Galviston Nightmare

[poobears]

Aww now here I was feeling bad for you and then you had to go insulting people you dont' even know and talking trash. I'll cruise on whatever line gives me the best service and deal for my money. I don't care if it's Carnival, RCCL, NCL etc. so I'm not a cheerleader. All lines have some classless people on them, I'm sure you'll find one that fits you.

[mzloolue]

In defense of the OP, I know from past problems that Carnival does NOT deal well with problems. .. it may be part of his frustration, the lack of communication, or whatever ..we dont know all of why he is upset. I hate the flaming that people get who have a beef with Carnival and come to post it get.

 

This is very true.

When things are going well everything is fine and dandy.

But when there is a problem, Carnival does not deal well.

Unless and until one has this particular Carnival experience, then it is probably difficult to understand the level of frustration that people experience.

 

With Carnival, for me, the best advice is that they provide a good value generally, but when things go wrong do not expect anything. At embarkation and debarkation be prepared like a boy scout...water, meds, umbrella, jacket...you never know...

[prattmom]

While I can't applaud the op's attitude, I do find it interesting that fog was mentioned several times in the negotiations for the galveston/magic home port...

[mariemorgan]

© The Vessel shall be entitled to leave and enter ports with or without pilots or tugs, to tow and assist other vessels in any circumstances, to return to or enter any port at the Master’s discretion and for any purpose and to deviate in any direction or for any purpose from the direct or usual course, and to omit or change any or all port calls, arrival or departure times, with or without notice, for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to safety, security, adverse weather, strikes, tides, hostilities, civil unrest, port closings, emergency debarkations of Guests or crew, or late air, sea, car or motor coach departures or arrivals, mechanical breakdowns, US or foreign governmental advisories or travel warnings, all such deviations being considered as forming part of and included in the proposed voyage. Carnival shall have no liability for any compensation or other damages in such circumstances.other than as provided by Carnival’s change of itinerary policy at the time Guest or his agent acknowledges receipt and acceptance of the terms and conditions of the cruise ticket contract. Carnival’s change of itinerary policy can be found at http://www.carnival.com.

[pamletx]

I find this thread interesting because while a few are actually reading it - others just want to attack ..

 

It was not JUST a fog delay .. it WAS way out of the norm .. not just a couple hours waiting .. we waited to get in line BECAUSE of the fog and STILL waited 8 hours .. As I said before there were immigration issues .. (which could possibly be blamed on Customs I suppose .. or whoever did not have the foresight to realize that having a number of non US citizens disembarking on Easter Sunday ..a holiday.. :rolleyes: )

 

mzloolue - you've got it right - be prepared - not just for a Carnival embarkation - but anytime one travels .. it doesn't take much more to have a light sweater, some snacks .. shoot even a couple bandaids .. not to mention a few tylenol and benedryl .. The older I get the more that goes in the "go" bag.. hahaha..

 

And to those who are "poo pooing" the experience .. you had to be there I guess .. it wasn't fun .. and Carnival COULD have done a better job .. that doesn't mean I won't sail them again - I've loved the cruising experience .. and the next morning the whole experience was a distant memory .. (except for the achy bones.. hahaha).

 

To be honest it never occured to me to try for more compensation .. mostly because I'd seen how Carnival handles these things .. at least I acknowledged that sometime they DON'T get it right .. oh well ..

[cbpanda]

Wow. The few who were on the ship know what I am talking about. The majority here obviously have no idea what the passengers went through looking at the ship from 3:30 to midnight just sitting there.

 

I feel badly that you had such a bad experience, but I guess I just don't understand what posting daily on multiple cruise forums on the internet will accomplish? Does it make you feel better? Because it's not like you're complaining directly to Carnival. Are you trying to dissuade people from cruising? :confused:

[willandjonsmom]

Wow!! I am always amazed when people want compensation for weather related problems, stop and think about the rest of the passengers waiting to board that Ship that may not want to be put in danger I am sure they were just as frustrated as you were but not all of them jumped off the Ship and started posting complaints on CC and I am sure alot of those passengers have many more post then you do. Weather happens and I say a Big Thank You to the US Coast Guard and the Port Authority for keeping my friends and fellow CC Members Safe.

[truchattycathy]

Ok, I just have the wrong attitude. One of my cruises out of Galveston was delayed. Carnival advised us to go have lunch and we would be given a $15 credit to compensate and they told us when to return to the ship for the anticipated departure.

 

We left the ship, had lunch, drinks and a great time on the strand. We walked around and enjoyed Galveston. Returned when we were told. Waited a little longer and finally boarded the ship. We were thrilled we got lunch pd for by Carnival and got to spend the afternoon in Galveston.

 

It is all in the way you view the world.

 

Sorry OP was not happy, but we were!

[pamletx]

Ok, I just have the wrong attitude. One of my cruises out of Galveston was delayed. Carnival advised us to go have lunch and we would be given a $15 credit to compensate and they told us when to return to the ship for the anticipated departure.

 

We left the ship, had lunch, drinks and a great time on the strand. We walked around and enjoyed Galveston. Returned when we were told. Waited a little longer and finally boarded the ship. We were thrilled we got lunch pd for by Carnival and got to spend the afternoon in Galveston.

 

It is all in the way you view the world.

 

Sorry OP was not happy, but we were!

 

You must have been one of the "early" ones - those of us who arrived when told had no idea that

 

1. We would be compensated for a meal

2. That it would be 8 more hours waiting in line .. (in their defense I don't think THEY realized it would be that long .. I'd also heard they had a NUMBER of arrests to be made before they could start disembarkation..).

 

I really couldn't have cared less about the 15.00 .. I would have LOVED to know that boarding wouldn't start until after 10pm .. we would have gone and had supper .. but didn't dare leave because we kept being advised it would just be another hour at most..

 

That's what I mean about Carnival could have done a better job in communicating.. people in one part of the line got one set of info .. people in another part OTHER info ..

[Cushing985]

I think most of us realize Carnival doesn't keep "the masses" informed when there is a problem. Making numerous anouncements on the PA system probably would have minimized the frustrations experienced. I'm not sure why the line didn't direct people to dining venues as they boarded but that too would have gone a long way toward calming people down. But to demand compensation (other than an allowance for meals missed onboard) is over the top and isn't going to happen. If you're not happy with Carnival vote with your feet. Or send a well reasoned letter to Carnival detailing the problems and include suggestions on how to improve.

[Marla07860]

wow this story about getting on the boat late, my friend got free disney park tickets and a free night at hotel when she went on her cruise and it was delayed

[SATXLady]

I thought something would be done by Carnival, but all they gave us was $15 each for a meal?! I sent a letter and got a horrible reply back saying it was not Carnivals fault. Well, it wasnt mine! I am waiting for my travel agent to get a reply and then hitting every forum and paper I can find to share our story. This is the first one and I will go to a new one every day that I do not get a satisfactory response. So far customer care at Carnival is horrible.

 

Cleavelander63, what were you expecting? What do you think you should get from Carnival? You have never stated what you thought they owed you or what you want.

 

As has been pointed out several times already, what you received was actually more than required by the contract. Sorry you were unhappy but I hope the rest of your cruise was pleasant. If you find that you can get better value for your money elsewhere, then I highly recommend that you chose a different cruise line next time. So far, I find that Carnival gives me the best value for my money so I will continue to cruise with them.

[stewpapa]

We too were cruising on this day in April. It was a bad day...Easter Sunday. We were at Galveston waiting to board the Voyager for hours..... It was a bad day. We were lucky to be inside....some were outside. We were each given $20 or $25, I forget, OBC for missing lunch. Once we were on the ship, we left that bad day far behind in the fog in Galveston. Things could have been done better, I'm sure, but everyone seemed to be trying and fog and port authority is beyond their control. The captain made a great effort to make sure we did not miss our first port...Roatan! It was a bad day followed by a great week.

[pamletx]

wow this story about getting on the boat late, my friend got free disney park tickets and a free night at hotel when she went on her cruise and it was delayed

 

That doesn't surprise me .. but of course even at Galveston's prices (which tend to be higher than out of FL) .. Your friend probably paid at least 1/2 as much as someone cruising on Carnival..

 

I know I wasn't expecting ANY compensation - the 15.00 OBC was welcome .. which really covered one meal ..

 

As I said before - communication would have been nice .. it would have been nice if there was someone on Carnival's staff that would have anticipated the problem's they'd have with Customs so folks wouldn't have had to wait for 8 more hours beyond the time they told us to arrive.. (they had advised to arrive at 4 if I remember correctly..)

[pamletx]

We too were cruising on this day in April. It was a bad day...Easter Sunday. We were at Galveston waiting to board the Voyager for hours..... It was a bad day. We were lucky to be inside....some were outside. We were each given $20 or $25, I forget, OBC for missing lunch. Once we were on the ship, we left that bad day far behind in the fog in Galveston. Things could have been done better, I'm sure, but everyone seemed to be trying and fog and port authority is beyond their control. The captain made a great effort to make sure we did not miss our first port...Roatan! It was a bad day followed by a great week.

 

Actually I think the fact that two fairly large ships disembarking at the same time was a big part of the problem with Custom's .. it was the holiday weekend .. and from what I gathered Custom's was no where near adequately staffed to handle the mass of non US Citizens .. since it was Easter weekend there was an larger number than usual..

[LHP]

First of all, (IMHO) a "nightmare" is the death of a child....

 

this was an inconvenience.

 

 

One has to wonder what people do who book a non-refundable resort for 5 days to lay out and enjoy all the water activities only to have it rain 24 hours every day?

 

 

Travelers understand that "weather happens"....

[Country_Gal]

Maybe I am going to ask the airlines to compensate me next time my flight is delayed. . . .

[Traveler353]

I seem to recall that Mobile was having a fog problem about this same time. At least one cruise was delayed overnight while the ship steamed in circles outside of Mobile Bay waiting for the fog to clear. Only an 8 hours delay would have sounded pretty good to them I bet. From reports Carnival did not handle the information flow to the passangers there any better. Carnival really does need to do some customer service training for its terminal employees.

[SATXLady]

By the way, Carnival DOES care about the Fog problem. Read the article about the new homeporting of the Carnival Magic in Galveston. http://galvestondailynews.com/story/158611

 

An extract:

The Port of Galveston’s governing board Tuesday authorized extensive renovation and expansion of the Texas Cruise Ship Terminal at Pier 25 to accommodate the 3,690-passenger Magic.

 

That work — requested by Carnival during negotiations — could cost from $8 million to $10 million, Port Director Steve Cernak said.

....

Carnival also is asking the port to move screening for embarking passengers from the terminal’s second floor to the first and expand waiting areas, adding restrooms and seating in the event of long fog delays.

 

Renovations and changes also would include a system allowing passengers to check in and obtain room assignments and then explore downtown during fog delays.

 

Passengers would be given a time to return to the terminal, which would ease anxiety about missing the cruise, Cernak said. The new system would require passengers to move through security only once. Now, they must go through security each time they enter the terminal.

[pamletx]

By the way, Carnival DOES care about the Fog problem. Read the article about the new homeporting of the Carnival Magic in Galveston. http://galvestondailynews.com/story/158611

 

An extract:

 

Good to know!! It really would have made waiting MUCH easier if there was somewhere to sit other than the floor .. laugh ...

[cbpanda]

By the way, Carnival DOES care about the Fog problem. Read the article about the new homeporting of the Carnival Magic in Galveston. http://galvestondailynews.com/story/158611

 

An extract:

 

 

This sounds like good news for those of you sailing out of Galveston. :)

[pamletx]

I seem to recall that Mobile was having a fog problem about this same time. At least one cruise was delayed overnight while the ship steamed in circles outside of Mobile Bay waiting for the fog to clear. Only an 8 hours delay would have sounded pretty good to them I bet. From reports Carnival did not handle the information flow to the passangers there any better. Carnival really does need to do some customer service training for its terminal employees.

 

Gosh - that sounds lousy .. wonder where they had to wait .. actually our 8 hours STARTED at 4pm .. Some waited much longer that had done the "get there early to get on first" .. Some were there from about 9 - 10am .. more like 14 hours for them .. They were inside on the chairs .. and from what I heard about 1/2 of them got sandwiches ..

 

Believe me .. I'm not complaining - truly am not - plan on sailing Carnival again .. I really love it .. I guess I just want to acknowledge that while the OP's "presentation" is less than admirable .. he had a point in that Carnival did a lousy job of handling the situation .. too bad he did start this thread in a nicer manner a closer to the return home. I'd almost forgotten what it was like .. thinking about it made me remember what a lousy afternoon/evening .. into the night it was ..

[TMWTim]

This sounds like good news for those of you sailing out of Galveston. :)

 

 

YES!!! Finally this thread is getting somewhere. I am sooo excited to have the Magic heading to Galveston. I love the Conquest but after three cruises on her it will be nice to change things up.

[chickie_mite]

I am sure someone has posted about this incident before, but I did not think I needed to start hitting the cruise forums until Carnival ignored my problem. April cruise out of Galviston was delayed due to weather (so they say) and we did not get into our room until 11 hours after we should have. We missed lunch and dinner and had to stand in an open cement area with no luggage for most of the day. I thought something would be done by Carnival, but all they gave us was $15 each for a meal?! I sent a letter and got a horrible reply back saying it was not Carnivals fault. Well, it wasnt mine! I am waiting for my travel agent to get a reply and then hitting every forum and paper I can find to share our story. This is the first one and I will go to a new one every day that I do not get a satisfactory response. So far customer care at Carnival is horrible.

 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. We had a situation in our room on the Dream which prevented us from using our cabin for the first 14 hours of the cruise (we got into our cabin at about 3:00 in the morning).

 

We spoke with Guest Relations about the situation throughout the day/evening/early morning hours. At no time did we ask for compensation, and at no time was compensation offered to us; at no time did we raise our voices or threaten or belittle Guest Relations personnel.

 

When we arrived home, we did speak to Guest Relations (on shore). We found Shelly Wilcox to be very empathic and sympathetic, and we were compensated for our inconvenience.

 

I understand your frustration, but perhaps your tone and attitude may give Carnival a reason not to want further communication with you? On board, the first Guest Relations person didn't handle the situation well---in fact, much of the delay in getting the situation resolved was probably due to her inaction. Even still.....my mother always taught me that a person gets further with sugar than with vinegar.

[Marla07860]

That doesn't surprise me .. but of course even at Galveston's prices (which tend to be higher than out of FL) .. Your friend probably paid at least 1/2 as much as someone cruising on Carnival..

 

I know I wasn't expecting ANY compensation - the 15.00 OBC was welcome .. which really covered one meal ..

 

As I said before - communication would have been nice .. it would have been nice if there was someone on Carnival's staff that would have anticipated the problem's they'd have with Customs so folks wouldn't have had to wait for 8 more hours beyond the time they told us to arrive.. (they had advised to arrive at 4 if I remember correctly..)

 

haha, my friend paid more then someone crusing on Carnival. Besides a hotel for the night my friend told me they didn't except any compensation. Sounds like my friends story communication could have been a little better.