First Time Cruisers Here- Bathroom Floor Leakage

[peachy93]

Hi there,

This is our first time cruising, and it's for our honeymoon. It's a 12 night cruise. On our 2nd night, we noticed our carpet next to our bathroom was completely soaked, and was travelling towards our closet. Not only this, but our bathroom completely reeked and we hadn't used it for hours. We set down some towels to soak it up, and the white towels were now completely yellow/brown looking and smelled like feces/urine. So we knew something gross was up with our plumbing. Housekeeping came and dried up the liquid, and cleaned our bathroom thoroughly. Now its day 8, and the same issue has appeared again! We were offered to move state rooms, so we went to see the room they had available and it wasn't nearly as nice as the one we originally paid for (we have a really nice balcony, and our floor is right below the spa) plus we really didnt want to have to move all of our belongings out and back in another room, ugh. We are so tired, and frustrated, and all we've been offered is a cabin change. Is this normal for a cruise?? I do not know how to react or what to ask for as this is our first time cruising. Any tips or advice on who to speak to or what to ask for? Thank you

 

[mom says]

Unfortunately plumbing problems on ships happen. Sometimes ( often?) because people don't know better than to throw things they shouldn't down the toilets, which operate on a vacuum system. One offender can cause problems for multiple cabin's.

 

You were offered a different cabin that didn't have this problem. I don't know what else you expect them to do. Empty cabins are scarce on most cruises. I am sure they are working to fix the problem you currently have. I'm sorry this happened. It has undoubtedly put a damper on what I hope was an otherwise lovely cruise.

[Flatbush Flyer]

25 minutes ago, peachy93 said:

Hi there,

This is our first time cruising, and it's for our honeymoon. It's a 12 night cruise. On our 2nd night, we noticed our carpet next to our bathroom was completely soaked, and was travelling towards our closet. Not only this, but our bathroom completely reeked and we hadn't used it for hours. We set down some towels to soak it up, and the white towels were now completely yellow/brown looking and smelled like feces/urine. So we knew something gross was up with our plumbing. Housekeeping came and dried up the liquid, and cleaned our bathroom thoroughly. Now its day 8, and the same issue has appeared again! We were offered to move state rooms, so we went to see the room they had available and it wasn't nearly as nice as the one we originally paid for (we have a really nice balcony, and our floor is right below the spa) plus we really didnt want to have to move all of our belongings out and back in another room, ugh. We are so tired, and frustrated, and all we've been offered is a cabin change. Is this normal for a cruise?? I do not know how to react or what to ask for as this is our first time cruising. Any tips or advice on who to speak to or what to ask for? Thank you

 

What a shame! Not the best way to start off a marriage (though, hopefully, things can only get better).

 

I'm guessing that you are on some mass market megaship where the crew to passenger ratio is far less than optimal and engineering personnel are stretched to the limit. Still, that (and the reality that "you get what you pay for") is no consolation for this completely unacceptable situation.

 

So, job number 1 for you is to request a meeting with the General Manager (at best) or Executive Concierge (at least) onboard (DO NOT TAKE "NO" FOR AN ANSWER) and specifically ask for the necessary/immediate  repair/cleaning of your cabin and his/her personal inspection afterwards. Alternatively, you can request an "equal or better" cabin and assistance in packing/moving.

 

 IMO, it wouldn't be out of line to also ask for reasonable compensation for the trouble you've already had because of multiple incidents ("reasonable" usually means additional onboard spending credit or some other perk now or on a future cruise). 

 

Should this not work, inform the GM in writing that your next step will be to contact both Christopher Elliott, syndicated travel columnist/ombudsman, as well as the consumer advocacy folks at each of your local TV stations. Make sure you show the GM the pictures of the mess you will share with the media folks. 

 

In particular, mention how the things you have enjoyed on the cruise are in such stark contrast to the bad. And ask for the contact info of the  GM's superior so that you can either praise or curse his/her efforts to save/ruin your honeymoon.

 

Be firm, be fair, and demonstrate that you have the info and intent to do your own publicity "damage" if that's what it takes.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[cruznjan]

If you don't get satisfaction onboard, write a letter to the CEO. At that level they "don't want to hear no bad news." They will do what they can to make you happy.

[Flatbush Flyer]

17 minutes ago, cruznjan said:

If you don't get satisfaction onboard, write a letter to the CEO. At that level they "don't want to hear no bad news." They will do what they can to make you happy.

Not the best idea.

OP needs it fixed now. Even if she contacts Chris Elliott and gets the personal email address of the CEO (after explaining the situation to Chris' staff), it may take days for any action. Of course, showing the GM that she has the CEO personal email may show she means business. 

 

[cruznjan]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Not the best idea.

OP needs it fixed now. Even if she contacts Chris Elliott and gets the personal email address of the CEO (after explaining the situation to Chris' staff), it may take days for any action. Of course, showing the GM that she has the CEO personal email may show she means business. 

 

I offered that suggestion as a last resort.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, cruznjan said:

I offered that suggestion as a last resort.

 

19 minutes ago, cruznjan said:

I offered that suggestion as a last resort.

A snail mail letter will do little good: very slow, passed along in both directions (and often forgotten/lost along the way). E-mail is fast and makes for a complete/concise "conversational" paper trail. But, whatever OP does, she should avoid double negatives (e.g., "don't want to hear no bad news.")

[cruznjan]

6 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

A snail mail letter will do little good: very slow, passed along in both directions (and often forgotten/lost along the way). E-mail is fast and makes for a complete/concise "conversational" paper trail. But, whatever OP does, she should avoid double negatives (e.g., "don't want to hear no bad news.")

That was kind of a joke. I am known as a grammar nazi. Email, snail mail - as long as they know there was a problem.

Edited November 28, 2019 by cruznjan

[Flatbush Flyer]

Happy Thanksgiving

[donaldsc]

It might have been that the room you were offered was the only room available.   

 

With regard to your stuff, we had to be moved once.  They took all of our clothes that were on hangers and moved them.  They took all of the drawers in the room and moved them to the new room and put the stuff in their places.  They did their best to make the move easy.

 

Also, since you are being downgraded, they should give you some sort of compensation - either a bunch of OBC, dining upgrades or something like that.  In our case, we got several hundred dollars cash.

 

Talk to the hotel management on the ship.

 

DON

[Tapi]

We’ve encountered plumbing issues several times across various cruise lines, although I’ll admit that not to the extent of yours. Our issues had to do with backed up (although not overflowing) toilets and inoperative flushing system. The response has varied from cruise line to cruise line.

 

The three times that come to mind were on Carnival, Princess and Disney. On Carnival, we had to complain several times, and the next day they eventually moved us to a different cabin (same type but different floor). They also issued a $50 onboard credit to our account. On Princess, it took them a few hours to respond, but they worked on it until they solved the issue. No further compensation. Disney, by far, offered the fastest response. Within 15 minutes they were in our stateroom working on the issue. The next day, we received Mickey shaped Rice Krispies treats with a note of apology for any inconvenience. We also got a follow up call to make sure that the problem was solved to our satisfaction. 
 

So different responses to similar issues, but all with a satisfactory result in our opinion. 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Tapi

[shipgeeks]

To answer your question of "Is this normal on a cruise?" -- no, it is not.   I hope it won't stop you from cruising in the future. 

[MCC retired]

Not a common problem .

80 some cruises under our belts and it has never happened to us .

Suggest to take the cabin change , ask them to move your stuff and 

perhaps some compensation (definetly  if the new cabin is a lower category) .

[Essiesmom]

The OP seems to be on Celebrity Solstice Nov. 20 cruise from Sydney.  So at this point are probably on day 9 of a 12 day cruise.  They have 'enjoyed'  their 'nicer' cabin for 8+ days, time to accept the move.  I would like to know how the offered cabin was inferior to the one they have.  EM

[peachy93]

7 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

The OP seems to be on Celebrity Solstice Nov. 20 cruise from Sydney.  So at this point are probably on day 9 of a 12 day cruise.  They have 'enjoyed'  their 'nicer' cabin for 8+ days, time to accept the move.  I would like to know how the offered cabin was inferior to the one they have.  EM

Time to accept the move? We paid for the original room for 12 nights so I expect to stay there for that duration, we chose the location for a reason, and now we're only offered an option that is less than what we paid for. Like I said in my original post we have a nice view with a clean balcony, we are right below the spa, and this is our honeymoon. The offered room is a room with a smaller dirty balcony, it's at the very end of the ship, and not towards the spa which we use daily. It's a huge inconvenience to move everything we've unpacked to a room that we didnt chose. We're just using that room for sleeping purposes at this point. 

[Essiesmom]

Well, if you are under the spa, you must be in an A2 cabin.  One on the aft would be an A1, an upgrade in the eyes of the cruise line and more expensive than what you booked.  Enjoy your choice.  EM

[chengkp75]

Comments relating to toilet systems and people flushing things down the toilet that don't belong, have no bearing on this problem.  The toilets and the sink, shower, and floor drains are separate systems, and have no influence on each other.  

 

OP, go to Guest Services and request that engineering look at clearing the "gray water drain" (use those exact terms) downstream of your cabin head.  The "gray water" (sinks, showers, floor drains) system is a gravity system, and there is obviously a partial clog in the system downstream of your cabin, so that sink/shower usage on a higher deck is eventually backing up and coming out the bathroom floor drain (is this the "gutter" type that runs at the bathroom door?).

[cb at sea]

That they offered you a cabin that didn't have sewage in it is wonderful.  I would have taken it.  There are usually no other cabins available...so if there are none as wonderful as yours, what would you have them do?  Perhaps, you can change cabins, and they will give you some OBC for your troubles.

[bonsai3s]

Welcome to Cruise Critic...sorry to hear what happened to you...not a good way to spend your honeymoon.  If you are in fact sailing on Celebrity Solstice...it's one of our favorite ships and recently sailed on her in Alaska.

 

First, that's not normal.  I would go ballistic!  I would've asked...ok, demanded...to be moved the first time that happened.  I would document everything...video/record if necessary...I would then speak to every person up the chain until I'm happy.  Yes, I would go all the way up to the Captain.  As John McEnroe famously said "You cannot be serious!".  At minimum, I wouldn't be happy until they gave me a FCC...Future Cruise Credit...of substantial amount and a discount for your CURRENT cruise for all that trouble you had to go through...I'd love to see the expression of the Captain when you tell him/her about the "crap" in your cabin.

Ps: Happy Honeymoon and hoping the best for rest of your cruise...but please go and speak to the Captain.

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic...sorry to hear what happened to you...not a good way to spend your honeymoon.  If you are in fact sailing on Celebrity Solstice...it's one of our favorite ships and recently sailed on her in Alaska.

 

First, that's not normal.  I would go ballistic!  I would've asked...ok, demanded...to be moved the first time that happened.  I would document everything...video/record if necessary...I would then speak to every person up the chain until I'm happy.  Yes, I would go all the way up to the Captain.  As John McEnroe famously said "You cannot be serious!".  At minimum, I wouldn't be happy until they gave me a FCC...Future Cruise Credit...of substantial amount and a discount for your CURRENT cruise for all that trouble you had to go through...I'd love to see the expression of the Captain when you tell him/her about the "crap" in your cabin.

Ps: Happy Honeymoon and hoping the best for rest of your cruise...but please go and speak to the Captain.

 

Yelling, screaming or demanding that the captain mops your floor will get you nothing.  Being firm but polite probably would get you nothing.

 

DON

[bonsai3s]

8 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Yelling, screaming or demanding that the captain mops your floor will get you nothing.  Being firm but polite probably would get you nothing.

 

DON

 

Don,

You cannot be serious...who said to demand the captain to mop your floor?

I have my own way of going ballistic...in a humorous and self-effacing way.

 

Yes, we used to say "nothing"...and yes, you are correct...we got nothing.

Do you have anything to say to help the OP?

[Ferry_Watcher]

We were on the Solstice a year or so ago and there were plumbing problems on Deck 11 (Aqua) back then.  It was an  end of the season Pacific Coastal cruise and during an all day port of call I remember a number of plumbing contractors showing up on the floor early one morning to fix the plumbing problem (I think we were aware that folks had plumbing problems from conversations in Blu).  Luckily our cabin didn't have any leakage problems, but we did have to be careful not to be scalded in the shower.  I think it took me the entire cruise to figure out the shower controls.

Hope this works out for you.  A change in cabins might be worth the peace of mind.

[donaldsc]

On 11/30/2019 at 3:59 AM, bonsai3s said:

 

Don,

You cannot be serious...who said to demand the captain to mop your floor?

I have my own way of going ballistic...in a humorous and self-effacing way.

 

Yes, we used to say "nothing"...and yes, you are correct...we got nothing.

Do you have anything to say to help the OP?

 

I was being somewhat facetious.  However, do you seriously think that management is going to let the OP meet w the captain as you suggested.

 

DON

[bonsai3s]

3 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I was being somewhat facetious.  However, do you seriously think that management is going to let the OP meet w the captain as you suggested.

 

DON

 

Yes. 

 

I suggested to speak to every person up the chain.

Yes, I would go all the way to the Captain if necessary. (Learned it here from experienced Cruise Critic members.) Yes, we've met with the Captain.  And yes, he resolved the situation.

And yes, we would do it again. 

[mikenbon]

Congratulations on your marriage. Fortunately the plumbing problem you had was not very common, but can happen as others have said. It was great that you were offered another room since most of the time ships sail full. Since you had a choice, it's totally up to you to stay in the current room that you liked, or to move to a dry odour free room. I don't know if any compensation or extra perks would be offered or need to be offered. 
 

Please come back and let us know what you decided to do.