Serenade early departure 8/21 - what I heard and saw.

[mommabean]

Lbcruzman & spcopps, thank you both for your posts. They were long overdue.

 

The op began in a benign enough manner, purporting to be an objective witness. I believe, and this is my opinion, that her agenda to unilaterally support RCI's actions without any compassion for the stranded persons was present before she typed a single word; she was gunning for the opportunity.

 

The op's responses have run the gamut: Smug, cavalier, and feigning confusion with comments such as

"huh? Confused".

 

Rci provided poor customer service, regardless of all of the circumstances. Interestingly, the op has managed to highlight it quite well.

 

I may be banned for this post, but I've had about enough of this nonsense.

 

Teddie

 

LOL Wrong!

 

I just started seeing gold digger types come out who weren't even involved saying people needed to be "made whole again" which is quite an exaggeration.

 

I WOULD have been angry had it happened to me. RCI does have horrible customer service - initially - but they generally come through. And their web site is horrible, has been for a while, and they refuse to make it work easily or well. I'd love to kill the upgrade pop-up. It would be nice to know which discount is showing other than the "exclusive" one.

 

But the product they provide in the end and the crew on board are winners. It is superior to the one who apparently was handing out $100 bills at the gangway.

 

By the way, that morning we had planned to go into Old San Juan. We woke up and checked the weather reports. With what we found out, we opted to stay on board even before the captain's announcement to the crew that they should be back on board no later than 1pm. Anyone on the island only had to look outside to see what the weather looked like.

 

Even I said that after seeing what happened, we are seriously considering a yearly trip insurance policy. Even though in this case, it seems as if it's going to be provided free and then some by RCI. It appears people are going to be "made whole again" . The final outcome is what is important to me. Not the knee jerk reaction. But then again, that is me. You apparently see things differently.

 

But seriously now, your belief about my agenda is wrong. We just found the whole experience of what we saw during the last half hour in port to be interesting, exciting, and I thought I'd share a little of it. When we saw the luggage ramps being removed, we thought Uh-oh...and decided to run down to deck 5 and have a closer look. That's when we saw the trickle of people walking their own luggage on board.

 

I did have a little fun with it. I walked up to the man checking people in with their sea passes and asked him if I could get off - "for just a few minutes". He looked shocked and told me "no" and something about no time. I did let him know I was just kidding anyway.

 

And still, the people I feel the worst for are the 8 who were there and were told they couldn't board. But I have no agenda against them either. I hope they went to Aruba. The only thing they would have missed is a sea day and the worst comedian ever on the first night. :rolleyes:

 

Gina

[Ocean Boy]

True...but once on board, I still know who I prefer by far. From experience. ;)

I've had my own issues with RCI over other things. I've always had a positive outcome. One was just this week concerning a pricing issue. The same old thing...their very unfriendly after final payment price reductions that are becoming very routine. Carnival wins there, too, with their early saver guarantee. But that's another story.

 

The product, once on board, is the big winner to me (even with kids in the CL :rolleyes: :p).

 

Gina

 

And I completely agree with you. That is why we sail with RCI. I have said many times that there is a huge difference between corporate RCI and the RCI cruise experience. I at times just do not like corporate's knee jerk reactions. It does not do anything to bolster people's perception of the company. Beyond the compensation issue is the problem of people showing up, contractually, on time and left hanging in the breeze with no one there to help or provide explanations as to what was going on. That can never be undone as their first response to compensation can.

 

As much as I love the product it won't cloud me as to what I see as some "behavioral" issues on managements part.;)

[yj2cute]

CTNYER, although we may not all agree on this issue, I can vouch for Gina. She is really a very nice person. She is also very knowledeable about cruising, with RCI in particular. You will miss a lot of helpful information if you block her posts.

 

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

[readytotravel44]

Gina

 

Some people deal with problems better than others. The people I met didn't wait around for the airline that flew them back to Houston to tell them what they were going to do for them. RCI wasn't even involved at that point. They took charge of their own situation and found out exactly what was happening with the ship and booked their own flight to Aruba so they could get on board. They had no idea if the airline was going to allow that sort of change to their flight. They didn't seem at all worried about it at the moment.

 

I guess some people are take charge kind of people and others wait to see what someone else is going to do for them.

 

I would have been so mad, but I'd have taken immediate action on my own. But that's the way I am. Panic certainly wouldn't help. Some people rise above...some sink to the bottom.

 

 

It is not difficult to read between the lines at the haphazardly thrown implication that "some people are take charge. . .others wait to see what someone else is going to do for them," comment. Yes, Momma, I am one of those "take charge" people, in spite of your inference. Precisely why I am on Cruise Critic and why I am reading about RCCL to expand my knowledge base on the company prior to booking.

 

The response of the cruise line DURING the situation sends a loud message. Strangely enough, your "take charge" comments apply to the cruise lines who immediately "took charge" by having people at the port to address the problems. I've read that other lines had reps present to explain the situation and suggest solutions. In this case, clearly RRCL did not "take charge" rather they "waited to see" what other companies did, then decided to follow their trail of action.

 

I also think it is hysterical that you continue to mention the importance of arriving early. Your last comment included that you will arrive THREE days early for the next cruise. Congratulations! You must have enormous flexibility in your schedule and the funds to support that. Bravo! (Not quite sure why you even wrote that - seemed kind of like unnecessary bragging) Funny though, the account from the gentleman who actually was one of the first 8 left behind reported that one the ones standing with him, watching the ship sail away HAD arrived a day earlier and had been shopping. Might I also add that the "day-early" person HAD called RCCL to ask if the departure time had change and had been told it hadn't. He could have beaten your record and arrived a week earlier and still would have missed the ship.

 

The bottom line is so clear. The weather could not be changed. The fact that the ship needed to leave early (though it is interesting that Carnival stayed in port considerably longer that day) could not be changed. The only thing RCCL was responsible for was their response to their people. They did not "take charge" as you put it to see that their guests were treated fairly until days later when the PR became so bad. Gosh it was a lead article on Cruise Critic with a cheers and jeers type format. Everybody knew what had happened. I forwarded articles to many of my cruising family and friends. RCCL had to have realized that they made a BIG mistake and after "waiting to see" what others did, decided they needed to do SOMETHING.

 

You also stated, "Some rise to the top...some sink to the bottom." This applies to the cruise lines. Have you looked at RCCL's stock lately? Hmmmmm.

 

Again, I repeat - When someone shows you who they are...believe them. Thank you RCCL for showing me who you are. I've taken note.

[mommabean]

Gina

 

 

 

It is not difficult to read between the lines at the haphazardly thrown implication that "some people are take charge. . .others wait to see what someone else is going to do for them," comment. Yes, Momma, I am one of those "take charge" people, in spite of your inference. Precisely why I am on Cruise Critic and why I am reading about RCCL to expand my knowledge base on the company prior to booking.

 

The response of the cruise line DURING the situation sends a loud message. Strangely enough, your "take charge" comments apply to the cruise lines who immediately "took charge" by having people at the port to address the problems. I've read that other lines had reps present to explain the situation and suggest solutions. In this case, clearly RRCL did not "take charge" rather they "waited to see" what other companies did, then decided to follow their trail of action.

 

I also think it is hysterical that you continue to mention the importance of arriving early. Your last comment included that you will arrive THREE days early for the next cruise. Congratulations! You must have enormous flexibility in your schedule and the funds to support that. Bravo! (Not quite sure why you even wrote that - seemed kind of like unnecessary bragging) Funny though, the account from the gentleman who actually was one of the first 8 left behind reported that one the ones standing with him, watching the ship sail away HAD arrived a day earlier and had been shopping. Might I also add that the "day-early" person HAD called RCCL to ask if the departure time had change and had been told it hadn't. He could have beaten your record and arrived a week earlier and still would have missed the ship.

 

The bottom line is so clear. The weather could not be changed. The fact that the ship needed to leave early (though it is interesting that Carnival stayed in port considerably longer that day) could not be changed. The only thing RCCL was responsible for was their response to their people. They did not "take charge" as you put it to see that their guests were treated fairly until days later when the PR became so bad. Gosh it was a lead article on Cruise Critic with a cheers and jeers type format. Everybody knew what had happened. I forwarded articles to many of my cruising family and friends. RCCL had to have realized that they made a BIG mistake and after "waiting to see" what others did, decided they needed to do SOMETHING.

 

You also stated, "Some rise to the top...some sink to the bottom." This applies to the cruise lines. Have you looked at RCCL's stock lately? Hmmmmm.

 

Again, I repeat - When someone shows you who they are...believe them. Thank you RCCL for showing me who you are. I've taken note.

 

I took charge of judging the weather for myself. That is why I chose not to shop that day.

 

My second cruise ever was the 1st we had to fly to port. We went to days early. My husbands luggage got lost and just made it in time. If I couldn't afford a couple of extra days, I would say I couldn't afford to cruise at all. We have never lived our lives to the last penny. We have always lived below our means. But that is us.

 

Some rise to the top - some sink. When referring to people, it's another way of saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I'm a huge procrastinator, not especially organized, but when under pressure - I take action for myself. Not everyone is the same way.

 

We were there, we were the first to feel sorry for those left behind. And it definitely had me saying that I hope they had trip insurance because I know exactly what is in the cruise contract. Legally they aren't required to do a darn thing. That's a fact. And I'm not wrong to say so. In good will, it would be nice if they took care of people in spite of the contract we all agree to. In reality, I'm still thinking I should purchase trip insurance.

 

Travel to us is not about only being on the ship. When we go somewhere, we like to explore the port area first and sometimes last. That's not bragging, it's just what we like to do. You may tell about what you do in port at times. Is that bragging?

 

Some people over react needlessly to my posts. I think I've been quite reasonable in stating the reality of what we get for our acceptance of the cruise contract. Weather is mentioned in it. Unfortunately.

 

I'm really surprised when someone states they are glad they didn't meet me. I was the one being attacked, not the attacker, and I'm the one they don't want to meet. :confused:

 

I really doesn't bother me.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

CTNYER, although we may not all agree on this issue, I can vouch for Gina. She is really a very nice person. She is also very knowledeable about cruising, with RCI in particular. You will miss a lot of helpful information if you block her posts.

 

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you. :)

 

And I would come bail you out of jail in San Juan anytime, even if it meant missing the ship. ;)

 

Gina

[readytotravel44]

Momma,

 

I am not the poster who stated they wished they had never met you.

 

People tend to judge poster from their posts. Reasonably so. Posts made by you include:

 

"We just found the whole experience of what we saw during the last half hour in port to be interesting, exciting..."

 

"I did have a little fun with it. I walked up to the man checking people in with their sea passes and asked him if I could get off - "for just a few minutes"."

 

and a few more.

 

These comments seem uncaring and insensitive. "Exciting" watching others upset as their ship sails away? "Have a little fun with it" Really? I believe these are a few of the reasons why some folks have been offended by your comments.

 

Once again - bottom line - If RCI did not contact them and pulled away from the dock HOURS prior to the schedule departure time, it is the right thing to do (and frankly, regardless of the contract, I feel, obligation) to assist the passengers with travel arrangements as other cruiselines did.

 

With the exception of our cruise just months after 9/11/01, we have not purchased cruise insurance. It is GENERALLY not a good deal for my family. That is not to say that we will not be burned sometime in the future. We may get caught with a flight problem or an unexpected illness and I would never expect the cruiseline to "make me whole again" as you put it and "insure" me without me paying for the insurance. It is a risk we usually take. Personal decision.

 

In this case, the SHIP LEFT EARLY without notifying all people. PERIOD. If I missed my flight, or my flight was delayed because of the storm, I would be out of luck, but in THIS case, folks were on the dock hours before the sailing was to occur and were not permitted on the boat. RCI helped those with RC flight arrangements but not others. Shame on them. Another ship sailed a little later to hopefully stand fewer people. Bravo to them!

 

Teddie,

I respect your post a great deal. Sadly, I agree with your comments concerning Momma. But most of all, I respect that you are a RCI cruiser and will continue to be one in spite of this incidence, recognizing their responsibility in the situation and not excusing them. Frankly, your honest opinion does more for RCI than the "cheerleaders." Thank you for your unbiased prospective. Your post makes me think it may still be worth trying RCCL in the future.

[oldguysandgalls]

What was the thread again?? ;) (scrolling back to page 1 of 15.) oh.. there it is....hummmm....now let's see: they missed the ship - check - they missed the ship - check - they missed the ship - check-. It's all true - they missed the ship -. Now we are up to date.

 

But...this is not all about Gina aka mommabean, it's about the 145 passengers of which only 8 made it through the pearly gates of RCL while the remaining 137 passengers were left at the pier to fend for themselves.

 

Just think, for many of the 137 passengers it may very well have been their first plane ride, their first time away from their neighborhood, their town, their village. Their first time going on a cruise, honeymooners, children, seniors, all left behind to fend for themselves.

 

THAT'S where RCL failed by not providing immediate assistance when 137 passengers needed RCL the most, right there at the terminal instead of leaving them to "fend" for themselves.

 

THAT'S when and where RCL failed 137 passengers.

[Mac303]

Momma,

 

I am not the poster who stated they wished they had never met you.

 

People tend to judge poster from their posts. Reasonably so. Posts made by you include:

 

"We just found the whole experience of what we saw during the last half hour in port to be interesting, exciting..."

 

"I did have a little fun with it. I walked up to the man checking people in with their sea passes and asked him if I could get off - "for just a few minutes"."

 

and a few more.

 

These comments seem uncaring and insensitive. "Exciting" watching others upset as their ship sails away? "Have a little fun with it" Really? I believe these are a few of the reasons why some folks have been offended by your comments.

 

 

 

I am in total agreement with your above comment, you pointed out exactly why some of us were not in agreement with comments made in this thread.

 

In some form, we are all RCL fans, but many of us won't drink the kool-aid, and defend RCL, when they don't provide basic customer service.

 

My cruise line of choice is RCL, but I am aware that I may be on my own

during some issues that may arise.

[Ocean Boy]

I'm not blaming the victim. I'm just saying I'm not sitting around waiting on RCI to do something for me when I could be making arrangements to catch up with the ship. I would deal with them later as the man on the ship told me he and his wife would do.

 

Another attack on me. :)

 

I wonder how many people have ever read their cruise contract before clicking the accept button. They even have an option to print it out.

 

As for those who didn't arrive early enough. We don't hear how many of them were turned back by their airlines that took to the air when they should have known that the airport in San Juan might be closing. And then they WERE turned back mid-air. There is a lot we don't know. I'm not the one pretending to know everyone's situation.

 

Gina

The first time I ever cruised I read the contract and my first thought was.... Why the heck would anyone ever agree to this????:eek:

[oldguysandgalls]

That's what we thought when we planned our first cruise when one of our cruise mates asked "what type of MUSTARD should I buy for the muster-station :confused:? That's when we decided to read the entire cruise contract over, and over and over again.

 

The first time I ever cruised I read the contract and my first thought was.... Why the heck would anyone ever agree to this????:eek:

[mommabean]

The first time I ever cruised I read the contract and my first thought was.... Why the heck would anyone ever agree to this????:eek:

 

LOL OMG - that is EXACTLY what I did, too. I really did read it the first time. And that was the last time. So some things could be different now. But I remember thinking how horrible it was to have to agree to this. But I figured everyone else agrees to it and if I wanted to go on this cruise I didn't have a choice. I even wondered if I had the option of line item veto. :eek: Yes, there were a few things I wanted to strike out. :)

 

But the point is, the contract is definitely in their favor. Not ours.

 

The same could probably be said of a lot of travel insurance policies. It's not until you need it that you will find out how good it is. I'd say go with a company you know and trust or at least you've done your research on. Or maybe someone who's had experience with a travel insurance policy claim could offer advice to those in need.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Momma,

 

I am not the poster who stated they wished they had never met you. I didn't mean you specifically. I was just mentioning one of the personal attacks.

 

People tend to judge poster from their posts. Reasonably so. Posts made by you include:

 

"We just found the whole experience of what we saw during the last half hour in port to be interesting, exciting..."And what's wrong with that? It was interesting. And it is exciting to see people doing their jobs, jumping to action. Exciting is used in the medical form. "to increase the activity of" as in one's heart rate. Heart rate can be an involuntary reaction to the things happening around you. I can not control that.

 

"I did have a little fun with it. I walked up to the man checking people in with their sea passes and asked him if I could get off - "for just a few minutes"."

 

and a few more.

 

These comments seem uncaring and insensitive. "Exciting" watching others upset as their ship sails away? "Have a little fun with it" Really? I believe these are a few of the reasons why some folks have been offended by your comments.I did not see anyone upset as the ship sailed away. For all we knew there were only 8 and I never saw them. There were no numbers at this point. There is no reason for me not to have fun. I found out really quickly with that little test. Ask to get off, see what he says. Even if he had said I could go, I wasn't about to. Should I have gone to my room and been depressed? I didn't see another soul on board not having fun as others were later found out to be missing the ship.

 

Once again - bottom line - If RCI did not contact them and pulled away from the dock HOURS prior to the schedule departure time, it is the right thing to do (and frankly, regardless of the contract, I feel, obligation) to assist the passengers with travel arrangements as other cruiselines did.It would be nice if they had assistance. I still say they could possibly fire the port agents they hired to do this. We know nothing about who was or wasn't holding up this end of their job. But it sounds like you don't take a contract seriously.

 

With the exception of our cruise just months after 9/11/01, we have not purchased cruise insurance. It is GENERALLY not a good deal for my family. That is not to say that we will not be burned sometime in the future. We may get caught with a flight problem or an unexpected illness and I would never expect the cruiseline to "make me whole again" as you put it and "insure" me without me paying for the insurance. It is a risk we usually take. Personal decision. make me whole again is the term others have used. It's not how I put it. It's how I repeated it. I hope you aren't taking that risk during hurricane season or winter storm season and flying. This event made me realize it could happen to anyone.

 

In this case, the SHIP LEFT EARLY without notifying all people. PERIOD. If I missed my flight, or my flight was delayed because of the storm, I would be out of luck, but in THIS case, folks were on the dock hours before the sailing was to occur and were not permitted on the boat. RCI helped those with RC flight arrangements but not others. Shame on them. Another ship sailed a little later to hopefully stand fewer people. Bravo to them!IN THIS case it was NOT all the people who were on the dock. We heard of 8. We were surprised at the lack of vehicle activity in the port area where we could see clearly from the pool deck. That's why we thought most made it on board until we were later told otherwise - by the captain who we happened to believe.

 

Teddie,

I respect your post a great deal. Sadly, I agree with your comments concerning Momma. But most of all, I respect that you are a RCI cruiser and will continue to be one in spite of this incidence, recognizing their responsibility in the situation and not excusing them. Frankly, your honest opinion does more for RCI than the "cheerleaders." Thank you for your unbiased prospective. Your post makes me think it may still be worth trying RCCL in the future.

 

My responses are in red. You can make the posts be whatever you want them to be. Words have multiple meanings that you may interpret as you wish. Others have also asked, which of the approximately 2500 people should they attempt to contact first? The ones in the air? The one's on the ship already? How do they know which ones are in Puerto Rico, have phones, etc? Had they attempted it at all, where do they begin?

 

I did say that I wondered why they never put anything on their website. And yes, the RCI website is free on board and I checked. I was surprised, and not pleasantly so, to see nothing on their website. I'd say that is where the notification should have been to start.

 

You should have seen today's warning.

 

I don't suppose you ever saw a thread I started once called "another screwing by RCI" ( I may have said "Royal screwing")about a problem that affects people all the time concerning pricing. I've never said RCI is perfect. That thread was dumped because, as I was told, this is a family site and that term wasn't family friendly. Of course if you run a search on the word, it's all over the place. :confused:

 

It just seems some here want to interpret my posts to justify personal attacks against me. Something I have done to no one. It's simple, we agree to a contract and are stuck with the results. That's all I'm saying - in addition to sharing what I saw and heard. The more I try to explain that simple concept (even when some tell ME the whole thing isn't rocket science) the more people twist it to use it to attack me - People who weren't there and have no idea what happened at any point other than what they see through the press.

 

And yes I had fun the rest of the week while others were struggling to get where they were going. I had fun in Aruba as I saw others boarding with luggage. And there is nothing wrong with that.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

I am in total agreement with your above comment, you pointed out exactly why some of us were not in agreement with comments made in this thread.

 

In some form, we are all RCL fans, but many of us won't drink the kool-aid, and defend RCL, when they don't provide basic customer service.

 

My cruise line of choice is RCL, but I am aware that I may be on my own

during some issues that may arise.

 

Since some pick at my words, I'll pick apart this. ;) They DO provide BASIC customer service. Nothing more, unless you push it. And that takes time.

 

I wrote them on Monday morning with an issue I discovered I had that morning. An issue which made my blood boil by the way. I was contacted on Wednesday. Issue resolved on Friday. The big things always take time but I've figured out how to navigate their offices and I always save the important names and numbers for future use in case they are needed.

 

Gina

[LBcruzman]

The OP doesn't get it and she never will. I hope this thread has run it's course as I fear she will go on ad nauseam.

[Mac303]

Since some pick at my words, I'll pick apart this. ;) They DO provide BASIC customer service. Nothing more, unless you push it. And that takes time.

 

I wrote them on Monday morning with an issue I discovered I had that morning. An issue which made my blood boil by the way. I was contacted on Wednesday. Issue resolved on Friday. The big things always take time but I've figured out how to navigate their offices and I always save the important names and numbers for future use in case they are needed.

 

Gina

 

I consider basic customer service in this case as having a representative to give customers guidance in what they will need to do. This was an unusual situation, RCL didn't step up and help the customers.

 

Customer service is what CCL did, without hesitation and they didn't pick and choose who they were going to help (reference to only the cruise/air customers who were immediately assisted by RCL)

 

As has been confirmed by the 8 who showed up while the ship was still at the dock, they received no information, other then "you won't be allowed to board".

 

So my definition of customer service is: looking after ALL your customers not just the ones who purchased air & cruise from RCL.

 

I had an issue years ago on the Enchantment, I complained, and the issue was quickly resolved, (without asking for or receiving compensation) in that case customer service was excellent, so RCL can and will help the customer, the big issue seems to be the inconsistency, in that service.

 

And with this I will refrain from further posting on the subject, You (Mommabean) and I will have to agree that we disagree.

[mommabean]

I consider basic customer service in this case as having a representative to give customers guidance in what they will need to do. This was an unusual situation, RCL didn't step up and help the customers.

 

Customer service is what CCL did, without hesitation and they didn't pick and choose who they were going to help (reference to only the cruise/air customers who were immediately assisted by RCL)

 

As has been confirmed by the 8 who showed up while the ship was still at the dock, they received no information, other then "you won't be allowed to board".

 

So my definition of customer service is: looking after ALL your customers not just the ones who purchased air & cruise from RCL.

 

I had an issue years ago on the Enchantment, I complained, and the issue was quickly resolved, (without asking for or receiving compensation) in that case customer service was excellent, so RCL can and will help the customer, the big issue seems to be the inconsistency, in that service.

 

It seems we do agree.

 

I was trying to be funny (not allowed, oops ;) ) - It's all a matter of word interpretation. BASIC was the word I was going for. They answer the phone and answer questions. That's basic to me. Now as to whether or not the answer is right or wrong, that depends on who answers the phone as many of us have found out. We agree on the inconsistency.

 

Gina