Does A Bad Cruise Experience Deter You From Booking Again?

IMO everyone, including cruise lines, deserves a second chance. So YES.

We agree with you...but only when its logical. For example, we used to cruise RCI several times a year an loved the line. But then RCI changed their entire cruise philosophy from high quality to mega ships, volume, nickel and diming, and marketing to new cruisers. So we stopped cruising RCI and will likely not return unless they again decide to change. On the other hand, we used to cruise with Princess...stopped when we thought they had cut-back too much...and have gone back after we heard (here on CC) that things were again good. And now we are happy with the line and are even booking them over HAL....which has been another favorite line.

But when a line changes into something that one does not like...it is time to move on. Giving them a 2nd chance makes little sense...unless you have reason to think they have again morphed into something you might like. The cruise industry is very big with lots of choices in terms of cruise lines, size of ships, etc. It is not a one size fits all industry. Over our forty years of cruising we have been on 14 different lines (with a 15th booked) and its been a lot of fun. The variety has been great as we do not have to get the same shows (many lines keep their shows for at least 3 years), same menus, etc. Each line has its pros and cons and we love to mix it up. Last month we had 5 cruises booked with 3 different line..and are now looking at booking another cruise with a 4th line.

Hank

Our only really bad experience was on the Majesty in 2002 when the ship lost full power for 1 day with no navigation, people stuck in elevators, no drinks, lights, or slots. They rerouted the cruise from Aruba to St Lucia due to lost time. There were 2 couples that we knew of that were meeting friends and family in Aruba to get married. But we have still cruised with Carnival again.

Never had a bad cruise. Just some better than others.

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I wouldn't say we've ever had a bad cruise, but we did have one where we knew after the second day that the cruise line just wasn't a good fit for us. Too much nickel and dining, shilling for add ons, and seemingly constant announcements for "special events" (read sales). We haven't returned to that line. There are too many others that can give us the type of cruise experience that we do enjoy.

Yes we’d jump right back onto another ship, can’t let it get you down. It’s like a bad batch of cookies, just make another batch[emoji106]

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Nope.

I make a distinction between having a bad cruise and having an bad experience with a particular cruise line management.

A bad cruise wouldn't deter me from another. But bad management (specifically, one cruise line's totally inappropriate response to numerous issues onboard ship) would keep me from booking cruises on that line.

We agree with you...but only when its logical. For example, we used to cruise RCI several times a year an loved the line. But then RCI changed their entire cruise philosophy from high quality to mega ships, volume, nickel and diming, and marketing to new cruisers. So we stopped cruising RCI and will likely not return unless they again decide to change. On the other hand, we used to cruise with Princess...stopped when we thought they had cut-back too much...and have gone back after we heard (here on CC) that things were again good. And now we are happy with the line and are even booking them over HAL....which has been another favorite line.

 

But when a line changes into something that one does not like...it is time to move on. Giving them a 2nd chance makes little sense...unless you have reason to think they have again morphed into something you might like. The cruise industry is very big with lots of choices in terms of cruise lines, size of ships, etc. It is not a one size fits all industry. Over our forty years of cruising we have been on 14 different lines (with a 15th booked) and its been a lot of fun. The variety has been great as we do not have to get the same shows (many lines keep their shows for at least 3 years), same menus, etc. Each line has its pros and cons and we love to mix it up. Last month we had 5 cruises booked with 3 different line..and are now looking at booking another cruise with a 4th line.

I totally agree. A bad experience...or multiple bad experiences...will cause me to not book a certain line or class of ships again. For me it's NCL on anything older than Breakaway. I still don't like NCL's extreme nickel and dime culture, but my experiences on their older ships were so awful that I will never waste my time on them again.

Yes, we would book again and have, many times.

If you have a bad restaurant experience, would you stop eating out? Probably not.

Sandra

Yes, we would book again and have, many times.

If you have a bad restaurant experience, would you stop eating out? Probably not.

Sandra

I just would not go back to that restaurant. But if I had a bad experience at all 10 restaurants in town, a personal chief might be next up.

We have been on enough wonderful cruises, that a poor once would not drive us off.

We have had one cruise line where it wasn't awful, it just didn't fit our idea of how a cruise line should be run. We've never gone back to that line, in about 30 cruises. On the other hand, we cruised 6 times on NCL, and the last one just didn't measure up; poor food, poor service, and the "nickel and dime" atmosphere many have mentioned. We haven't gone back. They made their business decision and decided they could afford to lose a certain percentage of their long-timers to give their bottom line a little boost.

My traveling companion and I were 2 of approx 96 people who were treated very badly on a Celebrity cruise. We were treated so badly that the Captain called all of us to a meeting where he apologized to us. We were treated so badly that when everyone was on board, I heard two public announcements on the ship about how badly we were treated, and I know that there was at least one public announcement made when not everyone was on the ship. We were treated so badly that people kept talking about it everywhere, and every time I said that I was one of those who had been mistreated, they would ask me if I had been asked to sign anything (meaning did I promise not to sue Celebrity). When I said no, I was asked how much money they had offered me. I said, 'Not even one penny!"

A couple of days after the cruise ended, Celebrity called my traveling companion and me, and we told them how angry we were at how we had been treated. I guess the other approx 94 people told them the same thing, because they called us and offered us enough cruise credit to pay for an inside cabin on a cruise to Bermuda, plus the daily service charge. We accepted, and we went to Bermuda. But there is no way that we will ever sail with Celebrity again.

I was sorry that the Captain never said one word to us about possible compensation, or I would have told the people on that cruise, when they asked how much money they had offered me, that I didn't know yet. But he didn't say a single word about financial compensation, so all I could say was that they didn't offer us even one penny.

For us, it would depend on what was bad. We've sailed with three different cruise lines. The most recent cruise was a line we hadn't used before. We did not care for the food on board, which we are told is typical of the cruise line. It's not that it's bad. It more that it isn't what we are used to. (Made to european tastes). Otherwise, beautiful ship, great service and good prices. Too bad we couldn't get North American options.

Yes and no.

The big determinants for other, other than preferences, is the reviews and the reports of how the cruise line resolved or handled the issues.

We find that in the mass market that there are often much larger differences between ships in the same cruise line than there is between cruise lines in the mass market. So we tend to select by ship.

We read the reviews, sometimes with a grain of salt. But you can often pick out recurring issues with specific ships/cruise lines. For example, when we read that the hotel manager on a ship would not meet with a loyal customer who had significant cabin issues it gives an insight into the management style of the cruise line.

For us it is not just negative reports. We are just as interested in how the cruise line handled the issue because that is where the rubber hits the road.

We are not interested in older ships, not interested in cruising pre or post dry dock, or inaugural. Why...because of what we glean from the comments, reviews, and because of the feedback that we get from TA's based on the experiences of their customers. We are not loyal to any cruise line nor do we make excuses for any of them. They are, after all, just large corporations looking to maximize shareholder value. We find it hard to be loyal to that. We just want want we paid for.

Thankfully, I have never had a bad cruise and have enjoyed every single one of them. If I did experience a bad cruise, I would probably just not sail on that particular ship again. I've sailed on four different cruise lines, so I know I can have good experiences on all of them and that one bad cruise would not make me give up a particular line.

My husband and I are low maintenance people, so it would take a huge event for us to have a bad cruise. The usual things that some people complain about are things we wouldn't give a second thought. However, I have read some experiences that would make me not sail on that particular ship if I ever experienced them.

My traveling companion and I were 2 of approx 96 people who were treated very badly on a Celebrity cruise. We were treated so badly that the Captain called all of us to a meeting where he apologized to us. We were treated so badly that when everyone was on board, I heard two public announcements on the ship about how badly we were treated, and I know that there was at least one public announcement made when not everyone was on the ship. We were treated so badly that people kept talking about it everywhere, and every time I said that I was one of those who had been mistreated, they would ask me if I had been asked to sign anything (meaning did I promise not to sue Celebrity). When I said no, I was asked how much money they had offered me. I said, 'Not even one penny!"

 

A couple of days after the cruise ended, Celebrity called my traveling companion and me, and we told them how angry we were at how we had been treated. I guess the other approx 94 people told them the same thing, because they called us and offered us enough cruise credit to pay for an inside cabin on a cruise to Bermuda, plus the daily service charge. We accepted, and we went to Bermuda. But there is no way that we will ever sail with Celebrity again.

 

I was sorry that the Captain never said one word to us about possible compensation, or I would have told the people on that cruise, when they asked how much money they had offered me, that I didn't know yet. But he didn't say a single word about financial compensation, so all I could say was that they didn't offer us even one penny.

While you say they treated you "badly" (repeated five times) - you never mentioned what the problem was.

There must have been something pretty specific for it to be addressed publicly twice - and for the line to give you, and almost a hundred others, free cruises.

If you come back, please share some details.

Never had a bad cruise either. We are low mtce. All we really want is a cabin that works...AC, plumbing, and mold free. We don't expect that much in terms of food so we are invariable very pleased vs unhappy.

Only once have DW and I had a cabin issue. On NCL-AC not functioning properly. We were absolutely amazed at the great customer service. It took two days for the engineer fully rectify the problem. For three days afterwards we had the front desk call every morning and we had an officer of some sort knock on our cabin door for three or four days running to ask if the issue was resolved to our satisfaction. To the point where it was becoming annoying.

DW also had an issue on NCL with mold in the room. NCL apologized immediately and moved her and her friend to another cabin. No fuss, not bother. They dealt with the issue in a very professional manner.

We had s few other cruises on NCL. For many reasons. But one of them is not because of the issue but rather because of the great on board customer service both of us experienced from the front desk. I spent years dealing with the public and in customer service/customer satisfaction. From my perspective the real measure of a cruise line is how they respond to on board issues. If you have to pester the front desk day after day to resolve a problem it indicates that they want you to own their problem instead of the other way around.

No issues on any of the others....HAL, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, RCI, Crystal. They have all bee great cruise but we tend to select our ships carefully and pay less attention to the actual cruise line itself.

Yes, 5 years ago on a Azamara cruise in Europe. My GF disliked the entire onboard experience including the condition of the ship.

 

It took me over 5 years to get her to go on another cruise with me, '15 X Silhouette around the BI and that experience was much better.

Interesting. My first cruise was a disappointment on an NCL ship. It took my husband years to convince me to cruise again. We then took a very enjoyable Azamara cruise. :)

In the meantime, we did land trips. By the way, we haven't been back on NCL nor Azamara but cruised with many other cruise lines.

Strike one! You're out!

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Obviously not all cruise vacations are satisfactory to some people or some may have had a bad experience from a cruise they've recently taken. Read the reviews here and you'll know many people can't be satisfied at all.

 

Would you book again on another cruise hoping that fortune and luck are on your side?

It would deter me from booking the same ship or cruise line again. Royal Caribbean did a masterful job making sure I don't book another cruise for 2018 with them.

While you say they treated you "badly" (repeated five times) - you never mentioned what the problem was.

You're right. I didn't. That's because I've mentioned it so many times on the Celebrity board, and I forgot that this isn't the Celebrity board, meaning that possibly some or most of you never read my posts.

Anyway, my friend and I went to Bar Harbor via tender. We had Select Dining, and I called to see what would be a good time to make our dinner reservation. I was told that we would be dropped off at the tender station at 6:40 PM, so we should not make a reservation earlier than 7:30 PM. We made a 7:30 PM dinner reservation.

We were dropped off at 6:40 PM, and we got on the end of a very long line. The last tender was supposed to leave at 7:30 PM, but at 7:30 PM, we were still at the end of a very long line, which hadn't moved at all. After a few hours, we got on a tender. The tender driver drove much too fast and much too recklessly, and the tender crashed into some rocks. The tender driver and the other Celebrity personnel on the tender didn't do a thing. Other passengers handed out life jackets. There weren't enough life jackets to go around. After another couple of hours, we finally got picked up by a rescue boat and taken to the ship. We were picked up by the second rescue boat. By the time we got to our cabin and decided to have dinner, it was after 11:00 PM, so we knew that we couldn't go to the MDR. Luckily, the newsletter said that the pizza station would be open until 1:00 AM. We went to the buffet, but the pizza station was locked up, and I did not feel like going to Customer Relations and asking them to open the pizza place. Luckily, salad and rolls were available. Since we had Select Dining, we had to prepay our tips, so we paid and tipped for a dinner we did not get to eat.

At the meeting, the Captain seemed to think that saying "Sorry about that!" was sufficient. As I said, he did not think that we deserved even one penny for our inconvenience. Not that anyone asked for money. We were in too much shock. And I know that there are people here who get angry at those who were treated badly who demand money as compensation.

But, as I said before, other passengers on the ship soon found out that we weren't offered even one penny. And by the time we were offered compensation after we got home, it was too late to tell everyone, "Yeah, they treated us very badly, but at least they compensated us." But we did tell other passengers on our Bermuda cruise that the only reason we were there was as compensation for the other cruise, and we had no intention of sailing with Celebrity again. (If they had given us money instead of cruise credit, I would have been very happy, but they didn't.)

Obviously not all cruise vacations are satisfactory to some people or some may have had a bad experience from a cruise they've recently taken. Read the reviews here and you'll know many people can't be satisfied at all.

 

Would you book again on another cruise hoping that fortune and luck are on your side?

Yes I would book again. Then after the third or fourth try I'll give up.

Yes I would book again. Then after the third or fourth try I'll give up.

That’s my philosophy.

I have 2 lines I’ll never book again - Costa and Oceania. Both are due to multiple bad experiences.

We went 14 years between our first and second cruises. I thought I didn't like to cruise but it turns out I didn't like where we went--the Bahamas--and how short it was --4 days. The second cruise was to Alaska and it was so awesome that it changed our feelings completely. Later this month we are leaving for #5!

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