Holiday Troubles

[Flip2cruise]

[quote name='BamaBelle']The Holiday is going to have to face a week in dry dock for the neccessary repairs.

For more details as of yesterday:
[url="http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1104574657111831.xml"]http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1104574657111831.xml[/url][/QUOTE]
[color=black]Thanks for the link..I really feel for the people that are just waiting in limbo waiting to see what sailing will get cancelled.[/color]
[color=black][/color]

[Cotton]

[quote name='northerner']For our December 11th cruise...The captain however is a jerk and should be put in charge of a garbage barge somewhere, he was rude, arrogant, and the crew doesn't think highly of him. It was bad enough he didn't say anything to any of us at the Captains dinner, didn't walk around and such. But when I approached him in front of the piano bar he didn't speak back. I thought maybe he didn't understand so I spoke to him in Italian, still nothing, he kinda looked at me in suprise and turned his back to me. Anyone who thinks he maybe didn't hear me, no he heard me, his officer ushered me away like he was the president and I was Lee Harvey Oswald. I don't think I have ever been treated so poorly, like a criminal, just because I tried to speak to someone. I went back to my seat at the piano, and the crew sitting there said that it was a common resopnse from him, that I should be glad I didn't work for him. They had some other comments but I'll let the reader imagine them....[/QUOTE]
[b]Wow, Northerner - who was the captain on the Dec.11 cruise? Sounds like super-jerk. They seem to have so many captains changing ships so often these days, it's hard to keep up. The last two times I was on the Holiday, the captain was Roberto Volpi and then Orazio D'Aita. Volpi was great, and was seen all over the ship, but I only caught a glimpse of D'Aita. In four cruises on the Holiday in three years, I have had a different captain on each one. :rolleyes: [/b]

[scarr1908]

Many people are under the impression that we were given a choice about whether or not to cruise or get a full refund. This was NOT the case. We all were told 5 minutes before boarding that the itinerary had changed and we would be given 100.00 credit. As a first time cruiser, I did not know what my rights were regarding a full refund and Carnival did not tell me that I could get my money back. :mad: This was clearly the WORST experience of my life and I will not be cruising Carnival again.

[jas1555]

[quote name='scarr1908']Many people are under the impression that we were given a choice about whether or not to cruise or get a full refund. This was NOT the case. We all were told 5 minutes before boarding that the itinerary had changed and we would be given 100.00 credit. As a first time cruiser, I did not know what my rights were regarding a full refund and Carnival did not tell me that I could get my money back. :mad: This was clearly the WORST experience of my life and I will not be cruising Carnival again.[/QUOTE]
I agree 100% with scarr1908. I was also on this cruise. Carnival handled the situation in a very unprofessional manner. It was almost like they were avoiding the situation. The only notice we got was from a piece of paper handed to us by a security guard in the parking garage. It did not state we could get a refund, only the $ 100.00 credit. Not one representative from Carnival was there to explain the options. We had already unloaded our luggage and sent it on its way when we found this out. We then had to pay to park, stand in line for an hour to even talk to someone from Carnival. We asked about our luggage and told we probably could not get it back in time. Thats how they got everyone. Not much to do at this point but go. We all got shafted royally. The whole experience was a total disaster. Things didnt go much better onboard. Many things on this ship are experiencing problems of some sort. Carnival needs to step up to the plate here, and offer some sort of compensation to those that had to suffer on this cruise. There was never even an apology onboard from the captain, crew, or even written in the daily activity sheet. No one onboard in the crew would even discuss it with us. I could go on about this, but I will leave you with this. Carnival does not care for the passenger, but simply the bottom line.

[Cruising89143]

I agree that Carnival did not do enough and I would write a letter and if you used a TA have them to get involved also.

About the crew not talking about the problems. I can understand that. First of all they are not going to know what is going on anyway and the info would more than likely be incorrect thus leading to passengers just getting more upset.

[MyImagination]

[color=black]I really feel bad for you guys. Im surprised none of this made the papers. Media salivates over stories like this[/color]

[color=black]I did read that some people did get refunds, Im guessing they must have said they wanted off. Maybe the full refund was something that the passenger had to initiate. That's still wrong since a new cruiser might not be savvy enough to ask for that.[/color]

[color=black]Again, sorry things didnt go as planned.[/color]

[GoinCruisin]

[quote name='MyImagination'][color=black]I really feel bad for you guys. Im surprised none of this made the papers. Media salivates over stories like this[/color]

[color=black]I did read that some people did get refunds, Im guessing they must have said they wanted off. Maybe the full refund was something that the passenger had to initiate. That's still wrong since a new cruiser might not be savvy enough to ask for that.[/color]

[color=black]Again, sorry things didnt go as planned.[/color][/QUOTE]

LOL, the VERY FIRST POST in this thread was a newspaper article... which is what started all of this.... [url="http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/110448826574620.xml"]http://www.al.com/news/mobileregist...48826574620.xml[/url]

[MyImagination]

[quote name='GoinCruisin']LOL, the VERY FIRST POST in this thread was a newspaper article... which is what started all of this.... [url="http://www.al.com/news/mobileregist...48826574620.xml"]http://www.al.com/news/mobileregist...48826574620.xml[/url][/QUOTE][color=black]lol...I meant about people not being offered a full refund. The news articles from today didnt [/color][color=black]have any mention about this.[/color]
[color=black][/color]
[color=black]This is from the above newspaper article[/color]
[color=black][/color]
[i][b][color=black]On Thursday afternoon, incoming passengers arriving at the terminal parking garage were handed written notices of the ship's problems. The flier explained why the Holiday wouldn't be going to Cozumel and informed passengers that they could get a refund or, if they chose to sail, receive the $100 spending credit. [/color][/b][/i]
[b][i][color=black][/color][/i][/b]
[color=black]If someone that was on the ship kept the flyer and it didnt mention a refund you might have some leverage.[/color]

[Lauri32]

I'm so sorry for all the Holiday passengers who weren't informed of what was going on. I hope you are able to get some compensation.

[my2dogs]

We sailed the Holiday Thanksgiving Week 2002. In Playa del Carmen the ship got stuck in the sand. It stayed there for days!!! As the days past the ship leaned more and more. . . our window was getting closer and closer to the water! They did get everyone off of the ship (free excursions) to try to loosen it, but it wouldn't budge. On Thanksgiving morning they had to fly everyone home to N.O. It took 13 hours to get home (only 1 1/2 hrs in flight), and it was mass kaos. People were callling it the cruise from hell. We looked at it as a bonus . . . free excursion and a free flight home from Cancun.
Carnival did give us a 50% discount on our next cruise. We then used the discount on the Conquest this past Mardi Gras week, February, 2004. Little did we know . . . there was a ship accident (with fatalities) at the mouth of the river, and the Conquest couldn't come home to N.O. We sat in the terminal for 11 hours and were eventually bussed to Gulfport, Mississippi, to board the ship. It had to leave that Monday night, and, therefore, couldn't go to Jamaica. Then the morning when we arrived in Grand Cayman the port authority would not let anyone off of the ship due to high seas. We had the whole week at sea and finally made it to Cozumel on Friday. Needless to say, we got another 50% discounted cruise. We had a great time though. Since we were at sea all of those days . . . we got to experience more of the Conquest than lots of others who would have had those days in Jamaica and Grand Cayman. We were disappointed, yeah, but we had a great time.
We cruised this past Thanksgiving on the Conquest again. We plan to go again and again. Things happen, but let the good times roll!

[MyImagination]

[quote name='my2dogs']We sailed the Holiday Thanksgiving Week 2002. In Playa del Carmen the ship got stuck in the sand. It stayed there for days!!! As the days past the ship leaned more and more. . . our window was getting closer and closer to the water! They did get everyone off of the ship (free excursions) to try to loosen it, but it wouldn't budge. On Thanksgiving morning they had to fly everyone home to N.O. It took 13 hours to get home (only 1 1/2 hrs in flight), and it was mass kaos. People were callling it the cruise from hell. We looked at it as a bonus . . . free excursion and a free flight home from Cancun.
Carnival did give us a 50% discount on our next cruise. We then used the discount on the Conquest this past Mardi Gras week, February, 2004. Little did we know . . . there was a ship accident (with fatalities) at the mouth of the river, and the Conquest couldn't come home to N.O. We sat in the terminal for 11 hours and were eventually bussed to Gulfport, Mississippi, to board the ship. It had to leave that Monday night, and, therefore, couldn't go to Jamaica. Then the morning when we arrived in Grand Cayman the port authority would not let anyone off of the ship due to high seas. We had the whole week at sea and finally made it to Cozumel on Friday. Needless to say, we got another 50% discounted cruise. We had a great time though. Since we were at sea all of those days . . . we got to experience more of the Conquest than lots of others who would have had those days in Jamaica and Grand Cayman. We were disappointed, yeah, but we had a great time.
We cruised this past Thanksgiving on the Conquest again. We plan to go again and again. Things happen, but let the good times roll![/QUOTE]

Ummm when is your next cruise. I need to write that date down :)

WOW!!

[KenP]

I cruised on the Conquest out of New Orleans Dec 26th, 2004. I drove to the New Orleans from Florida on I-10 on Dec 25th and the weather in Mobile was horrible. It was near freezing. I saw the Holiday and thought how lucky I was to not have to sail that old ship. Little did I know it would be limping soon.

The overpasses were covered with sleet and we were stranded in Mississippi the night before the New Orleans Conquest cruise. However the next day things warmed a bit and we made the Conquest and had a great cruise.

Anyway, the thought of being on the crippled Holiday 60 miles from Mobile in chilly weather without a port stop is not a pleasant thought.

If Carnival knew that the engines were weak they should have not let people board until they were educated about their options. Personally I would have taken the refund.

I suspect the mayor of Mobile, AL and the Retirement System of Alabama must be really upset with Carnival. Mobile deperately needs tourism and they hoped to start off with the Holiday and then get a bigger ship. If the negative publicity generated by this spreads it will be bad for Carnival but worse for Mobile.

[Sharon Temple]

I was on the Holiday with 2 first timers. I was more disappointed for them. And the couple who planned to marry in Coz and had family there. The point is that we WERE NOT given the option of a refund. We were told about it after they had us registered and had our luggage and the car was parked. And where do you go on a holiday week? Missing a port is one thing, but sailing in circles 60 miles off coast is something else. I've cruised many times and have never complained about a cruise, and I've missed a port. But this was by far the worst cruise i've ever had. i new the ship was small--no problem. But it was injured before we got on and CCL didn't tell us. The only way to have enjoyed this cruise was to be drunk the whole time, which I'm not. And the $100 was partially our port fees, it was a credit onboard, not cash, and if you took it to the casino to get cash, they kept 3%. Not much, but CCL got their finger in the pie all the way around.

[BrendaB1]

Don't flame me. Just being realistic here. You did have a cabin and food , drinks & entertainment were provided every day weren't they? I would think the price paid was still cheaper than a land vacation. For some it might have been a nice get away and others a good chance to spend time with family & friends.

Sorry you had a bad time. I experienced Holiday a couple of years ago and personally do not care for the ship or service I received on it but many others have sailed it & loved it. Hopefully Carnival will make needed repairs & it will be a FUN Ship again soon.

[Sharon Temple]

didn't mean to flame you. I just can't figure out why people think we were given an option to cancel. Where do they keep hearing that?

I've been on other threads singing praises to Carnival for other ships. What a wierd day.

[MyImagination]

[quote name='Sharon Temple']didn't mean to flame you. I just can't figure out why people think we were given an option to cancel. Where do they keep hearing that?

I've been on other threads singing praises to Carnival for other ships. What a wierd day.[/QUOTE][color=black]Read the article here[/color]

[color=black][url="http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/110448826574620.xml"]http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/110448826574620.xml[/url][/color]

[PTCruizer]

I just got of the phone with a Carnival pvp. He claims [size=3][color=red]"the problem with the Holiday was fixed overnight and the ship is on it's way to Cozumel as we speak"[/color][/size]

I'm trying to track down additional confirmation of this and will post when I know more.

[GoinCruisin]

Wait a minute... weren't they supposed to arrive in Key West today? Did the ship even sail on Monday? If so, how in the world are they going to make it to Coz and then make it back in time? I guess it could happen... And if they were at sea, where did they fix the problem? But it sounds very fishy to me...

[momsoftwins]

as far as what ptcruiser has said i guess the only way to find out is wait until the people on that cruise get back and see what the REAL story is. it seems that the only waywe find out the truth is from the ppl that lived it first hand. i am not i trust anything ccl says

[Sharon Temple]

Just read the article. I still have my piece of paper they gave us and it only told us there were technical problems with the propulsion system and we'd be going nowhere. We would get a $100 onboard credit. I've read it and read it and just can't find where we can get a refund. Must have had 2 forms. How interesting.

[Sharon Temple]

I just can't wait to see what happens next. We were so late docking because the ship just would not [i]go.[/i] It took hours for a tow to guide us in. We started way out in the bay. Debarkation was a mess because they let us go in groups of two. Not by decks. We were jam packed in hallways and stairways. Fire hazard?? As we were leaving they were passing out forms to those pax sitting in boarding room. They actually had local police there. I guess so we wouldn't talk to next group, since we had to pass by them as we disembarked. Spoke to some who missed their flights. It was 1:30 when we got into our car. There were many more behind us. I felt really sorry for the room stewards and dining stewards. They had no break at Coz because we didn't port, and then no break between the two groups on Monday. I'm afraid this Monday group of pax will have complaints also about their service. Ours was very good. But the poor workers are worn out. Blessedly, those I spoke with said their families are okay around tsunami area. Their families lived inland.

[GoinCruisin]

[quote name='Sharon Temple']Just read the article. I still have my piece of paper they gave us and it only told us there were technical problems with the propulsion system and we'd be going nowhere. We would get a $100 onboard credit. I've read it and read it and just can't find where we can get a refund. Must have had 2 forms. How interesting.[/QUOTE]
The "refund" in question was for those that chose not to cruise. From what the articles have said, PAX were given two options... to not cruise and get a full refund, or to cruise and get a $100pp onboard credit. So if you did cruise, your paper would not say anything about a refund.... at least that is how I understand it.

[MyImagination]

[quote name='MyImagination'][color=black]lol...I meant about people not being offered a full refund. The news articles from today didnt [/color][color=black]have any mention about this.[/color]

[color=black]This is from the above newspaper article[/color]

[i][color=black][b]On Thursday afternoon, [u]incoming passengers arriving at the terminal parking garage [/u]were handed written notices of the ship's problems. The flier explained why the Holiday wouldn't be going to Cozumel and informed passengers that they could get a refund or, if they chose to sail, receive the $100 spending credit. [/b][/color][/i]

[color=black]If someone that was on the ship kept the flyer and it didnt mention a refund you might have some leverage.[/color][/QUOTE][color=black]This says they were informed at the parking garage[/color]

[color=black]Sharon, I know you dont have to, but is there a way you could type out what your letter says or scan it? Im just curious. If you would rather not I completely understand[/color]

[PTCruizer]

As Ronald Regan so wisely said "trust, but verify".

I asked my travel agent to check on the reported "fix" of the Holiday and this is what she found out.

The ship left Mobile on Monday for Key West. Technicians onboard were working on the problem and came up with a solution during the night. I guess they were able to fix the problem while underway. This has allowed the ship to cruise at full speed. They cancelled the Key West port call and rescheduled the original call at Cozumel. Apparently they will still miss out on Playa. The cruise that is departing on January 8th is supposed to go as planned as with all following cruises.

Here's the strange thing. She was told to keep checking back as for the latest status. That makes me wonder if this "fix" is a temporary fix.

This is positive but I still don't have a warm fuzzy about the whole thing.:rolleyes:

[MyImagination]

[quote name='PTCruizer']As Ronald Regan so wisely said "trust, but verify".

I asked my travel agent to check on the reported "fix" of the Holiday and this is what she found out.

The ship left Mobile on Monday for Key West. Technicians onboard were working on the problem and came up with a solution during the night. I guess they were able to fix the problem while underway. This has allowed the ship to cruise at full speed. They cancelled the Key West port call and rescheduled the original call at Cozumel. Apparently they will still miss out on Playa. The cruise that is departing on January 8th is supposed to go as planned as with all following cruises.

Here's the strange thing. She was told to keep checking back as for the latest status. That makes me wonder if this "fix" is a temporary fix.

This is positive but I still don't have a warm fuzzy about the whole thing.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE][color=black]That is somewhat encouraging. Hope it all works out for you.[/color]