Carnival Liberty Evacuation

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Let me see if I understand all of this via the posts from our original OP:

 

Those who embarked in Barbados, 100 souls or so, have been flown to Barbados and are disembarking on schedule. The flight paid for by Carnival.

 

Those who boarded in San Juan are being flown either to San Juan to continue their vacation and using their own scheduled flight out or they can chose to fly "home" on Carnival's dime sometime Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

 

Prior to their flight all passengers are invited to stay on their floating hotel in St. Thomas and have the use of $150 (each) for onboard expenses.

 

All gratuities paid are being returned to passengers (if pre-paid) and no gratuities for their time on the ship will be charged. All pre-paid excursions will be reimbursed. Passengers who had private excursions will have to work directly with those excursions for any reimbursements just like they would have to do if the ship "missed ports" in the normal course of any cruise. (Every "private" excursion I have ever booked has a clause that if the cruise ship doesn't "show-up" they reimburse their customer).

 

All passengers will have the cost of this particular cruise reimbursed and will receive 50% off of any future cruise.

 

So for the cost of transportation to and from San Juan a passenger is getting from 3 to 5 days free on a floating hotel (and St. Thomas isn't a bad port). They are being reimbursed for the cruise and this money can be used at their discretion.

 

No one missed work, no additional expenses have been incurred, no one went hungry. I'd trade places with the OP anyday.

[j_sppran]

I wish carnival would send out something to the next cruisers. I'm booked on the 9-13 trip. All i get is "our last update says your trip will be on schedule." Going to be some crap if we are told Saturday day "after flying to SJ on Friday" that our trip is canceled. and the circus of trying to find 7 nights of hotels in SJ along with 3000 others.

[fourcruisin]

I wish carnival would send out something to the next cruisers. I'm booked on the 9-13 trip. All i get is "our last update says your trip will be on schedule." Going to be some crap if we are told Saturday day "after flying to SJ on Friday" that our trip is canceled. and the circus of trying to find 7 nights of hotels in SJ along with 3000 others.

 

Honestly, if I was in your position, I would definitely be looking to make alternate plans just in case. See if you can book a hotel with a liberal cancellation policy. It's Wednesday and they are still having issues. I wouldn't get my hopes up that you will sail this weekend. JMHO. And I'm sorry for you and all the other cruisers waiting to hear word from CCL. It stinks not knowing.

Edited September 9, 2015 by fourcruisin

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I wish carnival would send out something to the next cruisers. I'm booked on the 9-13 trip. All i get is "our last update says your trip will be on schedule." Going to be some crap if we are told Saturday day "after flying to SJ on Friday" that our trip is canceled. and the circus of trying to find 7 nights of hotels in SJ along with 3000 others.

 

I empathize with you, totally, but it seems, as of right now that Carnival doesn't KNOW what Sunday will bring. Unless the damage was so great that the boat can't get back to San Juan and replacement parts aren't available immediately that would be the only reason the cruise would be cancelled. "Fixing" things, as long as you have the necessary techs and parts isn't a "big" deal. The Triumph couldn't sail the weeks after its fire because generators aren't off the rack items (it takes weeks for a generator manufacturer to build one) and the "hotel" part of the ship sustained some heavy damage because of the lack of hotel generator power. Sounds like this is a wholly different issue.

[gone_cruisin]

I empathize with you, totally, but it seems, as of right now that Carnival doesn't KNOW what Sunday will bring. Unless the damage was so great that the boat can't get back to San Juan and replacement parts aren't available immediately that would be the only reason the cruise would be cancelled. "Fixing" things, as long as you have the necessary techs and parts isn't a "big" deal. The Triumph couldn't sail the weeks after its fire because generators aren't off the rack items (it takes weeks for a generator manufacturer to build one) and the "hotel" part of the ship sustained some heavy damage because of the lack of hotel generator power. Sounds like this is a wholly different issue.

 

 

One thing to consider per Pauleys info.....carnival plans to keep the ship in St. Thomas at least until Friday night,as they will be still offloading passengers that day. If this ship needs repair, one day is not going to cut it. They should, at the VERY least, be honest with the 13th passengers and modify or cancel their cruise.

[jimbo5544]

I empathize with you, totally, but it seems, as of right now that Carnival doesn't KNOW what Sunday will bring. Unless the damage was so great that the boat can't get back to San Juan and replacement parts aren't available immediately that would be the only reason the cruise would be cancelled. "Fixing" things, as long as you have the necessary techs and parts isn't a "big" deal. The Triumph couldn't sail the weeks after its fire because generators aren't off the rack items (it takes weeks for a generator manufacturer to build one) and the "hotel" part of the ship sustained some heavy damage because of the lack of hotel generator power. Sounds like this is a wholly different issue.

 

I agree, although it does not sound good. My guess is that they will make a decision by tomorrow to let all supposed to cruise what is going on. Feel for everyone affected. That being said, I think Carnival, as is always the case, is doing the right thing by their clients.

[jimbo5544]

One thing to consider per Pauleys info.....carnival plans to keep the ship in St. Thomas at least until Friday night,as they will be still offloading passengers that day. If this ship needs repair, one day is not going to cut it. They should, at the VERY least, be honest with the 13th passengers and modify or cancel their cruise.

Surely you are not suggesting they are being dishonest.... There is no reason to be, once they know what is going to happen, they will inform those who are affected.

[gone_cruisin]

Surely you are not suggesting they are being dishonest.... There is no reason to be, once they know what is going to happen, they will inform those who are affected.

 

 

 

Really? That's what you read from my statement.

 

They are aware that 13th cruise is not going to happen. What their reason for waiting to tell us....is anyone's guess. Trying to figure out a compensation package?

Edited September 9, 2015 by gone_cruisin

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

One thing to consider per Pauleys info.....carnival plans to keep the ship in St. Thomas at least until Friday night,as they will be still offloading passengers that day. If this ship needs repair, one day is not going to cut it. They should, at the VERY least, be honest with the 13th passengers and modify or cancel their cruise.

 

 

Not to be flippant but none of us have been informed of the extent of damage. Sounds as though Carnival has ALREADY flown in techs and POSSIBLY parts. It doesn't sound like they are doing NOTHING about working on the problem at the present time...they wouldn't have considered sailing to San Juan if the ship wasn't sea worthy. How many engines were damaged. A ship doesn't use all 6 at a time....I was led to believe there is redundancy built into the system. Am I wrong?

[atsasid]

I would guess that if the ship will be in St Thomas until Friday whatever work was going to be done in San Juan will now be done in St Thomas.

 

I doubt they will let the ship sit for 2-3 days just to sail it to San Juan to fix. I would bet whatever parts they needed werent in San Juan

[jimbo5544]

Really? That's what you read from my statement.

 

They are aware that 13th cruise is not going to happen. What their reason for waiting to tell us....is anyone's guess. Trying to figure out a compensation package?

 

You know this for a fact? I would be surprised to find the reason for them not telling people who might be making final flight arrangements for a cruise that their cruise is cancelled because they do not know what they will be offering them

Edited September 9, 2015 by jimbo5544

[Dymediva]

I hope the people booked on the next sailing are looking at alternate arrangements. I hope they sail as planned, but looking less and less likely. And the notice that the sailing is cancelled probably won't come till late in the game.

 

You are right, we probably won't know until the last minute if we can sail or not. I have a plan b:D We are going to have a vacation either way. If we can sail that will be great but if not a week in Puerto Rico isn't a bad thing:D We will just stay at the hotel and sit on the beach sippin margaritas all week. Either way it's all good:D:D

[KatieCharlotte]

No one missed work, no additional expenses have been incurred, no one went hungry. I'd trade places with the OP anyday.

 

I would too, because I have a flexible job and love travel adventures. Several days in St. Thomas for free and a discounted cruise in the future would be nice. But not everyone is as lucky as we are. I know people who struggle to put together an entire week of vacation time because they must take time off to care for sick family members, etc. When they get to travel, they want exactly what they were dreaming of all year, which in the case of this cruise was likely many different ports.

[gone_cruisin]

You know this for a fact? I would be surprised to find the reason for them not telling people who might be making final flight arrangements for a cruise that their cruise is cancelled because they do not know what they will be offering them

 

 

Then be surprised.

[gtalum]

I feel sorry for all the people who planned a 7-10 day vacation and only ended up getting a long weekend. I wonder why Carnival won't let them stay until Sunday. Getting a full refund is a nice start but it can't make up for the lost vacation days. I hope the passengers were given a choice of when to go home.

 

It's obvious that the US Coast Guard nixed Carnival's plan to sail Liberty back to San Juan with passengers without the full repairs being completed. It's going to take a few days to get everyone flown out of St. Thomas, and Carnival likely needs Liberty back in San Juan to make the repairs since the shipyards there are more "full service" than the ones in St. Thomas. It's not ideal, but I don't see any other solution. I do agree that the lost vacation days are likely irreplaceable to most of those on board.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I would too, because I have a flexible job and love travel adventures. Several days in St. Thomas for free and a discounted cruise in the future would be nice. But not everyone is as lucky as we are. I know people who struggle to put together an entire week of vacation time because they must take time off to care for sick family members, etc. When they get to travel, they want exactly what they were dreaming of all year, which in the case of this cruise was likely many different ports.

 

So what would be "fair" compensation? The situation IS and Carnival CAN'T change the results of what happened so they can't give passengers back a week in time past.

[gone_cruisin]

It doesn't sound like they are doing NOTHING about working on the problem at the present time...they wouldn't have considered sailing to San Juan if the ship wasn't sea worthy.

 

 

Clearly whatever fix they tried in St. Thomas did not cut the mustard for the Coast Guard. So more repairs are necessary. Everyone is throwing around theories about mechanics/parts being flown in. No one has that info.

 

What I do know is that this is a multi-million machine that is extremely complex. Any time a component like a engine fails, it is never a quick fix.

Edited September 9, 2015 by gone_cruisin

[jimbo5544]

Then be surprised.

 

Doubt I will be, understand your plight, hope it works out.

[hendo13]

The deck cams show that the ship is empty or no one is on deck

[cubbiesgal21]

Until Carnival makes the announcement, there really are no other arrangements. We have several thousands of dollars tied up in this cruise and cannot just book something else.

 

 

I am just suggesting that those upcoming cruisers who don't have trip insurance, but have non-refundable airfare look into booking a refundable hotel/resort stay in San Juan so their vacations are not completely ruined. More than likely Liberty is going to stay docked in St. Thomas with the passengers who aren't flying out till Friday aboard. Not to mention the fact that it still has not been cleared by the USCG. Will Carnival have people in St. Thomas working on repairing the ship while it sits there? Possibly, but at this point no one even knows what the true damage is, and while we all know it is better to be safe than sorry, if there was any possible way they could get that ship back to San Juan with passengers aboard they would have. I hope they do get everything back in working order in time for the next sailing, just being a realist.

[Jackievi]

:)

Screw 'em Pauley. You done right by us.

 

Exactly. We all sincerely appreciate everything you have done and posted and know that you gave us the correct info at the time and we are so very thankful.

[gone_cruisin]

I am just suggesting that those upcoming cruisers who don't have trip insurance, but have non-refundable airfare look into booking a refundable hotel/resort stay in San Juan so their vacations are not completely ruined. More than likely Liberty is going to stay docked in St. Thomas with the passengers who aren't flying out till Friday aboard. Not to mention the fact that it still has not been cleared by the USCG. Will Carnival have people in St. Thomas working on repairing the ship while it sits there? Possibly, but at this point no one even knows what the true damage is, and while we all know it is better to be safe than sorry, if there was any possible way they could get that ship back to San Juan with passengers aboard they would have. I hope they do get everything back in working order in time for the next sailing, just being a realist.

 

 

That idea may work for most people. If that's what people would prefer, then I too recommend getting hotels lined up now. We, however, do not want to spend a week in San Juan.

Edited September 9, 2015 by gone_cruisin

[pe4all]

I wish carnival would send out something to the next cruisers. I'm booked on the 9-13 trip. All i get is "our last update says your trip will be on schedule." Going to be some crap if we are told Saturday day "after flying to SJ on Friday" that our trip is canceled. and the circus of trying to find 7 nights of hotels in SJ along with 3000 others.

 

Truthfully, I really don't see the Liberty sailing on the 13th, unless they do the repairs in St. Thomas.

 

One thing to consider per Pauleys info.....carnival plans to keep the ship in St. Thomas at least until Friday night,as they will be still offloading passengers that day. If this ship needs repair, one day is not going to cut it. They should, at the VERY least, be honest with the 13th passengers and modify or cancel their cruise.

This. By the time they debark the last passengers on Friday, and sail the ship to SJ - and I am sure they will be quite cautious about speed- I fear the next sailing may be lost.

[jimbo5544]

That idea may work for most people. If that's what people would order, then I too recommend getting hotels lined up now. We, however, do not want to spend a week in San Juan.

 

Do you have insurance?

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Clearly whatever fix they tried in St. Thomas did not cut the mustard for the Coast Guard. So more repairs are necessary. Everyone is throwing around theories about mechanics/parts being flown in. No one has that info.

 

What I do know is that this is a multi-million machine that is extremely complex. Any time a component like a engine fails, it is never a quick fix.

 

You are correct...I reread the OPs posts and he wasn't the one who talked about Carnival personnel being sent in. So I'll sit back until we have more firm information.