The Media and Cruising

[nfused2cruze]

Just saw on TV last night about Carnival's Sensation.

It is reported below:

 

Carnival's New Ship Gives Passengers Bad Sensation

 

 

POSTED: 2:13 pm EST March 27, 2006

UPDATED: 3:31 pm EST March 27, 2006

 

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Carnival's Sensation cruise ship arrived at Port Canaveral Monday morning, and some of the ship's passengers were apparently anxious to get home.

A passenger just off the ship called her trip a nightmare, and several others agreed, WESH 2 News reported.

This is not exactly the stuff Carnival would want to use in commercials.

"It's been a nightmare," Sanford resident Heather Russel said. "I will never, ever go on Carnival again."

The ship got off to a rough start when passengers waited nine hours to board last Thursday. It took them two and a half hours to depart, and they said the trip was unforgettable.

"I was using the bathroom and everything fell down and hit me on top of the head," passenger Richard Bell said. "They took me to the infirmary and didn't even give me aspirin."

Russel said the bath water looked like "red tide" and was "pluming orange" as it filled up the bathtub.

"I had diarrhea and a fever of 102," passenger Piper Dillion said. "I wasn't able to eat for two days. It was really bad."

Dillion's husband, Chris Aquilino, said that he could not complain about the treatment on the ship.

"My wife was treated well in the infirmary and that's about it," he said.

One passenger took pictures on-board of the construction taking place everywhere, including the golf course, which he said no one got to play.

One photo showed a gentleman working with wood trying to fix a bottom deck of one area. Another showed an unfinished elevator that was not designated as out-of-order.

Passenger Sarah Harkins said Carnival removed her brother, his wife and some other couples from the ship after a planned excursion in the Bahamas did not pan out.

"Six or eight security guards came and took my brother and his wife and six others and made them go directly to their rooms, pack their bags and told them they were not allowed back on the ship," Harkins said.

A Carnival Cruise line representative said the reason the passengers were taken off the ship is that they became verbally abusive.

Cruise officials said they put tremendous value on their guests, and anyone with any concerns should contact Carnival.

 

Previous Stories:

• March 24, 2006: Carnival Cruise Ship Leaves Port Canaveral 7 Hours Late

 

http://www.wesh.com/news/8294888/detail.html

http://www.wesh.com/news/8215519/detail.html

 

I can only imagine the media is really going to go all out soon on cruising - if it hasn't already.

[Dawniepoo]

It seems the reporting on this incident has been one-sided. I would sure like to know what kind of "complaining" those passengers REALLY did to be escorted off the ship.

[Cruising89143]

It sounds like the ship was not ready to go back into service. It failed a safety inspection which caused a nine hour delay in boarding passengers. That alone started many folks off in the wrong mood. There were reports of rust colored water coming from the pipes, sewage backups, construction still going on around the ship and list goes on and on. Carnival screwed up big time on this.

 

Anyone that watched the Sovereign special could see how tight they were with getting things done and I remember the complaints from the passengers on the first sailing. The same thing with the Monarch when she was refurbished. The cruise lines need to slow down a little and start thinking things through a little better. I do agree that much of the stuff in the news has been no more than sensationalism to gather ratings but in this case I think the media got it right. Carnival is getting what they deserve for being greedy.