FLL tragedy - sailed Conquest NYE 2016

I just sailed the Conquest on 12/31/16 - 1/7/17 out of FLL (8th cruise). First let me say my heart goes out to the families impacted in the FLL tragedy.

I'm literally shocked how Carnival handled the situation RATHER the lack of. We were at sea on Fri and learned of this tragedy when I went back to the room around 5pm to shower. Saw everything unfolding unaware of where this was happening. Quickly learned it was FLL airport which most of the boat was flying out of next morning. Learned via news they closed Port Everglades and didn't know how we would be impacted in the morning.

What blows my mind is CARNIVAL NEVER ONCE ACKNOWLEDGED THIS TRAGEDY OR HOW WE MAY BE IMPACTED IN THE MORNING. DON'T THEY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO A DISASTER RECOVERY PROCESS WHEN A SHIP IS DOCKING IN A PORT THAT IS HEAVILY IMPACTED?

WiFi was beyond snails pace to try and check flight info. It wasn't until 5:30 am when we got data service back did we learn about our flight cancelation. Ultimately we couldn't fly out until Tuesday and was stuck in FL.

We talked with passengers in casino throughout the evening who didn't know this tragedy even unfolded and is around 2am. Many don't sit in their rooms watching news while on vacation and had no idea what had transpired.

I would love to hear your feedback.

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I'm sure they wish they handled it differently, but i'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and guess they didn't want to start any panic on the boat. THey can't really increase their internet speeds, so if they had announced more you may have had to wait even longer to get access to make alternate plans.

Not even the employees at the airport know when they will fully reopen after a tragedy like that.

In short, hopefully they learned a valuable lesson that they won't have to apply any time soon.

In Carnival's defense, they probably wanted to understand the whole situation before making any decisions, making any announcements about planning.

However, not to acknowledge it, tell the passengers and let them know they'd share the plans as soon as the details were known, is very strange!

I understand your concern and I hope that the time you spent in Florida before you flew home was okay.

I just sailed the Conquest on 12/31/16 - 1/7/17 out of FLL (8th cruise). First let me say my heart goes out to the families impacted in the FLL tragedy.

 

I'm literally shocked how Carnival handled the situation RATHER the lack of. We were at sea on Fri and learned of this tragedy when I went back to the room around 5pm to shower. Saw everything unfolding unaware of where this was happening. Quickly learned it was FLL airport which most of the boat was flying out of next morning. Learned via news they closed Port Everglades and didn't know how we would be impacted in the morning.

 

What blows my mind is CARNIVAL NEVER ONCE ACKNOWLEDGED THIS TRAGEDY OR HOW WE MAY BE IMPACTED IN THE MORNING. DON'T THEY HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO A DISASTER RECOVERY PROCESS WHEN A SHIP IS DOCKING IN A PORT THAT IS HEAVILY IMPACTED?

 

WiFi was beyond snails pace to try and check flight info. It wasn't until 5:30 am when we got data service back did we learn about our flight cancelation. Ultimately we couldn't fly out until Tuesday and was stuck in FL.

 

We talked with passengers in casino throughout the evening who didn't know this tragedy even unfolded and is around 2am. Many don't sit in their rooms watching news while on vacation and had no idea what had transpired.

 

I would love to hear your feedback.

 

 

 

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So what would you have wanted them to do ?

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I was on Royal Caribbeans Allure at the same time and they didn't tell guests about it at all... we found out from a guy we met at a show.

Ports and airports are different. Carnival had no jurisdiction over anything at the airport. All they could do was to stick to the original plan. What did you expect?

I am sure they told the guests that booked their flights with them. Why would anyone expect them to announce something that has nothing to do with them? It is your responsibility to keep track of your own flights. This is also what insurance was invented for. If it was fog or medical issue on ship then sure as it is something they control. With the regular internet package the speed is more than fast! I could watch videos on it with out buffering. If it was something you were that concerned about and went to guest services they would have bent over backwards to give you access to what you need to check or change flights. I mean why does everyone but so much on Carnival? Would a hotel your staying at send you a note letting you know about it- no.

In fact, I believe I read that they used the port as a staging area from the airport

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Wonder if all hotels advised their guests that flying out on Saturday would be an issue? A cruise, unless you booked Carnival air transport, has no way of knowing how you are returning home post cruise. Transport and cruising are two different entities and don't overlap.

The "travel" world is often full of horrific and untimely events. When things happen it is up to the individual to work something out...not the vacation destination. To assume that the cruiseline has a responsibility to provide information and to assist someone in getting home is ludicrous when the disaster was, in no way, directly caused by a cruiseline.

I appreciate everyone's responses. Amazed how some find the need to be rude.

I have always been pleased with Carnival and as stated this was my 8th cruise with them and have a 9th booked for March on Vista. Not bitching about Carnival as someone claimed most do. I personally prefer Carnival over others and prefer to sail with them.

My post did not state I was looking for monetary compensation from Carnival or for them to handle my return flight or whatever my transportation needs were after disembarking or any incurred costs. This post isn't about the money. My response to a post about insurance, had it and dealing with charges incurred for reimbursement.

My mere concern with Carnival was we were at sea on their ship with no where to go and felt that they should have acknowledged and made passengers aware of what had occurred stateside knowing we would be heavily impacted coming into FLL.

Turning a blind eye to the situation is what rubbed many passengers wrong. Many felt this way that morning. As a passenger, many were looking for communication. Ignoring the situation is what made it worse.

I hope no one has to ever experience this unfortunate situation. I believe some of the responses left would feel differently if you were personally impacted.

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I appreciate everyone's responses. Amazed how some find the need to be rude.

 

I have always been pleased with Carnival and as stated this was my 8th cruise with them and have a 9th booked for March on Vista. Not bitching about Carnival as someone claimed most do. I personally prefer Carnival over others and prefer to sail with them.

 

My post did not state I was looking for monetary compensation from Carnival or for them to handle my return flight or whatever my transportation needs were after disembarking or any incurred costs. This post isn't about the money. My response to a post about insurance, had it and dealing with charges incurred for reimbursement.

 

My mere concern with Carnival was we were at sea on their ship with no where to go and felt that they should have acknowledged and made passengers aware of what had occurred stateside knowing we would be heavily impacted coming into FLL.

 

Turning a blind eye to the situation is what rubbed many passengers wrong. Many felt this way that morning. As a passenger, many were looking for communication. Ignoring the situation is what made it worse.

 

I hope no one has to ever experience this unfortunate situation. I believe some of the responses left would feel differently if you were personally impacted.

 

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I can hear the announcement now:

Passengers, someone just indiscriminately shot people at the baggage claim at the Fort Lauderdale airport. We know nothing about the situation but we wanted to ruin everyone's cruise by reporting this distressing incident...stay tuned for other horrific news that has occurred while you are on vacation.

I'm sure they wish they handled it differently, but i'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and guess they didn't want to start any panic on the boat. They can't really increase their internet speeds, so if they had announced more you may have had to wait even longer to get access to make alternate plans...

Exactly. We were on the cruise as well and every network and CNN had it on television. The staff mentioned it at the past guest party and the final show that night.

The situation was unfolding well past midnight as to the airport re-opening and it differed by airline. By the time Carnival disseminated news it would have changed and people would be just more frustrated.

We were delayed about an hour flying that afternoon of arrival back in port.

Fun cruise; the Conquest needs some refresh, but she's also in her fifteenth year at sea.

Here's a few from the GoPro during the cruise:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskLxwkkU

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I can hear the announcement now:

 

Passengers, someone just indiscriminately shot people at the baggage claim at the Fort Lauderdale airport. We know nothing about the situation but we wanted to ruin everyone's cruise by reporting this distressing incident...stay tuned for other horrific news that has occurred while you are on vacation.

Exactly, why ruin everyone's cruise telling them about one more maniac on the loose with a gun. I'm on a cruise to get away from the day to day crap that goes on in the world. If I want to know what's going on while I'm on a cruise I'll watch the news. It's available. I, for one, had I been on that cruise, would have blessed Carnivals little heart for not ruining my cruise with that announcement. With the way people are constantly connected word would/did get around without Carnival announcing it. Not trying to be rude, just expressing another perspective.

Yeah, like others, not quite sure what you'd want them to do. Some people completely ignore the news & TV when they're on vacation. Making announcements during a highly fluid situation can cause massive panic as well. People can watch the news and see what's going on themselves. I feel it's best to wait a little bit to see how the airports are handling things. And I'm sure Carnival was quite busy with the people trying to GET to their cruises. If you're already there, then there's less for them to focus on for you, if that makes sense. I'm just saying, they were probably dealing with the hundreds of calls they were getting for people who were going to be delayed getting to their cruise because of this.

We were sailing when the 2015 Paris attacks happened. Yes, less likely to impact our return to port, but certainly a much larger attack. We do watch the news, so we did see what was going on. Other people had no idea though.

I appreciate everyone's responses. Amazed how some find the need to be rude.

 

 

 

I have always been pleased with Carnival and as stated this was my 8th cruise with them and have a 9th booked for March on Vista. Not bitching about Carnival as someone claimed most do. I personally prefer Carnival over others and prefer to sail with them.

 

 

 

My post did not state I was looking for monetary compensation from Carnival or for them to handle my return flight or whatever my transportation needs were after disembarking or any incurred costs. This post isn't about the money. My response to a post about insurance, had it and dealing with charges incurred for reimbursement.

 

 

 

My mere concern with Carnival was we were at sea on their ship with no where to go and felt that they should have acknowledged and made passengers aware of what had occurred stateside knowing we would be heavily impacted coming into FLL.

 

 

 

Turning a blind eye to the situation is what rubbed many passengers wrong. Many felt this way that morning. As a passenger, many were looking for communication. Ignoring the situation is what made it worse.

 

 

 

I hope no one has to ever experience this unfortunate situation. I believe some of the responses left would feel differently if you were personally impacted.

 

 

 

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" amazed how some feel the need to be rude"

 

 

 

Isn't a whole paragraph of Capital letters kinda rude , a.k.a. Shouting?

 

 

I have experienced it in Europe when the she bomber struck. Lack of knowledge can be paralyzing but the cruise line (Carnival in both cases) does what they think best with very limited info.

 

 

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In 2013 I was on a Carnival ship during the Boston Marathon bombing. We are from MA and found out about it around 4pm when we were in our cabin watching the tv after a beautiful day outside. Our college age daughter was at the marathon and we were stunned and very worried about her safety. Carnival allowed us to contact her then to be sure she was fine and a few more times during the week as she was incredibly shaken up. As it turned out she was standing between the two bombs and miraculously she was not injured physically. For a few days there was also a lot of fear while the bombers were being hunted down. Carnival went above and beyond that week for many of the MA guests who needed to call home. I was not told of the incident but every customer representative made sure that I was able to contact my family as needed. I just wanted to say something positive about the company's response to my needs.

That airport situation was literally fluid......CCL most likely had NO way to know what was going to happen. FLL did not know what was going to happen. The airport didn't even know if there were more shooters, or what was going on.

I am not sure what you wanted them to do. Shootings, Bombings, and terrorist attacks have occurred while I have been on cruises....it is a waiting game and you just have to be patient to see what the people who are really in charge are going to do.

Exactly. We were on the cruise as well and every network and CNN had it on television. The staff mentioned it at the past guest party and the final show that night.

 

The situation was unfolding well past midnight as to the airport re-opening and it differed by airline. By the time Carnival disseminated news it would have changed and people would be just more frustrated.

 

We were delayed about an hour flying that afternoon of arrival back in port.

 

Fun cruise; the Conquest needs some refresh, but she's also in her fifteenth year at sea.

 

Here's a few from the GoPro during the cruise:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskLxwkkU

 

 

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Thanks for the pictures. We sail on her in 2 weeks.

In Carnival's defense, they probably wanted to understand the whole situation before making any decisions, making any announcements about planning.

 

However, not to acknowledge it, tell the passengers and let them know they'd share the plans as soon as the details were known, is very strange!

 

I understand your concern and I hope that the time you spent in Florida before you flew home was okay.

I grew up in a time when journalists, reporters, TV stations, Radio stations, Newspapers, etc. for the most part had a lot of integrity and almost always got the facts "before" broadcasting something.

I miss those days and for the most part started disappearing when CNN came on the air 24/7. Even in those days CNN was a good company following those rules but as more competition came, Internet showed up, and Satellite Radio further eroded those.

I wouldn't expect them to inform anyone until they were sure what was going on and how it would affect their passengers. :confused:

Being "out of contact" for the most part it would be hard for that many customers to be able to make adjustments to their plans and it causes many of them to "panic" or in the least anxiety over the situation. :(

Exactly, why ruin everyone's cruise telling them about one more maniac on the loose with a gun. I'm on a cruise to get away from the day to day crap that goes on in the world. If I want to know what's going on while I'm on a cruise I'll watch the news. It's available. I, for one, had I been on that cruise, would have blessed Carnivals little heart for not ruining my cruise with that announcement. With the way people are constantly connected word would/did get around without Carnival announcing it. Not trying to be rude, just expressing another perspective.

Passengers had a choice, watch TV and the news or not. I agree that those who want a "get a way" vacation shouldn't be subjected to every atrocity that occurs while they are gone. Since the OP knew of the incident they could have spent the money to call their TA or the airline for more news and travel arrangements....why would they think that should have been Carnival's responsibility.

Someone posted a reference to this and the other thread over on John's Facebook site. He asked the question of his followers what they thought or would have wanted Carnival to do if they were in the same situation. Interesting replies....

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We had flown into Fort Lauderdale and were at the airport. We witnessed the shooter from a cab at the curb outside Terminal 2. Thankfully, we were able to pull into traffic and leave the airport before it was shut down. I can't begin to describe the scene at that time. Chaos doesn't come close. By the time we reached the airport exit (a matter of a couple minutes at most) the Emergency Personnel were responding in a steady stream. When we reached our hotel, about 10 minutes later, it was already on CNN. We were frantically trying to contact our families to let them know we were safe in case they saw a news bulletin. The point I am trying to make is that NOBODY knew what was going on! We were glued to the tv for most of the evening, trying to find out just what we had seen. There was no way that anyone could have given answers or warnings any earlier than they did. As it should be, the main concern was for the injured and the safety of those at risk. In that evening alone, the information given was constantly changing and as it turned out, often inaccurate. Personally, I think Carnival or whoever, was wise in not passing on information until there was some degree of certainty. I think they went out of their way to help make the best of a terrible situation. Our ship (as well as other lines) delayed departure on Saturday by 4 hours to allow passengers who had been held up to be able to board. On the evening before we returned to port, a letter was placed in everyone's cabin with information about retrieving lost items at the airport. The whole situation was a tragedy but I have only compliments for the way the whole Fort Lauderdale community handled the situation.

I agree with you OP, it would have been nice for Carnival to say something. Of course they may not have had details, but even something as simple as advising that due to an incident involving FLL airport, they may be some travel delays or cancellations and guests flying out of that airport should contact their airline for further information.

Given the timing, Carnival may not have had a lot of details at that time though. I don't know what kind of contact the ship and headquarters has while at sea. It obviously made news, but who knows which staff saw it- since it was working time.

I agree with you OP, it would have been nice for Carnival to say something. Of course they may not have had details, but even something as simple as advising that due to an incident involving FLL airport, they may be some travel delays or cancellations and guests flying out of that airport should contact their airline for further information.

 

Given the timing, Carnival may not have had a lot of details at that time though. I don't know what kind of contact the ship and headquarters has while at sea. It obviously made news, but who knows which staff saw it- since it was working time.

Even saying "something" happened is going to cause a panic amongst passengers. Better to remain silent than to upset thousands of people with information that was terrible, but not final in its interpretation of what was to happen. Can you imagine the stampede at the guest services?

There was no sense in putting out info when it is still a fluid situation. It will only increase panic and anxiety. Nothing they said would change anything.