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

[teddie]

The cruise left early, passengers got left behind... unfortunately, it happens to passengers all the time and they are left to fend for themselves. Should RCI have just cancelled the cruise for EVERYONE? Then people would be saying "well they had the opportunity to leave early, why didn't they do that - at least it would have been 150 upset pax instead of 3,000." So, with certain customers I think it's lose/lose.

 

They were safe, they still had the company to assist them, they could have met up with them at the next port. Could they have flown them there? Yea, I suppose they could have and it wouldn't have bankrupt the company. But I'm sure that somewhere in the fine print it states they aren't responsible for such an incident. People need to be proactive during the height of hurricane season as well. We had friends miss a cruise because of a storm - they flew to Jamaica and met the ship midway through the vacation. They made the best of the situation at hand. They are adults, and they dealt with it accordingly. If you cannot survive a situation like this (I admit it does suck) then you should not be traveling in the first place.

 

I have a cruise on the Allure on Sept 18th. Having common sense, I knew it was hurricane season. Therefore, we are due to travel down to FLL on Wednesday the 14th. PLENTY of time to assure that we are 1) get down there on time - even if our flight is cancelled we have time to drive and 2) we're one of the first at the port of call to get on the ship the second it opens to passengers. Plan ahead, and get there early. This hurricane had been forcasted for nearly 2 weeks. People need to learn to take things into their own hands sometimes.

 

Again, they could have met them at the next port and finish their trip as well as getting another trip with equal value. What more could they do?

 

Oh, jeeze. Must this question yet again be responded to?

 

teddie

[Pushka]

I'm not a fan of Carnival..but people shouldn't be turning a blind eye to THEIR missteps either.

 

I know nothing of Carnival, I am only interested in RCL's issues.

[piscesgal223]

I shudder to think what will happen when something similar happens again(and it will...) Will CC be as harsh to them as they were with RC? Or will be it a double standard? :mad:

[DaytonCruiser]

I shudder to think what will happen when something similar happens again(and it will...) Will CC be as harsh to them as they were with RC? Or will be it a double standard? :mad:

 

When cruiselines have had issues in the past, CC has called them on it, so not sure why they would change. :confused:

 

You can go to the news archives and check out all the articles

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/archive.cfm

[piscesgal223]

Seems to me like CC is like a dog with a bone on this one.They're not going to let this go easily.

[Cuizer2]

The cruise left early, passengers got left behind... unfortunately, it happens to passengers all the time and they are left to fend for themselves. Should RCI have just cancelled the cruise for EVERYONE? Then people would be saying "well they had the opportunity to leave early, why didn't they do that - at least it would have been 150 upset pax instead of 3,000." So, with certain customers I think it's lose/lose.

 

They were safe, they still had the company to assist them, they could have met up with them at the next port. Could they have flown them there? Yea, I suppose they could have and it wouldn't have bankrupt the company. But I'm sure that somewhere in the fine print it states they aren't responsible for such an incident. People need to be proactive during the height of hurricane season as well. We had friends miss a cruise because of a storm - they flew to Jamaica and met the ship midway through the vacation. They made the best of the situation at hand. They are adults, and they dealt with it accordingly. If you cannot survive a situation like this (I admit it does suck) then you should not be traveling in the first place.

 

I have a cruise on the Allure on Sept 18th. Having common sense, I knew it was hurricane season. Therefore, we are due to travel down to FLL on Wednesday the 14th. PLENTY of time to assure that we are 1) get down there on time - even if our flight is cancelled we have time to drive and 2) we're one of the first at the port of call to get on the ship the second it opens to passengers. Plan ahead, and get there early. This hurricane had been forcasted for nearly 2 weeks. People need to learn to take things into their own hands sometimes.

 

Again, they could have met them at the next port and finish their trip as well as getting another trip with equal value. What more could they do?

 

They could have done what Carnival did. Why is this such a hard concept to grasp? Two cruise lines found themselves in the same situation. Royal Caribbean choose to do nothing while Carnival went above and beyond and took care of their passengers.

[Cuizer2]

I shudder to think what will happen when something similar happens again(and it will...) Will CC be as harsh to them as they were with RC? Or will be it a double standard? :mad:

 

It depends on how the cruise line reacts to the situation.

[piscesgal223]

You couldn't pay me enough to cruise during hurricane season. Situations like what happened with Royal Caribbean would stress me out very easily. So I would choose not to cruise then.

 

 

If you choose to cruise during hurricane season, you're taking that risk. And I think CC knows that but is choosing to not leave things alone. :mad:

[Cuizer2]

Seems to me like CC is like a dog with a bone on this one.They're not going to let this go easily.

 

The Royal Caribbean cheerleaders are really having a hard time with this one. Why don't the Royal Caribbean cheerleaders just admit that in this particular case Carnival came out smelling like a rose and Royal Caribbean came out smelling like the fertilizer that the rose is planted in.

 

Carnival has had its share of fertilizer incidents and it has been called out for those. What is unusual is that in this case there were two cruise lines in the same boat. One, Carnival, showed it cared and one, Royal Caribbean, showed it couldn't care less. It is as simple as that.

[Cuizer2]

You couldn't pay me enough to cruise during hurricane season. Situations like what happened with Royal Caribbean would stress me out very easily. So I would choose not to cruise then.

 

 

If you choose to cruise during hurricane season, you're taking that risk. And I think CC knows that but is choosing to not leave things alone. :mad:

 

You seem to be forgetting that Carnival found itself in the exact same situation that Royal Caribbean found itself in. Carnival went above and beyond to take care of its passengers. Royal Caribbean said tough luck buddy, you are on your own.

[piscesgal223]

To me, the rah rah-ing from the Carnival cheerleaders was a bit much. Just my .02. Both Carnival and RC have had fertilizer incidents(must remember that one!) I think most cruise lines have.

[Stags14]

Oh, jeeze. Must this question yet again be responded to?

 

teddie

 

What question? I was just backing up what I had said much earlier in the thread.

 

They could have done what Carnival did. Why is this such a hard concept to grasp? Two cruise lines found themselves in the same situation. Royal Caribbean choose to do nothing while Carnival went above and beyond and took care of their passengers.

 

 

As a consumer you have a choice. You can choose to cruise with Carnival if you wish. That too should be an easy concept to grasp. Tickets/terms clearly state their policy regarding weather. It's up to the passenger to understand them. There had been a hurricane in the Atlantic all week long... at some point this thought should cross your mind - "maybe I should get there as early as possible in case there are any complications with the hurricane that has been heading our way for the past 7 days." Another easy concept. Or "maybe I should get travel insurance during the peak of hurricane season." Again, all these policies are clearly stated.

 

Like I said before, we are cruising during the peak hurricane season and we have a buffer plan in place to assure we get down to our port (FLL) with plenty of time. I'm not about to get a flight that would not get me to the port city until the day of. During hurricane season that's just not wise at all. Again, sometimes people need to use their own common sense.

 

 

You couldn't pay me enough to cruise during hurricane season. Situations like what happened with Royal Caribbean would stress me out very easily. So I would choose not to cruise then.

 

 

If you choose to cruise during hurricane season, you're taking that risk. And I think CC knows that but is choosing to not leave things alone. :mad:

 

Well there ya go, a customer making a choice. Amazing!:eek:

[Stags14]

The Royal Caribbean cheerleaders are really having a hard time with this one. Why don't the Royal Caribbean cheerleaders just admit that in this particular case Carnival came out smelling like a rose and Royal Caribbean came out smelling like the fertilizer that the rose is planted in.

 

Carnival has had its share of fertilizer incidents and it has been called out for those. What is unusual is that in this case there were two cruise lines in the same boat. One, Carnival, showed it cared and one, Royal Caribbean, showed it couldn't care less. It is as simple as that.

 

Not being a cheerleader. Their policies are clearly written, it is hurricane season and they offer travel insurance. They traveled w/out insurance. It is what it is.

[Cuizer2]

Not being a cheerleader. Their policies are clearly written, it is hurricane season and they offer travel insurance. They traveled w/out insurance. It is what it is.

 

Carnival's written policy is very similar to that of Royal Caribbean's. However, it is clear by their actions which company showed some concern for its passengers and which company couldn't care less about its passengers.

[readytogo2]

Three things go through my mind:

 

1- Carnival handled this situation extremely well.

 

2- RCI made a bad situation worse.

 

3- If everyone arrived early like most do,and boarded in the AM, nobody

would have missed the ship and we would be back to basics on CC

like who's a chair hog or who's smoke is blowing on who's balcony:eek: :D

[Stags14]

Carnival's written policy is very similar to that of Royal Caribbean's. However, it is clear by their actions which company showed some concern for its passengers and which company couldn't care less about its passengers.

 

Ok, Carnival went above and beyond. They played it well and more than satisfied their customers. That's fantastic, a good business model and I get that.

 

Fact is, the policy is in place and RCI followed it. As a traveler you must be aware of what's going on and the weather that will affect your arrangements. Especially a CAT 3 hurricane.

 

Think about it, out of the ENTIRE ship only 130 missed the sail away. I'd say that the majority of the pax understood the situation and got on the boat asap. RCI also recommends getting to port early... would it have been nice to get taken care of like Carnival pax? Yes, of course... but a policy is a policy. Folks can always sail Carnival if they choose.

[The_Big_M]

Think about it, out of the ENTIRE ship only 130 missed the sail away. I'd say that the majority of the pax understood the situation and got on the boat asap. RCI also recommends getting to port early... would it have been nice to get taken care of like Carnival pax? Yes, of course... but a policy is a policy. Folks can always sail Carnival if they choose.

 

All well and good, but whenever a business hides behind the statement 'it's the policy' in the face of unfair or unreasonable treatment, they're going to get a shellacking.

 

What if a customer made a policy that they're only going to pay their fare after the cruise. Most people wouldn't think it very reasonable and they wouldn't get far, so it's a bit lame to suggest just because the cruise line is using this policy of their own as justification makes it any more reasonable.

 

As for your conclusion, I had no idea that Carnival were now touting as more customer friendly, or is it RCL that is touting as more customer-unfriendly? I'd say it's just a case that one line has acted flexibly and with understanding towards their customer's experience, which is what a holiday is, whereas the other is showing that it doesn't really care what sort of 'holiday' its customers have. Given cruise lines deal in experiences rather than selling products, that doesn't seem to be a very customer aware attitude.

[Ocean Boy]

There had been a hurricane in the Atlantic all week long... at some point this thought should cross your mind - "maybe I should get there as early as possible in case there are any complications with the hurricane that has been heading our way for the past 7 days." Another easy concept. Or "maybe I should get travel insurance during the peak of hurricane season." Again, all these policies are clearly stated.

 

Again, sometimes people need to use their own common sense.

 

 

How do you account for the folks who called RCI that day only to be told that there were no changes in the departure schedule and that everything was on time? Maybe RCI should have anticipated complications from the hurricane that was headed that way for 7 days. You are correct, another easy concept.

[Ocean Boy]

Ok, Carnival went above and beyond. They played it well and more than satisfied their customers. That's fantastic, a good business model and I get that.

 

Fact is, the policy is in place and RCI followed it. As a traveler you must be aware of what's going on and the weather that will affect your arrangements. Especially a CAT 3 hurricane.

 

Think about it, out of the ENTIRE ship only 130 missed the sail away. I'd say that the majority of the pax understood the situation and got on the boat asap. RCI also recommends getting to port early... would it have been nice to get taken care of like Carnival pax? Yes, of course... but a policy is a policy. Folks can always sail Carnival if they choose.

 

RCI recommends not showing up before 2 PM.

[Stags14]

All well and good, but whenever a business hides behind the statement 'it's the policy' in the face of unfair or unreasonable treatment, they're going to get a shellacking.

 

What if a customer made a policy that they're only going to pay their fare after the cruise. Most people wouldn't think it very reasonable and they wouldn't get far, so it's a bit lame to suggest just because the cruise line is using this policy of their own as justification makes it any more reasonable.

 

As for your conclusion, I had no idea that Carnival were now touting as more customer friendly, or is it RCL that is touting as more customer-unfriendly? I'd say it's just a case that one line has acted flexibly and with understanding towards their customer's experience, which is what a holiday is, whereas the other is showing that it doesn't really care what sort of 'holiday' its customers have. Given cruise lines deal in experiences rather than selling products, that doesn't seem to be a very customer aware attitude.

 

I'm not disagreeing that Carnival treated their customers nicely. However I will stand by a policy is a policy. Would it have been nice and a wise business move - absolutely. I don't think there's any refuting that but they held up their end of the contract.

 

How do you account for the folks who called RCI that day only to be told that there were no changes in the departure schedule and that everything was on time? Maybe RCI should have anticipated complications from the hurricane that was headed that way for 7 days. You are correct, another easy concept.

 

Typically delays or cancellations are a last minute decision. I've had flights on time all the way up to boarding. I don't know of anyone who called RCI and unless you are talking to the port, you're only talking to someone looking at the same online information that we are.

 

It really doesn't change the logic of getting to your ship as early as possible - especially when there's a hurricane. Like I said before - sometimes you need to just think rationally and take matters into your own hands.

 

RCI recommends not showing up before 2 PM.

 

And if they had - they would have made the ship.

[CTNYER]

Ok, Carnival went above and beyond. They played it well and more than satisfied their customers. That's fantastic, a good business model and I get that.

 

Fact is, the policy is in place and RCI followed it. As a traveler you must be aware of what's going on and the weather that will affect your arrangements. Especially a CAT 3 hurricane.

 

Think about it, out of the ENTIRE ship only 130 missed the sail away. I'd say that the majority of the pax understood the situation and got on the boat asap. RCI also recommends getting to port early... would it have been nice to get taken care of like Carnival pax? Yes, of course... but a policy is a policy. Folks can always sail Carnival if they choose.

 

RCI recommended a 2pm or later arrival time for this sailing. They did not encourage early arrivals.

[Ocean Boy]

Typically delays or cancellations are a last minute decision. I've had flights on time all the way up to boarding. I don't know of anyone who called RCI and unless you are talking to the port, you're only talking to someone looking at the same online information that we are.

 

It really doesn't change the logic of getting to your ship as early as possible - especially when there's a hurricane. Like I said before - sometimes you need to just think rationally and take matters into your own hands.

 

 

 

And if they had - they would have made the ship.

 

We are not talking delays or cancellations. We are talking an early departure and deciding to get Serenade out of port early was not a last minute decision. Do you really think that when Serenade received word that they would have to get out of the port early that someone high up the food chain in the officers ranks doesn't get on the phone to let Miami know what is happening with their multimillion dollar ship? RCI was giving out incorrect information to those who called. In this day of electronic information updating is a breeze and takes only a few seconds.

 

And agian, RCI recommends not showing up before 2 PM. They do not tell folks not to arrive later.

 

I think that I am about done with this. RCI handled it poorly. There is no more left to say.

[Stags14]

We are not talking delays or cancellations. We are talking an early departure and deciding to get Serenade out of port early was not a last minute decision. Do you really think that when Serenade received word that they would have to get out of the port early that someone high up the food chain in the officers ranks doesn't get on the phone to let Miami know what is happening with their multimillion dollar ship? RCI was giving out incorrect information to those who called. In this day of electronic information updating is a breeze and takes only a few seconds.

 

And agian, RCI recommends not showing up before 2 PM. They do not tell folks not to arrive later.

 

I think that I am about done with this. RCI handled it poorly. There is no more left to say.

 

I recognize and understand what you are saying and I don't completely disagree. But going by the contract, what did they do wrong? You are speaking from an ethics stand point and I get it.

 

I am speaking from a technical/contractual point. I'm not saying I wouldn't be pissed off if I were stranded but there are 3 sides to every story. And yes, Carnival trumped them in this regard and I am kind of surprised RCI didn't do more once they realized what Carnival did.

[CTNYER]

I am speaking from a technical/contractual point. I'm not saying I wouldn't be pissed off if I were stranded but there are 3 sides to every story.

 

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here.

 

We know RCCL's story; in so many words, "we are not offering compensation to guests who didn't book their travel through us". So you know their side.

 

We know the passengers story (I was on this sailing) - they (we) were not informed that the ship was departing early, even though the cruise line knew the night before that San Juan had a Tropical Storm Warning and Hurricane Watch.

 

What other side are we missing?

 

Yes, I know the passengers have an obligation to have common sense. The cruise line should have the same responsibility to do what they can as stranded passengers are inevitable.

[simplylife0010]

Carnival's written policy is very similar to that of Royal Caribbean's. However, it is clear by their actions which company showed some concern for its passengers and which company couldn't care less about its passengers.

 

And shall we go back and dig up all the garbage on Carnival when they decided NOT to take care of their customers until the media got involved? It would be easy to do. Ask those people booked on the Splendor cruises just after the fire that were told by Carnival to take or leave the compensation being offered on upcoming Splendor cruises. Carnival changed their tune once the media started reporting. :rolleyes: Yes Royal Caribbean screwed up big time but let's not place Carnival on a pedestal as they have their share of major blunders too. Gotta love those Carnival cheerleaders that have come out of the wood work.