Is Carnival Splendor Compensation Fair?

[Chigirlcruzin]

Military. Sub personnel getting 7 days in a row during the first 2-4 years is a miracle!

 

And sorry if I'm pissed. There was a lot of planning that went into this trip including an additional $1500 on my part that I won't get back. It took me 10 years to sail on a Carnival ship after my sister was raped by a crew member (which Carnival blatantly ignored and "swept under the rug") and I'd finally thought I'd forgiven them but two canceled cruises in one year may be my breaking point.

 

And by back-up boat I meant a similar boat running the same or similar cruises (7 day versus 8 day, etc.) that these people could go on. There is NOTHING on the Carnival website for Mexico during this time except the comparably crappy 3-4 day Baja cruises. There is ONE OTHER cruising the same week as our cruise and they are now trying to get over $1,000 for an interior cabin?! Ridiculous. So literally all of these people have to completely change their plans with absolutely no back-up options unless they expect us to fork over $750 for an interior cabin.

 

Ahh...that makes sense.

 

You have every right to be upset, and I'm sorry your cruise has been cancelled, though I don't understand why you are out $1500. I'm sorry about what happened to your sister.

 

You're right, there is no other ship doing a similar run. The market for the west coast is limited due to limited ports. In fact, Royal Caribbean is pulling out of the market altogether come January. Is there any chance you could switch to the Mariner? Don't know if that ship is sold out or not...

[FLACRUISER99]

Fair? No, much more than fair. They went the extra mile. I agree!!!!

 

It is fair.

I agree 150% all of the whiners must be folks that haven't found out that life is not fair. All the folks on the canceled cruises entered into a contract that said they would get 0$ extra if this happened and are getting this great offer.

[pulledporky]

Wonder how many opinions would be different if in fact your cruise was cancelled?

 

Originally booked Nov 14th. After "getting over it" I rebooked for Feb 6th at the same rate ($0 extra charge). They said any WC cruise for the next 75 days were available for rebooking at locked in rate (except Holiday cruises, which is a moot point now) - very thin inventory though. I gotta think they'll open up the 75 day window.

 

...and I'm thinking %25 off an Alaska cruise would pay for most of the airfare.

[Bo Didly]

]Wonder how many opinions would be different if in fact your cruise was cancelled?[/b]

 

Originally booked Nov 14th. After "getting over it" I rebooked for Feb 6th at the same rate ($0 extra charge). They said any WC cruise for the next 75 days were available for rebooking at locked in rate (except Holiday cruises' date=' which is a moot point now) - very thin inventory though. I gotta think they'll open up the 75 day window.

 

...and I'm thinking %25 off an Alaska cruise would pay for most of the airfare.[/quote']

 

 

If my cruise had been canceled I wouldn't even bother posting that info here.

I would have kept it private and dealt direct with Carnival .

Just read the chit chat here, something else isn't it.

[jebuell]

Ahh...that makes sense.

 

You have every right to be upset, and I'm sorry your cruise has been cancelled, though I don't understand why you are out $1500. I'm sorry about what happened to your sister.

 

You're right, there is no other ship doing a similar run. The market for the west coast is limited due to limited ports. In fact, Royal Caribbean is pulling out of the market altogether come January. Is there any chance you could switch to the Mariner? Don't know if that ship is sold out or not...

 

Thanks for understanding and being polite about it. :)

 

I don't understand why all the ships are leaving the West Coast! The Elation pulled out last year, too (I went on two of the last cruises they offered). I would think they would at least offer something out of San Diego but they don't anymore (or didn't as of last April when the Elation left). In the Caribbean you have 2-3 ships to choose from that go to virtually the same place (though usually in a different order or for different amounts of time). I know it's colder here this time of the year than it is in the Caribbean but we need love on the West Coast, too!!!

 

This cruise was for a wedding that is now canceled. Not mine but I put a rush order on something I'm getting because of the wedding so it would get here in time and now it really doesn't matter but it's too late to cancel it. I know that's my bad for waiting until a month before to do it but still makes me mad!

 

And I should clarify that the whole rape thing was a problem a lot of cruise lines had back in the 90s. My sister belongs to a whole support group of young girls (she was 15 at the time) who had something similar happen on a cruise ship. So this isn't something that is a Carnival-only thing, though I will admit I harbor a lot resentment about the way they handled it. From what I understand they are way more stringent on their hiring practices and keeping guests and crew segregated.

 

But still... two canceled cruises in one year. Yeah, I'm whiny!

[StillPooh]

Today's news, that additional Carnival Splendor cruises would need to be cancelled (next sailing: January 11, 2011) was probably not a big surprise to many of us who figured the fire damage was pretty severe. What was a surprise to us at Cruise Critic though was the compensation offered: full refund, plus transportation costs (fair and appropriate) and 25 percent off a future cruise (that seems chintzy).

 

The 25 percent off seems particularly stingy for people who are booked for close-in cruises, not to mention for holiday sailings. Plus there's nothing comparable to the Splendor itinerary (Carnival Paradise does short cruises from L.A. and holiday prices are pretty high already) so West Coast pax have to head east for the better 7-night deals.

 

What do you think? Vote -- and vent -- below.

I don't have a dog in this fight (no sailing booked on Splendor), but I do think it very odd for an editor at Cruise Critic to publicly voice such a blatantly biased opinion.

[Haoie]

I'm glad I didn't fly in just for the cruise [i'm from New Zealand].

 

Still, that 25% wouldn't really count to much - I still want to go on a ship, and all the prices have gone up about that much as it is.

[missabbi]

I think it's very fair.

[drakes2]

I think it's fair. Back in April of 2006, we were booked on the Star Princess when there was a fire onboard two weeks before our sailing. We got a full refund of the cruise price plus 25% off a future cruise with Princess. What we opted to do is keep our airfare and chose the same itinerary and dates on RCI. As soon as I heard of the fire, I put a hold on a cabin and kept extending the hold until we had confirmation that all future Caribbean sailings were cancelled. RCI were very accomodating and we had the best holiday ever.

Wonder how many opinions would be different if in fact your cruise was cancelled?

 

Originally booked Nov 14th. After "getting over it" I rebooked for Feb 6th at the same rate ($0 extra charge). They said any WC cruise for the next 75 days were available for rebooking at locked in rate (except Holiday cruises, which is a moot point now) - very thin inventory though. I gotta think they'll open up the 75 day window.

 

...and I'm thinking %25 off an Alaska cruise would pay for most of the airfare.

[CrusinCyndi]

Yes, it's fair.

 

I also would have been making alternative plans, without waiting for Carnival's announcement.

 

Are some actually surprised? :confused:

 

Does anyone know what the compensation was for the cruisers, waiting in NY, for the Titanic for its return trip?

 

(1/11 is the last canceled date, BTW)

 

OMG Mr. Pete....too funny..I love it

[MargaritaPlease]

I think they've gone beyond what they were obligated to do. They're losing a fortune.

[*Mach*]

On the contrary i think thats a very good idea.

Why do you think it's not. How many vehicles do you have in your garage ;).

 

 

The Splendor is a $697,000,000 ship. With the exception of the federal government I can't imagine any organization that could afford keeping an investment like that idle...

:)

[Blyton]

Certainly these are the things that happen, and no one is to blame. But offering to re-book on another voyage without the airfare differential--not such a sweet deal. And more than that--25% off what price? I regularly pay a lot more than that off of Carnival's published prices, which is why I don't book through them. So the discount...hmmm...I dunno. A refund of their expenses (cruise fare paid and airfare) is about what people can expect I think, and that's what they're getting. btw--what about people who prepaid hotel rooms through sites like Expedia?

[MrPete]

The Splendor is a $697,000,000 ship. With the exception of the federal government I can't imagine any organization that could afford keeping an investment like that idle...

 

:)

 

 

Not to mention I NEVER use my Big Wheel for income.

[MrPete]

Certainly these are the things that happen, and no one is to blame. But offering to re-book on another voyage without the airfare differential--not such a sweet deal. And more than that--25% off what price? I regularly pay a lot more than that off of Carnival's published prices, which is why I don't book through them. So the discount...hmmm...I dunno. A refund of their expenses (cruise fare paid and airfare) is about what people can expect I think, and that's what they're getting. btw--what about people who prepaid hotel rooms through sites like Expedia?

 

The discount is always off the best price you can find.

[jebuell]

I just thought of something... that 25% credit- is that per person or per cabin?

[Bo Didly]

The Splendor is a $697,000,000 ship. With the exception of the federal government I can't imagine any organization that could afford keeping an investment like that idle...

 

:)

 

 

Um ,Mach . I was just trying to get Pete to admit his garage was full of crap :D

 

Of course it's not feasible .

[*Mach*]

I just thought of something... that 25% credit- is that per person or per cabin?

 

 

Our discount from our seven day cruise to Cozumel on the Conquest was per person. I suspect this is the same.

:)

[dolphinwyo]

Fair or not -depends - can anyone clarify - so we pick another week, can apply the 25% discount, and pay the difference (or have a credit) for any difference. Or can you pick another week and go straight across the board - for example OV to OV on a 7 day cruise? If you can pick another week price locked at what you already paid - that seems fair...paying more - not so much...considering we were booked in at ES cheap rate and now that isn't available.

[MrPete]

I just thought of something... that 25% credit- is that per person or per cabin?

 

Mathematically, it would be the same.

[Jerseyboy1]

I am curious....why are the Cruise Critic editors so critical of Carnival (chintzy?...stingy?)? As a cruise website for ALL cruise lines don't you think you should be more impartial? :rolleyes: IMO this poll and the opinion expressed by the editor is just another example of that attitude.

 

I have voted...and vented....:cool:

 

Though I have no horse in this race, I have also voted that I think it is fair. Carnival's going to lose a ton of money on this. As far as the impartiality of CC is concerned, I wonder if people here can guess which line they favor...LOL...

[firefly333]

I just thought of something... that 25% credit- is that per person or per cabin?

 

It is per person, not per cabin. i.e. I go solo on a cruise, its 25% off the entire fare at 200% (I asked about ours at 20% off).

 

If I choose to go with someone who did not get the discount, it only applies to my fare, not theirs.

 

Its 20% off any rate advertised, senior, military, ES whatever you choose to book in the next 2 years.

[mcwebber]

Depending on the passenger's situation, it may be fair. An international traveler, no, it's not fair.

[jimbo5544]

I don't have a dog in this fight (no sailing booked on Splendor), but I do think it very odd for an editor at Cruise Critic to publicly voice such a blatantly biased opinion.

It might be odd, but it surely is not new. ;)

[jebuell]

Mathematically, it would be the same.

 

Only if the people you were cruising with are the same people you plan on cruising with in the future. Several of the groups I would be cruising with were friends cruising together. So if it were per cabin, all but one of them (probably the person who actually did the booking) wouldn't get a discount at all unless they could somehow coordinate another trip together.

 

I figured it was per person but wanted to make sure before I called up the person I was cruising with and tell them they're getting a 25% discount on their next cruise since I figure we probably won't be cruising together again anytime soon. :(