Serious problem, need advice on whom to contact

[flahagan]

Hy husband and I recently took 3 of our teen grandkids on the Breeze and on the very first AM of the 8-day cruise, one of our grandsons fractured his ankle.

He'd been given the go-ahead from the crew member at the top of the yellow waterslide, slid down and slammed feet-first into a man who was still sitting at the bottom of the slide. There was no spotter at the bottom, and the man at the top had no way of seeing if the exit was clear due to parts of the slide obscuring his field of vision. Although he had a walkie-talkie to communicate with someone, he was just sending people down every so many seconds.

This resulted in a fractured ankle for my grandson. I took him to the infirmary, where he was x-rayed, had a splint applied, told to keep his foot iced and elevated and told he couldn't put any weight on it. He was instructed to see an orthopedic Dr. when he returned home. He was given crutches (actually, I had to pay $50 deposit and told they had to be returned by 8PM the night before disembarkation) and I was told to go to Guest Services to get a wheelchair.

Long story short, our special grandchild trip was ruined. I spent much of the next several days at the infirmary and at Guest Services, where I was told again and again they couldn't offer me any help, I had to wait until we returned home and "take it up with corporate." Once, they dialed the ship-to-shore phone and handed it to me so I could call our travel insurance co. and our daughter, didn't offer me a quiet place to talk, just left me standing there in the lobby. Well, the Dr. Seuss parade came through and I couldn't hear a thing, even went down in the stairwell to try to hear to no avail.

 

I never got a word of apology from Carnival, not even a chocolate-covered strawberry, just a letter 2 nights before the end of the cruise giving me a reference number for "the incident" and a call to say we could take the crutches off the ship but I'd still be charged for them. Well, duh, like he could have gotten off without them! You know, it would have been nice if anyone had called to see how we were doing, if we needed any help in any of the ports. My DH has been ill recently and he also needed a wheelchair to get on/off the ship, so this 71-yr-old grandma was beyond worn out.

 

Grandson is now back home in upstate NY in a hard cast for one month, then in a walking boot for another month. Travel insurance won't cover any costs after the final date of travel.

I called the Guest Care department in Miami several days after our return and gave the rep my reference number. When she found our "case" she said "Wonderful!" in this fake cheery voice - can you tell I was over it at this point? She asked if it impacted our grandson's trip! Then she asked what was I requesting, that she'd pass it along to the loss prevention dept. and someone would get back to me in 3 to 5 weeks.

I told her I didn't know WHAT I was requesting, as grandson still had to see the orthopedic Dr. the next day and we didn't know if he'd need surgery.

 

Does anyone have a name of someone at Carnival I can contact about this? The impersonal way this has all been handled (or NOT handled) has us all so upset. I suppose I should use an attorney, as the gentleman our grandson hit said it was "gross negligence" in his statement and was very upset also at the way we were being basically ignored by the ship's management. I'd like to just be able to really talk to someone at Carnival first, though, as I find it hard to believe the higher-ups would approve of any of this.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[LMaxwell]

Travel insurance won't cover any costs after the final date of travel.

 

I would start by contacting the travel insurance plan administrator. The incident occurred DURING your period of coverage.

[Podna's]

I would start by contacting the travel insurance plan administrator. The incident occurred DURING your period of coverage.

 

 

You beat me too it. Should be covered.

[lady_cruiser]

How was the man that your grandson "slammed into, feet first" I'm sure he might have gotten hurt too? Just wondering since you didn't mention two people getting hurt because the person at the top of the slide didn't clear it first.

 

Edited: I also wanted to say I hope that your grandson is doing better and hope that his next cruise will be accident free and filled with fun-loving memory.

Edited August 5, 2015 by lady_cruiser

[flahagan]

Thankfully, the other man involved wasn't injured - it's a good thing he was large and in good shape. If grandson had slammed into a smaller child, there definitely would have been two injuries.

As to the travel insurance, I thought the same thing and questioned the company about it upon my return, but was told it would only cover medical costs "during" the trip. I think I'll give them another call and try to talk to someone higher up.

[kona_wahine]

I think it's really stinky of carnival for not being more concerned since one of their employees caused this injury.

[LMaxwell]

As to the travel insurance, I thought the same thing and questioned the company about it upon my return, but was told it would only cover medical costs "during" the trip. I think I'll give them another call and try to talk to someone higher up.

 

Never heard of such a thing. Not all medical issues can be resolved by the time the original date of travel ends. What the insurance company told you sounds absurd to me. People have heart attacks and spend days or weeks past their trip completion in hospitals and require medical flights, etc...and they are covered under their insurance because the original event occurred during their coverage time.

[webzila]

Thankfully, the other man involved wasn't injured - it's a good thing he was large and in good shape. If grandson had slammed into a smaller child, there definitely would have been two injuries.

As to the travel insurance, I thought the same thing and questioned the company about it upon my return, but was told it would only cover medical costs "during" the trip. I think I'll give them another call and try to talk to someone higher up.

 

That kind of make sense to me. If you chose to go to a medical facility at one of the ports and get a cast there then travel insurance would cover that but back at home you have your own insurance (hopefully). That's just how I see it.

[RuthlessBoss]

This is something I thought I'd never say, but this is beyond you. I don't think you'll get far alone. People have been known to get more than satisfactory results going to the news people. Carnival woke up fast when someone did this according to a thread here. You clearly should be compensated in some way, and more Carnival interaction with the insurance. It's easy for me to sit behind a keyboard and say go to the news. The other alternative is lawyer intervention but that could be costly.

[Hoosierpop]

I don't have a name for you, but I would think about what you want from Carnival and let them know what that is. And be as specific as you can. Otherwise, you are depending on them to make things better for you, and I'm not sure I would depend on that.

[Elaine515]

Send an email to cclsupport@carnival.com Attn: Mischelle... she will make sure it gets to the right person... Of course, in the email, give your name, ship, booking # etc (all the necessary details) and I'm sure she'll have someone get back to you.

 

Personally I would cut and paste exactly what you posted here just add the other info...

Edited August 5, 2015 by Elaine515

[Kamloops50]

You'll probably find a clause in your cruise contract that will not you to get funds from Carnival. Same type of clause as waterparks have on there tickets.

[flahagan]

You'll probably find a clause in your cruise contract that will not you to get funds from Carnival. Same type of clause as waterparks have on there tickets.

 

That might be true if there were a sign saying "use at your own risk" or something to that effect, but clearly this was caused by company negligence. The days following the incident there was always a person manning the bottom of the slide, communicating with the person at the top - I know, because I checked.

[flahagan]

Send an email to cclsupport@carnival.com Attn: Mischelle... she will make sure it gets to the right person... Of course, in the email, give your name, ship, booking # etc (all the necessary details) and I'm sure she'll have someone get back to you.

 

Personally I would cut and paste exactly what you posted here just add the other info...

 

 

Thanks for this info. Who is she, so I'll know whom I'm contacting?

[CruzCrazy]

I want to say how sorry I am that this happened and that your grandson was injured. I can imagine how stressful this has been on you and your family.

 

I think the idea to e-mail Mischelle at CCL support is a good idea. I don't know if you're on FB, but, if you are, you might also want to post about this to John Heald. He has a way of getting things to the right people for resolution. He may just refer you to CCL support, but it would get your problem out there.

 

It seems to me that, in addition to the medical problem and pain and all the hassle of crutches and mobility issues, one of the main problems in all of this was the on-board staff's lack of concern, or lack of demonstration of concern. They should have someone specifically dedicated to handling situations like this and making sure the passenger and family are well taken care of (without any admission of fault on the part of the cruise line). The fault can be sorted out later, by lawyers if necessary, but it sounds like they dropped the ball when it comes to providing emotional support and taking care of you all during your time of distress.

 

Again, I'm truly sorry, and I hope your grandson has a speedy recovery. Please let us know how it all works out, and hopefully the travel insurance covers most of the medical costs and Carnival steps up too.

[Sparky2]

That might be true if there were a sign saying "use at your own risk" or something to that effect, but clearly this was caused by company negligence. The days following the incident there was always a person manning the bottom of the slide, communicating with the person at the top - I know, because I checked.

 

What insurance did you use?

 

Sure hope grandson is doing better now.

[Elaine515]

Thanks for this info. Who is she, so I'll know whom I'm contacting?

 

 

Mischelle is the one who runs the Carnival Cruise Line facebook. She is the one that if someone posts on John Healds facebook page (Senior Cruise Director for those that might not know) with a problem, John tells them to send all the information to her at that address... She has helped me in the past... great lady... extremely smart...

[moongal]

I've been really researching and reading reviews (not just on CC but every where on the Internet) and what I have been able to glean from all I have read and found is that Carnival has awesome fun ships, you can have the time of your life on them and the majority of people do, BUT from what I have been reading, it seems that Carnival is woefully inept at dealing with legitimate complaints. They are also terrible with regards to rendering appropriate aid in a medical emergency. The few times that they have stepped up to the plate was when the media has gotten involved.

 

This doesn't mean that I will not sail Carnival, only that I understand the risks involved should I or a family member need medical care. I will always purchase the most comprehensive travel ins available. Also if there is an issue with my room or any other truly legitimate complaint I will if possible invoke the trip guarantee. Otherwise I will not expect any other form of compensation for any other issue than medical (like issues with stateroom) because unless the guarantee is invoked Carnival is also inept at handling those kinds of complaints also. If what I have read is true.

 

I do know that on my own trip with them I was less than impressed with their medical team. On Lobster night my daughter took maybe 2 bites of her lobster (it was her first time to ever eat lobster or shrimp) and her lips started swelling, and then she was complaining that her throat was itching and felt funny, so I whisked her down to the med office as I was afraid she would go full blown anaphylaxis (allergic reaction where you can't breathe). When I got there we only could see a nurse and this nurse could barely speak any English, had never heard of anaphylaxis, and told me there was no way it could be an allergic reaction. I asked for some Benedryl anyway (I had some packed in bags, but was afraid her swelling was getting worse and didn't want to wait to get all the way back to my room to get some down her)

 

This nurse reluctantly sold me 5 Benedryl pills for $10 and I gave 2 to my daughter. After a bit her symptoms began to subside. I had her tested since back home and she definitely has shellfish allergy.

 

I was glad our medical issue was just a small one.

 

But I now know what risk there is if I do go on another cruise.

 

My point of all this is to say don't expect to get anything out of Carnival unless you go to the media, and for future sailings it is buyer beware. You will know the risks involved if you sail with them.

 

You can have a great time just as I did and they do provide the fun!!! Just hope you don't have any real issues come up when you sail with them. In that case you are SOL.

[SadieN]

What kind of trip insurance did you have? Read the policy carefully. Primary? Secondary? Primary is much more expensive. Secondary is cheaper but you have to go thru your insurance first (primary) then submit a claim with the travel insurance.

 

Too bad you didn't invite Carnival's vacation guarantee and fly home from your first port of call.

Edited August 5, 2015 by SadieN

[kelkel2]

OP-

I just wanted to post and say I am so sorry your grandson got injured. In all the posts I have read here about people getting hurt and wanting to blame Carnival I always ask myself what could the person have done to prevent this or what could Carnival have done to keep this from happening. I hardly side with people when they blame Carnival. But in this case, I really do have to believe that Carnival is negligent. There's really no excuse as to why there isn't someone at the bottom of the slides giving a "coast is clear" to the person at the top sending people down the slides. That could have completely prevented this injury 100%. I would make that very clear to carnival.

I would also try talking to your travel insurance company again, as others have said, this injury did occur on the vacation, and although you are caring for the injury afterwards, it absolutely is in direct relation to the vacation you took. I really think it should be covered. I also understand why you wanted to wait to go to a hospital back in the US!

I hope things work out for you! Come back and keep us posted!

[flahagan]

I want to say how sorry I am that this happened and that your grandson was injured. I can imagine how stressful this has been on you and your family.

 

I think the idea to e-mail Mischelle at CCL support is a good idea. I don't know if you're on FB, but, if you are, you might also want to post about this to John Heald. He has a way of getting things to the right people for resolution. He may just refer you to CCL support, but it would get your problem out there.

 

It seems to me that, in addition to the medical problem and pain and all the hassle of crutches and mobility issues, one of the main problems in all of this was the on-board staff's lack of concern, or lack of demonstration of concern. They should have someone specifically dedicated to handling situations like this and making sure the passenger and family are well taken care of (without any admission of fault on the part of the cruise line). The fault can be sorted out later, by lawyers if necessary, but it sounds like they dropped the ball when it comes to providing emotional support and taking care of you all during your time of distress.

 

Again, I'm truly sorry, and I hope your grandson has a speedy recovery. Please let us know how it all works out, and hopefully the travel insurance covers most of the medical costs and Carnival steps up too.

 

This is exactly how I felt, you hit the nail on the head. I felt like we were just out at sea on our own, so to speak. Nothing was made easy, in fact some things were just downright impossibly difficult. A little courtesy and show of concern would have gone a long way. Thank you for your kind thoughts.

[flahagan]

What kind of trip insurance did you have? Read the policy carefully. Primary? Secondary? Primary is much more expensive. Secondary is cheaper but you have to go thru your insurance first (primary) then submit a claim with the travel insurance.

 

Too bad you didn't invite Carnival's vacation guarantee and fly home from your first port of call.

 

It was secondary insurance. I always look first at the evacuation coverage, as I'd hate to have one of those bills! I understand the part of my daughter's primary being filed first, but I would have expected the trip insurance to pick up what wasn't covered from subsequent doctor bills.

I'll check again on this later and also write to Michelle as suggested, but right now I have to take my hubby to his oncology appointment. I'm getting pretty overwhelmed with life!

[skittl1321]

I'm sorry your grandson was injured.

 

I personally will contact a lawyer.

For two reasons:

1) Carnival is a lot more likely to respond to a lawyer than an individual person.

2) You don't have to stress about handling it. That is priceless to me.

 

If you get a personal injury settlement, yes, the lawyer will take a portion of the payment; however, if you are only looking for Carnival to recoup medical expenses, the lawyer actually takes his cut out of the insurance company's portion. (Because if the accident was Carnival's fault, the insurance company would then send it's own lawyers after Carnival to recoup their loss.)

Edited August 5, 2015 by skittl1321

[LynnTH]

I'm pretty sure Trip Insurance will not cover anything else. DS broke his wrist in 2 spots on our last cruise. Cruise Dr's took x-rays and put in a cast then made an appointment for us in Mexico to see an orthopedic dr. We spent the whole day at the hospital where they did more x-rays, had to rebreak his wrist and put in a new cast.

 

We did have Trip Insurance. Had to submit to regular insurance first. What they didn't cover our Trip Insurance did. But once we got back all the appointments (and another cast) were on us and our regular insurance. Trip Insurance only covers while on the trip not all the appointments after (at least in our case).

[Hoosierpop]

Getting a lawyer may be the right decision. But, I think it's important to figure out what you are looking for first. Medical bills? A refund on the trip? Another trip? I think that's important. Otherwise, what's the point of getting a lawyer?