Carnival Magic cruise nightmare

Hey guys,

Back in May of this year, my husband and I left out of Galveston to start our 1st cruise. It was to be our long awaited honeymoon,our 20th wedding anniversary, my 48th birthday celebration and were going to renew our wedding vows on a beach.. We were both so excited. I had been buying bits and pieces in preparation for a couple of month's. I am from England and didn't have Proms or homecoming e.t.c. I wanted to dress up and feel like a princess for once. I live with my husband and 3 children in Vilonia,Arkansas. My husband is a Police officer and I have been in retail loss prevention. Now a regular associate at JC Penney's. My kids had been on the Carnival Magic the previous year with their grandparents. They were so excited for us as they knew how long it had been since we had a vacation. Also they had such a blast that they wanted us to experience the same. However after we had left at approximately 5pm on Sunday May 17th, we had the Monday night formal night but I started out kind of shy to go all out to a posh gown. Anyway we had a fabulous time. The next morning we were going to dock at the first port of Cozumel. I was awake on our balcony at between 5 & 6 am. We pulled in to Cozumel as scheduled at approximately 7am. We had read all of the paperwork in our cabin and itinerary. When we went to breakfast we asked our waiter what time we had to be back? He said 4pm. He even checked my husband's watch face and synchronized it to his. We left the ship shortly afterwards to explore Cozumel. After a fabulous day we arrived back at the dockside at 3.30pm giving ourselves extra time. We were told that we were late and that our ship had left. We thought that they were joking. We then realized that they weren't. At that moment my heart dropped. We had been left behind in Mexico. We didn't know what we were going to do. We had no clothes,phone's medicines or anything else. We were told that we had to pay $29.99 each for a visa stamp. This had to be cash. There were two non English-speaking female border patrol agents who sat at one end of a bench and us at the other. The Mexican guy who supposedly worked for Carnival cruise lines with us at the other end. My husband and I had taken some money out before we left the ship for buying gifts. Luckily we managed to scrape together the $60. I asked the guy what if we hadn't had any cash? He replied " then we take you to ATM. We were then driven around at speed to take another couple who had also missed the ship to get there Vista's. The guy was on his phone all the time speaking Spanish. I thought Liam Neeson was going to turn up like in the movie "Taken"!!!!! Anyway, he informed us that we could join the Carnival Paridise. This ship was finished with it's cruise. It was headed to Tampa, Florida. Due to not not much choice we agreed. We still didn't know what we were going to do. My husband and I decided to pay for the internet access and contact his mom. She investigated the different types of travel options available to us. We had to fly from Tampa to Dallas and then on to Houston where we were met by our family. We were taken to my mother-in-law's home where we stayed for 4 days until we could meet our ship. I had been without my medicines for about 3-4 days now. I was having really bad withdrawals. I had hallucinations, night sweats, blurred vision,uncontrollable muscle movements and nightmares

I eventually managed to get a on call doctor back in Arkansas to call in a prescription for me. I was very ill. I have never felt such devastation in my whole life. It was our dream vacation. Has any body ever had a similar experience? We were refunded $120 prepaid gratuities. This was a given as we weren't even there to have the services. I have tried the Better business bureau, Maritime lawyers in Florida and asking the insurance company that came with the cruise. I feel that this was no.way our fault and deserve compensation. The final offer from Carnival was a 20 per cent did count on our future cruise. Does anyone have any suggestions for us. Thanks. Also the airfare from Tampa cost an extra $500. The cruise cost 2,000. Thanks.

Carnival ships never leave Cozumel before 4 pm. , some leave as late as 9 pm, are you sure you were on ship time and not port time. If the ship left early your insurance should cover your expenses. And if the ship left early there should have been many more left behind.

What exactly are you hoping for?

Sorry what happened to you.

It would be much easier for people to read (and offer advice) if you had used paragraphs in your post. Possibly a lot of people will not even bother to read this thread as it is so difficult to absorb.

Can't offer advice other than to ask if you had checked in the daily programme what time you were due back? Never sailed Carnival but on other lines I have seen large notices as you exit the ship stating the time you have to be back.

I'm sorry your cruise had such a bad ending. Really though, it's your responsibility to be back on the ship when it sails. As others have mentioned, the time is in the daily programme, and on a board as you disembark. I'm not sure what you want Carnival to do, or what you think their responsibility was. They didn't cause you to miss the ship, and they are not able to wait for latecomers. They don't owe you more than they've offered, and the 20% future discount is very generous in the circumstances.

First of all, sorry your cruise got screwed-up, regardless of fault. And the grief can't have helped your medical condition.

But despite being a long post there's some important missing detail.

Back-on-board time is usually 30 minutes before the advertised sailing time, ships don't sail ahead of back-on-board time - if it did, responsibility for the hundreds left behind clearly lies with the cruise line. And they very rarely cast off before the advertised sailing time, normally only if the know everyone is back.

There weren't hundreds left behind.

So you were late back, right?

And by more than a few minutes - you should have been back half an hour before it sailed yet it had already gone when you arrived.

Were you late because of confusion between ship's time & local time?

Or were you late back because you'd gotten the wrong sailing time?

Ships go to great lengths to ensure that passengers know when they have to be back - it's printed in the daily news-sheet and displayed on a board at the gangway, and normally any difference between ship's time & local time is stressed.

The ship's local agent picked up another couple who'd missed the ship. What sort of conversation did you have with them & what reason did they give for missing the sailing?

OK, it's disconcerting that the local agent was speaking in Spanish & you couldn't understand, but that would be because that was the language of the person he was speaking to. He was clearly arranging for you to take another Carnival ship, rather than you being faced with the complications & expenses of flying back to the US or to catch up with your ship. I think you should be grateful that he did this for you.

I once missed a flight due to a massive traffic snarl-up - many others booked on the same flight missed it too. I didn't expect any compensation or assistance from the airline because it was no fault of theirs. I was grateful that they managed to get me on another flight at minimal extra cost. You've done rather better with a 20% future discount.

Sometimes we have to hold up our hands & admit that we goofed.:o

Sounds like you goofed on this one.;)

JB :)

The Carnival ticket contract, which you agreed to when booking, states:

(d) Guest agrees, in all ports of call, to return to the Vessel not less than 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Guest further acknowledges that shipboard and shore side clocks may have different times, but it is Guest’s responsibility to return to the vessel so as not to miss vessel’s departure. Any costs associated with transporting Guest to rejoin the vessel including, but not limited to, governmental fees, visa fees, subsistence, lodging, air fare, launch fare, car hire or agency fees shall be for the account of Guest.

Color me confused.

If I'm understanding correctly, you missed the ship and the boarded the Carnival Paradise and flew home from Tampa.

Did Carnival charge you for boarding Paradise? If not, that was quite generous.

It appears you are convinced that the ship left port early and I can assure you that there would have been a lot more people stranded at the pier if that was indeed the case.

Your watch was not set on the proper time which is such a shame.

So sorry your trip was ruined but be grateful Carnival offered you a future discount.

No need to contact the BBB, there is no fault here. Insurance won't pay out on your claim.

Hope you get to sail again someday.

As others have said - you will be getting nothing more than what has been offered to you - you screwed up - missed the ship and it was your responsibility to have yourselves back on board.

We always plan to back on the ship 1 hour prior to sailing - always. We want that buffer because things can and do happen. I'm sorry this was your first cruise - ruined by your failure to get back - and you couldn't have been even close or you would have seen your ship leaving the port - so you were off by some time.

I hope someday that you can laugh about this but right now - it is sad.:(

Sorry you had this horrible experience.

It sounds like you did not have your watches on the same time as the ship. As others have said, the ship does not sail early and had they there would have been hundreds left behind.

I would not hold my breath for any compensation

Sorry you had a bad experience with your cruise.

It is important that you read the daily programs and adjust your watches accordingly -- not just ask a crew member.

Doubt if you will get any insurance money back.

"....We were refunded $120 prepaid gratuities. This was a given as we weren't even there to have the services. I have tried the Better business bureau, Maritime lawyers in Florida and asking the insurance company that came with the cruise. I feel that this was no way our fault and deserve compensation. The final offer from Carnival was a 20 per cent did count on our future cruise. Does anyone have any suggestions for us...."

I'm sorry your dream vacation had such an awful ending. But Carnival does not even owe you the 20% discount since it is solely the passenger's responsibility to get back to the ship in time. The all-aboard time is posted at the exit of the ship. You would only have some recourse if you had been on a ship-sponsored shore excursion or if the ship left before the posted all aboard time. You have made a tuition payment the University of Life Experience.

You say that you have contacted the anti-cruise industry "maritime lawyers" in Miami. If they haven't taken your case, its because it has absolutely no merit. They would be quick to jump on it, if there was even a glimmer of a chance.

Frankly, the fact that they gave you transportation back to the US is more than most get for doing the same thing. As I noted in the cruise contract, you could have been on the hook for all of your airfare back to the US from Mexico.

Carnival ships never leave Cozumel before 4 pm. , some leave as late as 9 pm, are you sure you were on ship time and not port time. If the ship left early your insurance should cover your expenses. And if the ship left early there should have been many more left behind.

Actually, the cruise timetable I looked up shows that the Magic was in port on May 19 from 7am until 3pm. Based on the OP's post, that is the day she was in Cozumel.

Galveston and Cozumel had the same current time in May, so ship's time/port time should not have been an issue.

Passengers should always check the daily program AND the information board that is always at the gangway to let you know what time you need to be back on board.

WE were on the Sunshine and two sisters joined us at dinner. Turns out they missed the Glory in Mahogany Bay so were put on the Sunshine. They were going to get back on the Glory the next day as the ships went to the same ports.

But on the Fantasy met a lady who missed the ship. She was taken to a hotel, had to buy dinner & breakfast and pay the cost of the hotel. The next day she was flown to Half Moon Cay- by sea plane. She met her husband and the ship there. It cost them $1800 for her to miss the ship!

WE always plan top be back on the ship at least an hour before it sails. We always take a credit card with us in case we miss the ship and have to fly to the next port. You hear them calling for people just before the ship leaves the port. These are the passengers who have not gotten back on the ship!

Carnival ships never leave Cozumel before 4 pm. , some leave as late as 9 pm, are you sure you were on ship time and not port time. If the ship left early your insurance should cover your expenses. And if the ship left early there should have been many more left behind.

Actually, looking at the Carnival Magic port times on CruiseCal, nearly every day in Cozumel is listed as 7a-3p, with the occasional 9a-5p. So, the OP was at fault for not reading the Fun Times as to port times, and not paying attention to the signs at the gangway as to when to be back onboard. That would have been 4p Eastern time zone, which is the local time in Cozumel, but 3p in Central time zone of Galveston, and Carnival is known for not changing their clocks to local time. EM

Actually, the cruise timetable I looked up shows that the Magic was in port on May 19 from 7am until 3pm. Based on the OP's post, that is the day she was in Cozumel.

 

Galveston and Cozumel had the same current time in May, so ship's time/port time should not have been an issue.

 

Passengers should always check the daily program AND the information board that is always at the gangway to let you know what time you need to be back on board.

Plus Arkansas is also on the same time zone as Galveston. So they didn't even need to change their watch form their home time to departure port time.

I am sorry that this happened to you. Certainly a very poor experience for your very first cruise.

Since you have tried the BBB, your insurance carrier, the cruise line, and sought legal advice, I am, unfortunately, at a loss for other suggestions. My only suggestion would be to keep trying other legal options. If you keep receiving the same advice, then you may have to accept that advice.

Your experience is a great cautionary tale for all cruisers. Everyone who leaves a ship assumes a certain amount of risk doing so. There are a multitude of incidents that may prevent you from re-boarding that ship. Some are within your control and some are not.

People here at CC often comment how they like to watch the pier runners. Some people find that funny, I Do Not. Missing the ship is No Joke!

Sorry you missed your ship. Sounds like you waiter gave you bad information. However the information is in the dailies, usually announced on the PA and posted at the pier. Ship docking times are often changed and its possible that the ship use to leave at 4 but recently changed or that the waiter use to be on a ship that left Cozumel at 4 and he still had that time in his head. Hopefully your more careful if you do decide to cruise again.

To me, the fact that it was just you who missed the ship makes it clear that you are at fault.

Always confirm the time with the security guy who is swiping your card

What happened to the other couple ??

Why would you wait 4 days to get obviously important medication surely there must have been a clinic or hospital you could have gone to when you were back in the USA

A big lesson learned

Thank you for posting on CC and sharing your experience. It informs other cruisers of the seriousness of missing the ship and the precautions you need to take. Your on board time needs to be more than just a passing conversation. You need that time in writing, from Carnival. Then the maritime lawyers would take your case. I doubt Carnival would ever leave before the published on-board time on their program, though.

That stinks that you were led astray by the waiter with regards to the correct time. Sorry to hear about this :(

That stinks that you were led astray by the waiter with regards to the correct time. Sorry to hear about this :(

It stinks, yes, but not because of the waiter. It stinks because even though the OP claimed they read all of the information provided to them, they either did not read the "all the paperwork" in their cabin as she claims, including that which carefully describes the departure time, or they ignored it.