9 Of The Most Common Things Left Behind on Cruise Ships (Plus One That Made Me Laugh)

Cruise ships are like floating hotels, and with thousands of people coming and going each week, it’s no surprise that the lost and found departments are always busy.

From sunglasses to suitcases, you’d be amazed at what gets left behind after disembarkation.

Here are some of the most common items the crew finds…and one that made me smile..

1. Phone Chargers

This is probably the most common lost item of all.

None of us goes very far without a phone charger. People plug them in behind the bed or TV, forget they’re there, and go home without them.

2. Sunglasses

They get left by the pool, in bars, on deck chairs or on cruise ship balconies all the time.

Some ships collect dozens every cruise.

That’s ok if your sunglasses are just cheap ones, but if you have spent a lot of money on brands like Oakleys or Ray-Bans, it can be very annoying!

3. Passports and ID Cards

Crew are used to passengers realising at the gangway that their passport is still in the safe. Guests then have to rush back to the cabin to retrieve it!

If you are a British citizen, it is possible to disembark your cruise in Southampton and not have to show your passport at all.

I can only imagine how stressful it would be to get home and find your passport is still on the ship!

4. Cruise Cards

It is so easy to drop your card in a cruise ship lounge, leave it on the bar, or leave it in the slot by the cruise cabin door, which keeps the lights and electricity on.

If you find you have lost your cruise card, you can go to Reception and pick up a new one.

I wouldn’t do it too often though, I have heard of cruise lines making a charge if you repeatedly lose your card.

I lost my cruise card on Marella Explorer 2 at the worst possible time.

Find out about that here:

5. Jewellery

Earrings, watches, fitness trackers and bracelets often get left on bathroom counter tops or you might take them off by the pool before you go swimming. Sometimes they are never seen again.

They can be easily hidden amongst towels or other items, and you might forget all about them.

6. Shoes

You’d be surprised how many single shoes and flip-flops are handed in.

How people hobble back to the cabin with one shoe on, I will never know!

I can understand dropping a flip-flop when you are carrying your things back from the pool, but it must be harder to lose a trainer or a sandal.

7. Books and Kindles

These are found in loungers and reading corners. Imagine how annoying it would be to lose a book when you are halfway through reading it…

8. Hats and Caps

I can understand people losing these.

The wind on deck claims a few every day, but plenty are left in cabins or on tables.

If you aren’t used to wearing a hat every day and only put it on for hot weather, it is easy to forget you ever had it on.

9. Clothing

Everything from jackets to swimsuits, cardigans to socks turns up in lost property.

Clothes are often left in public laundries or drying on balconies

And One That Made Me Laugh…

On one Marella cruise, the lost-and-found table proudly displayed a walking stick.

I couldn’t stop picturing someone strolling off the ship thinking, “Feels like I’ve forgotten something…”

You’d think they might notice it was missing! Hopefully they had multiple…

Before You Go

Find out about Svalbard – one place I visited that I definitely needed my hat, here:

I Visited the Place Where Dying Is Forbidden — Here’s the Truth Behind It

Find out what you should do when you get home from your cruise here:

3 Things You Should Do When You Get Home From a Cruise