What do you think about compensation?

I have just returned from the Equinox. Two issues occurred. I felt I was given too much compensation for one but not enough for the other. I would be interested in the views of other people.

On our first day we went to the Sunset Bar and by our third drink our waiter pointed out that we needed to head to Guest Relations to get them to fix our seapass as it did not have our Classic Package printed on it. I suppose that took me 10 minutes maximum. The next day we received a bottle of Merlot and a letter apologising for the problem we had experienced. I found it amusing as:

- we have a drinks package so don't need a bottle of wine;

- we don't drink red wine anyway.

However, I appreciated the gesture for what had been a minor inconvenience to me, one that the bar staff had handled well. We gave the bottle to a couple who did not have a drinks package.

A day or so later the lights went out in our room at about midnight. It was pitch black. In the process of checking what was happening to lights in the corridor, I walked into the bathroom door and cut my knee slightly. (I phoned Guest Relations, who sent someone down who confirmed that there was a problem with 2 other rooms and so they would send an electrician.) We had to get ready for bed by the light of my wind-up torch. We had to take that to the bathroom during the night. I didn't sleep very well as I kept expecting it to be fixed and for the lights to come on and wake me up!

This continued the next day, with absolutely no light in the bathroom so I had to either use a torch or leave the door open - not really good when travelling with a male gay friend who would not want to see me showering! Finally the lights came on 18 hours later and we discovered it had been a problem with quite a lot of cabins - 'one particular line related to specific voltage was failing, that affected the stateroom lighting within the Fire Zone 5'. At that point I discovered that all the other rooms had emergency lighting, but ours had failed. As far as I know, we were the only room without any lights at all.

Two days later someone arrived at our door with a letter of apology and another bottle of Merlot! I took it back to Guest Relations with a 'thanks but no thanks' and laughed as I pointed out how silly it is to give this to someone with a drinks package who does not like red wine. The lady at the desk grinned along with me. She said she would see what she could do, especially as she knew we had been without emergency lighting as well. Two days later I was phoned again to say that Head Office would not budge, despite others complaining. She offered to exchange it for white wine to take home or share with friends in our room but I could not see the point. She was very helpful and asked if she could do anything else for us. I felt she did not agree with the decision of Head Office.

I certainly did not let it spoil my holiday but I wondered if I am being unreasonable in thinking that Celebrity should have acted more generously in a situation that put me in physical danger?

It's unfortunate you were in an area that had a lighting failure. I think I would have asked for a flashlight or two to use until the problem was fixed.

We always have a drink package but certainly would appreciate a bottle of wine to enjoy on our balcony or at home. That fact that you don't drink red wine is not something that Guest Relations would know.

I was in a situation 8 months ago where I had an injury that affected our cruise on another line. I wrote a letter to their guest relations dept and they offered $500 each in future cruise credit immediately, which they applied to an existing reservation. I pressed their legal department for a small amount of additional compensation which ended up being a $1000 additional FCC, a refund for 4 massages in the spa, and a cancelled shore excursion. I was up front from the get go in my letter that my injuries had healed, but laid out how it affected my cruise. I didn't ask for the moon and felt I was fairly compensated. In my experience, the guest relations staffers are more empowered to award compensation than the ship's staff.

That same letter started with an extensive paragraph giving kudos to the ship and crew where due, with many mentioned by name. Offering a "spoon full of sugar" usually does make the "medicine go down".

What a pain that must have been to have no lights! I am surprised they did not offer you a flashlight or two at the beginning. Were they aware the emergency lighting in your cabin was not functioning?

Did you need treatment for the cut on your knee?

The fact that you had zero light in your cabin was a real safety hazard - it does not seem they took it seriously.

What is a wind up torch?

I think returning the second bottle was, hate to say it, rude. It's the thought that counts. Why not just give it to another person you knew who did not have a drink package? To return it with the admonition that "you don't like red, and we have a drink package" - you say the staff was grinning, but I bet that's not what they were thinking.

If you were seriously injured that is a different matter and should have been dealt with, but we've had stopped up toilets, broken doors and tvs and other issues that we never dreamed should be compensated for, just fixed.

Compensation is a tricky thing.

What would "you" feel is proper compensation?

Have you attempted to call Celebrity? If not, ask for the Post cruise department and explain the situation to them.

In terms of the wine: One can always exchange a bottle for another bottle at the same price point. If you wish to upgrade you get the value of the bottle you exchange applied to any increased price. I always have the Premium Package and receive bottles of Sparking Wine or wine delivered to my cabin. I either pass the bottle to someone I've met or simply take it home. I believe it's impolite to give it back to the sender.

To be sure, how would you treat yourself had this happened in your own home?

The sexual orientation of your cabin mate contributes what to the situation?

Maybe your cabin mate likes red wine? You never said.

I can see the law suits now over the inconvenience because lights were not back on immediately and not being able to shower with door shut... it is not like this was a situation where X is at fault, it was mechanical in nature. A major issue, in my opine, would occur were there a real emergency which required you to exit the cabin quickly and without impedance.

Does 'more generous' equate to OBC or money back on cruise price or ????

Next...

bon voyage

What is a wind up torch?

A non battery-powered flashlight.

Two great peoples separated by a common language!:)

I was in a situation 8 months ago where I had an injury that affected our cruise on another line. I wrote a letter to their guest relations dept and they offered $500 each in future cruise credit immediately, which they applied to an existing reservation. I pressed their legal department for a small amount of additional compensation which ended up being a $1000 additional FCC, a refund for 4 massages in the spa, and a cancelled shore excursion. I was up front from the get go in my letter that my injuries had healed, but laid out how it affected my cruise. I didn't ask for the moon and felt I was fairly compensated. In my experience, the guest relations staffers are more empowered to award compensation than the ship's staff.

That same letter started with an extensive paragraph giving kudos to the ship and crew where due, with many mentioned by name. Offering a "spoon full of sugar" usually does make the "medicine go down".

You are not very specific regarding your injury or the circumstances which precipitated the injury, therefore it is very difficult (impossible) to equate your situation with the OP. Also, it is impossible to give an opinion as to how the accommodation fits the circumstances. It would seem that you were handsomely compensated.

As for the OP's situation, you should write directly to the office of the CEO at Celebrity. Someone will contact you. However, your letter should be succinct, straight forward, and free of outrageous demands. That just pisses people off and the reader will be disinclined to be generous.

Huh, I was on Summit, we lost all power and propulsion for a while around midnight.

It never even occurred to me to ask for compensation of any sort. I just rolled over in bed and kept sleeping in the dark. No emergency lighting in the cabin either, I didn't even think there would be any.

And it would never occur to me to take a gift back to the gift giver and comment at all about it in any fashion.

 

It never even occurred to me to ask for compensation of any sort. I just rolled over in bed and kept sleeping in the dark. No emergency lighting in the cabin either, I didn't even think there would be any.

 

And it would never occur to me to take a gift back to the gift giver and comment at all about it in any fashion.

I agree with you! Really bad form to return a gift to the sender! I view the wine as a gift and not direct compensation. Ships can and do experience mechanical problems. Autos and planes also experience mechanical problems as do washing machines and refrigerators. Anything mechanical can and does experience problems. I've experienced problems on a number of cruises, including flooding from a broken pipe in the shower and have not once asked for compensation. I have been given "compensation", but I've never asked for it.

Now some might argue that I receive special attention due to my cruising history, but I can assure you that I was treated more than fairly early in my cruising.

I can give two pieces of advice:

1. Always pack a working flashlight, or whatever you call it in your country.

2. If an issue cannot be resolved on the ship contact Celebrity and address your concern to the appropriate department. Everyone seems to write to the CEO and that letter or Email is read by a staff member who sends it to the proper department. Someone from that department contacts you. You can save time by contacting that department directly. The proper department in this case would be the Post Cruise department. They have a Resolutions area that attempts to resolve situations like the OPs.

I agree with you! Really bad form to return a gift to the sender! I view the wine as a gift and not direct compensation. Ships can and do experience mechanical problems. Autos and planes also experience mechanical problems as do washing machines and refrigerators. Anything mechanical can and does experience problems. I've experienced problems on a number of cruises, including flooding from a broken pipe in the shower and have not once asked for compensation. I have been given "compensation", but I've never asked for it.

Now some might argue that I receive special attention due to my cruising history, but I can assure you that I was treated more than fairly early in my cruising.

I can give two pieces of advice:

1. Always pack a working flashlight, or whatever you call it in your country.

2. If an issue cannot be resolved on the ship contact Celebrity and address your concern to the appropriate department. Everyone seems to write to the CEO and that letter or Email is read by a staff member who sends it to the proper department. Someone from that department contacts you. You can save time by contacting that department directly. The proper department in this case would be the Post Cruise department. They have a Resolutions area that attempts to resolve situations like the OPs.

Great advice...and I've always carried at least 1 mini flashlight..just in case....they are less than 4 inches long so little or no packing space needed.....:)

We have had issues on the Eclipse in both of our last two sailings, once in a RS and once in a CS both on deck 10 with a foul smell. In the RS it meant that the bathroom and the balcony had a foul smell for around 10 of the 14 days. If the bathroom door was open the smell went throughout the whole suite. There was another RS at the other side of the ship with the same issue although not as bad.

The CS had the same issue but it did not last as long.

In both cases the concierge sorted things out before we left the ship, at her prompting not ours.

I would not have expected compensation in either instance and agree that returning the wine was poor form.

The annoying part of this, if it happened to me, would be not having power to dry my hair or to see to put on makeup. As far as the shower, most staterooms are arranged that you would not be able to see anyone in the shower. If that was an issue I would just go to the spa to shower, dry my hair, etc.

Compensation is a tricky thing.

 

What would "you" feel is proper compensation?

I thought about it at the time and decided that there were many things Celebrity could have done that would have cost the line very little. I thought a bottle of wine was a gift with little thought attached and very little value. I also think it would have been good if someone had been dispatched to talk individually with us to check that everything was okay. At that point they would have realised that our emergency lighting did not work - and that we did not realise we should have had any. I understand that can't be done if it's the whole ship, but if it is only one zone then it should be possible. I'm also surprised that our cabin stewards did not pick up the fact that there was no emergency light in our room.

I came up with a range of ideas and thought how nice it would have been if we had been presented with several ideas and allowed the one that best suited us:

- an offer to dine for free for one or two nights at a specialty restaurant;

- a basic or Classic drinks package for X number of days;

- for those who already had a drinks package, an upgrade to Premium for X number of days - and that would have been good advertising for the Premium package;

- a certain amount of free internet time.

The sexual orientation of your cabin mate contributes what to the situation?

If my cabin mate had been my partner or a female friend there would have been no problems having the bathroom door open so I could see to shower. It is impolite for me to do so in front of a gay male friend, especially considering all the (partly) joking comments he makes about how he feels nauseated when he views the naked female anatomy. :D We have a great friendship and treat each other with respect. Hence the concern about the blackout in the bathroom.

In answer to someone else's comment, I was aware that it is possible to look out from our shower, with the door open, and see part of the room. That means it must be possible for someone to look in.

you say the staff was grinning, but I bet that's not what they were thinking.

You had to have been there. I could see the laugh lines around her eyes as we talked.

I could not stop laughing myself, and laughter is always infectious. I purposely went back while I could see the funny side of it.

I'm sorry so many of you think that I acted in poor form by returning the wine. I did not see this as being a gift and it was not presented as such. There was no wording of 'Please accept this gift.' It was handed over by someone who didn't even know what it was for. He just knocked on my door and handed it to me with an envelope and I asked why I'd been given it and received a shrug and the comment that he did not know. It was obviously his job that day to hand out bottles of wine to all and sundry. Of course I thanked him and took the letter inside to read. What a pity they did not instruct him to say 'We at Celebrity are really sorry for the problem. This gift is just a small token as an apology' or words to that effect, instead of the impression I received that whenever there's a problem, large or small, they rush in with a bottle of wine and no thought.

What a pain that must have been to have no lights! I am surprised they did not offer you a flashlight or two at the beginning. Were they aware the emergency lighting in your cabin was not functioning?

 

Did you need treatment for the cut on your knee?

 

The fact that you had zero light in your cabin was a real safety hazard - it does not seem they took it seriously.

I think what really aggrieved me was that no one took it seriously that the emergency lighting had failed. I am a reasonable person and I know I would have felt differently if I had received a genuine apology and someone contacting me later as a follow-up to say that they had checked the lighting in my room and had fixed the fault. As someone pointed out, it's possible that the failure of the lighting contravened safety regulations, but they did not seem to care.

Did they know it didn't work? I didn't tell them as I didn't know there should be emergency lighting. It only came up in a conversation after it was fixed. However, when the lights first went off I phoned Guest Relations to tell them. They sent someone down. I opened the door to him so he should have been able to look in and see that the room was in total darkness. Also, the room stewards cleaned my bathroom the next morning so they should have seen that there was no light in the bathroom whereas there was a light in other rooms. That's two people who should have been able to pick it up and report it.

The cut was minor, but thanks for your concern. I mentioned it only to show the gravity of the situation and the potential for harm. It could have been a lot worse.

If it didn't bother you enough to tell them there was a problem at the time, why would you expect that they would have done anything more than they did? If I had to shower in the dark I most certainly would have called to report the situation. I don't know how they would be expected to know about your cabin mate situation. It seems you have been thinking about "compensation" and imagining what might have gone wrong and not what really did. I wouldn't expect delivery people to apologize. You said there was a letter with your wine, wasn't that an apology?

If it didn't bother you enough to tell them there was a problem at the time, why would you expect that they would have done anything more than they did? If I had to shower in the dark I most certainly would have called to report the situation. I don't know how they would be expected to know about your cabin mate situation. It seems you have been thinking about "compensation" and imagining what might have gone wrong and not what really did. I wouldn't expect delivery people to apologize. You said there was a letter with your wine, wasn't that an apology?

Actually, I DID call them at the time. I phoned them within 5 minutes of the lights going out. I assumed they understood that when I said 'no lights', that meant 'no lights'. I accepted the fact that they had an electrician working on the problem. In the morning I asked again and was told that the senior engineer had been called in.

As I have said, I gather our situation was different from that of everyone else. We had no emergency lights either. Our situation was therefore serious and should have been seen by the person who came to our room within 10 minutes of the phone call and by the cabin stewards, people who know what SHOULD happen in an emergency or a power failure.

As for imagining what might have gone wrong rather than what really did, isn't that what regulations are all about? This is why we have safety regulations, because people with vision are aware of what MIGHT happen.

You speak as though all I am thinking of is compensation. It was obvious that the staff on Celebrity were thinking of compensation and had approached Head Office. It was also obvious that the staff were not happy with the bottle of wine! What I really wanted was to know that my personal safety was taken seriously (i.e. emergency lighting) and that steps had been made to rectify the problem. That didn't happen.

An apology that does not seem sincere or thought-through can actually be worse than no apology at all.

Actually, I DID call them at the time. I phoned them within 5 minutes of the lights going out. I assumed they understood that when I said 'no lights', that meant 'no lights'. I accepted the fact that they had an electrician working on the problem. In the morning I asked again and was told that the senior engineer had been called in.

 

As I have said, I gather our situation was different from that of everyone else. We had no emergency lights either. Our situation was therefore serious and should have been seen by the person who came to our room within 10 minutes of the phone call and by the cabin stewards, people who know what SHOULD happen in an emergency or a power failure.

 

As for imagining what might have gone wrong rather than what really did, isn't that what regulations are all about? This is why we have safety regulations, because people with vision are aware of what MIGHT happen.

 

You speak as though all I am thinking of is compensation. It was obvious that the staff on Celebrity were thinking of compensation and had approached Head Office. It was also obvious that the staff were not happy with the bottle of wine! What I really wanted was to know that my personal safety was taken seriously (i.e. emergency lighting) and that steps had been made to rectify the problem. That didn't happen.

 

An apology that does not seem sincere or thought-through can actually be worse than no apology at all.

Interesting comments. The cabin attendant should have reported the problem even if you did not call it to their attention! I know that they are required to report when they suspect Noro, why not this? In terms of "compensation": This is sometimes not something that can be decided by the people on the ship. I once had new slacks ruined (I know I've told this story before) by the laundry. I was asked what I wanted and told them to do whatever they thought was fair. I was instructed to fill out a form and they would send it to the Miami office for action. I asked why it needed to go to Miami and was told that anything over an amount I now forget, needed to be approved by people in Miami. Only a guess, but I feel that the ship did request action and Miami refused.

My only question for you is: What actions have you taken to satisfy your claim? If you've contacted Celebrity what did they say? If you haven't, why not?

What Celebrity did was very adequate. Nothing more is deserved IMO. Stuff happens. Electrical issues can happen in any hotel or on any ship, new or old. Yeah, it was an inconvenience but I think you're expecting too much.

What Celebrity did was very adequate. Nothing more is deserved IMO. Stuff happens. Electrical issues can happen in any hotel or on any ship, new or old. Yeah, it was an inconvenience but I think you're expecting too much.

Like!

I have just returned from the Equinox. Two issues occurred. I felt I was given too much compensation for one but not enough for the other. I would be interested in the views of other people.

 

On our first day we went to the Sunset Bar and by our third drink our waiter pointed out that we needed to head to Guest Relations to get them to fix our seapass as it did not have our Classic Package printed on it. I suppose that took me 10 minutes maximum. The next day we received a bottle of Merlot and a letter apologising for the problem we had experienced. I found it amusing as:

- we have a drinks package so don't need a bottle of wine;

- we don't drink red wine anyway.

However, I appreciated the gesture for what had been a minor inconvenience to me, one that the bar staff had handled well. We gave the bottle to a couple who did not have a drinks package.

 

A day or so later the lights went out in our room at about midnight. It was pitch black. In the process of checking what was happening to lights in the corridor, I walked into the bathroom door and cut my knee slightly. (I phoned Guest Relations, who sent someone down who confirmed that there was a problem with 2 other rooms and so they would send an electrician.) We had to get ready for bed by the light of my wind-up torch. We had to take that to the bathroom during the night. I didn't sleep very well as I kept expecting it to be fixed and for the lights to come on and wake me up!

 

This continued the next day, with absolutely no light in the bathroom so I had to either use a torch or leave the door open - not really good when travelling with a male gay friend who would not want to see me showering! Finally the lights came on 18 hours later and we discovered it had been a problem with quite a lot of cabins - 'one particular line related to specific voltage was failing, that affected the stateroom lighting within the Fire Zone 5'. At that point I discovered that all the other rooms had emergency lighting, but ours had failed. As far as I know, we were the only room without any lights at all.

 

Two days later someone arrived at our door with a letter of apology and another bottle of Merlot! I took it back to Guest Relations with a 'thanks but no thanks' and laughed as I pointed out how silly it is to give this to someone with a drinks package who does not like red wine. The lady at the desk grinned along with me. She said she would see what she could do, especially as she knew we had been without emergency lighting as well. Two days later I was phoned again to say that Head Office would not budge, despite others complaining. She offered to exchange it for white wine to take home or share with friends in our room but I could not see the point. She was very helpful and asked if she could do anything else for us. I felt she did not agree with the decision of Head Office.

 

I certainly did not let it spoil my holiday but I wondered if I am being unreasonable in thinking that Celebrity should have acted more generously in a situation that put me in physical danger?

IMO and you asked, yes you are unreasonable in thinking that Celebrity should have acted more generously in your situation and no Celebrity did not put you in danger. There was no emergency requiring you to get out of bed and see what was happing in the hallway. We always take a flashlight (small LED one) with us on all our vacations. Ya never know when you may need it. We would have been appreciative of what Celebrity gave you. Glad to read you enjoyed your Cruise.