CNN reporting another Carnival Ship having trouble (The Dream)

[OCruisers]

:( Hate this happened!

 

LuLu

~~~~

[Davey-D-99]

I'm supposed to be on the Dream on April 6th (Our 1st Cruise Ever) At this point my Family is very worried and want me to cancel and get a refund. My question is, I booked and paid in full with a non-refundable promotion at the time...Will I get a refund? Are we screwed? My wife and kids do not want to go on this ship now. Not a memorable first cruise experience :mad:

[cruiseonthebrain]

OP- I am so bummed for you. At least you are taking it in stride. I hope everything workss out in the end.

[ParrotHeadCruiser1]

I can't recall an incident where a cruise line has flown their pax back to port on charters... can anyone remember such an incident? This is certainly precedent setting. Also, the contract allows CCL to just "dump" you anywhere, doesn't it?

 

Note to self- always bring passport and buy GOOD insurance coverage.

 

Perhaps, but that would be inviting bankruptcy at this point...

[Rottweiler Puppy]

I don't think anyone will be contacting us directly to verify this is happening. What makes anyone suspicious when someone reports an incident?

 

Around here anything critical of Carnival is considered to be suspect and part of an RCCL and CNN conspiracy to make Carnival look bad.

[Surfwench]

You forgot CARNIVAL SPLENDOR. Lost power on the West coast and passengers were stranded onboard with no power for days. The Coast Guard reportedly air lifted Spam onboard.

 

Al these incidents (SPLENDOR; COSTA CONCORDIA; TRIUMPH; DREAM) are essentially on th same class of ship (dating back to 1996) and all built by Fincantieri. Yes Carnival likes to call them a different class, but slapping on additional decks of cabins does not equate to a new class of ship in my book. The basic general arrangement of all these ships dates back to CARNIVAL DESTINY. Using this same design over and over again for so many years seemed like the smart thing to do from a financial perspective, but it may come back to bite Carnival in the ass!

 

That's an interesting observation... no trouble with Fantasy or Spirit class? Are you certain Dream class is a carbon copy of Destiny/Conquest class below the waterline?

[tiffygirl]

Hey There Tiff-

 

Maybe the passengers call the media because no one on the ship is communicating with them. Given Triumph's fiasco- I personally would want to get off that ship - if they are not allowing the passengers to disembark on free will - it's as though they are being kidnapped or held hostage...I know perhaps an overreaction - but St Maarten is a long way from Port Canaveral....

 

Wouldn't want to be caught in a "how many tugs does it take to....." situation....

 

Hey!

Yes, True. didnt think of that. If Carnival is not communicating..fustrations sit in...

 

I would want to be let off the ship, but carnival is probably saying no for there own reasons...which make sense...but still...

 

This is just a bad situation!:(:eek:

[zenful6219]

Kudos, to this reporter, Kris Anderson, who keeps talking to CNN by phone and actually giiving factual information, about how it is NOT that bad on the ship. (must be driving CNN crazy. Don't know why they keep talking to him. LOL)

 

Glad he also stated that he understands that if the toilets are broken and it is just like at home, if you keep flushing a non functioning toilet, it will overflow....LOL

Too bad some many people do not understand that.

 

Bill

 

People who were not even on the Triumph were also trying to dispute CNN's reporting by saying things weren't that bad. Only problem was, the overwhelming number of people who were actually on the ship said things were much worse than what Carnival was claiming and being reported! So, why are so many people trying to downplay what is obviously a trend - Carnival's maintenance is lacking.

[rainbowflag]

Around here anything critical of Carnival is considered to be suspect and part of an RCCL and CNN conspiracy to make Carnival look bad.

 

What's your point? :D

 

Totally agree.

[dph2013]

Atleast the problem was detected during scheduled maintenance rather than during an actual emergency, and Kudos to Carnival for not sailing with knowledge of the problem.

[so excited!]

So sorry your cruise is cancelled

[CocoaMom]

Not sure where I should be posting this, but I'm curious about 2 things:

 

1.) In such an event, what do they do when a passenger medically cannot fly? I'm being serious - I actually know 2 people who cruise, but each has a medical condition that prohibits flights due to pressure.

 

2.) And not to add fuel to the fire so to speak, but IF carnival were to say anyone who doesn't feel safe can cancel ... I wonder really if people would run.

[Surfwench]

I'm supposed to be on the Dream on April 6th (Our 1st Cruise Ever) At this point my Family is very worried and want me to cancel and get a refund. My question is, I booked and paid in full with a non-refundable promotion at the time...Will I get a refund? Are we screwed? My wife and kids do not want to go on this ship now. Not a memorable first cruise experience :mad:

 

I would wait 24 hours for the dust to settle. Then I'd call Carnival and see if my reservation can be moved to another ship. Refund on non-refundable portion may not happen, but a transfer, I believe, is your best bet. Good luck.

[ducklite]

I just love people who want answers before the answers are available to give them. I'm sure Carnival is working on getting all the logistics worked out, some things take time when you are talking that many people. Have you people forgotten what patience is??? I'm sure they will communicate as soon as they have something to communicate. Give them enough time to figure it all out.....

 

The point is that they should have issued a statement late last night that read something like this:

 

Miami, FL, March 13, 2013--The Carnival Dream has experienced generator problems after a scheduled maintenance test while docked in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten this afternoon. There were temporary problems with elevators and some public restroom facilities, however the majority of passenger services and amenities have continued without interruption. The ship has power and scheduled meal service was provided. All regular evening activities went on as scheduled.

 

There are currently XXXX passengers and XXXX crew on board. There have been no injuries as a result of this situation.

 

Engineers are working on the problem, and further information will be released as it becomes available.

[Warm Breezes]

Finding it funny that so many are defending Carnival....would you defend a restaurant that served salmonella twice in three weeks? Or a car company that sent out dying engines twice in a month?

 

Yeah, stuff happens, but people put a lot of money into these vacations.....and frankly put their lives on the safety on the boats....to me it is inexcusable...so from HERE on out if you go Carnival, DO NOT COMPLAIN, if something happens...YOU are AWARE.

 

Stuff happens, things break with even the best maintenance or even brand new items....seems to me that Carnival was looking out for passenger safety by not sailing with a broken emergency generator. Quite frankly technical problems could and do happen on every line. Just as they happen to all airlines, all car manufacturers, etc....just about anything you purchases. Nothing and no one can guarantee 100% reliability. IMHO it is how the company reacts to the problem once it occurs that tells me if I want to do business with them again. I will still be sailing on CCL. Your choice to not do so.

[Carnival_Brides]

That's an interesting observation... no trouble with Fantasy or Spirit class? Are you certain Dream class is a carbon copy of Destiny/Conquest class below the waterline?

 

Spirit and Fantasy class ships were built in Finland by Kvaerner Masa-Yards. The only class of Fincantieri ship that hasn't had a major problem is Conquest. *knock on wood*

[Floridian821]

I just booked this ship for a November cruise. My 12th Carnival cruise. I'm not going to worry about it. Stuff happens.

 

Although I do have a question for those who might know. Should toilets begin overflowing are you better off on the bottom or top levels?

[nofears2day]

I'm supposed to be on the Dream on April 6th (Our 1st Cruise Ever) At this point my Family is very worried and want me to cancel and get a refund. My question is, I booked and paid in full with a non-refundable promotion at the time...Will I get a refund? Are we screwed? My wife and kids do not want to go on this ship now. Not a memorable first cruise experience :mad:

 

I can't imagine Carnival not giving you a refund. Well actually i can, just hoping for the best. I'd call and not take no for an answer. Be firm but not rude.

 

 

Carnival has said a "technical problem" with the back up generator. Technical problem is an intentionally vague term. Their lack of transparency makes it hard to say whether the ship will be okay to cruise or even in service.

 

A back up generator when you're in the middle of the ocean really isn't a back-up. It's essential.

[sail2sea]

I'm supposed to be on the Dream on April 6th (Our 1st Cruise Ever) At this point my Family is very worried and want me to cancel and get a refund. My question is, I booked and paid in full with a non-refundable promotion at the time...Will I get a refund? Are we screwed? My wife and kids do not want to go on this ship now. Not a memorable first cruise experience :mad:

 

That depends on how long it takes to fix the problem. If the problem is not fixed by April, Carnival will surely cancel the cruise and you will receive a full refund. But if the problem is fixed by then Carnival will likely not cancel and you will likely have to sail or lose your money.

[MikeM]

From all the sewerage problems over the years to the stench in certain areas to poor service etc. all reported in many reviews and confirmed by several different friends we moved from the Dream to the Breeze. Sorry to say we will never sail on the Dream.

[MrsKC08]

I think they should receive a FULL refund, not just a 3 day refund.

 

 

I'm curious as to why you think they should get a FULL refund. I think 3 days refund is fair, seeing as they are only losing 3 days...technically 2 since they would be back super early on Saturday if all had went well.

[fattyfatfat]

I called Carnival and they said there is a 50% cancellation penalty

 

 

 

I'm supposed to be on the Dream on April 6th (Our 1st Cruise Ever) At this point my Family is very worried and want me to cancel and get a refund. My question is, I booked and paid in full with a non-refundable promotion at the time...Will I get a refund? Are we screwed? My wife and kids do not want to go on this ship now. Not a memorable first cruise experience :mad:

[alligirl78]

Only refunding "non-refundable transportation related expenses". A hotel is not transportation. That means if you booked hotels before and after the cruise tough noogies, you're out the money you paid. Yet another debacle for Carnival, with the media talking about overflowing toilets and sewage all over the floors.

 

Most hotels are booked as reservations and not actually paid for until the stay (your card isn't charged until you check out). There's enough time to cancel those reservations if people jump on it.

[happycampers_1]

March 16th dream cruise cancelled

[bguppies]

People who were not even on the Triumph were also trying to dispute CNN's reporting by saying things weren't that bad. Only probably is, the overwhelming number of people who were actually on the ship said things were much worse than what Carnival was claiming and being reported! So, why are so many people trying to downplay what is obviously a trend - Carnival's maintenance is lacking.

 

That is why, reasonable people need to see between the two sides and see where the TRUTH is...

 

I wouldn't trust any company to not slant the story to what fits their needs.

Just like the news media has to blow things out of proportion to make it entertaining and get ratings.

 

Anybody who thought that CNN's coverage of the Triumph was anywhere near unbiased, I have a swampy plot of land to sell you cheap.

 

At least this time, CNN seems to have realized that there won't be enough ridiculouly overblown stories to play up and seem to have gotten bored.

 

Bill