Carribean Cruise-YUK

[Cruisinthru]

Same here. Our next will probably be to Alaska, but that will probably be at least two years from now.

BTW, some folks take it to the extreme. One couple on board was recognized for being on their 52nd Carnival cruise...

ReWahoo,

52 cruises on Carnival is very extreme!

 

[RonBoyd]

If you are really serious about cruising then "Get on Board!" this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

(Otherwise you should start a thread similar to http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/what-a-wuss-49709.html)

 

[Cruisinthru]

If you are really serious about cruising then "Get on Board!" this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

(Otherwise you should start a thread similar to http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/what-a-wuss-49709.html)

Wow! Fred Olson is proud of their 22 year old ship. I can go for twice as long on a brand new ship for half what they are asking! I think I will pass on this one. Why don't you book it and let us know how it goes.

 

[RonBoyd]

I can go for twice as long on a brand new ship for half what they are asking!

And you can stay home for even less, I'll bet. But saving money is not the point of Cruising... or is it?

 

[DivinDave]

I love cruising. I was introduced to it by my late sister and have taken my Mom on a Cruise every January since my sisters passing.

don't miss out the oppourtunity to join the cruise lines loyalty programs Royal Caribbean is the Crown and Anchor society. By staying with the same cruise line you can build up points towards discounted cruises and other niceities while on board.

 

[Nords]

Wow! Fred Olson is proud of their 22 year old ship. I can go for twice as long on a brand new ship for half what they are asking! I think I will pass on this one. Why don't you book it and let us know how it goes.

I'd be more worried about any 22-year-old icebergs he'll be seeking along the way...

I remember on New Year's Eve 1999 (the cusp of 2000), ships were heading to the International Dateline at the equator to commemorate the event at midnight. Apparently the spot turned into a blackout rules-of-the-road nightmare as everyone jostled for position. The reason I remember the story is because poor ol' USS TOPEKA was down below trying to get up to periscope depth and hoping not to get trampled in the rush... and hoping the Russians or the Chinese didn't have the same submarine ambitions.

I wonder if the TITANIC's last position is going to be the same kind of parking lot.

 

[Cruisinthru]

And you can stay home for even less, I'll bet. But saving money is not the point of Cruising... or is it?

No saving money is not why I like cruising. But I approach cruising the same way I approach other aspects of life. I look for value in any goods I receive. I don't over spend on vacations any more than I over spend on everyday living.

 

[Cruisinthru]

I love cruising. I was introduced to it by my late sister and have taken my Mom on a Cruise every January since my sisters passing.

don't miss out the oppourtunity to join the cruise lines loyalty programs Royal Caribbean is the Crown and Anchor society. By staying with the same cruise line you can build up points towards discounted cruises and other niceities while on board.

We cruise mostly with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity now. The perks are very good with Celebrity. Funny, that Royal Caribbean's perks aren't quite as great and Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity.

 

[REWahoo]

Returned yesterday from a 7 day cruise out of Galveston on the Carnival Conquest. We had a major delay in getting on board due to a combination fog (port closed, ship arrived seven hours late) and an unusually large number of foreign nationals (1,000) which slowed the debarkation process. We were scheduled to sail at 4 PM but didn't get on board until 11 PM and didn't sail until 2:30 AM - or so they told us.

Follow up:

During our cruise the staff of the ship apologized repeatedly for the delay and the miserable experience of the 3,000+ passengers inside and (mostly) outside the Galveston terminal during the ten hours we waited to board the ship. While I understood the delay was out of their control, how the waiting passengers were treated was both within their control and their responsibility.

When we got home I sent messages to Carnival letting them know we had a great time once on board, we realized the delay due to fog and customs/immigration was beyond their control, but wanted to know what their plans were to care for passengers in the event something like this happened again. This was the response I got:

provisions will be made for each situation which will be handled expeditiously and in a timely manner whenever possible.

Finding that unacceptable, I followed up with a more specific request: "I'd like to know what lessons were learned by Carnival due to this unfortunate situation and what specific plans Carnival will implement to communicate with and care for departing customers in the event of a future similar situation."

Carnival's response was:

While we are not at liberty to discuss the specifics of our internal procedures, please know that our staff are fully trained and are prepared to handle situations such as the one you experienced in the event it arise.

I believe we've taken our last Carnival cruise...

 

[kumquat]

Looking at your profile you appear to live on the island of Toronto? Is this your normal abode?

Toronto is an island located at the exact center of the universe. Everything that exists revolves around it (and its residents). All Canucks know this although those who live outside of Tronna are in denial.

 

[jimnjana]

Follow up:

During our cruise the staff of the ship apologized repeatedly for the delay and the miserable experience of the 3,000+ passengers inside and (mostly) outside the Galveston terminal during the ten hours we waited to board the ship. While I understood the delay was out of their control, how the waiting passengers were treated was both within their control and their responsibility.

When we got home I sent messages to Carnival letting them know we had a great time once on board, we realized the delay due to fog and customs/immigration was beyond their control, but wanted to know what their plans were to care for passengers in the event something like this happened again. This was the response I got:

Finding that unacceptable, I followed up with a more specific request: "I'd like to know what lessons were learned by Carnival due to this unfortunate situation and what specific plans Carnival will implement to communicate with and care for departing customers in the event of a future similar situation."

Carnival's response was:




I believe we've taken our last Carnival cruise...

Kinda curious as to what you were expecting Carnival to do. The Fog and Port closing was beyond their control. I think their responses to you were amateur at best, surprised you didn't get a prompt professionally written sorry about the inconvenience and an offer of free ship board credit or like "return" incentive for your next cruise. Did you use a travel agent?

 

[REWahoo]

Kinda curious as to what you were expecting Carnival to do.

Maybe something like arrange for transportation to shuttle waiting passengers to a nearby hotel/convention center where they set up an area to allow passengers to wait in comfort (chairs and restrooms!) rather than stand in front of the terminal building in the damp and fog for hours on end.

The Fog and Port closing was beyond their control.

Yes, and I acknowledged that several times. The delay wasn't the problem, it was Carnival's lack of planning that gave me heartburn.

I think their responses to you were amateur at best, surprised you didn't get a prompt professionally written sorry about the inconvenience and an offer of free ship board credit or like "return" incentive for your next cruise. Did you use a travel agent?

Yes, and I copied her on all this.

 

[Moemg]

Maybe something like arrange for transportation to shuttle waiting passengers to a nearby hotel/convention center where they set up an area to allow passengers to wait in comfort (chairs and restrooms!) rather than stand in front of the terminal building in the damp and fog for hours on end.


.

That is exactly what Carnival did when we cruised with them in 2003 and the ship was delayed . They shuttled us to a near by Hotel and provided food and soft drinks . It seems that a lot of the cruise lines are cutting amenities instead of upping the prices .

 

[REWahoo]

It seems that a lot of the cruise lines are cutting amenities instead of upping the prices .

And Carnival is cutting customers...

 

[Nords]

It seems that a lot of the cruise lines are cutting amenities instead of upping the prices .

Hey, a dozen folding chairs here, a dozen folding chairs there... this stuff really adds up!

 

[jimnjana]

REWahoo,

Is your travel agent contacting the cruise line on your behalf? The ships captain could have taken the initiative of offering free cocktails etc once everyone boarded or hosted a complimentary cocktail hour the next evening. I know that wouldn't have made up for the inconvenience, but it probably would have gone a long way towards showing Carnival was sorry for their failure to take care of their passengers.

 

[REWahoo]

Is your travel agent contacting the cruise line on your behalf?

Not sure, I haven't followed up with her yet as I only received the second unsatisfactory response from Carnival a few minutes ago.

The ships captain could have taken the initiative of offering free cocktails etc once everyone boarded or hosted a complimentary cocktail hour the next evening. I know that wouldn't have made up for the inconvenience, but it probably would have gone a long way towards showing Carnival was sorry for their failure to take care of their passengers.

In Carnival's defense, they did give each passenger a $15 credit to their on-board account. While that was a nice gesture, it does absolutely nothing to answer my concerns about "how will I be treated if this happens again". That is what I really want to know and they are unwilling to answer.

 

[RonBoyd]

And Carnival is cutting customers...

Can I assume that CCL will not be found hiding in your portfolio any time soon?

 

[REWahoo]

Can I assume that CCL will not be found hiding in your portfolio any time soon?

I'm combing through my MF prospectuses as I post this...

 

[ziggy29]

I believe we've taken our last Carnival cruise...

Sounds like what most cruisers say after their *first* Carnival cruise. I just wish there were more options out of Galveston so we wouldn't have to fly to the ship.

 

[haha]

Cruising sounds almost as much fun as RVing.

Ha

 

[Danmar]

This wholle cruising thing seems to have hit a nerve. In our experience they are about the least expensive "all inclusive' (I know some are not) vacation you can take, especially if you go for a less expensive cabin. There was a time 20-30 years ago when they seemed quite "special". Mass marketing and mega ships has pretty well killed that idea.To each his own.

 

[REWahoo]

Cruising sounds almost as much fun as RVing.

This was our 6th (7th?) cruise and the first time we've had a problem. Even then the cruise was fine - once we got on the shiggin frip...

 

[Cruisinthru]

ReWahoo,

I am sorry to hear about your Carnival Experience. I am with you, their responses were not quite what I would have hoped for. Carnival is not a favorite of ours. But I would have thought that they could have handled things a little better than they did.

We have had two positive past experiences with Royal Caribbean that make us want to be loyal to them. Two instances where they went over and beyond what we really expected of them

We took a "Mardi Gras" Cruise out of Galvestion several years ago on the Rhapsody of the Seas. We were supposed to sail from Galvestion up the Mississippi river and dock next to Jackson Square for three days of Mardi Gras, and then sail to Cozumel and back to Galveston on a 7 day trip. Well, the first night of the trip they announced that the Mississippi River was closed to all boat traffic due to a collision between two barges at the mouth of the river. A boat with thousands of gallons of fuel was submerged in the mouth of the river and six men where presumed dead. We would not be going to New Orleans. Instead they took us to beautiful tropical Gulfport, MS. We docked among the freighters. Things didn't look really promising for a great trip. Then RC announced that they had hired busses to bus us to New Orleans. They ran buses every 15 mins 24 hours a day for three days for anyone who wanted to experience Mardi Gras. You could basically go and come at any time. If you chose to stay on board they offered all kinds of entertainment and cheap drinks. The cruise turned out to be one of the best we have ever been on. We met and really bonded with some great people, made a couple of trips into Mardi Gras. RC really turned the situation into a positive.

Two years ago my Father-in-Law passed away very suddenly and we were actually planning to leave on a RC cruise the day after he passed away. We did not have insurance on the trip! We felt like we had just lost the money spent on the trip and were just going to write it off to lesson learned. Then our travel agent said it would not hurt to write a letter to RC and explain why we missed the cruise. My husband wrote a nice letter to them. He told them we had been on several (I think we had done about 10 RC cruises at that time,) cruises with them and the circumstances of our missing the trip. He asked if they ever sailed out of a TX with an empty cabin please consider us! He told them we would except any cabin on any cruise. They responded and said to send a copy of the death certificate and they would send us a voucher for the amount of the missed cruise to apply to a future cruise. Which we got and used on a cruise about six months later.

Back to your fog incident. We have recently heard that the Voyager of the Seas will be leaving Galveston in 2011 and that RC will not longer be sailing out of Galveston. The fog issue is one reason they are leaving that market. Seems the fog has just been a nightmare issue this year.

 

[RonBoyd]

Cruising sounds almost as much fun as RVing.