I left my Kindle on a Royal Caribbean ship, here’s how I got it back

There’s nothing worse than getting home from a fantastic vacation and realizing you left something behind. When it’s a land vacation, you can at least call your hotel or drive back to look for it, but when you leave it on a cruise ship, you feel completely lost. 

That’s what happened to me when I returned from my sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas (follow along on that sailing here). The day after I got home, I was doing the last of my unpacking and realized something was missing…my Kindle eReader. 

I’m always religious about checking my cabin for stuff before leaving, going through every drawer, closet, shelve. Either I overlooked it, or I left it on deck while reading. The Kindle is incredibly thin and dark so that it could have hidden easily on the floor or beside the bedstand. 

How to file a lost and found report with Royal Caribbean

Since I was already home when I realized my Kindle was lost, I couldn’t contact the ship directly. Instead, Royal Caribbean made it easy to report it using their Lost and Foundform. The program is run through a company called Chargerback but is the official process for Royal Caribbean’s post-cruise lost and found items.

See Royal Caribbean’s Lost and Found Form

I filled out the form with as much information as possible, including my cabin number and where I was sitting when I was on deck reading it. While filling out the report, I realized my Kindle had no distinguishing features to prove it was mine. Luckily, I remembered the book I was reading that would be displayed on the screen. 

Tip: If you’re cruising, put some identification on your laptop, phone, tablet, and Kindle, especially if there are no distinguishing features. My cell phone has a distinct case, and my laptop has my business card taped to the bottom, but I never thought about putting anything on my Kindle. Also, for bags and larger items, AirTags or Tile trackers make it easier to see if you left something behind.

Quick response from Royal Caribbean

I filed the report the day I got home from my cruise at 6:10 PM. A little more than 12 hours later, I received an email from Chargerback. They found my item, and now I was able to claim it. 

Royal Caribbean’s Lost and Found is going to cost you

In the email, Chargerback gave me two options: to pay to have it shipped to me or to not have it returned. 

The cost to return my Kindle was $20.78 to cover the shipping. Now that so many companies offer free shipping on things purchased online, the cost seemed steep, especially considering I got this Kindle used on Black Friday for $80. But it was still cheaper than buying a new one. 

You’re going to have to wait for your items

ChargerBack informs you it will take a while to get your items. The email said:

“Thank you for your shipping payment. As soon as we receive your lost item from your recent Royal Caribbean International vacation, we will send it right over to you. Please remember that our ships sail all around the world and sometimes up to 20 nights. So, we kindly ask for your patience as we wait for the ship to return to its homeport with your package. Then, it must clear Customs, be picked up by a courier, and sent to FedEx – which could take some time. Rest assured, we will get your package out as soon as we are able. Thank you for your patience.”

Chargerback Email

I was pleasantly surprised when I got an email with the FedEx number the same day. Unfortunately, that was just the label; the device itself didn’t ship until 10 days later. 

Once shipped, the device arrived the next day with no signature required. They slipped my Kindle into a regular envelope and mailed it with no padding or bubble wrap. For $20.78, they could have at least included some precautions for an electronic device. 

Royal Caribbean Lost and Found – a painless process but not for essential items 

Overall, the process was simple, and there was ample communication from Chargerback. That being said, the long time to get the item makes it almost useless for essential items. If you left something like a work laptop or a child’s favorite toy, the 10 days would be excruciating, if not totally impractical. Still, for left behind clothes, jewelry, or other non-essential items, it was straightforward to get them back. In the future, I’ll be sure to check even more carefully before I leave my cabin.