Poor attitude of Celebrity cuise staff toward injured passengers

[PoppyandNana]

How he is usually managed to take 4 large suitcases :rolleyes:? What surprise me the most is that you keep blaming cruise line for something.

 

Why would an 85 year old man need four large suitcases in the first place? Something smells fishy in Denmark

[PoppyandNana]

None of the Celebrity staff guided him about how he was suppose to get his luggage out of the port to the taxi stand. He would have been very happy to pay a porter if only someone had told him. Celebrity may be legally correct but if they felt that an old couple was incapable of managing themselves they could have atleast given him some guidance.

 

Sounds like not a one of them had any business getting any where near a cruise ship. What do these people expect?

 

I'm a 95 year old guy, in a wheel chair, am incontinent and have a colostomy bag, about 85% senile. No problem, go on a cruise, somebody will take care of me. I mean, thats what they are there for aren't they?

 

No one told him about porters? BS on a mega scale. There are dozens of staff, of one sort or another, helping passengers. Plus usually the porters outnumber the passengers.

Edited November 15, 2016 by PoppyandNana

[PoppyandNana]

Forget about like hotels and airlines, the Celebrity cruises staff put all the baggage of the ship and onto the dock. My 85 year only father has to manages to take four large suitcases all alone out of the dock ares and to the taxi stand which was quite a long distance with no form of transport available. Atleast they should have helped him upto the Taxi stand on humanitarian ground.

 

If you were there you would have helped him, right? The fact of the matter is you weren't there so how do you know what actually happened?

[RDC1]

That was not the OP. That was a different poster who responded later. OP's parents were traveling alone.

 

Yeah, my mistake. I was thinking that it was two different streams.

[ducklite]

If you read the OP post. There were three people traveling. The mother who injured herself in a fall, one daughter who accompanied the mother on the med flight back to Florida, and a second daughter who is somewhat disabled (the OP) who said that they initially did not offer assistance, but that she did get help from one individual to the taxi stand.

 

 

 

Her complaint was basically 1. Celebrity said the med flight had to go to Miami or FLL when they wanted it to go to their home area 2. They did not do any arrangements for her and she was left to make her own arrangements.

 

 

 

The med flight was very likely under the constraints of the travel insurance they bought, a buyer beware situation for sure. I don't see where X should be required to make arrangements for anyone. I would rather make my own, regardless of the situation. An evacuation due to disaster or attack is of course, a different animal.

 

 

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[QE2_Fan]

My wife recently broke her ankle after slipping on a rather steep decline of the gangplank. We were heading out for a day in port, last one prior to arrival in Sydney.

 

Due the nature of the injury it was clear she would need to disembark for onshore medical attention so we made the call for all of us (10 and 13yo. Kids in tow) to disembark and stick together as a family unit.

 

whilst initially the crew were very supportive there was no clear coordination aside from us needing to pack and get off the ship. Twice crew came to our cabin to check process and advise is to let guest services know when we were ready to disembark.

 

When we were ready I did as instructed and requested help with baggage. They sent someone to collect the baggage and take it down to the gangway. Otherwise they said if I had a credit card on file there was nothing more they had to do and to go directly to the gangplank on deck 2.

 

By this time there was a torrential downpour and people were rushing to get back on the ship. The security team recognised us from the time of the accident and at least tried to make way for us to exit.

 

We then had to collect our luggage from where it was dropped off, and carry/drag/roll it over the very same gangplank where my wife fell earlier, and now in even worse conditions.

 

My daughter was traumatised at the thought of falling like she saw her mother do earlier and it wasn't until I requested assistance at least for my daughter that they got a steward to assist her and the case she was trying to manage. He ran back on board without a second glance or even an offer of an umbrella.

 

Whilst I do concur that the ships obligation can only go so far IMO they fell WAY under that on this occasion per common courtesy, safety and customer service in our disembarkation process.

 

We were blessed to have friends that were waiting for us, otherwise we too would have been left dockside dripping wet wondering what our next steps were.

 

Yes one's logic should prevail, but logic does not always kick in when you have a wife in hospital, a child in distress, a torrential thunderstorm pouring down and 9 pieces of luggage in various forms surrounding you!

 

So I completely concur with previous poster that just a little extra effort and coordination to see passengers off the ship and safely into a taxi (even if I had to book it!)

 

I too am in my mid 40's and it was a day I'd rather forget. Unless you've been through it you really have no idea how difficult every little decision and what your next action, your next call etc needs to be.

 

Even with our friends we had to take all our luggage to the hospital to check in and see my wife, the kids needed to be fed and we then had to work out where to stay, for how long etc. whilst worried about my wife, about getting home, about work, trying to keep a straight face for the kids sake. It was an ordeal let me tell you! I really empathise for those older and wiser in years dealing with similar scenarios.

 

On the flip side however, unbeknown to us at this time, Celebrity AU sent a representative up for support, and we had a call from Celebrity UK offering assistance. Care of the kids, finding accom etc. (yes some of that much needed support did come, but a little late - would have been nicely done prior leaving the ship)

 

The rep visited my wife in hospital and was there more for moral support than anything else but this was quite a nice gesture by Celebrity. She also works in the Exec Dept of AU management! So I have verbalised much of this to her directly in the hope they can take our comments and assess how they could better handle such situations, admittedly to the extent of their control/liability.

 

My Wife had an operation today to have pins added into her ankle so hopefully she will be given the ok to fly and we can head home as a family in a few more days.

 

 

 

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Edited November 16, 2016 by QE2_Fan

[FlamingJune1967]

My wife recently broke her ankle after slipping on a rather steep decline of the gangplank. We were heading out for a day in port, last one prior to arrival in Sydney.

 

Due the nature of the injury it was clear she would need to disembark for onshore medical attention so we made the call for all of us (10 and 13yo. Kids in tow) to disembark and stick together as a family unit.

 

whilst initially the crew were very supportive there was no clear coordination aside from us needing to pack and get off the ship. Twice crew came to our cabin to check process and advise is to let guest services know when we were ready to disembark.

 

When we were ready I did as instructed and requested help with baggage. They sent someone to collect the baggage and take it down to the gangway. Otherwise they said if I had a credit card on file there was nothing more they had to do and to go directly to the gangplank on deck 2.

 

By this time there was a torrential downpour and people were rushing to get back on the ship. The security team recognised us from the time of the accident and at least tried to make way for us to exit.

 

We then had to collect our luggage from where it was dropped off, and carry/drag/roll it over the very same gangplank where my wife fell earlier, and now in even worse conditions.

 

My daughter was traumatised at the thought of falling like she saw her mother do earlier and it wasn't until I requested assistance at least for my daughter that they got a steward to assist her and the case she was trying to manage. He ran back on board without a second glance or even an offer of an umbrella.

 

Whilst I do concur that the ships obligation can only go so far IMO they fell WAY under that on this occasion per common courtesy, safety and customer service in our disembarkation process.

 

We were blessed to have friends that were waiting for us, otherwise we too would have been left dockside dripping wet wondering what our next steps were.

 

Yes one's logic should prevail, but logic does not always kick in when you have a wife in hospital, a child in distress, a torrential thunderstorm pouring down and 9 pieces of luggage in various forms surrounding you!

 

So I completely concur with previous poster that just a little extra effort and coordination to see passengers off the ship and safely into a taxi (even if I had to book it!)

 

I too am in my mid 40's and it was a day I'd rather forget. Unless you've been through it you really have no idea how difficult every little decision and what your next action, your next call etc needs to be.

 

Even with our friends we had to take all our luggage to the hospital to check in and see my wife, the kids needed to be fed and we then had to work out where to stay, for how long etc. whilst worried about my wife, about getting home, about work, trying to keep a straight face for the kids sake. It was an ordeal let me tell you! I really empathise for those older and wiser in years dealing with similar scenarios.

 

On the flip side however, unbeknown to us at this time, Celebrity AU sent a representative up for support, and we had a call from Celebrity UK offering assistance. Care of the kids, finding accom etc. (yes some of that much needed support did come, but a little late - would have been nicely done prior leaving the ship)

 

The rep visited my wife in hospital and was there more for moral support than anything else but this was quite a nice gesture by Celebrity. She also works in the Exec Dept of AU management! So I have verbalised much of this to her directly in the hope they can take our comments and assess how they could better handle such situations, admittedly to the extent of their control/liability.

 

My Wife had an operation today to have pins added into her ankle so hopefully she will be given the ok to fly and we can head home as a family in a few more days.

 

 

 

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Your account is factual, fairly unemotional, and complete. I feel like I have a good picture of what actually happened, and I appreciate your input. I am so sorry that your wife has had this accident and pray she has a swift recovery.

I hope that Celebrity will see this and reevaluate how they transition folks off the ship in the event of an emergency, as this seems to be a bit of an oversight on Celebrity's part. If there are no porters, assistance in getting to a taxi just seems like common courtesy.

Best wishes to you and your family!

[QE2_Fan]

Your account is factual, fairly unemotional, and complete. I feel like I have a good picture of what actually happened, and I appreciate your input. I am so sorry that your wife has had this accident and pray she has a swift recovery.

 

I hope that Celebrity will see this and reevaluate how they transition folks off the ship in the event of an emergency, as this seems to be a bit of an oversight on Celebrity's part. If there are no porters, assistance in getting to a taxi just seems like common courtesy.

 

Best wishes to you and your family!

 

 

 

Thank you! We are just trying to take it day by day and hopefully we are approaching the finish line!

 

I agree, I do not have huge expectations of how Celebrity should take in full responsibility in these situations.

 

I just see it as a gap not to have a streamlined process of the emergency debarkation process where a ships representative and a porter (if required) ensure you are safely off the ship and sent off in prearranged transport. That's not too much to ask but would be a huge piece of mind.

 

Any decent hotel would do it, why is it so wrong to expect the cruise ship to do that similar service in extenuating circumstances.

 

 

 

 

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[Fish Lover]

Ordinarily I would agree. It seems reasonable on its face. However, people are unpredictable, generally unreasonable, and disagreeable. Read the posts on these boards and it becomes apparent that people are indeed different from one another in experience, likes, needs, wants, and expectations.

 

That said, how would you expect the cruise line to make satisfactory hotel arrangements, when no one would agree on how to define satisfactpry? How can you expect the cruise line to arrange for transportation when people would not agree on what satisfactory transportation is (taxi? bus? private ambulance?) In the very best of all worlds, every ship would have a designated coordinator in charge of every emergency situation, and that person would know exactly what to do given the location, injury, and numbers and types of passengers affected. And the affected passengers would be cooperative. That however, is a lot to expect. Whenever there is more than one person involved, there is likely to be conflict and disagreement (and then p[people bitching and moaning about it after the fact). This becomes a no win situation for the cruise line. It is also a reality that this happens so infrequently, that the impact on the business overall is negligible

 

It is what I would do, if I ran things, but I acknowledge there is no such thing as a universal good solution.

 

Given that, one has to be prepared to deal with these things oneself and if help is needed, how to demand it and get results.

[Project_gal]

One thing that no one has considered is how much the crew are allowed to do on land by the local authorities. What has to be remembered here is that cruise ships sail all round the world. The OP's parents were in Portugal. The latest contributor in Australia.

 

I have been told that there are differences between Miami and Fort Lauderdale (both in the same state of the USA) in what crew are permitted to do off the ship - this in the case of the Michael's Club concierge being allowed to assist with disembarkation.

 

The latest contributor mentioned the security officer that helped his daughter rushed back onto the ship. Perhaps he was actually acting outside what he was permitted to do in that port. Perhaps he did not know what he was prohibited from doing.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Project_gal

[BRIFRO]

r - I Am so sorry for your mothers unfortunate fall.. were you with them on this sailing? Sounds like you were not as someone had to fly to Portugal to attend them.

 

Should they have been sailing alone?

 

I can only suggest that this must be an anomaly, as there have been several posts recently, where individuals who have been hurt aboard were taken care of by X in great form.

 

Now, I cannot know how much involvement the travel companions had in getting things in order as well.

 

As stated before, most '3rd party' travel insurance policies have a concierge who assists in such situations including having a translator available.

 

I can only surmize that you just joined CC to complain about X's 'treatment' of your parents, in lieu of reading how others in similar situations have fared. There have been some other nightmares reported, but I believe more often than not, it has been all good.

 

I wish her a good and speedy recovery and your father is able to help with her rehabilitation.

 

bon voyage

Bo, thankyou for the positive input for the Cruise Critic forum.

[SeagoingMom]

I saw too many cases when person should not travel any more. After we saw a women in port ,who did not remember which ship she is from and could not find her card, I told my husband that we should remember it and stop travel in certain time.

Right .. could happen to a young, drunk (or hungover) traveler as well... :rolleyes:

 

And I have talked to folks who have booked a cruise who did not know the name of the ship they were sailing on. On a port with more than one ship of the same line, it could be confusing. And you don't have to be elderly to not remember which dock your ship is at in a port where there is more than one, such as in Cozumel.

 

And lots of folks of every age misplace their sail card and other things while traveling. (I am the voice of experience here...:o)

 

My original point was that older people of sound mind should be deciding for themselves whether to travel, not be "allowed" or "disallowed" from traveling by someone else. You are a good example of folks who are intending to make their own decisions!

 

[helen haywood]

I think the important take-away from this unpleasant, upsetting incident is that one should be prepared to take care of oneself in any situation when one travels. I'm not just talking about buying travel insurance, for all the people who say that they don't buy it because they are comfortable with the possibility of losing the money for the cruise if they have to cancel, this shows the need, one never knows when a healthy person can slip or such. But some thought as to possibilities.

 

I once read never pack a suitcase so heavy that you could not lift it yourself. Elevators may fail, you might be in a European country that doesn't have one, nor porters. If either partner is taking medication, the other should know what it is and what dosage. Both should have photos of the interior passport pages on both their phones. Etc.

 

It would be nice to think one could count on the kindness of strangers or companies, but the reality is one must plan to be self-sufficient.

 

And the reality is many older people are traveling alone or together when they are not in physical or mental condition to be able to fend for themselves if something goes awry. My 86 year old father took a cruise and somehow found out he was getting charged a ton for data on his phone (we hadn't thought to tell him about changing his phone settings for travel) so he evidently contacted his carrier who told him how to turn it off...but he wound up turning everything off! We were unable to make contact with him for 10 days!

[Fish Lover]

This is great...but what to do when someone doesn't realize or admit that the time to travel (without other family) has come? How many people refuse to admit when the time comes they should no longer be driving?...many.

The cruise lines can't be assumed to pick up the slack or compensate for the lapse in judgment.

 

My parents are both in their 80's. I would never allow either of them to travel alone. My mother is quite capable of they travel together. However, we prepare ahead of time so that I am only a call away and I have thoroughly researched ahead of time and have an outline of emergency numbers for each port..just in case.

[ducklite]

I think the important take-away from this unpleasant, upsetting incident is that one should be prepared to take care of oneself in any situation when one travels. I'm not just talking about buying travel insurance, for all the people who say that they don't buy it because they are comfortable with the possibility of losing the money for the cruise if they have to cancel, this shows the need, one never knows when a healthy person can slip or such. But some thought as to possibilities.

 

I once read never pack a suitcase so heavy that you could not lift it yourself. Elevators may fail, you might be in a European country that doesn't have one, nor porters. If either partner is taking medication, the other should know what it is and what dosage. Both should have photos of the interior passport pages on both their phones. Etc.

 

It would be nice to think one could count on the kindness of strangers or companies, but the reality is one must plan to be self-sufficient.

 

And the reality is many older people are traveling alone or together when they are not in physical or mental condition to be able to fend for themselves if something goes awry. My 86 year old father took a cruise and somehow found out he was getting charged a ton for data on his phone (we hadn't thought to tell him about changing his phone settings for travel) so he evidently contacted his carrier who told him how to turn it off...but he wound up turning everything off! We were unable to make contact with him for 10 days!

 

 

 

This is a very wise post. The only thing I would add is that there should always be a plan, a back up, and a Hail Mary for any number of situations which could come up while traveling.

 

 

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[donaldsc]

I think the important take-away from this unpleasant, upsetting incident is that one should be prepared to take care of oneself in any situation when one travels. I'm not just talking about buying travel insurance, for all the people who say that they don't buy it because they are comfortable with the possibility of losing the money for the cruise if they have to cancel, this shows the need, one never knows when a healthy person can slip or such. But some thought as to possibilities.

 

I once read never pack a suitcase so heavy that you could not lift it yourself. Elevators may fail, you might be in a European country that doesn't have one, nor porters. If either partner is taking medication, the other should know what it is and what dosage. Both should have photos of the interior passport pages on both their phones. Etc.

 

It would be nice to think one could count on the kindness of strangers or companies, but the reality is one must plan to be self-sufficient.

 

And the reality is many older people are traveling alone or together when they are not in physical or mental condition to be able to fend for themselves if something goes awry. My 86 year old father took a cruise and somehow found out he was getting charged a ton for data on his phone (we hadn't thought to tell him about changing his phone settings for travel) so he evidently contacted his carrier who told him how to turn it off...but he wound up turning everything off! We were unable to make contact with him for 10 days!

 

So why didn't you call him on the ship directly or contact the cruise emergency number to make sure that everything was OK?

 

DON

[jasm8449]

I'm trying to figure out what the port agent's role might be. Their contact information is always in the dailies on port days. (I snap a photo f the contact info with my cell). I thought they are hired by Celebrity to among other things, provide some aid to passengers when in port. It would make sense to me that Guest services would contact the port agent to be on hand to at minimum get them and their luggage to a taxi or arrange for a car and driver (at the passenger's) expense to take the family to the hospital or hotel. Unless the accident was the fault of the cruise line, IMHO that should be the extent of their involvement. If they do more, that's great. However taking what the poster said about disembarking kids and luggage in the pouring rain at face value, it is inexcusable that they were not helped to get safely down the gangway.

 

When we cruise, I make sure to have a good insurance plan with a responsive 24/7 live operator emergency number, a cell phone with an international plan, and a reliable person at home who I've emailed before we leave with a copy of our insurance policy, our cell number, copy of passports and credit cards, and our itinerary. One call to that person and they can start the ball rolling with the insurance people, arranging hotel accommodation, contacting the consulate if they have an office in that port, etc. A concierge or front desk at the hotel can be asked to arrange to pick up the passengers at the pier. All this can be done or at least be in progress while the distressed family is packing up to disembark.

 

Hope for the best and plan for the worst.

 

 

 

 

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