Elevator Incident on Rhapsody of the Seas

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

There was no telephone in the elevator. That would have been a comfort.

 

The telephone is usually hidden, probably to discourage pranksters. It is usually behind a small door in its own compartment. It isn't obvious unless one makes a point of looking ofr the phone.

 

Of course, if there wasn't a phone--that is a problem RCI should address. Every elevator should have a phone in case someone is stuck.

it provides comforting communication with the outside world for someone who is trapped.

[mdaviswv]

Perfect response Gablin!! Welcome to Cruise Critic! You can't make everyone happy here, so don't worry about it. Its pretty much like any large "family."

[DocJohnB]

maybe you should take your own advice.....and not add to your post count......

 

I was thinking the same thing until I realized I was behind you by close to 6,400 posts. :rolleyes:

[funfamilyfun]

They do everything right to get you out safely and you were not hurt. I do not see why they owe you any kind of financial compensation.

 

I think...because you are on a big vacation...there should at least be a nice phone call checking on her. Certainly a small compensation would have been a nice thing. A bottle of wine is a few dollars, a coupon to Johnny Rockets doesn't cost them anything...etc. In a regular hotel, if you are bothered by your neighbors, you are typically offerred a free breakfast or some other kind of compensation. The hotel wouldn't say...oh well, your neighbors at home might be loud too!

[cruzincurt]

There was no telephone in the elevator. That would have been a comfort.

At least in the US, ADA requires a call button. The telephone handsets, and the requirement to open a door and pick up the handset, should all be removed by now. The call should only require pressing a button.

 

I think I recall seeing a button with a little telephone handset symbol on it on the ship's elevators. Usually on the bottom row there is a fireman's control key switch and the call button, and/or alarm button.

[BMT]

I find it a bit amusing that you were concerned about the personel that were present, especially the lack of a physician, and felt that a complaint needed to be made but your first priority was staggering to a bar. First things first I guess!:D

 

Solving traumatic situations like this with a drink is old-fashioned I know -perhaps we should have arranged for a year's counselling LOL LOL.:D:D

 

Everyone has different priorities - coming out of that elevator, the last thing on our minds was complaining - we needed to recover. Sorry, but we were a bit traumatised - standing like that with no communication, becoming hotter and hotter - we are not so young - and with some people, the imagination tends to run riot in such situations. (Tower Bridge a few weeks before - dropped about 30' - people injured).

 

Well, I did expect a physician or at least a nurse, as no-one had been in contact with us since our initial call, so they had no way of knowing if anyone was injured. In our case, I think the problem was that the 'phone goes straight through to the engine control room (that's what I was told later on) and the engineer concerned had not passed the info on to Guest Relations. I was told afterwards that the same elevator had been out of order the day previously:eek:.

 

I was assured that the situation would be handled differently in the future. I am surprised that there was no directive for the handling of such incidents.

[G'ma]

In the hospitality industry you expect hospitality. I think a bottle of something or a plate of chocolate covered strawberrys showing up in your cabin would have shown RCL to be a class act.

 

Well, in the travel world......stuff happens.....

 

No injuries, nobody lost any money, no foul, the cruise continued......

 

If they offered "a little something" for every passenger who was inconvenienced, they'd be broke.

 

It's nonsense to expect it.

[Texas Teen]

Yippie!!! Another debate about elevators! :D

[jasmith52]

Man - Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in an elevator for 4 hrs because of a

power failure.

 

Woman - That's alright, me too...I got stuck on the escalator for 3 hrs.

 

 

Women dream of world peace, a safe environment, and eliminating hunger.

What do men dream of?

Being stuck in an elevator with the Doublemint twins.

 

 

hhh

[theshortchef]

Well' date=' in the travel world......stuff happens.....

 

No injuries, nobody lost any money, no foul, the cruise continued......

 

If they offered "a little something" for every passenger who was inconvenienced, they'd be broke.

 

It's nonsense to expect it.[/quote']

 

You must find that RCCL inconveniences their passengers most of the time if you feel that a couple $ gesture on their part would leave them broke.

 

By the way, the travel industry is part of the hospitality industry.

[Captain Jake]

A bottle of wine would have certainly been in order.If this happened on a land based hotel you would have been given some sort of credit.In fact if you were spending a night or two or even three your stay would have been free(basic room rate)

:cj

[retafcruiser]

If this happened on a land based hotel you would have been given some sort of credit.In fact if you were spending a night or two or even three your stay would have been free(basic room rate)

:cj

 

I cannot think of any, even 5 star, hotel I have ever been that would have done so. I certainly would not have expected anything. I guess it comes down to values in life.

[Garyorient]

Wow!

This was my first post on this forum. I thought it was useful and informative. Apparently, my "greed" at expecting a note or flowers, candy, wine, whatever, offends some. Sorry. I'll try to be more saintly in my expectations in the future.

 

On other cruise ships, I have very occasionally been mildly inconvenienced. In those other instances, something nice was offered by someone in an attempt to apologize - cruise director, hotel manager, once the captain, etc. Sometimes it was a pleasant handwritten note, sometimes a $50 shipboard credit, once a bottle of wine for just making a written suggestion about stronger coffee in the dining room and casual restaurant.

 

Once, in a nice hotel, it took a considerable length of time to fix the lock on my door. I received a handwritten note from the manager, apologizing, and a $25 credit on my bill.

 

When I told my elevator story to the other people in my group on the ship, my daughter and one other person reminded me of some of those other events and of the responses. The group pretty much agreed that I would probably receive a note or a phone call, and maybe something else. They were mistaken.

 

I posted this story on a general travel board, where I've been a member for the past ten years, and someone there suggested posting it on a cruise message board, where people who cruise frequently might be interested in knowing about the event. So I did, on this one and on CruiseMates.

 

Someone here commented that I had not been back since my original post this morning. It is Saturday and I had a lovely Saturday far away from the internet. I didn't realize that I should hover here waiting to respond to responses. The etiquette here is different from that on the travel message board where I usually post.

 

I think what I mean by elevator maintenance records would be the small certificate that states the last time the elevator was inspected or maintained. There was nothing like that, which, of course, no one would notice unless she were stuck as I was.

 

Words on a screen appear "flat," with no emotion. I am actually considered to be rather a sweet and funny person, especially by my grandchildren, three of whom were on this ship with us. If I have come across as greedy or complaining, on this board, I am sorry. It's just words on a screen. :)

 

You tell 'em Gal

Nowt wrong with your original post.

You weren't being grasping, you weren't saying thatyou had an entitlement, all you said or implied was "it would have been nice".

 

There are some seriously sanctimonious people on CC. I don't know why, they aren't any better than other folk..........they just think they are.

[Yo Eleven]

Shouldn't the OP have offerred a gratuity to the gentlemen that saved her? :p

[Garyorient]

Well' date=' in the travel world......stuff happens.....

 

No injuries, nobody lost any money, no foul, the cruise continued......

 

If they offered "a little something" for every passenger who was inconvenienced, they'd be broke.

 

It's nonsense to expect it.[/quote']

Utter crap.

A small gift costing RCCL a dollar for the few people in the elevator would not make even a slight dent in the profitability of the company, or do you think they run on such tight margins that the $1 gift will break them

[alwayshappytocruise]

Gablin, welcome to Cruise Critic. I think your posts are very well written and I appreciate you taking the time to post. I also agree that at the very least you should have received a telephone call or even better a face to face visit from someone in Guest Services. No where did I get the feeling that you were "demanding compensation" as some posters have indicated. There are some real hard @sses on this board but most of us have an open mind and like to share cruising experiences.

Welcome again, Lynda

[Captain Jake]

I cannot think of any, even 5 star, hotel I have ever been that would have done so. I certainly would not have expected anything. I guess it comes down to values in life.

 

Actually having friends and family in the hotel industry I can't think of one the would not.Certainly the Marriot and Hilton brands would.It's called good customer service.

:cj

[/i]

[Captain Jake]

Utter crap.

A small gift costing RCCL a dollar for the few people in the elevator would not make even a slight dent in the profitability of the company, or do you think they run on such tight margins that the $1 gift will break them

 

Correct plus the OP would have told coworkers and friends a positive story plus if Royal would have sent a bottle of wine to the table several others would have a great story to tell their coworkers,friends and family.Instead they get a little negative talk (negative stories spead as well as good ones) and all could have been solved for a 10 dollar bottle (their cost) of something

:cj

[cruzincurt]

I am surprised that there was no directive for the handling of such incidents.

 

There obviously appeared to be. They knew the elevator stopped between floors, and they came and got you out. There are numerous monitoring circuits on the elevator controllers to send electronic signals to the engine control room where all of the ship's systems are monitored. The Captain on the bridge or guest services are not the crew that is going to respond. These are state-of-the-art elevators designed to travel vertically on a moving ship. Probably a safety switch stopped the elevator. Mr. Otis figured out a long time ago how to stop an elevator from plummeting down the shaft. It's going to be the mechanics and safety response personnel....following by the hotel manager with drink coupons.

 

Some were probably griping that the elevator was taken out of service and they had to wait a bit longer for another one.

[MMCS Cruiser]

I cannot think of any, even 5 star, hotel I have ever been that would have done so. I certainly would not have expected anything. I guess it comes down to values in life.

 

Have you ever had this sort of thing happen in a five star hotel?

 

If not, how can you say what they would do?

 

The hospitality industry is different then the mall or a public building.

 

This has NOTHING to do with values, just good customer service.

 

BTW why to so many folks on Cruise Critic feel the need to preach about "values"?

 

Kind of reminds me of all the family values politicians who are always in trouble.

[EVALUATOR]

I was stuck in an elevator once for an hour and a half with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

I thought the Penguins were from Madgascar. You should have had Rico barf up an elevator extraction kit

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Wow!

This was my first post on this forum. I thought it was useful and informative. Apparently, my "greed" at expecting a note or flowers, candy, wine, whatever, offends some. Sorry. I'll try to be more saintly in my expectations in the future.

 

On other cruise ships, I have very occasionally been mildly inconvenienced. In those other instances, something nice was offered by someone in an attempt to apologize - cruise director, hotel manager, once the captain, etc. Sometimes it was a pleasant handwritten note, sometimes a $50 shipboard credit, once a bottle of wine for just making a written suggestion about stronger coffee in the dining room and casual restaurant.

 

Once, in a nice hotel, it took a considerable length of time to fix the lock on my door. I received a handwritten note from the manager, apologizing, and a $25 credit on my bill.

 

When I told my elevator story to the other people in my group on the ship, my daughter and one other person reminded me of some of those other events and of the responses. The group pretty much agreed that I would probably receive a note or a phone call, and maybe something else. They were mistaken.

 

I posted this story on a general travel board, where I've been a member for the past ten years, and someone there suggested posting it on a cruise message board, where people who cruise frequently might be interested in knowing about the event. So I did, on this one and on CruiseMates.

 

Someone here commented that I had not been back since my original post this morning. It is Saturday and I had a lovely Saturday far away from the internet. I didn't realize that I should hover here waiting to respond to responses. The etiquette here is different from that on the travel message board where I usually post.

 

I think what I mean by elevator maintenance records would be the small certificate that states the last time the elevator was inspected or maintained. There was nothing like that, which, of course, no one would notice unless she were stuck as I was.

 

Words on a screen appear "flat," with no emotion. I am actually considered to be rather a sweet and funny person, especially by my grandchildren, three of whom were on this ship with us. If I have come across as greedy or complaining, on this board, I am sorry. It's just words on a screen. :)

 

 

Excellent post!!! ;) I especially like the "Saturday" and "words on the screen" responses :)

 

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[beardedladies]

I am extremely claustrophobic, if this had happened to me, they wouldn't need to hear an alarm I would be screaming so loudly. They would not have asked if I wanted to go to the clinic they would have escorted me because of the hysterical condition I would have been in...it would not have been pretty.

You handled the situation very well...

Just the thought of the whole thing makes me very uneasy.

 

I also suffer bad with claustrophobia, but I've managed to use the glass lifts on the Independence but not the enclosed lifts for fear of sticking and when I was last on in May this year one of the lifts did stick, but most of the time I try and use the stairs... its is strange as people in general seem to be more scared of the height of the glass lifts they go to, than fear of sticking... :eek:

[BroncosFan2010]

I am glad you were safe and sound, and thanks for sharing your story. I feel that RCCL took good care of you, and did check up on you to make sure that everything was okay. I don't know why you felt you deserved something extra for your experience? It is not really the ships responsibility to give the customers something every time something minor goes wrong.

 

I think this is why medical costs, insurance costs, etc. are so expensive everywhere. Someone is always looking for how they can get something from someone else. I'm sorry... but RCCL took care of you by looking after your medical needs, and fixing the elevator. Crap happens, elevators malfunction, things break, and life goes on.

[Gracie115]

.if this happened on a land based hotel you would have been given some sort of credit.in fact if you were spending a night or two or even three your stay would have been free(basic room rate)

:cj

 

 

Flat out not true!!!!!!!