Did I miss it? (Empress)

[Merion_Mom]

Some people just aren't meant to cruise, and that's not a criticism. I took my first cruise in my 40s, and it wasn't right for me before then. Now, of course, I'm addicted. :D

 

I'm not going to quote the same post again, since several people have done so, but this is to address the "letter-writer and petition-circulator."

 

Do you all remember the cruise to Bermuda that went to Canada? All of those disgruntled posters were saying, "We would have been THRILLED to just cruise to nowhere." "We would have been ECSTATIC to have been given just a tiny onboard credit." No matter what Royal Caribbean would have done for ANY displaced, re-directed, upset passengers would NOT have been enough. That's what THEY know that the passengers don't seem to get.

 

If someone's not happy with getting $300 back for a five day cruise, when they GET a five day cruise, why should management TRY to appease them further? They GOT what they paid for - 5 days on a beautiful cruise ship, being waited on hand and foot, PLUS CASH BACK.

 

But they still weren't happy. Such is human psychology.

 

<sigh>

 

Carol

[curlyd]

They GOT what they paid for - 5 days on a beautiful cruise ship, being waited on hand and foot, PLUS CASH BACK.

 

But they still weren't happy. Such is human psychology.

 

<sigh>

 

Carol

 

Carol,

I have read many, many of your posts and have enjoyed yours and many other posters comments. I don't respond too often because usually everything has been said. And since we haven't even gone on our first cruise yet, I try to observe and learn.

 

The only comment I have is that when we booked our cruise for next March the ports were a very big reason we booked it. I don't believe that the cruisers got what they paid for since the ports are part of the trip. It had only 1 sea day (now two) and the chance to visit so many places.

 

That being said I also agree that RCL needs to be able to change their schedule for many reasons. I doubt that they would intentionally not maintain the ship since doing so creates too many disgruntled passengers. The only fault I see and have noticed on other threads is RCL's slow or lack of communication. It could be improved.

 

I still can't wait till next March and look forward to our first cruise on the EOS.

 

This site has given us so much information. Thanks to all.

 

Dawn

[RocketJ]

Some people just aren't meant to cruise, and that's not a criticism. I took my first cruise in my 40s, and it wasn't right for me before then. Now, of course, I'm addicted. :D

 

I'm not going to quote the same post again, since several people have done so, but this is to address the "letter-writer and petition-circulator."

 

Do you all remember the cruise to Bermuda that went to Canada? All of those disgruntled posters were saying, "We would have been THRILLED to just cruise to nowhere." "We would have been ECSTATIC to have been given just a tiny onboard credit." No matter what Royal Caribbean would have done for ANY displaced, re-directed, upset passengers would NOT have been enough. That's what THEY know that the passengers don't seem to get.

 

If someone's not happy with getting $300 back for a five day cruise, when they GET a five day cruise, why should management TRY to appease them further? They GOT what they paid for - 5 days on a beautiful cruise ship, being waited on hand and foot, PLUS CASH BACK.

 

But they still weren't happy. Such is human psychology.

 

<sigh>

 

Carol

 

Carol -

 

With all due respect I think that you are overlooking the fact that people cruise for many different reasons. For some, just sitting by the pool or on the beach is the entire experience for them.

 

For us, it was the opportunity to go somewhere we'd never been before, see things we were excited to see AND have the cruise ship experience.

 

There are many different types of people and personalities on a cruise ship. If I just wanted to sit around all day at a pool or on a beach with a drink in my hand, I could have paid a lot less and flown somewhere a lot cheaper. Heck, if I want to sit around a beach all day with a drink in my hand all I have to do is drive 20 minutes south of my house!

 

Joanne

[mmsalmon1987]

So, let me get this straight...............some of you are upset because you had a 4 1/2 hour delay to your first port, and thought that maintenance should have been done to get you to Mexico instead of the Bahama's?

 

If they told me that it wasn't safe to go to Mexico with a broken propeller, I think I believe them. Do you think they can fix this thing with super glue and continue on????? And if they did just that and something worse happened, these boards would be on fire about the neglegence. This is the business they are in, and this IS cruising. They don't owe anyone anything, expect an explanation of what had happened.

 

We leave Oct. 6 on the Empress and have always cruised during hurricane season (with insurance, of course). Just today someone asked me about the threat of hurricanes, my reply...we just don't where we will end up, could be caribbean, could be the bahamas, maybe even have to stay at sea longer! I will be disappointed if we miss the ports we are planning on, but I am fully aware of the possibility. Not thrilled with Nassau, but if I HAVE to spend another day at CoCo Cay drinking CoCo Loco's...well shucks, that's just what I have to do.

[SeaBaby]

We were on the Empress January 3, 2005 for the 11-day exotic southern itinerary. We experienced the worst vibration of any cruise ever. The itinerary was great and the staff super-friendly, but we we'll stick to the larger ships.

 

SeaBaby

[RocketJ]

So, let me get this straight...............some of you are upset because you had a 4 1/2 hour delay to your first port, and thought that maintenance should have been done to get you to Mexico instead of the Bahama's?

 

If they told me that it wasn't safe to go to Mexico with a broken propeller, I think I believe them. Do you think they can fix this thing with super glue and continue on????? And if they did just that and something worse happened, these boards would be on fire about the neglegence. This is the business they are in, and this IS cruising. They don't owe anyone anything, expect an explanation of what had happened.

 

We leave Oct. 6 on the Empress and have always cruised during hurricane season (with insurance, of course). Just today someone asked me about the threat of hurricanes, my reply...we just don't where we will end up, could be caribbean, could be the bahamas, maybe even have to stay at sea longer! I will be disappointed if we miss the ports we are planning on, but I am fully aware of the possibility. Not thrilled with Nassau, but if I HAVE to spend another day at CoCo Cay drinking CoCo Loco's...well shucks, that's just what I have to do.

 

And some people are just Pollyannas I guess.

[cruisin' mom]

Actually, they never said it wasn't safe to go to Mexico. As a matter of fact, the captain said the ship was fine with only 1 working propeller. The Empress is going to be in Grand Cayman on Tuesday of this week. If it can make it there, it can make it to Cozumel, too.

[chrisnsteph1022]

Let me clarify-we didn't 'think' maintenance would be done to get us to Mexico. They told us it would be. Before we got off the ship in Key West. I didn't mention that part earlier and I apologize. Then that night, they said they couldn't get it fixed so we wouldn't be going to Mexico after all. And I agree with a previous poster-not all of us want to just sit by the pool and be waited on. That's only part of the cruise experience for us. The other part is seeing new ports. Changing the itinerary would have been much more acceptable had it been due to weather. RCI can't control that. It's hard to believe a ship in great working condition would just blow a prop suddenly and unexpectedly. I'm not an expert by any means, but things just don't break for no reason. Once it broke, I didn't expect them to try to do things unsafely. However, the fault lies with RCI, since it wasn't natural causes, such as weather. A nice discount on a future cruise to those ports would have been nice. And they were very unclear on the credit being available as cash. It was never mentioned. We asked them and found out, but took money out at the casino anyway, just in case. Some people were buying stuff they didn't even need, just to use up the money. The vibration was the worst on the last night during dinner, after the supposed permanent fix.

 

On an unrelated note, my MIL, who we took on this cruise (her second trip-first was to Nassau and Cococay), got violently ill the last night and swears it was the salmon. Interestly, one of our table mates got sick a couple days earlier on salmon (didn't know til we mentioned MIL being sick). Anyway, this just compounded our frustration.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I'm sure we'll cruise again with RCI, since we're Diamond members now and like the discounts, coupons, and extra attention. But I will not go back on this ship. And someday I'll get to see Mexico.

[mmsalmon1987]

Sorry, I guess I missunderstood. From page 1:

 

 

 

They said they had a temporary fix, but not enough to get us to the rest of our ports (Cozumel and Costa Maya),

[pamstravels]

This was our first cruise so I have nothing to compare it to but staying in an all inclusive hotel somewhere.

 

We loved the life onboard the ship - dancing, drinking, swimming, meeting people, etc. And the credit of $300 didn't hurt us at all.

 

We hated the change of ports. I never would have chosed the Bahama's because I can go there from Atlanta for next to nothing. It was dirty and the agressive street vendors were a real turn off. I was even approached while in the bathroom stall at the pier!! Come on!! "No, you can not braid my hair!!, please pass the toilet paper."

 

Coco Cay was fun, snorkling was awesome! I think the strong drinks helped it along as well. But, I was really looking forward to snorkling in Costa Maya at one of the best reefs in the world.

 

The service was wonderful, we made some new friends (Hi Craig, Fran & Stella!! It was great meeting you! I wish I was the one with the dollar bill!) and the dinners in the Carmen dining room were incredible!! Our table mates Karen and Steve kept us in stitches every night and Uma our waiter didn't leave us wanting for anything.

 

The problems with the propeller dampened our vacation, but it wasn't enough to discourage us from cruising with Royal Caribbean again - we booked another cruise for same time next year. Hopefully we will make it to Mexico this time!!

 

Pam

[chrisnsteph1022]

Because one of the propellers broke, we weren't in any danger, and were still moving, but not as fast as needed to make it to Key West on time. After the fix, we should have been able to make it to Mexico, but it seemed they wanted to work on it some more in Nassau (which, amazingly, no one I spoke to saw the divers like we did in Key West) rather than finish the cruise as expected. Maybe the temporary fix did not allow them to make it to the ports. I don't know. That's the problem. Not enough communication.

[chrisnsteph1022]

PS-hi DDnRD!! We loved meeting you and having dinner with all of you. Maybe we can join your foursome for the next cruise and actually see Mexico! LOL

[TahoeBob]

It's hard to believe a ship in great working condition would just blow a prop suddenly and unexpectedly. I'm not an expert by any means, but things just don't break for no reason.

 

 

your right on one point things just don't break for no reason, but things do break for unforseen reasons. I once had a new car that blew a head gasket at 7000 miles. there was a reason it blew but no one could figure out why and that includes me, my mechanic, and Ford. My car was tied up for a few days in the shop, should I have started a petition to express my displeasure?

 

the bottom line they fixed the car, thats all they had to do and thats all they could do.

 

Sometimes S*#@ happens

 

Bob

[DDnRD]

We too we're on board this last cruise. Yes, we were a little disappointed with the change, but what the heck, your on vacation, make the best of it!!! Was so glad I joined the "Meet & Mingle" board, made a few new friends, and you know who you are;) . Yes, the last night in the dining room was bad, dishes, lights, mirrors and everything else was shaking, and then again in the morning. For all we know, the prop could have hit something underwater? Just a thought. Book another cruise for next year, didn't discourage us. I do agree with the post about room stewerd, I think we saw him maybe twice the entire cruise, we had to leave notes for clean towels, glasses and pool towels. Needles to say, he didn't get anything extra from us!! As far as food and the dinning room, that was out of this world. Our head waiter Jonas, could not do enough for all of us. Some had extra lobster, other extra deserts, all served with a smile. Would love to have one of him all the time:D . Those of you who were at Quest, remember, what happens on Empress, stays on Empress.......................

[DDnRD]

PS-hi DDnRD!! We loved meeting you and having dinner with all of you. Maybe we can join your foursome for the next cruise and actually see Mexico! LOL

 

 

Hi right back to you.

Hope Mom is feeling better. We booked again for 10/28/06, who knows, we might meet up again!!! We too loved meeting y'all, (he he) Keep in touch.......

[cruisin' mom]

DDnRD-- Were you at the early seating or the late seating? Jonas was our waiter (second seating), and he was the BEST!! We left him a nice big tip because he was just out of this world!! We both really liked the fact that when we would see him in the Windjammer at breakfast, he always stopped to say hello (and always called us by name). He made the dining room experience so much fun!!!

[chrisnsteph1022]

We had Jonas at the first seating. Table 124. He was SO cool. He seemed genuinely concerned when MIL didn't make it for dinner and we definitely left him an extra tip. He was great. And he offered to come home with any of us, for $2k/month and free room and board. He also talked about his kids (2, which stay with his parents in the Phillipines).

[DDnRD]

Crusin'Mom,

 

We were at the first seating at table 124, with Chrisnsteph1022. They were great table mates, had lots of laughs. If anyone's meet my husband, he really light's up a room with his laughter. We also left Jonas a little something extra. It makes you feel special the way they treat you.

 

Deb

[seastar2]

To all the cc folks who meet on the pool deck at sailaway I hope and in some cases know that what happened on this cruise has not stopped you from sailing again..as I may have said I have never had any problems with a ship breaking down before . Yes there can be changes in ports due to weather, political unrest ( which I have had happen) or other unforseen curcimstances. When we sign on we know upfront that nothing is a given.

 

To all those that are dissapointed everyone on board was also..yes I would have liked to go to the Mexican ports but I made the best of what I got instead( and saved some money not shopping for silver!). The Mayan Ruins would have been an interesting afternoon as apposed to a day at the beach but then I saw a ray and an manatee while at Coco Cay.

 

:D

[newcruiserdave]

Just wondering,

If Empress left Key West today, scheduled to head to Grand Cayman for Wednesday, and Rita is potentially in the area Tuesday - Wednesday, then who knows what will happen. Added to this, apparently (per the past passengers reports of severe vibration on the last day) there is a continuing propulsion problem. I know that RCCL will do whatever it takes to keep passengers and the ship safe. But it will be interesting to see what they do with a slow ship in a weather iffy time.

[justaknucklehead]

You know people, if you really cruise for the ports, then you should absolutely vacation in the port you want to go to. Cruises, expecially during hurricane season, often don't get to the ports that are on the itinerary. Heck, you're only in a port for a few hours anyway, hardly enough time to study history, lol.

 

Having said that, I'm certain that RCCL didn't deliberately not fix a propeller that had been giving them a problem. Do you really think they wanted two hundred whiners at the customer service desk? I doubt it.

 

I can't imagine the captain saying, "Gosh, I hope that propeller breaks on this cruise, because I really didn't want to go to Cozumel and I hope the passengers have a petition asking for my head on a platter".

 

Grow up people, stuff happens.

[Nyco]

Compensation was $200 per person for a suite ($150 for all other rooms).:confused:

Why would they not get the same. Now that's something to complain about.

If anthing it should be $150 per person per suite ($200 for all other rooms)

Dam they have small cabins :D

[cruisin' mom]

I was thinking the same thing, too :confused: The compensation was for the change in itinerary & missed ports. Those that paid for a suite still got their suite, but we all missed the same ports. Who knows... :rolleyes:

[Merion_Mom]

And they got to spend that extra time onboard in SUITES. Damn, you guys are onto something!

[Merion_Mom]

Carol -

With all due respect I think that you are overlooking the fact that people cruise for many different reasons. For some, just sitting by the pool or on the beach is the entire experience for them.

 

For us, it was the opportunity to go somewhere we'd never been before, see things we were excited to see AND have the cruise ship experience.

 

There are many different types of people and personalities on a cruise ship. If I just wanted to sit around all day at a pool or on a beach with a drink in my hand, I could have paid a lot less and flown somewhere a lot cheaper. Heck, if I want to sit around a beach all day with a drink in my hand all I have to do is drive 20 minutes south of my house!

 

Joanne

Joanne, I appreciate you expressing your point of view. Lest you think that I don't know whereof I speak, let me assure you that I do. You missed the Mexican ports of your 5 day cruise, still going to Key West, but substituting Nassau for Cozumel and Costa Maya. I LOST AN ENTIRE CRUISE last December, Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya AND Grand Cayman. So I certainly DO know what it feels like.

 

And I still say that you have to understand your cruise contract. Is it appropriate for you to express disappointment? Absolutely. It's all about managing expectations. To me, disappointment over missed ports, while still getting a 5 day cruise, shouldn't be allowed to ruin a cruise or a cruiseline.

 

(someone mentioned NOT tipping much to a cabin steward, because she only saw him sporadically, and had to leave notes to get the things she wanted. But she apparently got those things through her notes. Why do you need to SEE this person as long as your needs are met? Expectations, expectations, expectations. S/he did her/his job - seemingly well)

 

Carol