ATL_Miami_Cruiser

7 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

The reporter says "dozens of people are contacting her"

 

I'm curious how many is "load" and "dozens"?

 

Totally in agreement that those involved should have read their cruise info (IN WRITING) not relied on a phone conversation with a reservations representative.

 

 

The number within the YouTube video description also is different and says "More than 100 cruise line passengers have been left stranded at Port Everglades."  It's journalism at its best.

Expanded news story.

Looks like the local news is going to push this story tonight. It really sucks to be given misinformation and miss your cruise, but hopefully the word will get out that carrying a passport should be the default travel document option for everyone regardless of itinerary.

https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/dozens-of-cruise-line-passengers-stranded-at-port-everglades/

"MIAMI - Loads of cruise passengers have been left stranded at Port Everglades.

Dozens of people called CBS4 reporter Gabby Arzola, saying something needs to be done.

"Passengers are telling me that they put a 10-day cruise with the Princess Cruises. The representatives told them that they didn't need to bring a passport and then they were turned away when they tried to board, saying that they needed a passport."

Passenger Lori Johnson said she is no stranger to cruises. Earlier this month she noticed that her passport would expire during the trip. 

"I called Princess cruise lines, and they said they didn't require a passport for this trip," says Johnson. 

Johnson was denied entry at the port in Fort Lauderdale. 

"I've been on the phone with them for hours, nothing has been done and I've already spent more than $8,500 dollars," says Johnson. "It's been devastating. I want people to be aware of what they are receiving as consumers."

Traveler Michael O'Connor had the same exact issue with his soon-to-be expired passport. 

"I was told over the phone that I could bring my birth certificate," says O'Connor.

O'Connor was traveling with his wife to celebrate their honeymoon and was also denied entry on the ship. 

"What's really disgusting is their customer service," says O'Connor. "We have been transferred 50 times, spent 12 hours on the phone, we've been hung up on, and put on a permanent hold."

Travelers say they have not been able to receive a full refund, and are pushing for answers. 

Princess Cruise Lines released this statement: 

"Passengers need to take responsibility for their mistakes. 

On Princess' website, it clearly states that valid US Passports are required on this itinerary. Normally, passengers on closed-loop sailings which begin and end at the same US port can use an original or certified copy of the birth certificate along with a valid, government-issued ID. However, on sailings to Central and South America including Panama Canal, a valid US Passport is required. 

Princess' Ocean Medallion app provides all of these details during the registration process. I just returned from my 12th cruise of the year, which happened to be on Princess a week ago. All of the documentation requirements are spelled out quite clearly. 

Also, as stated in the Passenger Contract, it is the passenger's sole responsibility to ensure they have proper documentation. Even if a cruise representative provided wrong information, it's still the passenger's responsibility." 

We live very close to FLL and last month we disembarked the Caribbean Princess at 7:15am and was home by 7:45am. Is it technically possible to catch a 9am flight? Yes. But if you factor in Uber/cab ride, checking in bags, waiting in TSA pre-check security line and walking to your gate and making it at least 10 minutes before the plane doors close, I wouldn't risk it or want that stress. But if you're into that type of adventure I say go for it!

We're still waiting on the e-mail as well. Will reach out to our CVP.

On 10/27/2022 at 10:54 AM, Elaine5715 said:

They have run out of fresh mint onboard even before COVID.  As I look at my 6 pages of mojitos tip, I don't know why...😆

Very true. The mint is mostly unavailable during embarkation day and only rarely do I find a bar with it, this has always been the case. The funny thing is on our Horizon cruise last week I asked the bartender at the Red Frog bar if he had any mint and he said I can tell you've been cruising for a while 😆. Surprisingly he did have mint.

Last week we had a drink from the Red Frog Bar charged to our account while we were off the ship on a 5 hour excursion and got it removed. I'm sure folio number mistakes happen often on Lido because of the hand written order slips when you order from your chair.

We sailed Carnival Horizon 8-day this week and every night there was a Chefs Table. No one was wearing a mask when walking into the galley. It looks like things are back to normal.

Prior to the cruise pause the Funship Special seemed to have more alcohol in it. Now it's still good, but a bit more watered down than I remember.

The Guys Pig and Anchor bar usually has a broader selection of spiced rum. On our March 2022 Horizon sailing I was able to try different rums with the Coke I brought onboard.

9 minutes ago, Chaz212 said:

How can a private company fine anyone?  Under what authority?  Where is the due process?  Is there a judge or jury if you do not agree?  What happens if you refuse to pay?  More reasons to never give them a credit card, and just leave a small cash deposit if you haven’t prepaid for everything.

I would think it's the same policy that would apply to land based private companies such as hotels and car rentals. If you break something or smoke in a hotel room / car you get charged. If you don't pay or have a credit card on file, one option is to be placed on Carnival Corps (all brands) no sail list which I've been told is forever and it has also been noted by some sources that this no sail database is shared among the top cruise lines. In regards to due process, that's up to a judge to decide authority, whether Maritime Law, country of ship's registry or U.S. law. By then you would have spent more money on attorney fees than if you paid the $500 fee. I agree that some form of due process should be explored, but for now a favorable outcome is stacked in Carnival's favor if they have security cam video evidence of the infraction.

12 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Oh my that sounds awful

 

Was it the marijuana smoking and lack of security action that was the reason for the refund ?

It was very awful. Every incident was documented with Guest Services and Carnival's investigation resulted in a full refund.

37 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Care to share your experience ?

Within an hour of boarding the ship in Miami, lots of marijuana smoking in the next cabin which filled up the hallway and our cabin. Security smelling it and not kicking the person off in Miami. The next day the same thing and security did not kick the person off in Key West. Harassment from that person the entire cruise and security did nothing but warn them about the continued smoking (the entire cruise they smoked). Open marijuana smoking by others on Lido and security did nothing. Long 1+ hour food lines and 2+ hour room service delivery times. On debarkation morning the next door marijuana smoker's 12 year old son went into cardiac arrest and died, gratefully to be revived in the hallway by the ships doctor (my wife's a medical provider and overheard the entire conversation). We received a full refund for that cruise and decided to take a break from Carnival after our October cruise. If I didn't have business to do in Dominican Republic we would have cancelled the October cruise as well.

On 10/7/2022 at 5:34 PM, Cruise till you drop said:

I am Platinum on Carnival but already jumped over to Princess and Celebrity.  Several reasons but the rowdy clientele is one of them (not everyone but they have their fair share).  Not sure $500 is a deterrent but it’s a start I guess.

 

I mean who really wants to deal with drunks and the subsequent craziness then ensues during your vacation.
 

https://stocks.apple.com/A9XSLbcSwQJymj3_w3fnI7w

 

Thoughts ?

We also jumped to Princess for this same reason and are considering other lines as well. A bad experience in June was the last straw for us. To Carnival's credit they promised to make it right and the policies we're seeing now reflect that effort, but we believe more time is needed before we can tell these policies are having an impact on this behavior and shipwide smoking. The continued super low prices aren't helping the situation.

On 10/6/2022 at 8:39 PM, BasicSailor said:

No, No never complain to a supervisor. This same steward is going to be in your room the entire time you're on that ship. With your toothbrush, hairbrushes and toothpaste. Not to mention mouthwash etc. 🤢

Absolutely complain to a supervisor about rude service. We are experienced cruisers, we've been down this road before with rude crew and have had it swiftly taken care of by the onboard hotel director. If they are willing to treat customers in that manner and not uphold Carnival's level of friendly customer service, then they are willing to do worse to you until their contract is up. If I feel like that crew member shouldn't be in my cabin I would request a cabin change.

We've been on 5 cruises since the restart and never had a problem dropping off our bags after we board. Your room steward knows if your platinum or diamond and if another steward said something rude I would take it up with their supervisor so it can be corrected.

4 minutes ago, NownZen said:

Quarantine rooms?

I don't think so since the cabins are on Lido. I just checked again and 5 cabins are now available again in the forward section.

I noticed this too last weekend and thought it was odd. An entire block of rooms in the forward section on Deck 15 was unavailable for our March 2nd 2023 cruise. They were available on Saturday but gone on Monday. Our CVP said they were "reserved".

I noticed it on our Oct. 2021 cruise checkin and I believe Carnival started asking for TSA PreCheck numbers when cruising restarted in 2021. It didn't gain us anything, but based on the timing I assumed it's related to CBP checks and the facial scanners they are using now. It probably speeds the governments ID verification process. Just a guess.

On 6/14/2022 at 11:55 AM, JP350 said:

I just got off a 4 night cruise on the carnival sunrise. (Which was my first carnival cruise) There were lines for everything related to food all hours of the day. The only exception to this rule was the mdr where service was slow but manageable. Other than that howeverI waited in an hour line for guys burgers 3 days and a 45 min line for the deli 1 day. Pizza had an hour and a half line the whole time as well. Is this normal on carnival to wait for food like this because that could effect if I cruise them again. The cruise was a 90% capacity which idk if that was a factor. I’ve been on 16 Royal Caribbean cruises one on symphony where we had 6400 passengers on bord and I still had to wait no more than 5 min for any food. Other than that the crew was excellent.

We got off the Sunrise on Monday and experienced the same problem with hour long lines and spotty room service availability. We've chosen to pause sailing with Carnival due to these and other issues we encountered on this past sailing.

On 4/12/2022 at 8:25 PM, icft said:

This is a major point to understand. You can take your 25% credit on any future cruise. We saved ours for when we took a 14 day Panama Canal cruise. Don't waste it on a dinky old cruise or a cruise for which you have gotten a great rate. The low rates these days may mean you want to wait a year or two to use it. 😉

In the past we were of that same mindset of waiting for a much more pricey transatlantic or panama canal cruise, but with what's going on in the world there are no guarantees that a major life event won't occur or cruising won't halt again for any number of reasons (economic, war, illness, etc.).

That typically happens when the deposit hasn't been paid yet, like in the case of a final payment date extension. Also check to see if the vaccine questions are completed.

I just completed my 25th Carnival milestone cruise and you'll get a special sail & sign card and 25% off your cruise rate. While onboard I also got a call from the guest services manager who offered a free excursion. Not sure if this is standard, but the Discover Puerto Plata Traditions & Local Flavors tour was great! Contact your Carnival PVP at least 30 days before your cruise to tell them you want to use your 25% off.

5 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Do Carnival ships even have this anymore?

 

Last week while on the Freedom, I turned off Airplane mode many times while on the ship to see if my phone could connect to a tower.

It could not find any kind of cellular service, until, of course, we got close enough to an island with cell towers.

 

 

Why would I chance this? I was desperate for internet service faster than the ships wifi running at 30 Kbps

I used Cellular at Sea a few weeks ago on Carnival Horizon. The call quality wasn't good and it took up to 10 seconds to connect a call. I've used it on previous sailings years ago and had a better experience. Using Facetime voice calling over WIFI was better. The ship only turns on the service when it's far enough from land, not certain how many nautical miles out.

Did 3 cruises with the J&J and another in a few weeks. No problem at all.