Disappointing end to July 17th Freedom cruise

[SamInWa]

That's a bummer to be sure.

 

Thanks for posting your experience. It ceratainly has given me a few things to think about in the future as I often have a pretty early flight.

 

I'll be checking my travel insurance to make see if it covered delays like this, but I think it does. It good to remember that not all travel insurance covers the same sorts of things.

[branch155]

That's a bummer to be sure.

 

Thanks for posting your experience. It ceratainly has given me a few things to think about in the future as I often have a pretty early flight.

 

I'll be checking my travel insurance to make see if it covered delays like this, but I think it does. It good to remember that not all travel insurance covers the same sorts of things.

 

Your last paragraph is the surprising part to me -- that, per our travel agent, the insurance we bought didn't cover this. Caveat emptor, I suppose. Make sure you ask exactly what is covered.

[branch155]

Hey. Good idea. Screen for any pre-existing medical condition so their issues don't inconvenience you. And screen for appearance and weight to ensure that they are appealing to your eye, including the type of clothing and hair color. And those who are athletic are almost as good as you but not quite so you can continue to be the most appealing person on board (at least in your eyes).

 

Anything else? Income requirements?

 

In checking the fine print of Cruise Care, it appears that delays, diversions, etc. that are caused by your pre-existing conditions could result in insurance not covering the cost of said delays.

 

And yes, I get sarcasm.

[dachshunddoglover]

There is another thread from a lady complaining about how long it took to get on the ship once it returned to Port Canaveral. It was stated on that thread that the gentleman did indeed pass away. Sympathy to the family in this difficult time.

E-Beth

[CptSticky]

This thread has started me thinking about some of the assumptions that we seem to all make in regards to cruising. Most of us realize that there are often delays in getting to the ship at the start of our cruise so we buy insurance or in my case, travel a day or so early in order to not miss the ship. But, in my case, I never arrange to stay a day or two extra at the end. I always assume that getting home will be no problem. Yes, I have run into situations with both the cruise line and with airlines that have caused me problems getting home. Being delayed is a fact of travel. When it happens on the way to the cruise, we consider it normal, make allowances for it and don't blame the airline and demand compensation. So apparently we as a group have grown to accept delays in the travel industry, but for some reason, not with cruise lines. If there is a delay with them, then it's horrible and we are not willing to adjust like we would with other types of travel.

As I said to start, I need to think about this some more and decide if I need to make some changes in how I travel.

Off soap box, flame suit on.

[dunblane.andersons]

Thank you Mainer. We too were on this cruise and you have expressed our feelings as well. In particular......

 

 

The ship was diverted for a medical emergency and I have every confidence that there were specific reasons for the choice of going to Nassau that were made by people more qualified than I would be. I see no reason for the experts to have to explain their reasoning to me than for an airline pilot to explain why they chose a specific airport in an emergency. They do what they need to do based upon conditions. What was done on another ship at another time is not this instance. And the fact that they do it all the time on TV really doesn't matter.

 

Our group discussed that it must have been a very difficult decision for the captain and the crew to make such a diversion and it would have been done after serious consideration of all the events.

 

 

One of the largest factors I saw in the overall delay getting off the ship was people scrambling for the exits before the ship was even docked. It was hours before they could begin calling numbered luggage tags because so many people felt themselves too important to wait in line. These are the folks I consider to have caused me to miss my 4:00 flight.

 

We were not affected by the delay as we were doing a B2B but I would agree with this point. There were constant announcements asking people to remain patient and not to disembark before their alloted luggage tags were called. We were unable to board the ship again (for the second leg) until well after 2:00 because of the delay but fortunately this was not a problem for us.

 

 

I would also agree with Evaluator, that some PAX may have been using Facebook to contact relatives etc. I know that I had to contact someone later in the week and used FB for that very reason, not having her email contact details with me.

 

Our group's feeling was that the Captain and the staff did a good job of keeping everyone up to date with the changes to the itinerary. Perhaps I am mistaken, but I thought that there was an announcement stating that ship to shore calls and the internet would be available (ie no charge) for those needing to make arrangements.

[branch155]

This thread has started me thinking about some of the assumptions that we seem to all make in regards to cruising. Most of us realize that there are often delays in getting to the ship at the start of our cruise so we buy insurance or in my case, travel a day or so early in order to not miss the ship. But, in my case, I never arrange to stay a day or two extra at the end. I always assume that getting home will be no problem. Yes, I have run into situations with both the cruise line and with airlines that have caused me problems getting home. Being delayed is a fact of travel. When it happens on the way to the cruise, we consider it normal, make allowances for it and don't blame the airline and demand compensation. So apparently we as a group have grown to accept delays in the travel industry, but for some reason, not with cruise lines. If there is a delay with them, then it's horrible and we are not willing to adjust like we would with other types of travel.

As I said to start, I need to think about this some more and decide if I need to make some changes in how I travel.

Off soap box, flame suit on.

 

That is my conclusion, as well. I need to do things differently in the future (comprehensive insurance, flight at a later time, etc).

[xxHadleyxx]

I can well imagine your frustration and growing worries as your time ti port got longer and longer and your wait to get through to Southwest grew. That said, now that you are home and have had time to calm down I cannot see why you are still angry at RCI or what makes you think they responded unprofessionally. All of your examples seem to me to be things that would be expected (yes, of course, in such a situation there will be long lines for phones and computers; there is a limited amount of Guest Services staff on the ship to help out--probably all WERE there, etc.)

 

One piece of advice I have not seen (maybe I have missed it) is to get a GOOD travel agent. We would have made one call to our fabulous agent (via our cell--we'd pay through the nose for it but it would be worthwhile) and explained the situation and SHE would have figured out alternatives, booked whatever seemed the best option (she knows us well and in those circumstances we would trust her to make the best decision and do it without having to reconfirm with us) and then called her back when we got to port to find out what we were doing. I am more than capable of bookign and pricing trips myself (and in fact usually email my TA and tell her exactly what I want to book and what the price is;)) BUT knowing my TA has my back in a situation such as this is golden.

 

Also--I agree with the recommendation of a pp to buy third party insurance which covers flights as well as cruise (I also prefer insuremytrip,com). I see no point in having insurance which does not cover you door to door.

 

My family and I were on this cruise and I've got a few comments....

 

 

1. The ship was diverted for a medical emergency and I have every confidence that there were specific reasons for the choice of going to Nassau that were made by people more qualified than I would be. I see no reason for the experts to have to explain their reasoning to me than for an airline pilot to explain why they chose a specific airport in an emergency. They do what they need to do based upon conditions. What was done on another ship at another time is not this instance. And the fact that they do it all the time on TV really doesn't matter.
    
    
   
2. Review this board for any amount of time or just think about it a bit. There are many reasons why a ship could be delayed in leaving for the trip or returning. I choose to have RCI take care of my air and ground transportation arrangements and, as such, had no additional air or lodging expense when I missed my flight and had to be moved to another the following day. If you choose to save a few dollars by making your own reservations and cut times close you will eventually end up paying the price. For those choosing to make their own reservations… why should RCI be responsible to changing your reservations for you when they state in more that one place that arrival time is subject to change?
    
    
   
3. It is likely technologically impractical to provide the ability to give everyone on the ship who needs it concurrent access to telephone or internet service. Even if it is possible the likelihood that it will be needed is slim and the cost would increase fees even further.
    
    
   
4. One of the largest factors I saw in the overall delay getting off the ship was people scrambling for the exits before the ship was even docked. It was hours before they could begin calling numbered luggage tags because so many people felt themselves too important to wait in line. These are the folks I consider to have caused me to miss my 4:00 flight.
    
    
   

I think you sound very reasonable :)

 

This thread has started me thinking about some of the assumptions that we seem to all make in regards to cruising. Most of us realize that there are often delays in getting to the ship at the start of our cruise so we buy insurance or in my case, travel a day or so early in order to not miss the ship. But, in my case, I never arrange to stay a day or two extra at the end. I always assume that getting home will be no problem. Yes, I have run into situations with both the cruise line and with airlines that have caused me problems getting home. Being delayed is a fact of travel. When it happens on the way to the cruise, we consider it normal, make allowances for it and don't blame the airline and demand compensation. So apparently we as a group have grown to accept delays in the travel industry, but for some reason, not with cruise lines. If there is a delay with them, then it's horrible and we are not willing to adjust like we would with other types of travel.

As I said to start, I need to think about this some more and decide if I need to make some changes in how I travel.

Off soap box, flame suit on.

Interesting point!:) Personally, I fly in early because I will be devastated if I miss my cruise. If I miss my flight home and we are a day or two late getting back to work and school I will not be all that upset;)

[MrsPete]

Good thought on the relative/friend, although that's a pretty big "ask". Per Google Maps, Raleigh is a 10 1/2 hour drive from Port Canaveral. Had I known what would ultimately be required to change the flight, I would have either a) rented a car and driven home or b) gotten a flight Monday morning.

Yeah, it's a "big ask", but I'd ask my mom or one of my brothers to figure out a way for me to get home. Likewise, if one of them called me in such an emergency, I'd be most happy to get them fixed up in a jiffy.

 

We're not far from Raleigh, and we've made that drive MANY TIMES (most recently in June), and it's no way a 10 1/2 hour drive -- it's 8 on the road; we always stop twice for gas, once for a lunchtime meal, and we make it in around 9 hours.

 

The only way that'd take 10 1/2 hours is if you're on the opposite side of Raleigh and have to face Beltway traffic at rush hour -- I was in that mess last week, and I always forget just how horrendous it is.

[Artemis]

@SuchAVirgo, wow, thanks for the clarification that RCI's "CruiseCare" extends some benefits to independent air. That is new since the last time I compared RCI's coverage to third-party insurance, and it sure makes things easy for those whose risks are fully met by RCI's coverage. (The lack of a pre-existing condition waiver remains a deal-breaker for me. It's saved my bacon twice now! We are healthy, but like most people, we have loved ones at home with the usual assortment of pre-ex conditions that sometimes require our attention.)

 

@branch155, now that I've been digging in further on the insurance issue, I am wondering if any carrier offers "comprehensive" insurance for this sort of occurence?! I just reviewed RCI's "CruiseCare" provisions as well as those contained in my most recent third-party trip insurance (CSA) policy. Under the CSA policy, a delay of 6 hours is required before "trip delay" coverage applies...so my third-party coverage likely wouldn't have been of any help in this case. Is that the the reason your TA is of the opinion your policy won't help? (I think the shortest trip delay provision out there is 5 hours, many underwriters require up to 12 hours delay before coverage is triggered.) It doesn't appear RCI's trip delay coverage is based on a specific number of hours of delay, so it might apply here. Their benefit is limited to $500, though, and it's not stated as "per person," so I assume that's the max they pay regardless of the number in your party. Even a couple would likely go out-of-pocket on the usual airline change fees at $150 a pop plus the increase in air fare between advance booking and same day booking. (Thank your lucky stars your original air was with Southwest because even if it's not refundable, you won't pay a change fee to use it in the future.)

 

@CptSticky, thanks for the thoughtful post.

[Scotty G]

OP, I understand that you did not have an issue with this but it may clear it up for some others.

 

There was a previous thread on this that I will add the link to. It included the following from someone who has the knowledge and authority to discuss the helicopter and medical emergency issue. Take it as gospel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaUs

If the ship is at sea, med helicopters don't usually land because it's very dangerous. They send down a basket

 

Response:

"I've several comments on this point and I'm not going to try and weave them together ... my qualification for giving them tho: 30 years in USCG, many of those on ships in cruise ship territory and in many cases being the launching point of a helo doing a cruise ship medivac as the On Scene Commander - I sat in the Captain's chair.

 

- landing a helo on a ship is nothing for the feint of heart, it is a demanding operation with huge risk. Helo pilots do not like to land on ships (unless they NEED TO LAND NOW and a ship is the only place they can find :D). Among the problems is if they land and find a mechanical problem and reg's say they can not launch again - they're stuck...

 

- to land on my ship a helo from our own organization had to land 20 plus times a month for training to keep our qualification for the crash crew. Of course a commercial vessel can decide who lands and who does not but reg's prohibited even a helo from another service from landing on my deck 'cuz we were not trained for it. Does the commercial pilot even want to risk it is a different question but I'm still waiting for a picture of a commercial air-amb hoisting or landing in the 'vicinity' of the US. Captain of a cruise ship can OK anyone he wants . . .

 

- there has to be a helo available. Contrary to popular belief the average air ambulance has zero training or availablity to even fly over open water much less land on a ship OR perform a hoist to/fm a ship at sea. In my 30 years I never saw it ... period. The Bahamas - for this case - has no intrinsic air sea rescue capability. Yes there is the BDF with a few boats and BASRA but neither has a helo with ship landing qualification or at sea hoist capability. If a hoist happens in the Bahamas it was by a USCG helo. That helo was either a helo of opportunity (a pre-deployed helo for another mission :rolleyes: or a helo on a ship also there for another mission :rolleyes:)

 

- if you think a hoist is easier .... NO, but it eliminates several issues for the helo like the problems of landing and not being able to launch. USCG guys practice ship hoists a LOT .... again I'll say I've NEVER seen or heard of a commercial ambulance hoist in US waters in the last 30 years

 

- If there was no USCG helo of opportunity available there are two choices, go to a port where the patient can be transferred to a treatment facility, or keep the person aboard until the next port. In a typical case of this sort, the ship contacts the internationally recognized rescue coordination center for a medical emergency. For the Bahamas this is going to be the Seventh Coast Guard District, Miami Florida Command Center. Even tho the ship is in the Bahamas, they contact the US . . . The command center is going to put the ship's doctor in touch with a USCG Flight Surgeon (actually a doctor detailed from US Public Health Service). The FS will make a recommendation as whether the patient can stay on board until the next port or is better evacuated sooner assuming sooner means air or heading to the nearest port. This is done in consultation with the Command Center and in some cases by contacting the helo facilities in the area (like my ship) to determine if and how soon a resource might be available. After all these facts come in the flight surgeon and the sar mission controller make a decision as to which way the case will be handled

 

- keep all this in mind when you sail, and when your congressman has the opportunity to comment on the USCG budget. Security and safety in the Carib' is due to USCG - end of editorial.

 

- Sea story from not that long ago - I was in command of a CG cutter on patrol off the coast of Haiti monitoring illegal migration. In the middle of the night a cruise ship contacted the RCC - they had a patient with a very hot appendix and were in the passage between Cuba and Haiti - the Windward passage. What were the options? the nearest hospitals were Nassau? and Port Au Prince ???? and Guantanamo and all were more then a 24 hour sail away. Hmmm, where does that air ambulance come from? In the end - decided in an hour or so - I launched the helo off my ship which went to the cruise ship and hoisted the patient around 1 am, they then returned to my ship where we quickly refueled the helo - around 2 am - and it then flew to the Navy Base at Guantanamo Cuba where the patient rec'd emergency surgery.... "

__________________

Capt BJ

 

Link to Post # 111 by Capt BJ: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1450488&highlight=uscg+helicopter&page=6

[wcook]

Why is RCCL at fault?

I don't think it's an issue of "fault" but rather one of "could RCI do more."

 

When a ship is delayed, RCI knows they could have 1,000 people needing to call their airline that the the ship-to-shore communication capacity isn't nearly enough to deal with it. RCI also just happens to employ many travel specialists with plenty of access and connection back in the US.

 

It sure would be nice if RCI could find a way to help crusiers whose ship will be delayed. I know it's not necessarily easy, and there are going to be problems. But I think it beats the altertive of "doing nothing, and forcing passengers to fend for themselves from out at sea."

[johneeo]

OP, Take it as gospel.

 

Link to Post # 111 by Capt BJ: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1450488&highlight=uscg+helicopter&page=6

 

Good post.

 

:eek::eek:Amazing how some people think. You are in the Caribbean and think that a helicopter from some third world country is available in a moments notice, it will find the cruise ship, land on it, and take the passenger away:eek::eek:

 

On my most recent cruise, we had to do a helicopter medivac returning from Puerto Rico. I was able to discuss this with the Captain.

 

1. He told me that just about under no circumstance would he allow a helicopter to land on his ship.

 

2. The ship did not come to a stop during the operation. Captain informed me that ship would always be moving, to keep better control.

 

3. And yes, it was USCG that did the medivac.

 

4. This operation happened about 9:30 at night. Every outside deck was closed, no passengers permitted anywhere outside. Captain said that "it was a dangerous operation, and did not want anyone in harms way, especially passengers."

[Silverman]

God forbid if RCL did anything wrong. In most people eyes I guess they are God.

[Scotty G]

I don't think it's an issue of "fault" but rather one of "could RCI do more."

 

When a ship is delayed, RCI knows they could have 1,000 people needing to call their airline that the the ship-to-shore communication capacity isn't nearly enough to deal with it. RCI also just happens to employ many travel specialists with plenty of access and connection back in the US.

 

It sure would be nice if RCI could find a way to help crusiers whose ship will be delayed. I know it's not necessarily easy, and there are going to be problems. But I think it beats the altertive of "doing nothing, and forcing passengers to fend for themselves from out at sea."

So if RCL should have a stand by force of travel assistants available 24/7, what do you think that might do to your cruise fare? This occurred on a weekend while the ship was returning to Florida. I'm relatively sure few if any of their travel folks were working then. Sorry, this is what travel insurance is for; and, people who cruise should realize they are not just driving across state to visit Grandma. Weather and other factors can and will delay cruise ships. If you have to be on a schedule and cannot tolerate a delay then my advice is not to cruise. It is not for everyone.

[ff274]

First off let me say the sad thing here is someone was seriously sick or worse. I had a friend on this ship from Texas and my wife and I have done Freedom 3 times last 3 years.....and in a perfect world 10:45 flights work, and in this case it did not work and yes he and his wife missed flight....He stated the worst part was the way folks acted at 5:00 pm on Saturday when the announcement was made and then as one poster said....as ship was tying up there were passengers who were lined up on deck 4/5 at the gang plank like they were just going to waltz off.....causing great problems.....I do know when I make and early flight plan it is on me and no one else.....if we have a slight problem I could be stressed but if it works then we are home quicker.....I like the idea someone put out there about asking family member off the ship to work on plans and check next day when you dock to find out the new plans.....I will have my brother or someone lined up on my next cruise just for that reason.......Sorry your last night was ruined, but I am afraid someone life might have ended.....

[mspamela]

Not sure why RCL should be expected to offer any financial compensation for an event occurring completely outside of their control.

 

Where would this extra guest relations staff come from? Are there not only so many on a ship?

 

Change fees, free internet, free phone calls ....someone is going to end up paying for all of that.

I was on this cruise, and stayed on for the next cruise, so thankfully, I did not have to deal with much inconvenience at all, especially compared to everyone who was getting off or on the ship. I'm glad to know that RCI is giving the $150 back to passengers who had to re-book. I believe they can "afford it" and it's a decent gesture and the right thing to do.

 

I thought the staff/crew did a great job overall--many got no break at all on Sunday (after working extra hours on Saturday evening helping passengers make arrangements). Turnaround day is always hectic for crew but this was horrendous.

 

Let's be honest--they should've given free internet (as much as you needed) to every passenger getting off the ship who had to reschedule travel arrangements. And not the slow-as-molasses internet we have to pay 65 cents a minute for, either--but the fast internet I'm sure the staff has access to. I can't believe it would cost them more to let passengers use it one night. It doesn't cost them per staff member to use it--I'm sure it's a network with unlimited usage. Same for the phone--you know they don't pay per call when staff is using the phone for business--they could've probably opened up some offices and given passengers access to more phones and computers to use.

 

I love RCI, I agree they did the right thing to divert us to Nassau. It is the ship's doctor who makes such decisions--he called the captain and told him we had to get to the closest port. We were told at the Captain's talk the following week that the passenger was doing much better now. I, too, heard a lot of rumors as to who it was (but did hear later from a senior staff member that it was a man who had a heart attack) and what happened. All I can say is, if that were your father or someone in your family, you would've wanted them to do the same thing. (Not sure I'd want Nassau medical care either though...) I heard from our shuttle driver at Country Inn and Suites that the port (and surrounding area) traffic was horrendous all day--again, we felt fortunate that we just stayed on board.

[mspamela]

Oh and I wanted to say that at Guest Relations, they often have an extra staff member who walks through the line and tries to help people who just have quick questions to be answered--I think the OP was right that perhaps more staff could've been on hand there, doing just that. Thankfully, these things don't happen too often, and maybe after this, they will have a better plan in place to make things go as smoothly as possible.

 

To everyone who is criticizing Branch for not using RCI's airfare, sometimes it's not just a couple bucks more, it's a lot more. So is trip insurance! And as he said, he had was traveling with a family of 5, so it adds up. We drove about 16 hours back to VA (in one day--ugh) but long drives aren't for everyone. One thing I've learned from this though is, next time I fly home from a cruise, I will probably make it the day AFTER the cruise is over, for just this reason. (Plus it's a great excuse to extend the vacation another day if you can swing it.)

[Scotty G]

Let's be honest--they should've given free internet (as much as you needed) to every passenger getting off the ship who had to reschedule travel arrangements. And not the slow-as-molasses internet we have to pay 65 cents a minute for, either--but the fast internet I'm sure the staff has access to. I can't believe it would cost them more to let passengers use it one night. It doesn't cost them per staff member to use it--I'm sure it's a network with unlimited usage. Same for the phone--you know they don't pay per call when staff is using the phone for business--they could've probably opened up some offices and given passengers access to more phones and computers to use.

I had a discussion with the CL Concierge on Freedom this year and he confirmed that crew internet access is just as slow as the passengers so he does not use it very much. They might have a few faster network ports connected to RCI corporate systems for important business and maritime use but not enough to share with 1,000 or so passengers. Their network security would probably not allow or want this anyway.

[Mainer59]

Let's be honest--they should've given free internet (as much as you needed) to every passenger getting off the ship who had to reschedule travel arrangements. And not the slow-as-molasses internet we have to pay 65 cents a minute for, either--but the fast internet I'm sure the staff has access to. I can't believe it would cost them more to let passengers use it one night. It doesn't cost them per staff member to use it--I'm sure it's a network with unlimited usage. Same for the phone--you know they don't pay per call when staff is using the phone for business--they could've probably opened up some offices and given passengers access to more phones and computers to use.

 

 

Apparently you did not hear but it was announced that phone and internet were available for free use. And because of the technology used for both the internet and tephone the bandwidth is very limited. Adding more computers in use by making available ship's office computers would have slowed down those on even more as bandwidth is a fixed item, as is the number of available ships telephone connections.

 

Is anything ever good enough anymore?

[mspamela]

Scotty--interesting that the crew has the extremely slow internet. So you're telling me that that vast majority of the staff members we come into contact with, when doing ship's business, are using that super-slow internet we have to pay for? I'm having a hard time believing that, but I ask a lot of questions now of the staff/crew so maybe I'll add that to my list of things to ask next time. I understand there would have to be some security measures--I'm not saying let pax have complete access to any computer onboard no matter if it's a senior officer's or whatever. But there probably were additional computers that could've been used, even with the supervision of staff/crew.

 

Mainer--yes I did hear some muffled announcement about free internet/phone use for those needing to make travel arrangements. Of course, like most other announcements, depending on where you were, it may have been hard to hear--even the captain's announcements were ignored by most people, which I found annoying, since I wanted to hear what he was saying. Is anything ever good enough anymore? If you read my original post, I said that overall I thought RCI and especially the staff/crew did a great job. RCI does a lot of things very well. There are always things, though, that can be improved upon. Everything depends on your perspective.

[brfan]

Scotty--interesting that the crew has the extremely slow internet. So you're telling me that that vast majority of the staff members we come into contact with, when doing ship's business, are using that super-slow internet we have to pay for? I'm having a hard time believing that, but I ask a lot of questions now of the staff/crew so maybe I'll add that to my list of things to ask next time. I understand there would have to be some security measures--I'm not saying let pax have complete access to any computer onboard no matter if it's a senior officer's or whatever. But there probably were additional computers that could've been used, even with the supervision of staff/crew.

 

Mainer--yes I did hear some muffled announcement about free internet/phone use for those needing to make travel arrangements. Of course, like most other announcements, depending on where you were, it may have been hard to hear--even the captain's announcements were ignored by most people, which I found annoying, since I wanted to hear what he was saying. Is anything ever good enough anymore? If you read my original post, I said that overall I thought RCI and especially the staff/crew did a great job. RCI does a lot of things very well. There are always things, though, that can be improved upon. Everything depends on your perspective.

 

How often do staff members doing work on board need to use the internet to accomplish their tasks (outside of email)? Chances are any programs, information for the work they need to do are loaded locally via a basic intranet system, with servers, etc on board. That way they can complete the majority of their job without having to go on the internet.

 

I can't imagine that they would have a system other than satellite for internet access.

[Rob&Bonnie]

While I sympathize with the OP, and I understand the frustration, I think RCI giving compensation was above and beyond. They also were thrown off schedule for an emergency, and incurred additional costs over what a normal schedule would have been.

 

I've been on ships that have diverted because of medical emergencies, it's an added stress that you don't expect on vacation. To minimize the worry, we now ALWAYS have insurance and some idea of a backup travel plan just in case. And we always remind ourselves that we may be poorer in the wallet, but we are still better off than the person with the medical issue.

 

As for the question about why no air lift - this is a very expensive and very dangerous option. As someone earlier posted, it is not for the feint hearted. I had medic training at an Air Force base that included basket drops, and it really isn't all that easy.

 

And while I love Southwest Airlines, unfortunately they do not participate in 'code sharing' with other airlines. So if you miss your flight, they won't bump you to another carrier - you have to wait until THEY have another flight. If you are flying from and to an airport with heavy SW traffic, it's not a problem. If they only fly a couple times a day, you could be SOL.

[CaribbeanCrush]

Why is RCCL at fault? Maybe they should have tossed the injured person overboard so everyone else was not inconvienced.

 

Thanks you for this response. Seems like alot of people want to be compensated for unforseen and rare situations! If there is a traffic accident on the highway and I'm late to an appointment who should compensate me for that?

Sorry, I think we should be offering condolences to the family who lost a loved one rather than complaining about this!

[branch155]

We were told at the Captain's talk the following week that the passenger was doing much better now. I, too, heard a lot of rumors as to who it was (but did hear later from a senior staff member that it was a man who had a heart attack) and what happened. All I can say is, if that were your father or someone in your family, you would've wanted them to do the same thing. (Not sure I'd want Nassau medical care either though...) I heard from our shuttle driver at Country Inn and Suites that the port (and surrounding area) traffic was horrendous all day--again, we felt fortunate that we just stayed on board.

 

I'm very glad the man is doing better, and hasn't died, as was reported on another thread.

 

As we were leaving the port, the traffic was very heavy. Our shuttle driver said that a lot of arriving folks weren't being allowed out of their cars/shuttles because of the ship delay.