Destiny cancelled sailing on 2/18, and it failed to notify me until I found out today

[kwbound]

Still waiting to hear if this ball was dropped by TA or Carnival. OP? Tap, tap, tap...

 

 

OP is probably busy trying to salvage his vacation and may not have time to answer every CC post.

[MrPete]

I'm not going on this cruise and know about this for at least two weeks.

[Mikel1733]

Why? If the OP gave an email,and they sent one then whats the real problem?

 

If the OP did not give one,then a phone call would have been made.

 

What would be the purpose of giving an email? As far as the heading or virus looking subject,that is what virus scanners are for.

 

Steve

 

When you fill out the funpass they have all the information they need to contact you via multiple resources. There is no excuse for sending out an email with the heading that was used. Each client should be contacted personally by phone when a cruise is canceled. But I guess that is only to be expected by a corporation that values their customers.

[Mikel1733]

Very typical of a travel related e-mail.

 

So you got it two weeks ago and ignored it. Now all of your arguments have become moot.

 

The arguments became moot once Carnival customer service was involved.

[Burchrod]

Maybe instead of attacking the OP for being, justifiably, upset about this situation we can all look on this as an object lesson.

Never assume that everything is still a go just because you haven't heard differently.

Even with a land based vacation it's a good idea to moniter your reservations periodically to make sure everything is OK.

Clearly, Carnival can do a better job of letting people know what's going on.

We sailed on the Fantasy two years ago when the Mississippi River was closed due to an oil spill. Carnival sent one e-mail (after we had already left home) to tell us about it.

If we hadn't checked cruise critic regularly we wouldn't have known until we got there.

Sadly, not everyone knows about CC.

Why don't we cut the OP some slack and just remind everyone to moniter their reservations??

[cawagner]

I will admit that I didnt read each and every post, but I do think that they need to inform people of situations like this thru more than just an "email" and from what I read it was a few weeks before that sailing they informed people?

 

I know my father has a computer but barely knows how to use it and is not the greatest on checking emails, guess it's their generation as he is very limited in his computer usage. He cruises but uses a TA.

 

I am sure there are a lot of folks out there that dont check emails daily, my dad is lucky to check his once a week LOL I just think when they cancel an entire cruise like that for whatever reason an email should not be the "only" way to contact the passengers. Email, snail mail AND a phone call (even automated msg) IMO would be the best way to avoid anyone saying, "I was never notified"

 

Now...last min delays/cancellations well that is a whole other story...

[pe4all]

When you fill out the funpass they have all the information they need to contact you via multiple resources. There is no excuse for sending out an email with the heading that was used. Each client should be contacted personally by phone when a cruise is canceled. But I guess that is only to be expected by a corporation that values their customers.

I think this is where the whole problem started - it seems like the op went online to fill out the funpass - "Because I was trying to register on line and it says registration canceled..." If the booking was done thru a ta maybe Carnival didn't have the op's personal contact info. Maybe they did, and just screwed up! I can see both scenarios being played out. Maybe the op doesn't go on the computer too often. Maybe the e-mail was lost in space, maybe it was spammed, trashed - who knows. Any way it played out, it is a terrible situation to be in!

[WoodyWindy]

As far as the heading or virus looking subject,that is what virus scanners are for.

 

Spoken as someone who truly doesn't understand the nature of computer viruses, other malware, and scanners for same... :rolleyes:

[RambleRocket]

Travel insurance may cover, so you are not out all of your money. I haven't checked, but are there any other cruises sailing at that time. Since it is last minute, you may get a really good deal.

 

BTW - I may have missed it - did the OP book through TA or direct with Carnival?

[Crazy4Koko]

Guests scheduled to sail on the Feb. 13 or 18 voyages will have the option of receiving a future cruise credit or full refund of their cruise fare. A $100 shipboard credit will be provided to those guests who were scheduled on the Feb. 13 voyage while those on the Feb. 18 departure will receive a $75 shipboard credit. The shipboard credit can be used on a future cruise departing prior to Dec. 15, 2011. For guests with independent air transportation, Carnival will reimburse up to $200 per person in the form of a shipboard credit for airline change fees when rebooking a future cruise.

 

 

 

So, this seems to be effecting TWO SAILINGS. Contacting 2600 passengers by telephone would take up valuable time for those passengers to make alternative plans. Electronic transmission is MUCH faster. Again, if the OP has a TA, WHY DIDN'T THE TA CONTACT THEM REGARDING THIS SITUATION?

 

Funny how folks say 'they should have mailed', but 95% use text or email to communicate.

 

 

OP, I know this is upsetting, when I saw the announcement, I could only imagine how those passengers must have been feeling, especially given the fact that those weeks revolve around February school vacation weeks, and already command a premium for hotels and airfare...

[Vanessa L]

Every single email I get from Carnival looks exactly like the one you received.

 

But that is probably because I work with a PVP and not with another TA.

 

I think the email should have been followed up with the automated phone call, just like they use when they notify you not to show up too early. They called everyone of the Splendor passengers on our cruise, why not everyone who got cancelled?

 

Some people neeeever get that, WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN WRONGED, you follow the chain of command and seek out the compensation you deserve and/or a verbal confirmation that a change in policy if forthcoming. Not everyone should be a doormat and accept the first offer thrown at them in the hope that they keep their annoying revenue paying mouths shut.

 

Ahhh, you see, the plot thickens....my guess is that the OP WAS contacted and is not taking responsibility for HIS error. He point blank said that his friend could not get mail to him either, so I am guessing that it is HIS ISP's issue. I do not believe, under any stretch of the imagination, that he was wronged here. I think it was his own error and he wants it to be someone else's fault. He is getting his money back, one way or the other, how is he WRONGED???

 

Believe me, as a counselor, I have spent many, many years teaching people boundaries and how to stick up for themselves. I get it. In this case, I have not read anything that makes me think or believe the OP was wronged. In fact, the opposite is true in the vagueness of his answers. Was there a TA or not? Could there have beena problem with his mail which would certainly NOT be Carnival's fault? Was he actually called and is choosing not to reveal that info (as in, "I didn't recognize the number so I didn't answer it and never check my voice mail", or, "Oh, I did get called but because I didn't recognize the number I didn't answer it and just now checked voice mail and realized they left a message 2 weeks ago.") There is absolutely NO WAY to know for sure if 1 email (or 2) was the ONLY communication the OP got.

[Travel for Life]

So sorry to hear that you where booked on this cruise, i was going to go on the same date but decided to go later. our cruise on the 22nd is still on its suppose to be the first back to normal schedule..I can't imagine how it feels, i feel your pain, good luck trying to book a different cruise.:mad:

[skiatookcruiser]

Maybe instead of attacking the OP for being, justifiably, upset about this situation we can all look on this as an object lesson.

Never assume that everything is still a go just because you haven't heard differently.

Even with a land based vacation it's a good idea to moniter your reservations periodically to make sure everything is OK.

Clearly, Carnival can do a better job of letting people know what's going on.

We sailed on the Fantasy two years ago when the Mississippi River was closed due to an oil spill. Carnival sent one e-mail (after we had already left home) to tell us about it.

If we hadn't checked cruise critic regularly we wouldn't have known until we got there.

Sadly, not everyone knows about CC.

Why don't we cut the OP some slack and just remind everyone to moniter their reservations??

 

We were on the same cruise! I got a email right before we left but I had already seen it on Carnival.com! You don't have to be on CC all the time to find this info, you just need to check your reservation! I never leave on a cruise with out just confirming my reservation, and that goes with land based vacations also! Last year we went to cancun our flight changed twice and i never got a email, call or anything!

As far as sending emails, if you don't check your emails everyday then don't give them a email address! I run 2 business and do most of my "customer service" thru email! That is the day and age we are in, its easy and fast and I can reach hundreds of people within seconds! Sorry, but us business people love email!! :)

[goodml]

Ahhh, you see, the plot thickens....my guess is that the OP WAS contacted and is not taking responsibility for HIS error. He point blank said that his friend could not get mail to him either, so I am guessing that it is HIS ISP's issue. I do not believe, under any stretch of the imagination, that he was wronged here. I think it was his own error and he wants it to be someone else's fault. He is getting his money back, one way or the other, how is he WRONGED???

 

First you say the OP was contacted and isn't taking responsibility, then you say even his friend can't email him. Which one is it? Does he get his emails or not? How is he supposed to take responsibility for an email not received because "HIS IP" is the issue?

 

Some of the replies on this thread are ridiculous. Not everyone lives at CruiseCritic and finds everything out immediately. Nor is everyone as knowledgable about possible pitfalls when planning vacations as some of us are. I have family members who rarely travel. If I didn't share what I've learned over the years they'd be in the same boat as the OP. Also, the OP clearly doesn't know what the rest of us know in that cruiseline customer service agents rarely give the proper answer. This one clearly didn't ensure the customer understood the options available.

 

Automated phone messages are used all the time and could have provided a backup to the email at the touch of a button. To suggest that it's the OPs fault that they didn't get the notice is nonsense. Some of you need to give your heads a shake and see what's rattling around in there.:rolleyes:

 

OP - call Carnival again and ask for some assistance in booking something else that's available for the same week since you've already got flights booked. Don't get angry - stay calm and if the first person doesn't help ask to escalate the call. Or just request the refund and see if another cruiseline has something that would fit into your schedule.

[Smithkids5521]

Contacting 5000 passengers ( this drydock effects 2 sailings, doesn't it?) and rebooking or handling each passengers request takes time. There are only so many PVPS to handle not only new requests, but the reschedule as well. You can be sure its not a 5 minute phone call.

If you have a TA, I'm wondering why THEY didn't contact you by telephone and say 'why didn't you call me about this?'

 

I am even surprised that Carnival emailed the folks who booked through a TA- the people who used a TA should have been notified personally by the TA, the folks who used a PVP should have been called personally by the PVP and the folks who booked direct online at Carnival's website should have been the ones who received an email (since they are obviously more computer savvy and would be checking emails regularly). If I booked though a TA- how could Carnival assume that I would check an email- especially one that arrived looking like that!!! It really should be up to the TA to call me- they certainly wouldn't have 2500 people to call from that cruise!!! Maybe just a handful at best...

 

They could have at least sent the email with the subject line reading something like- Important Information about your 2/18 Destiny cruise!!!!!

 

OP- I am so sorry that this happened to you. I would be so angry also- not all of us can just rearrange our vacation schedules so easily. I don't think you'll get any additional compensation from CCL, but I do hope they rethink their notification process in case this happens in the future!

 

Take care,

Diana :)

[Crazy4Koko]

Oh, and unless things changed, Carnival MODIFIED the 2/18 sailing...not CANCELLED.

 

Feb. 18 (the Feb. 18 cruise will now operate as a modified two-day cruise to Nassau Feb. 20-22). Effective with the February 22, 2010 departure, the Carnival Destiny will be operating its regularly scheduled itineraries.

[tommyt37]

Contacting 5000 passengers ( this drydock effects 2 sailings, doesn't it?) and rebooking or handling each passengers request takes time. There are only so many PVPS to handle not only new requests, but the reschedule as well. You can be sure its not a 5 minute phone call.

 

 

If you have a TA, I'm wondering why THEY didn't contact you by telephone and say 'why didn't you call me about this?'

 

More like 3 k not 5k. Yes they should have called. You would be amazed at what we were able to do before the internet! ;-) They should have requested a reply from the email then called or mailed. Maybe they will fix it...then again probably not. Bummer this happened

[Vanessa L]

First you say the OP was contacted and isn't taking responsibility, then you say even his friend can't email him. Which one is it? Does he get his emails or not? How is he supposed to take responsibility for an email not received because "HIS IP" is the issue?

 

 

The point is that Carnival (or his TA, I'm still not clear which it is) DID send him the appropriate information, but because HIS email program is apparently experiencing problems (from his own words, his friend cannot get mail to him, it's not that the friend doesn't send it, it just doesn't GET to him for one reason or another). Either way, the ball is in the OP's court. I agree 100% with the person who said that if you are someone who doesn't check your email every day, then you have no business giving that out as a method to contact you.

 

And don't even get on my soapbox about people who lay down hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a vacation and then never think about it, research anything about their destination, or otherwise completely put it out of their minds until they are supposed to show up. I absolutely cannot wrap my mind around that.

[sanmarcosman]

That does look like spam, just the word "stag" would cause me to hit delete and yes, return receipt notices need to be attached to all customer emails by Carnival and tracked after the fact that they were opened. Come on Carnival IT, get with the program.

[DGP1111]

Any idea and input, and similar experiences?

 

Yes, a similar experience. I was booked on Carnival Elation, and my sailing was cancelled since it was the date chosen for the repositioning via Panama Canal to California. Carnival made a corporate decision to move the ship, and pulled the passenger manifest that day to create a list of those who needed to be contacted. Unfortunately no one cared to advise the call center that same day, or remove the ability to book that date online, and reservations continued for three additional days.

 

I only learned about the change because of CruiseCritic when someone mentioned they booked the Panama Canal voyage and they were so excited. It seemed like a sailing very close to what I had . . . not fully realizing just how 'close' it truly was. Aaack!

 

When I called later to see what needed to be done for rescheduling, I was informed I was not booked on the original sailing, despite being paid in full at time of booking. They were insistent I was confused. After more than a week of multiple calls and faxes to prove I was not a doofus, they realized their error (and it affected all pasengers booked over those three days).

 

The situation was resolved by someone way high on the 'food chain' at CCL, and she admitted they were glad I'd called and pushed the issue, since we had all fallen through a corporate crack. She could also see the notes taken on their end from my multiple calls, and was aware what I was repeately being told. A mirror image of the notes I'd been taking too.

 

In the end, the guest recovery done by CCL was very helpful. Very. :)

 

 

Carnival announced the cancellations many places...including their website. An email is ALWAYS generated advising all passengers of cancellation--it is automatic and done by manifest. If the person has no email' date=' they are phoned.[/quote']

 

See my experience detailed above.

[cruiserdad3boys]

newnew68;

 

The ship had to be fixed so 'does it seem right?' Yes.

 

If Carnival had additional contact information for you I am sure they would have used each contact method at least once.

 

Since your friends are having problems getting emails to you, perhaps you should consider a new email provider?

 

Paul...you have no heart.........I cannot believe that you posted this, you should be ashamed. The person's vacation is ruined and you basically say oh well?

 

Damn dude.

[cruiserdad3boys]

and titled "ESTA Notification". I want to ask everyone, does that look like a improtant email and from "Carnival"? Carnival is not even on anywhere in the mail, then there is this attachment. It really looks like a mail that contains virus. I am really puzzled how can they do this. I am very surprised not more people complaining about this. I won't be surprise if someone who assume everything is fine and just showed up at the port on 2/18.

 

Our email from Carnival came that way, we opened it and it was the letter like you stated on the information on my "Cruise from Hell - Carnival Destiny"

[cruiserdad3boys]

newnew68,

 

Class action? Carnival's cruise contract states;

 

 

 

Given the fact that Carnival OFFERED to refund 100% AND pay additional $$ for future cruise and to pay $$ for any airline reticketing charges, why would you feel a class action lawsuit is warranted? They went way beyond their contractural obligations in terms of returned $$ and they are actually out all revenue for the cancelled cruises plus the time and expense spent notifying every one plus the expense of repairing the vessel.

 

I realize I didn't come across as feeling sorry for you earlier, but I assure you I did feel sorry until the class action words....well the part where you wanted more earlier wasn't very pleasing either now that I think about it.

 

Do you work for Carnival? Seems like it.

[rdy4fun]

I was also booked on the Destiny through my travel agent and they notified me of the cancelation the day it was canceled. My flight and hotel, both non-refundable were already booked. I found a cruise out of Tampa on the Inspiration for the same dates and changed my flight, which was less than $200 to get changed, and I now have a room credit for the flight change plus the $75 credit for booking another cruise. I was lucky enough to get Expedia to credit me for the hotel room I had booked.

 

At first I was just sick about the cancelation but went to work and got everything changed and now I'm ready to cruise!

[Vanessa L]

Yes, a similar experience. I was booked on Carnival Elation, and my sailing was cancelled since it was the date chosen for the repositioning via Panama Canal to California. Carnival made a corporate decision to move the ship, and pulled the passenger manifest that day to create a list of those who needed to be contacted. Unfortunately no one cared to advise the call center that same day, or remove the ability to book that date online, and reservations continued for three additional days.

 

I only learned about the change because of CruiseCritic when someone mentioned they booked the Panama Canal voyage and they were so excited. It seemed like a sailing very close to what I had . . . not fully realizing just how 'close' it truly was. Aaack!

 

When I called later to see what needed to be done for rescheduling, I was informed I was not booked on the original sailing, despite being paid in full at time of booking. They were insistent I was confused. After more than a week of multiple calls and faxes to prove I was not a doofus, they realized their error (and it affected all pasengers booked over those three days).

 

The situation was resolved by someone way high on the 'food chain' at CCL, and she admitted they were glad I'd called and pushed the issue, since we had all fallen through a corporate crack. She could also see the notes taken on their end from my multiple calls, and was aware what I was repeately being told. A mirror image of the notes I'd been taking too.

 

In the end, the guest recovery done by CCL was very helpful. Very. :)

 

 

 

 

See my experience detailed above.

 

This was a tad different in as much as you were never even contacted to begin with. But I'm glad it worked out for you :) As it should for OP given that he has lost no money on anything other than maybe the hotel, assuming it was pre-paid, no refund (as most hotels only hold a credit card # to guarantee the res. not charge anything to it until arrival). While a PIA, he is out nothing as he will get a full refund on the cruise or another cruise with those funds with a $75 OBC. It's not like they cancelled it and said, "Hate it, no refund for you fella."