Windstar cancels all Star Pride Itineraries through April 9

[ducklite]

I think there were more than a few missteps here, and what has com rout of it from a passengers POV is that Windstar seems to lack any sort of disaster planning. Disaster is used loosely and more in the corporate sense. I worked for a number of years for a large international corporation, and each area of responsibility had a disaster plan which looked at about 10 possible scenarios which would have a major impact on operations and had a plan for how each would be addressed. Those 10 plans could be tweaked to manage just about any possible event from Zombie Apocalypse to a snow storm which shut down our offices the day we were to present a quarterly earnings report to shareholders? These documents addressed "disasters" such as a large regional blackout (remember the Northeast in 2003?--we were prepared!) to the unexpected death of a key member of our team--fortunately never had to use that one.

 

My point being that Windstar might have had a plan in place to safely evacuate passengers, but they very obviously had no plan in place for how they would manage the aftermath. I hope they have learned from their mistakes and put together a series of documents which consider likely and unlikely scenarios and how each detail will be addressed in a manner which invites consumer confidence.

 

It seems that a good part of the problem stems from having a very small reservations department who became grossly overwhelmed. This can be resolved by having a trained call center on retainer who could have picked up the slack by calling each affected guest and determining if they would like to rebook or get a refund. If the answer is refund, they could have requested any required documentation and sent that over to accounting for processing. Accounting temps capable of this type of work who can be up to speed in a couple of hours are readily from someone like Robert Half.

 

They then could have passed all requests for rebooking to reservations. This would have freed reservations from probably half the calls they needed to make.

 

Additionally they need to reconsider their ocean marine, business interruption, and other related policies and either self-insure with suitable reserves or buy the cover which would allow them to immediately provide refunds to those wishing to cancel and not force a round peg into a square hole.

 

Will I sail on Windstar again? Yes, but with eyes wide open.

[milepig]

I think there were more than a few missteps here, and what has com rout of it from a passengers POV is that Windstar seems to lack any sort of disaster planning. Disaster is used loosely and more in the corporate sense. I worked for a number of years for a large international corporation, and each area of responsibility had a disaster plan which looked at about 10 possible scenarios which would have a major impact on operations and had a plan for how each would be addressed. Those 10 plans could be tweaked to manage just about any possible event from Zombie Apocalypse to a snow storm which shut down our offices the day we were to present a quarterly earnings report to shareholders? These documents addressed "disasters" such as a large regional blackout (remember the Northeast in 2003?--we were prepared!) to the unexpected death of a key member of our team--fortunately never had to use that one.

 

My point being that Windstar might have had a plan in place to safely evacuate passengers, but they very obviously had no plan in place for how they would manage the aftermath. I hope they have learned from their mistakes and put together a series of documents which consider likely and unlikely scenarios and how each detail will be addressed in a manner which invites consumer confidence.

 

It seems that a good part of the problem stems from having a very small reservations department who became grossly overwhelmed. This can be resolved by having a trained call center on retainer who could have picked up the slack by calling each affected guest and determining if they would like to rebook or get a refund. If the answer is refund, they could have requested any required documentation and sent that over to accounting for processing. Accounting temps capable of this type of work who can be up to speed in a couple of hours are readily from someone like Robert Half.

 

They then could have passed all requests for rebooking to reservations. This would have freed reservations from probably half the calls they needed to make.

 

Additionally they need to reconsider their ocean marine, business interruption, and other related policies and either self-insure with suitable reserves or buy the cover which would allow them to immediately provide refunds to those wishing to cancel and not force a round peg into a square hole.

 

Will I sail on Windstar again? Yes, but with eyes wide open.

 

Good post! I'd only add "recall senior management wherever they are." The moment I lost it was when a reservation agent told me they couldn't help recover my vacation because the "senior management was all on holiday" and there was no one to make decisions!!

[ducklite]

Good post! I'd only add "recall senior management wherever they are." The moment I lost it was when a reservation agent told me they couldn't help recover my vacation because the "senior management was all on holiday" and there was no one to make decisions!!

 

 

 

Yes, that was a very, very poor statement, even if it was true.

 

Part of disaster recovery is to have scripts/talking points already prepared for both internal and external customers which can be tweaked in under five minutes to be applicable to the situation at hand.

 

The appropriate response would have been that senior executives were working with their insurance company and logistics planning to come up with the best possible solution for each affected customer and that they would have something in place within 48 hours and would be working through all guests who had been on the affected sailing and sailings for the next two weeks immediately and then would be contacting each affected guest in the order of sailing date.

 

They should also have published press releases addressing the situation. Classic best case handling of a disaster was US Airways 1549. They immediately acknowledged, senior management (including the Captain) immediately met with survivors, they immediately rebooked all who wanted to continue their travel plans on either their carrier, an alternate carrier, or an alternate form of transportation. They refunded all tickets immediately and immediately gave each survivor a cash payout to help with initial costs. All without being asked!

 

They then set about retrieving all lost articles and made blanket payment to all passengers for lost items without quibble and made additional payment for higher value items. They had a fur coat cleaned and returned, and had a very expensive diamond ring recovered and personally returned by a member of senior management. The insurance carrier, AIG, also handled the situation remarkably well with additional preemptive payouts to each passenger.

 

Dougie might be a jerk, but his handling of this disaster was probably the best handling of a transportation disaster and potential PR fiasco that I have ever seen. This textbook case of disaster response and recovery puts Disney to shame. Windstar--and all corporations--should learn from it. Instead of losing consumer confidence after crashing a plane, they gained it and walked away smelling like roses.

[milepig]

Yes, that was a very, very poor statement, even if it was true.

 

Part of disaster recovery is to have scripts/talking points already prepared for both internal and external customers which can be tweaked in under five minutes to be applicable to the situation at hand.

 

The appropriate response would have been that senior executives were working with their insurance company and logistics planning to come up with the best possible solution for each affected customer and that they would have something in place within 48 hours and would be working through all guests who had been on the affected sailing and sailings for the next two weeks immediately and then would be contacting each affected guest in the order of sailing date.

 

That sound was me falling in the floor laughing. 48 hours? WS never sent me anything more than a random generic email days after the cancellation. A book could be written about how terribly this was handled. Possibly one reason for the recent cleaning house.

 

I rebooked in April and thought maybe there'd be some recognition on board. Nada.

Edited May 29, 2016 by milepig

[ducklite]

That sound was me falling in the floor laughing. 48 hours? WS never sent me anything more than a random generic email days after the cancellation. A book could be written about how terribly this was handled. Possibly one reason for the recent cleaning house.

 

I rebooked in April and thought maybe there'd be some recognition on board. Nada.

 

 

 

Maybe you should retread my comments. I wasn't saying that was what happened, rather if there had been an effective disaster recovery plan in place, it would have been a statement they could make with confidence.

 

It's disappointing that they didn't at least put a small shipboard credit on your account or leave a bottle of wine in your cabin with a note from shoreside management welcoming you back and thanking you for remaining loyal. A small gesture would have gone a long way.

[milepig]

Maybe you should retread my comments. I wasn't saying that was what happened, rather if there had been an effective disaster recovery plan in place, it would have been a statement they could make with confidence.

 

It's disappointing that they didn't at least put a small shipboard credit on your account or leave a bottle of wine in your cabin with a note from shoreside management welcoming you back and thanking you for remaining loyal. A small gesture would have gone a long way.

 

I think we're on the same page. My comment was meant to indicate how very, very far off the mark WS was.

[ducklite]

I think we're on the same page. My comment was meant to indicate how very, very far off the mark WS was.

 

 

 

OH, sorry. I couldn't agree more. This entire mess has made us step back and not book a sailing we were looking at until we see how things shake out over the next year. We loved our cruises with them, but we want to have confidence that in a disaster the line will perform both immediately during and in the days following, and it doesn't seem like Windstar did, or was remotely capable of doing so.

 

Our next holiday will again be land based. Hopefully the following one will find us on Windstar.

[dandee2]

Late January 2016, WS did adverstize amongst other, for the position of "Risk Manager". Either they did not have one or they replaced the previous one.

 

dandee2

[ducklite]

Late January 2016, WS did adverstize amongst other, for the position of "Risk Manager". Either they did not have one or they replaced the previous one.

 

dandee2

 

Interesting! I think their lack of any sort of public statement hurt them dearly with this entire debacle. Trying to sweep things under the rug and hoping they will go away is not the appropriate way to handle these types of situations. It only leaves nagging questions in the minds of consumers, and makes them think the line just doesn't care about guest retention. Not a good way to hold on to previous guests or bring on new ones.

 

I don't know if someone from Windstar is reading, but if they are I hope they take this to heart. It hasn't gone away, it's not going to go away, and it will continue to be the elephant in the room until it's suitably addressed, publicly.

[aldansam]

Hi all.

 

I reserved and paid for the Windstar Pride cruise out of Athens on June 16th. I am more than a little concerned. Has anything been done to the ship other than to repair the tear in the hull? Why did the accident happen in the first place?

 

I need to buy my plane tickets now, as the fares are going way up in the next two days. Has WS been any better at dealing with what sound like valid complaints and issues.

 

Last question. What would people with far more extensive cruising experience do? Cancel or go?

[LindaAndBillTravel]

Hi all.

 

I reserved and paid for the Windstar Pride cruise out of Athens on June 16th. I am more than a little concerned. Has anything been done to the ship other than to repair the tear in the hull? Why did the accident happen in the first place?

 

I need to buy my plane tickets now, as the fares are going way up in the next two days. Has WS been any better at dealing with what sound like valid complaints and issues.

 

Last question. What would people with far more extensive cruising experience do? Cancel or go?

My understanding is that the Star Pride had an extensive refurbishment during the time period it was not sailing. It had been due to be refurbed sometime soon anyway, but they apparently decided to move that up and combine it with the repairs.

 

As to why the accident happened, we were never told. It seemed to be bridge staff error. I'm sure that captain must be long gone from the company. While I would fault Windstar for a number of things that happened the day of the accident, they did get everyone off the ship safely and kept us feed and well hydrated while we were stranded in some pretty extreme heat and humidity. We were bored, frustrated, and knew we were being lied to about some pretty stupid stuff, but ultimately we were safe.

 

Windstar recently replaced a lot of its upper management. After that happened, their guest relation manager seemed to get a lot better at her communication and things finally all got resolved for us. Hopefully this is a sign that things on the back office side of the operation are getting the attention they sorely needed. Things onboard the ship prior to the accident had been fine, and we would have sailed with Windstar again had it not been for the customer relations fiasco following the accident.

 

As for whether to go on your cruise or not, it seems that you would lose a significant amount of money on the cruise fare if you canceled now, so I would go and enjoy. If you are in cabin 110, please check to see if there is a Kindle in the nightstand. My contact info should be on a sticker on the back. :)

Edited June 7, 2016 by ChalupaMama

[Strenz]

I would go in a minute the Athens cruise is extraordinary, I would love to do the Cornith Canal, we did Istanbul/Athens. Then again every experience and yes all 19 have been wonderful. I really like the company, I have nerver had a second of a problem, my sisters, cousins and friends have sailed with them multiple times, it is almost a family afair. The Star Pride was unfortunate and the past writer did say they were very saftey oriented, I have only experienced that. We are sailors and we love the small ships and the sailing ships we have been on the power yachts and we loved it as well. We are happy people who are grateful we can sail with WS. Go, enjoy I hope you will have a great time. The Pride was completely refurbished, should be beautiful. Happy Sailing

[milepig]

Hi all.

 

I reserved and paid for the Windstar Pride cruise out of Athens on June 16th. I am more than a little concerned. Has anything been done to the ship other than to repair the tear in the hull? Why did the accident happen in the first place?

 

I need to buy my plane tickets now, as the fares are going way up in the next two days. Has WS been any better at dealing with what sound like valid complaints and issues.

 

Last question. What would people with far more extensive cruising experience do? Cancel or go?

 

I'd stick with it. After multiple missteps in WS trying to get the Pride back online quickly, perhaps not fully understanding the damage initially (understandably), they seem to have come up with a reasonable plan that both repaired the damage and did the next phase of renovations. All reports indicate that the schedule is sticking.

 

In terms of "how" it happened, since you asked. Yes, it was certainly 100% bridge error and the captain is long gone - confirmed by multiple WS sources. There's much more gossip and hearsay about what happened and the attitude that caused it, but it's just that - hearsay.

 

In terms of dealing with complaints, I guess WS is past it now, the proof as to whether or not they learned from their mistakes will be when the next incident occurs. The fact that so many execs are gone is a good sign.

[cmos2000]

I'm booked on the Venice to Athens trip in late August on the Star Pride and I booked after the accident.

If it was me I would stick with the trip. I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

[aldansam]

We decided to go, but I booked using refundable miles. I also added a brief trip to Prague. I wanted my children to see a city thriving after the USSR's destruction of its identity.

 

I hope someone will post who is on the June 9th sailing. I called WS, and they told me that only repairs were completed, and no "rejuvenation". My 11 year old has already researched the ports!

 

Thanks for all the help.

[KikiKruiser]

We decided to go, but I booked using refundable miles. I also added a brief trip to Prague. I wanted my children to see a city thriving after the USSR's destruction of its identity.

 

I hope someone will post who is on the June 9th sailing. I called WS, and they told me that only repairs were completed, and no "rejuvenation". My 11 year old has already researched the ports!

 

Thanks for all the help.

 

If you're on Facebook, Windstar just posted photos from Greece of the Star Pride's "rejuvenation." Looks gorgeous. I'll be on the lookout for reviews as well, as I look forward to sailing on her later this month.

[milepig]

We decided to go, but I booked using refundable miles. I also added a brief trip to Prague. I wanted my children to see a city thriving after the USSR's destruction of its identity.

 

I hope someone will post who is on the June 9th sailing. I called WS, and they told me that only repairs were completed, and no "rejuvenation". My 11 year old has already researched the ports!

 

Thanks for all the help.

 

If you're on Facebook, Windstar just posted photos from Greece of the Star Pride's "rejuvenation." Looks gorgeous. I'll be on the lookout for reviews as well, as I look forward to sailing on her later this month.

 

And there we go, another WS "who's on first" moment. One rep says no rejuvenation at the exact same moment they post pictures that clearly show she WAS rejuvenated to the same standards of the Breeze and Legend. Sheesh.

Edited June 8, 2016 by milepig

[aldansam]

Posted earlier. Concerned about Star Pride, but brought the entire family over to Athens.

 

We walked of the ship after 3 hours. More to follow, but of the twenty cruises I have taken, I never felt the need to get my family off the ship. We all love cruising, and before posting details, I am trying to set up a time to talk to the President of Windstar. We are now in Greece, rudderless.

[Jb-lhr]

Hello aldansam,

Your last post has me more than a little concerned. We have friends who are booked on the Pride at the end of July (connecting cabins with two daughters) on our recommendation. I hope you are able to post some details about why you felt compelled to leave the ship after 3 hours. OUCH! Wishing you and your family well. 'Rudderless in Athens' wouldn't begin to describe it. Waiting with bated breath. John

[aldansam]

I will publish a full explanation, but I would like to get Eindstar's take on everything that the four of us discovered and encountered. Luckily, since this was a birthday and graduation present for my son-just ended a grueling year at Phillips Exeter Academy- we were able to book, at a reasonable cost, on the Celebrity Equinox leaving Istanbul.

[Lobes1]

Posted earlier. Concerned about Star Pride, but brought the entire family over to Athens.

 

We walked of the ship after 3 hours. More to follow, but of the twenty cruises I have taken, I never felt the need to get my family off the ship. We all love cruising, and before posting details, I am trying to set up a time to talk to the President of Windstar. We are now in Greece, rudderless.

 

WOW! I am dying to hear the rest of this story. Please do not keep us in suspense.

[sb44]

Yes, we all are as it would take an awful lot for us to leave a ship with cruise paid for. There was a couple who did that on a ship we were on once as there was no pleasing them and everyone was relieved when they were gone. I would like to know details and would like to hear Windstar's answer. Social media can be a double edged sword so hopefully we'll get some facts.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Windstar Cruises]

Hello aldansam,

We’re sorry to hear of your disappointment with your brief experience on Star Pride and hope your meeting with the Captain, Hotel Manager and Chief Officer was informative in addressing your concerns and unique needs. Specialized service is the standard that we strive to deliver to all Windstar guests, we’re sorry that you ultimately reached the decision to disembark and apologize for the inconveniences for your family. We always appreciate hearing feedback from our valued guests as this is a very important step in continuously improving our product, training and service levels. Please be sure to contact our Guest Relations team at your convenience, they will be happy to hear about your experience and can correspond with you directly to help address your concerns and reach a satisfactory resolution. Guest Relations can be reached by calling 206-733-3005 or emailing Windstar.GuestRelations@windstarcruises.com. Thank you for getting in touch.

 

Hello Cruise Critic Fans,

Thank you for your interest in the enhancements to Star Pride which we are excited to share.

 

Windstar Cruises’ Star Pride Re-enters Fleet with $4.5 Million Renovation

Yacht Upgrades Debut Two Rebuilt Owner’s Suites and 12 New Triple Suites

on New 7-Day “Treasures of the Greek Isles” Cruise

 

Visit Star Pride Facebook album that showcases information and imagery of Star Pride’s upgrades:

https://www.facebook.com/WindstarCruises/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10153572351461717

 

On behalf of our ship staff and employees, thank you for sharing your thoughts and choosing Windstar! We appreciate your input and are working on improving communications with our dedicated fans who are the heart of Windstar.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Windstar Cruises

[sb44]

Thanks to guest relations for responding so quickly. Good to see that new management is paying attention. As a business owner I certainly understand that a corporation cannot respond nor litigate a position as a private individual can on social media no matter what a poster might say, but its good to know that Windstar is responsive.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[MTJtraveller]

Thanks to guest relations for responding so quickly. Good to see that new management is paying attention. As a business owner I certainly understand that a corporation cannot respond nor litigate a position as a private individual can on social media no matter what a poster might say, but its good to know that Windstar is responsive.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

Thanks Windstar for responding here on CruiseCritic. Another plus as far as I'm concerned, responsiveness. Now...if you could make your website just a bit more reliable, intuitive and user friendly. ;) Can't wait to see the Surf in August!!!!