Royal Caribbean International will offer compensation to 130 passengers of the Seren

[TWELVEOHONE]

Royal Caribbean International will offer compensation to 130 passengers of the Serenade of the Seas who were stranded in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 21 after the cruise ship left port early to avoid Hurricane Irene. "We are compensating these passengers because we understand that this was an unusual situation, and we want to provide our guests with another opportunity to sail with Royal Caribbean International in the near future," said spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez.

[AlanFromFL]

I find it completely inconceivable that RCCL failed to foresee the firestorm of negative publicity that their decisions would generate. It's as if someone down at RCCL HQ has yet to learn of the awesome power of the "internet" and "social media" to spread a story around the globe in milliseconds.

 

I haven't checked, but my guess is that the first reports were posted to this very board minutes after the first passenger was kicked to the curb. I wouldn't be surprised if some passengers learned that their ship had sailed from Cruise Critic, or some other social media outlet, prior hearing anything from RCCL.

 

It's to RCCL's credit that someone in upper management finally relented on their legalistic, by-the-book, it's-in-the-contract-fine-print stance and did the right thing by their customers. It's to their detriment that it took a week for someone to realize that they'd lost complete control of the narriative and their message.

[Sequim88]

Depending on the details of the compensation I wonder how this affects people with travel insurance who ahve already been loss protected? My guess would be credit towards future cruise so if someone got their cruise fare refunded from insurance would the insurance want an amount equal to the compensation back?

[Ocean Boy]

I find it completely inconceivable that RCCL failed to foresee the firestorm of negative publicity that their decisions would generate. It's as if someone down at RCCL HQ has yet to learn of the awesome power of the "internet" and "social media" to spread a story around the globe in milliseconds.

 

I haven't checked, but my guess is that the first reports were posted to this very board minutes after the first passenger was kicked to the curb. I wouldn't be surprised if some passengers learned that their ship had sailed from Cruise Critic, or some other social media outlet, prior hearing anything from RCCL.

 

It's to RCCL's credit that someone in upper management finally relented on their legalistic, by-the-book, it's-in-the-contract-fine-print stance and did the right thing by their customers. It's to their detriment that it took a week for someone to realize that they'd lost complete control of the narriative and their message.

 

If you read one of the other threads you will see that there is now reporting that people who were IN San Juan called RCI to see if there were any changes to the sailing that they should be aware of only to be told that everything was on schedule. Therefore, they did not go over to the port earlier than they had originally planned.

 

Upper management should relent as there really was no "management" on there part at all.

[wreckem2013]

If you read one of the other threads you will see that there is now reporting that people who were IN San Juan called RCI to see if there were any changes to the sailing that they should be aware of only to be told that everything was on schedule. Therefore, they did not go over to the port earlier than they had originally planned.

 

Upper management should relent as there really was no "management" on there part at all.

 

Sorry to keep harping, but we still don't know the full story.

 

We don't know the times these people called or when the port authority choose to tell RCCL that they had to leave at x time.

 

If they called before RCCL knew they were being forced out early then its not a surprise RCCL told them they were still scheduled to be leaving on time. Because they were scheduled to be leaving on time until the port authority told them otherwise.

 

Ideally they should have cautioned people that the weather was bad and they should use their common sense and personal judgement on when to arrive at port.

 

Common sense would have dictated that there was a hurricane coming. The situation could deteriorate rapidly. Schedule changes could still happen. I should probably skip shopping and go ahead and board.

[CTNYER]

Sorry to keep harping, but we still don't know the full story.

 

We don't know the times these people called or when the port authority choose to tell RCCL that they had to leave at x time.

 

11 AM, according to the employees at the port.

 

If they called before RCCL knew they were being forced out early then its not a surprise RCCL told them they were still scheduled to be leaving on time. Because they were scheduled to be leaving on time until the port authority told them otherwise.

 

I agree here.

 

Ideally they should have cautioned people that the weather was bad and they should use their common sense and personal judgement on when to arrive at port.

 

Who should have cautioned? RCCL? How? By calling all 2600 passengers? That's a bit much.

 

Either way, the excuses you gave are no reason to leave people stranded and refuse to pay for anything.

[wreckem2013]

11 AM, according to the employees at the port.

 

 

 

I agree here.

 

 

 

Who should have cautioned? RCCL? How? By calling all 2600 passengers? That's a bit much.

 

Either way, the excuses you gave are no reason to leave people stranded and refuse to pay for anything.

 

Are they still refusing to pay for anything? This isn't the first time a cruise line has initially decided not to pay then pay. Some might not be happy with the compensation, but they are compensating people.

 

As for who they should have cautioned. That was referring to the couple that were in San Juan and had called.

[CTNYER]

Are they still refusing to pay for anything? This isn't the first time a cruise line has initially decided not to pay then pay. Some might not be happy with the compensation, but they are compensating people.

 

I have no idea what compensation they're offering, but I'm sure it's generous. I have heard people claim that RCCL should be bending over backwards for the stranded passengers, and while I disagree with that, I do think compensation for hotel and airfare is appropriate.

 

With regards to being cautioned...I don't think reps in the continental USA are too informed about a hurricane that might strike San Juan. They should be, but they rarely are.

[Aviator of the Seas]

It keeps being reported that the "Ports Authority shut down the Port of San Juan" ahead of the storm. It was the U.S. Coast Guard who was in authority and made the call.

[CTNYER]

It keeps being reported that the "Ports Authority shut down the Port of San Juan" ahead of the storm. It was the U.S. Coast Guard who was in authority and made the call.

 

That's right. But it's not an excuse for RCCL to wipe their hands clean of the issue and fail to give any assistance to their stranded passengers.

[Stags14]

RCCL was still tracking the storm and trying to keep their fleet and their customers safe. The main thing is that nobody got injured - they kept everyone safe DURING the storm and in my books they did their job very well.

 

I kept saying during the storm to allow them to finish dealing with the storm and they would eventually compensate. The logistics behind dealing with this situation is a lot more complex than just immediately dealing with the passengers. Their objective is safety, once that is squared away - they will deal with refunds/compensation/whatever.

[Ocean Boy]

Sorry to keep harping, but we still don't know the full story.We don't know the times these people called or when the port authority choose to tell RCCL that they had to leave at x time.

 

If they called before RCCL knew they were being forced out early then its not a surprise RCCL told them they were still scheduled to be leaving on time. Because they were scheduled to be leaving on time until the port authority told them otherwise.

 

Ideally they should have cautioned people that the weather was bad and they should use their common sense and personal judgement on when to arrive at port.

 

Common sense would have dictated that there was a hurricane coming. The situation could deteriorate rapidly. Schedule changes could still happen. I should probably skip shopping and go ahead and board.

 

No one has said that we know the full story. But we are getting more pieces of it. And there is one thing that we know for sure, Carnival was dealing with the same approaching storm. And it appears that they did it a heck of a lot better than RCI did.

[Coolcruise02]

No one has said that we know the full story. But we are getting more pieces of it. And there is one thing that we know for sure, Carnival was dealing with the same approaching storm. And it appears that they did it a heck of a lot better than RCI did.

 

I agree!

[honeybee85]

In case anyone is curious, they actually announced the compensation the day after this happened. A former colleagues of mine had an affected guest and was told the next day.

[Rancher Dave]

In case anyone is curious, they actually announced the compensation the day after this happened. A former colleagues of mine had an affected guest and was told the next day.

 

Wonder why they waited so long to get the press involved in knowing that they decided to compensate the pax. I do recall the PR stating the amount of comp was being kept confidential.

 

Glad RCCL did make it right for the affected passengers. Tough situation for the cruisers and the line. I do think an immediate caring response of a hotel stay that night in SJ would have gone a long way to keeping it from becoming a terrible negative press event.

[honeybee85]

Just my ever so humble opinion but is it really anyone's business if they are not one of the affected 130? I know I'm new to posting here but I've been reading awhile and never understood the mindset that they owe uninvolved people an explanation.

[Cuizer2]

Royal Caribbean International will offer compensation to 130 passengers of the Serenade of the Seas who were stranded in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 21 after the cruise ship left port early to avoid Hurricane Irene. "We are compensating these passengers because we understand that this was an unusual situation, and we want to provide our guests with another opportunity to sail with Royal Caribbean International in the near future," said spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez.

 

I'm surprised she didn't also say that Royal Caribbean was tired of being beaten up in the press and was hoping the would make all the bad press go away.

[futaba951]

I'm surprised she didn't also say that Royal Caribbean was tired of being beaten up in the press and was hoping the would make all the bad press go away.

 

they were waiting to announce this on the anniversary of elvis' birthday

[Shaney3401]

You book your cruise during this hurricane season....then YOU should be ready for what might happens.....Hands down it's ALL on you.

[Pushka]

RCCL was still tracking the storm and trying to keep their fleet and their customers safe. The main thing is that nobody got injured - they kept everyone safe DURING the storm and in my books they did their job very well.

 

I kept saying during the storm to allow them to finish dealing with the storm and they would eventually compensate. The logistics behind dealing with this situation is a lot more complex than just immediately dealing with the passengers. Their objective is safety, once that is squared away - they will deal with refunds/compensation/whatever.

 

They did nothing to ensure the safety of those customers who were left behind. By leaving them behind they put them in a position of potential danger and forced them to seek their own accommodation, nit knowing if they could afford to do so, or even if there were suitable accommodation available to them. They abandoned these customers completely.

 

You book your cruise during this hurricane season....then YOU should be ready for what might happens.....Hands down it's ALL on you.

 

This time it was a hurricane. Next time, it could be a pending harbor strike stopping you from boarding. The nature of the issue is quite irrelevant as to how those issues are dealt with.

Just my ever so humble opinion but is it really anyone's business if they are not one of the affected 130? I know I'm new to posting here but I've been reading awhile and never understood the mindset that they owe uninvolved people an explanation.

 

Are you serious? For a start you could be the next person to experience this. Secondly, just because it doesn't happen to you, doesn't mean you should ignore the fate of those who have experienced significant stress. Do you donate to overseas crisis relief?

[LBcruzman]

You book your cruise during this hurricane season....then YOU should be ready for what might happens.....Hands down it's ALL on you.

 

Or put another way......You as a Corporation choose to sail a ship during Hurricane Season and accept money from your customers to sail on such a ship so you as a Corporation can make money....then YOU as a Corporation should be ready for what might happen.....Hands down it's ALL on you as a Corporation.

[onlysister]

Elvis' birthday is January 8th. This was announced on or close to his death date. I know that was in August, don't remember exact date.

 

Does Royal offer Future Cruise Credits for missing ports due to a hurricane? My cruise last year missed 3 ports due to Hurricane Paula and we were given 25% off future cruise. That was on a Carnival ship. According to their contract they didn't have to do anything, but they have a good Public Relations Dept. and they know how to keep their customers happy and coming back.

 

I did enjoy my cruise on AOS out of San Juan back in 2007. I loved the ship. The promenade is wonderful and those Promenade rooms are great. But, I don't know if I can cruise with a company that would just leave people on an island without having a room set up for them with a hurricane approaching. Just my opinion though.

[nbsjcruiser]

Depending on the details of the compensation I wonder how this affects people with travel insurance who ahve already been loss protected? My guess would be credit towards future cruise so if someone got their cruise fare refunded from insurance would the insurance want an amount equal to the compensation back?

 

Well if it was me, the insurance company would have to ask for it first because I sure as hell would not be volunteering it. ;)

[Ocean Boy]

Just my ever so humble opinion but is it really anyone's business if they are not one of the affected 130? I know I'm new to posting here but I've been reading awhile and never understood the mindset that they owe uninvolved people an explanation.

 

Because people who patronize a company want to have a idea of how they will be treated when they ARE one of the ones who are affected. I never quite understood the attitude that "if something doesn't affect me why should I care."

[Rancher Dave]

Well if it was me, the insurance company would have to ask for it first because I sure as hell would not be volunteering it. ;)

 

If the T/I is paying cash for the loss that would be different than a good will gesture of a FCC offered by RCCL. Don't know that anyone affected has given specific details on what they were given and in what form. The insurance may have no right of recovery from the gesture of good will, each policy would have it spelled out, or if not spelled out in the certificate of coverage.

 

Because people who patronize a company want to have a idea of how they will be treated when they ARE one of the ones who are affected. I never quite understood the attitude that "if something doesn't affect me why should I care."

 

Agree with Ocean Boy.

 

As an aside, OB, how long without power at your house? Parents beach house was a few days and last I knew my Uncle who is in Westerly proper with a neighbor on O2 so should have been on a priority repair list was still without power as of yesterday. Some of the cuz reported it was due back on in her area on Sunday.