Royal Caribbean kicked me off cruise ship for having a migraine

[belmontcrew]

I once returned a broken appliance to Costco. I had no box, no receipt, nothing. I said "I'm not 100% sure I even bought this here, but it's broke and it's not old enough to be broke." They had every right to tell me to get lost. Instead they scoured my purchase history, found the purchase, saw that it was WAY past the return date (by over a year), and returned my money anyway.

 

So instead of going around saying things like "I'll never step foot in Costco again," like the OP here is doing, I am an evangelist for Costco. I love that place.

 

It's making people happy even when you don't have to, that is the difference. Royal Caribbean appears to have missed an opportunity to do that.

 

They just spent millions on refunds from a single Explorer cruise when they could have pointed to the cruise contract and said "Sorry. Says right here we don't have to."

 

Do you only observe the Golden Rule, or otherwise act with kindness, when there is an audience? It appears that is exactly what is going on here.

 

Excellent points given here.

 

In January I booked a hotel room with Best Western in Chicago for my son. It was a non-cancel, non-refundable reservation. Due to one of the many snow storms this winter, my son was not able to get to Chicago. I called the BW 800 number to ask if I could cancel due to the weather. The person of course said this was a non-cancel reservation, but he listened to why my son could not make it. He put me on hold and it took about 2 minutes for them to make the decision not to charge me. They did not have to do this. I usually do not book with Best Western, but I will go out of my way to give them some of my business in the future.

 

I agree that RCI should not have let the OP travel. They could have given a refund even though they did not have to per the contract. This was not a case of someone just deciding they did not want to travel. This was a medical episode very near the departure time.

 

Maybe a better option would have been to actually have someone talk to the OP and show some empathy to the situation. "Hey, we want you to sail with us! Pick another date you can travel. Don't worry about the reservation, we have all your information and will take care of everything for you. I will call/email you with the details. Oh, and 15 minutes before the muster drill, we are going to send a representative to escort you to a place on the ship that will be helpful in preventing you from getting a migraine again". Maybe they have a bottle of wine or champagne delivered to the room as this was their 40th anniversary. Maybe, if available, they do a room upgrade.

 

Now the OP would have a great story to come to CC and share. Now if she gets a question from someone who has never cruised before, she can talk about how good RCI was to her in response to her not being able to sail the first time. Now she can tell everyone she knows that if you are going to take a cruise, please sail with RCI…they gave me a WOW experience. The power of the voice can be strong.

[LA_CA_GAL]

If you worked for RCCL, then no one would ever have to buy trip insurance. And you would not have a job with them for very long.:D

 

Your comment is way off base. I have only opined that in this one case, I am of the opinion that the OP paid for a product and did not receive the product and that in THIS ONE CASE, I would have taken care of this customer.

 

I also opined that RCI should have had a senior customer service rep contact the OP to discuss, listen and work with. RCI did not.

 

Having spent over 30 years as a business owner, principal, and customer relationship manager, I might agree with you that I would not last long with RCI, as I could not tolerate their shortcomings when it comes to customer relationship management.

[Aquahound]

It's a nice day outside. Some of you need to go out and play. :)

[Ocean Boy]

Unfortunately some of the responses here are not only callous, but reflect a very strange inability to perceive the real issues of professional incompetence, poor management and oversight and a total disregard for the passenger by a major cruise line as shown by an obtuse response. Migraine sufferers suffer quite enough misunderstanding and improper care without being misdiagnosed by a poorly trained doctor, having a major travel vacation totally ruined by sheer organizational stupidity to say nothing of at least a dozen further serious problems resulting from being ordered off a cruise ship. If This cruise line will not rectify the mistakes made by crew, staff, management, etc. how honest, fair, safe or competent can its overall operation be for any passenger? Opinions suggesting otherwise are clearly and most unfortunately as obtuse and uncaring as those of the cruise line. Finally, a ship's medical officer who misdiagnosis a migraine as a stroke is a danger to the well -being of everyone on - board!

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Wow. Thankfully we now have the end all assessment of the situation.:rolleyes:

[richstowe]

I would likely be Pi$$ed and I might not ever step onboard one of their ships, but you would never know it, as I would never make a Story like this public.

I deal with any issues in a confidential manner between a Company and me and if I think it deserves legal Action, then it´s taken. However I would never take it up on the Internet, as I don´t need the opinions of strangers on the subject.

I mostly agree with you and can't see spilling my life story on any public site

HOWEVER I'm glad the OP did.

RC's actions were at best unfeeling and uncaring. I have no problem with this story becoming non-confidential.

Confidential is what RC wants.

In this case any legal action would probably be unsuccessful but that doesn't mean RC acted morally or correctly .

[temple1]

Couple of points:

To those who can't post on a Royal Carribean topic without bringing up pom poms and cheerleader references, we get it already! RCCL is awful, anyone who asks reasonable questions is in their pocket, etc. :rolleyes:

 

To the OP, sorry about your cruise. Many points have been raised and suggestions for future travel for you and others with chronic conditions.

 

My comment is to wonder if your TA has taken more of a lead in this, other than send an email to Royal?

[Paulxyz2004]

I mostly agree with you and can't see spilling my life story on any public site

HOWEVER I'm glad the OP did.

RC's actions were at best unfeeling and uncaring. I have no problem with this story becoming non-confidential.

Confidential is what RC wants.

In this case any legal action would probably be unsuccessful but that doesn't mean RC acted morally or correctly .

 

 

I have no Problem with the OP putting up the Story either, but with doing so she made her Story a publically discussed Story and my take on this is there´s nothing wrong with how RCI handled the Situation.

I don´t even see this as bad Publicity for RCI as the only one looking not so good in this Story is the OP and those defending her side.

 

Were RCI´s Actions unfeeling and uncaring - maybe, but as Long as they are in their right I don´t see anything wrong.

 

Did RCI act morally - YES IMO, but as Moral is quite subjective there is no right or wrong.

 

If you say that any legal Action in this case would probably be unsuccesful, then I say yes they acted correctly.

[readytolose]

I can't believe some of the responses here. I'm what you would call an RCCL cheerleader. I don't have a lot of cruises under my belt but I have only cruised Royal and I have no desire to try any other line. When I talk to friends and family about cruising I tell them Royal is the only way to go.

 

I understand they were looking out for the best interest of their company (and maybe the OP). I get it, send them off the ship in case it really is a serious issue.

 

What I don't understand is why they would not do the right thing and offer a credit for a different date. What terrible customer service. The OP did nothing wrong. She had a migraine! She didn't have a stroke. RCCL should have said to her "Thank God it wasn't what we suspected it to be. Let's get a reservation set up for you on your next available time off".

 

I'm guessing that most of the people that posted that the OP got what she deserved would feel differently if this happened to them. They just won't admit it on a message board.

[babyher]

I can't believe some of the responses here. I'm what you would call an RCCL cheerleader. I don't have a lot of cruises under my belt but I have only cruised Royal and I have no desire to try any other line. When I talk to friends and family about cruising I tell them Royal is the only way to go.

 

I understand they were looking out for the best interest of their company (and maybe the OP). I get it, send them off the ship in case it really is a serious issue.

 

What I don't understand is why they would not do the right thing and offer a credit for a different date. What terrible customer service. The OP did nothing wrong. She had a migraine! She didn't have a stroke. RCCL should have said to her "Thank God it wasn't what we suspected it to be. Let's get a reservation set up for you on your next available time off".

 

I'm guessing that most of the people that posted that the OP got what she deserved would feel differently if this happened to them. They just won't admit it on a message board.

 

I don't think that the OP got what they deserved , I am very happy that they did not have something seriously wrong. But the OP has insurance and that is what the insurance is for.

[Mouse's Shadow]

I once returned a broken appliance to Costco. I had no box, no receipt, nothing. I said "I'm not 100% sure I even bought this here, but it's broke and it's not old enough to be broke." They had every right to tell me to get lost. Instead they scoured my purchase history, found the purchase, saw that it was WAY past the return date (by over a year), and returned my money anyway.

 

So instead of going around saying things like "I'll never step foot in Costco again," like the OP here is doing, I am an evangelist for Costco. I love that place.

 

It's making people happy even when you don't have to, that is the difference. Royal Caribbean appears to have missed an opportunity to do

that.

 

They just spent millions on refunds from a single Explorer cruise when they could have pointed to the cruise contract and said "Sorry. Says right here we don't have to."

 

Do you only observe the Golden Rule, or otherwise act with kindness, when there is an audience? It appears that is exactly what is going on here.

 

 

And that's the whole point. If they had handled this properly, the OP would have been given a refund, or a credit for another cruise. The cost to RC would have been minimal. After all, she had paid for passage that she ultimately didn't get to use. She would have been singing the praises of RC. Instead thousands of people have now heard of this incident, just through this thread. And that doesn't even begin to compare to those who will hear by word of mouth. RC's decision, may not effect those of us who love to cruise, but it will have an effect on someone who has just made the decision to book their first cruise, or someone who is on the fence about booking a cruise. Any first year marketing student, could have properly evaluated the cost effectiveness of RC's decision, and concluded that refusing to provide the service for which the customer had paid followed by their refusal to refund her money was not in the company's best interest.

[Mouse's Shadow]

I can't believe some of the responses here. I'm what you would call an RCCL cheerleader. I don't have a lot of cruises under my belt but I have only cruised Royal and I have no desire to try any other line. When I talk to friends and family about cruising I tell them Royal is the only way to go.

 

I understand they were looking out for the best interest of their company (and maybe the OP). I get it, send them off the ship in case it really is a serious issue.

 

What I don't understand is why they would not do the right thing and offer a credit for a different date. What terrible customer service. The OP did nothing wrong. She had a migraine! She didn't have a stroke. RCCL should have said to her "Thank God it wasn't what we suspected it to be. Let's get a reservation set up for you on your next available time off".

 

I'm guessing that most of the people that posted that the OP got what she deserved would feel differently if this happened to them. They just won't admit it on a message board.

 

I agree.

[Jackytar]

Caveat: I am not a cheerleader for any line, except The Grey Funnel Line :).

 

From where I sit, I think Royal Caribbean did the correct thing procedurally. The question of assisting the OP to take her Imitrex is odd, as noted previously (and to the recent poster who said it was from ship's stores; no it wasn't; re-read OP's OP). However, severe migraines do present very similiarly to TIA or stroke and the medical staff onboard, including the doctor, don't have the benefit of knowing the OP's case history. So yes, I think RCL acted correctly.

 

It's unclear to me whether the OP had trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance; if the former, it's quite possible the coverage ended once they had boarded. If the latter, they should be able to recover the fares from their insurer.

 

LA CA GAL raised a good point, though; RCL missed a golden opportunity for excellent PR. If they had reimbursed the OP's fares and offered a credit, they (RCL) would've been out of pocket what - say, 3k each? (OP didn't say what the fares were). But the potential good PR fallout could easily have been worth ten or a hundred times that; in this age of the internet, each person's voice reaches much, much farther. If they had, I'm pretty sure the OP would have been telling friends and family, as well as here, about how RCL went the extra mile to make it right, and as every business knows, word of mouth can be the most effective advertising there is. Personally, I don't blame the OP for wanting to wash their hands of RCL forever and a day. I do hope, though, that it won't put her and her husband off future sailing.

 

The takeway for me, at least, is that if someone has a pre-existing medical condition, a letter from their family physician is an absolute must. In our case, Herself is low-level diabetic. We will definitely ensure we have a good stock of her prescription medication, a copy of the prescription itself and a letter from her physician.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Jackytar

[bythehex]

No, I didn't. And nowhere in the televised announcements of the lifeboat drill nor in the printed information was there anything at all warning of them. It wouldn't have cost RC a penny to add "Strobe lights will go off in the corridor" right after "The ship will blow its horn in thus-and-such a pattern."

 

Had I known, I would have asked DH to check the corridor to make sure that they had stopped, or covered my eyes and had him lead me out.

 

I'm so sorry for your experience. I'm even more sorry for the battering you're receiving here. As a migraine sufferer I, too, am very familiar with the triggers and symptoms of a migraine. It's easy for those who've never had one to spout stroke warning and diet tips, but unless you've had them you don't truly understand.

 

Hopefully RCCL will reconsider and give you a refund. Good luck.

[!David!]

OP,

 

While I do certainly sympathize with your situation the procedural action Royal Caribbean took actually was the only thing they could do. By sending you off the ship they basically released themselves of any and all liability that would have resulted if something actually happened to you. Look at it this way, if someone is showing signs of an ailment serious in nature (heart attack, stroke, etc.) but because they don't want to miss their cruise they decide to stay on board and the cruise line lets them, if something were to happen to that guest during the cruise and the cruise line knew about it before hand, the company would be exposed to all kinds of litigation.

 

This is definitely a tough situation but at the end of the day the extreme caution used by Royal Caribbean in this case may just in fact save a persons life one day.

 

Yes. Well said.

[babyher]

Just curious , because I don't see mention of it in the OPs post. Was this the OPs first cruise?

 

If it wasn't then wouldn't they know from past cruises that strobe lights would be going of and horns would be blaring

[Sherlock43031]

Just curious , because I don't see mention of it in the OPs post. Was this the OPs first cruise?

 

If it wasn't then wouldn't they know from past cruises that strobe lights would be going of and horns would be blaring

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coralc View Post

This person apparently had a similar experience on another cruise line with gout.

 

 

"I can confirm from harsh personal experience that cruise lines don’t think they have to do anything to make it up to customers when things go awry and it’s their fault. The contract of carriage is, in fact, totally one sided, with no recourse or appeal on the part of the passenger. Caveat emptor. Buy trip insurance.

 

I had booked a cruise from Istanbul to Venice last summer aboard Oceania’s Riviera. I reported aboard with a very large knee, caused by my worst gout attack ever, complicated by an infection from a fall. I called my physician at home, who is on staff at Presbyterian-New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, and she suggested I not get treated until I got aboard ship and saw the ship’s doctor. The doctor, whom I judged in the end to be incompetent, wanted me immediately debarked before the ship sailed, so I could “have (my) knee opened and scraped.” I declined. He was in a panic about my high white cell count, not realizing that gout increases white cell count as surely as an infection, and for the same reason. So he treated me for the infection, and only upon my insistence treated me for the gout. He kept referring to me as “septic” and being in danger of losing my knee unless I immediately had it opened and scraped. He never believed I had gout, however, refused to talk to my doctor back home, saying “I don’t care what she thinks and I especially don’t care what you think,” and when he involuntarily debarked me into the Greek medical system three days later he noted on my medical certificate (from memory, but this is the gist) “Patient thinks he has gout. Uric acid level normal.” In other words, he was claiming I didn’t know what I was talking about.

"

 

The link is here...bottom of page: http://blog.insuremytrip.com/2013/02...l-triumph.html

 

The cruise ship physician that I saw onboard in December (for shingles) wanted to put me off for onshore medical. I sort of refused, because I would have been in just as much pain onshore as onboard. No reason to ruin the cruise for my husband and friends. He just wrote "patient refused onshore medical treatment" on my chart. It ruined MY cruise, it was a painful, but not a generally life threatening condition. I won't get the lost 4 days back, but either primary or travel insurance will reimburse for the medical visit.

sounds to me like there is a whole lot more going on then meets the eye.. with her history how could she get insurance?

[Kellie Poodle]

It will be a cold day in Hawaii before we step foot on a Royal Caribbean ship again. In the morning, I'm calling my local TV stations' Investigative Teams. We will also be consulting legal advice. You know that old saying, a satisfied customer tells one person, an unsatisfied customer tells 10? Royal Caribbean has not considered that in these days of widespread internet access, that number might be closer to 10,000.

 

And whatever you do on your next cruise, DO NOT admit to having a minor ailment. Or you might be the one dumped off in a strange city, unable to rejoin your ship, for no reason other than a headache or touch of indigestion.

 

 

1) I don't think Royal Caribbean is afraid of you. You did sign a contract that stated you were physically able to go on the cruise then you went to the medical office before you even sailed. Look to your contract if you want to litigate. Making a fool of yourself on local TV stations shows how angry you are, not how smart you are.

 

2) There is a form for "special needs" and you could have filed that referencing your problem with strobe lights.

 

3) You could have come on Cruise Critic BEFORE your cruise and have asked, in advance, about anything that could have affected your condition. People come on all the time and ask questions about gluten free diets and storage for insulin.

 

My DH did became ill on a Royal Caribbean cruise. We were stuck for a week in Sicily with him in a sub-standard (to our home) hospital for 6 days. Royal Caribbean gave us a port agent who was with me every day, translated for me at the hospital, got me a hotel room near the hospital and reported everything back to a representative of RCI in Miami. She was also in contact with me every day, told the US Embassy that we were there and she went to bat with the travel insurance company to get us out of there when the airline went on strike. Our travel insurance reimbursed us and a month later, RCI sent us over $500 per person in future cruise certificates.

I cruise with RCI because they were absolutely wonderful to us when my DH was ill. So much for being stuck in a strange city without help.

 

5) We carry whatever medications we need for our minor and major ailments. If there is a reason we need a letter from a doctor, we get one in advance. We fill out and send in the special needs forms.

 

I'm sorry you missed your cruise, but RCI did the right thing in this instance and you, unfortunately, did not. You should have prepared properly.

[babyher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coralc View Post

This person apparently had a similar experience on another cruise line with gout.

 

 

"I can confirm from harsh personal experience that cruise lines don’t think they have to do anything to make it up to customers when things go awry and it’s their fault. The contract of carriage is, in fact, totally one sided, with no recourse or appeal on the part of the passenger. Caveat emptor. Buy trip insurance.

 

I had booked a cruise from Istanbul to Venice last summer aboard Oceania’s Riviera. I reported aboard with a very large knee, caused by my worst gout attack ever, complicated by an infection from a fall. I called my physician at home, who is on staff at Presbyterian-New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, and she suggested I not get treated until I got aboard ship and saw the ship’s doctor. The doctor, whom I judged in the end to be incompetent, wanted me immediately debarked before the ship sailed, so I could “have (my) knee opened and scraped.” I declined. He was in a panic about my high white cell count, not realizing that gout increases white cell count as surely as an infection, and for the same reason. So he treated me for the infection, and only upon my insistence treated me for the gout. He kept referring to me as “septic” and being in danger of losing my knee unless I immediately had it opened and scraped. He never believed I had gout, however, refused to talk to my doctor back home, saying “I don’t care what she thinks and I especially don’t care what you think,” and when he involuntarily debarked me into the Greek medical system three days later he noted on my medical certificate (from memory, but this is the gist) “Patient thinks he has gout. Uric acid level normal.” In other words, he was claiming I didn’t know what I was talking about.

"

 

The link is here...bottom of page: http://blog.insuremytrip.com/2013/02...l-triumph.html

 

The cruise ship physician that I saw onboard in December (for shingles) wanted to put me off for onshore medical. I sort of refused, because I would have been in just as much pain onshore as onboard. No reason to ruin the cruise for my husband and friends. He just wrote "patient refused onshore medical treatment" on my chart. It ruined MY cruise, it was a painful, but not a generally life threatening condition. I won't get the lost 4 days back, but either primary or travel insurance will reimburse for the medical visit.

sounds to me like there is a whole lot more going on then meets the eye.. with her history how could she get insurance?

 

UH HUH

 

 

I had an in law like this one .....every time she left the house , a personal injury lawyer bought a new Jaguar :)

[bchalker]

Good for Royal.

[Kellie Poodle]

Part of the problem with this thread is that there are two issues at hand. There is the issue of the OP being put off of the ship and there is the issue of RCI then keeping the cruise fare. Some people on this thread, and I don't mean you even though I quoted you, are having trouble separating the two.

 

I see the two issues and I believe both of them are treated under the contract that we all sign with the cruise line before boarding. Point one being that she asserted that she was physically able to cruise. Point two being cancellation on sailing day (no refund).

 

She was not fit for travel on sailing day. Her cruise was cancelled because of it.

 

I do feel very badly for her but she was a definite player in this scenario and her post blaming the entire situation on RCI is not helping her cause, IMO. If she has had this medical problem for over 40 years, then she should have purchased travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions which would have reimbursed her for her cruise and medical expenses and she would not be so angry.

 

Stuff happens. It is not up to the entire world to make us feel better when it does.

[mauimary]

It is too bad the OP did not know that she could have left the stateroom early to be up at the muster station prior to sounding the alarms and flashing lights. I can't stand it either so we leave the room about ten min prior to sounding the alarm. We also avoid the crowds and the chaos. I feel really bad for her. Most folks do not know how this works or what to expect if this is a first cruise.

[Kellie Poodle]

Travel insurance is not always cut and dried, nor is it easy to collect. When we cancelled due to my cancer last year, we had to provide my physician's signatures on forms as well as her account of what happened and what exact date I became unable to travel, and we had to file within 24 hours of my becoming incapacitated - plus of course they phoned my physician after that to make sure everything was accurate and truthful. I think anyone would agree they are looking for a loop hole - a reason not to pay out. Praise God we got everything back but it did take some time.

 

I guess I have better insurance. I had to cancel B2B cruises when I was diagnosed with cancer in July and had to undergo chemo which made me really, really sick.

 

I did need my physician to fill out a form but I had a year to submit my claim, not 24 hours. I was in the hospital until October 31 and unable to fill out the claim form for several weeks after that. I got all the documents together (no thanks to an 'online' travel agent who booked the cruises but refused to help me with the claim form) and sent them in via certified mail. I had a check for the full refund, over $9,000, within three weeks.

 

Next time you should use TravelEx.:)

[Kellie Poodle]

So based on your comments, no one with a disability or medical problem should ever sail. When we went on royal there was a large group with special needs kids. Should they be denied sailing because they would be helpless in an emergency? What about someone in a wheelchair? Or a blind person? We should just remove them all since by your logic they are not fit to sail. :rolleyes:

 

People with special needs file the proper forms with the cruise line before boarding. There are sections on the form for those traveling with assist dogs and wheel chairs. When the cruise line is notified in advance, they graciously make accommodations for those with special needs. I have seen sign language translators on cruises where there have been several hearing impaired guests.

 

Further, even if you have special needs, you must be able to care for yourself or be in the company of someone who is your caregiver. My friend traveled with her wheelchair ridden husband, a stroke victim, on an RCI cruise last summer. She paid for and brought a medical attendant with her to care for the husband.

 

There are even provisions for getting dialysis at sea.

 

The cruise lines have made a large effort to be accessible to those with disabilities.

[MommaBear55]

It is difficult to know if the OP has other factors that might predispose her to stroke. Migraine sufferers are 50% more likely to have a stroke than non migraine sufferers. If someone also smokes, is obese, has hypertension or high cholesterol, the risk of stroke goes up even further. Royal Caribbean was working on OPs best interest in sending her to the ED since she had slurred speech, a classic symptom of stroke. I am sorry for the timing and the fact she couldn't just stay in a darkened room and let her Imitrex work. It seems like the situation was a series of bad coincidences that led to the current issue.

 

As to RCL' s responsibility to refund the trip, I understand why people would wish for that to have happened, but they really should not refund the fares, as it sets a bad precedence. If they follow the guidelines consistently, then no one can complain that they are playing favorites, or even worse, be accused of prejudice if they do not refund someone's fare.

 

OP, I am truly sorry for your disappointment. It sounds like you had a fun time with family members planned. You and DH are to be congratulated on reaching 40 years of marriage. It is quite a milestone!

[workingonlytocruise]

I guess I have better insurance. I had to cancel B2B cruises when I was diagnosed with cancer in July and had to undergo chemo which made me really, really sick.

 

I did need my physician to fill out a form but I had a year to submit my claim, not 24 hours. I was in the hospital until October 31 and unable to fill out the claim form for several weeks after that. I got all the documents together (no thanks to an 'online' travel agent who booked the cruises but refused to help me with the claim form) and sent them in via certified mail. I had a check for the full refund, over $9,000, within three weeks.

 

Next time you should use TravelEx.:)

 

Langley is in Canada - you are in the U.S. Different rules apply most of the time.