Carnival Destiny Propulsion Problems

[jetwet1]

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

I am a Carnival fan, but when things go seriously wrong (I would call missing two out of..mmm..two islands seriously wrong) they have no clue, I really do believe that they would rather lose a person as a customer than "take care" of them. I guess when the ships are sailing full every week you can do this.

[marshalltp]

I started this thread back in September and got 'flamed' by those on this board blinded by loyalty. Is Carnival loyal to their repeat customers? Not in my opinion. All I wanted from them was some sort of future cruise credit for the issues on my 'propulsion impaired' cruise. They basically told me the same as a few posts ago, stating my $20 OBC was all that they could do.

 

Carnival will continue to be a line that fills itself on first time cruisers and as long as that supply keeps coming, repeat customers mean nothing to them. I was excited to go on the Dream but will not seek out a somewhat lesser category on the Oasis. No line, or no ship is perfect but RCCL does value its returning cruisers.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

To clarify: Yes I will receive a full refund in 3 weeks. No I did not submit a claim with my insurance company because I re booked with Royal Caribbean and I'm still using my flights and hotel.

 

If I were to have re booked with Carnival for another date, year etc (because they could offer me nothing within the time frame I already had off for work and babysitting) I would have received $75 OBC.

 

Hope that clears up your confusion.

 

Would you expect Carnival to turn a 7 day cruise into a 4/5 day cruise for those that had their cruises cancelled?

[cruizinEllen]

Would you expect Carnival to turn a 7 day cruise into a 4/5 day cruise for those that had their cruises cancelled?

 

???? Not quite sure what you mean???? And I don't expect anything.

[cruzzers]

So sorry to hear about some of you not getting to cruise as planned. We were on the jan 21st cruise and missed our port in Key West. We were not notified until we got into Ft Lauderdale on the 20th, at 8:30 PM. We were already there and out our airfare and hotel expenses so we just opted to go ahead and sail as planned. This was our first cruise with Carnival and we are may not ever try them again. We felt they should have let us know the week before and given us the option of a full refund, since they knew they had problems. We are Elite on Princess and have sailed other lines without incident. Looks like Carnival knew about this issue long before we booked our cruise. Certain issues can't be helped and we know things happen but Carnival needs to be more honest in the future and make it good with their customers. We called our rep when we got back and all he could do was say they were sorry for the port being cancelled, but no offer of any conpensation other than the port charges they refunded while onboard. (no skin off their noses at all) Back to Princess in March!

[NutsAboutGolf]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1108493&highlight=

 

I started at thread asking what a very board question, would you pay more for better customer service...I gave the example of missed port refunds....From the beginning most everyone claimed to be happy with the way it was.

 

While I'm sure Carnival knows it's business, I wonder how well they've studied the unintended consequences? For most, the itinerary sells the cruise, not the cruise itself (I'm aware there are exceptions). For anyone I know who has cruised, regardless of the cruise line, they always say "I took a cruise to XXX", not I went to a cruise. These folks who miss ports are going to tell their family and friends how terrible the cruise company is. Carnivals buries missed port policies in the terms and conditions they know most will not read.

 

I think they should better disclose their polices, I think I stand alone in that. lol

[cruzzers]

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

I am a Carnival fan, but when things go seriously wrong (I would call missing two out of..mmm..two islands seriously wrong) they have no clue, I really do believe that they would rather lose a person as a customer than "take care" of them. I guess when the ships are sailing full every week you can do this.

 

Well stated! We feel exactly the same way here. :mad:

[kerrytens]

So sorry to hear about some of you not getting to cruise as planned. We were on the jan 21st cruise and missed our port in Key West. We were not notified until we got into Ft Lauderdale on the 20th, at 8:30 PM. We were already there and out our airfare and hotel expenses so we just opted to go ahead and sail as planned. This was our first cruise with Carnival and we are may not ever try them again. We felt they should have let us know the week before and given us the option of a full refund, since they knew they had problems. We are Elite on Princess and have sailed other lines without incident. Looks like Carnival knew about this issue long before we booked our cruise. Certain issues can't be helped and we know things happen but Carnival needs to be more honest in the future and make it good with their customers. We called our rep when we got back and all he could do was say they were sorry for the port being cancelled, but no offer of any conpensation other than the port charges they refunded while onboard. (no skin off their noses at all) Back to Princess in March!

All well and good for the notice but it was the Jan. 16th cruise (I was on it and basically cruised to Nassau instead of my western itinerary) where the propulsion issue reared its ugly head again. As we all know, Destiny experienced issues earlier but it had been running fine for a few months, no delays or missed ports. Not sure how they could have called you a week in advance when it didn't even happen until a few days before your cruise ... and was page one info on the boards that week too.

Just my 2 cents.

Honestly, I still like this ship and would sail her again. Glad they are fixing her up!

[keishashadow]

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

I am a Carnival fan, but when things go seriously wrong (I would call missing two out of..mmm..two islands seriously wrong) they have no clue, I really do believe that they would rather lose a person as a customer than "take care" of them. I guess when the ships are sailing full every week you can do this.

 

:confused:the ship is (finally) in drydock, so i feel Carnival did (finally) take care of the situation, although those who missed ports & had their upcoming cruises cancelled so quickly certainly have room to be angry.

 

I feel better regarding my upcoming cruise in July, sorry it didn't work out for so many (had to be terribly stressful:(); yet they had to pull her sooner than later to avoid offending even more customers & creating a PR nightmare.

 

Personally, i'd much rather be given the option to cancel & rebook on another sailing that week (whether RCL or Carnival if available) or even take a land trip than sail in circles.

[okwriter]

I was in Nassau on the Sensation when Destiny was stuck there a few days. People weren't happy but seemed to be making the most of it.

 

For Carnival, it's kinda "damned if you, damned if you don't." If they didn't dry-dock and fix the ship, people on cruises with modified itineraries would be mad. If they dry-dock (which they are) and some people miss their cruise, others are mad.

 

I see on their site they are at least offering a $200pp credit for travel costs for those who cancel scheduled cruises during dry-dock.

[ugh07]

I cant figure out what I think is worse, having a 5 day cruise to nowhere with a very small refund OR having a cruise outright cancelled but getting my money back.

[cruizinEllen]

I was in Nassau on the Sensation when Destiny was stuck there a few days. People weren't happy but seemed to be making the most of it.

 

For Carnival, it's kinda "damned if you, damned if you don't." If they didn't dry-dock and fix the ship, people on cruises with modified itineraries would be mad. If they dry-dock (which they are) and some people miss their cruise, others are mad.

 

I see on their site they are at least offering a $200pp credit for travel costs for those who cancel scheduled cruises during dry-dock.

 

The $200 pp credit for travel costs only applies if you re book with Carnival. Does not apply if you re-book with another company.

[Leafpeeper]

I joined CruiseCritic specifically to warn others about sailing the Destiny. Carnival totally canceled our Jamaica/Grand Cayman itinerary this week while en route (Jan 16-21, 2010) because of propulsion issues, and we had the feeling they were being less than honest. We weren't forewarned about previous problems, and unfortunately I didn't do my research before booking. This ship has had ongoing problems. We left port almost four hours late, because supposedly they had to take on more "potable" water. Really? This ship has sailed for years and they don't have it together enough to have it ready to sail on time? I felt that was a lie. The night before we were supposed to arrive in Ocho Rios (after a full day at sea), the captain informed us there was a propulsion issue and they couldn't sail fast enough to get us to Ocho Rios. He said they were running tests to see if we could still make our Grand Cayman port of call. A letter was sent out to passengers the following morning that tests revealed we could NOT make it to Grand Cayman and would receive a $75 per person onboard credit to compensate, plus a stop in Nassau. To make a long story short, we were totally robbed of our itinerary on a ship that has had ongoing problems, and Carnival offered no compensatory cruise or voucher. What they did offer was a slap in the face. We are quite sure they knew the ship was not running up to speed, but sent it out anyway. We've been told that if a ship enters international waters, they don't have to reimburse passengers, and we feel that's why they began sailing for Ocho Rios knowing full well the propulsion system wasn't working properly.

 

We were sorely disappointed and had planned, scrimped and saved for almost a year specifically for the itinerary we selected, not to mention flights, hotels, etc. We are very angry at Carnival for deceptive practices and for not offering a cruise voucher to compensate us. I was a fan of Carnival before this. Now I'm a very angry past customer.

 

BOTTOM LINE: BEWARE THE DESTINY! ITS PROBLEMS ARE NOT FIXED AND THEY WILL SEND IT OUT ANYWAY.

 

I understand how you are feeling. We had booked a suite on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas from NJ to the Caribbean over a year ahead. We knew there was a scheduled drydock before our sailing so we expected it to arrive from the Bahamas on schedule and board early. It turned into a nightmare. We did not board until 7pm after arriving before 2pm. The only food we were offered at the pier all day was some juice and cookies. To make matters worse, they did not keep the dining room or buffet open late for those passengers who were the last ones boarded.

 

RCCL originally had scheduled Tortola as our last port but canceled it. We thought it had to do with dredging but we met people from an NCL cruise at the beach in Antigua who had been to Tortola the day before. Worst of all, the Captain didn't spend the extra sea day down in the Tortola area but instead started heading north towards NY. I wondered why they didn't simply add another port like Bermuda for our return home to NJ.

[okwriter]

The $200 pp credit for travel costs only applies if you re book with Carnival. Does not apply if you re-book with another company.

 

I stand corrected. :o

 

It's a bad deal all the way around... I'd be devastated to have my cruise cancelled! I'd be somewhat less grouchy if I got to go somewhere...anywhere! :D

[jtm22372]

i was on the jan 11 cruise and the destiny was fine till the last night .we were at dinner and could start to feel the shuddering very badly. we made all our ports including grand turk. so the problem was bandaided for a while .

[tsibs7]

I guess my issue with Carnival is not the actual service on the ship or the people on the Destiny. It's with the actual company itself and how they value their customers (especially repeat ones). Trying to talk to their "guest care" was a joke. This is obviously a case where they had a major issue with one of their ships and chose to not seriously fix the problem. Their main issue was about saving some money and NOT focusing on the satisfaction of their customers.

 

Either way, my wife and I are certainly going to choose another cruise line for our next cruise. It would be nice to see what other companies are like. Any suggestions?? I would love to hear some of your recommendations and what the strengths and weaknesses of the cruise lines are.

[MissJeneffer]

This was my third cruise and my last. Carnival has completely turned me off from cruises and if I decide to go again, it will not be on a Carnival ship. This was a birthday and graduation celebration to visit Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on 1.16.2010. (It did take me sometime to write this review because I wanted to find appropriate information before making a final judgment).

 

When Carnival decided to switch ports, due to propulsion issues, I learned from other guests that this was a reoccurring issue, not a single incident. Upon my return from the trip I Googled, "Carnival Destiny propulsion problems", lo and behold a long history. I found the first claim to have occurred in 1999, and then reoccurring up until now. That's a decade of the same problem, furthermore, on different instances the ship was "adrift for many hours". Of course, I have been back and forth with Carnival because that $75 credit per person is inadequate. A representative at Carnival wrote, "We can assure you that in no way is this related to the issues experienced with the propulsion problem from September." Her statement doesn't make any sense, like most machines if one mechanism isn't working properly, the entire machine won't work properly, if at all. Additionally, I explained that several of the ship's staff admitted to this being a reoccurring issue. I even included the information I found online. Of course, in her next disappointing response, she doesn't even attempt to respond to my argument about the decade of propulsion issues.

 

This is our hard-earned money and vacation time spent, promised two islands, only to receive four days at sea, and one day on land. Not to mention, I have been to Nassau TWICE, that was the last place I wanted to go.

 

To add on, we left the port very late. From another post the staff were bringing on "potable water", however, we were told from other staff members it was due to someone being sick. Such clashes make me question the integrity of Carnival.

 

To those that were cheated out of their money, go to the Better Business Bureau and write a review. If we don't get our money back, at the very least, we can try and lower their score. Also, on the Carnival Forum, there is someone seeking legal action and she has a group, so if you're interested see the forum or I can direct you to her.

 

To all future cruisers, beware of Carnival.

[tsibs7]

Hi, I was on that same cruise (Jan. 16-21) and I talked to some folks over lunch about this issue. They told me that someone was putting some sort of legal action against Carnival. Do you have the link to that page by any chance? Thanks!

[MissJeneffer]

Hello,

 

Sorry for the delay, I'm just now seeing your post. Here's the link where I found the group: http://www.carnival.com/Funville/forums/t/90946.aspx. Just send an e-mail and that you were on that cruise and dissatisfied.

 

I also went through the Better Business Bureau to complain. I posted two comments about Carnival and filed a complaint (http://www.seflorida.bbb.org/Business-Report/Carnival-Corporation-21000334). They were graded an A prior to me filing my complaint but now they're at a B. Another friend suggested ConsumerReports.com, I haven't done so but will when I get the down time.

 

I also have read some of the February experiences. Many weren't notified appropriately and didn't even know their trip was even cancelled. Carnival claimed they sent out e-mails two weeks prior, however the e-mails sent appeared to be spam, labeled something very odd--nothing relating to Carnival.

 

This company needs to get their act together.

 

Jen