Weirdness on The Pride

Okay, I read the last post and didn't know what the poster was discussing with "mechanical issues" that caused lurching, so I went and searched their posts, and I see that they determined that the stabilizers "broke". My question is, who were the "multiple crew" that confirmed that the stabilizers were broken? Because unless you saw some engineers wandering around the public areas, or talked to very senior management, I would not trust anything that front line hotel crew said about technical issues. I've stood in the passageway while a steward explained some operation of the ship to a guest, knowing full well I was there, and I had to step in and contradict everything the steward had said, because 90% of them know nothing about how the ship they live on works. So, please tell me who you got your information from.

 

For stabilizers, you do understand that stabilizers do not stop a ship from rolling, never have, and never will, and never were designed to do so. Cruise ships, due to their high centers of gravity, tend to roll very quickly and sharply, and stabilizers are designed to dampen the roll to a comfortable level. Stabilizer effectiveness is also affected by ship speed, and whether the current is with or against the ship's direction, as they rely on water flow over the stabilizer, just like an airplane wing does. And even if the ship's speed is sufficiently high, and the stabilizers are working correctly, the waves in the ocean are not consistent, so when a wave of significantly higher peak, or different period than the rest strikes the ship, lurching is very common. Ships roll. Even in "clear conditions" (your term, not sure how you define it), seas can be running from storms thousands of miles away, and the ship will roll from these seas.

 

With regards to the turbocharger "bark" that was experienced (the loud noise from the funnel, and after 42 years at sea on diesel powered ships, I can just about guarantee that's what it was, based on the description), this is a moderately common phenomenon of diesels when a sudden load is applied. I don't know what they were in process of doing on the Pride at the time, but I would suspect they were changing over engines, and a "cold" engine didn't appreciate a sudden quick application of load. Barking is just a pressure wave in the exhaust, and this can sometimes temporarily open up joints in the exhaust pipes, and set off smoke alarms in the engine room, which have to be investigated by fire teams.

 

If there was a dangerous condition from the turbo bark, the Captain would have notified the guests. There wasn't, so he didn't. Sorry, I don't feel the Captain needs to hold the hand of every nervous nellie onboard. Does the pilot of an airplane get on the PA and explain after every single time the plane lurches in the air?

 

And before you ask, I don't have any dog in this fight, as I've never worked for, nor sailed on a Carnival ship. I just try to explain shipboard operations and phenomenon in terms that lay people can understand.

 

What do you consider a "mechanical issue" that should be announced to the passengers? Do you know that nearly every cruise ship out there operates for weeks at a time with one engine completely torn down for overhaul? These diesels are torn completely down every 12,000 hours (about 2 years), and this overhaul takes 2-3 weeks. However, itineraries are set so that the ship does not need to have full power available to make the schedule, so thousands of passengers sail on ships with one engine out of commission without knowing a thing about it, and without creating a "dangerous condition".

 

 

As to the much vaunted "cruise passenger bill of rights", you do understand that this was voluntarily adopted by CLIA, since the bill passed in Congress has no jurisdiction over foreign flag cruise ships, and CLIA decided that it didn't really affect the bottom line, and looked like good PR, so at Congress' request they adopted it.

Funny you mention sailing without an engine...when that happen on my RCCL cruise, we knew the hour it happened...and we received on board credit and free internet, since the missing engine was gonna make us a few hours late home - we didn't ask for it - it was given at the same time as the engine announcement, which was within an hour of passengers' "notice"...this was not very recently (about 9 years ago), so I won't compliment the current line too much.

And funny you should mention airlines...it's routine for them to ALWAYS tell you to sit and put on your safety belt and inform you if "turbulence" is coming b/c a rocking plane is so dangerous to the people inside...they also usually inform you if the turbulence will occur for the rest of the flight or not at the time of that announcement.

And "dampen the roll" is exactly what was not happening on the 9/3 ship...if the conditions are enough that they are changing the planned nightly show b/c it would be unsafe for the performers, adapting the afternoon show for the same unsafe conditions, closing the entire sports deck for unsafe conditions the entire day, making parents call to check on puking kids every 30 minutes...that's NOT normal (even skipping the observed puking and my own family's injuries). At SOME POINT, someone from the top deck should have explained what was happening, why, when it might end, and what they were gonna do to mitigate, even if it was just free meds, if they could do anything at all.

And I won't post the employees who told me, although they were not "the guy cleaning up the puke" since I know they were all fed a party line and probably will get in trouble for deviating from it. I don't want it even less likely for passengers to be able to get the truth in the future.

I know we won't agree. But I will say...2 ships I've been on had mechanical issues in my 5 cruises...one Captain made me trust the line...and one did not...

That's all I'll say on this matter...b/c if you weren't there (and not up in the wee hours of the last day before we hit the Chesapeake when it truly got its worst), you don't know how bad the conditions were...this wasn't just "oh, the ship is moving a little side to side and I'm not walking down the hallway straight anymore...tee hee."

Funny you mention sailing without an engine...when that happen on my RCCL cruise, we knew the hour it happened...and we received on board credit and free internet, since the missing engine was gonna make us a few hours late home - we didn't ask for it - it was given at the same time as the engine announcement, which was within an hour of passengers' "notice"...this was not very recently (about 9 years ago), so I won't compliment the current line too much.

 

And funny you should mention airlines...it's routine for them to ALWAYS tell you to sit and put on your safety belt and inform you if "turbulence" is coming b/c a rocking plane is so dangerous to the people inside...they also usually inform you if the turbulence will occur for the rest of the flight or not at the time of that announcement.

 

And "dampen the roll" is exactly what was not happening on the 9/3 ship...if the conditions are enough that they are changing the planned nightly show b/c it would be unsafe for the performers, adapting the afternoon show for the same unsafe conditions, closing the entire sports deck for unsafe conditions the entire day, making parents call to check on puking kids every 30 minutes...that's NOT normal (even skipping the observed puking and my own family's injuries). At SOME POINT, someone from the top deck should have explained what was happening, why, when it might end, and what they were gonna do to mitigate, even if it was just free meds, if they could do anything at all.

 

And I won't post the employees who told me, although they were not "the guy cleaning up the puke" since I know they were all fed a party line and probably will get in trouble for deviating from it. I don't want it even less likely for passengers to be able to get the truth in the future.

 

I know we won't agree. But I will say...2 ships I've been on had mechanical issues in my 5 cruises...one Captain made me trust the line...and one did not...

 

That's all I'll say on this matter...b/c if you weren't there (and not up in the wee hours of the last day before we hit the Chesapeake when it truly got its worst), you don't know how bad the conditions were...this wasn't just "oh, the ship is moving a little side to side and I'm not walking down the hallway straight anymore...tee hee."

Well, lets see, I'm talking about routine maintenance that takes an engine out of service and doesn't affect the itinerary, and you are talking about a failure that did affect the itinerary. Yes, you should have been told, and were, that an issue had caused the change. However, the problem on the Pride did not cause a change in itinerary, so why should you be informed?

Of course a pilot informs folks that there will be turbulence, but you're example of the Captain notifying you of every little problem is like the pilot saying "Oh, sorry for that bump, it was clear turbulence" and two minutes later saying the same thing, every time the plane hits a bump.

I really wasn't asking for folks' names, just that as I say, 90% of crew know nothing about a ship's workings. And how did you know that the stabilizers weren't working, yet the sea conditions were such that the stabilizer's dampening effect was insufficient? Oh, that's right, someone in hotel operations told you. I would be willing to bet that every single cruise ship, at one time or another, has had to cancel the production show, closing outside decks, pools, etc, and I doubt that any of them had "broken" stabilizers causing the problem.

And I will be willing to bet that in 42 years at sea, I've been in worse sea conditions than you've experienced, including sailing through several hurricanes and typhoons, and I know what rolling and pitching is all about. How about you look at the videos of RCI's Anthem when she was caught in the tropical storm a couple years ago, and see the amount of rolling the ship did, and guess what? She had working stabilizers. It's weather, it happens, it's nothing the cruise line can do about it, and trust me God is stronger than anything man can build, so a ship is gonna roll, and a ship is gonna pitch, and a ship is gonna lurch if the weather is sufficient.

We lurched while sailing near Greenland on another cruise line and I looked out the window to see we barely missed 2 whales. Captain didn't announce what happened and I don't blame him. I would rather he do his job keeping us (and the wildlife) safe than to waste time explaining every lurch. You are on a ship...you should always anticipate a possible lurch...just like you should always anticipate possible turbulence on a plane.

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I was on the 9/3 cruise.

I'm a fisherman and have spent much time in the Chesapeake and canyon fishing in the ocean.

It was a disappointing cruise I feel the the brass should have been more forthcoming overall and it seemed that they weren't totally honest.

When the Pride left Nassau it was calm. we did experience later on an easy 9 foot swell close together.( The Capt announced it)

It still looked calm. no white caps kinda glassy. we were running fast 22-23knts. Maybe backing off would have helped?? they probably wanted to get it over with. I have been in very rough seas on the pride (2011) and they backed off quite a bit and it was still bumpy.

Thing is is if they did slow to say 12-15 knts the could actually steam up the bay instead of floating at 4.4knts.

So you wonder maybe something did happen to the ship on the way back to B-more and they Limped up the bay.

Anyway the crew was awesome we had a blast, wish Irma didn't happen but god bless all the folks who actually had a bad week.

Maybe carnival should throw a few more bones now and then.

Bill

Gonna jump in here and add my 2 cents: DW and I have now completed 42 cruises; Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Disney and Royal Caribbean. In 42 cruises we have never been so displeased with the lack of TIMELY information, communication from the BRIDGE (not individual crew members), lack of preparedness from CARNIVAL. Here is my reasoning: Hurricane Irma was in the Atlantic, predicted to strike the islands with tremendous force, yet, those boarding the Sep 3d cruise were only told of the itinerary change at the end of muster. Obviously, Carnival knew of the itinerary change BEFORE we ever boarded but did not announce it until everyone was onboard. Why did I sign up for their TEXT ALERTS? Then once onboard, Customer Service advised us and apparently others, that Carnival would not make a decision about any refund/or other compensation until FRIDAY SEP 8TH, yet, other passengers were told that if they decided to disembark the ship when it arrived in Charleston South Carolina on Tuesday, they would receive a FULL REFUND! Having been told that the cruise was substituting CHARLESTON for GRAND TURK and that we might or might not make it to either Freeport or Nassau, we would have chosen to disembark and rebook at a later time. Again, no communication from the Bridge. Now as for the rough seas; our cabin was aft facing, a cabin location we have had on many ships. The seas were, in my opinion, not rough; they were high but this ship could not handle it. Whether is was the lack of stabilizers, the stabilizers not working properly or what ever, there was no communication from the Bridge until we had past a storm, the following day, and the CRUISE DIRECTOR announced that the Captain had "sped up to get ahead of the storm" followed by how we would be "cruising up the Chesapeake Bay". Four knots of speed for more than a day, up the Chesapeake Bay does not make a "Caribbean Cruise". Stopping at Freeport and Nassau, which were boarding up in hurricane preparation, also does not make a "Caribbean Cruise". I did not pay to go to Charleston South Carolina or go to Freeport and Nassau to watch residents and business owners boarding up windows and sand bagging. Carnival disappointed, the Captain had no communication with the passengers and this was not the cruise that passengers paid for, period!

You can post your opinion about this cruise, but if you weren't on the ship and personally experienced the "cruise", you don't know. I was there and with all my experience with cruising, this was a Pi** poor effort by Carnival and the Captain.

Gonna jump in here and add my 2 cents: DW and I have now completed 42 cruises; Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Disney and Royal Caribbean. In 42 cruises we have never been so displeased with the lack of TIMELY information, communication from the BRIDGE (not individual crew members), lack of preparedness from CARNIVAL. Here is my reasoning: Hurricane Irma was in the Atlantic, predicted to strike the islands with tremendous force, yet, those boarding the Sep 3d cruise were only told of the itinerary change at the end of muster. Obviously, Carnival knew of the itinerary change BEFORE we ever boarded but did not announce it until everyone was onboard. Why did I sign up for their TEXT ALERTS? Then once onboard, Customer Service advised us and apparently others, that Carnival would not make a decision about any refund/or other compensation until FRIDAY SEP 8TH, yet, other passengers were told that if they decided to disembark the ship when it arrived in Charleston South Carolina on Tuesday, they would receive a FULL REFUND! Having been told that the cruise was substituting CHARLESTON for GRAND TURK and that we might or might not make it to either Freeport or Nassau, we would have chosen to disembark and rebook at a later time. Again, no communication from the Bridge. Now as for the rough seas; our cabin was aft facing, a cabin location we have had on many ships. The seas were, in my opinion, not rough; they were high but this ship could not handle it. Whether is was the lack of stabilizers, the stabilizers not working properly or what ever, there was no communication from the Bridge until we had past a storm, the following day, and the CRUISE DIRECTOR announced that the Captain had "sped up to get ahead of the storm" followed by how we would be "cruising up the Chesapeake Bay". Four knots of speed for more than a day, up the Chesapeake Bay does not make a "Caribbean Cruise". Stopping at Freeport and Nassau, which were boarding up in hurricane preparation, also does not make a "Caribbean Cruise". I did not pay to go to Charleston South Carolina or go to Freeport and Nassau to watch residents and business owners boarding up windows and sand bagging. Carnival disappointed, the Captain had no communication with the passengers and this was not the cruise that passengers paid for, period!

You can post your opinion about this cruise, but if you weren't on the ship and personally experienced the "cruise", you don't know. I was there and with all my experience with cruising, this was a Pi** poor effort by Carnival and the Captain.

Amen (I wasn't gonna post again...but you nailed it)...

Gonna jump in here and add my 2 cents: DW and I have now completed 42 cruises; Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Disney and Royal Caribbean. In 42 cruises we have never been so displeased with the lack of TIMELY information, communication from the BRIDGE (not individual crew members), lack of preparedness from CARNIVAL. Here is my reasoning: Hurricane Irma was in the Atlantic, predicted to strike the islands with tremendous force, yet, those boarding the Sep 3d cruise were only told of the itinerary change at the end of muster. Obviously, Carnival knew of the itinerary change BEFORE we ever boarded but did not announce it until everyone was onboard. Why did I sign up for their TEXT ALERTS? Then once onboard, Customer Service advised us and apparently others, that Carnival would not make a decision about any refund/or other compensation until FRIDAY SEP 8TH, yet, other passengers were told that if they decided to disembark the ship when it arrived in Charleston South Carolina on Tuesday, they would receive a FULL REFUND! Having been told that the cruise was substituting CHARLESTON for GRAND TURK and that we might or might not make it to either Freeport or Nassau, we would have chosen to disembark and rebook at a later time. Again, no communication from the Bridge. Now as for the rough seas; our cabin was aft facing, a cabin location we have had on many ships. The seas were, in my opinion, not rough; they were high but this ship could not handle it. Whether is was the lack of stabilizers, the stabilizers not working properly or what ever, there was no communication from the Bridge until we had past a storm, the following day, and the CRUISE DIRECTOR announced that the Captain had "sped up to get ahead of the storm" followed by how we would be "cruising up the Chesapeake Bay". Four knots of speed for more than a day, up the Chesapeake Bay does not make a "Caribbean Cruise". Stopping at Freeport and Nassau, which were boarding up in hurricane preparation, also does not make a "Caribbean Cruise". I did not pay to go to Charleston South Carolina or go to Freeport and Nassau to watch residents and business owners boarding up windows and sand bagging. Carnival disappointed, the Captain had no communication with the passengers and this was not the cruise that passengers paid for, period!

You can post your opinion about this cruise, but if you weren't on the ship and personally experienced the "cruise", you don't know. I was there and with all my experience with cruising, this was a Pi** poor effort by Carnival and the Captain.

My DW and I have just about the same number of cruises we've taken over the years and we were on the 9-3 sailing also, your are 100% correct about total lack of communication and all the information you provided..We've sailed the Pride 5 times and this will be our last time...

My DW and I have just about the same number of cruises we've taken over the years and we were on the 9-3 sailing also, your are 100% correct about total lack of communication and all the information you provided..We've sailed the Pride 5 times and this will be our last time...

As I posted on my Pride review, we have emailed Customer Care with our complaint and request to be compensated. Our future with Carnival will depend on their reply.

Okay, I read the last post and didn't know what the poster was discussing with "mechanical issues" that caused lurching, so I went and searched their posts, and I see that they determined that the stabilizers "broke". My question is, who were the "multiple crew" that confirmed that the stabilizers were broken? Because unless you saw some engineers wandering around the public areas, or talked to very senior management, I would not trust anything that front line hotel crew said about technical issues. I've stood in the passageway while a steward explained some operation of the ship to a guest, knowing full well I was there, and I had to step in and contradict everything the steward had said, because 90% of them know nothing about how the ship they live on works. So, please tell me who you got your information from.

 

For stabilizers, you do understand that stabilizers do not stop a ship from rolling, never have, and never will, and never were designed to do so. Cruise ships, due to their high centers of gravity, tend to roll very quickly and sharply, and stabilizers are designed to dampen the roll to a comfortable level. Stabilizer effectiveness is also affected by ship speed, and whether the current is with or against the ship's direction, as they rely on water flow over the stabilizer, just like an airplane wing does. And even if the ship's speed is sufficiently high, and the stabilizers are working correctly, the waves in the ocean are not consistent, so when a wave of significantly higher peak, or different period than the rest strikes the ship, lurching is very common. Ships roll. Even in "clear conditions" (your term, not sure how you define it), seas can be running from storms thousands of miles away, and the ship will roll from these seas.

 

With regards to the turbocharger "bark" that was experienced (the loud noise from the funnel, and after 42 years at sea on diesel powered ships, I can just about guarantee that's what it was, based on the description), this is a moderately common phenomenon of diesels when a sudden load is applied. I don't know what they were in process of doing on the Pride at the time, but I would suspect they were changing over engines, and a "cold" engine didn't appreciate a sudden quick application of load. Barking is just a pressure wave in the exhaust, and this can sometimes temporarily open up joints in the exhaust pipes, and set off smoke alarms in the engine room, which have to be investigated by fire teams.

 

If there was a dangerous condition from the turbo bark, the Captain would have notified the guests. There wasn't, so he didn't. Sorry, I don't feel the Captain needs to hold the hand of every nervous nellie onboard. Does the pilot of an airplane get on the PA and explain after every single time the plane lurches in the air?

 

And before you ask, I don't have any dog in this fight, as I've never worked for, nor sailed on a Carnival ship. I just try to explain shipboard operations and phenomenon in terms that lay people can understand.

 

What do you consider a "mechanical issue" that should be announced to the passengers? Do you know that nearly every cruise ship out there operates for weeks at a time with one engine completely torn down for overhaul? These diesels are torn completely down every 12,000 hours (about 2 years), and this overhaul takes 2-3 weeks. However, itineraries are set so that the ship does not need to have full power available to make the schedule, so thousands of passengers sail on ships with one engine out of commission without knowing a thing about it, and without creating a "dangerous condition".

 

 

As to the much vaunted "cruise passenger bill of rights", you do understand that this was voluntarily adopted by CLIA, since the bill passed in Congress has no jurisdiction over foreign flag cruise ships, and CLIA decided that it didn't really affect the bottom line, and looked like good PR, so at Congress' request they adopted it.

Thank you!! As always the voice of reason.

As always thank you for the lucid explanation. I had to shake my head at those calling for the Captain's job for not making a PA announcement.

Thank you from me as well!

I was also on this 9/3 Pride cruise. This was a free cruise for me (free cabin from the casino) so I don't have much room to complain. I figured most people knew about the vacation guarantee which would provide a refund if you were not satisfied and chose to leave the ship at the first available port. One of the trivia host mentioned that less than 100 people chose to debark in Charleston. The ship was definitely rocking on Friday heading back to Baltimore but I didn't think it was too bad. They did replace the 80's show that night with the Heart and Soul show but the rocking wasn't so bad that the dancers couldn't perform. I agree that Carnival should have let us know about the interinary change prior to boarding but it wasn't surprising grand turk & HMC was cancelled given the approaching hurricane.

I do feel bad for those who feel like they didn't get the vacation they paid for and hope Carnival will make this right. With that said, everyone that I talked to on the Lido and in the casino was making the best of things and enjoying themselves.

You have two posts with a free cruise

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Our 7/10 Conquest sailing had a small fire. We heard the announcement for the fire crew. Shortly after, the captain announced it was a small fire behind one of the bars and it was being controlled. A while later captain explained in more detail what had happened and that fire was completely out. We really appreciated that he explained things once he had time. Over, done . Not one bit of fun missed. No crazies. Considerate captain

LOL....it is funny how important some people think they are.

Chengkp75 is dead on as usual with his explanation.

LOL....it is funny how important some people think they are.

 

 

Chengkp75 is dead on as usual with his explanation.

I too think that the information provided by Chengkp75 is pretty good however, I believe that one of the main issues noted with this thread was the "lack of communication from the bridge". A simple, "good morning folks, just wanted to let you know that the sounds you just heard was __________________". Calming those nervous nellies and simply keeping others informed. When explanations don't happen, well we all know the rumors that can start and how each time it is repeated it gets more exaggerated. On our past Pride cruise, Sep 3-10, 2017, most all information provided over the PA system came from the Cruise Director, who didn't sound to confident in what he was providing.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes...and if it's like last week, he won't...and you'll be finding trusted crew members who know and like you to actually fill you in when you press them for the truth...

 

Ships shouldn't work that way...and I stand by that this Captain should be fired for the way he runs the ship with the passengers. Passengers have the right to know about mechanical issues when those issues are happening!

No, they don't. No such "right" exists. The CO will inform the passengers if a mechanical casualty will impact their safety. He may also choose to inform the pax if a mechanical issue will impact the cruise (i.e. slow the ship down causing a missed or delayed port). Otherwise, these things will be transparent to non-crew. That fact that crewmembers are talking out of school is unfortunate, but also human nature.

Well there goes about 10 minutes of my life I will never get back :rolleyes: Some people just shouldnt cruise. Period.

Fire the Captain? LOL!

While I try not to comment on customer service questions/problems, and making PA announcements falls under that heading, I will say that "niceness to the passengers" and "open communication" is not on the top of the hiring requirements for a cruise ship Captain (but proven competency in ensuring the safety of the passengers, crew, environment, and vessel would be at the top, along with meeting all government requirements in every country visited would be), and I doubt any Captain would get "fired" for something as mundane as this.

Of course they wouldn't get fired. I doubt the people in charge a full of hysterics like some on here.

No, they don't. No such "right" exists. The CO will inform the passengers if a mechanical casualty will impact their safety. He may also choose to inform the pax if a mechanical issue will impact the cruise (i.e. slow the ship down causing a missed or delayed port). Otherwise, these things will be transparent to non-crew. That fact that crewmembers are talking out of school is unfortunate, but also human nature.

Without reading maritime law, I would tend to agree with you that it is not a "right" of a passenger to be informed on such events however, with that said, having been in government service in a number of capacities, for many years and having been a business owner, here is what I do know: Customer Service is a priority and in order to perform at a high lever of customer service, one must "communicate" and it must be done often and it must be informative. Until this cruise, Pride Sep 3-10, I have never had a Captain who didn't communicate so much as this one. I have had Captains come on the PA everyday at noon and give position, depth of the water, current and future weather and a host of other informative information, hell, once on a Celebrity ship following his noon announcement, the Captain would everyday attempt to tell a joke. I say attempt cause for the most part they weren't funny but the attempt itself was hilarious. A loud bang, a major bump in the night, you damn right I expect the Captain to explain. Do I have a "right" to have it explained, properly not, but then we are right back to Customer Service again.

Well there goes about 10 minutes of my life I will never get back :rolleyes: Some people just shouldnt cruise. Period.

 

Fire the Captain? LOL!

I agree......some people are born to complain. I make the best of any situation and wouldn't care about the noise as I'm on vacation with a umbrella drink in my hand and friends all around

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I will probably be flamed for this. The way rumors spread, once the captain made an announcement that there was a fire alarm in the engine room, half of the passengers would be putting on their life jackets and heading to the lifeboats in a panic.

 

There was no fire, the noise was a backfire, no need to panic and no need to inform the passengers. I will say that he (the Captain) should have at least said that the crew investigated the noise and that everything was under control.

I agree with you 100%...the Captain should have no obligation to announce anything unless there is immediate danger to the passengers! The last thing you want to have is 2000 people on a ship in a panic!:o

I too was on the Sept 3 Pride cruise. Also on a free cruise, through a casino (although we spent plenty of money and paid for an upgrade). I was very disappointed over the change in itinerary, we chose this for the itinerary. I do think the timing of them telling us about the changes was bad. Muster was already rough, being in very close quarters with alot of people, it was hot...then upon the announcement, people went crazy, yelling cussing and I even got elbowed by a guy in front of me throwing a tantrum. Very poor timing. No option of rescheduling, but in all honesty I wouldn't have rescheduled, I was already off work! I chose to go with the flow and we still had a good time. Again, they could have handled things so much better though with better communication and better timing. We also found out about an hour before our scheduled arrival to Freeport that we would be arriving 4 hours late, again they had to have known sooner than that...also all excursions cancelled. They had another excursion, which we did, but it was not as described. I have written to customer service, mostly because we have a charge on our bill that I dont recognize, but I did mention some of the communication and timing issues, but also mentioned we did enjoy ourselves, and Brandon the cruise director was great, the comedy shows were awesome. Im not trying to or expecting to get any money back, but I would certainly take a discount for a future cruise, and honestly just to get a reply back and acknowledgment would be great. Its been a few days since Ive written and Ive gotten no response yet. Oh and it was rough the one day, it woke me up from me being tossed across the bed, but i didnt mind that at all. It was fun to me, I had meds just in case, but didnt need them.

I agree......some people are born to complain. I make the best of any situation and wouldn't care about the noise as I'm on vacation with a umbrella drink in my hand and friends all around

 

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Well JerseyshoreBruce, that make you something special; you're able to make the best of any situation; I'm guessing from your statement that you have never complained about anything.

I too was on the Sept 3 Pride cruise. Also on a free cruise, through a casino (although we spent plenty of money and paid for an upgrade). I was very disappointed over the change in itinerary, we chose this for the itinerary. I do think the timing of them telling us about the changes was bad. Muster was already rough, being in very close quarters with alot of people, it was hot...then upon the announcement, people went crazy, yelling cussing and I even got elbowed by a guy in front of me throwing a tantrum. Very poor timing. No option of rescheduling, but in all honesty I wouldn't have rescheduled, I was already off work! I chose to go with the flow and we still had a good time. Again, they could have handled things so much better though with better communication and better timing. We also found out about an hour before our scheduled arrival to Freeport that we would be arriving 4 hours late, again they had to have known sooner than that...also all excursions cancelled. They had another excursion, which we did, but it was not as described. I have written to customer service, mostly because we have a charge on our bill that I dont recognize, but I did mention some of the communication and timing issues, but also mentioned we did enjoy ourselves, and Brandon the cruise director was great, the comedy shows were awesome. Im not trying to or expecting to get any money back, but I would certainly take a discount for a future cruise, and honestly just to get a reply back and acknowledgment would be great. Its been a few days since Ive written and Ive gotten no response yet. Oh and it was rough the one day, it woke me up from me being tossed across the bed, but i didnt mind that at all. It was fun to me, I had meds just in case, but didnt need them.

I have also not yet heard back...if anyone does, I'd be thankful if you'd post!