Carnival Already Brushed me the wrong way

[wonderwoman451]

We are sailing on the Legend THIS MONDAY 6/6/05. We booked our excursions months ago, and only this morning did we recieve an e-mail saying that our Kon Tiki Party Boat excursion is now cancelled due to scheduled maintenence, and they have already refunded our money. Although we are pretty annoyed, we decided to book another excursion online. However....the web site will no longer let us book any excursions. I'm so annoyed!! Like carnival didn't know in advance that there was scheduled maintenence???? So now, we'll be stuck with whatever shore excursions are left over when we get on the ship. What a way to start our vacation!!! :( Maybe we should have stuck with Norwegian.

[MrPete]

:( Maybe we should have stuck with Norwegian.

 

I'm assuming ALL ships (and you're lucky if you're the only one that day) calling on the port will have the same cancellations?

[irishgirl]

It's possible Carnival didn't know about the maintenance since these are independent contractors hired by Carnival. Just like any other business hires contractors.

 

My suggestion would be to get the shore tour information as soon as you board and book when the desk opens. There are other tours available that are more fun than the Kon Tiki Party Boat. I've done that tour and it isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[halos]

We are sailing on the Legend THIS MONDAY 6/6/05. We booked our excursions months ago, and only this morning did we recieve an e-mail saying that our Kon Tiki Party Boat excursion is now cancelled due to scheduled maintenence, and they have already refunded our money. Although we are pretty annoyed, we decided to book another excursion online. However....the web site will no longer let us book any excursions. I'm so annoyed!! Like carnival didn't know in advance that there was scheduled maintenence???? So now, we'll be stuck with whatever shore excursions are left over when we get on the ship. What a way to start our vacation!!! :( Maybe we should have stuck with Norwegian.

 

 

Your right.

Stick with other lines...they are all perfect and never have to do maintenance because everything is eternally perfect and there are never any issues.

[lrizit]

It's possible Carnival didn't know about the maintenance since these are independent contractors hired by Carnival. Just like any other business hires contractors.

 

I'm going to go with that too.

[tidyoyster]

It's possible Carnival didn't know about the maintenance since these are independent contractors hired by Carnival. Just like any other business hires contractors.

 

My suggestion would be to get the shore tour information as soon as you board and book when the desk opens. There are other tours available that are more fun than the Kon Tiki Party Boat. I've done that tour and it isn't all it's cracked up to be.

She's right! You should be able to book something better, but do it as the exscursion desk opens!

 

Have a great cruise!

[Bsan1221]

We are sailing on the Legend THIS MONDAY 6/6/05. We booked our excursions months ago, and only this morning did we recieve an e-mail saying that our Kon Tiki Party Boat excursion is now cancelled due to scheduled maintenence, and they have already refunded our money. Although we are pretty annoyed, we decided to book another excursion online. However....the web site will no longer let us book any excursions. I'm so annoyed!! Like carnival didn't know in advance that there was scheduled maintenence???? So now, we'll be stuck with whatever shore excursions are left over when we get on the ship. What a way to start our vacation!!! :( Maybe we should have stuck with Norwegian.

 

Wonderwoman...

 

I can imagine that not going on the shore excursion of your choice is annoying, but dont let that get you down, or ruin your vacation.

 

I doubt Carnival would have known with months ahead of time that the tiki boat was going to be out of service. Additionally, this is a 3rd party that Carnival is dealing with and they may have just notified Carnival. If that was the case I am positive they would not have posted the excursion on their website. I have been on the "Party Tiki Boat" and your not really missing out on all that much.. They give out free booze, they tell you the second deck is the topless deck (not my type of thing)They do take you to a beach, but its NOT that great.

 

Also, at least Carnival let you know now and not when you got on the ship.

 

Maybe you can call Carnival and see if you can book another excursion or when you get on the ship the first thing to do is go to the shore excursion desk and ask for suggestions of what to do in the port of call. Additionally, there are always tours operating from the dock when you get to the port of call and you can book directly from them.

 

Regardless, dont let this small incident ruin your vacation and dont come into it with a negative attitude about the cruiseline.

[big_duck]

Carnival's on-line excursion booking system is only about 6 months old and I am actually amazed that problems haven't appreared before this.

 

As in IT professional I am not suprised that nobody figured to factor in third party service provider scheduled downtime into the system. I have actually worked on systems where "nobody thought of that" as come years after things were brought into production.

 

It is unfortuante that this problem came to light so late in your planning stages, but at least you were informed before you left although after the on-line booking window was closed. At least you have time to get over the issue an replan before boarding.

 

I am sure you will have no problem finding something suitable when you book onboard.

[Cotton]

Jill. Calm down dear. I know you are disappointed. This is a minor setback, even though it's something you wanted to do, and had planned for. It's very possible that the Kon Tiki had problems and just advised Carnival...who in turn advised you. (If so, the Kon Tiki folks advised the other cruiselines as well.)

 

Please do not let this set the tone for your cruise. You can go to the shore excursion desk shortly after boarding and book something else. Or, like many of us, go off on your own at a port, which is much more exciting and adventurous to me. (Years ago, I went on the Kon Tiki boat trip - one big party - and missed seeing the beauty of St. Thomas...lesson learned.)

 

You'll find something else to do - so don't dwell on the negative, and think of all the fun you'll have!:)

[JudyKa]

It's possible Carnival didn't know about the maintenance since these are independent contractors hired by Carnival. Just like any other business hires contractors.

 

My suggestion would be to get the shore tour information as soon as you board and book when the desk opens. There are other tours available that are more fun than the Kon Tiki Party Boat. I've done that tour and it isn't all it's cracked up to be.

 

When we boarded the Conquest last June, 2004, we were able to book an excursion through our stateroom t.v. and charged it to our s&s account....of course, we saved up for the trip and used our credit card for everything....... paid it off after getting home. No biggy .... was easy as the dickens.

 

We are going to do that again on one of our ports on the Sensation this coming July. We aren't stressing about it as we aren't really all that wound up about most of the excursions anyway. Thought we might try the Highlights and Shopping Tour in Cozumel through Carnival....if filled up when we get on board or impossible to sign up for, we might look to see if there are rental cars available....if not, then taxi it to one of the places we have researched. Or.....what the heck just hang out at the dock around that neat shopping center and bar.....it was fun the last time we were there. We like to play it by ear and be flexible within reason....makes your trip alot more relaxing for you?

[babyher]

I have to agree with everyone above. The maintanence of the Kon Tiki boat is not Carnivals fault.

 

Every cruise line that will have a ship in that port that day or week or however long the boat will be out of service has probably sent the same E mail to all their passengers who had that excursion booked.

 

If you were on Norwegian, they would have been sending you that E mail.

 

The Kon Tiki boat has mechanical failures just like any other machine. It happens, It is unfortunate that it is happening when you are booked to go on it, but it happens.

 

Because Carnival is the agency you booked the excursion through, they have the unhappy task of being the bearer of bad news.

[tef43]

Your displeasure should be directed towards the tour operator, *not* Carnival.

[Cruising89143]

We are sailing on the Legend THIS MONDAY 6/6/05. We booked our excursions months ago, and only this morning did we recieve an e-mail saying that our Kon Tiki Party Boat excursion is now cancelled due to scheduled maintenence, and they have already refunded our money. Although we are pretty annoyed, we decided to book another excursion online. However....the web site will no longer let us book any excursions. I'm so annoyed!! Like carnival didn't know in advance that there was scheduled maintenence???? So now, we'll be stuck with whatever shore excursions are left over when we get on the ship. What a way to start our vacation!!! :( Maybe we should have stuck with Norwegian.

 

Sounds like you're already setting yourself up for disappointment on this cruise. This is a small setback as there are plenty of things to do in St. Thomas.

[Forchunut1]

I've never had a problem booking the excursion I wanted after I got on the ship, so hopefully you will have the same good luck. There are a lot of private vendor excursions that are very good and you might want to look into that as well. That would give you something fun to do over the weekend while you are anxiously waiting for your cruise! :)

 

Please don't let this ruin your cruise or get things off to a bad start. There are hundreds of us who would trade places with you in an instant. :D

[languages1]

just a thought but look for private companies that do escursions in the port. I here they are better and cheaper than "the crusie ones" some are the same that the cruise uses just cheaper...That said...I wonder where the extra money goes that Carnival sells these escurions for? HMMM

[rtscruiser]

Oh, good lord. If this minor setback is that big a deal, the cruise itself is hopeless. I'd be willing to bet there will be some long lines, the ship will move with the ocean, there will be a meal you don't love . . . . better just stay home instead.

[pholter]

First off- sorry this has happened to you right before you trip. Now, on for some possible solutions:

 

1) Contact Kon Tiki direct- I'm betting you can find their information by doing a web search or going to the Ports of Call boards here on Cruise Critic. They may have multiple boats available and can book you direct onto another one- and at a lower cost than Carnival charged you.

 

2) Book another excursion- you can drink rum and ride on a boat anywhere... Try exploring the island and stop on the way back for some potent stuff. Again, look at the Ports of Call boards for your port and I'm betting you'll find something alot better than the party boat to spend your time on the island.

 

Good Luck and don't let this setback ruin your entire cruise!!! It may have been a blessing in disguise actually. What if the boat had broken down while you were on it because they didn't perform needed maintanence??

[DreadPirateRobert]

This just had to be the first post I read today.

Maybe all the online booking has changed this but I've never had a problem getting any excursion as long as I went to the tour desk prety quickly after getting onboard.

Try that.

Then again Jill if you are just looking for a reason to bash Carnival you've got it. If that is the case then I echo Halos sentiment.

[corina27]

There may be something wrong with that boat..When you get on board the ship you can book another excursion.

Have a great cruise.:)

[musicmansmom]

geez--another bashing of carnival that they have no controll over. if we lived in a perfect world and every product on the planet was perfect and never failed there might be a complaint here, but we do live in the real world and things do happen.

 

i understand your dissapoinment in not getting the tour you had planned on but as the others have said it wasnt carnivals fault, they did email you immediately and they refunded your money in a speedy fashion. maybe the tour would not have been as good as bsan said. there must be other things to do that would also be fun for you too do. i dont think you can blame carnival for something that went wrong with a maintenance problem from a tour company. check what the ship has too offer when you board and go and have a great time.

[Bsan1221]

geez--another bashing of carnival that they have no controll over. if we lived in a perfect world and every product on the planet was perfect and never failed there might be a complaint here, but we do live in the real world and things do happen.

 

i understand your dissapoinment in not getting the tour you had planned on but as the others have said it wasnt carnivals fault, they did email you immediately and they refunded your money in a speedy fashion. maybe the tour would not have been as good as bsan said. there must be other things to do that would also be fun for you too do. i dont think you can blame carnival for something that went wrong with a maintenance problem from a tour company. check what the ship has too offer when you board and go and have a great time.

 

Musicmom: They did the right thing they refund her money and notified her before her sailing.. It would have been worse if you went to your tour only to find the Tiki boat was going under maintenance and then you wouldnt be able to do another excursion.

 

Additionally, I posted to her somewhere else my experience with this Tiki boat... I love having fun, and I went on the Tiki boat as a second excursion because we had extra time at the port.

 

I was all excited about going to a "secluded beach".

 

Well they give you unlimited rum and you can imagine where it goes from there.

 

The second deck of the tiki boat is topless and the passengers on the boat start boozing up the ladies and then you see a bunch of half naked women acting stupid.. and then on the first floor is everyone who still has clothing half drunk and dancing stupid falling all over the place and being video taped..

 

I remember one girl was so drunk she came down stairs and started flashing her boobies to everyone and then just took off her top ,her boyfriend was so drunk he didnt even notice and me and some lady next to me went running to her and dragged her to the bathroom to help her put her top on.. I can tell you the men on the tiki boat where not happy about this... ;)

 

Anyhow, we get off the ship and she had to be helped to the cruise to get inline to get onboard and I was standing next to her making sure the idiot didnt fall and crack her head and all of a sudden she flashes my hubby and starts laughing and then she slurring her words and telling me take off my top and go back to her room.. I was in shock.. :eek: So we get back into the ship and then two carnival reps helped her to her room..

 

I can tell you I saw her a couple of days later and she came up to me and said "I know I need to apologize to you but I just dont remember why"...

 

Anyhow.....

 

There are MUCH Better things to do on the island!!!!

[musicmansmom]

bsan, thanks for the support of my reply.

 

wow, that sounds like a great time ==NOT :eek: . thank god the stupid girl had you and another lady to help her out. that took a mature person to do that still had some caring and mature brains left in them.

 

i say '' all of us carnival lovers need to ''keep'' standing together as much as possible here on the boards'' and help clean up the bad raps it gets from cruisers who give SNAP judgements and complaints about this wonderful cruise line.

[Bsan1221]

 

wow, that sounds like a great time ==NOT :eek: . thank god the stupid girl had you and another lady to help her out. that took a mature person to do that still had some caring and mature brains left in them.

 

LOL.

 

Well I was laughing because it was crazy how stupid people were acting.

 

You can imagine how hard it was to get that girl in the bathroom. It was like trying to talk to a two year old.. :D

 

I can tell you my hubby didnt mind. :p

[kytten_kat]

Here is a website that may be able to give you more info into what is happening with the Kon Tiki Tour ...

http://cruiseshipexcursions.net/kont.html

 

Also found this bit of info ...

 

St. Thomas's party boat, Kon Tiki (Gregorie Channel East Dock, Frenchtown, St. Thomas, PHONE: 340/775-5055), is a kick. Put your sophistication aside, climb on this big palm-thatch raft, and dip into bottomless barrels of rum punch along with a couple hundred of your soon-to-be closest friends. Dance to the steel-drum band, sun on the roof (watch out: you'll fry), and join the limbo dancing on the way home from an afternoon of swimming and beachcombing at Honeymoon Beach on Water Island. This popular 3 1/2-hour afternoon excursion costs $29 for adults, $15 for children under 13 (although few come to this party).

[Bwong]

3 years ago we were book on the Non-smoking ship (forgot the name). Carnival cancelled us 3 days before sailing when we were so looking forward to our first cruise. Luckily our vacation time was very flexiable so we were able re-book on the Fascination but it is a much older ship.

 

 

I am booked on Conquest for 08/21/05 sailing. They have better not cancel us this time because we are going to New Orleans two days before and one day after. Hotel is booked and paid for as well as air fare.