Insulting response from Carnival

[The4Cruisers]

My experience with car companies is the same as yours. They seem to have gotten the message that customer relationships are worth the investment. I took my BMW in to get a simple lightbulb changed under warranty (for free) and recieved a phone call from the service manager, a letter from BMW and an email all thanking me for my business.

 

Don't be too excited about being the prince of BMW land. My Ford and Dodge dealers keep in contact with me about my vehicles too. (A little too much contact if you ask me.) I would venture to guess that many car companies are doing this these days.

 

Cruise lines keep in touch too. Sometimes via e-mail, sometimes by snail mail, and most times by updating their website.

 

I wish you many happy cruises in the future!

[brn2crz]

Was the change back to Coz ever posted on their website ??

[Wennfred]

Wow - i'm surprised by these responses, especially the one that says Carnival is really busy so it's ok that they didn't notify me. Sorry, but I don't find that excuse acceptable.

 

What i didn't go into was the genuine problem this caused for me. Having made shore plans to visit Xcaret I was now in jeopardy of not being able to get their. It took several hours of my time aboard ship to work out plans for my family to board the one tender going to Playa del Carmen. Had I been notified in advance of the change (again, there was plenty of time to do so) it could have been worked out before my vacation started.

 

For all who seemed somewhat defensive in their responses please note that I didn't once fault Carnival for making changes... I understand that's part of cruising. I did AND STILL DO fault Carnival for a complete and total lack of communication. Those with more allegiance to Carnival may have a different point of view, but then we'll just have to agree to disagree because I can't fathom a way to justify their lack of communication.

 

Thats one reason why I always look at my itinerary almost every other day on Carnival.com to ensure nothing has changed. We got a call from Carnival that we were changed to Costa Maya. I guess since your cruise was originally set for Cozumel, maybe thats why they didn't feel to contact you the second time.

[alicia68]

I had clients booked on this cruise as well. We were notified way back in February of the change back to Cozumel as well as a $50.00 per person shipboard credit for the to change hassle.

[GoinCruisin]

Well I guess everyone keeps missing Big Ducks Reply!!! CARNIVAL POSTED THE CHANGE ON THEIR WEBSITE ON FEBRUARY 6th!!! You should ALWAYS check your reservations prior to leaving. If someone has over 3 million air miles, they know this. CHECK before you leave to see if there are any changes. This was posted on Cruise Critic as well as Carnival. If you would have called Carnival anytime between February 6th and April 17th, you would have found out about the change. You assumed that your itinerary hadn't changed, when indeed, it had. Why is this Carnival's fault? Because they didn't personally contact the 10's of thousands of people about the change?? :rolleyes:

 

Itinerary Update – February 6, 2006

We have finalized our itinerary changes for Western Caribbean cruise departures through April 30, 2007. We will visit Cozumel on selected ships and offer alternative ports on other itineraries as follows:

Fascination 4 Day from Miami: These cruises will visit Key West (Tues.) and Cozumel (Wed.)

Imagination 4 Day from Miami: These cruises will visit Key West (Fri.) and Calica (Sat.)

Holiday 4 Day from Mobile: These cruises will visit Cozumel (Sat.)

Holiday 5 Day from Mobile: Monday cruises will visit Cozumel (Wed.) and Calica (Thurs.) and Saturday cruises (except 4/1/06 & 4/15/06) will visit Costa Maya (Mon.) and Cozumel (Tues.)

Holiday 5 Day from Mobile: Saturday cruises of 4/1/06 & 4/15/06 will visit Costa Maya (Mon.) and Calica (Tues.)

Inspiration 4 Day from Tampa: These cruises will visit Cozumel (Sat.)

Inspiration 5 Day from Tampa: Monday cruises will visit Grand Cayman (Wed.) and Cozumel (Thurs.) and Saturday cruises will visit Grand Cayman (Mon.) and Cozumel (Tues.)

Ecstasy 4 Day from Galveston: These cruises will visit Calica (Sat.)

Ecstasy 5 Day from Galveston: Monday cruises will visit Progreso (Wed.) and Cozumel (Thurs.) and Saturday cruises will visit Cozumel (Mon.) and Progreso (Tues.)

Sensation 4 Day from New Orleans: These cruises will visit Cozumel (Sat.)

Sensation 5 Day from New Orleans: Monday cruises will visit Calica (Wed) and Cozumel (Thurs.) and Saturday cruises will visit Costa Maya (Mon.) and Cozumel (Tues.)

Carnival Miracle 7 Day from Tampa: These cruises will visit Grand Cayman (Tues.), Cozumel (Wed.), Belize (Thurs.), and Costa Maya (Fri.).

Carnival Valor 7 Day from Miami: These cruises will visit Grand Cayman (Tues.), Isla Roatan (Wed.), Belize (Thurs.) and Costa Maya (Fri.)

Carnival Victory 7 Day from Miami: These cruises will visit Costa Maya (Tues.), Grand Cayman (Thurs.) and Ocho Rios (Fri.)

Carnival Glory 7 Day from Port Canaveral: These cruises will visit Key West (Sun.), Belize (Tues.) and Costa Maya, Mexico (Wed.)

Carnival Conquest 7 Day from Galveston: These cruises will visit Montego Bay (Wed.), Grand Cayman (Thurs.) and Cozumel (Fri.)

Carnival Triumph 7 Day from Miami: These cruises will visit Cozumel (Mon.), Grand Cayman (Wed.) and Ocho Rios (Thurs.)

Carnival Liberty 6 Day from Ft. Lauderdale: These cruises will visit Freeport (Mon.), Grand Cayman (Wed.) and Costa Maya (Thurs.)

Carnival Liberty 8 Day from Ft. Lauderdale: These cruises will visit Costa Maya, Mexico (Mon.), Limon, Costa Rica (Wed.) and Colon, Panama (Thurs.)

Click here for more information on the port of Cozumel and Cozumel shore excursions.

[cubdaddy]

I too think it might have been the tone of the OP's initial post as well as lack of information. I am still curious about the compliant letter that might have generated the response.

 

I found out that the Sensation and Fantasy were switching cruise itineraries on CC 3 days before Carnival informed me. I confirmed this by checking my reservations on the Carnival site. Though they are too at times slow to do updates.

 

In no way are any of us trying to flame Prince1. I think most of us are just trying to understand. I too believe if Prince1 had known about CC prior to sailing this would have been a mute issue. Of course it is too late now.

 

I just want everyone to understand that it is possible for e-mails and regular mail to get lost. Is it possible that is the case? If you do think that is a possibility you may not be so upset.

 

Prince1, you said the response is what hacked you off? If you feel you have not been vindicated then call Carnival Guest Relations. I do feel though at this point you can only get an apology or compensation. It all depends on what you are looking for and how much anger or time you want to spend chasing this!

 

Either way, good luck! Now you know the best place to come for information. Welcome to CC!

[rvrgirl]

Hey people, relax. The poster does have a point. I spend a lot of time preparing for crusie. Which one of us does not reesearch the ports we are scheduled to go to and how many of us pre-book excursions - not through the cruise line. Isn't that one of the main reasons Cruise Critic exists? I think it is reasonable to expect a notification when the port schedule changes. A month's lead time is more than ecough time to send out a letter or an email.

 

I totally agree! we spend alot of time preparing for our shore exursions also. The OP should have been notified. Plenty of time to do so. I would have been upset too:(

[GoinCruisin]

I totally agree! we spend alot of time preparing for our shore exursions also. The OP should have been notified. Plenty of time to do so. I would have been upset too:(

 

See my post above. Carnival made the announcement in FEBRUARY!!!!

[timmy1958]

Prince1,

Our cruise on the 6/3 Glory had an itinerary change this week. We were not "officially" notified, although apparently quite a few people here were. We, like Wennfred, checked our itinerary online almost every day, so when we saw that there was a change, we weren't caught too much off guard. Plus, we monitor this board for info, and the buzz started here about a change long before we found out from the Carnival website. It is disappointing that the cruiseline didn't notify of the second change, but this seems to happen everywhere these days. Write a letter to Carnival expressing your dissatisfaction, and wait to see what type of reponse you get. I wish you luck, and hope your next cruise goes much more smoothly. I can understand that this may have thrown a wet towel on your experience.

[rvrgirl]

See my post above. Carnival made the announcement in FEBRUARY!!!!

 

Thanks! I missed that. But maybe some people don't have time to check every day for changes. What if OP didn't know about cc? Then is it fair to be upset?

[futaba951]

Thanks! I missed that. But maybe some people don't have time to check every day for changes. What if OP didn't know about cc? Then is it fair to be upset?

 

But it was posted on Carnival's site in February. The OP never checked?

[GoinCruisin]

Thanks! I missed that. But maybe some people don't have time to check every day for changes. What if OP didn't know about cc? Then is it fair to be upset?

 

You wouldn't have to check every day... the announcement was made February 6th... the OP's cruise was April 17th... just one check in a little more than 2 months, would have given him all the info they needed. ANY TIME you travel, you should ALWAYS verify your itinerary... whether it is a flight, cruise, etc. Things change... a general rule of travel is to verify your reservations, itinerary, etc. You cannot rely on companies that have 100s of thousands of people traveling, like airlines, cruiselines, etc. to notify everyone personally... they will when they can, but that is not always feasible... so a traveler should always take responsibility for their own vacation, by doing due diligence... Sorry, the itinerary change was listed on Carnivals website for over 2 months... and had the OP just called Carnival, or gone to the website just once... he/she would have known of the change.

[rvrgirl]

You wouldn't have to check every day... the announcement was made February 6th... the OP's cruise was April 17th... just one check in a little more than 2 months, would have given him all the info they needed. ANY TIME you travel, you should ALWAYS verify your itinerary... whether it is a flight, cruise, etc. Things change... a general rule of travel is to verify your reservations, itinerary, etc. You cannot rely on companies that have 100s of thousands of people traveling, like airlines, cruiselines, etc. to notify everyone personally... they will when they can, but that is not always feasible... so a traveler should always take responsibility for their own vacation, by doing due diligence... Sorry, the itinerary change was listed on Carnivals website for over 2 months... and had the OP just called Carnival, or gone to the website just once... he/she would have known of the change.

 

Agreed:)

[Randy & Carmen]

so a traveler should always take responsibility for their own vacation, by doing due diligence... Sorry, the itinerary change was listed on Carnivals website for over 2 months... and had the OP just called Carnival, or gone to the website just once... he/she would have known of the change.

Soooooo the silver lining is the the OP has gained this knowledge for the future...AND....he's one of US CCERS now...:D

[GoinCruisin]

Soooooo the silver lining is the the OP has gained this knowledge for the future...AND....he's one of US CCERS now...:D

 

Exactly :D There's always a silver lining :D Now, let's hope the OP does indeed give Carnival another chance... then he/she can have a blast cruising like all of us do!!!!!!!

[smoothdancer]

I cant beleive this thread has gone on fo so long!

But this situation is the very reason that I book all of our excursions through the cruise lines. Sure, I probably pay more then if I was to do it on our own, but the possible change in ports makes it worth the extra dollars.

 

BTY we sailed this ship in December, after not sailing Carnival for many years. We have sailed many lines and are in a position to compare. On this trip I found that there was very good customer service, and found the entire ships staff pleasant and quite accomodating. We walked off the ship with good impressions and thoughts that we would absolutley sail Carnival again.

[Kittybork]

I don't think that expecting e-mail notification of a change is asking too much. One e-mail could be typed and sent automatically to everyone on that particular sailing. I doubt it would take more than a few minutes.

 

The first e-mail that told of the original change probably led the OP to believe that notification is the norm, not the exception.

 

We received e-mails concerning the time changes to Conquest's departure. I would have expected them to do the same if the time's had changed again.

 

The web site is great for those who use computers on a daily basis, but there are still many people who do not own or operate computers.

 

The contract is written to protect the company from liability. IMO, it does not protect them from the need of good customer service. Secondly, the response to his complaint could have been handled in a more diplomatic manner. He probably would have been more accepting of the slight if Carnival had taken a different tone in their letter to him.

[tef43]

Wow - i'm surprised by these responses,

Don't be. Carnival was 100% in compliance with your cruise passage contract.

 

In other words, build a bridge and get over it.

[Lewdog]

Get over yourself! If you want to complain find something legitimate to complain about.

[spookwife]

bloody comp ate my response...:mad:

 

Paraphrased:

 

The OP had ample opportunity to double check his itinerary. He failed to do so. He also assumed that zero effort was expended by Carnival to notify him of the second change back to the original Itinerary. Unless he is psychic, I highly doubt that he can know with 115% certainty that no such effort was made. Things happen, either through human error or computer glitch (*see my first line of text;)) . Most of the objections to his post were not because of the content, but due to the way it was phrased and the fact that his very first post was derogatory and disgruntled.

[momofzeke]

Often these changes are posted on the web site, so everyone should be proactive in checking the site before sailing.

 

Exactly. OP, did you check the Carnival website before your cruise to see if itinerary changes were listed there? I would be dissappointed if Carnival changed my itinerary, but I feel that it is MY responsibility to gather as much information for myself before a cruise as possible. I was on the Carnival website at least once a week for several months before my cruise, just checking to make sure everything was in order. Now, if the itinerary changes were NOT listed on the website before the OP sailed, then he may be somewhat justified in being peeved. However, we all go into these cruises knowing that itineraries may change without prior notice (or at least we should all know that).

[INCHARGE]

The first e-mail that told of the original change probably led the OP to believe that notification is the norm, not the exception.

Exactly!!

[Lewdog]

I don't think that expecting e-mail notification of a change is asking too much. One e-mail could be typed and sent automatically to everyone on that particular sailing. I doubt it would take more than a few minutes.

 

 

The web site is great for those who use computers on a daily basis, but there are still many people who do not own or operate computers.

 

That last statement kind of negates your first.

[brn2crz]

See my post above. Carnival made the announcement in FEBRUARY!!!!

 

Thanks Chris...

 

You saved me all the searching :o :D

 

I am sorry OP had issues...And lord knows I hate the old first poster comments as well however.

If one is savvy enough to come here and post,you would think they could keep tabs on a vacation reservation online..

 

Sorry if thats been said before also...I guess I shouldn't be commenting on a topic without reading the whole thing:cool:

[caribbean dreams]

My question is, when the OP received their docs what ports were listed?

When they booked they were planning in going to Cozumel and they got to go to Cozumel, be happy, it's a much better port.