Maybe they did us a favor - sort of

[EBFURR]

Hi all, we are recent Carnival converts, formerly Diamond level RCI regulars. We have done one Carnival cruise in June and despite lousy weather had a great time. Today is our 35th anniversary and we were booked on RC Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston yesterday. Without going into great detail here, the way RCI treated us booked passengers is indefensible. If you wish, you can grad a cup of coffee or some popcorn and pop over the the royal Caribbean board to read my long winded "EBFurr Liberty Saga" thread. suffice to say we are done with RCI despite the Diamond perks, etc.

 

Our problems are meaningless compared to those in the hurricane area. And we continue to send prayers their way.

 

After RCI fiaally admitted yesterday afternoon that they were not going to sail from a federal disaster area where homes were under water and people were drowning and cancelled the cruise, we were in a "what next" frame of mind. We had booked this, our annual anniversary cruise, a year ago and after all of the planning and anticipation we were left flat and drained. We really wanted to recover something of a vacation so I began shopping for a cruise on any line other than RCI that we could book quickly. Most are sold out. Carnival had the Sunshine out of NY and I tried to make that work but the last minute airfare was as much as the cruise itself. We found that the Ecstasy out of Charleston on Wednesday had one cabin left. It is an inside upper/lower and my wife said we can make it work as long as we are on the ship so I booked it. I have wanted to try a Fantasy class since we cut our teeth on RCI's Majesty, Sovereign class, which was, along with the Fantasy class, the mega ships of the day. We like that style and size of ship and wanted to see Carnival's version. We are wait listed for a larger cabin and maybe that will happen. Not counting on it. We will be sailing on Carnival and possibly MSC & NCL in the future. We already have Carnival Liberty in October and Magic next summer booked. Truthfully, I was already a little conflicted since we really liked our Carnival experience and were not that fond of the Oasis class and newer RCI ships. The Royal loyalty program at the Diamond level is very good and that is a little hard to give up which is the point I suppose. Our latest experience sealed the deal and now there is no issue with that. Hope to see you on a future cruise!

[Shaded Lady]

EB- I read along with the rest of us your ongoing saga with RCCL and was outraged at their ridiculously delayed response... I'm so glad you were able to rescue a vacation out of this mess.

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!

[Florings]

I hope you enjoy your last-minute booking and happy anniversary!

[evandbob]

You mentioned you might try MSC or NCL as well as Carnival for future bookings. If you decide on MSC, your RCCL loyalty level will be matched to an MSC level, but you need fill out an application form and attach proof of present status.

 

My Carnival Diamond translated into their "Black Card" or highest level. Took about a month for approval. Getting those perks, along with sailing on a great new ship, were the final deciding factors when I booked the Seaside. If one continues to sail MSC at least once a year, the match will remain in force; if you miss a year, it gets dropped.

 

Good sailing and happy anniversary!

[grest]

Happy Anniversary and Bon Voyage!

[BNBR]

Disasters happen. Royal could have handled it better but I'd hardly be as up in arms and upset about it. This hurricane ended up being an epic disaster that has affected millions. I'd take a refund and book a cruise for another time or look at alternate options. Didn't you say you already have a cruise coming up in a little over a month anyways? I don't think I'd be so upset about any specific line given the situation - and yes I did read much of the other thread. If it makes you feel better to "stick it to Royal" or whatever and you think Carnival will offer you a better product, by all means, I guess.

[TexasRon]

Though the disaster is huge. the cruise line only needed to handle the immediate needs of two groups this week--the ones on the ship and their folks back home and those people on the next cruise. It appears that Royal did not do a very good job of that. Is it as important an issue as the flood? Of course not; I have not heard anyone put it that way. Should the level of customer service provided in the situation be open to criticism and even one deciding to move in another direction? Absolutely.

[Shaded Lady]

Disasters happen. Royal could have handled it better but I'd hardly be as up in arms and upset about it. This hurricane ended up being an epic disaster that has affected millions. I'd take a refund and book a cruise for another time or look at alternate options. Didn't you say you already have a cruise coming up in a little over a month anyways? I don't think I'd be so upset about any specific line given the situation - and yes I did read much of the other thread. If it makes you feel better to "stick it to Royal" or whatever and you think Carnival will offer you a better product, by all means, I guess.

Your opinion.

 

We followed EBFURR's issues as he posted them, felt the level of frustration as rude service personnel were basically telling him to either put his life at risk or do the impossible and fly into a closed airport, or risk losing all his money. Not to mention the callous attitude impacting a special event... at many points EBFURR expressed his deep concern for those impacted by Harvey, so your criticism of him is unwarranted. He's entitled to his opinion, as are you. You said to take the refund, and he has... but it was a LONG time before that refund was even offered.

 

We asked EBFURR to keep us updated, so he has... if this thread bothers you, move on.

[Pugs&Kisses]

Happy Sailing!

[BNBR]

Your opinion.

 

We followed EBFURR's issues as he posted them, felt the level of frustration as rude service personnel were basically telling him to either put his life at risk or do the impossible and fly into a closed airport, or risk losing all his money. Not to mention the callous attitude impacting a special event... at many points EBFURR expressed his deep concern for those impacted by Harvey, so your criticism of him is unwarranted. He's entitled to his opinion, as are you. You said to take the refund, and he has... but it was a LONG time before that refund was even offered.

 

We asked EBFURR to keep us updated, so he has... if this thread bothers you, move on.

 

Who said I'm bothered? Lol.

 

I said he is welcome to react any way he likes. But considering the severity of the disaster, some customer service issues would be understandable. Even difficult ones. Personally, I would never have let it get that far. I would have taken a refund sooner and just planned something different. Just a different way of looking at things I guess, but I don't care if they offered a refund, or at which point they decided to offer it, and there was never any actual risk of losing the fare... it's not up to Royal.

[dd likes to cruise]

You mentioned you might try MSC or NCL as well as Carnival for future bookings. If you decide on MSC, your RCCL loyalty level will be matched to an MSC level, but you need fill out an application form and attach proof of present status.

 

My Carnival Diamond translated into their "Black Card" or highest level. Took about a month for approval. Getting those perks, along with sailing on a great new ship, were the final deciding factors when I booked the Seaside. If one continues to sail MSC at least once a year, the match will remain in force; if you miss a year, it gets dropped.

 

Good sailing and happy anniversary!

 

We understand it is good for 3 years if you do not book another.

[EBFURR]

Who said I'm bothered? Lol.

 

I said he is welcome to react any way he likes. But considering the severity of the disaster, some customer service issues would be understandable. Even difficult ones. Personally, I would never have let it get that far. I would have taken a refund sooner and just planned something different. Just a different way of looking at things I guess, but I don't care if they offered a refund, or at which point they decided to offer it, and there was never any actual risk of losing the fare... it's not up to Royal.

 

Perfectly logical response from someone who was neither involved nor affected. Thanks for that wisdom.

[buddylover]

Perfectly logical response from someone who was neither involved nor affected. Thanks for that wisdom.

 

Perfectly stated EBFURR.......those 'cheerleaders' who speak from the sidelines without feeling the 'pain'.......HMMM.....always amazing to us!! Good luck on your CCL rearranged cruise...I am hoping for a room upgrade for you!!;)

[A&Jfamily]

Sorry for all the hassle and hope you get your upgrade!

 

But I must admit I am curious...there are SO many loyal royals who believe that Oasis class is the i ching of cruising. I for one have never seen the appeal - we don't want all the bells and whistles as we are cruising to simply be on the water and visiting ports and don't need a floating Vegas to keep us happy. As a formally loyal royal, what did you NOT like about Oasis...I'm thinking you might be a unicorn...;)

[BNBR]

Perfectly stated EBFURR.......those 'cheerleaders' who speak from the sidelines without feeling the 'pain'.......HMMM.....always amazing to us!! Good luck on your CCL rearranged cruise...I am hoping for a room upgrade for you!!;)

 

I don't "feel the pain" because I don't allow myself to get to that point. I never would have tried booking so many flights nor endless calls with a cruise line knowing that a major disaster was taking place where I planned on flying in, understanding that everyone is trying to react the best they can and mistakes were obviously made by RCCL. But people are prone to make mistakes and in a time like this, it's almost expected. I would have pulled the plug and canceled my trip ASAP and enjoyed the weekend, sorted it out later. It simply didn't need to be such an issue.

 

 

I think Carnival is a fine cruise line and EBFURR has said they prefer the smaller ships anyways. CCL may be exactly what he's looking for as I'd prefer CCL if sailing on smaller ships, too. Royal offers a better product on the large ships (no competition) but I think Carnival wins hand down on the 130k and smaller ships. I would agree that the whole situation probably did him a favor.

[EBFURR]

Sorry for all the hassle and hope you get your upgrade!

 

But I must admit I am curious...there are SO many loyal royals who believe that Oasis class is the i ching of cruising. I for one have never seen the appeal - we don't want all the bells and whistles as we are cruising to simply be on the water and visiting ports and don't need a floating Vegas to keep us happy. As a formally loyal royal, what did you NOT like about Oasis...I'm thinking you might be a unicorn...;)

 

You know, it is not just the Oasis but that sort of put it over the top for us. Yes, it is a very, very nice ship and I see why it appeals to a lot of people. We started cruising many years ago when the fanciest and newest activity was a full basketball court. The ships were about sea views and the experience of being n the sea. There were rock walls, mini golf, or infernal giant TVs. Our nighttime activity included a quiet hand in hand stroll around the upper decks. No Shrek screaming in our ears. :) Most every interior space had sea views

 

When the Voyager class and later freedom class came along Royal ships were more inward facing with very little interaction with the sea other than on the pool decks. Particularly in the evenings, everything was very inward focused. With the promenade being the heart of the ship and in the center with cabins to the outside between the venues and the ocean there is a distinct disconnect to the sea. We continued to cruise with them and enjoyed it, but we also really liked our cruises on the older Majesty with it's connections to the sea and lack of gizmos and gimmicks. Oasis is the extension of all of those things that do not matter to us or that we dislike (lack of a connection to the sea) and is more like being in the lobby of a Vegas hotel than being on a ship.

 

Now, there are a lot of people who like that flowriders, central park, etc. and we are perfectly fine with that; it is just not to our taste. That does not make us right or them wrong, we just find that those ships do not suit our preferences as well. The carnival ships still have the promenade to the side and the public areas take up the entire width of the ship with panoramic sea views all around. To us, they are larger versions of the "old school" ships that we like. We liked the Carnival ship, the crew, the venues and food, and our fellow passengers. That is not say that we did not like those things on RCI, we did. All of those things being eqaul, we like the Carnival ships better. They suit us better, but that does not mean Oasis is bad. I hope that all makes sense.

 

Oh yeah, and we like Alchemy, Guys, and Blue Iguana for which there are no equivalent on RCI.

[EBFURR]

I don't "feel the pain" because I don't allow myself to get to that point. I never would have tried booking so many flights nor endless calls with a cruise line knowing that a major disaster was taking place where I planned on flying in, understanding that everyone is trying to react the best they can and mistakes were obviously made by RCCL. But people are prone to make mistakes and in a time like this, it's almost expected. I would have pulled the plug and canceled my trip ASAP and enjoyed the weekend, sorted it out later. It simply didn't need to be such an issue.

 

 

I think Carnival is a fine cruise line and EBFURR has said they prefer the smaller ships anyways. CCL may be exactly what he's looking for as I'd prefer CCL if sailing on smaller ships, too. Royal offers a better product on the large ships (no competition) but I think Carnival wins hand down on the 130k and smaller ships. I would agree that the whole situation probably did him a favor.

 

Had you cancelled earlier as you say you would have lost your cruise fare. If you had insurance you would have lost 25% of it. Anyway good luck to you as you seem to have everything well in hand unlike the rest of us including those who listened to RCI's "understandable" mistakes and are now stuck in a flooded Houston with no way out.

 

Yes, we will be fine with Carnival and other lines. I am not calling for a boycott or anything of the sort. I just choose to take my business and money elsewhere as everyone has a right to do. RCI will be fine without us. It is a win-win I suppose.

 

Cheers.

[Cafedumonde]

We are also new (one time) ccl cruisers and also were impressed with Carnival's response verses royal's. We have sailed dcl the most and have been in a situation with them where we were delayed and they also were very unfeeling and unresponsive. Although the situation was not half as dramatic, we had the same reaction you did and were very turned off.

[A&Jfamily]

You know, it is not just the Oasis but that sort of put it over the top for us. Yes, it is a very, very nice ship and I see why it appeals to a lot of people. We started cruising many years ago when the fanciest and newest activity was a full basketball court. The ships were about sea views and the experience of being n the sea. There were rock walls, mini golf, or infernal giant TVs. Our nighttime activity included a quiet hand in hand stroll around the upper decks. No Shrek screaming in our ears. :) Most every interior space had sea views

 

When the Voyager class and later freedom class came along Royal ships were more inward facing with very little interaction with the sea other than on the pool decks. Particularly in the evenings, everything was very inward focused. With the promenade being the heart of the ship and in the center with cabins to the outside between the venues and the ocean there is a distinct disconnect to the sea. We continued to cruise with them and enjoyed it, but we also really liked our cruises on the older Majesty with it's connections to the sea and lack of gizmos and gimmicks. Oasis is the extension of all of those things that do not matter to us or that we dislike (lack of a connection to the sea) and is more like being in the lobby of a Vegas hotel than being on a ship.

 

Now, there are a lot of people who like that flowriders, central park, etc. and we are perfectly fine with that; it is just not to our taste. That does not make us right or them wrong, we just find that those ships do not suit our preferences as well. The carnival ships still have the promenade to the side and the public areas take up the entire width of the ship with panoramic sea views all around. To us, they are larger versions of the "old school" ships that we like. We liked the Carnival ship, the crew, the venues and food, and our fellow passengers. That is not say that we did not like those things on RCI, we did. All of those things being eqaul, we like the Carnival ships better. They suit us better, but that does not mean Oasis is bad. I hope that all makes sense.

 

Oh yeah, and we like Alchemy, Guys, and Blue Iguana for which there are no equivalent on RCI.

 

No it makes perfect sense. And I have the feeling that your cruising style is much like ours. Its nice to hear someone who cruised royal regularly say those mega ships aren't to their taste. Insightful comments like yours confirm my gut feeling that I really don't need to try one to find out; just looking at them doesn't appeal. Even Magic was a little large and crowded feeling for my taste...I can only imagine Oasis with its center focused design. Yep - just not us.

 

We will continue with Carnival for our next couple of cruises and then probably shift our focus to Princess. We enjoy the classic yet relaxed environment that seems to draw a bit more elegant crowd (on thier boards I just don't see the copius amounts of threads all attempting to break or bend the rules for the poster's personal needs). We have seen the majority of what Carnival has to offer in the Caribbean and its time to spread our wings to more of the world!

[BNBR]

Had you cancelled earlier as you say you would have lost your cruise fare. If you had insurance you would have lost 25% of it. Anyway good luck to you as you seem to have everything well in hand unlike the rest of us including those who listened to RCI's "understandable" mistakes and are now stuck in a flooded Houston with no way out.

 

Yes, we will be fine with Carnival and other lines. I am not calling for a boycott or anything of the sort. I just choose to take my business and money elsewhere as everyone has a right to do. RCI will be fine without us. It is a win-win I suppose.

 

Cheers.

 

A refund wouldn't be up to Royal. If they won't refund your fare, then you charge it back - and that's a worse case scenario since they would have almost certainly refunded the fare once things settled down. I would never have ended up in Houston to begin with nor spent so much time trying to fly into a region getting whacked by a hurricane. After the first hiccups and clear sign that it's a disaster zone, why in the world would you not have simply called it and moved on? Do you not feel even a slight semblance of responsibility for pushing so hard and ending up with this outcome? People are different. It's just the way different people approach life. Maybe you will have learned something as well?

 

 

I guess I read "24 Great Cruises, 0 bad ones" - which is many years of great vacations. Things hit the fan during a MEGA natural disaster and RCCL made some mistakes, you made some mistakes - and it's all understandable - it's a natural disaster of epic proportions!!

 

But I'm glad you see the positive anyways at this point. Carnival is almost certainly going to be a more enjoyable line for you. Have you looked into NCL - I think the Waterfront promenade might be right up your alley as well.

[Cap'n Ron]

Glad you were able to salvage a trip for your anniversary! Please give us an update when you get back to let us know how the trip went. Have a great time on the Ecstacy!

 

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Forums mobile app

[quest2best]

Happy Anniversary. Hope your cruise is fabulous! We're set to sail on the Ecstasy soon so will look for any updates on your cruise 😀

 

Sent from my R1 HD using Forums mobile app

[EBFURR]

No it makes perfect sense. And I have the feeling that your cruising style is much like ours. Its nice to hear someone who cruised royal regularly say those mega ships aren't to their taste. Insightful comments like yours confirm my gut feeling that I really don't need to try one to find out; just looking at them doesn't appeal. Even Magic was a little large and crowded feeling for my taste...I can only imagine Oasis with its center focused design. Yep - just not us.

 

We will continue with Carnival for our next couple of cruises and then probably shift our focus to Princess. We enjoy the classic yet relaxed environment that seems to draw a bit more elegant crowd (on thier boards I just don't see the copius amounts of threads all attempting to break or bend the rules for the poster's personal needs). We have seen the majority of what Carnival has to offer in the Caribbean and its time to spread our wings to more of the world!

I am also interested in the MSC ships. They have that status match but the ships seem very much geared towards the sea going experience. Especially Seaside from the plans I have seen.

[Ziggy7]

Be sure to let the ship know you are celebrating your anniversary! Happy Anniversary!!! We left RCI years ago with the swine flu fiasco! They lied to get us on the ship and then lied to San Francisco saying we never ported on Cabo! Which we did for a full day before they told is about the warning from the CDC 4 days prior to embarking!!! We were not compensated except a 75.00 obc per cabin and 2 hours open bar one day! It was a cruise to nowhere because after going to cabo we were all quarantined, oh wait except after we ported in San Fran on a lie, so they claimed we made 2 ports and were not entitled to any future cruise credit! What bothered me most was the lieing to us and our families on shore!

[zephyrhillscruisers]

Happy Anniversary! We're long time Carnival Cruisers, and a single trip on RCCLs Freedom. It was a nice change of pace. We're not rock climbers, and the inside was similar to some malls I've been in. But there seemed to be less of 'walking around outside' space than most Carnival Ships. I'll meander late at night (the sin of working a late second shift) from the jogging track'down to the pool and up through Serenity, stopping so often to take in the sea. Our one Tropical Storm encounter was 2016s Matthew. The Valors crew just treated it as another day at Sea, keeping us fed, hydrated and informed. Good luck with RCCL