Reviewing an excursion gone wrong

I just got back from a cruise on the Splendor that visited Nassau, Mahogany Bay, Grand Turk and was supposed to stop at Half Moon Cay but ended up at Freeport. The cruise was between the 3rd and 10th. For Nassau My family and I booked a 2 reef snorkel.. Everything went normally at first. The crew where ok, After 8 cruises I realize not all excursion crews are part time entertainers but do a good job nonetheless.. There where tons of fish and marine life among the coral.. Props on this excursion for scenery! However the second reef was where things went wrong.. We where told to view a shipwreck by swimming in front of the boat.. Suddenly my husband and I along with several other groups got swept into a current and then into some really rough water which was impossible to swim in much less keep ones head above it! The crew had to rescue those of us who couldn't make it back to the boat.. Those rescued including myself where visibly terrified and some very angry.. I wrote my review on carnival's page for the excursion describing what happened but they sent me an email back saying it was rejected because it didn't follow the guidelines, which where vague to begin with.. Was I supposed to be vague myself and just mention the water being too rough and the crew being average, leaving out the chaos that really happened?

I am SO sorry that happened to you.

Did you use profanity in your review? That might be the culprit.

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No cursing at all.. Assuming they declined it because it would be an embarrassment and bad PR that they hired a tour company that put their patrons in harms way. Per their guidelines it could have been interpreted as a "customer complaint" instead of a review too. Then again I've seen some ranty reviews about minute stuff, you know, non life threatening things like the scenery not being up to par or the tour bus having less than fluffy seats that where more customer complaint worthy and less justified :mad:

Glad nothing serious happened to you.

Not sure what their guidelines are but I guess nothing is wrong with your review on their page if you are just being factual and truthful. If they refuse to post, then you have other forum to share your unfortunate experience.

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My one and only bad experience in the water also occurred in Nassau. All I remember is rolling and rolling as the ocean pitched and tossed me, then coughing up a storm when finally pulled out. I have not ventured into the ocean since. Fortunately, there was no time to panic (the whole thing lasted minutes, if not seconds) and I have continued my lifelong love affair with the sea. But now I have a healthy respect for her [emoji4]

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Very sorry this happened to you.

Carnival should do something to make this right for you and the others who were on the excursion.

Keith

I’d share your feedback on both the excursion and trying to post a review onn John Heald’s Facebook page.

I am sorry this happened to you and you should be able to write a review regardless of it being good or bad (have written many going both ways myself).

Curious, did you go straight to GS or shore excursions the minute you returned to the ship to report the incident?

Here is the statement from the CCL FAQ's:

Does Carnival own the tour companies in the ports and is it responsible for what happens on the shore excursions?

No. All of the shore excursions, including any related transportation, are operated by local independent companies and they are solely responsible for their products, excursions and any related transportation. We try to choose the most reputable companies available to provide your excursions. Carnival is not responsible for any losses, damage, death, injuries or claims whatsoever arising from, connected with, or related to any activities engaged in by guests while off of Carnival’s ships or tenders in any port of call. This includes all shore excursions, whether sold onboard or by third parties ashore. You will engage in all such activities off of the ship at your own risk.

Carnival neither supervises nor controls tour operators actions, nor makes any representation either expressed or implied as to their suitability. Carnival sells tickets for all excursions as a convenience to guests only. Tour operators, transportation providers, and their employees are neither agents nor employees of Carnival, not withstanding their use of any signage or clothing which may contain the name “Carnival” or other related trade names or logos.

Just curious: Are you an experienced ocean swimmer that is aware that one can swim into a current at any time (the currents do shift around ) or was this a learning experience for you? Did you wear the snorkel vest (and have it inflated) which would have been available to you on the boat?

This type of problem can happen any time one ventures into any natural body of water. The crew was aware the problem occurred and pulled all of you out. Kudos to them!

I guess a "Coffee is Hot" type of warning could be added to all water excursions in the future about the risk of currents, sea life, and drowning. :rolleyes:

Hi Shedrivesahotrod

I am not sure what your concern is.

I understand that you had a rough time on a snorkel tour. That happens, the ocean can't be predicted. It does give you more of a sense of your ability in similar situations, and of course you are safe now.

So am I understanding that you are frustrated that Carnival wouldn't post your review on their site, for whatever reason? If so, why don't you just post it here. This is the Carnival section on this site. The people reading these threads would be very interested in the details. Give the name of the tour, etc...etc...and all the details as you posted.

That would at least give you the satisfaction of stating the situation as you saw it.

hope this helps

My wife had posted an unflattering review regarding a Carnival excursion a year ago and Carnival rejected it without any specific as to why. It clearly didn't violate any stated policy, but perhaps an unstated policy of not embarrassing Carnival. Had really left doubt in my mind as to the usefulness of reviews on the Carnival site.

In any event, glad to hear that while frightening everyone ended up safe. As someone mentioned, post your review here or perhaps on another TRIP ADVISOR site.

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Last year in Cozumel, we took the fury catamaran excursion which I really enjoyed, but we watched an adult man of at least 40 get all his gear on, step off the ladder, sink like a rock and come up flailing. He had to be saved from the water. I have been trying to determine his mindset ever since. I have to believe he knew he could not swim or had a serious fear of the water. Was he thinking he could just get the hang of it on the fly?

First, I am glad you all got out of the water safely. Kudos to the crew.

But I am a bit confused at why you are angry with Carnival. The fact is, the ocean is not a pool. It has fish, it has current, it has waves, it has surge. Current can be non-existent one minute, then pick up to raging crazy another minute. It happens, everywhere, anywhere. Fact. The boat and crew cannot control it. If they had told everyone not to get in the water, the current might be too strong, then everyone would have complained about signing up for 2 reef snorkel and only got 1 reef. It is always just a crap shoot with nature...

You sign a liability that tells you that. I am sure everyone on the excursion had on snorkel vests that you could inflate to keep your head above water. The crew rescued everyone. Now you have a great story to share with everyone you meet about your near death experience snorkeling.

FYI - I am a scuba diver, have been for 18 years, snorkeler for many years before that. I have seen every type of water condition. Yes, I have been scared a few times, but I survived and can thank a buddy or crew for helping me out. It is part of the risk of doing any activity in the water.

robin

Thank you for all the comments! Cruisers are the best people

My reason for posting was answers and if anyone else had Carnival do the same to them.. thought it was strange as I didn’t use foul language or destroy the crew or Carnival “verbally”..

To be fair they did spring into action and save all involved.. However living there and being more adept to the ocean than most vacationers who only see the ocean once in awhile a warning of the conditions should have been voiced.. I can swim well enough but what happened was even testing my husband’s exceptional swimming abilities!

As far as going to customer service not sure it would have done much as one person had posted their policy pretty much sidesteps them from the responsibility of the excursion companies, and said companies have the patrons sign a waiver so if something does go wrong they aren’t responsible either..

Thought a review was the best way to go as I can’t undo what happened by complaining but can warn others to not get caught in the same predicament..

Unfortunately due to my crappy cellular plan I had to wait til I got home to take action :-/

So now that I’ve learned about carnival’s review “restrictions” I’ll be taking to other outlets to let others know..

I agree that the ocean is a changeable place and the crew could not possibly know ahead of time if there was a dangerous current at that moment.

I would have been happy that everyone got safely back to the boat instead of complaining about the excursion!!

I am sorry that this happened to you but it can happen on any ocean going trip.

Very scary, glad everything turned out OK.

I tried to post a negative review of a Carnival excursion I took in Nassau and they would not publish it for the reason you stated. It was Balmoral island in Nassau and it was very overpriced there and there was fecal matter spread around on their pool deck area (think horrible smell and FLIES swarming around). I posted my review on the Nassau board here and didn’t waste anymore time on the Carnival site.

If Carnival Excursions won't publish the truth it is disingenuous of Carnival to post any reviews.

Thank you experienced ocean swimmers! I’ve done a snorkel or two every cruise for the past 8 without incident.. i’ve Had one or two where a location was canceled on the spot due to rough water.. possibly for the reason of the unpredictable currents you mentioned.. still it’s hard to write a happy review after experiencing the wrath of the ocean for the first time.. I know it will come off mamby pamby but my opinion of the crew might be better if they showed more sympathy.. most vacationers are not certified divers like them who have experienced such things.. We weren’t asked if we where ok or too much of an apology.. told it was nature and that’s just what happens.. if anything I’ll change the tune to “this is what can happen” and chalk it up to a learning experience instead of bad excursion..

I am glad they shared their experience to remind us what can happen when we are in the ocean & to know that Carnival rejected her review. This is good information to share.

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I had a negative excursion review rejected by Carnival and couldn't figure out why. After re-reading it several times, I realized I had made a comparision to the same excursion run by another cruiseline.

I deleted the comparision, and Carnival accepted and printed my unflattering review. It's a shame Carnival leaves us guessing on any rejections.

I'm sorry you had such a scary experience but really glad everyone is ok! I have to agree with others who refer to the ever-changing currents of the oceans.

We live on the Gulf Coast of Florida and swim all the time in the same area...some days for no apparent reason, the current will be too strong to enjoy and even rip currents in normally glass-smooth waters.

The tour operators probably take groups to that reef a dozen times a week with no issues and were as surprised as you were with the strength of the currents.

I hope it won't put you off future water-based excursions!

You really can't predict sea conditions. We were taken snorkeling (not on a Carnival trip, but elsewhere), and while I'm a good swimmer, and we had to have floatation vests, it was so rough...no fun (for me) at all....I swam to shore and sunned until the entire thing was over. Screw snorkeling when it's rough! The tour can't control the ocean.

We had a snorkel tour booked on a HAL cruise. When we got out to the dive site, the tour operator decided that the currents were too strong. They cancelled the excursion and we got our money back. That is being a responsible tour operator.

DON

I'm sorry you had such a scary experience but really glad everyone is ok! I have to agree with others who refer to the ever-changing currents of the oceans.

 

We live on the Gulf Coast of Florida and swim all the time in the same area...some days for no apparent reason, the current will be too strong to enjoy and even rip currents in normally glass-smooth waters.

 

The tour operators probably take groups to that reef a dozen times a week with no issues and were as surprised as you were with the strength of the currents.

 

I hope it won't put you off future water-based excursions!

Oh no, not at all.. I survived a pretty bad accident in a street/strip car at 16 and am still car crazy.. I live in St. Louis.. nowhere near an ocean of course my first inclination is to think something went wrong, now I got the message, lol!