So who has had a disaster experience while on a cruise?

[sandravb79]

This thread got me wondering about that. I didn't cruise for the first time until 2006, but I traveled heavily by air since the 80s. I was wondering how hard it was to rent a car one way with so many people stuck away from home. Many times rental car companies don't want to rent to one way customers. I wondered how many cruisers had to find busses or pay for expensive rental cars to get home.

 

 

In April, because of the volcano ash and so many flights being cancelled, getting a rental car was very difficult. Getting one from Brussels to Spain: no problem, getting one from Spain to Brussels, big huge problem!

[Ttowntreasures]

Last year on our 7th cruise (unlucky #?) from Tulsa to Miami the plane experienced problems - we had to divert and wait for repairs. They flew in a plane and took their part off to put on ours. It didn't work and by the time they flew another plane in, the ship was sailing :(.

Called RCCL and were met at the Miami airport by a terrific older man - we couldn't get a plane out for St. Maarten's until Monday. We spent two nights in the Miami airport hotel wandering aimlessly, and were given food vouchers. Monday we were to depart for St. Maarten's and were at the gate getting ready to board - flight delayed - mechanical problem. :(

Finally got on board and flew to St. Maarten's (Monday). The hotel we were in was lovely, right on the beach. Tuesday - the ship pulls in and we were taxied to the pier. Had to go through customs (what a hassle) along with several others who "missed the boat". Finally on board - got to our rooms - took a deep breath and enjoyed the rest of our cruise. We were given onboard credits $$$ and I have to say RCCL took good care of us.

Going again this year on RCCL to Alaska - Hopefully, this will be another great experience.

[aldewitt]

When we finally make it up to the restuarant we are treated like gold. They comped our bill and brought us a nice bottle of wine to make up for it. This was so nice considering the only thing I asked for was to move our reservations up an hour. I love RCCL!!! They really do go above and beyond.

 

Don't expect this on Norwegian. My son and I had an inside cabin. Our toilet overflowed the first day, and for six days in Hawaii we had NO AIRCONDITIONING. Their idea of a "comp" for ruining 6 out of 7 days of a cruise was to offer us $100.

 

I gave them anatomic directions on what to do with their hundred bucks.

[satxdiver]

On 9/11 I along with six other members of our consulting team along with other consultants were working at AA in DFW. All of us had flown in from various cities around the US so we all had rental cars. The rental companies told all of us to drive the car home and turn it in there at no drop off cost. I only had to drive 300 miles while others drove thousands of miles to the west coast, east coast and north. The stories I heard the next week were interesting to say the least.

 

Usually when I go to a city and rent a car, most of the cars will have license plates from that state. For the rest of the year going onto the rental lot I would see license plates from many states. It must have been interesting for the car rental companies keeping inventory of their cars that were scattered all over the US. It was a dark day that Tuesday. Working at DFW and not hearing any planes taking off/landing was eerie. The silence was an experience.

[Pshkbb]

when my son was 18 months old we took a full family cruise - grandmother, in-laws, 2 sibs and their families.... anyway, my DS was sitting on our bed and reached out for me just as I moved and he tumbled off the bed and his face hit the metal slider for the balcony sliding doors. OMG - I had never seen that much blood and I was not sure where it was coming from - his eye or elsewhere....

 

we were supposed to go to dinner that night for my in-laws anniversary and had an on-board sitter coming who arrived just as I began screaming. She called 911 on the ship and had all the elevators shut down so that they could rush us, along with my sister-in-law (a pediatrician) down to the ER on the ship.

 

The on-board doctor tried to glue the cut closed, which would not take as the cut was on the side of his nose next to his eye. They then had to give him stitches while DH held him wrapped in a towel to reduce movement. When I looked down at them both - pale and scared and in pain - I almost passed out and had to let my sister-in-law take over. I am not sure what kind of meds they may have given DS for the stitches but we didn't get any pain meds or anything after. The poor thing was miserable for the next few days.

 

While it could have been SO much worse - the staff handled things VERY well to the point that the blood stained carpet had been cleaned perfectly before we returned to the room, they brought us dinner to the cabin without a request so we'd have something to eat at least while we waited for room service. The sitter called us the next day to check up on DS as well.

 

Thank god it was not worse but they did a great job in a tough situation.

 

The only other thing that occurred was having a slice of veggie pizza and discovering a bite or two in that it was covered in pine nuts (there were NO notes posted about nuts nor were they mentioned in the description - they were covered by cheese on the pizza so one could not even see them) and I am allergic. There was no bendryl or other allergy meds in the store and I rushed to the medic who was closed at the time and they refused to open up for me until I used the words "lawsuit". They did finally give me allergy meds and again, it could have been worse, but I can only imagine what would have happened if someone had a severe allergic reaction in that situation! No one helped me in the slightest.

 

as for those of you guys who sailed during 9/11 - I can only imagine as we were in NYC that day and it was truly indescribable. I am glad that the ships handled things as well as they could have. Carol - I am so glad to hear that you got out ok and sorry for your losses.

[jayjayp]

Our first cruise. My whole family was on Monarch of the seas December 1998 when we hit a reef in the St Maarten harbor. It tore a hole about 120 ft long and 4 ft wide in the hull (similar to Costa Concordia) the captain ran the ship aground to keep it from rolling, we abandoned ship via tenders although the life boats were ready to deploy. We spent all night on the docks with only water, in the morning we were taken to different resorts on the island, our family was taken to Club Orient (quite a surprise) we stayed there for a day and eventually we got a flight home.

Can't say enough for RCL and the crew, sometimes things happen and they and the people of St Maarten were great. We actually took the same cruise exactly one year later with no problems, we since been on 15 cruises and have one scheduled in march.

 

 

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[RCcruisinfamily]

Woke up from a nap on my last RC Majesty cruise to a room filled with smoke. No reason was given, an upgrade to an OV was given. I came home and needed antibiotic to treat my lungs. Hubby had his own issues with breathing and gallbladder(not related) It was not the get away we had hoped for. the Casino was a disappointment. We are diamond and craps players. The limits took us out.

[Pami1968]

Technically it was onshore, but I went zip lining on a stop in Costa Rica and had a terrible accident. I insisted the ambulance take me back to the ship instead of the hospital - I was afraid of the language barrier. The medical staff onboard was fabulous and gave me terrific service (and good drugs). The cruise director checked in on me personally, as did guest services. I spent 8 days stuck in my cabin as I couldn't walk very much, and couldn't lay down. I think my cabin steward brought me 12 pillows. I got real meals from the main dining room sent to me instead of room service.

 

I hadn't even booked the excursion through the cruise line.

 

Cost of all of that to me? Not a penny was added to my bill. They earned some loyalty from me that day.

 

 

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[Desert Cruizers]

We were 4 days out of Seattle in May of 2014 and in our room, when I realized the ship was turning around, ran up topside to see the rescue boat heading over to a capsized boat. They found no people and our Captain announced that it possibly was from debris from the Japan earthquake and tsunami from a year earlier and that debris was still being found. The boat was about 20 feet and over turned. video I located on the web from a fellow passenger.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Desert Cruizers

[A&L_Ont]

Wow, this is an old thread brought back from 2010. Still relevant though.

 

Our "disaster" was when the mirror fell off the wall and landed on us while we were sleeping in bed. Here is a single post link to the cruise review where you can read about it and see some pictures.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30424998&postcount=1

Edited January 25, 2017 by A&L_Ont

[Freehike]

This is an old thread, but it's always fun to see what different peoples opinion of a "disaster" is.

 

 

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[jetta8300]

Last year we were on Mariner and we (there was 4 of us) had reservations at Chops. Around 4:30 I was coming back to my room and my boyfriend is standing outside our room while there is staff all over and the rooms across from us were flooded. As I get closer to my room, my BF tells me we cant go into ours yet. while it was not flooded, the carpet was drenched and the bathrooms were soaked. So here I am getting disappointed that we are going to miss our dinner reservations when one of the head cabin managers comes over to me and tells me not to worry he will take care of everything. Our room stewart shows up with cleaning supplies in hand, sanatizes the bathroom so I can get ready, while other crew is trying to mop up the water. I ask about moving our reservations to the next hour and the staff look at me with a smile and tell me not to worry we will be seated as soon as we are ready. When we finally make it up to the restuarant we are treated like gold. They comped our bill and brought us a nice bottle of wine to make up for it. This was so nice considering the only thing I asked for was to move our reservations up an hour. I love RCCL!!! They really do go above and beyond.

 

Our April 2015 cruise on the Carnival Pride was a disaster I'd say. We booked an Aft Ocean Suite cabin and the entire time it was shaking so violently we never wanted to sleep or even go back to our room. It was like being in a paint shaker 24/4 and we would have traded anyone with an inside cabin for our suite to get rid of the shaking. However the ship was full. We had to stuff washcloths in all of the drawers, mirrors and light fixtures to muffle the squeaking and crashing noises caused by the ship's vibration, none of the furniture on the balcony would stay put and would move to one side and then vibrate against each other all night long. Whatever was in the next room's closet behind our headboard was slamming all night long against our headboard wall. I wanted off of that boat so badly. Apparently the Pride has a problem with "vibration". (That term makes me laugh and minimizes the experience. It was literally like being trapped in a paint shaker). We spent the entire cruise on prescription anti-nausea meds because the shaking was making us incredibly sick and felt like it was scrambling our brains.

Edited January 25, 2017 by jetta8300

[George C]

This is an old thread, but it's always fun to see what different peoples opinion of a "disaster" is.

 

 

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Why do people bring up a 7 year old thread? Maybe they can not find a 8 year old tread?

[dmc6469]

My disaster was my 1st cruise ever. Apparently they served bad strawberries they picked up in Mexico and it made over 75% of the ship sick (according to the ship dr.) So severely sick that 2 people had even passed away while on the ship. :eek: Carnival gave us a 'lovely' 10% off our next cruise to apologize. Wasn't that sweet.

[bigairboarder44]

Why do people bring up a 7 year old thread? Maybe they can not find a 8 year old tread?

 

The best part is that the person who revived the thread had already posted their story in it, almost seven years later!

 

 

 

I was on with my entire family (all adults) when we hit a reef in St Maarten, had to abandon ship around 11 PM all 3000 passengers waited on the pier all night finally around 7AM we were put on a bus and taken to a resort; A NUDEST RESORT. RCI was great under the circumstances and we re-took the same cruise the next year.

 

Our first cruise. My whole family was on Monarch of the seas December 1998 when we hit a reef in the St Maarten harbor. It tore a hole about 120 ft long and 4 ft wide in the hull (similar to Costa Concordia) the captain ran the ship aground to keep it from rolling, we abandoned ship via tenders although the life boats were ready to deploy. We spent all night on the docks with only water, in the morning we were taken to different resorts on the island, our family was taken to Club Orient (quite a surprise) we stayed there for a day and eventually we got a flight home.

Can't say enough for RCL and the crew, sometimes things happen and they and the people of St Maarten were great. We actually took the same cruise exactly one year later with no problems, we since been on 15 cruises and have one scheduled in march.

 

 

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Edited January 25, 2017 by bigairboarder44

[George C]

The best part is that the person who revived the thread had already posted their story in it, almost seven years later!

 

Amazing!! thanks

[allie3490]

Our first cruise. My whole family was on Monarch of the seas December 1998 when we hit a reef in the St Maarten harbor. It tore a hole about 120 ft long and 4 ft wide in the hull (similar to Costa Concordia) the captain ran the ship aground to keep it from rolling, we abandoned ship via tenders although the life boats were ready to deploy. We spent all night on the docks with only water, in the morning we were taken to different resorts on the island, our family was taken to Club Orient (quite a surprise) we stayed there for a day and eventually we got a flight home.

Can't say enough for RCL and the crew, sometimes things happen and they and the people of St Maarten were great. We actually took the same cruise exactly one year later with no problems, we since been on 15 cruises and have one scheduled in march.

 

 

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Omg my grandparents were on this cruise! I remember my grandmother telling us the story we were dying with laughter [emoji23]

 

 

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[ONECRUISER]

The best part is that the person who revived the thread had already posted their story in it, almost seven years later!

 

First thing I notice...

[Beaferd]

Last year during our fall foliage cruise I lost my passport in Saguenay but did not know it until we had left port on our way to Quebec to depart the ship to fly home to Texas. I went to the service desk on the ship and they immediately started to track down my passport or figure out what I would have to do to get me through customs at the airport. Needless to say I was frantic. As it turned out someone had found it and turned it in to the authorities in Saguenay. RC had them put it on a bus so I would have it hopefully before we left the port to transfer to the airport. We were traveling with 3 other family members that had to board the transfer bus without us while we were taken to a waiting area at the pier to wait for the bus. We hadn't been there 10 minutes when a port authority person brought my passport to me and we made the transfer bus with the rest of our family. Everyone from Saguenay to Quebec Port Authority to the RC staff were wonderful and reassuring that everything would work out. Rest assured that will never happen again.

[BillOh]

I ordered the Jamaican Blackened Chicken dinner. The waiter came back to me and said they ran out. Just as he said that, the table next to us got several! My biggest disaster.

[Fouremco]

The best part is that the person who revived the thread had already posted their story in it, almost seven years later!

With only 35 posts in ten years, we'll allow the "new OP" some latitude. Of course, maybe all 35 posts are versions of the same story? :)

[BZEKE]

Got stuck in elevator on anthem. I had to crawl out. It took a while for them to find me, I had to crawl out. They held my beer

[Fouremco]

Got stuck in elevator on anthem. I had to crawl out. It took a while for them to find me, I had to crawl out. They held my beer

Nah, that would only have been a disaster if they'd run away with your beer while you were still crawling out! :D

[cruzinlady1947]

I am a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the WTC. I was 52 floors up in Tower 2. Made it out with a 1/2 hour to spare before the building came down. 298 of my colleagues never made it out.

 

 

Carol

Carol, so sorry you had to go through this, but, glad you made it out alive. May all those who lost their lives, RIP.

 

We have a friend from Long Island, NY who worked at the Twin Towers...Tuesday was his day off and 9/11 was on a Tuesday. Talk about fate...

 

We just got back to New York on a cruise, 2 days before 9/11.

 

When I got my photos developed, I was in awe when I saw this picture I had taken. I have it framed and hanging up in my house.

 

 

 

I post this picture every year on 9/11....we will never forget.

 

 

Gwen :)

[Duffys wife 1957]

We were sailing on Freedom and one afternoon we had no hot water. No hot shower for dinner unless we wanted to shower in cool water. ( We did) That evening still no hot water... Another cool shower in the morning... They finally said hot water would be returned by afternoon.. It was.... along with a HUGE on board credit! RCCL was more than generous.. I wouldn't call it a disaster at all ( some would but it was well worth the cool showers):D:D