Anyone back from Conquest?

[Debe7ing]

That's certainly a plausible explanation. The more cynical among us might think that Carnival knew they were going to New Orleans those 3 hours before the 5 pm announcement and used that time to grab what flights they needed to get people who booked air through Carnival home, before telling everyone else and causing a big rush to get those flights.

 

I NEVER even thought of that...but now that you mention it, that might be EXACTLY why they did not say anything....to minimize their expenses with those that booked air travel thru Carnival. I know there was a large group from a Country Western Radio station in the Sacramento area, I think about 900 onboard. Really nice folk...you would have thought they were Texans!!! :)

[Kurbanfan]

I hope that the ones who complained before about communication on the ship, has now learned that none of us knew what was going to happen.

 

 

It was not necessary for all 3000 people to try and use the computers at once. You had plenty of time.

 

 

 

They knew full well as all of us that they would not be sailing back to Galveston on Sunday or Monday:rolleyes: Yet they chose to tell everyone on board that it still is a possibility:cool: That right there tells me from the beginning that they were not communicating well.........

 

I won't speculate on them having plenty of time to use the computers as I was not there:rolleyes:

 

2 people on here live in Texas and were able to rent a car (with no help of Carnival) and get home with no problem........if Carnival could not get any shuttles the next best thing would have been some type of monetary help to help shuffle their plans around in order to get home.........that would be the least they could do IMO........

[Debe7ing]

Again, I am sorry about your cruise. If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a question, and also let you know something, so that your trip home, might be understandable to you.

 

What did you think the Pursers desk could have told you about your car?

 

These car lots are not Carnival parking lots. These are run by independent companies, unless I am wrong.

 

I keep hearing people say that the news was on TV. I know that the local news on the Conquest is Denver, but could the passengers not get CNN where it was wall to wall coverage?

 

Now info to help you. Many of us were watching the Conquest as it sat in Coz. When you left, NO was questionable. Not for cruise ships, but for the people there, who were once again faced with floods due to one of the levees breaching. Also as you guys left they were not sure that Ike would not stall out in Texas, which would also have been big enough to effect NO.

 

I know there was a mad scramble to get to a computer, and to an airline, and to a rental car, but did everyone get to do it in time?

 

Do you think that some of this mess was produced by passengers, who forgot the advice we always tell them on here, about being patient?

 

I know that someone will come on here next and say that I am blaming the passengers, but hopefully they will first read what I have said.

 

Again, I am sorry for your inconvenience, but if you could help us understand better, it would be beneficial to others later.

 

There were, at the most, 10 computers on the Conquest...one printer...out of paper early on. The guy that ran the internet cafe was NEVER there...even during several posted hours that we went (before the problems), so unless you thought ahead and brought your own printer paper on the cruise, they were not there to service it.

 

When people were allowed to make calls (and I still don't know WHERE that info came from, because it was NEVER made public that I heard) it was FROM the Pursers desk, for 3 minutes I understand from people at the airport. One call, if no one was there, voice mail or busy, too bad. I don't know, only hearsay since, again, it was never publically announced. Not from your room, not even for just the 3 minutes. The folks at the airport said they stood in line 2 hour to use the phone...for their 3 minutes...that was 2 hours of the 12 hour notice we were given...announcement at 5pm Sunday, docked at 5am Monday.

[big_duck]

I NEVER even thought of that...

 

That's because you aren't a conspiracy nut.

 

There were, at the most, 10 computers on the Conquest...one printer...out of paper early on.

 

See, the Carnival air booking department didn't need a head start, they had a distinct technological advantage. ;)

[Debe7ing]

I agree! I really have a problem with Carnival not providing some sort of help to get home from Orleans........

 

Just for those interested, it cost almost $900 for the 2 of us to get from the ship to the airport, fly out with several connections to get to San Antonio, with luggage and purchase of less than 24 hours before flight. We are lucky, we could afford it, but there were those that had MORE than 2 people or required much further to travel that could have been MUCH more expensive.

 

Our comp. insurance on our car is only $200, AND we have rental coverage (for 30 days) thru our insurance, but to replace our vehicle and all the extras...this will probably cost about $15K OVER anticipated cruise cost.

 

Not asking for anyones sympathy, we are among the truly lucky ones...just others understanding in what there is for those of us that were there to deal with.

 

How many of us that love to cruise ever considered an additional $10-15K return home fee????

[Luanne21]

There were, at the most, 10 computers on the Conquest...one printer...out of paper early on. The guy that ran the internet cafe was NEVER there...even during several posted hours that we went (before the problems), so unless you thought ahead and brought your own printer paper on the cruise, they were not there to service it.

 

When people were allowed to make calls (and I still don't know WHERE that info came from, because it was NEVER made public that I heard) it was FROM the Pursers desk, for 3 minutes I understand from people at the airport. One call, if no one was there, voice mail or busy, too bad. I don't know, only hearsay since, again, it was never publically announced. Not from your room, not even for just the 3 minutes. The folks at the airport said they stood in line 2 hour to use the phone...for their 3 minutes...that was 2 hours of the 12 hour notice we were given...announcement at 5pm Sunday, docked at 5am Monday.

 

Okay, let's take this one step further. What if someone had waited until you arrived, to get airlines? Would that have worked?

 

Also, I do not want to stir the pot, but would like to discuss the matter of Carnival getting you home at their expense. I have never read that. Is this something I have missed, or because in the past, they have tried to accommodate people, now it is expected.

 

Someone fill in the details for me.

[Debe7ing]

I agree! I really have a problem with Carnival not providing some sort of help to get home from Orleans........

 

I would have settled for a goodwill gesture of busing us to the airport...which they HAD buses for...if you want to pay $30.

[big_duck]

O

Also, I do not want to stir the pot, but would like to discuss the matter of Carnival getting you home at their expense. I have never read that. Is this something I have missed, or because in the past, they have tried to accommodate people, now it is expected.

 

If your really wanted to stir the pot you would have said "that's what trip insurance is for". ;)

[Debe7ing]

If your really wanted to stir the pot you would have said "that's what trip insurance is for". ;)

 

Actually, I am not at all sure that "trip insurance" would have covered those of us that drove to port....it would have been for the CRUISE portion and since our cruise was the number of days booked, would we be covered for travel back home??? Would that have ONLY been for those that booked AIR transport thru Carnival???

[Luanne21]

See Duckie, I don't want to say that, I want to help others in the future to make the most out of their cruise.

 

So I just read my old cruise docs and it says nothing about getting passengers back home. So where did the idea come from?

 

I do not doubt that it cost that much to fly home. I was at Fort Polk last week, and decided to get out, and come home to my kids, so they would not be in there first Hurricane by themselves, and I paid over 500 for one ticket, so I know it's expensive.

 

So another question for those who were on the cruise. If you had it to do over, would you have just stayed with the ship until you got to Houston, and then made your way home?

[suzbcruiser]

Wow, some of the costs of return travel are quite large. I live in San Antonio and on Monday morning I could've booked a flight through Southwest leaving Tuesday at 11:45 am thru Dallas and then onto San Antonio for 2 people for $450 with taxes. We opted for the rental car for only $61 one way. We were concerned that gas would be astronomically high but suprisingly it wasn't. We spent less then $100 on gas. We drove because we had 5 pieces of luggage and didn't want to deal with the extra cost of luggage. We called TX Highway patrol and asked what route would be best to get from NO to San Antonio and they said anywhere but through Houston and Beaumont. We started to drive towards Shreveport and then cut through to the 6 and onto the 21 into Austin and then San Antonio. What should have been 8-9 hours took 12 hours.

[big_duck]

Actually, I am not at all sure that "trip insurance" would have covered those of us that drove to port....it would have been for the CRUISE portion and since our cruise was the number of days booked, would we be covered for travel back home??? Would that have ONLY been for those that booked AIR transport thru Carnival???

 

Should be covered under trip interruption. Your trip was definitely interrupted, you still haven't made it back to the point of origin.

[suzbcruiser]

So another question for those who were on the cruise. If you had it to do over, would you have just stayed with the ship until you got to Houston, and then made your way home?

 

 

When we rented our car and started the drive knowing that Houston is where the ship would end up, we started to kick ourselves. This is where I wasn't happy with Carnivals Communication. We didn't know about Houston until after we told them we wouldn't be staying on.

 

We called TX highway patrol and they said to avoid all of Houston and surrounding areas due to power outages. When then drove up towards Shreveport and over into Texas we saw so many convoys of military vehicles with supplies and construction teams heading into the Houston Direction, we knew we made the right choice.

 

We did drive through 2 cities without power towards the late evening and all gas stations were closed, all intersections had become 4 way stops and it felt eerie. Very desolate feeling. I think there is too much still going on in Houston and it would've been a bigger issue to find transportation out of there than NO.

[Debe7ing]

.

 

So another question for those who were on the cruise. If you had it to do over, would you have just stayed with the ship until you got to Houston, and then made your way home?

 

Maybe...but that was NEVER discussed by the Carnival folks onboard...they kept you can spend one night, and be off the next day...or you could USE IT AS A HOTEL AND REMAIN ON THE SHIP UNTIL IT RETURNED TO GALVESTON. There was NO indication that they were going to feed you (use it as a hotel room was the EXACT statement made)...and they continued to act as tho THEY believed Galveston was going to be the point of return...and we knew from what we had been able to get on CNN (when it is your ONLY news source, you would be AMAZED how quickly they left the story and went back to the political crap!) we were all convinced that would not be anytime soon.

If they said, we hope to get into a port in Texas within the week, then perhaps there would have been more that waited.

 

As stated by the poster above, they did NOT tell you that things that they KNEW from the beginning. I am serious, I even posted a thread about...hey, lets make the best of it while in Cozumel...but once onboard after sailing from Coz the information was NIL!!! Family members were calling Carnival and not getting info, or getting conflicting info I heard from MANY onboard. Our kids are grown, so we called from Coz and told them unless you hear about the Conquest on the news, we were safe. Others had kids at home, and information was NOT being passed to US or them as folks tried to figure out what was going on.

 

Again, I only post this for those of you that have never experienced (and I hope never do) these types of things...and for you to consider this information as a learning tool just in case. It won't be an issue for us...they have ensured or future crusing needs will be met by someone not under the Carnival leadership.

[KatMo]

The reason I am asking so many questions is we can turn this thread into a learning thread instead of I told you so one.

 

I hope that the ones who complained before about communication on the ship, has now learned that none of us knew what was going to happen.

 

The pursers desk was being worked by humans. Humans tend to get bitchy, when they have people yelling at them. Not necessary you, but the ones before you.

 

It was not necessary for all 3000 people to try and use the computers at once. You had plenty of time.

 

The thing about Carnival making money is easily explained. They were in fact loosing money, not making more. Your room, and food were taken care of. Most people by this time, have run out of money anyway.

 

If you decided you needed a drink during this time, then you might need to re-read about the Pursers desk.:rolleyes:

 

Okay, someone else add to what has been learned over this.

I have been reading the boards a lot today and I sympathize with those of you who were on the ship. It's a normal and expected thing to want to know as soon as possible so you can begin to make some alternate plans and its frustrating if you don't get answers you need to do that. That being said, I think the staff on the Conquest were probably as much in the dark as the pax, THEY were not making the decisions that would be affecting everyone on board, and they probably heard the same questions and complaints from everyone they came in contact with. After several hours of that, I'm sure their patience was worn pretty thin. I deal with clients all day, every day -- this includes the ones who have a valid complaint, the stupid ones, the crazy ones, the drunk ones, etc...if I couldn't take it in stride, I would go home every night and kick the dog, yell at the kids, and be a mess that no one would want to be around. Carnival Corp has what...22 ships (maybe more) and they were dealing with issues from who knows how many of them. Not every issue that comes up is hurricane related, but remember -- they had been changing iteneraries due to storm issues for several weeks, giving 10%, 15%, 25% and 50% credit/refunds before Ike even decided which way he was going. Carnival is in business to make money. As a successful company, you can only "give" so much before you have to make some hard decisions. You can bet that there were some grueling discussions trying to decide what to do and I personally applaud them for not speculating until they had a solid plan. The only thing they did that showed total ignorance on their part, was to continue to say they would be going back to Galveston some time this week. Not only did they have two ships sort of stranded at sea, they had all of the cruises that follow to try and deal with, so before you decide Carnival is the "bad" guy, give it some time. <climbing off soapbox>

Now...what have I learned from this????

• I have learned that booking a cruise during the height of hurricane season is a gamble...
  
• If you can't take the chance of being "stuck" on the ship longer than your 7 days.....
  
• If you can't afford to possibly lose your car to a hurricane...
  
• If you are stressed easily...

You should probably book December through May.

[Debe7ing]

Should be covered under trip interruption. Your trip was definitely interrupted, you still haven't made it back to the point of origin.

 

Can you show me on the insurance policy where it says "point of origin"...because I looked and if it is there, I missed it for sure.

 

You would be helping many I am sure if you could provide your source...

[Luanne21]

Okay, Someone say again, "When did they tell you they would be going on to Houston?"

 

Was it when you were getting off the ship?

[big_duck]

Well I can't speak for your policy, but the one I have for October states:

 

8. A delay that causes you to miss or interrupt any part of your

covered trip when, the private or rented vehicle which you are

driving or in which you are a passenger, or a common carrier or

a prepaid connecting flight aboard which you are a passenger, is

delayed due to weather, a mechanical failure, an emergency road

closure by the police or an accident, provided that the vehicle or

the common carrier was scheduled to arrive at the contracted

departure or return point at least two hours (or the required

minimum reporting time, whichever is the greater) in advance of

the contracted time of departure or return.

 

Mine also has an automatic extension clause:

 

E. Automatic Extension of Coverage

Your coverage will be extended automatically without additional

premium upon notifying Global Excel, if your return to your province

or territory of residence is delayed beyond the expiry date of this

insurance solely due to one of the following reasons:

1. Your return from the covered trip is delayed beyond the

contracted date of return due to the delayed arrival or departure

of a common carrier aboard which you are scheduled to travel,

until the earlier of:

a. the date you return to the contracted point of departure or an

alternate point of return; or

b. five consecutive days from the date the insurance coverage

would otherwise terminate were it not for the automatic

extension.

[LHP]

Actually, I am not at all sure that "trip insurance" would have covered those of us that drove to port....it would have been for the CRUISE portion and since our cruise was the number of days booked, would we be covered for travel back home??? Would that have ONLY been for those that booked AIR transport thru Carnival???

 

Travel Insurance covered a friend of mine who got off the Conquest, rented a car and drove home from New Orleans. They paid for the rental car and other smaller expenses.

 

Her car is obviously ruined and she is currently working with her car insurance to handle that. She was parked at EZ Cruise Lot B.

[suzbcruiser]

Okay, Someone say again, "When did they tell you they would be going on to Houston?"

 

Was it when you were getting off the ship?

 

There was a letter sent to all cabins around 7pm on Monday night that the ship would be sailing for Houston on Tuesday at 11:30am and all passengers had to be back on the ship by 11am. When we were all getting back on the ship on Monday we had to let Carnival know if we would be getting off the ship and making our own arrangements or continuing on with them. By the time we had returned from having fun in NO the letter had gone out. I am sure we could've changed our minds and stayed on the ship until Houston, but as my above post states, I think driving was the best solution.

[douglinc@msn.com]

Anyone know how the E-Z Cruise parking turned out, I know the lot is elevated quite a bit above street level.

 

Doug

[big_duck]

Anyone know how the E-Z Cruise parking turned out, I know the lot is elevated quite a bit above street level.

 

Doug

 

Somebody posted yesterday, total washout, all call wrecked, shuttle buses gone, office flooded and everything destroyed. The only thing left serviceable was the fence.

[Debe7ing]

Anyone know how the E-Z Cruise parking turned out, I know the lot is elevated quite a bit above street level.

 

Doug

 

We were able to find our car (with all those piled into it) on this site...hopefully you can too if you remember where you parked.

 

http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/storms/ike/geo-C25885961.jpg

 

Ours did not move from the spot we parked it...but those that floated into it sure did. I think we were anchored by the big, black quad cab truck beside our car and the fence in front of it.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[Luanne21]

Thank you Sue. By the way Happy Anniversary. I hope it was a good one. How many years?

 

I hope that one of you or all will give us a detailed review. This might be the most important one on CC, because you will be able to tell what you did, but also where you went wrong.

 

I have had to learn one thing since I first started cruising.

 

One was the fact that Carnival is not necessarily my friend, but is in fact a business that has to make money for the staff and stockholders.

 

I think we have all learned also that it is your responsibility to be prepared for unknown expenses, just like if you had gone on a road trip.

 

I think this has also proven how much we all need the travel insurance, that in my experience, is pretty cheap, when you consider the expenses you might have to pay without it.

 

I think I have a pretty good picture of what the ship must have been like this week.

 

It must have been a lot like when the Titanic went down. Many people panicking, and trying to get things done now, instead of taking the time, to figure out what is best.

 

I also don't think those of you have had the time to count your blessings yet.

 

I am hoping that this event has changed how people feel about the love of cruising. I hope that people will not only think about those things talked about above, but also the fact that Carnival offers cruises, but not much beyond that. If you do get a free ride, it is out of their pocket, and goodwill, and not because they have to.

 

I have a feeling they will once again have to change the way they do business, because people thought they deserved what someone else a while ago got.

 

I do agree that communication was not the best, but I do believe they were telling all of you what they knew, and when it was most likely not going to be changed.

 

We can't change what happened this week, but we can change how we view our cruise vacation. We can try to get as much info as possible, and plan ahead for what ifs that might come along.

 

A good what if is "What if you or a family member had a medical emergency while on board?" Would you know what to do?

 

Take care everyone!!

 

Luanne

[douglinc@msn.com]

Couldn't tell much from this picture, too small & zoomed out too far. Couldn't make it any larger. Thanks anyway.

 

Doug