We’d been planning our dream honeymoon to Aruba since we got engaged. To be honest, I felt like I planned more of the honeymoon and was looking forward to it more than I did the wedding. Finally, we were going to be able to get out of the states and explore a foreign country together. We booked a house with Airbnb in the middle of the desert with a private pool and loft bedroom. We were ready for paradise.
Packing for a honeymoon takes some strategic work. At least for women. You have to pack your best dresses, beach attire, and not to mention the lingerie that you received as bridal shower gifts. Oh man, I had some nice outfits I was looking forward to wearing. Little did we know, our luggage was going on its own honeymoon without us.
Our flight tickets were booked through Delta (yes, I’m throwing a company’s name in here because it needs to be known). I’ve been a Delta credit card holder and SkyMiles member for all of my adult life and never have I had an experience like this one. We were flying out of Rochester, NY to make our connection in JFK and then from JFK to Aruba. Easy peasy! It was going to be about a 7-hour flight day which wasn’t bad at all! However, as we were about to take off from Rochester, we had to deplane due to a mechanical issue. Everyone was frantic trying to find a flight or a way to get to JFK (as were we) to make connections.
Before we even got a flight out of Rochester, we missed our connection. The attendant at the ticket counter informed us that we could find a hotel in JFK (which would be covered), or we could catch a flight with a different airline (since the only flight to Aruba had left for the day). We decided to take our chances and figure it out when we arrived in JFK. As we were on the flight, we discussed all the different alternatives we could do when we land and we agreed that finding a flight out today would be best so we aren’t wasting a day booked at our Airbnb. Who could blame us, we wanted to get there ASAP!
Once we landed in JFK, we rushed to the JetBlue ticket counter because we knew they had the next flight out to Aruba. The plane was taking off in less than an hour and we amazingly grabbed two tickets (that were way cheaper than Delta by the way) and we left for The Happy Island. We were told by the attendant at the JetBlue ticket counter, who had our luggage information, that it would be in Aruba when we landed. Oh, how wrong they were.
We arrived in Aruba a few hours later, happy we had finally made it after a long day of hopping on and off planes and running through airports. All we wanted to do at this point was get to our Airbnb and call it a day. However, our luggage had other plans. It was going on its own honeymoon without us.
When we arrived at baggage claim, we were told to deal with JetBlue because they were our final flight to get us to Aruba. So we filled out the lost luggage claim with JetBlue and were told we could spend some money to get clothes and toiletries and we would be reimbursed. They never told us how much we could spend, just to not go crazy and buy designer clothes. No big deal! They also told us our luggage would arrive the next day and would be dropped off at our Airbnb so we wouldn’t have to make the trip back to the airport.
After grabbing our rental car and arriving at our Airbnb, we went to the closest shopping area, Palm Beach. Little did we know how expensive clothing would be in Aruba, but we played it smart and got enough for the night and the next day.
But then the next day arrived, and nothing.
Another day arrived, and nothing.
Finally after 2 days, JetBlue texted us saying that our luggage had arrived at the airport. We were ecstatic but confused why they weren’t bringing it to us. We rushed to the airport only to find out that our luggage had arrived and was sent back to JFK. We were left in a cloud of confusion. How and why would this happen?
Shopping became our daily task as we didn’t want to buy too much while we were on our budget, and we kept thinking our luggage would arrive.
But, still nothing.
For the first few days of our honeymoon, I felt like we were on the phone more than we were enjoying our time alone in this beautiful place on this happy island. Each day I was spending $10 with Verizon just to be contacting the airport trying to find answers. I can’t tell you how many times I would call, not reach the right department and instead of being transferred, the person at the other end who didn’t speak good English would just hang up on me.
After 4 days, we went back to the airport to find answers since no one was giving them to me over the phone. We talked to the guy who helped us fill out the lost luggage claim upon our arrival and he said the paperwork had been processed and we should be receiving our luggage soon. That someone would be in touch with us. It was all empty promises.
On the 6th day, we went back to the airport. We went to the baggage claim department demanding answers and once again we were about to leave without them. The man who we dealt with from the beginning recognized us as we were leaving the airport and Shane flagged him down. He instantly knew what we were there for and took us past security and into the airport to the place we initially filed paperwork with for JetBlue. He was shocked that we still had no answers. He connected us with the Delta department and did some fancy work on the computer that I can’t even begin to tell you what he did, but he finally got information for us. This entire time our luggage had been traveling back and forth from JFK to Aruba over the past few days and for some reason, they didn’t keep it at one airport.
At least we had answers. Our luggage was somewhere. Once again we left with the hope that our luggage would arrive in a few days at our Airbnb. We had enough clothes to last us so we just carried on with our trip and let all the chips fall where they may. At this point, it just didn’t matter. Thank god for a washer at the Airbnb and supplied laundry detergent. I don’t know what we would have done without it. We did laundry about every other day just to get us by. As it was, we had already spent $1000 on clothes and toiletries between the two of us for about 4 days worth of clothes. If you ever get a chance to look through our honeymoon photos, you will see the same set of clothes so many times! We couldn’t fathom spending any more money on clothes that either came from a souvenir shop or Calvin Klein and Zara since being on an island doesn’t give too many options.
On the 8th day, we received a call from JetBlue corporate that wanted the full story of the hell we’ve been going through. The man was very understanding and considerate and told us our next steps would be to turn in our receipts to their online portal so we can be reimbursed as soon as possible. Later that day we received a call from Delta saying that our luggage is currently in Atlanta, their lost luggage headquarters. They asked if we wanted it to be sent to Aruba or back to Rochester. With only 2 days of our honeymoon left, we said to just send it to Rochester so it would be there when we got home. We turned in our receipts with Jetblue, and on the 10th day, we flew home. We finally were able to take a breath and relax thinking it was all going to be OK. Our luggage was found.
Customs was shocked to see us only having a backpack. I think every person that we had to speak to leading up to boarding the plane made a comment which kept us in a comedic state. We had to be at this point. We were done being mad and upset about this unfortunate event.
We made it home safely. Our luggage was still having a great honeymoon somewhere in Georgia or NYC. Who knows at this point, but we didn’t receive it until 5 days after we arrived home.
Delta gave us flight credits for the plane that had a mechanical issue and the connection we missed. Jetblue gave us flight credits for the hell we were put through. We thought it was all well and good until a few weeks later. Jetblue called to tell us that they wouldn’t reimburse us for the clothing we bought.
The nightmare wasn’t over yet. They claimed it was because Delta was the luggage carrier that Jetblue couldn’t reimburse us or help us. I was shocked. Here the entire time they were telling us that Jetblue would reimburse us. We’d been waiting over a month for this reimbursement. We filed the lost luggage claim with them for a reason. We did as we were told at the moment. We were promised, we sent in our receipts, we filed the paperwork, and it should have been taken care of. But it wasn’t. We were told it was Delta’s problem, not theirs.
Our next step was to reach out to Delta. This took a couple phone calls for anyone to even understand what was going on. Weeks went by and I still wasn’t getting an answer as to how we would get the reimbursement. Jetblue was telling us that it was Delta’s problem, Delta wasn’t taking responsibility. I was left once again with no answers or next steps to move forward. We started looking for lawyers to speak to in the meantime.
Since we hadn’t filed a luggage claim with Delta, they had no record of it being reported (which was shocking), and without all of that information, they couldn’t reimburse us. Finally, I spoke to a representative that directed us to file a claim online which wasn’t to get reimbursed, it was simply to tell them about our bad experience. Months went by. I kept following up and they kept telling me it’s being reviewed. Finally, after over 3 months, Delta reached out via email to let us know I could send in my receipts to be reimbursed for our clothing. Within 24 hours we got our $1000 back. We couldn’t believe it. It was an excruciating process and I don’t think anyone fully understands what we went through. We are grateful for the money we got back, and the fact that our luggage made it home. But the mental and emotional stress it put us through during our first few months of being married will be unforgettable.