Pride - Totally Disappointed!

[mef38]

Well, we got back from our cruise on the Pride yesterday and we are still waiting to have the "Seabourn Experience".

 

I do not know how many other passengers off that ship are lurking around, but I've never seen a cruise like this before.

 

The ship was supposed to board between 2-3PM on Sunday but the ship was not ready for boarding until about 4:30. Then, we were suppose to sail away at 5PM but only left closer to midnight!

 

When we boarded, we were escorted into the Magellan lounge to wait our number to be called so we could get our boarding pass and room key. While waiting we had some finger food (sandwiches, cookies, etc) and coffee, tea, water. I took one of the sandwiches and gave it to my wife while I had another. My wife had just taken one bite when I noticed that the underside bread was all mouldy. I told her to stop and she spit it out. When we showed one of the waiters, he was speechless and just removed the tray.

 

After about a 45 minute wait to get our cards and then get escorted to our room, our cabin stewardess apologized that our bottles of alcohol were not yet in our room as they were still being loaded on board and we should have them and our soda the next day. Also, there were no flowers in our room even though my mother and her husband sent us a big bouquet as an anniversary gift. We did eventually get a single rose about 4 days into the cruise.

 

So, we left our room and decided to wander the ship to see what it looked like; it was after all our first time on a Seabourn ship. On deck 8 (Sky Deck?) at the back was a nice big garbage dumpster that some crewmembers were filling at the last minute. The pool was empty (and in desperate need of repair). The hot tubs were also empty. I was in shock. I really expected top quality class. I even asked an officer to please confirm to me that the cruise was really not going to be as bad as I foresaw. He told me that it was going to get better. It didn't until day 5.

 

We were suppose to go to St. John's but the itinerary was changed to St. Thomas, according to the Captain, because we needed to take on more stores and water that were not loaded in Ft. Lauderdale and it would not be possible to do so in St. Johns. Well, that's OK with me especially since the cruise line assured us (in a letter left in our cabin) that there would be more shopping and visiting opportunities in St. Thomas than in St. Johns.

 

When we arrived in St. Thomas, (again it was suppose to be 5PM but we actually disembarked at 8PM) my wife called a local store that we know well to see if they would be open when we arrived. It was about 6:10 when our cells phones worked and the store (Boolchand's) told us that they would stay open for us and they would try to get some other stores to stay open. When we finally got to the store, the manager advised us that if he had had notice an hour earlier, he would have been able to get other stores to stay open. As it was, they were the only store left open and this because we called them ahead of time. Why had not guest relations or even the Captain done this?

 

From the different conversations we've had with passengers, 6 people left the ship when we arrived in St. Thomas and did not return because of their total disappointment!

 

I really don't want to complain too much but really I have to air my disappointment.

 

I want to state that the food was among the best I've ever had. Although they need to learn how to cook hamburger as it was constantly undercooked and we would not eat it (not interested in a bout with e.coli).

 

There is so much more to tell but if I continue then many would say that I was just a disgruntled tourist who was not an understanding person in difficult situations. I'll leave the rest of my complaining for a letter that I'm sending to the President of Seabourn (who was on the ship but evidentially not interested in making her presence known). I also plan to copy the CEO of Carnival (who owns Seabourn) and our own travel agent. If I'm forgetting anyone, please let me know.

 

 

 

Mark :(

[CruisinMatt]

I wouldn't mind hearing about what else went wrong....

[its_my_dime]

Thanks for the interesting post. Writing to management was appropriate and I assume that you gave the ship whatever score you thought was appropriate on the questionaire.

 

I do hope you are wearing a flack jacket, steel helmet and seat belt. I suspect that, when the regulars on this board read what you have written, you will need it.

[mef38]

Thanks for the interesting post. Writing to management was appropriate and I assume that you gave the ship whatever score you thought was appropriate on the questionaire.

 

I do hope you are wearing a flack jacket, steel helmet and seat belt. I suspect that, when the regulars on this board read what you have written, you will need it.

 

If I had lied, then I would deserve any fallout that is due. But, I could not have made up a story like this if I tried. While I believe that this is a "one of" in Seabourn's history, I don't think that it should go unnoticed. Especially since the ship has been chartered by some big corporations (BMW, etc) for the next 3 weeks.

 

I'll keep my head down as "it hits the fan". :D

 

 

Mark

[cruiseyguy]

Embarkation day on most cruiselines is always a little "off," (although it shouldn't be). I would like to hear more about the good, bad and indifferent on subsequent days. BTW, I think all three ships are due for an extensive dry dock refurbishment soon although I don't know the exact dates.

[mcboo]

Its my dime,

As a regular here I dont think that mef38 will need any kind of battle gear as you suggest. He has some legitimate concerns and he is addressing them through the proper channels at Seabourn headquarters. I beleive this was the first sailing of the Pride since being in drydock. That is still no excuse. If the ship wasn't up to Seabourn standards then the sailing should have been postponed.

 

 

 

Just my opinion,

mcboo

[mef38]

I could add that the next day (Monday) we had no hot water in our room (took a cold shower) and on Tuesday there was no water pressure. I know that they were working on it.

 

But the food was great!

 

They refitted all the suites with DVD players. It would have been nice if there were DVD's aboard and not VHS videos. In fact, in our suite was a Seabourn publicity video that we couldn't watch.

 

It is only fair to mention that the DVD's were beginning to appear in the library by day 4.

 

But the food was great! :D

 

 

Mark :cool:

[johnnycruise]

After about a 45 minute wait to get our cards and then get escorted to our room, our cabin stewardess apologized that our bottles of alcohol were not yet in our room as they were still being loaded on board and we should have them and our soda the next day. Also, there were no flowers in our room even though my mother and her husband sent us a big bouquet as an anniversary gift. We did eventually get a single rose about 4 days into the cruise.

 

I thought all staterooms were supposed to have fresh flowers ...

[its_my_dime]

... I beleive this was the first sailing of the Pride since being in drydock. That is still no excuse. If the ship wasn't up to Seabourn standards then the sailing should have been postponed....mcboo

 

Much too drastic and too expensive for any ship line to cancel if a ship is capable of sailing. Better to go with what you have, whatever it is, and try to fix it along the way (which it sounds like Seabourn tried to do). With all of the cruise ships today and all of the "problems", a bad sailing on the Seabourn (or any ship) can usually just get lost in the shuffle.

 

In the event that someone like mef38 actually makes a coherent web board complaint, then the spin is that it was the first sailing after drydock and the problems have been fixed.

[bldsld]

 

In the event that someone like mef38 actually makes a coherent web board complaint, then the spin is that it was the first sailing after drydock and the problems have been fixed.

 

I don't see posts of that nature on this thread at all. It sounds like the ship wasn't ready, and the poster is escalating through the proper channels.

[CruisinMatt]

Mark, was this your first Seabourn cruise? How did you like your suite besides the missing flowers and cold water? Was it apparent that it had recently been refurbised?

[cruiseyguy]

Since this occurred AFTER the much-heralded drydock refurbishments, I'm concerned about the pool being in need of repair. As others have surmised, it appears that Pride sailed before everything was finished and ready. Sounds more like a "shakedown" cruise and the passengers shouldn't be expected to pay "full freight." It will be interesting to hear Seabourn's response to the OP's letter.

[GrannyLorr]

I was actually just thinking a couple of days ago, that when the new DVD players are installed, they might forget to put DVD's in the Library and the old videos may still be there.......I am glad that the Spirit will have a couple of months after its facelift, before we board...it must have been a very disappointing cruise......:(

 

[LaPaloma]

Mark, I am chagrined to hear of the obvious disaster. There is no doubt a story of problems that were just not solvable at the time. In any case..I would be surprised if you didn't receive retribution! All of our wonderful stories are indeed true...thus this is such a surprise.

[its_my_dime]

....I would be surprised if you didn't receive retribution!...

 

I do hope you mean "restitution".

[Chairsin]

Not to excuse Seabourn but this really is just not consistent with the Seabourn way of doing things. The late sailing is not unusual -- they post a time to be on board but in my experience that is just to give people a comfort factor if they fly in the same day. On most of our Med cruises we were to board by six but did not actually sail until later -- many passengers went back ashore after dinner when we were in Istanbul. The water issue is disconcerting -- was it the whole ship or just your suite? With respect to the flowers did your family get confirmation of the order before you cruised? As to the port issue, there is never a guarantee on any ship as far as I know that all advertised ports will be made -- we have had a Greek port cut out in favor of anchoring off an island when there was an issue with the local authorites.And as far as the liquor in your suites at least there were free drinks elswhere on the ship. On our first cruise my husband used to bring two glasses of champagne to our suite from the bar while we were dressing before dinner. Sure, he could have called room service but this was quick and easy.

 

I am glad that you balanced your remarks with noting that the food( with the exception of the moldy sandwhich) was good. But I gather that was not enough to make up for the other problems you encountered.

[Iamboatman]

I always advise clients not to take inaugural sailings and, likewise, sailings immediately after drydockings. It is really quite a feat to get everything in such short time periods and there are inevitably purveyors that do not deliver as promised. It is not an excuse as you should get what you pay for, but it is a bit of disasterproofing that your TA should have warned you about.

 

For example, the DVDs probably were late shipped, the food was obviously not fully provisioned by the shoreside suppliers and there were no backup supplies since there was no previous sailing and the stores were emptied. I am sure that is why the port was moved to St. Thomas.

 

Also, the staff and crew would have been working round the clock to make everything happen and there is lots of pressure. They have worked full out for 2 weeks and came up a few hours short. Those few hours are a small percentage of lateness for them, but huge for the embarking passengers. Seabourn is keenly aware of the issue.

 

The sandwiches were inexcusable, the water not a good thing, but the port issues are not, to my mind, earthshattering as the Caribbean ports such as St. Thomas just don't float my boat, but alas it can be frustrating and dissappointing. Hamburgers needing to be cooked more, though. My wife just asks for well done and it is not an issue. And liquor bottles in the suite upon embarcation is a tough criticism to accept.

 

I would be very interested to know if the service after the initial hiccups improved, if you enjoyed the other ports, if the public spaces were enjoyable, if you ever did use the pool (which seemed fine - though not modern - in September). (The spas are almost never filled on embarkation, but are shortly after the muster drill.)

 

One thing should be certain. As you have some legitmate gripes, Seabourn will respond to you. Let us know what the result is.

[mef38]

I always advise clients not to take inaugural sailings and, likewise, sailings immediately after drydockings... it is a bit of disasterproofing that your TA should have warned you about.

 

This is a great suggestion. We only found out that it was drydocked by reading the information on this Cruise Critic Board.

 

For example, the DVDs probably were late shipped...

I don't think it was so much as "late shipped" as it was that the crew may just not have had the time to put them in the library. I realize that they were working hard.

 

...the food was obviously not fully provisioned by the shoreside suppliers and there were no backup supplies since there was no previous sailing and the stores were emptied. I am sure that is why the port was moved to St. Thomas.

This was exactly why the port was changed.

 

Also, the staff and crew would have been working round the clock to make everything happen and there is lots of pressure. They have worked full out for 2 weeks and came up a few hours short. Those few hours are a small percentage of lateness for them, but huge for the embarking passengers.

I agree with this. In fact, some crew members stated that they only needed one more day and everything would have been smooth.

 

The sandwiches were inexcusable, the water not a good thing, but the port issues are not, to my mind, earthshattering as the Caribbean ports such as St. Thomas just don't float my boat, but alas it can be frustrating and dissappointing.

Whether we had been in St. Thomas or St. Johns, either would have worked for me. I love all of the Caribbean. But don't say (and I'm quoting the official letter we received) "Because of this later departure it will be impossible for us to reach our first port of call, St. John, at the scheduled time of 5:00 pm on November 16. Instead, we have arranged to call at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands from 6:00 pm to midnight on November 16. We hope that you will enjoy the numerous shopping and dining alternatives that St. Thomas has to offer." and then they did nothing to make certain that the shops would actually be open. A little more time and other stores could have planned for our arrival. Perhaps not all of the store would have remained open for a couple hundred people, but certainly more than one.

 

Hamburgers needing to be cooked more, though. My wife just asks for well done and it is not an issue.

I actually never thought of that.

 

And liquor bottles in the suite upon embarcation is a tough criticism to accept.

I agree that it is not a great criticsm, but then don't require us to advise them ahead of time of our liquor preferences, so that it can be waiting in our cabins, if it isn't reasonable to expect it.

 

I would be very interested to know if the service after the initial hiccups improved, if you enjoyed the other ports, if the public spaces were enjoyable, if you ever did use the pool (which seemed fine - though not modern - in September). (The spas are almost never filled on embarkation, but are shortly after the muster drill.)

 

St. Barths was excellent as was Virgin Gorda. We did have a nice time on the second half of our trip. Things did improve and I am not writing off the trip, nor Seabourn, at all. My wife did make use of the pool and the spas were finally filled after St. Thomas. I was not thrilled with the smoking in public places like the dining room however. In fact, it became annoying one evening. But the crew usually attempted to place the smokers away from the non-smokers and we were advised that smoking will no longer be permitted as of January 1, 2006. So, for our next cruise, we shouldn't have to worry about that.

 

One thing should be certain. As you have some legitmate gripes, Seabourn will respond to you. Let us know what the result is.

I will definitely share the response from Seabourn about this. In all fairness, I must add that we were given a 25% discount on a future cruise as some sort of compensation.

 

 

Mark

[johnnycruise]

In hindsight, I'm curious why Seabourn didn't stop at San Juan for "provisions" instead of St. Thomas. It is closer to Florida so you would've arrived a few hours earlier plus San Juan has more evening shoreside options.

[Iamboatman]

Mark:

 

I'm glad Seabourn offered up the 25% discount right up front and, honestly, that seems about fair compensation to my mind. I am also glad that you were able to enjoy much about the ship, though the "perfect" vacation you were expecting it wasn't.

 

As far as St. Thomas goes, there are probably a few factors involved with the delay and shopping. First, a berth has to be made available and that has to coordinate with the provisioners. This may have happened later than Seabourn anticipated. In fact, I was up this past evening juggling a ship's entry into NY with the US Coast Guard and the pilots until 3AM - with the time changing almost every hour. I don't know if it was the case, but it might well have been.

 

Second, one of the "problems" with being on a small ship is that the mass market shops look for their business from ships with 2000 and there just isn't that much pull. There are not many shops that would stay open for a mere 200 people of which maybe a couple dozen might visit. And then of those how many would actually buy something?

 

Third, I think Seabourn was trying to put a descent (if not good) spin on a bad situation. If the author had left that line out it really would not have made a difference to your experience. Heck, you could have been scheduled for Grand Cayman, arrived on time, and the sat there because it was too rough for tenders. Or it could have been raining or worse. It is just kind of a boat thing that can be very disappointing; especially for those who don't cruise as often as others.

 

It is also nice to hear that the staff and crew of the Pride were as disappointed they "just missed" and honestly communicated that to you. They are a great group of people, as I am sure you found out, and they take great "pride" in what they do.

[uk1]

6 people abandon ship!? 25% is fair compensation!

 

A shame Mark isn't in the UK.

 

With a story like that he'd receive a full refund and compensation for "vexation and aggravation". I know because my case against a so called luxury holiday company back in '82 is cited as the main precedence for many succeeding cases used against travel companies that have breach their contract since.

 

There is a bit of a pattern emerging recently with the very accident prone Seabourn and I hope for the sake of their loyal customers they reverse what is appearing to be the first bit of an unfortunate trend.

 

Jeff

[CruisinMatt]

I'm glad Seabourn offered up the 25% discount right up front and, honestly, that seems about fair compensation to my mind.

 

Based on Mark's testimony in this thread, I find that to be very generous.

 

I could easily make a list of minor (and some major) complaints I had with my last cruise on Seabourn. As a matter of fact I did on the guest survey at the end of the cruise. With that said, it was the best cruise I have ever taken to date.

 

Why is it that lately our society expects perfection and if we get anything less, we are due some sort of handsome compensation?

 

Can someone direct me to a Seabourn advert that offers an absolutely perfect vacation or your money back?

 

Things happen! Live, love, forgive and move on....

 

Sorry to rant :o Maybe I just have not had enough coffee yet..... :rolleyes:

[mef38]

Mark:

 

I'm glad Seabourn offered up the 25% discount right up front and, honestly, that seems about fair compensation to my mind.

 

I can't agree with this statement. Nor can I agree with CruisinMatt's comment that it is "very generous".

 

Please keep in mind that we are talking about a 25% discount on a FUTURE CRUISE. If it had been a 25% refund on this cruise then perhaps I could agree. I am not interested in a complete refund. I did get a service but the main question is: Did I get the service I paid for?

 

If this had been another "Mass-Market" cruise then perhaps I would have no reason for complaints. You expect hiccups. After all, they have 2000 passengers to please and so the service is more forgiving. But we're talking about Seabourn and the "Seabourn Experience". We hold them to a higher standard.

 

It would be like flying First-Class from NY to Hong Kong. Such a flight could cost thousands of dollars. Why fly First-Class when Coach would be less expensive; perhaps only several hundred dollars. But we choose to fly First-Class because of the extras being offered like service, quality and space. Now, what if there was a change of equipment. The new craft does not have a First-Class section and everyone travels Coach. The flight is the same distance, the same airline, the same schedule, but not the same class of service. Would we be talking about a discount on a future flight as being "Generous"? Of course not! We would be screaming for a partial, or in some cases, a full refund.

 

The situation is very similar here. The ship still had to get from Ft Lauderdale to Barbados by the 20th because BMW had chartered it. Seabourn can not afford to lose a corporate charter. There are probably penalty clauses in the contract. So, the decision to sail her to Barbados unprepared was made. And the paying passengers were the test run for the corporate clients. In the meantime, we have to hold Seabourn to the higher standard and see if it was met. In my opinion, it was not.

 

This cannot go unchallenged. And we'll see if Seabourn agrees or not when the letter gets sent.

 

I'll keep you posted.

 

 

Mark

[uk1]

Hi Mark,

 

I didn’t say before – but I’m saddened you had a bad vacation. No one seeks this out and whatever you might get back will in fact not compensate you for your disappointment, and as a generalisation for most people that buy at this level – for the time you lost being disappointed. I can’t speak for the US situation but can speak authoritatively about how this is treated in Europe generally but with some certainty in the UK.

 

What will help both “boatman” and “cruising” is simply accepting that what always works in most areas is “reasonableness”. Not claiming opportunistically – which certainly in the UK doesn’t work – but appears to us in the UK happens more in the US and has spawned a legal industry. "Cruisin" for some reason was comparing " the best cruise he ever had" to your cruise and said therefore you should be happy. It's a puzzling rant.

 

Mark paid extra – not just for quality but for Seabourn’s overhead for doing quality consistently every time. In the UK, thankfully a claimant would get a hard time bringing a case to court for a trivial or small defect. But a series of both minor and major defects where each small or large issue compounded on the previous and where you could show a breach of an implied term ie taking reasonable care to provide a very high quality product would be almost certainly successful. And it’s important to do it. Because without the check and balance of a reasonable customer who has been cheated out of what they paid for and demanding reasonable treatment – they simply lower standards to optimise profit.

 

Seabourn seems to have made a commercial decision to sail a cruise with a predictably less than optimum quality delivery. I promise you that, this wasn’t without a proper calculation about “loss” versus “gain”. You’re right to call it out. Otherwise all customers suffer, and in the end so does the supplier.

 

Jeff

[CruisinMatt]

"Cruisin" for some reason was comparing " the best cruise he ever had" to your cruise and said therefore you should be happy. It's a puzzling rant.

 

I never suggested that. I was simply commenting about my cruise experience and in no way meant to compare it to Mark's experience.

 

It certainly does not sound like the typical "Seabourn Experience", but it doesn't sound like a nightmare vacation either. Certainly not anything that he needs to litigate as UK1 suggests.