remuneration for an extremely bad cruise

[kerrville cruiser]

We sailed on HAL (Zuiderdam) to the Panama Canal for her 73rd and my 75th birthday celebration. Bad choice! We boarded, went to our suite, and determined that the air conditioning was not working. I notified the front desk and was told it would be fixed "soon." "Soon" never happened so we spent ten days in a hot and humid suite.

 

I am convinced that HAL boarded us and other passengers knowing full well that the a/c was out.We were told that three decks were affected for the entire cruise.

 

We were given $600 shipboard credit on the last day of the cruise, which we accepted as a cash payment. We have since been notified that we will each receive future cruise credit of $550 each. I find this remuneration to be well under what we should receive.

 

Has anyone out there had such an experience in the past and, if so, what was the final outcome. Thanks. I plan on sending another email to them after I talk further with my travel agent.

[innlady1]

I'd be thrilled if I were in your shoes!

Last year, I complained (perhaps not loudly enough) about the norovirus that was on our cruise 14 days out of 21. Consequently, many things were shut down: The hot tubs, the Sea View Pool, the Thermal suite in the spa, books in the library...and even on the HAL shorex, we felt like pariahs as the people doing the excursions had to wipe down the buses and hand out purell every time we made a stop!

The constant sloshing around of disinfectant was unappetizing. And, of course, no salt and peppers on the table, no flowers...you know the drill.

We were given a dinner in the Pinnacle Grille which, with our Mariner's discount, would have cost $12.50 each.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'd be thrilled if I were in your shoes!

 

Last year, I complained (perhaps not loudly enough) about the norovirus that was on our cruise 14 days out of 21. Consequently, many things were shut down: The hot tubs, the Sea View Pool, the Thermal suite in the spa, books in the library...and even on the HAL shorex, we felt like pariahs as the people doing the excursions had to wipe down the buses and hand out purell every time we made a stop!

 

The constant sloshing around of disinfectant was unappetizing. And, of course, no salt and peppers on the table, no flowers...you know the drill.

 

We were given a dinner in the Pinnacle Grille which, with our Mariner's discount, would have cost $12.50 each.

 

 

We have been on ships with the Noro Virus lasting anywhere from 12 days to 15 days.

We didn't get anything -- not even a free dinner.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We sailed on HAL (Zuiderdam) to the Panama Canal for her 73rd and my 75th birthday celebration. Bad choice! We boarded, went to our suite, and determined that the air conditioning was not working. I notified the front desk and was told it would be fixed "soon." "Soon" never happened so we spent ten days in a hot and humid suite.

 

I am convinced that HAL boarded us and other passengers knowing full well that the a/c was out.We were told that three decks were affected for the entire cruise.

 

We were given $600 shipboard credit on the last day of the cruise, which we accepted as a cash payment. We have since been notified that we will each receive future cruise credit of $550 each. I find this remuneration to be well under what we should receive.

 

Has anyone out there had such an experience in the past and, if so, what was the final outcome. Thanks. I plan on sending another email to them after I talk further with my travel agent.

 

 

I feel so sorry for you and everyone else on those 3 decks not having air conditioning for 10 days.

Let us know if you write a letter to Seattle and what they have to say.

[tangerinebunny]

OP, if you're serious, then send a serious written letter that requires a signed receipt. And send it addressed to a specific person at HAL.

[MommaBear55]

Since you were in a suite did you have a balcony? (Really asking as I generally sail steerage so don't know what suites offer). If yes, then I would have done okay with fresh air. What % is the $1700 of the cruise cost? If more than 20%, I would think that to be adequate compensation.

 

I also think a sincere apology goes a long way towards making things better. I would also hope that you got updates on the progress towards fixing the air conditioning. I would be even more annoyed if the air conditioning had been out prior to the cruise and they knew it wasn't going to be fixed. If so, they probably should have given you a choice whether or not you wanted to cruise under those circumstances.

[Hflors]

We sailed on HAL (Zuiderdam) to the Panama Canal for her 73rd and my 75th birthday celebration. Bad choice! We boarded, went to our suite, and determined that the air conditioning was not working. I notified the front desk and was told it would be fixed "soon." "Soon" never happened so we spent ten days in a hot and humid suite.

 

I am convinced that HAL boarded us and other passengers knowing full well that the a/c was out.We were told that three decks were affected for the entire cruise.

 

We were given $600 shipboard credit on the last day of the cruise, which we accepted as a cash payment. We have since been notified that we will each receive future cruise credit of $550 each. I find this remuneration to be well under what we should receive.

 

Has anyone out there had such an experience in the past and, if so, what was the final outcome. Thanks. I plan on sending another email to them after I talk further with my travel agent.

 

 

What was your suite #. I wish people would include cabin/suite numbers so we on upcoming cruises can hopefully avoid them or at least go with updated knowledge.

 

Thanks

[startwin]

We sailed on HAL (Zuiderdam) to the Panama Canal for her 73rd and my 75th birthday celebration. Bad choice! We boarded, went to our suite, and determined that the air conditioning was not working. I notified the front desk and was told it would be fixed "soon." "Soon" never happened so we spent ten days in a hot and humid suite.

 

I am convinced that HAL boarded us and other passengers knowing full well that the a/c was out.We were told that three decks were affected for the entire cruise.

 

We were given $600 shipboard credit on the last day of the cruise, which we accepted as a cash payment. We have since been notified that we will each receive future cruise credit of $550 each. I find this remuneration to be well under what we should receive.

 

Has anyone out there had such an experience in the past and, if so, what was the final outcome. Thanks. I plan on sending another email to them after I talk further with my travel agent.

 

Well last year, after 22 days with a seldom-functioning toilet (the a/c was OK in our cabin, but very "iffy" throughout the ship, and shut down for one whole day) we received a $500 OBC on the last day. Nothing else. The cabin was 4166, and I understand that the aft cabins then were having issues.

[tangerinebunny]

Am I understanding correctly that OBC can be taken as cash? I thought we had to spend it on board. duh!

[scdreamer]

We had no a/c on Veendam last September, but received nothing from HAL.

 

To the poster who said "fresh air" from the balcony - the OP was on a Panama Canal cruise.

 

And as far as Noro goes, I can see how that could make for an unpleasant cruise, but HAL can't control that the way they can (should) fix the a/c.

[startwin]

Am I understanding correctly that OBC can be taken as cash? I thought we had to spend it on board. duh!

 

 

I didn't know that either. Our OBC just offset our onboard account a bit.

[mafig]

This lack of airconditioning seems to happen quite a bit on HAL cruises, doesn't it?

Several years ago we also had a problem with a very hot cabin on Volendam and I recall this board stating that it was a well known problem on that ship. Certain areas of the dining room was also very hot (we were lucky there).

[Willem Ruys]

NO. OBC is just that. Will NOT translate into CASH. We were, btw, five months in a suite where the A/C rarely worked, ditto, toilet and after four different TV sets were tried and all failed we gave up on watching. We had 2 pole fans the whole time, both in the room and noisy. Received adequate OBC as compensation but we were both uncomfortable. YES, it was on a HAL ship. NO, you do NOT need to know what ship except that it was aboard the one that just came into Fort Lauderdale from drydock in Freeport in time for us to board in 2010 for a Xmas cruise and the 4 following cruises; and were among the first to HATE the "Retreat", its odd wading pool; "Slice", the new "decor" in the suites, and much else. If you have been paying attention to CC you know what ship it was and if not you don't need to know.

 

And we have been in her since; 45 days in a PH and loved it; and we're going in Jan 2015 in the same PH we had - this time for the 90 day Passage to the Far East (and back)

[CruiseWhere]

NO. OBC is just that. Will NOT translate into CASH. We were, btw, five months in a suite where the A/C rarely worked, ditto, toilet and after four different TV sets were tried and all failed we gave up on watching. We had 2 pole fans the whole time, both in the room and noisy. Received adequate OBC as compensation but we were both uncomfortable. YES, it was on a HAL ship. NO, you do NOT need to know what ship except that it was aboard the one that just came into Fort Lauderdale from drydock in Freeport in time for us to board in 2010 for a Xmas cruise and the 4 following cruises; and were among the first to HATE the "Retreat", its odd wading pool; "Slice", the new "decor" in the suites, and much else. If you have been paying attention to CC you know what ship it was and if not you don't need to know.

 

And we have been in her since; 45 days in a PH and loved it; and we're going in Jan 2015 in the same PH we had - this time for the 90 day Passage to the Far East (and back)

 

I believe we will be sailing in her PS on our upcoming 18 day Hawaiian! Thrilled to hear that you loved it! We can't wait:)

[OlsSalt]

We sailed on HAL (Zuiderdam) to the Panama Canal for her 73rd and my 75th birthday celebration. Bad choice! We boarded, went to our suite, and determined that the air conditioning was not working. I notified the front desk and was told it would be fixed "soon." "Soon" never happened so we spent ten days in a hot and humid suite.

 

I am convinced that HAL boarded us and other passengers knowing full well that the a/c was out.We were told that three decks were affected for the entire cruise.

 

We were given $600 shipboard credit on the last day of the cruise, which we accepted as a cash payment. We have since been notified that we will each receive future cruise credit of $550 each. I find this remuneration to be well under what we should receive.

 

Has anyone out there had such an experience in the past and, if so, what was the final outcome. Thanks. I plan on sending another email to them after I talk further with my travel agent.

 

$1700 in renumeration for a 10 day cruise is $170 a day - which is a good hotel room rate, would appear on its face to be full reimbursement under contract principles for damages suffered due to faulty equipment. They promised you a working hotel room and you did not get a working hotel room.

 

One assumes however you ate the food, enjoyed the transportation, participated in other non-cabin entertainment and spent the bulk of your time either off the ship or in public areas instead of your unfortunate cabin, right?

 

So what is a fair amount of damages, under the terms of your cruise contract language. I don't think compensation for pain and suffering comes with the bargain. They write the fine print which both parties agree to rather tightly.

 

However, if you can prove malicious intent to defraud you up front (fraud in the inducement) then you have an entirely different case under contract law. Talk to a lawyer, preferably one who knows maritime law too. And read the cruise contract you signed to see if there is anything you are missing under compensatory or liquidated damages.

Edited November 24, 2013 by OlsSalt

[CruiserBruce]

NO. OBC is just that. Will NOT translate into CASH. We were, btw, five months in a suite where the A/C rarely worked, ditto, toilet and after four different TV sets were tried and all failed we gave up on watching. We had 2 pole fans the whole time, both in the room and noisy. Received adequate OBC as compensation but we were both uncomfortable. YES, it was on a HAL ship. NO, you do NOT need to know what ship except that it was aboard the one that just came into Fort Lauderdale from drydock in Freeport in time for us to board in 2010 for a Xmas cruise and the 4 following cruises; and were among the first to HATE the "Retreat", its odd wading pool; "Slice", the new "decor" in the suites, and much else. If you have been paying attention to CC you know what ship it was and if not you don't need to know.

 

And we have been in her since; 45 days in a PH and loved it; and we're going in Jan 2015 in the same PH we had - this time for the 90 day Passage to the Far East (and back)

 

This is not true!

 

OBC can be refunded in cash if the OBC was given for the purpose of a refund on a canceled excursion, for example. I would think if an OBC was given for some wrong onboard, that OBC could and was, in this case, refunded if not spent on board. Many people have reported this type of situation.

 

OBCs granted as promotions, like the Stockholder's OBC, or the FCD OBC, will not be refunded if not spent. And they are typically the first "spent" when it comes to charging the HSC to your account.

Edited November 24, 2013 by CruiserBruce

[MermaidWatcher]

We sailed on HAL (Zuiderdam) to the Panama Canal for her 73rd and my 75th birthday celebration. Bad choice! We boarded, went to our suite, and determined that the air conditioning was not working. I notified the front desk and was told it would be fixed "soon." "Soon" never happened so we spent ten days in a hot and humid suite.

 

I am convinced that HAL boarded us and other passengers knowing full well that the a/c was out.We were told that three decks were affected for the entire cruise.

We were given $600 shipboard credit on the last day of the cruise, which we accepted as a cash payment. We have since been notified that we will each receive future cruise credit of $550 each. I find this remuneration to be well under what we should receive.

Has anyone out there had such an experience in the past and, if so, what was the final outcome. Thanks. I plan on sending another email to them after I talk further with my travel agent.

 

Sounds like 11/8 sailing ? We were on this trip, but fortunately not in one of the affected rooms. After talking with numerous people on board who were affected, and reading the continuous string of posts about this problem going back several prior sailings, I agree with your contention that HAL knowingly placed passengers in what should have been out of service rooms.

A shipboard credit and future cruise credit is a pretty poor way to handle this IMO. Because this was a willing act by HAL, I would expect a full cash refund, not a credit to spend more money with a provider who just willingly took advantage of you.

I hope that members will keep posting about this issue until HAL does right by those affected. Remember that we are all just one unlucky cabin pick away from this type of callous disregard for customers, and need the voices of many consumers to get anything corrected.

I know this doesn't shed any light on your original question about the final outcome based on actual experience. I hope everyone involved gets compensated fully, but as you are aware of, the language of the cruise contract puts you at the mercy (or lack of) of the cruise line. Although on my evaluation I rated my experiences very well/excellent, I clearly marked the box saying that I would not consider cruising again with HAL, and used the comment space to give a long negative statement on this disregard for customers comfort and medical safety(90 degree temps and 79% humidity are potential medical issues in a room with no AC). I thought I would surely get an e mail asking/commenting on my survey, but nothing so far.

Edited November 24, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[bernie5]

I am scheduled for Zuiderdam in a suite in March. This A/C issue has been written about since the ship moved to the Caribbean. HAL has to know which cabins are affected and continue to sell them. People on the ship at the present time say that engineers are on board trying to deal with this. I doubt I can make a final payment till this is resolved.

 

OP what cabin were you in?

[CowPrincess]

$1700 in renumeration for a 10 day cruise is $170 a day - which is a good hotel room rate, would appear on its face to be full reimbursement under contract principles for damages suffered due to faulty equipment. They promised you a working hotel room and you did not get a working hotel room.

 

 

I disagree. They did not receive $1700, they got $600 OBC and $550 each future cruise credit. So they actually got the actual benefit of $600. In order to benefit from the $550 each, they are required to spend more money with HAL. After 10 days without a/c, the OP may not want to spend any more money with HAL. So the daily unencumbered reduction to them was $60, or $30 per person presuming two people in the cabin. That doesn't seem at all adequate IMHO.

[Willem Ruys]

I believe we will be sailing in her PS on our upcoming 18 day Hawaiian! Thrilled to hear that you loved it! We can't wait:)

 

And LOVED it...I was, though, referring to the OTHER disfigured beauty!

[MermaidWatcher]

$1700 in renumeration for a 10 day cruise is $170 a day - which is a good hotel room rate, would appear on its face to be full reimbursement under contract principles for damages suffered due to faulty equipment. They promised you a working hotel room and you did not get a working hotel room.

 

One assumes however you ate the food, enjoyed the transportation, participated in other non-cabin entertainment and spent the bulk of your time either off the ship or in public areas instead of your unfortunate cabin, right?

 

So what is a fair amount of damages, under the terms of your cruise contract language. I don't think compensation for pain and suffering comes with the bargain. They write the fine print which both parties agree to rather tightly.

 

However, if you can prove malicious intent to defraud you up front (fraud in the inducement) then you have an entirely different case under contract law. Talk to a lawyer, preferably one who knows maritime law too. And read the cruise contract you signed to see if there is anything you are missing under compensatory or liquidated damages.

 

I "assume" that all the affected passengers, myself, and you as well OlsSalt, would, given the choice (as these people were not), choose to live in a cabin for 10 days with NO functioning AC just because we could eat, ride on the ship, and do other things outside of our cabin.

[sail7seas]

I believe we will be sailing in her PS on our upcoming 18 day Hawaiian! Thrilled to hear that you loved it! We can't wait:)

 

And LOVED it...I was, though, referring to the OTHER disfigured beauty!

 

 

We sailed in her PS and loved it, too. :)

 

(the other disfigured beauty!) :) But we were in the PS before they made the changes.

 

[OlsSalt]

I disagree. They did not receive $1700, they got $600 OBC and $550 each future cruise credit. So they actually got the actual benefit of $600. In order to benefit from the $550 each, they are required to spend more money with HAL. After 10 days without a/c, the OP may not want to spend any more money with HAL. So the daily unencumbered reduction to them was $60, or $30 per person presuming two people in the cabin. That doesn't seem at all adequate IMHO.

 

They got renumeration at $170 day each. This was being used as a way to illustrate damages. What do you think is fair cash renumeration for the failed hotel room part of this cruise?

 

Awarding damages to make one whole again is an arcane art and it is good to run through the process to see how one can be compensated in this case? Nothing less than the full cruise value, plus air fare plus all onboard additional expenses?

 

The tragedy works both ways here: Zuiderdam and HAL are a fine organization and obviously something went very wrong on this trip. Good will has a price too.

[Hlitner]

Deleted because my comments might be deemed inappropriate by HAL Cheerleaders.

 

Hank

Edited November 24, 2013 by Hlitner

[OlsSalt]

I "assume" that all the affected passengers, myself, and you as well OlsSalt, would, given the choice (as these people were not), choose to live in a cabin for 10 days with NO functioning AC just because we could eat, ride on the ship, and do other things outside of our cabin.

 

Why didn't they ask to be put off the ship ASAP if this was such a 100% intolerable situation? Surely the ship's doctor could have intervened for them in this matter if it was such a significant health risk for them as stated.

 

Some how they managed to enjoy the rest of the ship's offerings, and while still having an uncomfortable cabin for the hours they were using it. I agree, this was a bummer. But stand back a little and think about what type of compensation would make this whole again …at this late date. Under the terms of the cruise contract they signed. And the compensation they at the time were willing to accept. It has to bear some relationship to the damages suffered.

 

I often think of the conditions pre-A/C passengers, willing passengers, put up with and sure, I hate hot cabins as much as everyone else, but this was not really the end of the world that requires HAL meet some extraordinary, but yet unstated demand.

 

Just trying to bring this after the fact lynching into some realm of reality. Badly. The real point is discussing when renumeration is offered (cash and/or kind) what is a good deal and what is not so there is no buyers remorse at a low-ball offer and when to put it to rest that one was made whole again. Benchmarks.

Edited November 24, 2013 by OlsSalt