cHLOES NANA MED Cruise update

[chloes nana]

Goodness me! You were so excited about this cruise, I am sorry things have turned sour for you.

 

Perhaps the issue will be resolved to your liking...In the mean time take a deep breath and be determined to savor all the wonderful sights the lovely Mediterranean will offer you in the next few days.

 

Wishing you good luck,and Happy Sailings.

thanks for the kind wordws Colleen, seems others don't share your compassion and to all of you I say be nice! I have stated I love every thing about my cruise so far except the way the camera fiasco has been handled. :)

[chloes nana]

Oh my! I was just thinking about you yesterday and wondering how your cruise was going. I'm SO sorry to hear about your troubles. :( I hope HAL comes through and makes good on your broken camera, and that you can enjoy the rest of your cruise and ports. So glad to hear that you like the ship, stewards and ports though!

 

We got the wrong shore excursion tickets on our last cruise, but thankfully did catch it ourselves and had it corrected in time. So I do know this can be a problem.

today, 3 elderly couples had their 4.5 hour excursion cancelled and were put on our bus for a full 8 hour excursion without even being told it was a 3 man strenuous and it was 8 not 4 hours long. Needless to say they weren't too happy. However I had a wonderful time at the Acropolis and the new museum.:D

[chloes nana]

Hot tip: before you approach the X-Ray machine at the gangway, remove your expensive camera (especially when not in its protective case) from your respective bag(s), backpack(s), purse(s), other shopping receptacle(s), what have you, and hand it to the security team member manning the machine. He (haven't seen a she yet) will place it in a small (usually) red-colored plastic basket and it will make the ride through the machine in the relative comfort and protection of it (the basket). When it exits the machine on the other end, you can then retrieve it and be on your happy way:)

it was in it's case in an inner pocket in my daypack, I didn't just toss it in. really I am a little smarter than that.:D

[serendipity1499]

Your great concern about your bag going thru security tells me that it was not packed properly and you knew that. Was the camera in it's own case? Were the glass plates and olive oil wrapped and padded? You want $695 to pay for both the old and new cameras? Gee, then you would have a free camera. BTW, the huge typeface of your post is akin to shouting!

 

I agree with you & others, Hal should not have to pay for two camera's..

To the OP: All good expensive camera's many times can be fixed by sending them back to the factory..When you get home call the company & ask if it can be fixed..

 

Also, you are asking for trouble by posting your actual name on any Internet board..Suggest you contact the Board Hosts & ask them to remove your name & cabin Number..

 

Roz - you say the olive oil had nothing to do with the damage to the camera. On the contrary, it is quite possible that the bottle did break the camera.

 

You may be right..Anything going thru airport or cruise ship security should be well packed..

 

Ever since I read this thread this morning, I have been mulling over a few points in her post.

 

#1- If she saw the security person mishandle her daypack, and was worried about something being broken, why would she wait and proceed to her room to check the items for any possible breakage? Why not open the daypack there in front of security? HAL could claim the damage happened after the daypack went through security on her way to the room, or even in her room.

 

#2- When we did excursions on our cruise, there were signs indicating the name of the tour before you got on the bus, and the tour guide specified which tour it was before the bus departed. Did this not occur, and did the stickers not indicate the name of the tour?

 

#3- Why would anyone, WHILE ON THEIR CRUISE, take time away from their cruise activities and relaxation, compose a lengthy letter AND post it here on CC? Wouldn't that tend to ruin the ambiance of cruising? I would have purchased a new camera, go back to enjoying my cruise, and dealt with the breakage problem upon my return home.

 

I really don't mean to sound harsh, but it just doesn't make sense. JMHO.

 

I agree with you! And as someone else mentioned she seems to be setting herself up by expecting to have further problems..When one travels, problems will occur.. Some serious & some not very serious..It's how you handle those problems which indicate if you can adjust & make lemonade out of lemons..

Betty

[chloes nana]

I am so sorry to learn of your problems, especially with your camera. Due to the rough treatment in security, I pack mine in a carrying case, which I place in my shoulder bag. That does provide some padding against the rollers. It is always a challenge to see that your things are not damaged in the security process, especially laptops. I do hope HAL reimburses you for your loss.

I am sorry I didn't mention that my camera was in it's protective case, and in a separate inner pocket from the 3 bottles of olive oil. :)

[jtl513]

I just re-read this post and realized that there was more than one bottle of olive oil in the pack! No wonder the camera was broken!

 

The OP says this was her first cruise yet she has posted 412 times??????????

She had lots of questions before the cruise!

[chloes nana]

Your great concern about your bag going thru security tells me that it was not packed properly and you knew that. Was the camera in it's own case? Were the glass plates and olive oil wrapped and padded? You want $695 to pay for both the old and new cameras? Gee, then you would have a free camera. BTW, the huge typeface of your post is akin to shouting!

 

Roz - you say the olive oil had nothing to do with the damage to the camera. On the contrary, it is quite possible that the bottle did break the camera.

the camera in its own case in a separate pocket, the oils were wrapped in bubble wrap and one or two of the plates were just wrapped in paper. I am NOT asking for $695 in restitution! I am merely stating that was my total loss. Good grief people! I am not stupid and I am not trying to get a free anything!! I want reimbursement for the camera they broke and for the most part, an apology for the way this has been handled.

[Copper10-8]

it was in it's case in an inner pocket in my daypack, I didn't just toss it in. really I am a little smarter than that.:D

 

Everyone has to make their own decisions! I take my camera out and have them put it in the basket by itself. After the objects go through the X-Ray machine on the conveyor belt, it/they usually encounter a set of metal rollers at the end. Not a good transition for fragile/expensive objects. Sorry to hear your camera got damaged somehow! Enjoy the rest of your cruise, smart cookie!;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I truely do hope that you get everything straightened out about your camera.

[Jade13]

the camera in its own case in a separate pocket, the oils were wrapped in bubble wrap and one or two of the plates were just wrapped in paper. I am NOT asking for $695 in restitution! I am merely stating that was my total loss. Good grief people! I am not stupid and I am not trying to get a free anything!! I want reimbursement for the camera they broke and for the most part, an apology for the way this has been handled.

 

When was the last time you saw the camera? How do you know security broke it? Have you watched the security cameras? Wasn't it on the x-ray belt? Did it fall off and you believe broken that way? People put things (including camera and computers) through x ray machines all the time and they don't break. I'm trying to get a clearer understanding of how you thought it was broken? How do you know it wasn't broken on the bus ride while in the back-pack?

[chloes nana]

Ever since I read this thread this morning, I have been mulling over a few points in her post.

 

#1- If she saw the security person mishandle her daypack, and was worried about something being broken, why would she wait and proceed to her room to check the items for any possible breakage? Why not open the daypack there in front of security? HAL could claim the damage happened after the daypack went through security on her way to the room, or even in her room. it is very crowded when you are going through security and I felt going to my room and quietly checking my items was the safest way to handle the glassware.

 

#2- When we did excursions on our cruise, there were signs indicating the name of the tour before you got on the bus, and the tour guide specified which tour it was before the bus departed. Did this not occur, and did the stickers not indicate the name of the tour?

of course this occured to us! they gave us the wrong stickers, and even admitted it to us and apologized, the stickers have the HAL logo and a number and color not the name of the tour on them

 

#3- Why would anyone, WHILE ON THEIR CRUISE, take time away from their cruise activities and relaxation, compose a lengthy letter AND post it here on CC? Wouldn't that tend to ruin the ambiance of cruising? I would have purchased a new camera, go back to enjoying my cruise, and dealt with the breakage problem upon my return home. to each their own, I felt I needed to vent some of my frustration, guess I picked the wrong venue, I felt others would like to know some of the problems with my cruise and not just the fluff, forgive I was wrong.

 

 

I really don't mean to sound harsh, but it just doesn't make sense. JMHO.

well color me stupid then! this was my first cruise and I felt I was mishandled, and did the best I knew how to do.

[TrikeRider]

I'm confused - how did HAL break your camera but not the oil or plates? I can't imagine how a camera can break on a conveyor belt when it is in its protective case inside another bag?

[Jade13]

my camera LCD screen which was broken by security during the mishandling of my daypack after pleading with them to please be careful as there was glass and breakables in the pack. The first security guard was proceeding to place it nicely on the belt , as I had asked, so I rushed to the other end to tell the guard there as well, and as I was saying to please be careful he pulled it out along the rollers and released it on to them with no regard to what I had said.

 

How does pulling a pack pack along, or off, a conveyor belt break something that was packed properly? I am just trying to understand as pack packs go through x ray machines on a daily basis. Was the camera in a soft or hard case?

[ekerr19]

Enjoy the rest of your trip. :)

 

I don't blame you for being upset - but try not to let it interfere with your enjoyment of a dream vacation.

[chloes nana]

We always keep our camera in it's case. I have the same Lumix and mine came with a case. :)

 

I hope things get better for you.

 

Regarding your letter to HAL, I'm not so sure posting it here is in the best interest of resolving things and it sounds like you have multiple issues relating to your cruise. I hope you can let some of it go and enjoy the remainder of the voyage - it's a wonderful itinerary and at least you have a camera now. :)

I am enjoying myself immensely, have booked another cruise and love HAL, I really have no complaints other than the security issue, the way they handled it and the shorex issue. Will any of this stop me from having fun? NO will I sali on HAL again, of course! one trip does not justify an end to cruising or to HAL in general, just some issues on the Noordam need to be addressed is all.

[YeaYeaYea]

I am still on board the MS Noordam in the lovely port of Kusadasi and want to post a letter I have sent to Ms. Gloria Payne in property claims regarding our not so perfect cruise so far. I love the ship and my stewards are the best and the ports are lovely all of which I will cover when I get home but wanted to get this going for now:

Good day to you Ms. Payne,

I am sending you this email while still aboardthe Ms. Noordam, regarding my camera LCD screen which was broken by security during the mishandling of my daypack after pleading with them to please be careful as there was glass and breakables in the pack. The first security guard was proceeding to place it nicely on the belt , as I had asked, so I rushed to the other end to tell the guard there as well, and as I was saying to please be careful he pulled it out along the rollers and released it on to them with no regard to what I had said. I proceeded to my room to see if anything had been broken, I had purchased glass plates and bottles of olive oil, while in port that day. After inspecting all the bottles, I went to charge my camera battery up as I always do on return from an excursion,and noticed a black starburst on my camera's LCD screen. I turned it on to check it and sure enough the screen had been broken. I immediately went down to the front desk to report it and was handled wonderfully by the front desk ladies!, especially since I was sobbing over the fact my cruise was only half done and I no longer had a camera! They have been wonderful through my entire cruise so far. After filling out the report I asked if Holland America would reimburse me or supply me with another camera, they said, "we will investigate the situation". Ad they informed me they would not have a replacement camera for me. At that time my husband and I rushed back off the ship and went into the duty free shop to buy another camera, now mind you, mine was a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 with 12 megapixels and a 10X zoom. The purchase orice on this camera was $380, I purchased a Sony cyber shot DSC-W270 for 209 euro or roughly $315. Now mind you this was the best I could find with only a few hours til all aboard and it is only a 5X zoom. Not nearly the quality for closeups as my broken camera.

When embarking back on the ship I informed them I would not scan the new camera since my other one was just broken by their mishandling of my daypack, they proceeded to bring over an asst, security manager, who proceeded to tell me they didn't break my camera, so now HAL calls it's passengers liars?? And when my husband inquired about scanning cameras on the hard roller belts, the security man proceeded to say and I do quote, "this is you Americans laws and security measures". And when I asked if that they were not going to admit fault and that I was just out a camera for the rest of my cruise and he just smiled very condescendingly at me and looked away.

The following day I went back to the front desk since I had heard nothing from them and was told to wait for the head security manager. We again, for the third time, repeated our story and he took notes and said he wouold check into it and get back to us, and that he had reviewed all the tapes and saw us coming and going off the ship twice, the first time was at 11:45 and then asked what excursion we had been on. ? Why that matters I really don't know. The next day we were told by the front desk that we had to pick up a form and contact you when I returned home.

As I can appreciate your position in this, I think you need to realize we feel as if we have been called liars through all this and that we are trying to cheat Holland America or something. This along with other matters such as lost laundry to be found later, wrong balance on our shipboard account when boarding, which was resolved by the front desk again in a very efficient manner, and a few other small issues have left us with a very bad feeling.

This was the first cruise we have ever been on and chose Holland America after alot of research, and based off their customer service reccomendations. We were so impressed when we boarded the ship, that we booked a future cruise within 3 days I believe. And now today, we are in Ephesus, and were given the wrong excursion stickers and ended up on a half day tour instead of our choosen Best of Ephesus tour which was all day with lunch. We were told we need to catch Michelle the Shorex manager to see what can be done. So again we need to track down someone instead of them getting a hold of us., as it was shorex's mistake. They even knew they had messed up, as they called the tour guide on the bus we were on and asked if there was anyone who wasn't on the Terrace House excursion, and we said it was us.

For a first time cruiser on your cruiseline this is not a very professional way to start. We have 4 more days to go and are just holding our breath to see what is next. Let's see if the Dining room can get my husbands birthday right! I have only asked and checked 4 times.

I would hope you should be able to do something to reimburse me the $695 I am out due to the negligence of your security staff regarding the camera fiasco. Let alone all the other mishaps and the way we have been treated.

I anxiously await your response, and thank you for your time.

Phyllis Kuhn

cabin 7097

Ms Noordam

Mediterranean Adventure sailing 8/27 to 9/16.

 

So your saying it is not your fault for putting a camera in a bag with something that could crush it. Then you want someone to pay you back for your mistake.................sorry but I can't get onboard with this one I have a special bag just for my camera.............it ALWAYS is held by itself because of such things as crushing. People are in a rush today so you have to almost expect it................the guard should have asked you if anything in your bag was fragile and treated it as such.................and you should have not let them touch your belongings without instructions on how to handle your gear.

[onapea]

well color me stupid then! this was my first cruise and I felt I was mishandled, and did the best I knew how to do.

 

Wow I feel for you. Not sure what HAL will do in regards to the camera issue. Just try to enjoy the cruise and take the issue up when you return home. Venting on this board will not get you very far.

[serendipity1499]

the camera in its own case in a separate pocket, the oils were wrapped in bubble wrap and one or two of the plates were just wrapped in paper. I am NOT asking for $695 in restitution! I am merely stating that was my total loss. Good grief people! I am not stupid and I am not trying to get a free anything!! I want reimbursement for the camera they broke and for the most part, an apology for the way this has been handled.

 

Well neither are we stupid !..:confused::confused: I beg to differ with you as your letter/e-mail clearly states that you are asking HAL to re-imburse you for $695.00.

It stated in your orig post that you were sending the following e-mail to HAL:

Quote:

I would hope you should be able to do something to reimburse me the $695 I am out due to the negligence of your security staff regarding the camera fiasco.

If you are not asking for $695.00 then why did you ask for it in the e-mail to HAL, or were you just trying to get our approval before you sent it..

Also if the Plates & oil was securely wrapped in bubble wrap & packed in a separate compartment, why would you mention it a all..And why would you place your camera in another inside pocket..I honestly don't believe that the rollers could have broken the camera at all..In the beginning I felt very sorry for you, but your answers are leaving us totally confused & now I seem to be questioning your credibility...:rolleyes:

 

Betty

[uppitycats]

If indeed all you are asking for is reimbursement for a new camer and an apology, then that's all you should ASK for. Your letter is WAY too long, complicated and if you used that same font, almost unreadable.

 

Something like: "Despite my urgent request that security be careful, that I had fragile and breakable items in my backpack, including my camera, when I went thorugh security to return to the ship my backpack was mishandled and my camera broken. I have had to replace the camera with one that cost X dollars, receipt enclosed. I respectfully ask for reimbursement for the camera, which I sincerely believe was damaged through careless handling. Thank you."

 

All the rest of it -- description of items purchased, olive oil, misguided tour, etc., is extraneous, and makes it appear that you're asking for MUCH more. And of course you are. You specifically asked for $695..not the $315 that the camera cost you.

[HWH]

Well, none of us here are stupid. But all of us here behave stupidly from time to time, particularly when we feel we have been wronged. In this month's issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, the magazine asks an industrial psychologist what we can do to get the best customer service possible, and she replies: "Be very direct. Before you launch in to a long explanation of your problem, say, 'Here's what I need. Can you help me?'" Although the article was about dealing w/customer service reps over the phone, the principle behind her answer applies to all forms of communication--be simple, direct, and don't waste words. Make it as easy as you can for the person to solve your problem.

[suse]

I think the OP would gladly suffer the loss of her camera, while on a cruise no less, rather than exchange her past week for the one you have been through...

 

Priorities, people!

thank you so much but it's easy to forget the big stuff sometimes.

Love,

Susie:)

[dandro]

I am glad to hear that you are finally enjoying your cruise towards the end. You seem to have had a total change in attitude since your posted your letter. Your original letter/post was full of anger and now you seem like it's no big deal.

 

 

regarding our not so perfect cruise so far. ,

so now HAL calls it's passengers liars??

 

we feel as if we have been called liars through all this

 

This along with other matters such as lost laundry to be found later, wrong balance on our shipboard account when boarding, which was resolved by the front desk again in a very efficient manner, and a few other small issues have left us with a very bad feeling.

For a first time cruiser on your cruiseline this is not a very professional way to start. We have 4 more days to go and are just holding our breath to see what is next. Let's see if the Dining room can get my husbands birthday right! I have only asked and checked 4 times.

 

I would hope you should be able to do something to reimburse me the $695 I am out due to the negligence of your security staff regarding the camera fiasco. Let alone all the other mishaps and the way we have been treated.

 

So, how did your husband's birthday turn out. I hope he was happy!