Serenade of the Seas - 300+ staterooms cancelled

[pennielz]

Yes sorry.

 

No need to apologize. I would rather see your cruising history than all of the off tangent and mean posts that get added to these threads. I find your cruising interesting.😉

[RoyalDiamond]

I wouldn't say those affected know what's going on. My parents were among those displaced and they have been very disappointed in the communication from the cruise line. They are booked on back to back cruises, this one and next week and haven't heard much. They were in the group that got denied boarding and were literally left on the pier, no assistance with hotel etc.

 

They finally got in touch with someone on the phone, but they didn't know much either. They offered to go to one of the other ships, either Galveston or Ft Lauderdale but because they were booked on back to backs, RCCL wouldn't let them change the second cruise. Sounds like the person on the phone didn't have the training or authority to make changes.

 

You are correct machines break, it happens. The biggest issue is the lack of communication.

 

That does stink....will they stay in New Orleans for the week until the next cruise? I suppose their refund will be used for hotel expenses.

 

Peter

[Paulette3028]

I wouldn't say those affected know what's going on. My parents were among those displaced and they have been very disappointed in the communication from the cruise line. They are booked on back to back cruises, this one and next week and haven't heard much. They were in the group that got denied boarding and were literally left on the pier, no assistance with hotel etc.

 

They finally got in touch with someone on the phone, but they didn't know much either. They offered to go to one of the other ships, either Galveston or Ft Lauderdale but because they were booked on back to backs, RCCL wouldn't let them change the second cruise. Sounds like the person on the phone didn't have the training or authority to make changes.

 

You are correct machines break, it happens. The biggest issue is the lack of communication.

 

Although your parents were willing to go on another ship, there probably wasn't a lot of flexibility to do that considering that they were on a B2B sailing on Serenade.

 

On such a last moment situation there may not have even been cabins available on other ships, and what would Royal have said to all the other cruisers who 'could not be accommodated on another ship, sailing that day'?

 

So what exactly was the outcome with your parents?

[Thetrail]

we were also affected but gave our bags to a porter before lists of no-sail rooms were given to porters...

 

after finding we were on the no-sail list we had to wait about 3 hours to get our bags back.

 

there was little information and it wasn't presented publicly or in a clear and consistant manner

 

this would have been our 2nd cruise, our first with rci so I'm going to give rci another chance, but not this ship or this class. I'm hoping our voucher will be good on all rci cruises since splendor is leaving nola and we can cruise out of Galveston.

The ship is Serenade not Splendor....:rolleyes:

[Cuizer2]

My hope is to get a whole page of my own. So when i post my signature you need to go to the next page cause i filled up one.

I'm sorry i was kind of advertising I love cruising and this web site. I don't always put my signature. When i give an opinion or info I just want the reader to know it's not my first rodeo.

 

I've been to a few rodeos myself, but this is a cruise site. :)

[alfaeric]

I didn't suggest giving wrong information. Say what you know. Don't say what you don't know.

 

Incomplete information can be just as bad as wrong information.

 

Leads to a lot of speculation and rumors, as seen by this thread.

 

Plus, considering how fluid of a situation it is/was, how do you KNOW for sure?

 

Everyone and the media pretends that they are the best problem solving engineers of all time, just by using "common knowledge". Which I find wrong way more often than not in situations like this.

 

You and others bash the company for not telling people the day after it happened, when they don't know what it was or the true extent of the imact. I find that expectation of immediate delivery of information, even just partial information, hard to understand.

 

Some examples as seen in this thread- what cabins- fore or aft? Is it just a fault of use, or a fualt of design- one poster will never sail on this classs ship again, in spite of this being the only fault of it's type in close to 15 years of sailing of 5 vessels of the same type. Doors- battery or power? How bad is it when you need coast guard approval, or is that as standard as anything related to safety?

 

Specualtion based on partial information is a big problem.

[Paulette3028]

Incomplete information can be just as bad as wrong information.

 

Leads to a lot of speculation and rumors, as seen by this thread.

 

Plus, considering how fluid of a situation it is/was, how do you KNOW for sure?

 

Everyone and the media pretends that they are the best problem solving engineers of all time, just by using "common knowledge". Which I find wrong way more often than not in situations like this.

 

You and others bash the company for not telling people the day after it happened, when they don't know what it was or the true extent of the imact. I find that expectation of immediate delivery of information, even just partial information, hard to understand.

 

Some examples as seen in this thread- what cabins- fore or aft? Is it just a fault of use, or a fualt of design- one poster will never sail on this classs ship again, in spite of this being the only fault of it's type in close to 15 years of sailing of 5 vessels of the same type. Doors- battery or power? How bad is it when you need coast guard approval, or is that as standard as anything related to safety?

 

Specualtion based on partial information is a big problem.

 

The biggest problem are HUMANS, who want information. I don't want to be seen as foolish, but it does start with the person wanting info....whether from the news media or a company in the early stages of a problem.

 

Over the last 20 years, we have become a 'instant need to know' world....and that fosters incomplete, sometimes inaccurate information being given out too early. We have no patience to wait and get better info. We have become worried over the years, that the source of the info is in some way 'maneuvering the info to suit their agenda'.

 

The company is in a tough situation, from the moment a 'bad thing happens' -- provide very little information (bad), give out what information you have available regardless of how sketchy, which could change as more information becomes available (seen as bad by many), say nothing until you have all the facts (bad).

 

It surely doesn't seem there is any good way to handle it to make people happy. Of course, how they resolve the issue, may not meet everyone's satisfaction either.

 

People, ask anyone with a uniform of a company -- what they know in a bad situation....that surely isn't a very trustworthy source; add to that perhaps a language barrier.

[critterchick]

Although your parents were willing to go on another ship, there probably wasn't a lot of flexibility to do that considering that they were on a B2B sailing on Serenade.

 

On such a last moment situation there may not have even been cabins available on other ships, and what would Royal have said to all the other cruisers who 'could not be accommodated on another ship, sailing that day'?

 

So what exactly was the outcome with your parents?

 

There are always cabins available on ships, even when "the ship is sold out" sign is displayed. They are held back for emergencies. I imagine that there weren't a lot of displaced cruisers who had the flexibility to get to another port to sail. If somebody is willing to get to FLL or Galveston in time for a sailing and there are cabins available, I don't see why RCI wouldn't allow people to change over. First come, first served, just like when a flight is cancelled and everybody is trying to get on the next available flight.

 

Presumably the cabins will be back in service by next week, but what if they aren't? NOLA isn't my favorite place and I wouldn't want to spend a week there only to be turned away a second time, especially if I had been ready, willing and able to go on another cruise.

[Cuizer2]

It appears that some posts have been deleted. I'm not going to go back over old ground. Reasonable people have the right to disagree. So we will just have to agree to disagree.

[steveru621]

Just as well. Probably not my finest hour.

 

On to the next great debate!

[Cuizer2]

Just as well. Probably not my finest hour.

 

On to the next great debate!

 

Great taste or less filling?

[JIMDSB2]

I was unfortunately on the prior cruise that had the water leak causing the electrical malfunction. The problems were in the front quarter of the ship only, and began around 7:17 - 7:30 the night before debarkation. We were all in the the Tropical Theater waiting for the 'farewell show' when the lights went out. CD John and Katrina did the best they could, but after about 20 munutes or so of jokes they said that there was a electric failure and to quickly and in an orderly manner to leave the theater. Once we left and went to our stateroom we noticed that everything in front of the fore elevators were pitch black. Our room was down the lighted hall about 10 rooms from the outage. I do not know how or if the passengers were able to use their pass card to get in their room, or if they could do anything once they got in. Also during thi first hour or so, all air conditioning did not appear to work anywhere, but that was remedied. The television never worked after that. Later that night the captain announced that the problem was more severe than originally believed and said it would take awhile to correct but the ship had power to enter the mississippi to NO. That was the last announcement we heard. In the morning everything in our stateroom was still workiing and when we checked out, the front was still pitch black. No one seemed to knw what was happening at that time.

[Russ Lomas]

There are always cabins available on ships, even when "the ship is sold out" sign is displayed. They are held back for emergencies.

This is not true. I used to work for Princess Cruises (well 20 years ago now...), on the Purser's Desk. For my six month contract I worked, there were only 2 or 3 cruises that entire span that we were not 100% sold out. Those couple of weeks that we were not sold out, there were no more than 5 or so cabins unsold. Now, that does not mean that there were not some empty cabins available. Sometimes people did not show up for the cruise, but we had to keep those cabins back until we were 100% sure they were not going to join us in the next port because they missed the ship. A few times, there may have been a medical emergency and people left the ship mid-cruise, so their cabin became available mid-trip. Those cabins were usually reassigned to people who were having issues with their booked cabin or as a measure of goodwill if there were any "incidents" on board where upgrading someone may let that guest enjoy the remainder of their cruise more than the initial days of the cruise. If Princess could sell all their cabins 100% of the time, they would do it. They do not keep back empty cabins "just in case" something may happen.

[steveru621]

Great taste or less filling?

 

I believe it's great taste. CC members enjoy a spirited debate (I know I do). CC members, just because they are members have great taste.

[Big Feet]

It appears that some posts have been deleted. I'm not going to go back over old ground. Reasonable people have the right to disagree. So we will just have to agree to disagree.

Cruiser2 you are wise beyond your years.....

amen brother (sister)

[lauren28]

I was on the sailing when the water/electrical issues occurred! While the majority of the passengers may have found the captains two announcements to be sufficient, those of us that had no power didn't share the sentiment! There was no information or assistance given to those with cabins in those dark hallways! (They did place a glowstuck in our cabins!) There were extension cords all out in the hallways that could gave easily been tripped on. Thankfully the whole thing was just a big inconvenience and no one was in serious danger! If there had been some crew available for assistance or information, I think it would have made RCCL look much better!

 

I will say....its an odd feeling for things to go completely dark on a cruise ship! Makes you want to pay attention to those muster drills! And just in case you don't....ALWAYS travel with a flashlight!

[Cuizer2]

I believe it's great taste. CC members enjoy a spirited debate (I know I do). CC members, just because they are members have great taste.

 

Are you saying the CC members taste good? :confused: :eek:

[Cuizer2]

Cruiser2 you are wise beyond your years.....

amen brother (sister)

 

I'm 132. How much wiser can I get? :confused:

[chermilo]

I was supposed to go on this cruise. My cabin was 8577 (mid-ship) and was affected. Was not part of the original 200+ group that they announced but was in the 118 added cabins. Didn't find out I could not go until we were checking in when they gave me the letter and informed me that my cabin was affected.

 

The letter says that I will receive back the full amount I paid for the cruise and the same amount as a future cruise credit so I feel that is very good. My inlaws were traveling with me (we all live in Texas and drove together). Their cabin was not affected but they didn't want to go without me (and I would not go without them). The letter they got says they will get back what they paid and 25% of that amount towards a future cruise.

 

I purchased Cruise Care so I called yesterday and filed a claim. They said they will EMAIL me a form in 3 business days to fill out (3 days to EMAIL??) I skimmed over the policy and didn't see anything if the cruise line cancels you because of problems with the ship. So... will be interesting what I find out. I'm wondering if they will pay for any expenses (hotel, meals, fuel, parking, etc) for us to get to get to New Orleans and home. I kept all receipts after we found out that we were not going.

 

Stay tuned and I'll update what I find out.

[reallyitsmema]

I was supposed to go on this cruise. My cabin was 8577 (mid-ship) and was affected. Was not part of the original 200+ group that they announced but was in the 118 added cabins. Didn't find out I could not go until we were checking in when they gave me the letter and informed me that my cabin was affected.

 

The letter says that I will receive back the full amount I paid for the cruise and the same amount as a future cruise credit so I feel that is very good. My inlaws were traveling with me (we all live in Texas and drove together). Their cabin was not affected but they didn't want to go without me (and I would not go without them). The letter they got says they will get back what they paid and 25% of that amount towards a future cruise.

 

I purchased Cruise Care so I called yesterday and filed a claim. They said they will EMAIL me a form in 3 business days to fill out (3 days to EMAIL??) I skimmed over the policy and didn't see anything if the cruise line cancels you because of problems with the ship. So... will be interesting what I find out. I'm wondering if they will pay for any expenses (hotel, meals, fuel, parking, etc) for us to get to get to New Orleans and home. I kept all receipts after we found out that we were not going.

 

Stay tuned and I'll update what I find out.

 

We have filed with Berkeley before too and wondered about the 3 business days until you receive the form too. My guess is that it is because the form will not be just a blank form, they will send you a claim form with your personal information filled in with information they get from the cruise line. You then just have to fill out the portions that are applicable to your claim. They also assign you an adjuster who will be your primary contact with Berkeley. The adjuster we dealt with was very good and always followed through on any questions in a timely manner.

 

Good luck.:)

[Cuizer2]

I purchased Cruise Care so I called yesterday and filed a claim. They said they will EMAIL me a form in 3 business days to fill out (3 days to EMAIL??)

 

Stay tuned and I'll update what I find out.

 

Maybe they are using dial-up.

[thedil]

The ship is Serenade not Splendor....:rolleyes:

 

oopsie. i kept making that mistake in my head - now i made it in writing :(

[chengkp75]

Yeah, that would scare the crap out of me going up that winding river in the dark. geez.

 

Haven't checked this thread for a day or so, but I can't let this one go. I'm assuming that the previous poster saw this through a bridge viewing window? If you had gone up there any other night, you'd see the same thing. Every ship's bridge operates completely blacked out at night to preserve the officers' and crew's night vision, so simple things like looking for the ringing telephone are done by flashlight. This is particularly true when navigating confined waterways like the Miss River. Gives me a good chuckle, though.

[chengkp75]

Alan "no real danger" who said that the Captain of SOS or Concordia? When a ship that size, any size really, looses power heading up the Mississippi in dark--- D A N G E R.

People use your head!!

 

The ship never lost power. A portion of the HOTEL lost power. At no time did propulsion, engineering, or navigation systems go off line. People, get a grip.

[FLACRUISER99]

I purchased Cruise Care so I called yesterday and filed a claim. They said they will EMAIL me a form in 3 business days to fill out (3 days to EMAIL??)

 

See how long it takes RCI to respond to an email and 3 days will feel like blinding speed!!:eek: