My letter to Celebrity on Mercury March 17th/the phone response from Customer Service

[NanD]

There's been a lot of discussion about the lack of response to correspondence to Celebrity. This is my experience. Last weekend a letter from Jayme Porkolab in Customer Service about the Mercury norovirus cleaning was posted as a sticky. Many on the March 17th cruise took exception to the contents as the thrust of the letter was to March 27th cruisers, who had been compensated for their experience. I wrote an email letter on the subject to Mr. Hanrahan, with copies to Messrs Fain and Willis. Within 24 hrs, Ms Porkolab called to discuss the issue. Following is my letter. Following the letter, I'll tell you about our conversation.

[NanD]

Dear Mr. Hanrahan:

As passengers on the Mercury March 17th cruise, we are writing to express our dissatisfaction with Celebrity's response to issues raised on the overall quality of our sailing. At this point, we are not the first informing you of the diminished experience due to the constant spraying/wiping of bleach, the wet surfaces, bleached clothing, the removal of numerous food venues/events from the schedule, etc. There were many fine moments, but the facts of the negative circumstances are undeniable. The passengers on this cruise were largely kept in the dark about the details of why all this was happening. It wasn't until our return to San Diego that we learned specifics from a newspaper article published shortly after our departure that approximately 200 were ill with noro-virus on Mercury's cruise preceding ours'. We were not informed of the problem and given no options prior to embarking. So, it should come as no surprise that our group was both frustrated and angered that the passengers on the next sailing (March 27) were not only aware of the noro-virus problems ahead of boarding and given options to delay sailing, in addition, they were refunded a portion of their cruise fare and given credit toward a future cruise.

Recently an explanation/apology letter was posted on Cruise Critic from Celebrity's Director of Customer Relations, Jayme Porkolab. Although this letter alludes to other sailings in March, it is directed to the March 27th cruisers. This is interesting since the major discontent on the boards is from the March 17th group. Let me be pointed in saying Ms Porkolab won't be receiving any credit from us in helping ease an already sensitive situation with her letter. Frankly, the letter's contents are almost surreal to anyone carefully reading the Cruise Critic message boards and understanding just who is currently upset. By your compensation awards, Celebrity has already admitted the folks aboard March 27th had a diminished experience, yet they are being singled out again. From our vantage point, March 27th received: a) advance notice, b) refund, c) credit, and now d) an apology. All this while March 17th continues to be totally ignored. Is it possible you are unaware of the conditions on our cruise? This is hard to fathom.

We are not new to cruising, but we are new to Celebrity. We're sure you will agree that first impressions are very important and ours was not great. We were looking forward to an enjoyable cruise and lasting relationship. While we understand there are some circumstances beyond control, many hard feelings could have been spared had the situation been better handled. Even having a financial interest in RCCL, we're not certain we'll return to Celebrity; many others we sailed with have made similar comments. Compensating the group following us has exacerbated hard feelings further. Awarding some type of compensation/motivation to us would be appropriate in our opinion. We feel Celebrity needs to let the March 17th group know they realize theirs' was an atypical Celebrity cruise and show you would like a second chance by offering onboard credits for a future cruise, a percentage off, or some such incentive. I believe you have underestimated the degree of displeasure felt by the passengers who sailed Mercury on March 17th

[NanD]

Ms Porkolab called within 24 hrs of sending the email to Mr. Hanrahan. She was very cordial and gave me a generous amount of time. The letter already states my primary points, so I won't repeat those again here. This is Celebrity's stand: On the issue of lack of communication, there is agreement. Apparently enough folks have expressed the same complaint that Celebrity acknowledges this was a problem. In short, doing better in the future is intended. Let's hope. Ms Porkolab also made it clear her intention was not to focus on the March 27th cruisers in her letter and meant to be inclusive. I certainly agree it would not have been her intention but, however unintentionally, this was the result. The issue of compensation was discussed at length. I'll try to be briefer. Celebrity contends March 27th received compensation not because of publicity and pressure from within the ship at the time of sailing but, rather, from official reports from the ship. Celebrity had people from "corporate" aboard the 27th cruise. There were no such observers on the 17th. Since ship officials weren't up front with those of us sailing, I would argue they weren't going out of their way to tell their bosses things were going poorly. I did tell her I continue to believe the reporting out of the situation (Tuggers) at the time was an important component. Regardless, they are saying the decision was based on situation reports from the ship. Bottom line is, at the time of our conversation, there is no intention of compensating March 17th cruisers in any way. I expressed my opinion that, at the least, Celebrity should award some future incentive. I think they should want an opportunity to show these folks they can do better....and what Celebrity cruising is expected to be. That opinion is not shared by Celebrity. So, there's my feedback in an abbreviated fashion. I thought I should give the company their due in terms of the personal response and time given, even if I didn't hear what I wanted to.

Nan

[cruisePRN]

Will you ever sail with them again?

[gooch47]

I can't tell you how impressed I was with your letter. Excellent job.

[frchteaze]

It's sad to say, but it looks like the lesson learned is, if a major problem ever arises on ship again -- call the news media and corporate immediately. :eek:

 

Too bad they couldn't just pony up and offer the compensation they gave the cruise after yours. I guess they care more about their public image than a handful of could-have-been repeat customers.

[Fblack]

While sympathize with your problem, I believe a 25% refund on the problem cruise and a 25% discount on a future cruise is a pretty good deal. If you get that you should move on.

 

Over the past few years Norovirus has hit many ships and other venues in the spring. In the past it was rare for any compensation to be given.

 

Check this web site for other recent outbrakes and some were worse than your vruise. <http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html>

 

Did your travel agent tell you about the problem before you left for the cruise? A good travel agent should be up on such things since the problem was well known.

[NanD]

Karyn 8....I frankly don't know yet if we would sail with Celebrity again or not. We have entered an area where I think there's a fairness issue and firmly believe the cruise line is on the wrong side. My inclination is I need them to show some good faith first.

 

gooch47...Appreciate your positive feedback. Thanks.

 

frchteaze...Unfortunately, I agree with you about the media angle. There are still some possibilities there and held as options. Quite honestly, my intention isn't to harm Celebrity...just to get them to do the right thing. And, as for the "could have been" repeat customers, I'm picturing a bean counter with green eyeshades in a back room coming to the conclusion that risking the loss of a certain number of customers isn't going to hurt the bottom line.

 

KBlack...I read where you just returned from a Mercury cruise. From your report we learned that things have returned to normal, which is great. It's wonderful you enjoyed yourself. As for your comments... In the past we have been on a ship experiencing a norovirus outbreak. You will have to take my word for it that it was handled far differently and in a much less disruptive fashion. We all understand these things can happen. Our main issue is the manner Celebrity handled it both in terms of method and public relations with passengers. Not going to bore you with further details as there are plenty of descriptive posts on this. You also asked about advance warning and, altho I mentioned this earlier, I'll repeat that the March 17th cruisers were given ZERO warning. Celebrity did not tell us there had been 200 ill on the cruise arriving back in San Diego that morning. The returning 3/6 sailing was the first "sick ship" so word had not gotten out to ta's or anyone else. We had a late boarding without explanation. I eventually learned the details from a saved newspaper article published the day after we left. The article contained more information than we'd been given on the ship over ten days. And last, you give great advice about if Celebrity offers us the 25/25 deal we should move on! Right now, we'd love that chance!!

 

Nan

[seagulls]

I firmly believe that you people should receive the same compensation as the cruise after you received. Both cruises inflicted the same level of discomfort on the cruisers whilst trying to contain the virus. I guess there was a lot more emailing going on during the latter cruise and that seemed to have worked in their favor. It is very unfare, you have my sympathy.

[thomasale]

my sympathy is with those that have been affected. I hope the company sees where they are wrong and at least compensates those that ask for it

[SandyMc]

Hi, Nan!

 

So glad you got some kind of response out of Celebrity - even it not what you had hoped for. Still, their excuse for excluding the passengers from the March 17 cruise from any compensation is pretty bizarre! To say that they never heard of the poor conditions from their staff and therefore don't believe we deserve compensation is amazing.

 

It should be pretty obvious to them by now that their staff on the March 17 cruise was a great part of the problem. Of course they didn't report the problems to corporate; they didn't even report any problems to the passengers!

 

To have so many people who were on that cruise report the same problems over and over and then arbitrarily dismiss their complaints because their staff on the ship failed to keep them informed just reinforces my anger and frustration with the whole "Celebrity Experience"!

 

You are a very nice person to give them any credit at all, Nan. I certainly am not at that point!

[excitedofharpenden]

NanD, you have my sympathies too and I also think your letter to Celebrity and subsequent conversation with them was constructive, measured and right on target.

 

Celebrity, if you are reading this, acknowledge the concerns and injustice felt by those on the cruise previous properly (which had similar issues) and DO THE RIGHT THING!

 

Phil

[SusieS]

Uh-oh.......I just got off the phone with my TA, after making reservations for a 4 night Pacific Coastal cruise on the Celebrity Mercury, sailing Oct. 9th. Has there been any more trouble with this virus on the Mercury since March? I am so very sorry for your situation, & feel that Celebrity needs to make good on this situation. Please keep us posted!!!! I'm also wondering if I should cancel our reservation. We're usually Princess folks, but I received a wonderful price on this cruise.

[lisiamc]

If you're worried about Norovirus, it can (and does) happen on any ship, on any line (and in your local schools, nursing homes, hospitals, large offices, etc.). It's not peculiar to Mercury.

 

If you're worried about Celebrity dropping the ball on a customer service issue, that's a different matter. It's no help to the people who were affected, but normally they handle things a bit better than this, IMHO.

 

Lisa

[cml3]

Great letter Nan!

I can't believe that they are going to keep trying to brush us off!!!

How the main office could not have heard about the dissatisfaction on our cruise is unbelievable. I know every time I spoke to customer relations they just kept telling me to call customer service AFTER the cruise.

I do believe Tuggers succeeded in getting the results on the 3/27 cruise.

If only we had been that smart!

I have also been on a ship (HAL) during a noro outbreak and it was nothing like we went through.

Well I know there are many of us that are not going to let this matter drop.

I have spoken to my TA--and she is very concerned because she recommends Celebrity highly. She can not believe their attitude toward us. I also directed her to these boards so she can see what is going on.

Carol

[SandyMc]

My Mom, who was also on the March 17 cruise with us, was just here for dinner and, being computerless, I let her read what has been happening so far.

 

Needless to say, she is pretty astounded at Celebrity's reaction to our requests for equal compensation. She and the friend who came with her have also written Celebrity and their TA sent their letters along with her own comments.

 

I now find out that her TA has since assisted some of her clients in cancelling their Celebrity cruises and booked them on other lines. People who have no problems on their Celebrity cruises will continue to love them but she is now concerned that her clients will receive the same brush-off we have received if there ever are problems. Being in the customer service realm, it is very important to her to be able to count on the people she sends her clients to - she's no longer sure of Celebrity.

[NanD]

It's heartening to read so many supportive comments. Thanks.

Nan

[Cindy G]

Nan....great letter! Kudos.

 

I was on the ill fated 3-27-06 cruise and I can attest that information sharing was lacking on our cruise as well. In fact, I could do a huge post on the embarkation, but there is no reason to rehash old news.

 

There were several "Celebrity corporate" people on our cruise. Some seated next to us in the main dinning room.

 

I can not say for certain that our cruise was better or worse than yours....was anyone on both? B2B? That would only be the way to compare cruises.

 

What we did do was band together. There were people writing in the bleach streaked elevator doors...."full refund." People contacting Celebrity in Miami while on board. There were rumors the Fox News and CNN were contacted, as well as the local San Diego newpaper. (The San Diego paper interviewed several passengers while waiting to board in the terminal.)

 

Maybe we were more "vocal," maybe we were bettered prepared, maybe we had more attorneys in our group, maybe there were more health related matters, maybe Celebrity was forced to recognize the problem because of the San Diego newpaper article, maybe we had more experienced cruisers, maybe Celebrity realized that 450 children would be on the following cruise and something had to be done? Who knows? But there are lessons to be learned....even though I am told I will receive compensation (we've heard nothing "official" to this date) I have learned because of this situation.

 

And as for the compensation....we know very little about that. 25% before or after port charges/taxes/onboard credits, etc. So far, no one "knows."

 

Cheers.....Cindy G.

[bepsf]

Nan--

 

Great follow up on your part.

Shame on RCCL/X for being so clearly unrepentant in any meaningful way - talk is cheap.

 

I've been on HAL during norovirus outbreaks too - never had a day go by that the Captain didn't update us in some way, reminding us of precautions against spreading the virus - and the service levels couldn't have been better the entire time (in some ways, better than normal!)

 

From reports, it seems that those Mercury cruises were amatuer-hour by comparison - I'm so relieved that I didn't get placed on one of them.

 

Considering the unsatisfactory response you received, it's obvious that RCCL/X doesn't really care about their reputation, or their passengers satisfaction & well being. It's good that we all have other options for our future travel...

[cmecruise1962]

I just can't believe that Celebrity cares so little for guest feedback! I am in the guest service industry and know that keeping a guest is WAY cheaper than finding new guests! And Celebrity has such a loyal following...I just can't believe they are willing to "write-off" a whole ship of dissastisfied guests! I am headed on a Carnival cruise this month...and believe me...I am a talker! And the fact that Celebrity did not compensate us or apologize to us...or even communicate with us...is not going to come across well! I chose Celebrity (my sister chose Carnival!) because I had only heard good things...I guess I'll see how it goes on Carnival!! :eek:

[dcc617]

I just got back from an 11 night cruise on Infinity. We had what was called a 'minor' outbreak with 1% of the population affected. There was actually quite a bit of notice that was circulated by the crew. Quite honestly, it's my opinion that the 'affected population' was more of food poisoning from one of the ports and/or too much tequilla. One member of our group got ill but only after eating shrimp at a restaurant onshore. Her husband was totally unaffected. But we did notice more hand sanitizers and raw fish was taken off the menus.

[Yoopergirl]

My husband and I were on the March 17 Mercury cruise. We can attest that Nan's points are quite accurate. It is really unclear to me why our cruise is not being compensated like the March 27 group. To say this is due to the presence of corporate staff on the March 27th cruise doesn't address the question of fairness at all; it simply indicates that we are being penalized because the headquarters people became aware of the problem later rather than earlier. From what I have read on these boards, the two cruises were similar: overuse of bleach, closing of services, and so on. The difference is that at least the March 27 people were told there was a problem before boarding.

 

Celebrity, if you are listening, please know that we are very unhappy with your responses. :( We have enjoyed cruising Celebrity and generally have been pleased with the way we have been treated; this situation has somewhat surprised us.

[Vernoncruise]

Does anyone know who from Celebrity was onboard 3/27 (supposedly why they gave the 3/27 cruisers credit and not 3/17). Maybe we can contact the Celebrity representatives who were onboard the 3/27 cruuise and let them know that 3/17 was also in "the same boat" so to speak.

[bepsf]

I just can't believe that Celebrity cares so little for guest feedback! I am in the guest service industry and know that keeping a guest is WAY cheaper than finding new guests! And Celebrity has such a loyal following...I just can't believe they are willing to "write-off" a whole ship of dissastisfied guests! I am headed on a Carnival cruise this month...and believe me...I am a talker! And the fact that Celebrity did not compensate us or apologize to us...or even communicate with us...is not going to come across well! I chose Celebrity (my sister chose Carnival!) because I had only heard good things...I guess I'll see how it goes on Carnival!! :eek:

 

It appears that it's a part of the RCCL corporate culture/business model: Get em in w/ the heavy advertising, PR and gimmicks but who cares what the real experience is since this is often a once/twice in a lifetime experience & there's lots of new cruisers waiting to board their ships...

I think there's a reason RCCL and X are on TV all the time, yet with CCL you only see ads for Carnival on TV - rarely Princess and never HAL, Cunard, Costa, etc....

[designbymarcia]

I Had A Message On My Machine Today (from Alex, Who Later Told Me That Was Not His Real Name Only The Name He Was Assigned For Making These Calls). To Documnets Comments And Put In Our Files Our Comments Re 3/27 Sailing After All This I Requested A Copy Of This That Was To Be Put In My File And Was Told It Was Not Possible.-ha I Asked Him To Please Double Check And Call Me Back To Advise The Answer.

Anyway

The Group Of Peolpe Who Are Taking The Information Can Be Reached At 1-800-280-3424 X33157 But You Are Never Able To Enter An Extension So Go Figure??

Any Claims For Clothes Or Personal Item or personal injury is

Risk Management

1-800-256-6649

#1

#4

#2

The Person In Charge Of This Group At Celebrity (I Was Told) Has No Phone Only Was To Contact Her Is By Fax Or Email No Email Address Given.

Ms. Jayme Porkalab

Fax# 1-800-886-6485

Dont Expect A Sympathetic Ear Or A Professional Customer Service Oriented Person To Handle Any Of This

Or

If You Do Get One. Please Advise Me Of Thier Number And Or Fax So I Can Contact Them.

A Very Unhappy Client

Marcia

Ps

Excuse The Spelling I Am Still So Upset Due To The Impact This Situation And Injury Has Impacted The Quality Of My Life.