brobin111

1 hour ago, PaulMCO said:

Great marketing to get cruisers to vote for them...

 

I remember on my early sailings on Crystal when Conde Nest were doing the best of voting, Crystal offered free internet for voting.  This was in the day when internet was $20/per day. 

 

So on embarkation (and throughout the cruise), people would go to the internet center.  Of course they did not have control of who you were voting for.  So being the wise guy I am, I voted for Oceania  🙂

Back then it was our favorite line... 

 

We were later Crystalized... (but it was not on that voyage).  It took a bad experience with a medical emergency to make us a Crystal loyalist.

 

Back to the post's topic is REALLY about customer service.  It starts at the ship.   You should not have to send an email to FDR or in our case have a TA intervene for you.  Had the OPs concerns been met, with an apology letter or some token - like free booze or whatever, it might have change the headline to RIVIERA -- Will Sail Again...

 

That is what we loved about old Crystal (no clue on the new)

BINGO!

5 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Just don't complain or get upset if people comment about unrealistic or unreasonable expectations. Or point out that you're whining about things unique to you upon which others may not only disagree with but have a completely opposite reaction to. That's the difference between objective (your toilet flooded) versus subjective (I thought the singers were horrible in the show).

I neither complain nor get upset about other people's comments although I do find them interesting and sometimes amusing. This is a forum to provide critical and/or positive feedback about cruises. I posted my experience with O on this cruise. Being one of many cruises we've taken both on O, as well as many other lines over the last two decades, I reported - not whined about - the inadequacies  that my group and I experienced.  You can classify those experiences and give credence to them as you see fit. 

Perhaps, for everyone's benefit, you could post a full set of rules for what you deem to be correct and appropriate reporting criteria and what objective/subjective topics we should all adhere to.

BTW, the tuna tataki and rack of lamb at Red Ginger were excellent and John Joseph is the funniest man on the high seas! (I know, too subjective right?)  

27 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Though just two quick points. First, expectations should be reasonable and realistic. And second, it would be nice if people focused more on the objective issues we can all understand rather than the subjective ones we know aren't universal.

 

So one function of a group like this is to help people have reasonable and realistic expectations. And to remind some that what they're discussing is subjective.

 

And, of course, we should all be polite and civil in our discourse. But I can't help it if someone "feels badly", for example, because they were being unreasonable, unrealistic, or too focused on subjective evaluations specific to them.

Thank you for explaining to us how we should think and what to post.  Are you friends with Xi Jinping?

4 hours ago, mauibabes said:

DITTO Jancruz 1  
We definitely do not want someone who doesn’t enjoy Oceania to sail on one of the O ships. No one should be miserable on a lux cruise and then make life miserable for others.  We all know we can not make everyone happy 100% of the time 😇 but we appreciate all the effort the O ship staff go to to make our cruise vacations memorable for all the RIGHT reasons. 
Under 60 days and excited to be on Vista.

Mauibabes 

Who is "we" and exactly who were the "others" onboard that were made miserable?  I didn't wear my disappointment on my sleeve nor did I do or say anything to make anybody else onboard "miserable."  Indeed, I was not "miserable" myself - just annoyed at the way O handled the situation but didn't share that with other pax or non-management staff.  If this thread made you miserable remember that this forum is called Cruise Critics - not Cruise Cheerleaders.

Enjoy your cruise on Vista!

10 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

We were on another cruiseline about 6 months ago.

We were docked for the day at a very nice city for exploring.

We ended up docked there for 2 overnights due to a storm between us and our next 3 ports.

 

We received:

1. A detailed letter explaining the situation when we returned to the ship on the 1st day;

2. A detailed letter with a further update when we returned to the ship on the 2nd day.

3. The revised itinerary required missing 2 of the next 3 ports.......totally understandable and accepted.

4. An FCC of 15 % of the fare paid;

5. $100 OBC.

 

We received excellent communications from senior staff onboard.

Even though the situation was obviously outside their control we received a generous goodwill gesture.

 

It helped being docked at a nice port, but I am sure the reason we heard only disappointment and NOT complaints and grizzles was down to the communication and the goodwill measures.   

 

 

That's exactly how it should be done! Which line? I want to sail with them.

2 minutes ago, GregoryPaul said:

I don’t really get the idea of tying food, drink, entertainment, port or excursion expectations to level of cabin or suite. Lousy (or terrific) food is lousy (or terrific) food no matter the square footage of your cabin. Good friends, we have cruised with have taken inside cabins while we “luxuriate” in an aft suite. They are probably more discerning food critics than we are. Where does it say that they have to accept less? 

 

Same goes with our sons who know more about music than we do but don’t want to spring for the big suites.

 

Ditto excursions, ports visited  etc.

 

I think that once we get past the obvious suite amenities, all passenger expectations are - or should be - about the same for the same cruise.

Absolutely correct!

3 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

And some wonder why I mention the expectations of those cruising in PH and above? 😞

You're right. When I pay for more I expect to get more - wouldn't you?  That said, the service was excellent and I never expect much from O on the entertainment agenda.  If  food quality and entertainment were my only beefs I wouldn't even care.  And, no, they were not performing cats - they were imitating them.

21 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

I think that asking for 30% FCC is completely unrealistic. I don't think ANY line would provide such FCC. The best we got in all our cruises was 10% FCC from SS, which I thought was VERY GENEROUS.

 

@brobin111 I would be curious to read your overall impressions from the cruise except for missed ports, lack of compensation and bad communication. How would you describe the service, the food, the crew, the ship etc?

This was our 5th O cruise out of the 50+ cruises we've taken so we knew what to expect.  Service was excellent but the food quality & entertainment is not what it was pre-covid.  Other than the comedian, John Joseph, who we've seen on several cruises and is terrific, the singers for the production shows sounded like angry cats and we walked out of the two shows we went to. The Burt Bacharach tribute surely has him spinning in his grave!  The ship itself is beautifully maintained and is is one of the nicest cruise ships afloat.  Our Vista suite on Deck 8 was well appointed, very comfortable and we spent a lot more time in it than planned as we sailed in circles for days.

As for the 30% FCC, they asked what I thought was fair and I told them. Perhaps it is unrealistic but even 10% was off the table.  As I've said from the outset, I understand that per the contract they have every right to say "tough toenails, move on," and we will - just without Oceania.

21 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

If I had decided to buy a new snow blower in September is it the snow blower manufacturer's or dealer's fault that it didn't snow at all?

 I think you may have missed the main point of this thread.  Nobody, myself included, faults the ship for not proceeding to Bermuda due to heavy seas and bad weather which they clearly cannot control.  Per the contract, they can go wherever they want for any or no reason and we're just along for the ride.  I get that.

The problem is with the way Oceania handled it - something that is quite certainly in their control.  They knew of the itinerary change at least two days in advance but didn't send an email to their pax which they could have easily done.  The decision to sail in circles and then spend two days in Jacksonville was necessary only because they had no contingency plans for desirable alternate ports and they just needed a place to park.  The purser even complained to me about how much extra fuel they were burning but had no regard or interest in doing anything to make the pax happy.  The attitude from the crew was "too bad, so sad - not our problem and we don't want to hear about it anymore." 

Oceania presents itself as a premier cruise line.  The measure of a company is more than what they do right, it's how they treat their customers when things go wrong.  Every other cruise line we've sailed has done something meaningful when there's been a major change to an itinerary even though they didn't have to.  That's what creates loyalty to a brand.  

I suggested to the GM onboard that they provide an FCC equal to 30% of the fare paid (3 lost days of the 10 day cruise) to provide meaningful compensation and encourage guests to sail Oceania again.  Nope. 

Instead of all the "Never Again" comments in this thread that will surely turn off others from sailing Oceania, imagine the goodwill and new business they would create if this thread was about how well we were treated. 

This was our 4th post-covid cruise and, based on the changes in business practices and the myriad cost cutting measures we've seen,  I'm beginning to think that perhaps the cruise lines are less interested in retaining their old customers and are more interested in a younger, maybe less discerning group.  Less time in ports, skipped ports, lower quality food, 2nd rate entertainment and a "we don't care" attitude seem to be the direction that most lines have taken.  Great opportunity for a someone to do it right!

Maybe it's just me but when I spend over 20K for a 10 day vacation I expect any change in itinerary to be something more exotic than two days in downtown Jacksonville and sailing in circles for three days.  And if it's not, and you want to see me back on your ships again, you'll do something tangible to encourage that.

4 minutes ago, GregoryPaul said:

Let’s see:

     1/10 of 1% = .001

          .001 * X = $200

           X = $200,000.00

 

I agree they should be much more accommodating but we gotta figure out how to get you on a cruise ship for less money!

 

 

Sorry, meant to say one percent.

5 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

If you had a good TA you might want them to advocate for you.  Ours recently did and got us $800 in FCC for some issues we had onboard Marina that head office refused compensation for while on board.  It is really shameful that the cruiseline only will react to a threat to cancel future cruises rather act with a customer service mentality initially.

Our TA is on it and has worked his magic in the past.  You would think that they'd be more accommodating especially for pax who cruise frequently with a group booking multiple top tier suites but they are VERY short sighted!  They seem to think they're the only game in town when nothing could be further from the truth.

What really defines any business is how they handle things when something goes wrong. Making it right without a fight means more customer loyalty and profits down the line. Just ask Jeff Bezos!

I did get a call from guest relations today telling me that they have placed a $200 credit on our next booking - a whopping one tenth of 1% of what we paid to see the parking lot in JAX.

34 minutes ago, Nashna said:

I'm sorry this happened to you.  However, you should be thankful that you were not in that storm.  We have been on sailings when things did not go as planned, and later on, during the sailing, a compensation announcement was made via a letter delivered to each stateroom.  I would not be surprised if this happened to you.    

I'll be the first to report back and sing their praises if that happens! 3 days left...  

2 minutes ago, chloemonkey said:

Figured that out today after our shuttle from the ship to downtown…..immediate drop off are was fine….just nothing to do?  But a couple of blocks over and we turned around really quickly….needless to say we will stay onboard and miss our SECOND day in Jacksonville……plus it is supposed to rain.  We can’t seem to catch a break weather wise…..

Tomorrow the shuttle will drop of at the art festival by the river instead and there is a tour to St. Augustine that we're taking just to get off the ship. Downtown is eerily devoid of people... like a ghost town almost. 

4 hours ago, redraider1966 said:

As I do not know to whom you will sending a letter directly, may I suggest that you address them to FDR and FDR Jr.  My experience has been that bringing problems and concerns to the attention of CEOs, i.e., cutting thru the bureaucratic layers below, heightens the chances for a substantive response and some resolution.

I will do that but first, who are FDR & FDR Jr.?

9 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

If you write to customer relations, you should get an automated confirmation of receipt and that they will answer emails in the order received.  They will respond.

Thanks, that's exactly what happened.

39 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Sorry, but I don't believe this statement.

Sorry, but I don't make things up. I was as surprised as you are.

2 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Cancelled ports are part of the game. Happens to all lines. People who cannot accept it shouldn't travel. 

 

The only line who provide us compensation for cancelled ports was SS, as a gesture of goodwill. They owe you nothing.

Yes, as you read in my initial post, we know and accept that they don't HAVE to do anything contractually.  Still, it's a matter of creating and retaining customer goodwill. We have been cruising for over 20 years and have had to divert a number of times. In EVERY case, the cruise lines have made some tangible gesture of goodwill up to and including allowing cancellation with a full FCC. 

4 hours ago, bob brown said:

Thinking further about your post…I am wondering if you have indeed contacted the head office to see if they could do anything for you, or just accepted what you were told on board?

Oh yes, our cruise agent is working on that and we will be sending a letter directly as well. 

Embarked for an 11day on Riviera for 3 days in Bermuda as the main attraction - and only reason we booked. Got to the terminal only to be told we're not going to Bermuda due to rough seas and instead we'll sail around in circles for a couple of days and go to Jacksonville, FL instead. That's the best they can do and if you don't like it - don't go and lose your money.  By contract they have the right to do that but on every other cruise we've been on with other lines they offer some kind of compensation and/or amenities for missing a port. Not Oceania though! They're too busy complaining that they have to pay more for fuel and told me flat out that their head office doesn't think the guests should get anything for the inconvenience and disappointment.  

So we went to Nassau as scheduled and then after spending two sea days to go 60 miles we were supposed to stop at Grand Stirrup Cay as an alternate. NOPE. The tender operator there said the sea was too rough so we pulled up anchor for another sea day and now we're headed for TWO days in beautiful downtown Jacksonville which is known for, well, nothing.  Nothing to see, nothing to do - just wander around.  

Now, I understand that they're at the mercy of the weather, but when things like this have happened to us on other lines - notably Azamara - they've offered to let us cancel and get an FCC for the full amount or offered a partial FCC or other perks if you do go.  Even missing a single port day usually gets an open bar for the day although that's not something we care about.  IOW, most lines have your back and do something as a matter of good customer relations to leave you feeling that they care and want to earn your future business.  I was told by staff that customer goodwill is NOT an Oceania priority at the head office.

We have 3 Vista suites booked on the Riviera for an Asia cruise next year that we will cancel because we just don't trust Oceania anymore.

Already sailed in December and two more booked for July and August.  Working on 2023 &2024 already.

We were on the same cruise, also in the Haven along with family mambers in 4 other Haven suites.  Our travel agent checked with NCL the day before the cruise to see if they were simply asking or requiring that masks be worn and he was told they were just asking and NOT requiring masks. The only place they insisted on a mask was on entering the Joy Theater where most took them off when seated.  

 The covid testing was poorly organized and took almost two hours.  Those who had the barcodes were moved forward in the line and I was glad we had them.  Once in the building it was a superspreader event if I ever saw one.  Hundreds of people lined up 4 abreast.  Once we were sent to a testing station they didn't even scan the bar code but entered everything manually defeating the whole purpose of having them and slowing the process further.  Once issued a covid wrist band and released from that hell we made our way to the Haven check-in where, again, the boarding bar codes were ignored.  

 Once onboard things were fine and at no time, except for the theater, were we required to have a mask.

 We had driven to the port and parked in the garage adjacent to the NCL terminal.  We were parked on the 6th floor and it took exactly 1 hour to exit the garage.  With everybody leaving at the same time they had one booth open for payment and all the pre-payment maching were out of order.  NCL doesn't operate the garage but you'd think they'd exert some influence.  So two hours wasted before boarding and another wasted hour leaving makes an otherwise enjoyable cruise not worth the effort.  Never again!

OP here - Thanks for everyone's comments. Couple of clarifications. Sorry about the NC/SC typo. We didn't blame Princess for the cold weather and we weren't at all angry about it but even Princess agreed that they should have done the cruise a week earlier.

Charleston wasn't cold at all and the tour took us to the first site and gave us only 45 minutes to be back on the bus then had us sit in the parking lot with no explanation for almost an hour before taking us to the second site where we arrived 10 minutes before closing. So on a half day tour we had less than an hour at the sites and saw far less than half of what we had been told we would see.

Note also that we weren't the only ones complaining - there were three coaches on the tour and by the time I got to the tour desk to complain there were already dozens others there doing the same thing - and demanding full refunds.

As for the credit, AMEX DID resolve it in my favor and issued the credit and then, two months after the cruise, Princess charged my account for it again! They're not giving up so why should I?

As to the thought that no other cruise line would issue a complete refund, that's just not so. On Azamara I was given a full refund for a tour that went awry without even asking and even Princess issued a full refund on a more costly Alaska tour that I thought actually deserved at most 50%.

But what really frosted me here is that once the dispute was resolved in my favor Princess just charged me again. Elite or not, I just won't do business with a company like that. We've been booking Azamara a lot more lately and been extremely pleased with them.

We took the repositioning cruise from QC to FLL which was scheduled too late in the season as we had very cold and windy weather. We could deal with that but at our last port stop in Charleston, NC the tour operator messed up badly and gave us insufficient time to see both places where we stopped. Needless to say a busload of angry passengers went directly to the tour desk to complain and demand refunds for what was a virtually worthless tour.

Princess refused to disclose the contact information for the tour operator and said they would handle it. They decided to issue a credit of 50% of the tour - unacceptable! After getting nowhere with their corporate office I filed a dispute with AMEX over the disputed amount and was given the credit. That should end the matter right? Nope. A month later Princess again charged my AMEX for the amount credited and a new dispute has been opened.

What has this $100 dispute really cost Princess? It has cost them the future business of Elite level members who always book at least an Owner's Suite if not a Grand Suite. We will not sail Princess again - our future cruises will be booked with cruise lines that put their customer's satisfaction first.