Anyone back from Conquest?

[Kurbanfan]

Why should we not use common sense when defending Carnival?

 

This was a huge storm. I lived through it, and wasn't on a comfortable ship, so I know that one day it was going to hit Texas, and then a couple of hours it was going to hit NO. then they said "Don't Worry, it looks like it will hit Mexico." How in the heck can the Capt. of the ship tell everyone what was going on?

 

Since it is all over now, and there is just all of us who need to recover, what you are doing is slamming Carnival, and scaring future cruisers into having one of the best times they will ever have.

 

It is simply not right.

 

What some people need to do is feel ashamed they are making so much of this, scaring others, when there are people right here, who have nothing left!! I mean nothing, but you know what, they aren't fussing and whining, they are just glad to be alive, and to have someone care about them.

 

Let's not forget that there were 3000 people on that ship, and you have one or two that have nothing else better to do but tell things that are not true and make up what they don't know.

 

Want some reality? Come to my house tonight, and help me take what little I could round up today for a family who is 500 miles from what was their home. The little girl is three. I asked her what I could bring her, and she cried and said her baby doll died in the hurricane. Could I please find her another to love.

 

Tell this baby your woos

 

Pray for these families tonight. They could tell you how bad it is.

 

I nominate you to start a thread about the casualties of the hurricane........:cool:

[LHP]

This lady (not my friend who was also fine with the way Carnival handled things) posted this on John's Blog today.

 

Karen ___________

 

September 18th, 2008 at 5:52 pm

I am one of the “lucky” guests on the Carnival Conquest that left 9/7 and returned to New Orleans on 9/15. The itinerary was fantastic- with all the changes that hurricane Ike caused- the staff was wonderful. The crew’s smiles never wavered one day or one moment. I spent 2 extra days aboard and Carnival/travel agency made new flight plans for the guests needing to get back home. The excellent service never changed and and stewards worked worked worked. Jen the cruise director was wonderful- she had to have been extremely stressed but she kept the smiles coming and informed us as often as she could. My confidence in Carnival was reinforced on this cruise( #7)- we were never in harm’s way and I think I speak for most of the 2900 guests, we were always safe! John I hope you forward my note to Jen/staff on Carnival Conquest because they really should know how wonderful they all were during this difficult time.

[spleenstomper]

LuAnn, I don't know what resources YOU were using, but the National Hurricane Center track didn't really deviate from the course Ike took. Their little black line in the "cone of uncertainty" only deviated about 50 miles to the right and left.

 

They are getting so accurate in predicting WHERE the storm will go; they have a lot to learn still on how to predict the INTENSITY of the storm.

 

I'm sure Carnival speaks to the Coast Guard and the NHC about hurricane tracks.

[Debe7ing]

Not the only person...

 

I also print out the latest airline schedules for the dates I am traveling in case my flight is delayed/changed or the ship comes back late, etc. It's saved me at least twice by knowing possible flights that I could be changed to!

 

And having those 800 numbers has gotten me a hotel when my flight was canceled due to bad weather, so I got to sleep in a bed as opposed to on the floor of the terminal!

 

My heart does go out to all the victims of Ike. I lived on Bermuda when we had a hurricane once. We had no where to evacuate too. One of the scariest nights of my life and it was only a Cat 1.

 

Why is it that Hurricanes usually hit at night?

 

While VERY good plan that I will certainly now implement when we travel (thanks for the idea)...this was not as big a player this time as you might think....those that did NOT try and fly out of NOLA do not seem to understand that with HOUSTON airports being closed for this...LOTS of flights were cancelled because you can only get so many flights thru Dallas, which was already busy and now trying to cover EVERYTHING as a hub airport. There are only 2 MAJOR hubs in Texas, Houston (closed) and Dallas (trying to cover). That was a HUGE factor in all this.

[Kaboochi]

Thank you bankerbabe,

 

That list is important and something I have not done before. Two years ago we got stuck in Pittsburg after a cruise due to weather and that list would have been wonderful to have, as we knew it was going to hit before we got off of the ship. We cruise 2/09 and I will take the time now to prepare the list. No you are not OCD. As a dept manager I have always said, "prepare for the worst" in the quiet times, that way you don't panic if it happens. It means more work, yuck, but may give me more time relaxing if I have the "list".

 

THANK YOU FOR A VALUABLE POSTING

 

Kaboochi

[lovebug33]

I think Luanne should win for most dramatic post. I feel bad for everybody that lost anything during this hurricane. But, you know what? The people who lost their cars and had to go through all sorts of sh!t to get home lost things that were important to them. It may not seem important in your world, but it is in theirs. I can't imagine being on a ship, trying to take care of my sick sister, and still trying to get some sort of communication to the outside world to get off the boat. I don't think we should belittle anybody's experience. And, I think people who say that they are lying and exaggerating and being dramatic need to stop. You don't know what their experience was because YOU WEREN'T THERE.

[Bobug]

I think Luanne should win for most dramatic post. I feel bad for everybody that lost anything during this hurricane. But, you know what? The people who lost their cars and had to go through all sorts of sh!t to get home lost things that were important to them. It may not seem important in your world, but it is in theirs. I can't imagine being on a ship, trying to take care of my sick sister, and still trying to get some sort of communication to the outside world to get off the boat. I don't think we should belittle anybody's experience. And, I think people who say that they are lying and exaggerating and being dramatic need to stop. You don't know what their experience was because YOU WEREN'T THERE.

 

Your right...I didn't post this thread asking what everyone had to go through because of the hurricane....I asked who was back from the Conquest & wanted to share their story. There is no reason to bring up heart wrenching stories to try to make the cruisers from the Conquest feel worse. Everyone knows alot of people have lost alot because of this storm but this is not the place to compare those stories.

I for one am glad you made it home safely & managed to have a pretty good vacation in spite of all you went through.

[debster11]

I'm so glad you are all home safe. I would probably have cancelled even if I would have lost all my money because I would have stressed about it the whole time. I would have had a miserable time. But then I was always a worrier! I'm glad you still managed to have a good time overall.

[douglinc@msn.com]

Glad everyone is home safe.

 

Doug

[GarettsNana]

We just returned last night and I have not had time to read all the above replies but I'll throw my 2 cents in.

 

I have no complaints about how we were treated by Carnival. How many other refugees are waited on hand and foot, fed like kings, and entertained every day, for FREE?

 

Yes, it was annoying to have to pack and disembark the ship, wait in the terminal for the remaining passengers to be cleared, reboard the ship, unpack, then pack and disembark again, but it was a small price to pay for the service we received.

 

I lost a brand new vehicle in a parking lot near the dock so I'm very unhappy about that, but Carnival got me home safe, but tired.

 

When's the next cruise????

[leadout_kv]

We just returned last night and I have not had time to read all the above replies but I'll throw my 2 cents in.

 

I have no complaints about how we were treated by Carnival. How many other refugees are waited on hand and foot, fed like kings, and entertained every day, for FREE?

 

Yes, it was annoying to have to pack and disembark the ship, wait in the terminal for the remaining passengers to be cleared, reboard the ship, unpack, then pack and disembark again, but it was a small price to pay for the service we received.

 

I lost a brand new vehicle in a parking lot near the dock so I'm very unhappy about that, but Carnival got me home safe, but tired.

 

When's the next cruise????

 

Your positive attitude should be commended and everyone should learn from you on how to roll with the punches when things don't go exactly as planned.

 

I am, in no way, saying that I don't have sympathy for all those who were affected by hurricane Ike. I certainly do.

 

Happy cruising!

[Kurbanfan]

Your positive attitude should be commended and everyone should learn from you on how to roll with the punches when things don't go exactly as planned.

 

 

 

Just curious........why should everyone roll with the punches when things go wrong that could or should have been prevented:confused:

[4timecruisers]

It certainly sounds like quite the ordeal everyone had with the hurricane! We are cruising on the Conquest on the 28th and I hope our experience is better than that. We've been looking forward to this for a long long time (as I'm sure you all were). Other than the lack of communication etc., did you enjoy the ship?

[bankerbabe]

Thank you bankerbabe,

 

That list is important and something I have not done before. Two years ago we got stuck in Pittsburg after a cruise due to weather and that list would have been wonderful to have, as we knew it was going to hit before we got off of the ship. We cruise 2/09 and I will take the time now to prepare the list. No you are not OCD. As a dept manager I have always said, "prepare for the worst" in the quiet times, that way you don't panic if it happens. It means more work, yuck, but may give me more time relaxing if I have the "list".

 

THANK YOU FOR A VALUABLE POSTING

 

Kaboochi

 

I'm glad it helped someone. I'd be happy to share the list that I already have made up with you, to save you the trouble. Is there some kind of a community web site that one could post a Word document to? Or you can just email me at bankerbabe_lisa@yahoo.com.

[marktac]

We just returned last night and I have not had time to read all the above replies but I'll throw my 2 cents in.

 

I have no complaints about how we were treated by Carnival. How many other refugees are waited on hand and foot, fed like kings, and entertained every day, for FREE?

 

Yes, it was annoying to have to pack and disembark the ship, wait in the terminal for the remaining passengers to be cleared, reboard the ship, unpack, then pack and disembark again, but it was a small price to pay for the service we received.

 

I lost a brand new vehicle in a parking lot near the dock so I'm very unhappy about that, but Carnival got me home safe, but tired.

 

When's the next cruise????

 

Thank you for reminding us that there are always two sides to every story. CC only has a very few people that were on either ship, and most of the the time, the most vocal ones are the "half empty glass" folks. Glad to see the glass can be half full as well.

[bankerbabe]

Just curious........why should everyone roll with the punches when things go wrong that could or should have been prevented:confused:

 

I have no intention of picking a fight with anyone here - I wasn't there and would rather refrain from comment on what Carnival did right or wrong, etc.

 

But I'd like to offer a thought in response to your question, even though it was probably rhetorical.

 

People should roll with the punches, even when things go wrong that some would argue could have or should have been prevented, for their own sanity. I approach life with the attitude that I will focus on the things that I can have some impact on. If I can't MAKE the cruise line do what I want them to do, whether it's let me stay on board, take me back to Galveston, or give me more information, then I'm going to roll with it and do what I can with whatever information or resources I have available to me. I may not like the circumstances I am presently in, but for my own sanity I'm going to try to keep a positive attitude and do the best I can. You just have to pick your battles and let the rest go.

 

That, in a nutshell, is why people SHOULD roll with the punches. I'm not making any judgments on the people who have already posted here, by the way, I'm just responding to a question. I wasn't there, so I'm not going to judge the rights or wrongs of those that have shared their feelings here.

[cherylandtk]

Lisa, THANK YOU!

 

I have a feeling you will be sending a lot of emails in the next few days--your list just saved me HOURS of work putting together all the same information. All I need to do now is create a list of alternate flights for the days I will be travelling and I am set to go.

[Kurbanfan]

I have no intention of picking a fight with anyone here - I wasn't there and would rather refrain from comment on what Carnival did right or wrong, etc.

 

But I'd like to offer a thought in response to your question, even though it was probably rhetorical.

 

People should roll with the punches, even when things go wrong that some would argue could have or should have been prevented, for their own sanity. I approach life with the attitude that I will focus on the things that I can have some impact on. If I can't MAKE the cruise line do what I want them to do, whether it's let me stay on board, take me back to Galveston, or give me more information, then I'm going to roll with it and do what I can with whatever information or resources I have available to me. I may not like the circumstances I am presently in, but for my own sanity I'm going to try to keep a positive attitude and do the best I can. You just have to pick your battles and let the rest go.

 

That, in a nutshell, is why people SHOULD roll with the punches. I'm not making any judgments on the people who have already posted here, by the way, I'm just responding to a question. I wasn't there, so I'm not going to judge the rights or wrongs of those that have shared their feelings here.

 

And I totally agree! And I think everyone on the Conquest did just that while on the ship.........there was no mutiny on board that I read lol!

I guess I was responding to a post where I took it as it's all good even after the fact, when in fact to some they needed to get their stories out (as they should) or take whatever action they need.......whether people want to believe it or not.......

[judyjbest]

Welcome home ... so sorry your cruise ended so poorly. Hope you don't give up on cruising, because it's so great when disaster doesn't strike.

 

If those who were on the "I survived Hurricane Ike" cruisers who had travel protection would return to tell us how well those claims paid and what they covered ... I think that would be very valuable information for the future. I suspect we'll see lots of different experiences with that as well.

[ruskatab]

Ive cruised several times during hurricane season. We always buy the travel insurance, take extra money and a credit card with plenty of room for emergency charges and make a back up plan just in case. We only came close once when we left St. martin the day tropical storm warnings went up. Maybe im over paranoid but I just plan for the worst. I saw the video from the Houston news interviewing people who were getting off the Conquest at the new port and all they had was praise for the crew and Carnival.

[missabbi]

Just curious........why should everyone roll with the punches when things go wrong that could or should have been prevented:confused:

 

Just curious...why do you always want things to be more negative then they have to be? :confused:

[ZydeDiverDC]

I learned two things from this whole deal.

 

1. Carnival evidently doesn't own a TV for the office.

 

2. At the height of the storm in Texas, a crack pipe was being passed

around a room in Miami.

 

o m goodness, you really "cracked" me up with that post! I read thru most of the posts here, saw that most really cared and were trying to be informational too! And some retained their sense of humor and style in the face of adversity!

I have been thru a variety of natural calamities and have to say, that even tho you recover yourself, some things some times, most of those you love and know, you lose something very unclear. Its hard to describe. It took me years to put all of my puzzle pieces back together and learned.. I AM defined by the things I own.. the pix of family; the gifts of love made by those little hands; a card from a friend who no longer is with us. stuff like that. I mourned them for a time. A friend said to me, "You know, you don't have to live like a refugee" and I looked around me and puzzled. What was she talking about. I had replaced all the furniture, all the clothes, the food, took new pix, made new friends...???

It was the attitude in me.

I pray for all of you that experienced loss of any sort from this hurricane. Your loss matters! and I hope that you find hope again. That you find your sense of humor again and you find your home inside yourself again and not be a refugee like I was for so long.

hey Thank God for friends!

:)

and for this site! You guys are the best!

[leadout_kv]

Just curious........why should everyone roll with the punches when things go wrong that could or should have been prevented:confused:

 

Should I have clarified and said when things can't be prevented? whatever....

[leadout_kv]

Just curious........why should everyone roll with the punches when things go wrong that could or should have been prevented:confused:

 

Just curious...why do you always want things to be more negative then they have to be? :confused:

 

Yes, thank you missabbi. My rolling with the punches statement was supposed to be a positive comment. I had no negative intention and I do not want to argue with anyone.

[Kurbanfan]

Should I have clarified and said when things can't be prevented? whatever....

 

Yes:D And that's just what everyone did while on the ship.........