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

[DocJohnB]

Originally Posted by thunderbaycruiser View Post

If Carnival can have a PVP call you after you check some cruise prices on Carnival.com while "logged in" (one of the creepiest sales tactics I've encountered - big brother IS watching), then they can bloody well call when your cruise is cancelled! Add to this that a robo call could have been set up - they have zero excuse!

 

All the Carnival cheerleaders on here are down right hilarious! Carnival dropped the ball here plain and simple. It's not cheerleading to assume that an adult would pay attention to business.... A couple thousand people managed to "get the word" through the process.Those who didn't goofed up.

 

Those who didn't goofed up.

You want to explain that one to us G'ma (and try not to be condescending). Just how does a customer goof up by not getting "the word", if the supplier has not made all reasonable efforts to do so. By all that's holy, the supplier (Carnival) has to take some responsibility to ENSURE that the consumer is informed. And, how can one goof up by not receiving an email if one doesn't have an email account (believe it or not G'ma, that actually happens)

 

Face the facts people - Carnival's e-mails on bookings look like spam! None I've received have led me to think "spam"... Of course, I keep track......

This one makes absolutely no sense at all. You admit Carnival's emails on bookings look like spam, but none you have ever received made you think spam. Huh? Without opening an email, you have the ability to know what is or isn't spam even when the subject line is "spam"-like. It must be great to be you. But, us mere minions do not have this super(natural) power.

[thunderbaycruiser]

Oh G'ma. Always such cute responses!

 

YES, blame Carnival! Are you kidding me with this?

 

First of all, we have no idea how many passengers on the cancelled cruises handled this process as expertly as you imply. Not ALL the upset people would come here to vent their frustrations!

 

Secondly, I am glad to hear you 'keep track' so well. I, too, keep track. Heck, I even double check for legit e-mails in my 'Junk E-mail' folder before I empty it. Alas, not every user of e-mail is as diligent as we G'ma. Even some posters in this thread say they would easily confuse these e-mails with spam. I am a pretty smart IT cookie (kinda my career) and yes, I, even I, almost deleted a legit itin change.

 

The bottom line is this: Carnival (yes, them) could improve customer service by:

 

1. Adding a word or two to the subject line of tres tres important e-mails. Say... oh I dunno... CARNIVAL for starters! We have the technology... we CAN rebuild the subject line! (They could ask Royal how they do it in their spam e-mails)!

 

2. Turning on the robo call machine to, ya know, just let their valued customers know there is a BIG change coming to their vacation plans. Seems they already know how to turn on this robo caller for other purposes. Maybe at the water cooler in the morning PVP1 could ask PVP2 "Hey, did you turn the coffee maker on?" "Yes." "How 'bout the robo caller?" "Oh, thanks for reminding me."

 

So yes, the OP can vent AND blame Carnival for dropping the ball here.

 

By the sounds of it, two weeks of valuable time was lost here. That is Carnival's fault, not the OP's. A simple phone call and the OP would be disappointed changes had to be made, but not so upset with the cruiseline. When its so close to the sailing date, there is NO excuse for Carnival not to have gone the extra mile here. We all know how much more costly and difficult it can get to book something new on such short notice!

[happylady]

After I popped my popcorn and settled in to read this thread, I started thinking. Was this a legit post or a set up?? :rolleyes: The OP has only posted to this thread....so, is a set up to get the Carnival Board in an uproar or was he a lurker and finally had something to post about?? :confused: Just wondering????

 

You're kidding, right.

 

Oh no, that's right he is a first time poster with a complaint, so it can't be legitimate or he is a troll.

 

Give me a break!

 

If you read my post correctly, I questioned if it was true or not. I would be the first one to jump on his bandwagon if it is a legit complaint even if I believed him right or wrong, because he owns the right to complain since it's his situation not mine. I would defend his right.

 

Time permitting I try to read as many of the postings on this message board as I can. Very often I read posts where people are called "cry babies" because they complain if the cruise is redirected, changed or canceled. I usually agree with the OP and would be furious if it happened to me since our family has to plan and save and scrimp to take a cruise. But, I also understand there are often extenuating circumstances causing Carnival to make the changes. Not everyone can ask the boss for time off when ever they want. I work for one of the largest banks in the country and our method for scheduling time off is a nightmare. So, I'm not making light of his situation .... if he's legit.

[salty dingo]

I assume the OP is either a troll, or a simple-minded person who does not know how to use a phone or an email address.

 

I'm sure that if Carnival had some deficiency in the process of notifying people, we would all hear about it from lots of people.

 

Also, I'm betting that if the OP is for real, they booked through some discount TA that does not have much in the way of customer service.

[goodml]

I assume the OP is either a troll, or a simple-minded person who does not know how to use a phone or an email address.

 

I'm sure that if Carnival had some deficiency in the process of notifying people, we would all hear about it from lots of people.

 

Also, I'm betting that if the OP is for real, they booked through some discount TA that does not have much in the way of customer service.

 

Are you and G'ma siblings?:eek::rolleyes:

[DGP1111]

I assume the OP is either a troll, or a simple-minded person who does not know how to use a phone or an email address. . .

 

. . . Also, I'm betting that if the OP is for real, they booked through some discount TA that does not have much in the way of customer service.

 

See post # 115

[Crystalbast]

A month or so ago, due to work constraints, I had to cancel cruise to hawaii & rebook a shorter, replacement cruise. I did do final research here as to many lines/ships, including the Destiny. fyi, a search only revealed reports of missed ports in Nov/Dec. MY PVP said issues weren't related. I talked to other agents @ CCL & a couple TAs, all said the same thing. Right after i booked problems went up a notch. My PVP still insists it's a 'new' development that caused the drydock.:rolleyes:

 

Naturally, everybody should reconfirm travel arrangements several times before depature date. But should you really have to keep tabs on a cruiseline to make sure their ships are operating properly? IMO, it's both the guests' & the responsiblity of the provider to own up to mechanical issues on a ship & then send notice of cancellations to guest

 

I am not talking about specifically keeping tabs on a cruise line to make sure that their ships are operating properly. Keep an eye out on the news. Just on Cruise Critic alone it only takes 2 seconds to scan the headlines on the news section to see if there is a story of interest. :rolleyes:

 

For example, if you start to see a consistent theme of stories talking various mechanical problems on a ship that you have booked that should be sending out red flags.

 

I never assume that a trip will always go as planned. **** happens. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have, the easier it is to adapt and adjust when things go to hell in a hand basket. :D

[POTOMACRUISER]

they are whiners and complainers, but, gosh, even if it happens to one..whadda we thinking?

G'ma got a clever answer?

[chachi]

So they are so dumb therefore they supposed to waste their time and money, and for sure going through this unpleasant experience? Do you think I have a problem with the ship needs to be fixed? No, I don't. My problem is that they should find other ways to inform people than just simply rely on email. A phone call, and an old fashion letter would have worked. It is their mistake, and it really shouldn't have happened. I check my mail all the time, I have an iphone. Even I did receive this email, I might not have opened it.

 

I would be really upset if this happened too, but I would not expect them to call 2000 people. We provide email addresses to them to stay connected. I am sure those without email did get a call.

[Vanessa L]

There is still something amiss here......OP says he booked with Carnival direct. The website Carnival or through a PVP? Regardless the answer is the same, the website requires you to put in a telephone number as part of the reservation process. A PVP would ask for a phone number (my PVP has 3 numbers she can reach me by). I refuse to believe that this person got one spam looking email and that was it. And no call, nothing. As others have pointed out (and since we know many more people find this site when they are pissed off than when the are you know, actually RESEARCHING a vacation), how is it that hundreds and hundreds of people have not shown up here raising all sorts of Cain about this "lack of communication"? This is such a rogue post that, while I do believe this is an actual person and not just a troll trying to stir up problems, I do not believe that we are hearing the ENTIRE story. I think he dropped the ball and is trying to place blame elsewhere because coming on here and posting, "I dropped the ball, I'm such an idiot," might require more humility than he has.

[Mikel1733]

I assume the OP is either a troll, or a simple-minded person who does not know how to use a phone or an email address.

 

I'm sure that if Carnival had some deficiency in the process of notifying people, we would all hear about it from lots of people.

 

Also, I'm betting that if the OP is for real, they booked through some discount TA that does not have much in the way of customer service.

 

So after all the posts and discussion this is your interpretation of this thread? wow..........I would have expected much more from you at this point.

[cristaljoy]

i was just on destiny (jan 11th 2010)

 

and can completely recommend no one sail on this ship, reservations or not, carnival ripping you off or not, DONT GO!

 

 

(Dennis in the dining room is an exception)

[cristaljoy]

G'ma scares me

 

very crusty dried out responses

 

but then again,

 

i'm so very bourgeois

[salty dingo]

So after all the posts and discussion this is your interpretation of this thread? wow..........I would have expected much more from you at this point.

At this point in the thread? I just speak whatever is on my mind. Advice that is worth every penny you paid for it :D!

 

The main point is that I see no evidence on these boards that Carnival is slacking off on the notifications. This one person probably had a good reason they were not notified but we don't know what it is, so we are left to speculate about trolls and elves and reindeer, etc.

[Mikel1733]

At this point in the thread? I just speak whatever is on my mind. Advice that is worth every penny you paid for it :D!

 

The main point is that I see no evidence on these boards that Carnival is slacking off on the notifications. This one person probably had a good reason they were not notified but we don't know what it is, so we are left to speculate about trolls and elves and reindeer, etc.

 

Well I respectfully disagree. There is no reason to not believe the OP. I believe when you spend literally thousands of dollars on a vacation why you would think the OP is only entitled to an email response in case the cruise is canceled? I can think of no other product where someone spends this kind of money and you think so little is expected of the company who provides the product. All I can say is until you are on the receiving end of this you won't ever understand.

[Mikel1733]

At this point in the thread? I just speak whatever is on my mind. Advice that is worth every penny you paid for it :D!

 

 

Well I would hope that when we offer advice on this forum we only do it if we feel we believe it ourselves and and feel it benefits the members. I never put a price on my opinion.........but I never give it unless I hope it means something to someone.

[cristaljoy]

Well I respectfully disagree. There is no reason to not believe the OP. I believe when you spend literally thousands of dollars on a vacation why you would think the OP is only entitled to an email response in case the cruise is canceled? I can think of no other product where someone spends this kind of money and you think so little is expected of the company who provides the product. All I can say is until you are on the receiving end of this you won't ever understand.

 

 

Exactly.

 

Specifically.

 

Correct.

[bplazo]

Well, I certainly would expect at least a phone call if my cruise was cancelled a couple weeks before sailing. I would want them to explain what my options were and offer suggestions.

[keishashadow]

I am not talking about specifically keeping tabs on a cruise line to make sure that their ships are operating properly. Keep an eye out on the news. Just on Cruise Critic alone it only takes 2 seconds to scan the headlines on the news section to see if there is a story of interest. :rolleyes:

 

For example, if you start to see a consistent theme of stories talking various mechanical problems on a ship that you have booked that should be sending out red flags.

 

I never assume that a trip will always go as planned. **** happens. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have, the easier it is to adapt and adjust when things go to hell in a hand basket. :D

 

oh, it happens in buckets:D, yet im of the mind that if i do plan well; the little bumps in the road will be less frequent.

 

red flags were raised in my research. i went to the source (CCL) a couple times & told all was well/not related/no problem & therein is the rub for me. Don't **** a ****er kwim? All they needed to do was identify the problem, acknowledge it & rectify it ASAP. Worrisome to think that the sales staff wasn't kept in the loop or given faulty info to deal with consumers. I don't fault corporate for the issue, but i do the response.

 

When i talked to PVP yesterday to upgrade my cabin to a wrap (woo-hoo) he said (off the record) it was very difficult & embarrassing to only be able to relay the info they were given. Interestingly, many of the Miami PVPs are going to be sailing on the special 2 day itinerary as they needed to fill the ship. After the crap they had to deal with, they deserve a quick trip imo.

[JRock59]

My daughter's high school principal calls us about one a week with an announcement. The school has a robo-calling machine which auto-dials and plays a recording. If you don't answer, your voice mail gets the recording.

 

I know for a fact these machines are cheap. Even free - I have a PBX called Asterisk at home, and it can robo-call if I wanted it to! It was free (except for my time setting it up.)

 

So, my point is, why on earth would Carnival not robo-call everyone on the sailing that was cancelled in addition to email?

 

Now, if they did try to call and the OP does not have a phone or does not have voice mail, I have no sympathy at all!

 

 

 

Well said! I've been wondering about this as I've read this board. Did the OP have an answering machine? Or alternate phone number. If not can we really asking Carnival to call again and again until some one is available to answer the phone? Come on OP come back and update us.

[cruisebie]

The bottom line is this: Carnival (yes, them) could improve customer service by:

 

1. Adding a word or two to the subject line of tres tres important e-mails. Say... oh I dunno... CARNIVAL for starters! We have the technology... we CAN rebuild the subject line! (They could ask Royal how they do it in their spam e-mails)!

 

2. Turning on the robo call machine to, ya know, just let their valued customers know there is a BIG change coming to their vacation plans. Seems they already know how to turn on this robo caller for other purposes. Maybe at the water cooler in the morning PVP1 could ask PVP2 "Hey, did you turn the coffee maker on?" "Yes." "How 'bout the robo caller?" "Oh, thanks for reminding me."

 

 

Exactly. Carnival already has the mystical power to send e-mails showing who they're from. Every e-mail I get advertising the latest one-day sale shows that the sender is Carnival. When I switched cabins on one of my cruises, the confirmation came from CabinConfirmations-Carnival dot com. So it obviously can and should be done.

 

And it's not unreasonable to expect more than one form of contact for such an important change. Fire up the robo-caller, Carnival.

 

I do have to say, though, that the OP bears some responsibility for not being informed. When I received an e-mail about an itinerary change for one of my cruises, the sender was IRBFAXetc, but the subject line said IMPORTANT NOTICE-ITINERARY CHANGE. The word itinerary tipped me off right away that this was about my cruise. It obviously would have been clearer if the sender was Carnival instead of IRBFAXblah,blah,blah but a moment's scrutiny was enough for me to realize who it was from.

 

The OP had my sympathy until he/she started talking class action suit. At that point he/she began to seem like just another person who wants something for nothing.

[salty dingo]

The OP had my sympathy until he/she started talking class action suit. At that point he/she began to seem like just another person who wants something for nothing.

Yep, just another pathetic loser who thinks they were done wrong when they were the one at fault. Carnival DID notify ALL passengers. If the passenger did not receive the notification, it's not their fault.

 

If someone mails you a letter and it gets stolen out of your mailbox, do you threaten to sue the sender? That is exactly what is happening here.

[alwayshappytocruise]

Yep, just another pathetic loser who thinks they were done wrong when they were the one at fault. Carnival DID notify ALL passengers. If the passenger did not receive the notification, it's not their fault.

 

If someone mails you a letter and it gets stolen out of your mailbox, do you threaten to sue the sender? That is exactly what is happening here.

 

That is brrrr cold thinking.............pathetic loser?

Come on Dingo, please tell me you were being sarcastic........please??!!

[MamaParrotHead]

We booked Glory a long way out, and when Dream "came to town", they kicked Glory from Pt. Canaveral to Miami AND switched up some of the ports. We had a large group, 50 of us. Half of us were NEVER informed officially of the switch, never received an email, a phone call, NOTHING. They only way they found out was through those of us who were notified.

 

Doesn't surprise me, unfortunately.

[TheDINGOateMyBaybay!]

YES! You know, this really gets me. I work for an airline, and when a flight cancels with time to spare, you get a recorded call to you phone with updated info regarding your flight and what actions you should take. This is a lot more of an investment than just an airline ticket and they (they ones taking your money) should treat it that way!

 

Funny, the double standards.

 

So what you are saying is that they should have email,called,and snail mailed every passenger on every sailing available or should I say affected by the cancellation?

 

 

Steve