Feeling a bit screwed over by RC, Irma safety/risk issue and no-refund, greed?

[Artemis908]

A category 5 hurricane is projected to directly impact Ft. Lauderdale Monday.

 

That is all that needs to be said.

 

And I am tired of saying it.

 

Past the point where people refuse to listen there is nothing more I can do.

 

Then people should stay home, you don't LOSE money by staying home. You just reschedule your vacation. That's the risk we take for not taking the insurance. Worst case scenario you move your cruise to another time, best case scenario they refund everyone's money in a couple of days.

[xpcdoojk]

It is freaking apparent that no big hurricanes have hit the USA recently to affect many cruises, but just because we went 12 years since a Cat 3 hurricane hit the USA doesn't mean that they don't typically hit us every year.... Now we have two back to back... DUH this happens...

 

There is a reason it is cheap to sail in August September.... it is called hurricane season. This stuff happens every year and at the same generic time.

 

Booking a cruise from August to October in the Caribbean is almost always a gamble, whether you realize it or not....

 

Good grief.

 

JC

[grandgeezer]

You buy insurance to protect yourself in case something happens to prevent you from making a scheduled cruise. If the cruise line can't deliver, no matter what the reason, you should be entitled for a total refund. If you paid cash the refund should be cash not a fcc or obc or any other phony payment. You don't pay for something you didn't receive. Maybe the cruise line should have insurance for their end of the deal. If you let them get away with this kind of stuff, yet continue to sail with them, you reap what you plant.

[xpcdoojk]

A category 5 hurricane is projected to directly impact Ft. Lauderdale Monday.

 

That is all that needs to be said.

 

And I am tired of saying it.

 

Past the point where people refuse to listen there is nothing more I can do.

 

Um.. exactly what did you say... a cat 5 hurricane will hit directly on Ft Lauderdale Monday.... I am willing to bet that you are wrong. A hurricane is cat 5 only around the eye... which is maybe 12 to 20 miles wide. The odds of it hitting Fort Lauderdale directly is very low. Hurricanes are massively large events, covering hundreds of miles. Not all of that storm is the eye... I.E. cat 5 portion of the storm in fact very little of it is...

 

The confusion of people posting is obnoxious....

 

Just saying....

 

JC

[lbjen]

I think there is some disappointment because other lines are straight cancelling their sailings and offering full refunds. RC set a bad precedent two weeks ago when they waited way too long to cancel Liberty, all those people that showed up to Houston because they couldn't afford to lose their money got nothing from RC for all the expenses they incurred while trapped in the flood for several days.

[xpcdoojk]

I think there is some disappointment because other lines are straight cancelling their sailings and offering full refunds. RC set a bad precedent two weeks ago when they waited way too long to cancel Liberty, all those people that showed up to Houston because they couldn't afford to lose their money got nothing from RC for all the expenses they incurred while trapped in the flood for several days.

 

the hope of people ignoring every weather forecast I saw would not seem worthy of paying for....

 

There was a pretty obvious storm hitting that Friday way before there sailing, and it was supposed according to the forecasts sit there and rain and rain...

 

Does personal responsibility ever come into play?

 

Apparently, not anymore.

 

JC

[Cruiseathoning]

Do you want it translated into a different language? A CATEGORY 5 hurricane is PROJECTED to directly impact Ft. Lauderdale. It may not, it may simply skirt it, but as of now, that is the consensus, with the only variance being in intensity.

[LMaxwell]

the hope of people ignoring every weather forecast I saw would not seem worthy of paying for....

 

There was a pretty obvious storm hitting that Friday way before there sailing, and it was supposed according to the forecasts sit there and rain and rain...

 

Does personal responsibility ever come into play?

 

Apparently, not anymore.

 

JC

 

You showed up to the Liberty debacle late and have ignored every reply to you stating RC insisted that the cruise was ON for that weekend and insisted people get there or lose their money. RC handled it very, very poorly, IMO. They are handling this better. Not to the degree some feel is fair, but I'd still say handling this situation much better.

 

I would not be surprised to see outright cancellations next week of some of these cruises.

[lbjen]

You showed up to the Liberty debacle late and have ignored every reply to you stating RC insisted that the cruise was ON for that weekend and insisted people get there or lose their money. RC handled it very, very poorly, IMO. They are handling this better. Not to the degree some feel is fair, but I'd still say handling this situation much better.

 

I would not be surprised to see outright cancellations next week of some of these cruises.

 

Agree 100%. On all fronts.

[bingomamma19]

You buy insurance to protect yourself in case something happens to prevent you from making a scheduled cruise. If the cruise line can't deliver, no matter what the reason, you should be entitled for a total refund. If you paid cash the refund should be cash not a fcc or obc or any other phony payment. You don't pay for something you didn't receive. Maybe the cruise line should have insurance for their end of the deal. If you let them get away with this kind of stuff, yet continue to sail with them, you reap what you plant.

 

The cruiseline is already offering you lower fares for sailing in hurricane season...that is the trade off you accept.

 

You should read your cruise contract before purchasing your cruise (or any travel)...and ask LOTS of questions. Don't just shell out a bunch of money without knowing consequences.

 

Why would the cruiseline insure you? That is your responsibility. When you book, they ask you if you would like to take the insurance (although their own usually sucks), but you are made aware. I go through insuremytrip.

 

If they offer you FCC, you will be receiving your cruise....at a later date. You will be made whole.

[Cruiseathoning]

I agree about personal responsibility. Especially personal CORPORATE responsibility.

[Cruiseathoning]

People are not expecting the cruise line to insure them. One should get over the concept of insurance as it applies to this scenario. Once there are hurricane warnings issued, and evacuations initiated, there should be no further debate about the potential for any type of marine traffic in the affected area for a period of time as determined by port authorities.

 

Period-end of story.

 

It is clear this is going to take a legislative remedy for those lacking empathy, sense, or flat out intelligence to grasp the concept of landscape altering weather events.

[xpcdoojk]

You showed up to the Liberty debacle late and have ignored every reply to you stating RC insisted that the cruise was ON for that weekend and insisted people get there or lose their money. RC handled it very, very poorly, IMO. They are handling this better. Not to the degree some feel is fair, but I'd still say handling this situation much better.

 

I would not be surprised to see outright cancellations next week of some of these cruises.

 

Booking a cruise during hurricane season is a risk... ignoring or being ignorant of a risk is not a defense...

 

Like saying I didn't know this was a school zone when I drive 70 past a school...

 

Showing up late means I work for a living and don't waste all my life worrying about CC...

 

A CAT 5 hurricane is tiny compared to the surrounding storm, there is virtually little chance the storm will directly hit any where. The earth is huge compared to the eye of the storm....

 

It might hit FLL it most likely will not. I haven't looked at the models track since noon, but the odds are it will not even hit land in Florida.. which is not to say it is not going to mess up cruises or peoples life's.... Hurricanes suck.

 

This discussions are pointless and futile.

 

Personal responsiblility is dead.... and corporate responsibliltiy if it ever existed was murdered by the legal process decades ago.

 

JC

[xpcdoojk]

People are not expecting the cruise line to insure them. One should get over the concept of insurance as it applies to this scenario. Once there are hurricane warnings issued, and evacuations initiated, there should be no further debate about the potential for any type of marine traffic in the affected area for a period of time as determined by port authorities.

 

Period-end of story.

 

It is clear this is going to take a legislative remedy for those lacking empathy, sense, or flat out intelligence to grasp the concept of landscape altering weather events.

 

Yeah, what we really need are politicians sticking their collective fingers up to the wind to save us from our own ignorance.... Awesome idea....

 

Have I mentioned that we are screwed as a country recently....:evilsmile:

 

JC

[lowsidr]

Um.. exactly what did you say... a cat 5 hurricane will hit directly on Ft Lauderdale Monday.... I am willing to bet that you are wrong. A hurricane is cat 5 only around the eye... which is maybe 12 to 20 miles wide. The odds of it hitting Fort Lauderdale directly is very low. Hurricanes are massively large events, covering hundreds of miles. Not all of that storm is the eye... I.E. cat 5 portion of the storm in fact very little of it is...

 

The confusion of people posting is obnoxious....

 

Just saying....

 

JC

Wish I had that crystal ball! No one knows yet where it will go but I believe it's reasonable enough to assume that even if it heads farther east or even way west and "misses" landfall in South Florida we will have some serious storm surge impact. If I am VERY fortunate and my home doesn't sustain any serious damage, I'm not flooded, roads are passable and the Port of Everglades is fully staffed, structurally secure and not flooded, open for business, I'd LOVE to sail on the 13th. I don't think it's realistic that my perfect scenario will work out but I sure would like some confirmation from RC about exactly when they will be making the call for cruises early next week.

[Cruiseathoning]

Yes booking a cruise in hurricane season is a risk. The primary risk should be that you might not get to go on the cruise. The primary risk should not be, irrespective of any insurance purchase, encountering danger by feeling forced to travel into a disaster zone.

 

That is the point you seem to be missing. For some this is a one shot deal-a once in a lifetime event, one that if they lose their funds, they will not get a second chance at. Should all passengers ALWAYS buy insurance? Of course. But insurance is not a substitute for common corporate sense.

[Cruiseathoning]

Potential legislative remedies-1. Any tropical warning means immediate option to refund. 2. The state will make the final call on the ability of a cruise to embark. Does anybody think that issuing mandatory evacuations will simultaneously leaving it up to the cruise lines to embark, thereby drawing thousands of tourists in opposition to traffic contraflow procedure makes any sense at all?

 

Point 3.-Complaining about politicians is flat played out. Who put them there? If we want better people to represent us, perhaps we should collectively do more to be people worthy of quality representation.

 

And that includes me. Man in the Mirror and such. That is all I will delve into with regard to politics-but the discussion of legislative solutions is pertinent to this conversation.

[LMaxwell]

Booking a cruise during hurricane season is a risk... ignoring or being ignorant of a risk is not a defense...

 

Like saying I didn't know this was a school zone when I drive 70 past a school...

 

Showing up late means I work for a living and don't waste all my life worrying about CC...

 

A CAT 5 hurricane is tiny compared to the surrounding storm, there is virtually little chance the storm will directly hit any where. The earth is huge compared to the eye of the storm....

 

It might hit FLL it most likely will not. I haven't looked at the models track since noon, but the odds are it will not even hit land in Florida.. which is not to say it is not going to mess up cruises or peoples life's.... Hurricanes suck.

 

This discussions are pointless and futile.

 

Personal responsiblility is dead.... and corporate responsibliltiy if it ever existed was murdered by the legal process decades ago.

 

JC

 

If a corporation is a person, and chooses not to insure against a risk, and tells people go to a hurricane zone or lose your money, is that fair? Does responsibility fall on them as well? Does James Van Fleet own some of that responsibility for his repeated directives about a "window" that literally no other forecaster saw and the port was closed anyways? Why is the only responsible party in this situation not the service provider and not the expert?

 

People begged and pleaded with RCI to NOT come to the impacted area and all RC said was "Then lose your money, even with insurance, because the cruise is a Go." Even on Saturday they still maintained that stance. Just because you would not book a cruise during the peak part of a 6 month storm season doesn't mean you get to assign all blame to anyone that would and then expect a company to put their safety first. That's a VERY reasonable expectation and one which I am sure you hold (that you expect your safety to be a priority of the cruise line).

 

Someday, and I genuinely hope that day never actually happens, that you are in a position where your safety is not paramount over your wallet, you will find a much warmer reception here than you have given, without the needless finger in face wagging.

 

We'll see in a week if RCI sails, or if my home is still standing. Who knows. I'm insured up to my eyeballs and as well prepared and stocked as anyone else. If I suffer a loss in this storm it won't be for a lack of "personal responsibility". Just getting sick of that code phrasing to absolve lovable fuzzy corps from malfeasance. Sometimes companies flat SCREW people and it's not the paying guests fault. And since companies "are people" they have to own up to responsibility too, even if their mistakes are truly just mistakes (which given the messages, tone, tenor, and stance of RCI with the Liberty, was not a simple mistake).

[GUT2407]

Set to sail on the Allure September 10th. IRMA, not going to happen, RC chooses not to cancel the cruise but to delay departure till Wednesday the 13th and shorten duration to 4 day's instead of 7. . Unfortunately, if you CANNOT cruise on the 13th there will be no refund, no future incentive, just your fare credit applied to a future cruise with Royal.

 

 

If you can cruise on the 10th there is no reason you cannot cruise on the 13th. you would be on the ship already.

 

 

My thought too, how can you be able to go the 10th not be able to go on the 13th.

 

Personally I think the offer is pretty fair.

[LMaxwell]

The primary risk should not be, irrespective of any insurance purchase, encountering danger by feeling forced to travel into a disaster zone.

 

Thank you for making my point in way fewer words than I could.

[LMaxwell]

My thought too, how can you be able to go the 10th not be able to go on the 13th.

 

Answered previously; canceled flights, no hotels.

[lowsidr]

I agree about personal responsibility. Especially personal CORPORATE responsibility.

LOL, I hear you. I'd like to think i'm personally acting responsibly. I'm prepared for this hurricane, I knew the risks of booking a cruise at this time of the year and have been trouble free doing so for about 15 years. I accept the fact that a cruise may be cancelled, accept I may have to depart from another port or have the itinerary changed. I chose to accept that risk and chose not to purchase insurance. What I didn't count on or be aware of is how little notice a cruiseline could give and the changes they would make during a potential catastrophe. Trying to get a definitive answer from RC is proving difficult.

[lbjen]

Van Fleet has been saying they're trying to give people at least 2 days notice on changes.

[Angela61280]

We got cancelled on by NCL (Escape 9/9).

 

We received a full refund + 50% credit towards our next cruise. I purchased the insurance, because stuff happens. That being said.. after seeing how Royal handled this, I am in disbelief.. I'm a Floridian and it's going to be bad here with Irma (I personally spent the day filling sandbags in north coastal Florida). We recently started branching out to different lines (we were carnival junkies for years and years).. I won't sail Royal because of how they are handling this situation.

 

Everyone in this storms path, and everyone that will attempt to get to Miami to sail on that sailing - please be careful! Those driving in, at the moment A lot of florida is out of gas and water, traffic is horrendous. STAY SAFE EVERYONE

[lowsidr]

Van Fleet has been saying they're trying to give people at least 2 days notice on changes.

I've been following him. He can only say so much being on their payroll. I've reached out to him personally along with RC directly in an attempt to get an answer, standard answer is they are watching and waiting, safety of their guests being priority one. It'll be pretty difficult to be contacted or be able to contact them two day's before a sailing if this storm hits, they need to do better than that in a situation like this...