Where is my Constilation Refund???

[cougaraz]

A ship is not a car or a truck or even a boat. The complexity of systems and the harsh conditions of the sea mean that even the best maintained ships in the world will experience engineering casualties. This is not a function of poor maintenance practices, neglect or grounds for litigation.

 

I have served on ships at sea for the last 15 years of my life and there is no such thing at 100% reliability. Cruise ships are generally miraculously clean, well maintained, efficient and reliable. Also, I think that the average non-marine engineer type would be most impressed should they see the massive effort and expertise that goes into keeping a ship operating.

[gkbiiii]

A ship is not a car or a truck or even a boat. The complexity of systems and the harsh conditions of the sea mean that even the best maintained ships in the world will experience engineering casualties. This is not a function of poor maintenance practices, neglect or grounds for litigation.

 

I have served on ships at sea for the last 15 years of my life and there is no such thing at 100% reliability. Cruise ships are generally miraculously clean, well maintained, efficient and reliable. Also, I think that the average non-marine engineer type would be most impressed should they see the massive effort and expertise that goes into keeping a ship operating.

 

I don't doubt what you are saying, however airplanes are complicated too, yet there are passenger based standards there. There should be some reasonable resolution, weather it is with the maritime attorney or just with Celebrity being reasonable, the ball is in their court.

[Cruising89143]

Why it sounds like a marriage made in heaven.:D

 

Okay that made me laugh out loud......

[Cruising89143]

He is a lawyer who is well known to prey on people such as the OP in an attempt to make a profit for himself. He is recognized in the maritime industry, especially the cruise industry, as someone who will exploit any irregularity if he feels he can make a tidy paycheck from it. However, he is mysteriously absent in all situations where he has no chance of pocketing a financial reward. A classic bottom dweller of the worst kind. Anything reported on his website should be read with suspicion.

 

I wish Cruise Critic would ban his site from the boards. Whenever I see his site listed in a post to try and prove a point I move on. Garbage.

Edited March 29, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Gonzo70]

I don't doubt what you are saying, however airplanes are complicated too, yet there are passenger based standards there. There should be some reasonable resolution, weather it is with the maritime attorney or just with Celebrity being reasonable, the ball is in their court.

 

I don't think you understand the type of compensation airlines typically allot. If a mechanical problem causes your plane to be so late that you don't make it out that night, they generally put you up in a hotel and provide food vouchers. They do not provide you with free flights and full refunds if you then catch a flight the next day. If a cruise ship experiences an issue that causes it to arrive back at port a day late at the end of the cruise, the cruise line does not charge you for the extra day - even if it is bad weather or an issue 100% out of their control that causes the ship to be delayed. You receive free meals, entertainment, and housing while the ship is delayed.

 

You are being extremely unreasonable and stubborn and in all honesty have the most outrageous claim for compensation I have ever seen posted on Cruise Critic (and there have been some wacky ones over the years).

[Texed]

ANY REASONABLE Compensation would be fine, but NOTHING is not!!!

 

Mr. biiii,

 

I am sorry that I am so inept. I not only do not know where your refund/compensation is, I do not know where ConSTILation is. :eek:

[gkbiiii]

I wish Cruise Critic would ban his site from the boards. Whenever I see his site listed in a post to try and prove a point I move on. Garbage.

 

 

I don't see why there is so much negativity about this man, he seems quite successful in his profession. Perhaps if the CEO's of these companies treated their customers & employees better, there would be less need for attorneys. This may surprise many, but I say this as a life-long Republican.

 

Over the past twenty years, I have seen standards slip and the actual need for litigation increase. I remember when I was in college, in the early 90s, an attorney told me, that while I may not like/respect his profession now (then) later in life, I would have need of there services. The problem in our country today, is that there is no balance and everything is geared to large players/big money interests.

 

The executives could have been reasonable, they chose not to: a sad commentary, on corporate life in 2014. It is more sad, that so many people, seem preconditioned to accept anything dished out to them. For this, I truly give my pity and deepest condolences.

Edited March 29, 2014 by gkbiiii

[fortinweb]

Mr. biiii,

 

I am sorry that I am so inept. I not only do not know where your refund/compensation is, I do not know where ConSTILation is. :eek:

 

When I first read the thread title I thought he had a problem with "constiPation" and wondered why he thought he should get a refund of some kind for being plugged up. Imagine my relief (no pun intended) when I realized he was talking about "conSTILation" instead. That made soooooo much more sense. :p

Edited March 29, 2014 by fortinweb

[LMaxwell]

My point about Disney (being the industry Gold Standard) is spot on, they would have handled things much differently.

 

My magic 8 ball is a little bit hazy at the moment; can you tell me what Disney would have done in this situation?

[LMaxwell]

There should be some reasonable resolution, .... with Celebrity being reasonable, the ball is in their court.

 

The problem here is you don't come off as a reasonable person. You started off wanting a cruise refund, now you say "Or whatever they think is reasonable." They TOLD you what they thought was reasonable, and you disagreed. That's fine. You can disagree. But no matter WHAT they offer you, you will not be happy because your original desire was unreasonable.

 

I'm curious what you think would now be a reasonable offering of goodwill? 10%-20% of your cruise fare as a future cruise credit? 1 day prorated refund from your cruise fare? Those are things that, to me, sound VERY reasonable, but I can't say that is reasonable for you. So for all your whining about what Disney would do (what would Disney do?) and your MORE! NOW! WAAAH! attitude I haven't seen what it is that you want from Celebrity that would make you happy.

 

It's like a kid throwing a hissy fit. All the screaming, crying, turning red in the face, stomping, carrying on...and when you try to find out what they want...they don't even know! They just want to carry on, scream, stomp, etc. until it is out of their system.

 

So what is it? Are you venting or do you have a proposed resolution? Have you WRITTEN to Celebrity about this or only posted on CC? Finally, if you are so repulsed and turned off by how Celebrity treated you...why would you even accept a credit towards a future cruise? Vote with your feet and wallet.

[Gabbiegirl]

HA HA!! Your comment about the airlines taking care of you when there is a problem is quite laughable......last time I was delayed OVER 18 hours because of a mechanical issue, they gave me tickets for the next day and said, "Sorry for the inconvenience!!" oh yeah, and they "gave" me the privilege of sitting in an uncomfortable chair for over half that time while they tried to figure out what was wrong......GREAT COMPARISON!!!:eek:

[maxsales]

I don't doubt what you are saying, however airplanes are complicated too, yet there are passenger based standards there. There should be some reasonable resolution, weather it is with the maritime attorney or just with Celebrity being reasonable, the ball is in their court.

 

What airline standards are you referring too? We were on a day of cruise flight on United scheduled for a 9:30 departure with a 12:30 arrival in Bayonne to board the Summit last September.

 

At 9:35 we were advised the plane had a dead battery and would be delayed till 11:00 which , if achieved, would still make our on time ship arrival problematic. United would do nothing for us except transfer our reservation to a delta flight leaving at 1:15 which again was too late for making the ships departure time.

 

We asked about a JetBlue flight leaving at 11:00 and United advised that they had no reciprocity with JetBlue and we would be on our own.

 

Fortunately we had booked through choice air and they transferred our ticket to the JetBlue flight. If we had booked direct with united we would have had two choices, book the JetBlue flight ourselves for triple the price or miss the start of our cruise. No offer if compensation except for an $8.00 lunch voucher was offered

 

I did monitor that flight and saw that it finally departed RSW at six that evening. Yes we did make sail away with about twenty minutes to spare.

Edited March 29, 2014 by maxsales

[cougaraz]

I don't doubt what you are saying, however airplanes are complicated too, yet there are passenger based standards there. There should be some reasonable resolution, weather it is with the maritime attorney or just with Celebrity being reasonable, the ball is in their court.

 

What would an airline give you? A meal and a room?

 

For those that suggest somehow this was planned by Celebrity, no offense, but you don't know what you are talking about. I find it borderline miraculous that they were able to effect a turbine change in such short order and can guarantee no profit seeking business on earth would chose a turbine change at what amount to an 'expeditionary' location for them. The cost is multiples of what it would take do it at a homeport on a schedule. Having changed out many U.S. Navy gas turbines over the years, I can say I am impressed at the schedule on which they completed the change and that they did it so far from a major support hub.

 

Also from the contract into which you voluntarily entered with Celebrity:

 

6. CANCELLATION, DEVIATION OR SUBSTITUTION BY CARRIER:

a) Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or devia

te from any scheduled sailing, port of call,destination, lodging or any activity on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or activity. Except as provided in Section 6(e) below, Carrier shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including but n

ot limited to loss, compensation or refund, byreason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation.

 

e) In the event that a Cruise (or the cruise component of a CruiseTour) is canceled or terminated earl

y due to mechanical failures:

i) Passenger shall have a right to a full refund of the Cruise Fare if the Cruise is canceled in full,

or a partial refund if the cruise is terminated early;ii) Carrier may cover or reimburse Passenger for additional costs (e.g. airline change fees) as deemed appropriate by the Carrier .

iii) If the passenger has travelled to the Vessel Passenger shall have a right to transportation (by m

eans selected by the Carrier to the Vessel’s scheduled port of disembarkation or the Passenger’s

home city; and

iv) Passenger shall have a right to lodging (selected by the Cruise Line) if disembarkation and an overnight stay in an unscheduled port are required due to the Cruise or cruise component of a CruiseTour being cancelled or terminated early because of such mechanical failures.

 

 

 

 

[trvlcarib]

I would be also be greatly disappointed if I booked to see Mexico and ended up in Key West for 2 days. Cozumel is a much better port.

[Conshydot]

After finding the exact cruise to PEI so that I could attend a friend's wedding, the ship couldn't dock because of high winds. Disappointed? yes. Blame the cruise line? NO, I was the one who thought that all would work out.

Life is what happens when YOU have other plans.

[alinnj]

[sloopsailor]

I don't see why there is so much negativity about this man, he seems quite successful in his profession.

 

It is beyond me why anyone would defend this ambulance chasing lawyer? :confused:

[swsfrail]

.... I say this as a life-long Republican.

 

THAT explains everything about your posts! ;)

[LSEA]

I don't see why there is so much negativity about this man, he seems quite successful in his profession. /QUOTE]

 

By all means, have this fellow represent you. Please come back and let us know how it worked out.

 

I probably missed this info buried in the thread, but what would you consider reasonable compensation?

[The Rowdys]

ConSTILation... because we were STILL in the water...

 

give me a break! we all know that the lines give ASTRONOMICAL discounts to fill rooms the last few days before a cruise... folks (like my family) can't just drop kids and jobs and other commitments to take advantage of a discounted cruise on a whim... we book a year in advance and pay full price.... they could give us some sort of incentive to try a "do-over" cruise... they do it every day! so some were not impacted by staying in KeyWest and not traveling to MX? AWESOME! they can forego their incentive.... something tells me though, that all of those saying they aren't owed anything would be the very first in line to get that "gift" if offered!

 

two words: mechanical neglect! we're not talking about weather, civil unrest, oil spill, etc...

how convenient that we were scooted to a naval pier.... press can't get to ship to document...

 

 

lastly, not beating a dead horse... OP states that they went thru proper channels to express dissatisfaction... as did many others - including myself... to no avail! this social medium is protected by free speech (within reason)... some feel it is the only platform from which to possibly be heard... amazing how posts magically disappear from Celebrity facebook page... emails never get answered... phone calls are placed on hold/ignored...

[LSEA]

ConSTILation... because we were STILL in the water...

 

give me a break! we all know that the lines give ASTRONOMICAL discounts to fill rooms the last few days before a cruise... folks (like my family) can't just drop kids and jobs and other commitments to take advantage of a discounted cruise on a whim... we book a year in advance and pay full price.... they could give us some sort of incentive to try a "do-over" cruise... they do it every day! so some were not impacted by staying in KeyWest and not traveling to MX? AWESOME! they can forego their incentive.... something tells me though, that all of those saying they aren't owed anything would be the very first in line to get that "gift" if offered!

 

two words: mechanical neglect! we're not talking about weather, civil unrest, oil spill, etc...

how convenient that we were scooted to a naval pier.... press can't get to ship to document...

 

 

lastly, not beating a dead horse... OP states that they went thru proper channels to express dissatisfaction... as did many others - including myself... to no avail! this social medium is protected by free speech (within reason)... some feel it is the only platform from which to possibly be heard... amazing how posts magically disappear from Celebrity facebook page... emails never get answered... phone calls are placed on hold/ignored...

 

The red emphasis on the text above was added by me. Am I missing something? I see in your signature you are scheduled to be on the Connie in December.

 

I am not unsympathetic to your disappointment. I will say though that after becoming a more frequent cruiser, I realized just how different it is from a land based vacation, with a whole different list of "what if's". Missing ports happens. The most we have ever gotten was a free glass of champagne with dinner. And I'm no champagne snob (well, maybe a little) but that glass of bubbly couldn't have cost X more than a few cents! Of course we were refunded our port fees but that isn't really compensation.

 

I

[Oville]

If you recall, the Disney Wonder was slated for the Mallory Square dock so we had to move. It was also explained it would be easier to make the repairs from the naval yard. I guess I'm not as jaded as you as I truly don't think this was preplanned. In fact someone who works at the base reported there were plans to bus passengers back to Fort Lauderdale as there were waste water issues. Fortunately, the repairs were completed and off we went.

 

We too paid top dollar for this cruise while others were sailing for peanuts. Balcony cabins were selling for $100 after final payment.

 

I see you aren't completely turned off to Celebrity as you have another Connie cruise booked for Dec. '14. Hopefully Cozumel is in your future.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Oville

[gkbiiii]

ConSTILation... because we were STILL in the water...

 

give me a break! we all know that the lines give ASTRONOMICAL discounts to fill rooms the last few days before a cruise... folks (like my family) can't just drop kids and jobs and other commitments to take advantage of a discounted cruise on a whim... we book a year in advance and pay full price.... they could give us some sort of incentive to try a "do-over" cruise... they do it every day! so some were not impacted by staying in KeyWest and not traveling to MX? AWESOME! they can forego their incentive.... something tells me though, that all of those saying they aren't owed anything would be the very first in line to get that "gift" if offered!

 

two words: mechanical neglect! we're not talking about weather, civil unrest, oil spill, etc...

how convenient that we were scooted to a naval pier.... press can't get to ship to document...

 

 

lastly, not beating a dead horse... OP states that they went thru proper channels to express dissatisfaction... as did many others - including myself... to no avail! this social medium is protected by free speech (within reason)... some feel it is the only platform from which to possibly be heard... amazing how posts magically disappear from Celebrity facebook page... emails never get answered... phone calls are placed on hold/ignored...

 

 

Your comments are spot on, had Celebrity done the right thing, none of us would be having this conversation. I learned a great deal, with my conversation with corporate, in Wichita (customer relations is not in Florida) namely that this was an economic decision by the top Celebrity executives.

 

Why is a maritime plaintiffs attorney bad, yet the corporate attorneys who draw up these ridiculously slated company contracts good?

 

There are many unhappy passengers who posted on his website, just not here on Cruise Critic. My views are not that far, for center mainstream.

[richstowe]

 

Why is a maritime plaintiffs attorney bad, yet the corporate attorneys who draw up these ridiculously slated company contracts good?

 

There are many unhappy passengers who posted on his website, just not here on Cruise Critic. My views are not that far, for center mainstream.

I must have missed the posts where anyone stated that the corporate attorneys are good.

And damn the cruise lines for seeing how much they can get away with.

And damn those who will try to get way more then they deserve for their "suffering".

 

A pox on them all !

[boogs]

lastly, not beating a dead horse...

 

Yes you are!

 

two words: mechanical neglect! we're not talking about weather, civil unrest, oil spill, etc...

 

So, if your car breaks down or has a flat, or your plumbing or roof springs a leak, you will blame yourself for "mechanical neglect", right? If a mechanical failure on a cruise ship should be blamed on the cruise line as "neglect", then anything you own that breaks should also be blamed on the owner as "neglect", in this case you. Or do you have a double standard when it's your stuff that breaks?

 

... OP states that they went thru proper channels to express dissatisfaction... as did many others - including myself... to no avail!

 

Who are these "many others"? There are only two of you on this tread. How would you know there are "many"? Do you work for Celebrity call center? Please explain how you know there are "many others".

Edited March 29, 2014 by boogs