared with me that the couple’s luggage somehow wound up on a charter bus to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. How on Earth does luggage belonging to a Long Island couple, wind up on a bus to Pennsylvania? The rest of the story was revealed the following week.
In between sailings, I couldn’t help wonder what in the world I dealt with. I told my family what happened and how I handled it. While substitute teaching, I shared my situation with students. Even they couldn’t believe the situation I encountered. Many of their jaws dropped. Teachers’ jaws dropped. Even the principal’s jaw dropped. The surprising outcome had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t help thinking “I can smell Porthole Award already!”. Who’s dealt with such an unusual matter like that? Let me say it again; “This stuff, we don’t make up!”. The following sailing day, I was approached by the I.L.A. foreman and the port director. They filled me in on how the couple’s luggage was located. The port director told me that they saw me and the couple on the security tape. They saw me with the couple and the longshoreman. They saw us together throughout the process. Then, they saw the longshoreman proceed out the customs exit door without us. They continued to watch him on the tape. They saw him push their luggage into the bus bay. There, he unloaded their bags and left them on the curb near the charter bus. They managed to zoom in on the bus and noted the company name. They then contacted the bus company. They alerted the company that there were three bags on the bus that didn’t belong on board. The bags were shipped home to the couple’s home in Long Island. What happened with the longshoreman? He was written up. After that situation, he never worked at Cape Liberty again.
So, what valuable lesson can cruisers take from this matter? Only one lesson is to be learned. It’s not just one valuable lesson, but a biggie to remember for all-time sake. The number one lesson which all cruisers must learn and never ever forget is to never let the longshoreman out of their sight. The moment the longshoreman offers assistance, guests must make sure that he/she stays with them at all times. At no time should the longshoreman leave their sight. The luggage and customs halls are highly secured areas. Re-entry is not permitted. That being said, all guests must be aware of their whereabouts and the longshoreman’s whereabouts, too. Cruising is a great way to see the world. Sailing day is the happiest day for all cruisers. Disembarkation, on the other hand, has its hectic moments. Everyone’s eager to get to the train station, to the airport, or beat the traffic home. It is imperative that all guests never let their longshoreman out of their sight. It’s also imperative that all guests locate all of their luggage before leaving the terminal. It may be a short trip home, but a long ride to Pennsylvania.
