Freedom of the Seas - Mechanical Problems

[JinxyB]

I don't think it's true about the sick baby being a hoax. If so, that's a pretty elaborate deception and my opinion of Royal Caribbean has hit even lower than rock bottom, if that's even possible. I was on that sailing and watched from deck 4 the family get on a tender. While I didn't actually see the baby, I saw a stretcher and a lot of people, suitcases etc get loaded onto the tender.

[dorisis]

Royal isn't advertising the itinerary change. They basically are telling people a day before or at the pier of the itinerary change. So someone booking last minute may think they are getting a particular itinerary and then showing up and being told "the truth".

 

We were onboard Freedom from Nov. 5th to Dec. 14th B2B, and were not notified of the changes until after boarding. Some compensation for the first leg, but nothing for the 2nd.

 

On the first leg the total itinerary was changed and on the second leg port times were shortened and one port missed because of a medical emergency.

[Bem15963]

I also was on the 12/7 cruise. IT was our first cruise and I can only say that I did book another one after this because although there were problems my family did have a great time. As for the sick baby - I don't believe it was a hoax.... Our stateroom attendant claimed to be witness to it (three staterooms down from ours - also there was a lot of commotion in our hallway while we were getting ready for dinner. (didn't bother to check as I thought it might be kids running down the hall) and we did see that after the family got off there were three staterooms he was cleaning out as the whole family left the ship. I did hear two stories about why the baby wasn't helicoptered off the ship which had that happened we all would have gotten to Cozumel. I did get my port fees refunded and they were credited on my final statement along with our missed excursion fees. Believe me missing Cozumel was heartbreaking for my daughter who spent the whole cruise looking forward to swimming with the dolphins. It is never a good situation but we did try to make the best of it.

[HiCSailor]

Rant response: 1) Many people that cruise aren't of the type that have had the luxury of being on 'many ships' and experienced 'things happen' from time to time. These are really expensive cruises and many passengers save a long time to do one of them. You say 'not trying to be condescending' but some might take your post that way when you say "that's why you should read your cruise contract" and "some people think because they pay their money, everything should go perfectly"; 2) In my opinion it's reasonable for someone to believe there is a difference between legally not owing "anybody anything" and adhering to past established practice and general fairness. In the past there is a long record of passengers being compensated because of cruise-line issues (vs. weather, etc.). Because of this, I sympathize a lot with the 12/7 cruise group who apparently received no compensation as compared to the 11/30 cruise group - on the same ship, for the same issue - that received substantial compensation; 3) Finally, while many or even most people might agree with you that a "cruise is still better than flying anywhere", there are a lot of people who don't think this and book a cruise based on the specific port itineraries. I think most of these people do read their cruise contracts and know that things can happen to alter an itinerary. It's why almost every post I've seen on CC regarding the little girl who needed off the ship has acknowledged RCCL did the right thing. However, I think cruisers have also grown to expect - and most cruise lines have acknowledged with compensation of some sort - that when the cruise line is responsible for the itineraries not being delivered as planned, that some sort of compensation or remuneration may be appropriate depending upon the nature and significance of the effect to the passengers. If they are legally not required to compensate, and don't, then I think that's certainly a fair point to make in criticism and people can take that however they want.

 

OK rant response over lol.

This one gets my "LIKE" button.

 

While some are fortunate enough to cruise regularly, for many a cruise is a once in a lifetime dream vacation; so taking a, "you win some you lose some" view doesn't sit well with me. I believe the company should communicate known issues and give options.

 

A final thought is that all the businesses I think most favorite bleach off are all known for going above and beyond what is legally required of them in the name of customer service.

 

Royal promises to WOW and should deliver.

[mrobertson.bernal]

To whom it may concern,

This is a letter that I had wrote Royal Caribbean about our (group of 7) cruise experience and their response was im sorry there is nothing I can do to help you. If we gave you money back we would have to give everyone on the ship the same thing. I was hoping you could give me some advice or assist me in any way possible. . Thank you for your time.. Melissa

Where do I begin! Let me first start off by saying my husband was so agents taking a cruise saying it was too structured (did not like being told when to eat dinner and times to get on and off the ship). I finally talked him into going in Jan 2014 on the Oasis of the seas. Let’s just say he LOVED it ranted and raved about it to his parents and his sister. We loved it so much we booked another one right away WITH them. We were so excited to show them what we had experienced.

My father and my husband dropped us off at the cruise on departure day and then headed back to drop off the rental car (budget) after running into traffic and arriving at budget at 3:40 they were closed. So the drove to port and paid $120.00/day to park, they went to get on the ship at 3:55 and were told they could not board the ship. We were standing on our balcony watching them getting turned away. My children were standing there crying as the ship sailed away without them. Both children climbed into bed and said they did not want to do anything without their dad and grandpa there. To make a long story short it was devastating for them and also me. They then flew back to Detroit after there they realized if they could get a one day passport they could fly into Jamaica and board the ship. We my husband let the ship know they would board the ship with the flight numbers. When we arrived in Jamaica we were trying to meet a location to make the best of the day. We ended up meeting up in a not so nice beach area. After the little bit of time there we went to board the ship. There my husband and father took over 3 hours being passed back and forth from customs on the gangway to the service desk. After a long flight and all the confusion it was frustrating for them and us.

After the boys missing the first port we were looking forward to getting off the ship at the Cayman Islands but with the propulsion problem that the ship was having our trip was cut short. With this being said we were really looking forward to Mexico but an announcement from the captain saying there was a life or death situation on the ship and we need to turn around and we would not be going to Mexico. I called to guest services inquiring and they stated “the family could not afford a helicopter”. When she said that my stomach turned and I thought they are taking away a port from so many people because “the family could not afford the helicopter” That was a huge disappointment for our family. My husband and father paid a fortune to fly into Jamaica for a crappy beach there, a short visit at the camion island and a missed port. They will not let a passenger board the ship 45 min before sailing but will let a passenger dictate where the ship goes because they don’t have the funds for an air flight.

Now we can move onto the cruise itself.

I loved that we had an 8:00 dinner time but have to say the quality of food was dramatically different from when we traveled on the Oasis of the Seas. Our Steaks were fatty and the tiger shrimp was dramatically smaller then before just to list a few. With my grandparents being Diamond members and saying the smaller ships are more personable and attentive to you we were excited travel on this ship. Another disappointment! The waiters were slow and had to wait for drinks, even refills on the kid’s drinks. We were sat at the back of the dining room and witnessed one of the waiters getting into trouble by one of his managers and other staff member were coming to the one waiter’s defense. It’s something that a guest should not have known about or even witnessed.

Broken propulsion:

We were not notified of the ships broken propulsion until the second night as an announcement was made then. Our dinner table was on deck 3 at the back of the ship. We felt the ship rock and sputter more there then anywhere on the ship. It was so bad that both my children felt sick the whole trip even while taking motion sickness medication. (Never needed in prior cruises) The vibration at the dinner table was so bad my sister got sick every time at the dinner table she was not able to eat and even vomited 2 out of the 6 nights we went to dinner. If we would have known about the propulsion problem on the first day and known then that the Cayman Island was going to be cut 3 hours and the Mexico trip being shortened as well my husband and my father would have not flown into Jamaica for little bit of time on the island. We could have/would have saved the $1000.00 flight and just booked another cruise. I feel Royal Caribbean knew about the issues and failed to mention it to us until later in the cruise. If we would have known we would not have flown into Jamaica. With that being said.. if the cruise was working properly( as we thought when we got on) we would have still been in the Cayman Islands when the little girl stopped breathing. Our Island was cut short 3 hours! We turned the ship around 2.5 hours after leaving.

Internet:

I called to inquire about the internet before booking this ship as I need to log onto my work server and work from the ship (as I did on the oasis). I arrived to the ship paid for the internet and could not log onto my server. I talked with the front desk who was talking to the it department who said it was impossible; apparently the Oasis of the seas has a different band width then the freedom. I had to try and work from my cell phone which was very time consuming. Because I was not able to log onto the server I had to make calls from my cell phone (I hate to see that bill). Very disappointing to know I was told one thing and then when I get there it’s something else.

Air in the room:

I noticed in the room that the air was not working properly but it was no big deal for me as my mom’s room had extra room for us to sleep.( my dad was not on ship) So we just bunked together in her room. When my husband arrived he had to call the maintenance crew to come and fix it. (They were able to)

Wheel chair:

My sister had food surgery in Sept and was able to walk but after all the walking required a wheel chair. We went down to the service desk and they were great and said they would send one up quickly. After an hour one was delivered to the room. It would have been great if it would not have been broken. We called down to the service desk and they said they didn’t have another one available at that time. So we kept trying to use the broken one stopping ever 100 feet or so fixing it again and again.

Shower:

Our shower had a gap in the door and no matter how you showered or pointed the sprayer a puddle of water ended up on the floor. See attached photos.

Leaving:

Because my husband and father arrived in Jamaica we were pulled to the side when trying to exit the boat(understood) We were placed in a room(photo) were we had to wait over 1.5 hours for a security guard/customs to escort us off the ship. Because of the wait it caused us to miss our flight.

I have to say this was the worst vacation that I have gone on. We call it the cruise from HELL. We were on the ship so long we could not wait to get off. This cost of vacation time, time off school, loss of work that I was not able to get done on the ship, the cost of airfare to get back home. This is something that you took from us.

Im hoping that you or someone in your department can help me. We are your average family who booked a cruise a year in advance who made payments. This was something that we were looking forward too. I am hoping you can assist me in compensation or money off another cruise. Thanks you so much for your time. I hope you have a wonderful day. 

 

Melissa Bernal

[BillOh]

I don't think it's true about the sick baby being a hoax.

It would have to be a pretty elaborate hoax. I never did hear, and maybe those onboard can say, did they go all the way back, or was a helicopter brought out? If they did go all the way back I would imagine a pilot boat or tender was brought out. Since was early in the day I would assume someone witnessed it.

[Mickeylee]

It would have to be a pretty elaborate hoax. I never did hear, and maybe those onboard can say, did they go all the way back, or was a helicopter brought out? If they did go all the way back I would imagine a pilot boat or tender was brought out. Since was early in the day I would assume someone witnessed it.

 

We went all the way back (no helicopter). My DH was watching from our cabin and saw them loading folks onto the tender and could see the ambulance lights on shore.

[cruisegirl1]

I don't think it's true about the sick baby being a hoax. If so, that's a pretty elaborate deception and my opinion of Royal Caribbean has hit even lower than rock bottom, if that's even possible. I was on that sailing and watched from deck 4 the family get on a tender. While I didn't actually see the baby, I saw a stretcher and a lot of people, suitcases etc get loaded onto the tender.

 

Thank you.

 

M

[Smiley4]

Melissa,

 

I'd call post cruise customer service and give them your exact scenario. They tend to have a heart and be compassionate and maybe they'll work something out with you.

 

It can't hurt to try.

[olszie]

RCCL customer service just called me. They told me they are not looking to compensate any guests from the 12/7 sailing. I explained my issue was the fact that the cruise before us and the 3 cruises after us are receiving compensation. She told me the more people that voice their opinion about this fact the better it would be for us in getting some type of compensation.

[MichaelCMTX]

Interestingly enough, one of the crew members told me there was no sick baby and they only used that excuse as they knew that if we went to Cozumel it would be very short time and they would have a problem getting back to Port Canaveral on time Sunday.

 

Judging from the stellar and infallible accuracy :rolleyes: of what "one of the crew members said" on any number of subjects I'd take this with a wheelbarrow full of salt grains.

[William W]

Port charges will typically be refunded to the credit card you used to pay for the cruise, takes a few days.

 

Unfortunately, I have my doubt that I will ever see the port charges refunded back on to my credit card as I didn't see it got credited back on to my on board account statement at the end of the cruise. After all, I was on the Grandeur back in August, and we missed Coco Cay, and I still haven't seen the port charges return to my credit card.

 

Personally, I'm very disappointed that RCCL is not treating everyone equally, and pretty much compensating everyone else but "ME". I don't know about others who were on the Dec 7th sailing, but for me, whenever I think of RCCL now, I felt unappreciated as a paying customer. After all, they treated everyone else who were affected by Freedom's mechanical problem better, and offering some form of compensation to ensure they continue to get their busiess.

 

I can totally understand where they are coming from, on a cruise of 4000 people, 1% of the passenger may get really upset and never book another RCCL cruise again due to how they handle the compensation on the Dec 7 sailing. That's only roughly 40 people, versus, if they were to offer a $50 compensation to everyone on that particular cruise, it would have cost them $200k. And their corporate accountant probably figure those 40 people will never generate $200k worth of revenue if they were to make them happy.

 

As time pass, memories and feeling will probably faded, but if any one were to ask me whether I would go on RCCL for my next cruise, my answer is most likely a "NO", as I don't feel they really want or appreciate me as a customer.

Edited December 22, 2014 by William W

[Retired LEO]

Unfortunately, I have my doubt that I will ever see the port charges refunded back on to my credit card as I didn't see it got credited back on to my on board account statement at the end of the cruise. After all, I was on the Grandeur back in August, and we missed Coco Cay, and I still haven't seen the port charges return to my credit card.

 

Personally, I'm very disappointed that RCCL is not treating everyone equally, and pretty much compensating everyone else but "ME". I don't know about others who were on the Dec 7th sailing, but for me, whenever I think of RCCL now, I felt unappreciated as a paying customer. After all, they treated everyone else who were affected by Freedom's mechanical problem better, and offering some form of compensation to ensure they continue to get their busiess.

 

I can totally understand where they are coming from, on a cruise of 4000 people, 1% of the passenger may get really upset and never book another RCCL cruise again due to how they handle the compensation on the Dec 7 sailing. That's only roughly 40 people, versus, if they were to offer a $50 compensation to everyone on that particular cruise, it would have cost them $200k. And their corporate accountant probably figure those 40 people will never generate $200k worth of revenue if they were to make them happy.

 

As time pass, memories and feeling will probably faded, but if any one were to ask me whether I would go on RCCL for my next cruise, my answer is most likely a "NO", as I don't feel they really want or appreciate me as a customer.

 

And you won't see it. Coco Cay is handled differently than other ports.

[winobucks]

RCI knew there was a problem with the ship the week before, ( the 11/30/14 cruise), when they dropped a pod in the Bahamas and went to Mexico instead of St. Thomas and St. Maarten. I called RCI BEFORE I boarded the ship on 12/7/14 and was told there would be no changes to the itinerary. While I applaud the RCI decision to evacuate the baby in Grand Cayman for the medical emergency, I also feel I AM ENTITLED to port charges to my account for Cozumel. And Diver 2014? I would say that you were a tad condescending in your banter. Just sayin................

 

I was on same cruise and was happy to see that they did credit us on our statement each $15.59 which was I assume port fees for the missed Cozumel trip. I would think they should have done this for everyone. Right now I am pushing for a credit for the pitiful port times we had- only 20 hours instead of 34.

[TifffanyD]

Melissa - before contacting Royal again I would vastly cut down on your message. I would leave out the issues that are not a big deal (shrimp being smaller) or Royal's fault (your husband and father missing the ship because of the car rental place and/or their own time mismanagement). I'd also not rely too strongly on the "they can't afford a helicopter" story as that is just something customer service told you.

 

I would think the only relevant part is that the ship vibrated a lot and made your family feel sick, the shortened/missed port, and possibly the broken wheelchair (are wheelchairs a guarantee?). Good luck.

[winobucks]

Judging from the stellar and infallible accuracy :rolleyes: of what "one of the crew members said" on any number of subjects I'd take this with a wheelbarrow full of salt grains.

 

Not really sure what to believe anymore. Captain stated that a medical helicopter was not sent because the Grand Cayman Islands doesn't have a proper medical helicopter. Being one of the richest islands I doubted this and googled it. Sure enough they have top of the line medical helicopters that are better equipped than most ambulances and have tons of equipment on board to handle the worst emergencies. Then I heard that the family of the sick child could not afford to hire the helicopter so that is why the Captain turned around. Either way, something doesn't add up.

[Diver2014]

My father and my husband dropped us off at the cruise on departure day and then headed back to drop off the rental car (budget) after running into traffic and arriving at budget at 3:40 they were closed. So the drove to port and paid $120.00/day to park, they went to get on the ship at 3:55 and were told they could not board the ship. 

 

Melissa Bernal

 

Let me see if I got this right....her father and husband were denied boarding because they were late getting back to the ship. Maybe it's just me but it appears she is asking the cruise line to waive the late boarding regulations (that are printed on literally every cruise document) just for them? I think the RCCL agent was correct in saying that if they did it for them, they would have to do it for everyone. But maybe it's just me....

[kifler]

Let me see if I got this right....her father and husband were denied boarding because they were late getting back to the ship. Maybe it's just me but it appears she is asking the cruise line to waive the late boarding regulations (that are printed on literally every cruise document) just for them? I think the RCCL agent was correct in saying that if they did it for them, they would have to do it for everyone. But maybe it's just me....

 

Something else doesn't add up - they were 'forced' to pay $120/day to park the car but then flew to Detroit?

[TifffanyD]

I think the $120 per day was the rental fee. most rental places have a key drop for after hour returns.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[JinxyB]

I think they only helicopter people off the ship if the person is going to die if they don't get off the ship immediately...someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'm in the medical field and I found it strange they said the ships doctor had to travel with the baby in the ambulance because they didn't have the proper medical equipment. I've never heard of an ambulance not having proper medical equipment. This isn't a third would country we are talking about, this is the Cayman Islands. I was also on the 12/7 sailing and think they just decided to wash their hands of us...did anyone notice the captain stopped making the daily video announcements after grand cayman? I'm in the process of writing a review of this cruise. While it wasn't the 'cruise from hell' for me, it was the worst I've been on and it totally turned me off RCI - I won't be giving them anymore of my vacation dollars after my cruise on the Oasis ( already made final payment).

[keywasted100]

I am furious at RCI, they gave credit to passengers of FOS the cruise prior to 12/7 and also those who sailed after. Why are we not receiving anything? When I book a cruise I expect a ship that is 100% operational! I wanted to reschedule and sail on a future date after the ship returns from dry dock and repairs are made and I was told NO!

[aloha43]

Let me see if I got this right....her father and husband were denied boarding because they were late getting back to the ship. Maybe it's just me but it appears she is asking the cruise line to waive the late boarding regulations (that are printed on literally every cruise document) just for them? I think the RCCL agent was correct in saying that if they did it for them, they would have to do it for everyone. But maybe it's just me....

 

I agree. The problems started when the husband and father were denied because they were late, so in turn they had problems with the return trip. This was not RCI's fault, this was the fault of the husband and father being late.

 

Everything else just exasperated the stressful situation.

[winobucks]

I am furious at RCI, they gave credit to passengers of FOS the cruise prior to 12/7 and also those who sailed after. Why are we not receiving anything? When I book a cruise I expect a ship that is 100% operational! I wanted to reschedule and sail on a future date after the ship returns from dry dock and repairs are made and I was told NO!

 

I just made a phone call to their complaint office and sent an email. Of 34 hours port time we received 20 due to the mechanical failure and the medical emergency. I was told by many crew that had the propellers been all working we could have caught up from turning back to Grand Caymans. Why then didn't we at least stop at Coco Bay Bahamas if Cozumel wasn't possible. Coco Bay was on the way back and they have their own port there. Ship was only running at 14 knots which saved a lot on fuel. I cruise to see ports and sites not stay on an oversized floating hotel. Keep phoning and emailing them. This is totally unacceptable. Royal Caribbean made a lot of profit this year especially with the price of oil at half of last year.

[pennielz]

To whom it may concern,

This is a letter that I had wrote Royal Caribbean about our (group of 7) cruise experience and their response was im sorry there is nothing I can do to help you. If we gave you money back we would have to give everyone on the ship the same thing. I was hoping you could give me some advice or assist me in any way possible. . Thank you for your time.. Melissa

Where do I begin! Let me first start off by saying my husband was so agents taking a cruise saying it was too structured (did not like being told when to eat dinner and times to get on and off the ship). I finally talked him into going in Jan 2014 on the Oasis of the seas. Let’s just say he LOVED it ranted and raved about it to his parents and his sister. We loved it so much we booked another one right away WITH them. We were so excited to show them what we had experienced.

My father and my husband dropped us off at the cruise on departure day and then headed back to drop off the rental car (budget) after running into traffic and arriving at budget at 3:40 they were closed. So the drove to port and paid $120.00/day to park, they went to get on the ship at 3:55 and were told they could not board the ship. We were standing on our balcony watching them getting turned away. My children were standing there crying as the ship sailed away without them. Both children climbed into bed and said they did not want to do anything without their dad and grandpa there. To make a long story short it was devastating for them and also me. They then flew back to Detroit after there they realized if they could get a one day passport they could fly into Jamaica and board the ship. We my husband let the ship know they would board the ship with the flight numbers. When we arrived in Jamaica we were trying to meet a location to make the best of the day. We ended up meeting up in a not so nice beach area. After the little bit of time there we went to board the ship. There my husband and father took over 3 hours being passed back and forth from customs on the gangway to the service desk. After a long flight and all the confusion it was frustrating for them and us.

After the boys missing the first port we were looking forward to getting off the ship at the Cayman Islands but with the propulsion problem that the ship was having our trip was cut short. With this being said we were really looking forward to Mexico but an announcement from the captain saying there was a life or death situation on the ship and we need to turn around and we would not be going to Mexico. I called to guest services inquiring and they stated “the family could not afford a helicopter”. When she said that my stomach turned and I thought they are taking away a port from so many people because “the family could not afford the helicopter” That was a huge disappointment for our family. My husband and father paid a fortune to fly into Jamaica for a crappy beach there, a short visit at the camion island and a missed port. They will not let a passenger board the ship 45 min before sailing but will let a passenger dictate where the ship goes because they don’t have the funds for an air flight.

Now we can move onto the cruise itself.

I loved that we had an 8:00 dinner time but have to say the quality of food was dramatically different from when we traveled on the Oasis of the Seas. Our Steaks were fatty and the tiger shrimp was dramatically smaller then before just to list a few. With my grandparents being Diamond members and saying the smaller ships are more personable and attentive to you we were excited travel on this ship. Another disappointment! The waiters were slow and had to wait for drinks, even refills on the kid’s drinks. We were sat at the back of the dining room and witnessed one of the waiters getting into trouble by one of his managers and other staff member were coming to the one waiter’s defense. It’s something that a guest should not have known about or even witnessed.

Broken propulsion:

We were not notified of the ships broken propulsion until the second night as an announcement was made then. Our dinner table was on deck 3 at the back of the ship. We felt the ship rock and sputter more there then anywhere on the ship. It was so bad that both my children felt sick the whole trip even while taking motion sickness medication. (Never needed in prior cruises) The vibration at the dinner table was so bad my sister got sick every time at the dinner table she was not able to eat and even vomited 2 out of the 6 nights we went to dinner. If we would have known about the propulsion problem on the first day and known then that the Cayman Island was going to be cut 3 hours and the Mexico trip being shortened as well my husband and my father would have not flown into Jamaica for little bit of time on the island. We could have/would have saved the $1000.00 flight and just booked another cruise. I feel Royal Caribbean knew about the issues and failed to mention it to us until later in the cruise. If we would have known we would not have flown into Jamaica. With that being said.. if the cruise was working properly( as we thought when we got on) we would have still been in the Cayman Islands when the little girl stopped breathing. Our Island was cut short 3 hours! We turned the ship around 2.5 hours after leaving.

Internet:

I called to inquire about the internet before booking this ship as I need to log onto my work server and work from the ship (as I did on the oasis). I arrived to the ship paid for the internet and could not log onto my server. I talked with the front desk who was talking to the it department who said it was impossible; apparently the Oasis of the seas has a different band width then the freedom. I had to try and work from my cell phone which was very time consuming. Because I was not able to log onto the server I had to make calls from my cell phone (I hate to see that bill). Very disappointing to know I was told one thing and then when I get there it’s something else.

Air in the room:

I noticed in the room that the air was not working properly but it was no big deal for me as my mom’s room had extra room for us to sleep.( my dad was not on ship) So we just bunked together in her room. When my husband arrived he had to call the maintenance crew to come and fix it. (They were able to)

Wheel chair:

My sister had food surgery in Sept and was able to walk but after all the walking required a wheel chair. We went down to the service desk and they were great and said they would send one up quickly. After an hour one was delivered to the room. It would have been great if it would not have been broken. We called down to the service desk and they said they didn’t have another one available at that time. So we kept trying to use the broken one stopping ever 100 feet or so fixing it again and again.

Shower:

Our shower had a gap in the door and no matter how you showered or pointed the sprayer a puddle of water ended up on the floor. See attached photos.

Leaving:

Because my husband and father arrived in Jamaica we were pulled to the side when trying to exit the boat(understood) We were placed in a room(photo) were we had to wait over 1.5 hours for a security guard/customs to escort us off the ship. Because of the wait it caused us to miss our flight.

I have to say this was the worst vacation that I have gone on. We call it the cruise from HELL. We were on the ship so long we could not wait to get off. This cost of vacation time, time off school, loss of work that I was not able to get done on the ship, the cost of airfare to get back home. This is something that you took from us.

Im hoping that you or someone in your department can help me. We are your average family who booked a cruise a year in advance who made payments. This was something that we were looking forward too. I am hoping you can assist me in compensation or money off another cruise. Thanks you so much for your time. I hope you have a wonderful day. 

 

Melissa Bernal

 

 

First off, what time did you arrive at the terminal the first time? If it only took 15 minutes to return from Budget to the terminal, traffic couldn't have held them up that bad if you had arrived at the terminal early enough. Your cruise from hell was the result of your family not planning their arrival at the terminal properly. Your family's mismanagement of time is not RCCL's fault or problem.

 

Second, how a mother can be so cold hearted about an ill child is beyond me! What if that had been your child? If I had been on that ship, I would have happily given up the rest of my cruise if it meant your child would be safe and well!

 

Really?!?!

[winobucks]

I think they only helicopter people off the ship if the person is going to die if they don't get off the ship immediately...someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'm in the medical field and I found it strange they said the ships doctor had to travel with the baby in the ambulance because they didn't have the proper medical equipment. I've never heard of an ambulance not having proper medical equipment. This isn't a third would country we are talking about, this is the Cayman Islands. I was also on the 12/7 sailing and think they just decided to wash their hands of us...did anyone notice the captain stopped making the daily video announcements after grand cayman? I'm in the process of writing a review of this cruise. While it wasn't the 'cruise from hell' for me, it was the worst I've been on and it totally turned me off RCI - I won't be giving them anymore of my vacation dollars after my cruise on the Oasis ( already made final payment).

 

Something really does smell fishy about the whole thing. I did a google search and found that this rich Caribbean island has top notch medical helicopters that contain most everything a hospital does. Even better than most ambulances. That's a quote from the article. The Captain told us they didn't have a medical helicopter. You are right about them washing our hands of us. The cruise before and after got compensation. We only got 20 hours of port time instead of 34. According to several staff I spoke with these medical emergencies happen often but the ships just pick up speed to catch up. Had all propellers been working we could have caught up easily. We were only travelling at 14 knots on the way back. We could have also stopped at CoCo Cay Bahamas at the RCL port since Cozumel wasn't possible. From what I heard the Captain wasn't going to take any chances as the previous cruise came in late and RCL had to pay for a lot of missed flights.