Kudos to RCCL

[SeeTheSeaAgain]

I have trouble understanding the Reimburse the Coast Guard stance. Aren't they there already? Don't they need something to do? Aren't such things good training for them? Were they called away from "important" duties? Did they have to hire extra people? Did they spend money they would not have spent anyway?

[Royals Carol]

Why is this being turned into a CCL vs RCCL feud? I never said anything about CCL in my original post. I was simply saying that I feel like RCCL did a good job at responding to what could have been a big tragedy.

 

 

This could happen to any cruise ship. The fact that no one was hurt is truly amazing. I am glad it happened in the early morning hours while people were sleeping and not spread out all over the ship (I think that helped with organization). I am booked for my first cruise with Royal Caribbean in October and can't wait to go. I feel that Royal Caribbean did the right thing.

[SherriZ366]

PARTIAL QUOTE

 

Hi Kroozen. I join you in your applause for RCCL. According to the latest reports, the Captain and crew acted promptly and avoided a disaster. Kudos to the passengers who followed directions and remained calm. Management also responded quickly and arrived on the scene asap.

 

These things will happen - any sailor knows that...the important thing is the response. So again, kudos to the Captain, crew, passengers and the management of Royal Caribbean.

 

Best wishes to those on board the ship, and to those who have booked a cruise on the following voyages. Thankfully, all will live to sail another day.

 

Cheers,

Salacia

Agree

[lag9122]

I agree RCL did a great job . Way to go royal.

 

Lisa

[karena1]

I honestly think Royal handled this very well. Adam was there right away to access the situation and try to make things go as smoothly as possible. No - no one wants to be at a muster station for that many hours, but I think they did the right thing. I also think the compensation was fair. Just really glad that no one was hurt and they are getting everyone back home safely

[gracie65]

The 50% is awesome and saw the OP put based on the 5/31 sailing but it is based on your price paid not including port charges and gov't fees. Which is still really good but can be confusing with how the media reports it they make it sound like they get 50% off the next cruise they book.

So sorry for yours last minute change I know how disappointing it is to have such things happen. I also had friends that would have been sailing with you. They were able to get on a Carnival ship, not to Bermuda but they were happy to still get to go someplace after getting the time off work etc.

 

 

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[Aquahound]

I have trouble understanding the Reimburse the Coast Guard stance. Aren't they there already? Don't they need something to do? Aren't such things good training for them? Were they called away from "important" duties? Did they have to hire extra people? Did they spend money they would not have spent anyway?

 

USCG does not charge for incidents like this. It is a tax funded service. What happened in this case was, CCL faced deep public and media scrutiny due to the services rendered by the USCG to the Triumph, and it became public the 11 figure industry only pays a tax rate of something like 1%. Only after all this came out and there was a bit of public outrage over how much these cruise companies pay in taxes, did CCL make the PR decision to reimburse the government.

 

But to answer some of your questions, yes, they are there already. No, they are NOT just out there looking for things to do. Yes, it is good training. Unless you don't consider patrolling for major drug loads important, then no, they were not called away from anything important. No, they did not have to hire extra people. Yes, considering helicopters had to be flown to the ship, money was spent that would not have spent anyway.

[Kroozen]

The 50% is awesome and saw the OP put based on the 5/31 sailing but it is based on your price paid not including port charges and gov't fees. Which is still really good but can be confusing with how the media reports it they make it sound like they get 50% off the next cruise they book.

So sorry for yours last minute change I know how disappointing it is to have such things happen. I also had friends that would have been sailing with you. They were able to get on a Carnival ship, not to Bermuda but they were happy to still get to go someplace after getting the time off work etc.

 

 

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Correct - So if your original cruise fare was $1000 (before taxes and port fees were added) then you would get $500 towards the next cruise, regardless of the price of future cruise. So, if you're just doing a short cruise/a cheap cruise, you could go for free. Plus, getting a full refund of the price paid.

[Kroozen]

I had no trouble rescheduling for the Explorer this morning. Once my refund & FCC was applied to the price, I came out with $200 in my pocket which I'll use to purchase OBC.

[Big_G]

I had no trouble rescheduling for the Explorer this morning. Once my refund & FCC was applied to the price, I came out with $200 in my pocket which I'll use to purchase OBC.

 

Nicely done.

[evelyn51]

Kroozen: Great to read, Wishing you Smooth Sailing. . .

[kidz_rn]

Back on Page 1, Kroozen wrote: "RCCL is also working with Bahamian immigration officials to facilitate air travel for passengers without passports."

 

Who knows what boarding delays, customs hurdles, and other obstacles these birth certificate-only passengers encountered in order to regain entry to the U.S.? This unfortunate, unforeseen Grandeur fire incident proves once again that regardless of whether having one is mandatory or not, it pays to cruise with a valid passport!

[Kroozen]

Absolutely! While no one will be left stranded in the Bahamas, it will be easier to get back with a passport.

[evelyn51]

Absolutely! While no one will be left stranded in the Bahamas, it will be easier to get back with a passport.

 

;):);)

[George C]

yep sounds like RCCL did a great job considering what happened, good for them.

[cidee]

I had no trouble rescheduling for the Explorer this morning. Once my refund & FCC was applied to the price, I came out with $200 in my pocket which I'll use to purchase OBC.

 

Enjoy Explorer. She is a beautiful ship.

[RSLeesburg]

I had no trouble rescheduling for the Explorer this morning. Once my refund & FCC was applied to the price, I came out with $200 in my pocket which I'll use to purchase OBC.

 

Awesome news - the Explorer looks like a great ship too. As I was watching the drama unfold yesterday, I started looking into alternate plans on the Explorer as well - just in case.

[RVman]

Agreed, I don't think they were required to reimburse the USCG or Navy. Although their initial refusal to do so didn't go over too well in the PR department, did it?

 

As to to my original question, I'm still want to know what RCCL needs to "step up" for?

 

Originally Posted by Sargent_Schultz:

CL volunteered to reimburse all expenses even though never presented with a bill. We'll see if Royal steps up, but I doubt it.

CCL never did refuse to reimburse the USCG, that was another mistake reported by the so-called news media that we have today.

[MIZZ_K]

Why is this being turned into a CCL vs RCCL feud? I never said anything about CCL in my original post. I was simply saying that I feel like RCCL did a good job at responding to what could have been a big tragedy.

 

I totally agree with you, as you can see,I only have 1 RCCL under my belt and the rest Carnival only because I've gotten better deals, but have no problem going on RCCL if the price is right.

 

I'm glad that nobody was hurt or worse.

[plank]

THANK YOU EVERYONE ON THE GRANDEUR FOR BEING SO GREAT DURING THIS VERY SCARY AND TRYING ORDEAL! We had to wait 6 hours in muster and all those around us made us feel calm, yet ready if we needed to go to life boats.THE FIREFIGHTERS DESERVE A MAJOR KUDO! They fought hard for several hours to put out this intense fire.

 

Thanks also to Miami Air who was our charter plane...even though we spent two hours on the tarmac we appreciate your kindness while getting us home!

 

I hope they can get her fixed soon. She is such a wonderful small ship with very nice staff and crew.

 

We have sailed close to 30 times and this was certainly a first and hopefully a last!

 

Always go to your drill and pay attention!! It is a serious thing! We learned that fast!

[cruzbound]

Hi all,

My DH had a great idea that RCCL should consider. Since some people have a limited amount of vacation time and planned on taking it on the Grandeur these next couple of weeks, to fill up any other of the RCCL vacancies on the ships, they should offer those who were scheduled to sail to go on another ship at no cost and to pay for their new airfare to whatever port the ship is leaving from. This will allow those who have taken vacation from work to still be able to go on an excellent cruise vacation during the scheduled time. Of course, if RCCL still included a 50% future cruise credit, that would be great. Who knows, if this idea was put into play some vacationers may get to go to some places they may have never considered (like the Southern Caribbean - of course with this suggestion, it would have to be somewhat comparable to the current cruise, in all fairness, one could not expect to go on a Australian or European, etc. cruise). I would also say, this may give these people an opportunity to upgrade their room (if the vacancy was available). Just our two cents.

 

Glad that everyone is safe. I ditto those that RCCL handled this situation well.

 

Take care everyone.

 

Safe travels!

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

THANK YOU EVERYONE ON THE GRANDEUR FOR BEING SO GREAT DURING THIS VERY SCARY AND TRYING ORDEAL! We had to wait 6 hours in muster and all those around us made us feel calm, yet ready if we needed to go to life boats.THE FIREFIGHTERS DESERVE A MAJOR KUDO! They fought hard for several hours to put out this intense fire.

 

Thanks also to Miami Air who was our charter plane...even though we spent two hours on the tarmac we appreciate your kindness while getting us home!

 

I hope they can get her fixed soon. She is such a wonderful small ship with very nice staff and crew.

 

We have sailed close to 30 times and this was certainly a first and hopefully a last!

 

Always go to your drill and pay attention!! It is a serious thing! We learned that fast!

 

Glad you made it home safely. An ordeal, I'm sure. It is very nice to hear that you were well taken care of...I love the Grandeur, great ship. Hope she gets fixed up quickly and sorry your cruise was ruined, hope you have many more happy ones ahead.

[richard1s]

It is reassuring to know that the commitment to customer service (a dedicated phone line and I will bet no 4 hour calls for affected passengers put "on hold") and safety are at the forefront of the RCCL business model. The fire was attended to promptly and the highest level of management was on the scene immediately; arrangements were made for inconvenienced passengers without waiting for market reactions.

 

It's main competitor, Carnival, was founded by a guy who denounced his American citizenship in the 1990's in order to avoid paying estate taxes; that greed is still reflected in the secrecy and bizarre business practices of the current corporation. They are a disaster on wheels and circling the drain.

 

Go RRCL.

[ShawninFL]

I'm think RCCL learned exactly how not to handle this type of situation from Carnival.

[NH Cruisers]

 

Was the Coast Guard or any others diverted to possibly assist? Is RCL going to compensate them? It would seem like the right thing to do.

Why should the Coast Guard be compensated? Their employees didn't get overtime. It could be looked at like a drill or training excersize exept it's real. Thats what the Coast Guard does.

 

If a passenger jet has an engine fire and a Airforce jet escorts it to an airport the Airforce doesn't expect compensation from the airline.

 

At the same time if a Coast Guard cutter was in distress and a cruiseship diverted to help, the Coast Guard isn't going to compensate the cruiseline.

 

Alas. I always spend the extra couple bucks and purchase flight and hotel cancellation insurance. Thats what it is for.

 

 

Jon