Brilliance of the Seas vets: Will you return to Royal Caribbean?

[canucks4]

"Affected" - the quality of being false or artificial (so as to impress others). Hmm...I thought it so much a better word than pompous a**hole!! Sorry, I'll be more blunt next time.

 

The meeting was arranged by several groups of passengers, both english and spanish (there was a translator there). The meeting was not posted but spread by word of mouth. There was well over half the passengers in attendance (I have a video). We heard about it from some people at the bar. Royal Carribean would not allow the organizers to use a microphone, and in fact removed the three available from the room. The sound technician continued playing music until the pressure grew and he finally relented and stopped playing the music.

 

The speakers shared their (and our) concerns about the decisions made by RCI management with respect to this voyage knowing the impact the weather had on the previous two voyages. It was not a forum to air complaints, rather a meeting to inform fellow passengers about their plan to request a cash refund rather than credit from RCI. They asked those who shared their interest to give their emails and anecdotal stories so they can meet with RCI to discuss their concerns further. The organizers stressed that their concerns were related to the management decisions and was not to be reflected in any way, shape or form on the service staff who for the most part remained impressive during a very difficult cruise.

 

Those are the facts.

 

I am not going to get into a squabble on a CC forum over what happened. There is likely going to be further investigation as to weather, passenger safety, ship status, etc. but anything further will be sheer speculation and opinion.

 

As far as concerns not related to delays, weather or missed ports, there were many - lost documents as noted by other posters (mine too), IT difficulties resulting in replacing our seapass cards 6 times, lines for tendering tickets, lines for cable tickets, lines for passport pickup, lines for refunds.....in our 10 cruises on RCI, I have never seen so many problems and so few staff who bothered to care.

 

I consider myself a loyal customer (diamond) having only sailed RCI, but I am not blind nor mindless to their faults. This was not a good cruise.

 

Done on this subject. Flame away!

[coxswain]

Canucks any plans to put the video on youtube ??

 

 

And as i've said check with lloyds list about the repairs ?

 

 

 

Another point i know a lot of staff went on leave after the 13th cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jj........

[maril]

Morning

My wife and I just returned from the 12 Briliance trip to Italy, Turkey and Greece and France.

I will make it brief for now but it was a disaster. High winds and seas had the ship come into Barcelona 1 1/2 days late. They put us up in a nice hotel.

During the course of the now 11 day trip, we missed 4 out of 8 ports of call due to weather.

Call before you leave because we didnt find out about the late arrival of our ship until we got off and into the bus at Barcelona. We traveled Oct 25 to Nov 6. No one likes to spend their last 4 days at sea.

maril

[Jenagain]

I was also on the 10/25 (10/26) sailing, part of a group of 29 on board. I did want to make a few points that have not been made yet.

 

- The 80+ mph winds happened on a scheduled sea day, and were not sustained. The majority of the day was well below that.

 

- Highest waves reports by Captain that I heard were 12 feet, and again they were not all the time - I've been in much worse, and on a smaller ship.

 

- Last day at sea after missing Naples we were traveling very slow, and the weather was not bad at all. I turned on the satellite channel at 5pm (which kept going off for hours on end, so you didn't know where you were), and we were traveling between 6 and 9 kph. By 7pm we were floating approximately 1 mile off the coast of Barcelona, and stayed there till they docked the next morning.

 

- The CD Gordon kept telling us this was the worst cruise he had ever experienced - not sure I needed to hear that frankly. He also let us know that he was taken to the hospital in Turkey for kidney stones, so I'm thinking the pain killers may have added to some of his affected behavior.

 

My opinion is that while weather certainly played a role in this misadventure, the "bottom line", the damaged ship, and the fact that this was the 3rd bad cruise played just as big of a role.

[jp45atcc]

Has Royal Caribbean explained to anyone the basis for payments to passengers caught up in this mess? The message from customer service to a passenger on our cruise was, essentially: You're getting what you're getting. No, we can't explain it; that's what corporate says, and that's all we know. This still takes me back to my original query: Will veterans of these Brilliance episodes return to Royal Caribbean?

[caldispatcher]

All I can say is that I did not have a good time. Miss 4 ports and was stuck on the ship for 7 days at sea.

 

Ok... Now for the real reason why we missed so many ports.

 

1) The shipped was damaged. 3 of the port window was busted in from the last cruise. They cover it up and sent the ship sailing. Not sure if this would affect the integrity of the ship thus causing the captain to slow the ship down to a crawl. It took us 3.5 days to get from Athens to Barcelona.

 

2) Someone was injured from the cruise before us, thus causing the captain to be more cautious? thus going extra slow.

 

I know that RCI can not control the weather but they can control the ship. If the ship was damage don't put people on the ship and send them to sea. RCI knew full well that the ship can not go at the speed it needed to to make it to all the ports. The only thing RCI was protecting was the bottom line. I hope RCI will do the right thing and refund everyone their money and avoid a embarrassing PR nightmare.

 

PS: there was a cruiser/lawyer on board the ship and she is negotiating a settlement for all the cruiser that were not happy. If anyone is interested post me your email address and I will give you more info.

 

Not sure if we will join in, but I would be greatly interested in what this lawyer has to say. Please send me info at frog_magnet@hotmail.com

[xpcdoojk]

gotta love it when CC becomes trolling for class action lawsuit victims... seems it always goes down this path.....:rolleyes:

 

Some things are so predictable that it is laughably easy to do.

 

jc

[jbatzmaru]

gotta love it when CC becomes trolling for class action lawsuit victims... seems it always goes down this path.....:rolleyes:

 

Some things are so predictable that it is laughably easy to do.

 

jc

 

 

Please don't misquote me. I did not say anything about a lawsuit. plus there is no need to troll for anything. The Pacifica theatre was pack with unhappy customer during our meeting on-board the ship.

[xpcdoojk]

Please don't misquote me. I did not say anything about a lawsuit. plus there is no need to troll for anything. The Pacifica theatre was pack with unhappy customer during our meeting on-board the ship.

 

 

Did I quote anyone? Answer, NO.

 

I wasn't even replying to a particular response, just a naturally re-occuring trend... guilty conscience?;)

 

jc

[coxswain]

Please don't misquote me. I did not say anything about a lawsuit. plus there is no need to troll for anything. The Pacifica theatre was pack with unhappy customer during our meeting on-board the ship.

 

 

 

And what would be wrong with a lawsuit ??

 

 

 

 

jj....

[HoosiersWhoCruise]

All I can say is that I did not have a good time. Miss 4 ports and was stuck on the ship for 7 days at sea.

 

Ok... Now for the real reason why we missed so many ports.

 

1) The shipped was damaged. 3 of the port window was busted in from the last cruise. They cover it up and sent the ship sailing. Not sure if this would affect the integrity of the ship thus causing the captain to slow the ship down to a crawl. It took us 3.5 days to get from Athens to Barcelona.

 

2) Someone was injured from the cruise before us, thus causing the captain to be more cautious? thus going extra slow.

 

I know that RCI can not control the weather but they can control the ship. If the ship was damage don't put people on the ship and send them to sea. RCI knew full well that the ship can not go at the speed it needed to to make it to all the ports. The only thing RCI was protecting was the bottom line. I hope RCI will do the right thing and refund everyone their money and avoid a embarrassing PR nightmare.

 

PS: there was a cruiser/lawyer on board the ship and she is negotiating a settlement for all the cruiser that were not happy. If anyone is interested post me your email address and I will give you more info.

 

My wife and I were on this cruise as well, can you email me the further information regarding this possible settlement? adamschueler@hotmail.com Thanks.

[jbatzmaru]

Did I quote anyone? Answer, NO.

 

I wasn't even replying to a particular response, just a naturally re-occuring trend... guilty conscience?;)

 

jc

 

guilty conscience? What is there to feel guilty about? I am an american, I will sue you for looking at me funny. It is my right. hahahahaaa

 

RCI was the one who did not live up to their contract and thus taking the easy way out and blaming it on the weather. They know the ship was damage and they should not have taken us to sea. At the very least be up front about it and offer us an option to board or not to board from the get go.

[xpcdoojk]

guilty conscience? What is there to feel guilty about? I am an american, I will sue you for looking at me funny. It is my right. hahahahaaa

 

RCI was the one who did not live up to their contract and thus taking the easy way out and blaming it on the weather. They know the ship was damage and they should not have taken us to sea. At the very least be up front about it and offer us an option to board or not to board from the get go.

 

Ok, I agree with you if you can prove it was not seaworthy. O, what you can't? The ability to sail at 20 knots or 5 is not the definition of sea worthy by the way.

 

Love these threads where people act offended when someone suggests they might be trolling for a lawsuit and then immediately makes posts about lawsuits.

 

Good luck with this... enjoy your windmills.:rolleyes:

 

jc

[Captain Jake]

After all the drama on the Brilliance this year I think I should think about booking the Med next year.The odds will favor smooth sailing

:cj

[xpcdoojk]

After all the drama on the Brilliance this year I think I should think about booking the Med next year.The odds will favor smooth sailing

:cj

 

cj, could you imagine the drama if they had cancelled the sailings completely after the "damage", or because of the weather. OMG, my life was ruined because RCI cancelled the cruise for no reason, just a little ding. I had planned and saved for this trip my entire life and now they have ruined it all. I will never sail with them again. ;)

 

I, personally, can't imagine going to a protest meeting while on a vacation. I must not be wired the modern way. It seems like it is quite the rage....:rolleyes:

 

jc

[Jenagain]

cj, could you imagine the drama if they had cancelled the sailings completely after the "damage", or because of the weather. OMG, my life was ruined because RCI cancelled the cruise for no reason, just a little ding. I had planned and saved for this trip my entire life and now they have ruined it all. I will never sail with them again. ;)

 

I, personally, can't imagine going to a protest meeting while on a vacation. I must not be wired the modern way. It seems like it is quite the rage....:rolleyes:

 

jc

 

 

No need to mock jc...as someone who was on board it was certainly not what I signed up for. Yes, I know mother nature blah, blah, blah....but really, you try being at sea 7 out of 11 days with 2100 cranky passengers and 800 cranky crew and see what kind of mood you're in. I however did not attend the protest meeting, and will wait to see the RCL offers prior to going to corporate.

 

That said, I'm lucky to still be young enough and have the means to take this trip again, but for many that is not the case.

[xpcdoojk]

No need to mock jc...as someone who was on board it was certainly not what I signed up for. Yes, I know mother nature blah, blah, blah....but really, you try being at sea 7 out of 11 days with 2100 cranky passengers and 800 cranky crew and see what kind of mood you're in. I however did not attend the protest meeting, and will wait to see the RCL offers prior to going to corporate.

 

That said, I'm lucky to still be young enough and have the means to take this trip again, but for many that is not the case.

 

Well, my next cruise is a 13 day cruise, and there are 8 sea days, including 6 in a row. I didn't book it thinking was going to be torturous. I must be crazy as I am very eager to go.

 

I understand and sympathise with your cruise not being everything you hoped it would be. I truly do.

 

jc

[tally10]

We had a "normal" cruise on the Brilliance in December, 2007. It was a transatlantic for 15 days. This was our least favorite cruise of all of our cruises. We have been on its twin, the Jewel of the Seas twice and loved the Jewel. I did not like the whole experience. The food was bad and the service in the dining room was horrible. Our room steward was just fair. Sometimes I think it is just the luck of the draw as far as the service part goes, but we have always maintained that we would never go back on this ship, and we really like RCCL. We can't imagine being on her with all of the problems everyone had. We could not wait for the cruise to be over. A lot of Cruise Critic people love this ship, but we weren't part of that group.

[Sue L]

Ok, I agree with you if you can prove it was not seaworthy. O, what you can't? The ability to sail at 20 knots or 5 is not the definition of sea worthy by the way.

 

Love these threads where people act offended when someone suggests they might be trolling for a lawsuit and then immediately makes posts about lawsuits.

 

Good luck with this... enjoy your windmills.:rolleyes:

 

jc

 

The ship was fixed when we left Barcelona, it is why we stayed in port all night and didn't leave until the morning of the 14th as they worked all night on it. They originally had announced that we would not be leaving until mid-late afternoon. At 9:15 am or so we were awoken by an announcement that muster would be in 30 minutes. During muster they said the repairs were completed ahead of schedule and we would be leaving around 11am and we did. We were sailing at 22+ knots when the weather permitted on ours.

 

So my question is how is everyone claiming the ship was damaged when we saw it was fixed? Are you saying there was further damage or they didn't really fix what they were fixing that night?

[H2Otstr]

Sue,

 

What is your Avatar a picture of? Saw a similar ship when we were in Sorrento.

[Aubiecruiser]

Have been on four cruises on the Brilliance, the last one in the Med last year and of all four, only one cruise (2004) was less than anticipated. If I didn't have to fly half way around the world, I'd cruise again on her without reservation. Things go wrong, sorry, but some days are diamonds and some days are rocks.

Aubie

[jbatzmaru]

cj, could you imagine the drama if they had cancelled the sailings completely after the "damage", or because of the weather. OMG, my life was ruined because RCI cancelled the cruise for no reason, just a little ding. I had planned and saved for this trip my entire life and now they have ruined it all. I will never sail with them again. ;)

 

I, personally, can't imagine going to a protest meeting while on a vacation. I must not be wired the modern way. It seems like it is quite the rage....:rolleyes:

 

jc

 

or maybe.... they could have been upfront about it and given us option.

you know freedom to choose.....

 

Captain J. the brilliance will no longer be cruising the meds. Crew member told me that they are going to cruise around dubai next year.

[Jenagain]

Well, my next cruise is a 13 day cruise, and there are 8 sea days, including 6 in a row. I didn't book it thinking was going to be torturous. I must be crazy as I am very eager to go.

 

I understand and sympathise with your cruise not being everything you hoped it would be. I truly do.

 

jc

 

That would work for me if I knew that going in, and just wanted to have a relaxing time. However, for this particular trip it was all about the ports and basically the ship was just going to be a place to sleep.

[SmokinActuary]

Captain J. the brilliance will no longer be cruising the meds. Crew member told me that they are going to cruise around dubai next year.

 

I thought they cruise Dubai during the winter and then return to the Med, because I am booked on the Brilliance next July.

[jbatzmaru]

The ship was fixed when we left Barcelona, it is why we stayed in port all night and didn't leave until the morning of the 14th as they worked all night on it. They originally had announced that we would not be leaving until mid-late afternoon. At 9:15 am or so we were awoken by an announcement that muster would be in 30 minutes. During muster they said the repairs were completed ahead of schedule and we would be leaving around 11am and we did. We were sailing at 22+ knots when the weather permitted on ours.

 

So my question is how is everyone claiming the ship was damaged when we saw it was fixed? Are you saying there was further damage or they didn't really fix what they were fixing that night?

 

Nobody knows for sure except RCI. maybe the ship was fix but they did a patch job and something fell apart again. or the captain was scare to put the ship to the test. but all i know was that I was not happy with how RCI handle the whole situation. I am only 33 years old so I have time and money to go to europe again. but i am really piss off right about now and I am letting all my friends and family know how I feel. I already convenience 2 of my friend to cancel with RCI and book with someone else. hahahahahaaaa I am going to get my refund one way or another.

 

Sue L- If you left on 10/14 how long was your cruise and when did you get back to Barcelona?