Just back from Mariner 'Alaskan' Riviera cruise...

[klfhngr]

[quote name='dickens56']Did your TA get anymore compensation for you? We tried to contact ours today, but she won't be in until tomorrow. I would really like the $350 towards another cruise. We had organized a group of 18 to take this cruise in October. I have been waiting for phone calls to see if any back out after hearing what happened to us last week.[/QUOTE]

I spoke to my T/A when we returned... She was irrate, being that they told her one thing but did another. She asked if I could put a letter together and email to her. I did that and she forwarded to her contact at RCI. According to my T/A, RCI 'was very pleased with your comprehensive letter'. They in turn forwarded it to the 'proper' people.

I'll keep you posted.

P.S. She was originally requesting what they told her on the phone: $250 outside and below, $350 verandah and above, plus $250 for future cruise. BUT, after I showed her what yesterdays cruisers are getting, she is now requesing equal compensation.

[gdpups]

I was also on the cruise and I don't disagree that RCI needed to cancel the last two ports in Mexico, but I then had to listen to the 8 ladies I was cruising with and just about everyone else we spoke to COMPLAIN! Most everyone we spoke to would have been happy if RCI just stayed in warm weather. Only 1 person I spoke to was happy we were going to SF. I decided I was going to make the best of it, but what a downer it is to constantly listen to complaints.

I thought the ship was beautiful and the entertainment was outstanding! Food in the dining room was hit or miss, but I didn't starve! It was unfortunate that we were not able to enjoy the outside decks once we left Cabo, but as I said my biggest downer was the mood of all the other passengers.

I would be quite happy if RCI gave use the same $$ for a future cruise that everyone else on subsequent cruises is getting. I submitted a second request to RCI today and still have not received a reply. Doubtful at this point, but I'm hopeful!

[mechcc]

It seems to me that the passengers on this cruise should of gotten equal compensation as those who had not sailed yet. After all, these passengers had no chance to pack for colder weather and did not have the option to cancel.

And as for those on the Spendor - well, they certainly deserved more than Carnival gave them.

[klfhngr]

[quote name='mechcc']It seems to me that the passengers on this cruise should of gotten equal compensation as those who had not sailed yet. After all, these passengers had no chance to pack for colder weather and did not have the option to cancel.

And as for those on the Spendor - well, they certainly deserved more than Carnival gave them.[/QUOTE]

Thank you!

[Tex_Jen]

I agree with Klfhngr that we should have gotten equal compensation to what this week's cruisers received. Telling me that I should be happy with the $200 OBC vs. the $700 compensation package offered for anyone cruising this week is just ludicrous. I have already e-mailed C&A and will be writing my other letters this week.

That being said, I had wonderful service in the MDR. The food was good, not over the top good, but good. The only complaint was the warm chocolate cake. Looked like they left it in the ovens too long. Most at my table were quite young and do not like the taste of dark chocolate so it did not go over well. The bar waiter was attentive on Monday night, but then forgot me. He did make up for it once the Head Waiter found him for me.

There were extra activities scheduled. I'm sure that not everyone was delighted with making ribbon roses, but I had fun. They also scheduled extra ice skating for the active crowd. Not only that, but the comedians and headliners were also "stuck" on this cruise. We were treated to an extra performance from the Nelson Bros. I have to say that I loved them. They are so grounded and very sweet to the fans. The comedians were having to update their material some as we attended the shows more than once. I really felt for them.

Was I unhappy that I did not make it farther than Cabo? Yes! Was I going to let this ruin my vacation? No! I, too, work hard for my vacations, but I do choose to make lemonade out of lemons and try to have a good time.

I did make comments on my survey that the Guest Relations manager needs to be taken back to Miami for inservicing. Apparently, I had the same manager that Merion_Mom referred to as having a **** up her behind. I did not appreciate her attitude at all. I want to know how someone holds that management position having obviously failed Customer Service 101.

Now, for things that had nothing to do with itinerary changes.....
Sailaway is a rotten time to have people line up for tickets for the Comedy shows (pilot program as the shows are being held in Ellington's).

Need to bring back tickets for attending the ice shows. Lining up an hour ahead for the show you want is a disaster and many were already grumpy from the itinerary change. I will say that it was the warmest spot on the cruise. ;)

That's my take. I will be writing my discontent regarding compensation to RCI, but the cruise itself could have been much worse and I think they did what they could. I can not categorize this as having been my "worst vacation ever". I did hear that in the elevators from time to time. Let's just say that I have traveled with family in the deserts of Arizona in July with the radiator overheating (means no a/c). I'll take a cruise over that any day.

Jen

[ccletzgo]

[quote name='klfhngr']The itinerary changed in route... Also, we NO prior warnings at all that there would be a slight possibility in making changes.

It's also upsetting to hear of the options that future cruisers have. Wouldn't it be fair to have offered us some of these choices? We had none!

I just got off the phone with my T/A. Seems like they mislead her also! She spoke to them during the week to 'check' up on us. They told her that we were on our way to Vancouver. They also told her that we were getting x amount of dollars as OBC. Well, the amount that they gave here were about $100 off! They also told her that ALL of us would be getting x amount of dollars off on a future cruise. That also did NOT happen.

Anyhow.... that's life..... At least Princess and Carnival are treating their passengers fair/well.[/quote]

I believe the OBC was determined by the catagory you were booked in. Correct me if I'm wrong..

Also the first and last day of a mex riv cruise are always very chilly. When ever I do this route I take a jacket and long pants for day 1 and day 6. I would have gotten alot more use out of that jacket on this cruise, but... I would have had it..
Leaving the west coast is alot differant then cruising out of Florida.

[klfhngr]

[quote name='ccletzgo']I believe the OBC was determined by the catagory you were booked in. Correct me if I'm wrong..

Also the first and last day of a mex riv cruise are always very chilly. When ever I do this route I take a jacket and long pants for day 1 and day 6. I would have gotten alot more use out of that jacket on this cruise, but... I would have had it..
Leaving the west coast is alot differant then cruising out of Florida.[/QUOTE]

I heard $150 - $300, based on cabin category. We were in Promenade, mom in Inside, we both got $150. Friend was in JS, he got back $350.

I'm very familiar with this cruise, I know it gets 'chilly', but it's not that cold, at least to me. It's a lot different than the weather in S.F. I ski, enjoy the snow, etc., so cold for you might not be cold for me. Again, the weather, the fog, etc. is not the main issue here, it's the compensation.

[luvcruising2]

I was on the April 26th sailing of the Mariner of the Seas. The sea was quite rought coming back to Los Angeles from San Francisco. I got quite sea sick :( Next time I bring along the patch - never been sick before.

While I understand it wasn't RCCL fault for having to leave Mexico, I feel they are being totally unfair in compensation. I mean, they only gave us $150 total per stateroom but this week they are giving $250 + $100 for 3/4 passengers and future cruise credit. Why weren't we offered future cruise credit? If they weren't doing anything for cruisers this week, I'd feel totally different. I think it's only fair that they are fair. At least the cruisers this week had a choice and had time to pack some warm clothes - we had no options, so compensating us less just doesn't seem very fair?

I don't drink so the complimentary drinks for 1 1/2 hours didn't do anything for me. Sad I couldn't use the pool or miniature golf (the reason I choice this specific boat was so I could miniature golf). On the other hand it was a little fun going under the golden gate bridge even though it was SOOO cold and windy.

The teen program didn't have much to do for my daughter in the mornings or most afternoons. Was it just me or did others have this experience. She got quite bored. Luckily she enjoyed the skating rink!

Happy Sailing!

[Merion_Mom]

[quote name='Tex_Jen']
There were extra activities scheduled. I'm sure that not everyone was delighted with making ribbon roses, but I had fun. They also scheduled extra ice skating for the active crowd. Not only that, but the comedians and headliners were also "stuck" on this cruise. [COLOR="Red"][B]We were treated to an extra performance from the Nelson Bros. [/B][/COLOR]I have to say that I loved them. They are so grounded and very sweet to the fans. The comedians were having to update their material some as we attended the shows more than once. I really felt for them.

Jen[/QUOTE]

Jen, please tell me what they did for their second show. Their regular show is such a complete production, with the videos and the dialogue and the specific songs.

What did they do for the extra show?

[cruiseknots]

Just returned home from this cruise myself! As most others, I was also very disappointed about the change in itinerary. I completely understand RCI's decision to cancel Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. However, to change the cruise from a warm weather cruise to a cold weather cruise was a decision they made and should take some responsibility for. They had the option to hang around in warmer weather. Yes, they could have just cruised around. Preferably northwest at night, and southeast during the day in the warmer weather and I think a large majority of the folks would have been happy. They didn't have to stay in "Mexican" waters as one poster commented on.

I am also fully aware of what the weather can be and I usually pick my cruises and pack accordingly. This late in April this particular itinerary usually has 2 days that can be questionable. The first, and last day. I packed for that. However I did not pack 5 days of cold, windy weather. So I pretty much spent from Tues evening until Sunday morning inside. This to me is a bit much. The last poolside activity, including the band was Wed around noon. At that point, there was nothing by the pool for the rest of the cruise. Is this how I wanted to spend my vacation? Absolutely not.

The swine flu was in the news the week prior. The airlines were allowing passengers to change or cancel reservations for those headed to Mexico. This was all before we left L.A. When we checked in, I asked if there was a risk of a modified itinerary due to the swine flu. I was told that there was no reason to worry, but later cruises may not be so lucky. I know this person didn't know anymore than I already did. But they did know something. I'm sure they had a morning briefing on this topic and knew that some were going to ask.

I fully understand when situations like these happen as I believe most folks do. RCI had nothing to do with the swine flu. But they did choose to head North vs. South. For that, I would like to be compensated the way this weeks cruisers and future cruisers are being compensated. RCI knows that without the enhanced compensation, most would just cancel. Even with the compensation packages being offered, they are still getting lots of cancellations. I don't like feeling that once they had my money, my satisfaction no longer mattered.

After 24 cruises, my one very favorite cruise of all time was my first on RCI, about my 13th overall. On this cruise, we only went to 2 ports instead of 3 and not a single one of them were the ports we were supposed to go. Oh by the way, not a nickel of compensation. Didn't need it. I still had the "Vacation of a lifetime". Since then, I have been on 11 RCI cruises. On only 4 of them have I sailed the original itinerary that was advertised when booked. I don't mind switching ports or even making them. I just want to relax in the sun with a tropical drink and the sound of an island band. I got to do that for a day in a half on this cruise. I expected at least 4 hopefully 5. RCI doesn't control the weather or the swine flu. They do control where the ship goes. Take some responsibility and compensate us the way you are compensating everyone else.

[klfhngr]

[quote name='luvcruising2']I was on the April 26th sailing of the Mariner of the Seas. The sea was quite rought coming back to Los Angeles from San Francisco. I got quite sea sick :( Next time I bring along the patch - never been sick before.

While I understand it wasn't RCCL fault for having to leave Mexico, I feel they are being totally unfair in compensation. I mean, they only gave us $150 total per stateroom but this week they are giving $250 + $100 for 3/4 passengers and future cruise credit. Why weren't we offered future cruise credit? If they weren't doing anything for cruisers this week, I'd feel totally different. I think it's only fair that they are fair. At least the cruisers this week had a choice and had time to pack some warm clothes - we had no options, so compensating us less just doesn't seem very fair?

I don't drink so the complimentary drinks for 1 1/2 hours didn't do anything for me. Sad I couldn't use the pool or miniature golf (the reason I choice this specific boat was so I could miniature golf). On the other hand it was a little fun going under the golden gate bridge even though it was SOOO cold and windy.

The teen program didn't have much to do for my daughter in the mornings or most afternoons. Was it just me or did others have this experience. She got quite bored. Luckily she enjoyed the skating rink!

Happy Sailing![/QUOTE]

It wasn't just you, out of 17 in our group, the majority were bored. We played some hoop, played golf and rock climbed, but that was in the first few days, after that, it was impossible! We tried golfing, balls were going all over the place! Tried playing hoop, the wind would blow the ball crooked! Most of the time, we 'cruised' the Promenade.. I sat at the Gavil Ale place (?).

I'm glad you understand where the REAL issue lies: The compensation.

[klfhngr]

Amen cruiseknots, amen!

[critterchick]

[quote name='klfhngr']Food in MDR was not that good.. I'm not picky, as you can tell.. but some of it was plain GROSS! Shrimp was rubbery and even fishy. Steak was hit and miss, sometimes good, sometimes bad. The chicken was real bad, the one that you can order any night. Seemed like it was water logged, or as if they purchased the large frozen bags from Costco.

Service was bad, at least our waiter was. He was not friendly at all. His assistant was good and nice. They forgot soups and salads on some nights or even brought out the wrong dishes! TERRIBLE![/quote]

Sounds like you had our waitstaff except that the waiter & assistant waiter traded places. And I can't tell that you're not picky - that's Benny Hill in your avatar, LOL!

[quote name='mechcc']It seems to me that the passengers on this cruise should of gotten equal compensation as those who had not sailed yet. After all, these passengers had no chance to pack for colder weather and did not have the option to cancel.

And as for those on the Spendor - well, they certainly deserved more than Carnival gave them.[/quote]

Yesterday I was thinking that the people who were pissed off were overreacting. But upon further reflection, I think they have every right to the same compensation package as people who were given some warning that they would have to pack for a (possibly) cold weather cruise. I don't fault RCI for their late-ish decision to cancel MZ and PV. But to expect people to spend their OBC on the clothing they had marked up (and then marked down) is unfair and unreasonable IMHO.

Klfnhngr, next time you'll follow your instincts and change to the "big" CC cruise. If you're gonna come home sick anyway, you may as well have a ball in the process!

[cruiseknots]

Opps I forgot the rest!

Still had a good time. Ship was absolutely beautiful. Most of the staff was great. I thought the food was good, but that doesn't mean much coming from me apparently. I was ready to book my next cruise for this fall while onboard. However, I will wait to see how this pans out. I'm not expecting anything and will probably opt for an all inclusive that doesn't move if that is the case.

[dirtgirl]

[QUOTE][quote name='critterchick']Sounds like you had our waitstaff except that the waiter & assistant waiter traded places. And I can't tell that you're not picky - that's Benny Hill in your avatar, LOL!



Yesterday I was thinking that the people who were pissed off were overreacting. But upon further reflection, I think they have every right to the same compensation package as people who were given some warning that they would have to pack for a (possibly) cold weather cruise. I don't fault RCI for their late-ish decision to cancel MZ and PV. But to expect people to spend their OBC on the clothing they had marked up (and then marked down) is unfair and unreasonable IMHO.

[COLOR=red]Klfnhngr, next time you'll follow your instincts and change to the "big" CC cruise. If you're gonna come home sick anyway, you may as well have a ball in the process![/[/COLOR]quote][/QUOTE]

That made me laugh!!:D

[sunshinejp2]

You mentioned a problem with kids camp for the 3 year old care to explain..... please taking four and five year olds in June????

[wolfshadow]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Purple"]Hello fellow Mariners! I can add our disappointment for our small compensation, too! Some of you sure have different perceptions as to our situation last week. To correct whoever said that RCI did not know until after we were off the ship in Cabo last Tues as to the possibility of the seriousness of our traveling to Mexico was mistaken. Here's a link to the US Dept of State that issued a warning dated April 27th, which was the day before we even arrived: [url]http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_mexico_swine_flu.html[/url]. So I'm sure RCI knew of the possibility then, that we may not be able to visit these Ports.

For many of us, we would have liked to have had the choice of being brought back to San Pedro and just letting us go home with a 50% future cruise credit so that we could book Mexico again when it was safe, instead of not being able to go to San Diego or Catalina because of the ship being too big and having to go to SF because it was the only place we could go considering time frame and ship size. My biggest reason though is because we live less than an hour away from SF and we both grew up in the Bay Area and have been to SF gazillions of times! We can go there anytime. Not to mention that they had to have known the weather report for SF was forecast for 57 degrees and rain all day. It was miserable!

And, for those who have been so kind as to telling us how stupid we were not to bring some warmer clothing, I did pack one pair of long jeans, one long sleeve top and a lightweight sweatshirt w/hood. I knew all of the temps for LA, Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta before leaving home in the Central Valley, and there was no indication of needing anything warmer than that. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any closed shoes though. Since my feet never get cold it didn't dawn on me I would be walking in the rain. I did have some good water shoes with me and some socks so they were great for the walking part just not so great for the wet feet part. We came back to the ship early because I was wet and cold. Everyone on our bus was but some did decide to go to Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39 anyway. I saw some later onboard and they said they wished they had come back with us.

I think mainly what most of us are saying is that we would have liked to have been given the same choices as the next several cruises as to cancelling and being able to rebook at a later date. Or, because they decided to continue to Cabo knowing that at any time the Ports could have been closed, they could have given us the choice of letting those of us off back in San Pedro with that 50% future credit, too. Since we didn't get any choice, I think it would be appropriate to get the same $350 OBC (minus the $200 they did give us already) plus the same $350 future cruise credit that the next cruises did get.

Forgot I wanted to mention the fog. We did have at least 36 hrs of fog the whole way home. You could not see more than 20 or so feet from the ship in any direction! We were also going very slow the whole way back so it just felt like we were shrouded in gray the whole time back. And, yes, then there was the fog horns going off constantly. Kind of made me think that this is what it would be like living in a lighthouse.........lol!

All I can say is, you were lucky if you went earlier or after we did![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[klfhngr]

[quote name='critterchick']Sounds like you had our waitstaff except that the waiter & assistant waiter traded places. And I can't tell that you're not picky - that's Benny Hill in your avatar, LOL!



Yesterday I was thinking that the people who were pissed off were overreacting. But upon further reflection, I think they have every right to the same compensation package as people who were given some warning that they would have to pack for a (possibly) cold weather cruise. I don't fault RCI for their late-ish decision to cancel MZ and PV. But to expect people to spend their OBC on the clothing they had marked up (and then marked down) is unfair and unreasonable IMHO.

Klfnhngr, next time you'll follow your instincts and change to the "big" CC cruise. If you're gonna come home sick anyway, you may as well have a ball in the process![/QUOTE]

Lol, not picky!

I know!! Even my wife said, 'you're right, we should've switched'! TO LATE %&^$!!

[klfhngr]

[quote name='dirtgirl'][QUOTE]

That made me laugh!!:D[/QUOTE]

I bet it did, lol!! I'm not laughing though!! JK!! I am!

[klfhngr]

[quote name='wolfshadow'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Purple"]Hello fellow Mariners! I can add our disappointment for our small compensation, too! Some of you sure have different perceptions as to our situation last week. To correct whoever said that RCI did not know until after we were off the ship in Cabo last Tues as to the possibility of the seriousness of our traveling to Mexico was mistaken. Here's a link to the US Dept of State that issued a warning dated April 27th, which was the day before we even arrived: [url]http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_mexico_swine_flu.html[/url]. So I'm sure RCI knew of the possibility then, that we may not be able to visit these Ports.

For many of us, we would have liked to have had the choice of being brought back to San Pedro and just letting us go home with a 50% future cruise credit so that we could book Mexico again when it was safe, instead of not being able to go to San Diego or Catalina because of the ship being too big and having to go to SF because it was the only place we could go considering time frame and ship size. My biggest reason though is because we live less than an hour away from SF and we both grew up in the Bay Area and have been to SF gazillions of times! We can go there anytime. Not to mention that they had to have known the weather report for SF was forecast for 57 degrees and rain all day. It was miserable!

And, for those who have been so kind as to telling us how stupid we were not to bring some warmer clothing, I did pack one pair of long jeans, one long sleeve top and a lightweight sweatshirt w/hood. I knew all of the temps for LA, Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta before leaving home in the Central Valley, and there was no indication of needing anything warmer than that. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any closed shoes though. Since my feet never get cold it didn't dawn on me I would be walking in the rain. I did have some good water shoes with me and some socks so they were great for the walking part just not so great for the wet feet part. We came back to the ship early because I was wet and cold. Everyone on our bus was but some did decide to go to Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39 anyway. I saw some later onboard and they said they wished they had come back with us.

I think mainly what most of us are saying is that we would have liked to have been given the same choices as the next several cruises as to cancelling and being able to rebook at a later date. Or, because they decided to continue to Cabo knowing that at any time the Ports could have been closed, they could have given us the choice of letting those of us off back in San Pedro with that 50% future credit, too. Since we didn't get any choice, I think it would be appropriate to get the same $350 OBC (minus the $200 they did give us already) plus the same $350 future cruise credit that the next cruises did get.

Forgot I wanted to mention the fog. We did have at least 36 hrs of fog the whole way home. You could not see more than 20 or so feet from the ship in any direction! We were also going very slow the whole way back so it just felt like we were shrouded in gray the whole time back. And, yes, then there was the fog horns going off constantly. Kind of made me think that this is what it would be like living in a lighthouse.........lol!

All I can say is, you were lucky if you went earlier or after we did![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Exactly!

[klfhngr]

Regarding Nelson' second show, it was an acoustic set, sorta.. I didn't go, but some friends did, they said that they were great....

[klfhngr]

[quote name='sunshinejp2']You mentioned a problem with kids camp for the 3 year old care to explain..... please taking four and five year olds in June????[/QUOTE]

K, I'll try briefly, if you need more info., I can send you an email...

I have an 11 and 17 year old, I had a 3 year old nephew and 6 year old niece that went and my friends 6 and 10 year old boys. All except the 17 year old went to Johnny Rockets for kids camp. The 3 year old was hesitant but went. His mom was told to leave and that they would take care of him, no problem. A few minutes later, she went in and noticed that he was moved from his sister and cousins and crying at another table. She let it go and left, thinking that everything was ok.

Later, my son, the 11 year old, tells me that 'the man was mean to xxx'. I asked him to elaborate.. He stated that the man asked him 'would you be sad and cry if your sister left'? He said yes. Behind his back and in front of my son and others, he told one of his coworkers, 'I'll give him a reason to cry', then he gestured with his hands like he was smacking someone. Well, my son saw all of this, and when he told me, I told him that I think he should tell his uncle and aunt.. We called them over and he explained what he saw...... They were NOT HAPPY, as you would expect. I was asked what I would do, they knew by the look on my face what I would do...

This might not be a big deal to some, but these 'child care' employees should know better, kids see EVERYTHING! Even if he was joking, which he wasn't, is inappropriate! If he feels this way, perhaps he should work in a different department or elsehwhere.

I have to admit, RCCL pursued this and didn't let it go... They interviewed us, their staff, and I believe they even suspended him for a few nights until the matter was resolved, which I don't think is.

My recommendation: Check up on your kids periodically, there's nothing wrong with that, it's your right and God given responsibility!

FYI: I asked my son if he was treated bad, he said no, but after this happened, he was afraid to go back to camp because of the 'mean man'. I told him to go, and if that 'mean man' says anything to you or does anything to you, you RUN/SNEAK out of camp, tell me and I'll go back and do some damage control.....

[RCCL_NVcruiser]

[quote name='klfhngr']I heard $150 - $300, based on cabin category. We were in Promenade, mom in Inside, we both got $150. Friend was in JS, he got back $350.

I'm very familiar with this cruise, I know it gets 'chilly', but it's not that cold, at least to me. It's a lot different than the weather in S.F. I ski, enjoy the snow, etc., so cold for you might not be cold for me. Again, the weather, the fog, etc. is not the main issue here, it's the compensation.[/quote]

Hmmmm... we were in a GS and got $300 + $30 in port charges....

For us, the weather is the main issue - compensation 2nd. We booked a "warm weather" cruise - and are not happy with the decision to reroute through the cold. But - since we can't do anything about the weather now, we definitely want the additional compensation!

[RCCL_NVcruiser]

[quote name='wolfshadow'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=purple]Hello fellow Mariners! I can add our disappointment for our small compensation, too! Some of you sure have different perceptions as to our situation last week. To correct whoever said that RCI did not know until after we were off the ship in Cabo last Tues as to the possibility of the seriousness of our traveling to Mexico was mistaken. Here's a link to the US Dept of State that issued a warning dated April 27th, which was the day before we even arrived: [URL]http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_mexico_swine_flu.html[/URL]. So I'm sure RCI knew of the possibility then, that we may not be able to visit these Ports. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]For many of us, we would have liked to have had the choice of being brought back to San Pedro and just letting us go home with a 50% future cruise credit so that we could book Mexico again when it was safe, instead of not being able to go to San Diego or Catalina because of the ship being too big and having to go to SF because it was the only place we could go considering time frame and ship size. My biggest reason though is because we live less than an hour away from SF and we both grew up in the Bay Area and have been to SF gazillions of times! We can go there anytime. Not to mention that they had to have known the weather report for SF was forecast for 57 degrees and rain all day. It was miserable! [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]And, for those who have been so kind as to telling us how stupid we were not to bring some warmer clothing, I did pack one pair of long jeans, one long sleeve top and a lightweight sweatshirt w/hood. I knew all of the temps for LA, Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta before leaving home in the Central Valley, and there was no indication of needing anything warmer than that. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any closed shoes though. Since my feet never get cold it didn't dawn on me I would be walking in the rain. I did have some good water shoes with me and some socks so they were great for the walking part just not so great for the wet feet part. We came back to the ship early because I was wet and cold. Everyone on our bus was but some did decide to go to Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39 anyway. I saw some later onboard and they said they wished they had come back with us.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]I think mainly what most of us are saying is that we would have liked to have been given the same choices as the next several cruises as to cancelling and being able to rebook at a later date. Or, because they decided to continue to Cabo knowing that at any time the Ports could have been closed, they could have given us the choice of letting those of us off back in San Pedro with that 50% future credit, too. Since we didn't get any choice, I think it would be appropriate to get the same $350 OBC (minus the $200 they did give us already) plus the same $350 future cruise credit that the next cruises did get.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]Forgot I wanted to mention the fog. We did have at least 36 hrs of fog the whole way home. You could not see more than 20 or so feet from the ship in any direction! We were also going very slow the whole way back so it just felt like we were shrouded in gray the whole time back. And, yes, then there was the fog horns going off constantly. Kind of made me think that this is what it would be like living in a lighthouse.........lol![/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]All I can say is, you were lucky if you went earlier or after we did![/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/quote]

Well said. 100% agree.

On a side note - we very much would have appreciated just being taken back to San Pedro as we would have happily hopped a plane to Florida or to the Bahamas for the remainder of our vacation time!

[stanford's girl]

[quote name='wolfshadow'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=purple]Hello fellow Mariners! I can add our disappointment for our small compensation, too! Some of you sure have different perceptions as to our situation last week. To correct whoever said that RCI did not know until after we were off the ship in Cabo last Tues as to the possibility of the seriousness of our traveling to Mexico was mistaken. Here's a link to the US Dept of State that issued a warning dated April 27th, which was the day before we even arrived: [URL]http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_mexico_swine_flu.html[/URL]. So I'm sure RCI knew of the possibility then, that we may not be able to visit these Ports. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]For many of us, we would have liked to have had the choice of being brought back to San Pedro and just letting us go home with a 50% future cruise credit so that we could book Mexico again when it was safe, instead of not being able to go to San Diego or Catalina because of the ship being too big and having to go to SF because it was the only place we could go considering time frame and ship size. My biggest reason though is because we live less than an hour away from SF and we both grew up in the Bay Area and have been to SF gazillions of times! We can go there anytime. Not to mention that they had to have known the weather report for SF was forecast for 57 degrees and rain all day. It was miserable! [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]And, for those who have been so kind as to telling us how stupid we were not to bring some warmer clothing, I did pack one pair of long jeans, one long sleeve top and a lightweight sweatshirt w/hood. I knew all of the temps for LA, Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta before leaving home in the Central Valley, and there was no indication of needing anything warmer than that. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any closed shoes though. Since my feet never get cold it didn't dawn on me I would be walking in the rain. I did have some good water shoes with me and some socks so they were great for the walking part just not so great for the wet feet part. We came back to the ship early because I was wet and cold. Everyone on our bus was but some did decide to go to Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39 anyway. I saw some later onboard and they said they wished they had come back with us.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]I think mainly what most of us are saying is that we would have liked to have been given the same choices as the next several cruises as to cancelling and being able to rebook at a later date. Or, because they decided to continue to Cabo knowing that at any time the Ports could have been closed, they could have given us the choice of letting those of us off back in San Pedro with that 50% future credit, too. Since we didn't get any choice, I think it would be appropriate to get the same $350 OBC (minus the $200 they did give us already) plus the same $350 future cruise credit that the next cruises did get.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]Forgot I wanted to mention the fog. We did have at least 36 hrs of fog the whole way home. You could not see more than 20 or so feet from the ship in any direction! We were also going very slow the whole way back so it just felt like we were shrouded in gray the whole time back. And, yes, then there was the fog horns going off constantly. Kind of made me think that this is what it would be like living in a lighthouse.........lol![/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=purple]All I can say is, you were lucky if you went earlier or after we did![/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/quote]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=6][COLOR=blue]Very well said, Glenda!!![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]