Hurricane Sandy cruises-what did Carnival give you?

[sccindy]

Please correct me if this is wrong: Original itinerary:

 

Miracle, from New York, was to be an 8 night cruise, 1)San Juan 2)St. Thomas 3)Grand Turk

 

Glory, from Norfolk, was to be a 6 night cruise, 1)Half Moon Cay 2)Freeport

 

Pride, from Baltimore, was to be a 7 day cruise, 1)Grand Turk 2)Half Moon Cay 3)Freeport

Edited October 29, 2012 by sccindy

[sccindy]

There is always the options of other cruise lines, not cruising and purchasing travel insurance. Land, sea or air travel can have unfortunate and/or unforseen circumstances for anyone at anytime. Just like everyday life for everyone. Sad, unfair, cruel, that is life.

Edited October 29, 2012 by sccindy

[kingoftheicedragons]

I think Carnival did more than they had to do.

 

So what if different ships got different compensation back. Different ships, different scenarios. Plain and simple. If you disagree with that, you're missing the point. Go back and read it again. It's the first sentence. Go ahead, I'll wait.

 

You back? Ok. Good. I'd hate to slow down the discussion any more.

 

If you still think that everyone should be treated the same, then I think so, too. If anyone, anywhere, gets a free cruise for any reason, I should get one, too. Since someone wins a free cruise on every ship, every week, well, I now have two dozen extra free cruises that I'm getting every week. Not only that, but what about people who fly without having to pay for it? I'm there for that, too. And those who don't have to work either because they're on disability, or retired, or......well, now that everything in life is just given to me, plus I'm going to demand that my salary and health benefits continue, too....

[treasure4two]

Just off a week of misery on the Fascination. To be fair, no the hurricane is not their fault, but the way Carnival handled it is. 20% off of a cruise most first timers will never take is a joke. We were off the coast of Jax and could see lights, but could we dock....no. If we docked a day early the rocking and puking would have stopped, but the casino would of had to close. They were not about to let that happen, so it was money over people, as usual.

 

I will not believe that they kept you from the port so they could keep the casino open-now maybe, they kept you out there because you a certain amount of days for a cruise and they were giving you that many days.

I was a flight attendant and we arrived 45 minutes early(between New York and LA)-one man stayed on the plane until our scheduled arrival time-he said he paid for a 5 1/2 hour flight and he was getting wha the paid for.:confused::D

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

I am completely baffled as to why anyone thinks the cruise line owes them anything due to a weather related event. :confused:

Because you paid port fees that they will not have to pay for one. Obviously if it is shortened, you are entitled to that day back, they didn't accomodate or feed you so of course that $$ is owed back. As far as the future cruise discount, that's Carnival hoping you'll come back and try again.

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

In October 2010 we were on the Valor for a 7 night out of Miami. We made it to our first stop - Grand Cayman. The rest of the ports were cancelled - Belize, Roatan and COzumel. They replaced those with Nassau and Ocho Rios. There were a lot of angry passengers who felt that CCL could have replaced those ports with much better ones. The day after they cancelled our itinerary, the hurricane warning was ended. Again some passengers felt our ship should have still gone to those ports. When we go to the airport we chatted with some folks whose ships did make it to those ports and it rained very heavily the entire time they were there. Although we hadn't chosen Ocho Rios and Nassau, the weather there was beautilful so in the end we believe it was a good call. Anyway, we got our port fees back which were next to nothing maybe $5 each and 20% off a future cruise. We are taking that crsuie now in January.

One thing we know for sure - ports are very important to us so cruising in hurricane season will likely not be an option in future.

[Brenna's Mom1]

Just off a week of misery on the Fascination. To be fair, no the hurricane is not their fault, but the way Carnival handled it is. 20% off of a cruise most first timers will never take is a joke. We were off the coast of Jax and could see lights, but could we dock....no. If we docked a day early the rocking and puking would have stopped, but the casino would of had to close. They were not about to let that happen, so it was money over people, as usual.

 

Do you have a clue as to what it takes to dock a ship and what is involved...I don't, but I assume it is a major undertaking and several peeps need to be involved. Anything that "blows" a schedule for a ship also impacts the schedule for shore workers, parking attendants, security, immigration, and the list goes on and on. A cruise line is definitely in the money making business but that doesn't mean that the passengers who provide that revenue are at the bottom of their list of concerns...in fact I am sure that the safety and comfort of passengers (and notice the plural) are of a primary concern of theirs...but for all those who "wanted to go home" hundreds more wanted their vacations to continue and were making the best of the situation (as they should).

Edited October 29, 2012 by Brenna's Mom1

[MrPete]

How did a post about comparing the inconsistancy of refunds go to name calling and contract quotes to telling people they deserve nothing?

 

SMH

[quickrate]

Just off a week of misery on the Fascination. To be fair, no the hurricane is not their fault, but the way Carnival handled it is. 20% off of a cruise most first timers will never take is a joke. We were off the coast of Jax and could see lights, but could we dock....no. If we docked a day early the rocking and puking would have stopped, but the casino would of had to close. They were not about to let that happen, so it was money over people, as usual.

Just FYI, Carnival does not decide when to dock, the Port Authority makes that call.

Pat

[Donh44]

That's a bit less than adequate! That's simply the bare minimum.

 

 

Anyone who books a cruise during the hurricane season should realize the risks of a storm. Lots of time the cruise line will reroute a cruise so that you still get your cruise in but when it is something this serious, what would you expect? And why should the cruise line be held responsible? These people were treated very well, considering. The Carnival Pride cruise out of Baltimore was cancelled as passengers were arriving to board. The Coast Guard closed Chesapeake Bay to all traffic. The Pride had no choice in the matter.

[Yako]

I'd rather have them keep me safe then worry about what I should be getting for missing a port, staying out longer, etc...

 

exactly what I was trying to say....I do not want something from them now, we all just wish they could have handled things better then.

 

I did not mean to incite a riot here, I thought this was a place to put your opinions. I am bowing out now, you all can have at it.

 

God Bless and Praying for all in Sandy's path.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Yako

[Room Service!]

 

Funniest sight on the ship...the Future Cruise desk with a huge sign talking up booking your next cruise and stacks of barf bags piled up right next to the sign. LOL!

 

Sounded like a great photo op. Hope you took one. ;)

[goncruzn]

How did a post about comparing the inconsistancy of refunds go to name calling and contract quotes to telling people they deserve nothing?

 

SMH

 

I think everyone is just trying to point out that unless the cruise line did something deliberate to in some way inconvenience you purposely, any compensation you happen to receive should be considered a bonus. Life is so short and precious that I try to make a point of not complaining about what "freebies" I didn't receive, but instead concentrate on the things I do have. You were able to cruise in spite of the weather being so bad. Maybe you didn't make all your ports, but that can happen when cruising during hurricane season. You pretty much received what you paid for, and what you didn't receive, the cruiseline compensated for that by giving back port fees, pre-paid gratuities and money for the missed port(s). The passengers did deserve to be compensated for what they paid for and didn't receive (missed ports). After that, I would not expect anything additional. The fact that the cruiseline offered reduced rates on a future cruise despite the hurricane not being their fault, is in my opinion, a very nice gesture on their part, even if the percentages are not the same across the board.

 

The ships may all operate under the aegis of Carnival, but they are different ships leaving different ports traveling different distances, probably paying different fees for their homeports and functioning under different operating budgets. I would hazard a guess that some of that and more is taken into account when offering future reduced rate cruises.

 

Considering the loss of life that has happened as a result of this hurricane, I'm just happy that everyone is back home and safe and has the opportunity to cruise again if they so choose.

[jules815]

We just got off of Dream yesterday. We had an extra day at sea...and use of phones was complimentary.

[MrPete]

Anyone who books a cruise during the hurricane season should realize the risks of a storm. Lots of time the cruise line will reroute a cruise so that you still get your cruise in but when it is something this serious, what would you expect? And why should the cruise line be held responsible? These people were treated very well, considering. The Carnival Pride cruise out of Baltimore was cancelled as passengers were arriving to board. The Coast Guard closed Chesapeake Bay to all traffic. The Pride had no choice in the matter.

 

Storms cann occur any time of year.

 

And being that hurricane seqason is from June 1st to November 30th, and Winter is from December to March, are you suggesting people only sail April and May?

[veryhotred]

I will not believe that they kept you from the port so they could keep the casino open-now maybe, they kept you out there because you a certain amount of days for a cruise and they were giving you that many days.

I was a flight attendant and we arrived 45 minutes early(between New York and LA)-one man stayed on the plane until our scheduled arrival time-he said he paid for a 5 1/2 hour flight and he was getting wha the paid for.:confused::D

 

LOL that is crazy..WHY would anyone sit on a plane longer than needed?? what a nut

[mrsdoc3]

My hurricane cruise we left from Galveston and returned to NOLA and got one free phone call .. and one extra day.

 

Sounds kind of like prison. Bread and water, too?

[mrsdoc3]

Yes, I understand that there are a lot of what ifs. I do not buy that we could not find somewhere to dock between Key West and Savannah. There are several cruise ports and a lot of ships out of port.

I do not expect to be compensated for the weather, but I do expect that the cruise line put people's welfare above the bottom line. Most of us that are first time cruisers or first time with Carnival will never use their future discount. We would much rather had been treated with some respect and if we could not dock, at the least, explain that to us. Being told that you are perfectly safe while on your knees in front of a toilet when you are 3 miles from shore does not inspire a lot of trust or confidence.

 

I hardly think Carnival would risk a multi-million dollar ship in a hurricane just to get several thousand from gamblers or drinkers. Not to mention the lawsuits should someone have been injured.

[WhansaMi]

I hardly think Carnival would risk a multi-million dollar ship in a hurricane just to get several thousand from gamblers or drinkers. Not to mention the lawsuits should someone have been injured.

 

Exactly. I was on the aborted trip on the Pride yesterday, and while some people were saying "Carnival just wanted to get us to go, even if we weren't safe", I said exactly the same thing as you. One weeks' fares and income are a very, very small drop compared to the possible liability.

[mgm61]

Anyone who books a cruise during the hurricane season should realize the risks of a storm. Lots of time the cruise line will reroute a cruise so that you still get your cruise in but when it is something this serious, what would you expect? And why should the cruise line be held responsible? These people were treated very well, considering. The Carnival Pride cruise out of Baltimore was cancelled as passengers were arriving to board. The Coast Guard closed Chesapeake Bay to all traffic. The Pride had no choice in the matter.

 

 

 

Yea thats why you get the cheap rates in huricane season. and although you are rockin' and rollin' you still got your 7 days so as to not feel 'cheated', since so many people complain about any and everything. You know this when you book in this season. Take your chances.

 

My cousins went last week and had beatiful weather...the calm before the storm...

Edited October 29, 2012 by mgm61

[77sue]

We were on the Fascination too. The ship did not wait so they could keep the casino open. A letter was written to explain we would be docking at midnight-actually docked at 11pm. That at that time the casinos would close. We had to wait until the tide was right to go under the bridge. We could not get off the ship until the regular time in the morning. When we left the ship-the ramp was very steep-the cruise director warned everyone - there were several Carnival employees there to help you. The ramp was steep because the tide was a lot higher than normal. We were just happy we made it under the bridge, had we waited until morning we would not have fit under the bridge. So our cruise lasted the right number of days-we just missed Nassau. I did feel sorry for the first time cruisers, we talked to several and explained that it's not usually so rough, the first 2 1/2 days were nice.

[John1928]

There are many who have had turbulent flights this week. No one has received any compensation for a rough ride and heavy weather. Why should cruise ships do so when the airlines don't?

Why? Because they, like most companies, veiw customer recovery in light of the long term gain being more significant than the short term cost?

 

The cruiselines want to continue sailing full ships during hurricane season. They can do this because most folks (correctly) assume that they won't be impacted by a hurricane, and if they are it probably won't be that bad (ship sails around it, goes to different port, etc.).

 

Now, every year at least some handful of cruises are going to be impacted by a tropical event of some sort. People will naturally be disappointed in this case, but for a small cost (20% discount) which some (25%? ) of the people will actually use, you might have 500 extra folks who are willing to book during that timeframe again. These 500 will also be talking up your company rather than complaining about it to their 50 relatives, 100 coworkers, and 500 social media freinds...

 

Should people view Carnival as being obligated to do this? Of course not, but let's not cry too much for them either as these are calculated decisions.

[agc291]

Please correct me if this is wrong: Original itinerary:

 

Miracle, from New York, was to be an 8 night cruise, 1)San Juan 2)St. Thomas 3)Grand Turk

 

Glory, from Norfolk, was to be a 6 night cruise, 1)Half Moon Cay 2)Freeport

 

Pride, from Baltimore, was to be a 7 day cruise, 1)Grand Turk 2)Half Moon Cay 3)Freeport

 

 

 

The Glory itinerary was 6 nights to Nassau for Wedneday at 11:30 am- 10 pm on Thursday. Freeport on Friday.

 

I thought that the Miracle & Pride were both doing the Port Canaveal, Nassau, Freeport itin but I could be wrong.

 

All 3 cruises only stopped 1 of the 3 original port days.

Both the Glory and the Miracle came back a day early. The Pride came back the night before but passengers were given the option to stay on board until morning.

 

The only difference is the length of the cruises.

Glory a 6 day, Pride a 7, Miracle an 8. if the logic was that they have more days in their cruise then why did the Miracle and the Pride receive the same compensation?

[karajeboo]

Why should the cruise lines compensate anything for weather related changes? Especially during hurricane season, since these are priced as such because of the chance of bad weather.

[agc291]

Why should the cruise lines compensate anything for weather related changes? Especially during hurricane season, since these are priced as such because of the chance of bad weather.

 

 

I am not understanding why you and the rest of these posters do not understand it is not that we think we are owed this because we were in a storm. It is the fact that we were all in the SAME situation and were given different things. If they do decide to give something it should be across the board not you get this and you get that.