Ships of Shame - Sixty Minutes

[musicorn]

Hmmm, I'm not sure if that's the Sun (in the pic) or not. Could it be the Sky? If it is, they need to let it go!

 

It may well be the Sky as that was way before my cruising history. It was the same as the Sun wasn't it? Yes I agree if they are using that story to sensationalise they need to drop it. I always wonder about the continuing trauma for the family when that story is dredged up to make news seem more worthy.

[Sutho]

Not sure which cruise you're talking about but my son did a cruise on PS that broke down. Ended up a 7 night cruise with only one stop at Vila. He walked off that ship with a cheque for 100% refund and 25% off a further cruise. On our recent 2 nighter on PS, I spoke to someone who was on the same cruise...........same reponse. What more could you possibly ask for?:confused:

 

Until 9 weeks ago we had only cruised P&O & Sitmar but we then did a 3 nighter on Rhapsody of the Seas. The ship was beautiful but as far as anything elso goes..........give me P&O anytime.

 

It was 16th February 2011 to New Zealand. The ship broke down and had to turn around and come home and got in late. When Newcastle residents exchanged letters months after the more loyal passengers got cash refunds. The first time cruisers got nothing at all. One passenger sued and got a complete refund that we know about. On the voyages after they were given complete refunds and credits.

 

I have been fortunate enough to see how Carnivl responded to that and they treated everyone differently with some people getting nothing and others getting hefty compensation. Yet on the following voyage that broke down everyone was treated equally and got the same refund.

 

It was the time of the Christchurch earthquake and while the passengers were happy not to go there they felt Carnival was cheap and trying to capitalise on the New Zealand earthquake by not offering refunds when in fact the cruise was cancelled due to breakdowns since day one and a constantly late schedule and inability to maintain speed. Many passengers had sewage leak into their cabin bathrooms on that cruise.

[Royalty X]

Many passengers had sewage leak into their cabin bathrooms on that cruise.

...which is caused by other passengers who can't follow the rules (and flush stuff that shouldn't be flushed).

[musicorn]

...which is caused by other passengers who can't follow the rules (and flush stuff that shouldn't be flushed).

 

P&O will tell you....

 

 

....if you have not eat it or drunk it it does not belong in there. Some people continue to flush tissues and other items.

 

We had a leak on our cruise because some idiot tried to flush a face washer. :rolleyes:

[Kiwi Kruzer]

On Star Cruises they have a sign in the bathroom that if the blockage is caused by you, you pay $300 instant fine.:rolleyes:

 

[Royalty X]

It was the time of the Christchurch earthquake and while the passengers were happy not to go there they felt Carnival was cheap and trying to capitalise on the New Zealand earthquake by not offering refunds when in fact the cruise was cancelled due to breakdowns since day one and a constantly late schedule and inability to maintain speed.

The ship didn't actually breakdown though (it's not like they were stuck in the middle of the ocean with no engines). They had engines and the ship was still moving and they were going to miss Christchurch anyway, regardless of any engine trouble. Everyone still cruised! I don't get why people who still cruised (still ate and enjoyed the entertainment and facilities) and visited many ports in NZ, deserved any refund. If they had broken down in the middle of the Pacific, missed all the ports and had to sleep up on deck due to no a/c and had to eat nothing but sandwiches, I could understand why a refund would be necessary. Seriously though, your irrational hatred of this ship (which so many of us have cruised on and loved...oh wait, that just means we're mediocre, right?), and your need to hijack every thread just to take potshots, just doesn't make sense.

[Aus Traveller]

We had a leak on our cruise because some idiot tried to flush a face washer. :rolleyes:

I hate to think what they had used the face washer for that they felt they needed to flush it. :eek:

 

On the other hand, I do not think the bathrooms are well-designed having towel rails over the toilets. If a towel accidently drops into the toilet pan, maybe some people are tempted to flush rather than fish it out, unpleasant as that might be.

[musicorn]

I hate to think what they had used the face washer for that they felt they needed to flush it. :eek:

 

On the other hand, I do not think the bathrooms are well-designed having towel rails over the toilets. If a towel accidently drops into the toilet pan, maybe some people are tempted to flush rather than fish it out, unpleasant as that might be.

 

True I never actually thought about the design of the bathrooms in that regard. Have to say though I would fish it out as nobody enjoys a toilet break down at sea. You could put the bin liner over your hand if need be.

[Sutho]

The ship didn't actually breakdown though (it's not like they were stuck in the middle of the ocean with no engines). They had engines and the ship was still moving and they were going to miss Christchurch anyway, regardless of any engine trouble. Everyone still cruised! I don't get why people who still cruised (still ate and enjoyed the entertainment and facilities) and visited many ports in NZ, deserved any refund. If they had broken down in the middle of the Pacific, missed all the ports and had to sleep up on deck due to no a/c and had to eat nothing but sandwiches, I could understand why a refund would be necessary. Seriously though, your irrational hatred of this ship (which so many of us have cruised on and loved...oh wait, that just means we're mediocre, right?), and your need to hijack every thread just to take potshots, just doesn't make sense.

 

No they didnt get what they paid for and they missed out on several ports due to a breakdown and had to sail back to Newcastle slowly on one engine. The breakdown was the issue and the full itinerary was not honoured and as I said P&O discriminated on who to compensate and how much to give back and then the following voyage which was only a costal sailing seemed to get a better compensation package.

 

Like it or not the ship is rubbish, it has had its day and P&O have seen the light and are finally sending it on its merry way which cant come soon enough. P&O Australia will be a much better cruise line without that piece of floating rusting hulk of scrap metal.

[musicorn]

No they didnt get what they paid for and they missed out on several ports due to a breakdown and had to sail back to Newcastle slowly on one engine. The breakdown was the issue and the full itinerary was not honoured and as I said P&O discriminated on who to compensate and how much to give back and then the following voyage which was only a costal sailing seemed to get a better compensation package.

 

Like it or not the ship is rubbish, it has had its day and P&O have seen the light and are finally sending it on its merry way which cant come soon enough. P&O Australia will be a much better cruise line without that piece of floating rusting hulk of scrap metal.

 

Once agin I struggle with your bagging of a ship you have never been on or a company that you have never cruised with, according to your signature. The sad part is you do not seem to realise how much this makes people doubt anything you say because much of what you say is based on the experience of others. As we all know any story has 2 sides to it and the truth is usually somewhere between the 2 sides.

 

This thread was about a 60 minutes show about cruising in general but as always you have managed to manipulate it into a thread where you can bag P&O out especially the Sun. Quite honestly it is getting a bit dry and I have to wonder what you will do when the Sun is no longer here for you to vent.

[Sutho]

Once agin I struggle with your bagging of a ship you have never been on or a company that you have never cruised with, according to your signature. The sad part is you do not seem to realise how much this makes people doubt anything you say because much of what you say is based on the experience of others. As we all know any story has 2 sides to it and the truth is usually somewhere between the 2 sides.

 

This thread was about a 60 minutes show about cruising in general but as always you have managed to manipulate it into a thread where you can bag P&O out especially the Sun. Quite honestly it is getting a bit dry and I have to wonder what you will do when the Sun is no longer here for you to vent.

 

I dont like the analagy you have to try it before you can comment on it. You dont have to go into a brothel to know the type of activities that will entail!

 

I have said what I had to say about it, there was some who dont believe despite the fact I have the evidence to prove it and can and will post it. There are privacy issues when I have complete strangers letters with their contact details on.

 

Having said that I urge people to read my first post again in here - who really cares what others think! - some apparantly do.

[Bella cruiser]

No they didnt get what they paid for and they missed out on several ports due to a breakdown and had to sail back to Newcastle slowly on one engine. The breakdown was the issue and the full itinerary was not honoured and as I said P&O discriminated on who to compensate and how much to give back and then the following voyage which was only a costal sailing seemed to get a better compensation package.

 

Like it or not the ship is rubbish, it has had its day and P&O have seen the light and are finally sending it on its merry way which cant come soon enough. P&O Australia will be a much better cruise line without that piece of floating rusting hulk of scrap metal.

 

Geeze Sutho, you really are a one trick pony aren't you? Mate, this obsession is getting very tiresome as every thread (unrelated or not) you trot out the same story adnauseum. We get the idea already. :rolleyes:

 

Finetunit is 100% correct and I believe they all got a small amount OBC (not much, granted) for the missed port and actually got an extra day on their cruise as she made her way slowly back to Newcastle. Everyone was safe, no one was hurt or in danger.

 

Your family are obviously as negative as you because there were people who had been on that cruise who simply enjoyed their extra day. Some of them remarked that they were embarrased regarding the rude confronational behaviour of some of the passengers toward the hapless crew. Maybe your family were part of this group and got so worked up regarding the perceived injustice that found fault in every little thing and forgot to enjoy themselves. Oh well their loss.

[Royalty X]

No they didnt get what they paid for and they missed out on several ports due to a breakdown and had to sail back to Newcastle slowly on one engine. The breakdown was the issue and the full itinerary was not honoured and as I said P&O discriminated on who to compensate and how much to give back and then the following voyage which was only a costal sailing seemed to get a better compensation package.

 

Like it or not the ship is rubbish, it has had its day and P&O have seen the light and are finally sending it on its merry way which cant come soon enough. P&O Australia will be a much better cruise line without that piece of floating rusting hulk of scrap metal.

Can I ask though, why is it that you claim to "know what you're talking about" and state everything like it's fact, while the rest of us who've experienced the ship (or other P&O Oz ships), enjoyed our cruises and refute your claims are considered "mediocre"? Do you really consider yourself that much better than everyone else?

[musicorn]

I dont like the analagy you have to try it before you can comment on it. You dont have to go into a brothel to know the type of activities that will entail!

 

I have said what I had to say about it, there was some who dont believe despite the fact I have the evidence to prove it and can and will post it. There are privacy issues when I have complete strangers letters with their contact details on.

 

Having said that I urge people to read my first post again in here - who really cares what others think! - some apparantly do.

 

You are one very confusing man. I know what is offered in a brothel but I would have no idea of the quality of what was offered until I visited a particular brothel. Likewise P&O offer a cruising experience but until you try you you do not know the quality at all. Or are you now saying that P&O are brothels? I am always cautious of what you are actually saying when it comes to P&O.

 

I do not think anybody cares about the letters or what they say because your attitude makes people not care less.

[Bella cruiser]

I dont like the analagy you have to try it before you can comment on it. You dont have to go into a brothel to know the type of activities that will entail!

 

I have said what I had to say about it, there was some who dont believe despite the fact I have the evidence to prove it and can and will post it. There are privacy issues when I have complete strangers letters with their contact details on.

 

Having said that I urge people to read my first post again in here - who really cares what others think! - some apparantly do.

 

Lol, can't wait for your posting of the threatened/promised photos of over flowing toilets, and your secret squirrel letters from complete strangers and your first hand brothel recommendations. Better start your own thread for this it should be hillarious, can't wait.:p:D

[Debsta]

<<<<Has popcorn AND chocolate Easter eggs :D :p

 

Sutho......oh never mind :rolleyes:

[Sutho]

When P&O Australia (Carnival) was insensitive enough to try and profit from the Christchurch earthquake by denying compensation to passengers on a broken down ship it speaks volumes about the sick twisted peopls running the line. In all of those letters they quoted the Christchurch earthquake as a factor in no compensation. Yet the earthquake had nothing to do with the ships breakdown and failure to deliver a cruise.

 

People died in the Christchurch earthquake and Carnival Australia tried to profit from it by cancelling a cruise and citing the earthquake as one of the reasons they dont deserve compensation. This is despite the fact the ship made it to Akaroa after the earthquake hit and its early return was due to mechanical problems.

[musicorn]

Usual compensation is $25-$50 per port missed. Given that they were late for most ports but did not miss any ports other than those affected by acts of nature ie earthquake, they were compensated well and above the usual. If I was on a cruise to NZ during the time of the earthquakes I would have been happy that P&O kept me safe rather than winging about compensation.

 

Before you ask - yes I have been on a cruise during an earthquake in NZ last Christmas. Our shore tour was cut short a bit but did that matter no because I was alive to tell the tale. Did I get stuck in a toilet on the ship with my daughter with disabilities with the next quake - yes I did. Once again alive to tell the tale. Do I want compensation? No because I am not a whiner and enjoyed the rest on my holiday and was glad that the cruise line kept me safe.

 

One word of advice for you - the glass can be half full if you look at it that way.

[Royalty X]

One word of advice for you - the glass can be half full if you look at it that way.

Not if you're Sutho and you're talking about Carnival Australia. Now we're all sick and twisted, just like Carnival Australia it seems (funny how Sutho didn't mind sailing on two Carnival Australia operated Princess ships...but I guess that's different). :rolleyes:

[Bella cruiser]

The pax on the Newcastle cruise, that Sutho keeps going on about, apparently were indeed given $50 OBC per missed port and actually had an extra day at sea (in other words they got on extra night on the ship).

 

You should have heard their hysterical rantings on Facebook likening their situation to the Titanic and the Pascha Bulker:eek::D

 

One of my work mates was on this cruise with a group of friends and managed to enjoy herself. She was extremely embarassed by the behaviour of some passengers with a very ugly mob mentality (she said that their behaviour was unAustralian (her words).

 

Apparently they wanted much more than what was being offered, didn't seem to have any empathy or sympathy toward the earthquake victims and behaved very badly toward the crew. These people obviously have absolutely no class and I vehemently hope they do not cruise P&O again as I would not like to have to put up with such negative whingers whilst I am trying to have an enjoyable holiday.

 

Having said all that though, going back to the original subject of this thread, they are possibly going to discuss the drug bust that netted $2million worth of cocaine on one of Sutho's favourite ships "Arcadia".....there is a certain irony in this don't you think?

[Royalty X]

The pax on the Newcastle cruise, that Sutho keeps going on about, apparently were indeed given $50 OBC per missed port and actually had an extra day at sea (in other words they got on extra night on the ship).

 

You should have heard their hysterical rantings on Facebook likening their situation to the Titanic and the Pascha Bulker:eek::D

 

One of my work mates was on this cruise with a group of friends and managed to enjoy herself. She was extremely embarassed by the behaviour of some passengers with a very ugly mob mentality (she said that their behaviour was unAustralian (her words).

 

Apparently they wanted much more than what was being offered, didn't seem to have any empathy or sympathy toward the earthquake victims and behaved very badly toward the crew. These people obviously have absolutely no class and I vehemently hope they do not cruise P&O again as I would not like to have to put up with such negative whingers whilst I am trying to have an enjoyable holiday.

Those people probably wouldn't want to cruise with us either Bella cruiser. You know, because we settle for such mediocrity from a company of sick and twisted individuals. They're better than us. :rolleyes: I can't believe how obnoxious that sounded! ;)

[Sutho]

The pax on the Newcastle cruise, that Sutho keeps going on about, apparently were indeed given $50 OBC per missed port and actually had an extra day at sea (in other words they got on extra night on the ship).

 

You should have heard their hysterical rantings on Facebook likening their situation to the Titanic and the Pascha Bulker:eek::D

 

One of my work mates was on this cruise with a group of friends and managed to enjoy herself. She was extremely embarassed by the behaviour of some passengers with a very ugly mob mentality (she said that their behaviour was unAustralian (her words).

 

Apparently they wanted much more than what was being offered, didn't seem to have any empathy or sympathy toward the earthquake victims and behaved very badly toward the crew. These people obviously have absolutely no class and I vehemently hope they do not cruise P&O again as I would not like to have to put up with such negative whingers whilst I am trying to have an enjoyable holiday.

 

Having said all that though, going back to the original subject of this thread, they are possibly going to discuss the drug bust that netted $2million worth of cocaine on one of Sutho's favourite ships "Arcadia".....there is a certain irony in this don't you think?

 

Glad you admit others hated that cruise. They werent compensated enough for a broken down ship. As I said some people were given cash refunds and others were not. Dont push your luck or I will publish those letters on here!

 

On this particular forum there is an extremely small minority of cruisers. The people on this forum probably represent something like .01% of all people that cruise so comments by others on here hardly reflect what the majority things and what most people are prepared to tolerate.

 

Then there is that rather elaborate report that someone on the exact same cruise wrote and published I believe it was kroozers or something like that. I saw that report and there were people who thought it was fake despite how elaborate and formatted it was.

[Guest012]

You dont have to go into a brothel to know the type of activities that will entail!

 

No but to be able to credibly review or have an opinion on the activities one would have to actually personally try the goods on offer.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Tony twice you have have threatened to post damning photos etc on here so either get on with it or over it...........also if things were so horrific, either cruise, why didn't your family or YOU for that matter, seeing you appear to have been quite traumatized, trot on down to Slater and Gordon for a free assessment on whether legal action was an option.....:confused::confused::confused:

[Royalty X]

Dont push your luck or I will publish those letters on here!

Who do you think you are saying stuff like that!? You forget that this ship has been in service here in Australia for 7 years. Why are you judging it on this one cruise? I wonder if the difference between people's compensation is something to do with whether they booked with an agent or directly with P&O (that could make a difference).

[Steve78]

Hi Guys

 

I've cruised on the Pacific Sun twice and while its not the best ship it has a great atmosphere and being my first ship will always be a little bit special. Its interesting how only the bad news stories seem to be spoken about.

 

I was on the Pacific Sun back in 2008 where on our last sea day we had to turn around and go back 120NM to rescue 4 stranded sailors who had hit a reef and their yacht had sunk. That rescue extended our cruise by 1 extra night which in turn meant that the following cruise was shortened and lots of people were put out. I believe all passengers who were on the shortened cruise were offered significant discounts and the opportunity to cancel etc. On the cruise that we were on P&O set up 3 free phone lines for passengers to make calls to airlines and family advising of our delay. In my opinion they couldn't have handled the situation any better.

 

Anyway just throwing in a different perspective on P&O Australia and a situation where they did the right thing at a significant cost to themselves.

 

Cheers

Steve