Our letter to Carnival afte the Legend Disaster

[jrmende63]

What ? Really? You think you need a refund?? REALLY?? Please do us the favor and NOT sail Carnival again! Petty things :eek:just petty!

[happy cruzer]

Well it seems better then telling her over and over what a horrible letter she wrote. I actually get paid to write complaint letter responses and I guess I was more emphatic to the OP's complaints. And I would have responded to the letter I wrote in a more sympathetic manner vs the one she wrote, which would have gotten more "canned" response.

 

Sorry you find that offensive.

 

Any complaint that takes that much explaining is not worth talking about.

 

Plus where did you ask for the full refund:eek:

 

I know you were trying to help but the OP obviously is used to complaining to get stuff that how she started her cruise looking for her free gift. It probably works sometimes. Someone posted on another board that it often looked as though cruisers were hoping for problems to complain about to get free stuff, could it be??? To include a 4 dollar issue in a letter that asks for a full refund???

[cherbear4000]

If I worked for Carnival and received that letter, I would just assume that the OP is one of those people that will complain about everything and anything to try to get something for free. Like the type of person that will eat an entire meal at a restaurant, not leaving anything on the plate, and then complain to the manager and demand their meal for free.

[Danacat222]

Where's the disaster part? You were on a CRUISE.

 

 

Ship sinking = disaster.

[pai1762]

Gerry Cahill, CEO

Carnival Cruise Lines November 2, 2011

3655 NW 87th Ave

Miami FL 33178

 

RE: Carnival Legend 10/23/11-10/30/11

 

Dear Mr. Cahill:

Please let me begin by saying this was not our first cruise, so my expectations of Carnival were reasonable, based upon previous experience. This was my husband's 8th cruise, and mine and my children's 2nd.

My family and I have just returned from a cruise aboard the Legend, out of Tampa, Florida, running from October 23 thru October 30, 2011.

Our disappointing experience actually began back before we ever left. My spouse had previously(at least 5 times) asked that notations be made on his past guest information page that he wanted "no solicitation calls, no follow up calls, no additional calls" at all. Those requests seemed to have never been honored, as we received yet another call at 4:07pm Eastern time on Friday, October 7th, 2011, from the 305 area code Carnival number in Miami. We were in an inappropriate place to receive a phone call, but nevertheless, didn't want to be rude, unlike the caller from Carnival. She proceeded to question us about travel insurance, and the proper way to print off our sailing documents. Even after I told her I had already done so, she continued to talk rudely, with pushiness, even after being told we were not in a place to discuss our vacation. After being asked for her supervisor, she hung up on us. I then placed a return call, at 4:15pm, to the toll free Carnival number, held on for quite some time, and eventually, asked for and was connected to a supervisor. I explained in detail to this supervisor the manner in which we had both been spoken to, the insistence of the Carnival staff member to solicit us for additional insurance, the rudeness and pushiness of the caller, and the way in which she hung up on us upon our request for her supervisor. The supervisor apologized, and stated that she would make certain that there was either an on-board credit applied to our booking, or that "something nice" would be in our cabin upon our arrival.

Upon our arrival, there was no credit, nor was there anything waiting for us in the cabin. We assumed the staff would keep their word, so allowed a day for something to show up, which never occurred. We visited "Guest Services (Ben)" on Monday, 10/24, explaining the above. He said he would email home office, have them look into in, and get back to us. That night, we received a voice mail from Ben, stating that I would need to provide additional info, such as dates, times, and all the names of the people to whom I had spoken. I returned to "Guest Services"(I use that term lightly), and provided the dates and times, although I did not keep the names. I personally felt that your records should indicate who called us, and who the supervisor was that I had spoken with. Once again, I was told that an email would be sent to home office, to research our "claims". After not hearing back for 3 days, I returned again to Guest Services, spoke with the manager there, who indicated there had been no response from home office, but they would continue to follow up. On Friday night, 10/28, I received another voice mail from the service desk, stating that there was no record of the above mentioned calls, and that unless I could provide proof, there would be no credit or cabin gift.

This incident alone would have been enough aggravation, but it was just the tip of the iceberg.

Also, in the week prior to leaving, I again called the toll free number, inquiring about Halloween events, as our cruise dates included the weekend before Halloween(Friday night the 28th and Saturday night, the 29th), which are normal Halloween party nights for both adults and children when Halloween falls on a Monday. I was informed there would be something called "frightening fun" and that we should bring our costumes. Your staff member stated that holidays are celebrated 10 days before and after a holiday. Imagine our surprise when upon arrival, there was not a single Halloween pumpkin or decoration. As the week went on, and no mention of any events was made, I asked at Guest Services, only to be told there would be "no Halloween events on this cruise". Why were we told otherwise, by the staff in Miami, when we called? Do they take great pleasure in disappointing your guests, and causing grief for the ship’s crew?

On Sunday evening, it became visible that there was a tropical disturbance brewing. We as guests were told Monday afternoon that due to the storm we had continued to drive toward all night, we would be completely changing our itineraries, rescheduling and cancelling ports while we dodged the storm. If our safety was truly a factor, why was the decision not made on Sunday, and we not re-routed to the Eastern Caribbean, so that we could actually enjoy a full week of vacation? On Tuesday, we visited Belize, (which was scheduled for Wednesday originally). On Wednesday, we visited Cozumel, (which was scheduled for Tuesday originally), which consisted of viewing boarded up buildings, frantic citizens, and closed/cancelled excursions. It was a waste to even stop there. On Wednesday, we went to Progreso, which was not even one of our original destinations. There is no feeling in the world that compares with being dumped into a dirty city street, with no clue as to what is around, no excursions to take, other than the overpriced "Beach Resort" type offered by Carnival, (which truly equated what you could have done if you stayed on the ship, as far as pool, booze, and food). Our remaining ports were completely cancelled (Roatan Honduras and the Caymans), and we spent the last 2 and 1/2 days swimming around in the water, being held hostage in an obvious attempt to increase alcohol and casino sales, being bored, insulted by staff, and having a horrible time.

Several incidents occurred during the trip that caused us concern:

The comedy show: We as parents felt that our children were mature enough to attend with us. After getting settled with drinks, (and as the show was beginning) the manager "Deanne" told us we had to leave. This was not only embarrassing, but costly. A staff member should have been stopping guests at the door, and if it is a Carnival policy to decide what kids can and cannot attend, acting as Big Brother, not letting the parents decide, they should have that policy in hand for guests to review, and not allow families to come in, get settled, then get thrown out. The Marriage Game, rated 18 and over, also disallowed teenagers, yet they re-broadcast it over and over on the cabin tv. How does that make sense?

Additionally, this same staff member, Deanne (Dee) was seen hassling two elderly guests using wheelchairs/walkers, who wanted to view the comedy show. Every time she was seen, she seemed very hateful, and that she was being inconvenienced by the guests. After witnessing that, we avoided any events she was involved in, if it was possible.

Later in the week, Dee ran a family scavenger hunt. Our children ran all over the ship, collecting the needed information. Upon returning the Legends, my spouse got in line for her to grade our collection of answers, at which time she stopped grading individually (she had graded 5 sheets so far), and allowed the rest of the guests to score their own. She then looked over a young man’s papers, said aloud "oh, that answer is not right but close, we will give you that one for being close"...three times, then awarded that teenager and his brothers with the awards. Mind you, it is not the issue of the plastic award, it’s the issue of following rules that Carnival set up. She follows what she states are “Carnival’s rules” regarding the comedy show, but fails to follow rules she explained when it came to the scavenger hunt she was running. I questioned her about it after the hunt was completed and people dissipated, and she stated that “if I felt my kids needed trophies, she could hunt up a couple”. The issue was why are there rules in place if your own staff decides which ones to follow and which ones to bend, and why are some kids chosen over others; is it based upon their looks, or what grade cabin they are staying in? A verbal exchange followed, to which your staff member stalked me out of Legends, thru the Casino, yelling behind me “what is your name, what is your name”. Eventually, she said “I know who you are already”. I didn’t go on vacation to feel threatened, nor waste my time and money. Therefore, my husband and I went to Guest Services, and asked to speak to the Cruise Director. We explained the situation to Wee Jimmy, who offered us 6 complimentary drink tickets (by the way, the Thirsty Frog Red beer was pretty good). He did provide two plastic ships. This again was not the issue. He explained that this was Deanne’s first cruise, and that she had been with them 6 weeks. He asked us to please not judge Carnival simply based upon her actions. During this meeting, I also asked Wee Jimmy about the lack of Halloween events. He blamed it on Corporate, saying they were not permitted to have any until Halloween. Within 24 hours, he makes an announcement about an impromptu costume party…why bother if it’s a guest who has to suggest it, and then its thrown together at the last minute…???

After several days of playing games in the game room, I called the front desk to find out where to get tokens replaced, as many of the machines took tokens and didn’t work properly (the EA Sports Golf Game, the Candy Crane game, the Paintball game, the Air Hockey machine ((no puck after putting in money)), and the Balance the ball game. I was told to go to the Casino. I did that, explained to the girl at the window, who referred me to another man who I had to explain it to again, who referred me to a 3rd man who stated he was the Casino manager, and why hadn’t I come to him sooner, and that I had to immediately follow him to the game room to point out which machines were the problem. My response was this…”No, I won’t go there with you right now, and I didn’t come right away because “Guest Services” said it was no big deal, just to drop by the Casino.” I was on vacation, and that doesn’t mean I have to jump when the casino manager says to jump! All of this over $4.00 worth of lost tokens! I had to be questioned by three people over $4.00 worth of tokens? And you call this a vacation, and that guests are supposed to be treated to the time of their lives? Instead your staff treated me like a common criminal over $4.00 worth of tokens?

Overall, the service in Truffles, during the “Your time” dining, was quite poor. It seems the servers lose track of tables when they are all at different stages. I personally feel two hours for that service is too long. One meal we waited almost an hour just for the appetizers.

The selection of food on the buffet was quite limited, more times than not. Raw roast beef, bleeding all over, is not appetizing. Several buffet lines closed while over 40 people waited in one line at the Unicorn. All I can say is “Thank goodness for the deli and the pizza bar”. Desserts that looked like wet sponges and tasted like a wet sponge smells. Totally disgusting! After excursions, hungry guests return to hot dogs and hamburgers. I can cook that at home, and that is a low cost food item, not something I expected to be given most often. The Eggs Benedict on the buffet was served on English muffins that one couldn’t cut with a knife, no less chew. Three days into the cruise, they started rationing the bacon, two slices per person.

The past guest party should included edible food. Two of the three appetizers served were on a piece of bread that we could not even bite thru. Maybe the majority of the past guests only go for the free booze. Yes, we did appreciate the free drink.

We attended one trivia event that no staff member ever showed up for, so eventually, everyone sitting around waiting left, grumbling. We attended another where the staff member left half way thru, leaving the guests to score and eliminate themselves from the competition of bean bag toss, as Deeane once again showed her lack of guest concern and customer service. She returned two rounds later. Also, why were the pools all closed at 7PM on Saturday night(except for Serenity)?

Overall, a very disappointing experience, and one I doubt we will attempt again through Carnival. It is truly a shame, as my husband has raved for years about how wonderful everything was, how great the service was, the staff, the food, etc. Our older children and their spouses were going to join us in the Spring for a family cruise, but after this experience, I find that unlikely.

If you indeed wish to retain us as customers in the future, I would expect that you remedy our unhappiness with a prompt refund. Only then would we write this off as “one bad apple” and try again on a Carnival Ship.

Please feel free to contact myself or my husband at any time, if you wish to discuss our concerns. If we fail to hear from you, we will assume you, much like the crew on the Legend, do not care about loyal customers.

I look forward to hearing from you promptly.

Lets wait and see if and when they respond! Will keep you posted!

 

Hay lady I want you to pay me for the time I lost reading this crap. I have bin on the Legend 3 times this year and the one thing I do know is that weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Jimmy would not put up with any crap from his crew and for The comedy show: read your fun times for shows for kids. Are you shure you had 2 1/2 days at sea I beleave you went to Jamaica and to Grand Turk that was on ther site

I think you are nuts get a life just saying you had a bad time will NOT get your money back. 3 times on the Legend I don't have any thing bad to say about the ship or her crew ...

[Relayer]

Wow! What a gosh awful, really bad, miserable, nasty, time!

 

I have sailed with CCL now for some years and I have never, ever recieved a call from them post booking for anything. I keep hoping for the upsell call but nada. The one call I do receive is after the cruise inquiring about booking he next one. That's it.

 

I do not consider myself a "CCL cheerleader". If I am asked I will tell you that my personal experiences with them have been nothing short of solidly good. Maybe because I can't get around the beautiful sea, sunshine, interesting ports of call, pleasant cruise mates, my family and time together, plentiful decent food, naps and being grateful to be able to do so.;)

[Cruisingzs]

Where's the disaster part? You were on a CRUISE.

 

 

Ship sinking = disaster.

 

I was actually on RCCL Monarch of the Seas 13 years ago. We hit a coral reef in the middle of the night backing out of St Martin after dropping off a sick passenger. It ripped a 60 foot gash in the front of the ship. We had to abandon ship at 2:30 in the morning. It was one of the best cruises I've taken! We made lemonade out of lemonade, got a cab and toured St Martin before we were flown out! Life is what you make it- even a ship wreck!!!

 

BTW- we were on the first sailing on the Monarch out of dry dock. Same cabin, too! LOL!

[Royalty X]

And you have a spectacular attitude towards life from the sounds of your above post! Good for you, and hope your face healed well! :)

 

Dee

Wait a sec, are you the same "Dee" the OP mentions in her letter...? :D

 

Seriously though, the OP didn't get the fruit basket she was expecting, so what makes her think she'll get a refund? LOL!

[italianfemmy]

Wait a sec, are you the same "Dee" the OP mentions in her letter...? :D

 

!

 

Lol when she posted earlier, I thought this too. I thought it was too soon to joke about though. Haha. So funny that you did!

[rybreadsmomshubby]

Too long too boring, guarantee it will be thrown in the trash JMHO.....heck I got lost after your expected gift....

That's where I gave up. :D

 

What's wrong with people? If some stranger calls and you don't wish to talk with them then hang up (after politely saying goodbye, if you feel so inclined). And then you felt "aggravation" because you went hunting for a freebie. Please.

 

Next. :rolleyes:

[honestguy]

for all you that were against the increase in tipping think about the crew having to deal with this lady for 7 days seriously. they earn every penny. I wonder how some people make it through life:rolleyes:

[italianfemmy]

for all you that were against the increase in tipping think about the crew having to deal with this lady for 7 days seriously. they earn every penny. I wonder how some people make it through life:rolleyes:

 

So glad you posted here so I can say I am not a troll. Seems you're finding every tipping thread just to "troll" your way through them. That thread was locked so I wasn't able to respond to you by the time I checked the thread.

 

Read what I said a couple of pages earlier in this thread and you will see that it's not my intent at all. I actually take the time to write well thought out replies most of the time. I do research before posting. I don't post off of emotion. I post based off of logic. Have a wonderful evening.

[GPoll189]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, oh sorry everyone I fell asleep at the computer on this one. Long letter to corporate asking for the whole cruise to be refunded I have to shake my head. People like this that are looking for a free handout give other passengers a bad name.

 

During cruises there are times I am not happy with the service, do I go complaining to customer service, the answer is no. I have the crew the chance to change in the coming days. After the cruise I give a summary about my feelings of the cruise in the survey. This his how I let the line know if I am happy or sad. Never once did I ask for reimbursement for something I didn't like. Now a days everyone wants a piece of the pie. That is one reason the United States and the World is where it is.

[Princesss]

Sounds like you had a bee in your bonnet way before you even got on the cruise

that is hillarious !

[Duncarob]

What a ridiculous letter. No one at Carnival will ever take this letter seriously. OP where did you go? You come across in the letter as just a total whiner. And the demand for a full refund for these petty issues is just laughable. Give me a break!

[Princesss]

If you indeed wish to retain us as customers in the future, I would expect that you remedy our unhappiness with a prompt refund. Only then would we write this off as “one bad apple” and try again on a Carnival Ship.

 

Is that a threat or a promise ?

Is this for real ?

You answered your phone when it rang, so you feel deserving of something free , so you spent the rest of the cruise at the guest services desk ?? does your phoe not have a little "end call " button ?

Past guest party should not have had only appetizers ? Why ? Was the rest of the ship out of food ?

Your kids played a game but you were worried Carnival did not stick to the original rules ? at least you got free drink coupons for that , congratulations that worked out in your favor..

No costume party ? ohhh, the torture ! wait, they did have a costume party after all ? and you're mad about that too ?

By the way, do you think the C E O reads any random letter addressed to him ? I guarantee you he has underlings to do that, and from the way it sounds, I bet they are all laughing at that letter & passing it around & making copies of it, like we would in our office !! If I were them I would be like "good riddence !"

[lizwil10]

You ruined your own vacation, lady.

[Fascinationfinatic]

The Royal Caribbean Ship does usually dock next to Carnival, did you by chance get on the wrong boat? lol

 

i can see the CEO now replying back " We are so sorry you wont be sailing carnival again, maybe we will see you again on princess or cunard"

[LKYGSR]

OP....Don't take all this grief personally, folks jsut have something other than tips to concentrate on here at CruiseCritic dot com today. You have been a good distraction ! :eek:

[moesyk4]

Wow this letter is awesome (in a completely terrible way). After reading the title, I was expecting something horrible that had happened. All I saw was some extremely petty complaints (seriously, if you answer the phone why wouldn't she talk to you!) and some "newbie" complaints (I should get my money back because the weather sucked!)

[Katoo]

Another "they didn't fawn over me enough" poster. Droll.

[silverfoxcruiser]

I actually read your entire letter, looking for something to grab onto and quite frankly, I don't see a single item worth being bothered about, let alone actually complain.

 

Refund???:confused::(:eek::o:rolleyes:

 

Had to laugh at that. Sorry.

I laughed also, but had to shake my head and wonder about your view/attitude on life. The definition of "disaster" is : a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction; broadly: a sudden or great misfortune or failure

I doubt many of us reading your letter would consider any of these incidents as calamities or "something to cause deep distress". You must lead a very blessed and protected life. Please, don't hold your breath awaiting your requested refund!!:rolleyes: Silver

[MissKIA]

I think that went away with the rule about two spaces after typing a period. (that I learned in typing class)

 

Totally off topic, but I still use two spaces after a period. :D (I also use spaces between paragraphs!)

[silverfoxcruiser]

Well it seems better then telling her over and over what a horrible letter she wrote. I actually get paid to write complaint letter responses and I guess I was more emphatic to the OP's complaints. And I would have responded to the letter I wrote in a more sympathetic manner vs the one she wrote, which would have gotten more "canned" response.

 

Sorry you find that offensive.

In your future letters, you may want to be more "empathetic". No offense intended, just trying to be as helpful as you were:rolleyes:.

Silver

[kyrisong1]

I am betting the OP is having a great time reading all the ruckus they caused on the CC board tonight. :rolleyes: Some people have strange notions of fun.

I had a little bit of an annoyance on our cruise a few weeks ago on the Miracle, I wrote Customer Care, asked how to avoid the problem in the future, got a response, know what to do next time. Thought they were very helpful and polite, I was happy.

Carole