Ebfurr's official Liberty Saga Thread

[EBFURR]

Hi all, some of you will recognize me from my plethora of posts over the last couple of days on our roll call and some of the weather threads regarding our Liberty cruise booked for today. I am making this to provide information and entertainment relevant to our continuing saga with this cruise. I know that some folks were interested in our interactions with RCI and resulting experiences. It is a centralized place for people to chastise me about cruise insurance, tell me I am insane for cruising during hurricane season and explain why Royal Caribbean owes me jack for the cruise I prepaid for. Some folks may even offer empathy and encouragement or :o even agree with something I might have to say. Let me say that I am NOT an anti-corporation zealot. In fact, I am a full blooded unapologetic free market capitalist. I now work for a bank in IT, but for 20+ years I was in manufacturing and even was an owner/partner of a manufacturing company in the low country of South Carolina back before NAFTA. I do believe in personal responsibility and that extends to businesses as well. I fully understand that a lot of you may not agree with me or how I have done things, but I humbly ask that you not be mean and insulting in responses. Let's disagree peacefully please.

 

Also be advised that although I am a pretty decent speller, I cannot type for squat. Sorry for typos.

 

To recap, we were booked originally with Southwest to fly in Sunday morning due to airfare prices and hotel prices in Galveston. We normally do not do day of departure arrivals but we had a very early flight (5:45 AM direct) and figured we had time for any "normal" delays. I tend to want to spend what money we have on the cruise and not on logistics which the cruise line should love. :) When airfares for Saturday dropped I used the no charge change policy to reschedule for Saturday (yesterday) and used my Hilton points to reduce my rate on a hotel. We had prepaid for Galveston Limo shuttle and with the Saturday change I reserved a rental car to return Sunday morning at the airport and then catch the shuttle. We were going to go down and visit Galveston island on Sat. We also prepaid for parking at CLT airport and arranged for our pets for the week. Monday is our 35th wedding anniversary and we have cruised this particular week many times & love getting home and having Labor Day Monday off. We prebooked some of the dining packages and a soda pkg. for the wife. I do not do the booze package since the Diamond benefits provide plenty of opportunity to imbibe in the evenings and just pay as I go during the day. I also bought the anniversary package as a surprise for the wife although we have never done that before. I did not buy the cruise insurance and will go into that later.

 

When this Harvey business came into play I did not take it too seriously at first, having been through serveral evacutions in SC, nor of which turned out to be of any consequence. I also went through Hugo where we found the roof of one of our buildings about a mile away. We had a warehouse near Miami leveled by Andrew. In short, we know that hurricane preditcions can change rapidly and you really do not know until 24 - 36 hours before land fall at best. By Friday it was very obvous that the Houston area would be affected. We both took Friday off to prepare and I spent the afternoon watching the weather and checking CC & RCI sites. As several (especially coopdog) can atest, at first I was adamant that since RCI said our cruise was on schedule despite Harvey that we would sail. I took some heat at the time and was even called a fool for believing that we would be cruising today. I was argumentative and insisted that RCI said we would go, so we would go. I figured that they had the top level information so I put my faith there. Friday afternoon, Carnival annouced that they would go to NO and stock up and that their Saturday and Sunday passengers should not go to Galveston until notified and offered partial credit to those who chose to come in late for an abbreviated cruise and full credits to anyone who did not want to risk travel becasue of Harvey or just did not want a shortened cruise. RCI said "all systems go for Sunday".

 

To be continued....

[Snit13]

I have been following your posts the past few days. I/we too have hurricane experience living in FL and for a time in NOLA area. When I turned the TV off last evening around 11pm the mayor, police chief and others had just held a news conference in Houston. They reported Houston was under FLOOD EMERGENCY and many roads were blocked off due to flooding. How do you plan to drive from Houston to Galveston to meet Liberty? I have been texting with friends in Houston and League City and they verify the road flooding.

 

Has Royal Caribbean bothered to read the weather reports or watch TV? I simply don't believe anyone is minding the store, so to speak. How can you still this morning report you plan to dock today and then embark new passengers tomorrow? Have they totally lost their minds? Maybe my eyes are deceiving me but have been watching Weather Channel and FOX News for the past 2 days and I am seeing flooding all over the area. What channel are those in decision making position at Royal watching? The last reports I saw said they underpasses on the I-45 and I-10 were blocked off due to flooding. How are you supposed to get to Galveston?

 

So sorry that this has happened to you and your wife and I do hope you will still have a Happy Anniversary. Please don't drown, Turn around.

[dani negreanu]

Wishing u a happy 35 years wedding anniversary, and a very special week, whatever "Mother Nature" & Co. has in stock for u (yn)

I thoroughly admire your attitude :D Chapeau !

[EBFURR]

Back from coffee run..

 

Meanwhile, I got notice that our 5:45 AM Saturday flight was canceled. I placed the first of my many calls to RCI to see if maybe they had some info that had not yet been made public and were going to follow suit with Carnival. The reps could only read me what was on the web site and seemed woefully uninformed about the situation. I elevated to a supervisor who could also not provide any info. I called Southwest and they put me on a 8:15 AM Saturday flight by way of Baltimore arriving mid afternoon.

 

So after the Carnival announcement I started to think maybe something was up since they obviously had the same info as RCI. The RCI website still had the generic "all on schedule, we will update Saturday by noon" message up. As I watched and read the updates on Harvey, including NOAA, I began to come around to the realization that this was going to be a weekend long event at best. I try not to buy into the media hysteria, knowing that even a summer thunderstorm now triggers chicken little like reactions from the televised media. Panic sells I suppose. By Friday evening even the most modest estimates did not look good for the weekend. Since my flight was at 8:15 AM and well before the noon update, I again called RCI and begged them to let us transfer the booking to another ship and I would get ourselves to whatever port. At that point I could still cancel my Houston arrangements and reshuffle. They refused to even discuss it. I wound up with some supervisor who was very condescending and even borderline rude who explained to me that "the hurricane is just a prediction at this point and anything can happen". He challenged me to prove that things would be dangerous in Houston over the weekend. Okay, but what if I keep my plans and things do turn ugly once I get there? "I refuse to address hypotheticals" he says. Okay, so we go to Houston despite Harvey. Still being nervous about the noon update, I called Southwest again and they graciously moved me to a 4:25 PM flight, connecting at Chicago and arriving around 9:30 PM. I confirmed that I still had a hotel and rental car.

 

More to come...

[lbjen]

EB I'm still gutted for you that things didn't work out better, but I'm really glad you didn't try to still make it here today. Hopefully RC will let you get your future cruise credit, and you got everything else refunded already.

[Spurschick]

I have been following your posts the past few days. I/we too have hurricane experience living in FL and for a time in NOLA area. When I turned the TV off last evening around 11pm the mayor, police chief and others had just held a news conference in Houston. They reported Houston was under FLOOD EMERGENCY and many roads were blocked off due to flooding. How do you plan to drive from Houston to Galveston to meet Liberty? I have been texting with friends in Houston and League City and they verify the road flooding.

 

Has Royal Caribbean bothered to read the weather reports or watch TV? I simply don't believe anyone is minding the store, so to speak. How can you still this morning report you plan to dock today and then embark new passengers tomorrow? Have they totally lost their minds? Maybe my eyes are deceiving me but have been watching Weather Channel and FOX News for the past 2 days and I am seeing flooding all over the area. What channel are those in decision making position at Royal watching? The last reports I saw said they underpasses on the I-45 and I-10 were blocked off due to flooding. How are you supposed to get to Galveston?

 

So sorry that this has happened to you and your wife and I do hope you will still have a Happy Anniversary. Please don't drown, Turn around.

 

One traveler (see roll call) stayed in League City last night. Reports their car was under water from the flooding last night.

 

If you look at RC!s Facebook page people are now claiming they are only going to get a refund if they prove their flight was cancelled and can't get there by Monday or if driving to provide photo proof that they can't get there.

 

 

Absolutely unbelievable.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Has Royal Caribbean bothered to read the weather reports or watch TV? I simply don't believe anyone is minding the store, so to speak. How can you still this morning report you plan to dock today and then embark new passengers tomorrow?

Despite some disagreement in "that other thread"...your points are well taken.

 

That said...the situation if fluid, and there is no doubt continued confusion and changes are forthcoming - and not just from one company.

 

Royal's announcement post about Galveston still showing this morning:

 

August 26, 2017

 

Due to Tropical Storm Harvey and weather conditions around the Galveston/Houston area, as well as the port's current closure, Liberty of the Seas will arrive to the Port of Galveston tomorrow later than originally scheduled. Because of this, boarding for the next cruise will now take place on Monday, August 28 between noon and 3 p.m. We ask that guests not arrive to the port before noon.

 

Carnival's comparable announcement this morning on their website:

 

WEATHER UPDATE #5 – 08/26/17 – 1:00 PM (EST)

 

We continue to closely monitor Tropical Storm Harvey and our thoughts and prayers are with the communities affected by the storm.

 

The Port of Galveston remains closed to all marine traffic. It is expected to stay closed until the storm has passed and a port assessment has been completed. Please do not proceed to the cruise terminal until you hear from us again.

 

Carnival Freedom and Carnival Valor are in New Orleans today for a short technical stop to replenish provisions before resuming course to Galveston this evening. Carnival Breeze is currently docked in Cozumel and will depart for Galveston at 6:00 PM. Our intention is to be in position to take advantage of any docking opportunity that may become available in Galveston on Sunday or Monday.

 

The duration of your cruise will have to be shortened and the itinerary modified. Cruise details will be finalized once we have confirmed our arrival into Galveston.

 

There doesn't seem to be a monopoly on mixed messages or confusion...which given the conditions...isn't much of a surprise.

 

Hopefully you get to finally enjoy your surprise cruise very soon - best wishes.

[Jzx1103]

Despite some disagreement in "that other thread"...your points are well taken.

 

That said...the situation if fluid, and there is no doubt continued confusion and changes are forthcoming - and not just from one company.

 

Royal's announcement post about Galveston still showing this morning:

 

August 26, 2017

 

 

 

Carnival's comparable announcement this morning on their website:

 

WEATHER UPDATE #5 – 08/26/17 – 1:00 PM (EST)

 

 

 

There doesn't seem to be a monopoly on mixed messages or confusion...which given the conditions...isn't much of a surprise.

 

Hopefully you get to finally enjoy your surprise cruise very soon - best wishes.

 

Yea well, sane people have already cancelled their Carnival Breeze cruise for future cruises 36 hours ago and not even worrying about it at this point. It only took a quick phone call, and they didn't have to prove nothing to Carnival either about whether they can make it to port or not.

[Coopdog08]

Back from coffee run..

 

Meanwhile, I got notice that our 5:45 AM Saturday flight was canceled. I placed the first of my many calls to RCI to see if maybe they had some info that had not yet been made public and were going to follow suit with Carnival. The reps could only read me what was on the web site and seemed woefully uninformed about the situation. I elevated to a supervisor who could also not provide any info. I called Southwest and they put me on a 8:15 AM Saturday flight by way of Baltimore arriving mid afternoon.

 

So after the Carnival announcement I started to think maybe something was up since they obviously had the same info as RCI. The RCI website still had the generic "all on schedule, we will update Saturday by noon" message up. As I watched and read the updates on Harvey, including NOAA, I began to come around to the realization that this was going to be a weekend long event at best. I try not to buy into the media hysteria, knowing that even a summer thunderstorm now triggers chicken little like reactions from the televised media. Panic sells I suppose. By Friday evening even the most modest estimates did not look good for the weekend. Since my flight was at 8:15 AM and well before the noon update, I again called RCI and begged them to let us transfer the booking to another ship and I would get ourselves to whatever port. At that point I could still cancel my Houston arrangements and reshuffle. They refused to even discuss it. I wound up with some supervisor who was very condescending and even borderline rude who explained to me that "the hurricane is just a prediction at this point and anything can happen". He challenged me to prove that things would be dangerous in Houston over the weekend. Okay, but what if I keep my plans and things do turn ugly once I get there? "I refuse to address hypotheticals" he says. Okay, so we go to Houston despite Harvey. Still being nervous about the noon update, I called Southwest again and they graciously moved me to a 4:25 PM flight, connecting at Chicago and arriving around 9:30 PM. I confirmed that I still had a hotel and rental car.

 

More to come...

EB hang in there man. Did you get your future credit? Yes while I was critical of your decisions at the beginning you did even more to get a refund or changed port. GL

[EBFURR]

Back from another coffee run..

 

After a mostly sleepless night, I came to check the weather, RCI website (no change) and the CC boards which are full of weather talk, local info, and general information both real and imagined :D. I do get a lot from these boards and they can be informative, amusing, and infuriating. Exactly what I needed at this time. Well, maybe not the infuriating part, but that goes with a forum and is part of the charm. I was getting a lot of good feedback from a lot of folks especially BecciBoo and now coopdog. Me and the "coop" had a rocky start but by now were becoming friendly. Let me state for the record that we will not be taking long showers together though. :p It was pretty much wait mode until the promised noon update (which was actually 2 hours late on Friday). I knew that we would have to leave by 2 PM to get to the airport parking and get checked in for our 3:55 boarding. As I kept up to date, I became more and more reluctant to fly into HOU yesterday. Someone had posted the link to space city weather on Friday and I found it to be a great hype free and factual analysis by real meteorologists on Houston weather. By this time, even they were not at all optimistic and were stressing the flooding probabilities due to the now almost certain lingering of the storm. At noon (1 PM here), I called RCI. Again, no update other than reading the website post which was still word for word what had been up since Thursday. He said to call back in 30 min that an announcement was imminent. I reminded him that Friday's update was 2 hours late and that I had a plane to catch if the cruise was still on. the number of available flights was diminishing rapidly. He was not impressed, but there was nothing he could do and I knew that. A least he was civil if nothing else. I did mention that I had asked if we could get on a different ship, but there was no provision for that which I pretty much expected. After the 30 min I called again and the update was that there was no update. Maybe at 3 PM CDT at which time we would be on an airplane. The RCI spin was that they were doing everything possible to make our cruise dreams come true on Sunday. I freey admit that I was getting a little heated at the fact that they did not seem to be providing any real updates and were refusing to even admit that conditions were getting worse and HOU was now a federal disaster area. We did not find the idea of going there appealing at all under the circumstances and were looking for them to at least admit that the cruise may not go on schedule and that would work with us. Nada. Cruise goes Sunday. Be there. Did they really think that encouraging people to travel into a disaster area was putting safety first? No answer. I know that some have said that it is not the cruise line's problem if I have travel issues but in this case a hurricane is sitting virtually over the airports and port of departure. All official indications are that it is not going anywhere anytime soon. A bit of a conundrum. Everyone in the world, including meterologists with their satellites, radar, chase planes, and array of special equipment was saying that today (Sunday) was not going to be good. Everyone except RCI who still said "we will be on time due to a magic window that will open for us".

 

First of all, let me make something clear. Although I have mentioned airlines, hotels, rental cars, shuttles, etc. at no point did I nor do I expect compensation from RCI for any of that. My frustration was in needing to deal with all of that if things change and I need to react and rechedule. Given the above, I thought that was a very, very strong probability.

 

I will pause here to address the cruise insurance issue. For many of our 20+ cruises we purchased the insurance. We have not done so for several years. We do have a travel protection plan on our brand X card. Never really looked at it, but the hype sounds fine. Mistake, I know, but I thought I had some protection. It did help me once with a rental car situation in Germany ( they sent a letter after I got home and said I had damaged the car) but I never looked at it for cruise coverage. I had called earlier Saturday to inquire and got the usual rep who asked questions from a script and could not really answer anything. I got the impression that he was more used to dealing with luggage, hotel compensation, and maybe the rental car thing previously mentioned. To be fair, I really did not have much of a case at the time since RCI said everything was peachy and I did have a flight and hotel at that time. In addition, I was home and dry & the cruise had not sailed. I am pretty sure he had never had a call about a cruise before. In any case, my mind was more on getting to Houston and having a cruise at that point so I thanked him and hung up. I did not have a warm and fuzzy, but that would all (hopefully not) come later. Now, to the issue of cruise insurance as a product. I know we have been programmed to think that this makes sense. In reality, to a large extent, you are insuring the cruise line and not yourself in cases like this. I fully understand that if I wind up in the hospital with the mongolian flu and cannot cruise the cruise line owes me nothing. In cases like that, the insurance is covering me. If acts of nature prevent the cruise line from providing the cruise that I paid for, the insurance is covering them. They get to keep my money and the insurance pays me back. I am willing to take the risk on my end but I have a problem covering their risk as a business. Someone used home owners insurance as a comparison. Not comparable. My homeowners covers my property. I do not own the cruise line and I am not obligated to cover any of their risk. I purchase their service. If they cannot provide that service for any reason that is on them. Let's say you book a resort hotel for a week and a storm damages it or it catched fire and they cannot provide your room. Do you expect a refund? Even though the weather or fire was not "their fault?". I would. If they told you sorry, you should have purchased our "resort hotel insurance" would you be satisfied? I would not. When I was in business and we had issues beyond our control and could not deliver product I would have loved to ba able to say "hey, you hould have purchased order insurance in case we could not deliver to cover our risks". Nope. We had to refund or give a discount. The latter was at their option and rarely did that happen since they needed product at a specific time and prefeered to find it somewhere else. Somebody prepays and you do not deliver - you refund or make it right, regardless of cause. Whether you are selling on Ebay or running a cruise line, no difference

 

Anyway, we did not have the special cruise insurance. That does not absolve RCI rom their obligation to provide us a 7 day cruise starting today as promised. Harvey or no Harvey. Yes, it is up to me to show up. That is one me, but to have to go into a hurricane to do that is a bit of a mitigating factor which is why I struggled to get there on time. In any case, the cruise is not happening today so the insurance issue is mute.

 

To be continued...

[hazence]

There's no "confusion." Let's not be cavalier about what lost cruise fare means to any other individual. Let's not dismiss how important that sum of money might be in their budget. For RCCL to say...don't come, but we are keeping your money if you aren't here and the Ship is...is encouraging travel into a disaster area, no confusion about that.

 

"Don't come but we are Greed-grabbing your cruise money if we can sail there but you can't drive through floods to get there."

 

 

No confusion at all. And no moral equivalency to what was done by the other cruise line, days ago.

 

 

Putting safety first means on all sides of this issue. RCCL has the cruise fares of those on the ship and those trying to get there. They have a duty to the safety of both sets of customers. The hestitancy to make a decison is not about the weather...it's about greed. The weather may provide a window to get their ship in, but it has been obvious that travel would be extremely difficult if not dangerous to their customers traveling TO THE SHIP.

 

 

A car underwater. Who knows how many other stories because of their stubborn refusal to keep clutching the cruise fares to their own stubborn benefit.

 

 

No confusion about that.

 

 

It's inexcusable.

[Snit13]

After I posted earlier today I turned my TV on and watched/listened to the Houston chief of police say this is the worst he has seen in 31 years of law enforcement. The Weather Channel also showed people being rescued by boat as their houses had flooded and some were actually walking down the street with water up to their knees. Another shot was from Galveston and showed ROAD CLOSED signs.

 

Someone please explain, if those in authority in Houston are telling everyone to shelter in place, how is it safe to try to go to Houston to drive to Galveston?

 

The response OP reported from Royal reps reminds me of when we were scheduled on Star Princess TA. Woke up one morning and turned on TV and saw ship fire, called Princess and was told "don't believe what you see/hear on TV" your ship will sail as scheduled. Only 150 cabins were destroyed and we finally met up with ship post repair in Copenhagen. What I saw on TV was the disaster I thought it was. Rep did not have a clue.

 

My TV now says FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY IN HOUSTON. Are they lying to me?

[NouCruzer]

That said...the situation if fluid, ...

 

 

The situation is quite fluid, especially in Houston. The possibility of severe flooding in the Houston/Galveston area had been forecast for days. RCI took the position that it was only a possibility that would not affect their operations or passenger travel to the port. One can argue the merits of that position, but in my opinion it was a poor decision that contradicted all of the weather forecasts that were available.

 

On the other hand, Carnival gave its passengers options and the power to decide based on their own situations. If Ebfurr had booked with Carnival, he would not be having this discussion.

[ptf2009]

EBFURR, I am so sorry about the situation for you and your wife and for all the cruisers who were supposed to sail out of Galveston this weekend.

 

I do have a favor to ask of you: Please do not refer to your wife as THE wife.

 

May you and your wife have many more happy years together:)

[EBFURR]

More coffee and bio break. Back again...

 

So, here we are Saturday afternoon and RCI still saying "come on down, be there or be square". We loaded up and headed to the airport. About half way there I get a phone alert that our flight from Chicago to Houston is cancelled. Bat turn. Back at home, I call Southwest since my first flight to Chicago is still showing as active. Note here. SW airlines has been great and they had a feature where you could go online, select your cancelled flight and reschedule to ANY available flight to your destination in the next 14 days at no charge regardless of your original cost or the price of the new flight. Impressive. Taking notes RCI? The problem was that once you had printed boarding passes you could not do it online and had to call. The robot voice said and 80 minute wait. Understandable, so I perused the weather, RCI (no change) and CC. I got another super friendly and helpful SW rep and they confirmed the cancellation and offered to either reschedule, give me a credit, or issue a full refund (still reading RCI? - it is called customer service and building loyalty. Optional, but very effective). The flight that had was for 6:00 AM today, direct. Hold on. Wait... A news flash from RCI right at that moment. "Do not come to the port". No mention of alternate plans, but at least they figured out that there was, in fact, a hurricane and it was, in fact, affecting the Houston & Galveston area. I declined to book the flight since I now had no idea when we needed to get there and took the flight credit instead of the refund since I will now go to SW first for all air travel. Shocking. The next call was to Hilton since my reservation was no longer eligible for cancellation online. The phone number took me directly to the hotel in Houston and the young lady sounded like she was up to her eyeballs in alligators, but when I told her that I was supposed to be there right now she said no problem, can you hold. After a long wait she came back "oh yes, you need to cancel." she issued a full refund. The fine print said they did not have to do this and I did not purchase any "hotel insurance" :D but they went way above and beyond. I was pleased but not surprised since I have never had issues with the Hilton brand over many years.

 

Now, over the course of the day many local reports from CC indicated that Galveston was doing fine, Houston was okay, and a few people reported arrival in Houston without issue. I had tried, but it was not to be. Feeling like I had been wrestling an angry bear all day, I retired from the internet and watched Boardwalk Empire reruns on Netflix. I did sneak in and view CC a few times, but mainly tried to put things off until today.

 

I woke up at 4:00 AM and turned on Weather Nation to see the radar and such and saw the reports of flooding, 4 (count 'em) active tornadoes in the Houston area, and 7 inches per hour rain fall. This is bad. Way beyond my petty vacation concerns, these people are getting pounded. Been there. Been without power for 15 days. Had trees uprooted in the yard and fall on cars, etc. It is a nightmare and I feel for everyone affected. Cruises are trivial in comparison.

 

Meanwhile back at the ranch, RCI has now decalred that the "magic window" is now at 3PM today and they will dock. Cruise boards tomorrow, but not before noon. Sails at 3PM. Maybe. Maybe not. There are at least 5 reported dead in the area due to the storm. It is stalled. I find mysel wondering just how disconnected from reality these people can be.

 

In my not so humble opinion based on my experiences the last couple of days (not all of which is here, but what I can remember as "highlights"), RCI not only dropped the ball but poked a hole and stomped the air out of it. They have had so many opportunities to get a grasp and become more realistic and responsive but it seems that they are living in a dream world based on "hoping for the best ".

 

I know there are a lot of Carnival haters and this is an RCI forum. In my mind it is beyond dispute that Carnival acted in a responsible manner on Friday. I talked to someone who was booked on Breeze for today and they had a new cruise boked by late Friday afternoon with one phone call. Yes, I know that C had two ships on Saturday and did not announce until Friday afternoon. Maybe that could have been quicker, but remember that Thursday the storm was 2 days away and there was much more question as to actual land fall. Friday it was clear. When I pointed out the Carnival response to RCI, first they insisted that Breeze passengers had not been offered any compenstaion. Later, after I had confirmed that this was not true, they gave the excuse that C "had to do it" becasue 2 of their ships turned around Saturday. That dog won't hunt. They could have addressed the Sat. ships on Friday and left Sunday cruisers hanging but they did not. Say what you will but RCI looks very bad here.

 

I have seen some stuff on CC about credits, etc. but truthfully I am giving it a rest. At least until later today. I have no intention as I sit here at 9:58 AM Sunday of trying to get to Galveston either today or tomorrow. That could change, but I am weary of this. To be as honest as I can be, I really have no desire to ever set foot on another RCI ship. Again, that could change, but with Carnival, MSC, and all the other options out there I see no need to. I do not ride flowriders or care to zip line on board. I like the ocean. The same ocean you can't see from most places on the new RCI ships. I may be in the minority, but have a look at MSC Seaside and I think I am not alone.

 

Happy sails to all. I will be around, and I want to thank those who showed understanding through this. I am not the only one affected and angry by a long shot. I am just the big mouthed (fingered?) guy who gripes about while others do not. Mainly, I want to encourage those who are in the hurricane zone to stay safe and have faith. Protect yourselves and your families. Property can be replaced and rebuilt. Human lives cannot.

[EBFURR]

EBFURR, I am so sorry about the situation for you and your wife and for all the cruisers who were supposed to sail out of Galveston this weekend.

 

I do have a favor to ask of you: Please do not refer to your wife as THE wife.

 

May you and your wife have many more happy years together:)

 

Ha! Sorry about that. It is just a term I picked up. She knows she is dear to me and along with our children is the center of my world. Point taken though. Thanks for the good wishes!

[EBFURR]

EB hang in there man. Did you get your future credit? Yes while I was critical of your decisions at the beginning you did even more to get a refund or changed port. GL

 

Coop, I have not even tried as explained in my long winded posts. I really would prefer a full refund so I do not have to deal with RCI again. I will see what happens later today. Tanya sort of still wants to go on the remaining part whenever that happens. There is some benefit to that in that if we cannot get a refund we can do this and be finished with RCI. It is as much about the way they treated me on the phone as anything related to refunds or credits. I am pretty sure they will not miss me. They made that clear yesterday.

[bobmacliberty]

Thank you for this well written (even if a little long winded :D) series of posts. I've been tempted several times to jump into other threads on this topic but since I did not have any first hand knowledge, mine would have been just another half-informed opinion. I wanted to say that Royal has better info than us, is attempting to do the right thing for passengers currently on board and waiting to board, yada yada yada. Reading your first hand posts of someone scheduled to sail today, especially the way that Southwest and Hilton (OK...maybe Carnival also) handled the situation has changed my way of thinking.

 

I only hope 2 things:

1. Those affected by the storm stay safe and have as minimal an impact on their lives as possible.

2. Royal execs get out of "emergency mode", have a chance to better think this through, and eventually do right by their customers.

[Lionesss]

Thanks for sharing your trials and frustration with us...................

 

I can only wish for better times ahead and an awesome cruise one day.

 

Take care

[toxicfairy]

This is what I got at 9:30 this morning . We switched our flight from 7am Saturday to 7pm Friday and got into Houston at midnight on Friday night. We've been at a hotel near Hobby since then. It's wet but we're still dreaming of a cruise!!

 

Sent from my SM-J700T1 using Forums mobile app

[blackshirt]

This is what I got at 9:30 this morning . We switched our flight from 7am Saturday to 7pm Friday and got into Houston at midnight on Friday night. We've been at a hotel near Hobby since then. It's wet but we're still dreaming of a cruise!!

Good luck but as of now it sounds like getting in or out of Galveston is not possible.

[DrifterSS]

EBFurr I have been reading all of your posts as I am also affected by RCI's lack of customer service. After 4 cancelled flights though I have finally given up that this cruise will actually happen for us. It was supposed to be our 20th anniversary, but it has turned into complete frustration. I know it is nothing compared to what is happening in Texas, but by RCI not making any decision it left us scrambling this morning after we got word at 3AM our flight was cancelled...again! I to cancelled hotels with no cancellation policy with ease, as well as plane tickets on Southwest. I finally and reluctantly took the cruise credit this morning. Unfortunately I did buy the travel insurance, but with all the fine print and with RCI offer for credit it sadly does not cover much since all other businesses realized the horrible storm happening and refunded all my money with zero questions asked. So for now I have a credit to cruise on a future RCI boat I would rather not have to use. When I called SW this morning the woman on the phone told me Hobby was shut down all day and it isn't known if it will be open tomorrow. I would hate to be on the boat today not knowing how I would get home. I wish them and anyone waiting for the ship good luck. You're going to need it.

 

 

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[paxpax07]

I have been following your experiences with RC over the week-end. I really hoped for your sake they'd come to their senses that no one should be travelling to Galveston. I hope you get whatever resolution you are hoping for.

Enjoy your next cruise, sounds like you could use one!

 

 

 

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[tmariebolz]

You would think after RC had some bad publicity in the past that they would learn from their mistakes. I have been on two Disney Cruises. We are going on our first RC cruise in October for Our 25th wedding Anniversary. We did not purchase insurance. Wondering if it's too late to purchase and if it worth doing.

 

 

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[lbjen]

We usually get Nationwide's cruise specific insurance. I think you can get it after final payment, they just impose some restrictions of coverage for things like pre-existing conditions.