winobucks

I too emailed executive offices and received a prompt phone call. Apparently that is their policy when a customer contacts the executive offices. The response I received was sympathetic and understanding but also with an emphasis that their hands are tied as it is the higher ups that sit around a board table deciding who gets what. Interestingly enough they do also read cruise critic and I was told the more people complain the more they are apt to respond with some form of compensation. Keep on calling and emailing!

Frankly, I am quite disgusted that you would even have the balls to write and complain about the missed port considering that it was purely for a medical emergency. Had it been you that fell ill, you would expect the same treatment or more. The decision to turn around and provide proper medical care for that child was a humanitarian decision and not to "ruin" yours or anyone else's vacation.

 

Was it disappointing to miss a port? Yes. Did it ruin the vacation enough to complain to RCI headquarters? Absolutely not. The cruise was still a great cruise and we all made due with the extra sea day. It makes me sick when people will waste the time to bitch about things out of your control and let it ruin an otherwise good time and to keep it going nearly three weeks later.

 

I would imagine you were one of those passengers that the captain was referring to when he stated in his announcement the following morning about not taking out disappointment on the crew and to address senior staff or corporate offices.

 

In the end, it's a vacation. Enjoy it.

Frankly you did not see the original email I sent to Royal Caribbean. My complaint was all the missed port time including the pitiful port time we had in the Grand Caymans due to the missing propeller. As I have said before and will repeat for the last time for those of you living an hour away from Port Canaveral and are avid cruisers (That would be you ryguyburns and retired leo) - you certainly do not understand what it means to spend $2000 on airfares and other costs to get to Port Canaveral, spending two days of your vacation flying to and from to get to your cruise, only to have a disappointing cruise mainly due to mechanical failure issue they were fully aware of. Then to hear other cruises before and after were getting compensation and it appears we on the 12/7 sailing are not as they now have the medical emergency as an excuse. Cruise vacations for many take years to save. So frankly for those who cannot understand our complaints- lucky for you. For the record, I for one only spoke to senior staff and corporate offices so you are imagining wrong.

I just called to see if there would be any consideration at all of the matter - especially since the lack of a third prop prevented us from being in the Caymans our scheduled time and/or the turnaround being quick enough to make it to Cozumel. By using the emergency, it was a money-saving ditch, IMO. I'm with you. I'm done. Sad thing is, this was only my second sailing with the line.

After speaking with someone yesterday I believe that if more people keep phoning and complaining they will do something. There have been a lot of complaints to their customer line- keep trying people. But I agree that if there is no compensation I will not be cruising with Royal Caribbean again. That was my first time and huge disappointment.

Here is the email I just received from Noreen at the executive offices.

Thank you for contacting the Executive Offices of Royal Caribbean International. After reviewing your correspondence, Mr. Goldstein has requested that I respond to your concerns on his behalf. I have tried to reach you via phone; I regret that we were not able to speak.

Please accept our sincere apologies that you missed visiting Cozumel, Mexico due to a medical emergency onboard and had reduced time in the remaining ports due to the ship’s propulsion issue. While we recognize that you were disappointed, please understand that, Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to change an itinerary without notice. This information is reflected in our brochures and Cruise Ticket Contracts. We do, however, make all efforts to adhere to originally advertised itineraries. We truly regret any inconvenience due to this change; however, we must advise that no service recovery will be provided for these concerns.

Please be assured, your comments have been shared with our Executive teams for their internal review. We appreciate the time you have taken to share your experience.

I am sorry for your disappointing experience. Sometimes, despite our best efforts and good intentions, things do not go the way we had hoped. Please feel free to direct any additional questions or concerns to me and I will be happy to help. We truly hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you both onboard one of our ships in the future.

Sincerely,

Noreen O'Dwyer Roach

Executive Representative

What does pennielz's address have to do with anything. It would appear from your 'Something's Fishy' comments that you're a conspiracy theorist and rumor monger who enjoys fueling the conspiracy theory.

For those who live locally in Florida and didn't think the fiasco on the 07/12 cruise was a big deal it does make a difference where you live. Like I said, I spent thousands to fly to Florida to take a cruise. I didn't just hop in a car. This cruise cost me a fortune and was a huge disappointment. I wanted to explore other countries and see the sites. I am not there to sit on a floating hotel for the majority of the time. As for conspiracy theorist- believe me you'd be surprised what big corporations will do to make a buck. I am just voicing what I heard and am interested in what other "stories" other cruisers were told. I would like to get compensation for this cruise and am looking for all the information I can get to back my claim.

No, I am not on the payroll but, I wish I was. I stand by my "rude and unnecessary" statement. Get over it.

The problem is that many of us don't live in Florida like yourself and have instead spent thousand on flights to get on the cruise. Sure it's no big deal if you're local and hop on discounted cruises with just a car ride. For the rest of us who travelled great distances and spent a lot of money getting there to see the sights at various ports it is a big deal to not be getting compensation for a terrible cruise.

I think they only helicopter people off the ship if the person is going to die if they don't get off the ship immediately...someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'm in the medical field and I found it strange they said the ships doctor had to travel with the baby in the ambulance because they didn't have the proper medical equipment. I've never heard of an ambulance not having proper medical equipment. This isn't a third would country we are talking about, this is the Cayman Islands. I was also on the 12/7 sailing and think they just decided to wash their hands of us...did anyone notice the captain stopped making the daily video announcements after grand cayman? I'm in the process of writing a review of this cruise. While it wasn't the 'cruise from hell' for me, it was the worst I've been on and it totally turned me off RCI - I won't be giving them anymore of my vacation dollars after my cruise on the Oasis ( already made final payment).

Something really does smell fishy about the whole thing. I did a google search and found that this rich Caribbean island has top notch medical helicopters that contain most everything a hospital does. Even better than most ambulances. That's a quote from the article. The Captain told us they didn't have a medical helicopter. You are right about them washing our hands of us. The cruise before and after got compensation. We only got 20 hours of port time instead of 34. According to several staff I spoke with these medical emergencies happen often but the ships just pick up speed to catch up. Had all propellers been working we could have caught up easily. We were only travelling at 14 knots on the way back. We could have also stopped at CoCo Cay Bahamas at the RCL port since Cozumel wasn't possible. From what I heard the Captain wasn't going to take any chances as the previous cruise came in late and RCL had to pay for a lot of missed flights.

I am furious at RCI, they gave credit to passengers of FOS the cruise prior to 12/7 and also those who sailed after. Why are we not receiving anything? When I book a cruise I expect a ship that is 100% operational! I wanted to reschedule and sail on a future date after the ship returns from dry dock and repairs are made and I was told NO!

I just made a phone call to their complaint office and sent an email. Of 34 hours port time we received 20 due to the mechanical failure and the medical emergency. I was told by many crew that had the propellers been all working we could have caught up from turning back to Grand Caymans. Why then didn't we at least stop at Coco Bay Bahamas if Cozumel wasn't possible. Coco Bay was on the way back and they have their own port there. Ship was only running at 14 knots which saved a lot on fuel. I cruise to see ports and sites not stay on an oversized floating hotel. Keep phoning and emailing them. This is totally unacceptable. Royal Caribbean made a lot of profit this year especially with the price of oil at half of last year.

Judging from the stellar and infallible accuracy :rolleyes: of what "one of the crew members said" on any number of subjects I'd take this with a wheelbarrow full of salt grains.

Not really sure what to believe anymore. Captain stated that a medical helicopter was not sent because the Grand Cayman Islands doesn't have a proper medical helicopter. Being one of the richest islands I doubted this and googled it. Sure enough they have top of the line medical helicopters that are better equipped than most ambulances and have tons of equipment on board to handle the worst emergencies. Then I heard that the family of the sick child could not afford to hire the helicopter so that is why the Captain turned around. Either way, something doesn't add up.

RCI knew there was a problem with the ship the week before, ( the 11/30/14 cruise), when they dropped a pod in the Bahamas and went to Mexico instead of St. Thomas and St. Maarten. I called RCI BEFORE I boarded the ship on 12/7/14 and was told there would be no changes to the itinerary. While I applaud the RCI decision to evacuate the baby in Grand Cayman for the medical emergency, I also feel I AM ENTITLED to port charges to my account for Cozumel. And Diver 2014? I would say that you were a tad condescending in your banter. Just sayin................

I was on same cruise and was happy to see that they did credit us on our statement each $15.59 which was I assume port fees for the missed Cozumel trip. I would think they should have done this for everyone. Right now I am pushing for a credit for the pitiful port times we had- only 20 hours instead of 34.

I was on the Dec 7th sailing too. We received $15 compensation pp for missing the port. I am frustrated because it took us years to save for the cruise (have 3 children) and we missed so much. In regards to the sick baby, had the propellers been working fine, we would have still been on Grand Cayman when it was decided to go to the hospital. That would have been much better for her too than having to wait for hours more to receive her surgery. I wished they would have offered money for another sailing. Even if it was just a little bit, it would help people like us to maybe not have to wait another 5 years.

I have contacted Royal Caribbean this week and they said they are working on compensation. I expect they are offering 25% off a future cruise. For me that's not good enough I will be pushing for 25% refund on this cruise. Our port time was cut down from 34 hours to 20. You are right they could have caught up if all propellers were functioning. The very least they could have done was a stop at their port in Coco Cay Bahamas which was right on the way back. Speed going back was only 14 knots. Believe me going much slower and with the price of oil down they are making more money. Interestingly enough, one of the crew members told me there was no sick baby and they only used that excuse as they knew that if we went to Cozumel it would be very short time and they would have a problem getting back to Port Canaveral on time Sunday.