VERY disappointed with RCI

[JillinCalgary]

We cruised this past New Years on the Oasis. There were 10 of us, 5 of which were children ranging in age from 3 to 14. We'd been on the Allure 2 years before and have concluded it simply is the very best ship for us. Wonderful in more ways that I can even begin to describe. We are all seasoned Cruisers if that makes a difference

 

While in port at St Martin we had an absolutely horrific thing occur. The ship had docked, we were just waking up.. It was around 8am when we heard the shattering of glass break. A little at first, followed by an enormous "break". We had 4 balconies in a row and we all ran to see what the noise was all about. Imagine our shock when we looked up to the deck above us (we were deck 11)and saw an entire balcony panel was gone and in a million pieces scattered on our balconies and on the lifeboats a few decks down!!! AN ENTIRE BALCONY PANEL SPONTANEOUSLY BROKE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. Of course it was only minutes before cruise staff came to investigate and "interview" us on what we had seen. Needless to say all we wanted was an answer as to how this occurred. Of course no one knew, and staff simply brushed it off with "maybe it was the way the ship docked.." Or whatever reasoning they came up with.

 

My brother in law and I are what you would call "worriers". We are overly concerned with the safety of our children and definitely imagine worse case scenarios. What if it had been our balcony? What if our 3 and 4 year old were leaning up against it at the time it shattered? How about if my boys ages 9 and 14 were rough housing on the balcony at the time of impact? Horrifically frightening and I'd be lying if I said we have nightmares the rest of the Cruise. Less traumatizing, but equally as concerning is that the glass on our deck was never really totally cleaned up. Yes the vacuums were used a few times but many shards of glass remained. Our kids never stepped foot on the balconies again.

 

Post Cruise we completed the online survey form and in GREAT DETAIL we described the incident. It has now been almost a month and ZERO reply. Very disheartening. We are incredibly disappointed with how this has been handled. We aren't seeking compensation, we want an explanation as to how on earth this happened. I believe we deserve one.

 

Now if anyone from RCI reads this PLEASE CONTACT ME directly

 

Scary. Sad. Unacceptable.

 

 

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[The Grumpus]

Sometimes glass breaks.

 

 

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[dealer9296]

Geeezzzz! How bad is that? I guess you would like an answer.

Edited February 4, 2014 by dealer9296

[cruisenfever]

Email agoldstein@rccl.com describing what happened. Include a phone number where you can be reached. Someone from Executive Customer Service should get back to you to discuss this situation.

Edited February 4, 2014 by cruisenfever

[Jobeth66]

They may not know how it happened. Sometimes there's a stress fracture in the glass or a manufacturing flaw and if you strike it just right or if it vibrates just right it will shatter. It's safety glass, so it's meant to shatter into a million pieces (none of them very sharp) so you should not have had "shards" of glass on your balcony, you should have had what are more like 'nuggets', and yes, they're very difficult to clean up.

 

The company I work for has a lot of glass in all our locations, it's part of our build & design.

 

We would never tell a customer why the glass broke or how the glass broke, even if we KNEW how it happened. It's not something you're entitled to know, and it's not something they're going to release, for their own legal protection. If it were endemic, and many many balconies were having these catastrophic failures, it might be different.

 

But one piece of tempered glass shattering on a ship? Not even cause for concern. I understand the propensity to worry, but if you 'what if' your entire life, you'll spend it wrapped in bubble wrap and never leaving your house. :)

[Gonzo70]

Sometimes glass breaks.

 

 

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Good answer. I think I am more concerned that the OP would let their children engage in "rough housing on the balcony" and/or lean against the balcony than the less than one-in-a-million chance of the glass breaking while on the balcony. While I understand the situation would be a bit unnerving, IMHO it was not that big a deal to have a lasting impact or warrant the cruise line to follow up with individual passengers about (unless someone was injured). The ships are kept in pretty good repair; sometimes on a vessel that size things break - unfortunately you were nearby when this occurred, but fortunately not actually on the balcony. They should have done a better job cleaning the glass from your balcony; that is the only thing that would have upset me and I would have spoken with an officer to ensure this was addressed ASAP and followed up if necessary. Otherwise I would chalk it up to a freak incident and let it go.

[Tkriger]

Sometimes glass breaks.

 

 

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+1 agreed.

 

Could it have been worse, definitely. What are you hoping to get out talking to RC, a free cruise?

[nelblu]

I don't know what happens with the filled exit surveys as I never get any feedback or confirmation. They make such a big deal in reminding to complete the surveys, but ????????

[ryano]

Good answer. I think I am more concerned that the OP would let their children engage in "rough housing on the balcony" and/or lean against the balcony than the less than one-in-a-million chance of the glass breaking while on the balcony. .

 

Glad Im not the only one that noticed that.

Edited February 4, 2014 by ryano

[BecciBoo]

They may not know how it happened. Sometimes there's a stress fracture in the glass or a manufacturing flaw and if you strike it just right or if it vibrates just right it will shatter. It's safety glass, so it's meant to shatter into a million pieces (none of them very sharp) so you should not have had "shards" of glass on your balcony, you should have had what are more like 'nuggets', and yes, they're very difficult to clean up.

 

The company I work for has a lot of glass in all our locations, it's part of our build & design.

 

We would never tell a customer why the glass broke or how the glass broke, even if we KNEW how it happened. It's not something you're entitled to know, and it's not something they're going to release, for their own legal protection. If it were endemic, and many many balconies were having these catastrophic failures, it might be different.

 

But one piece of tempered glass shattering on a ship? Not even cause for concern. I understand the propensity to worry, but if you 'what if' your entire life, you'll spend it wrapped in bubble wrap and never leaving your house. :)

 

[Marie51]

9 & 14 year olds should not be rough housing on the balcony.

[ryano]

. What are you hoping to get out talking to RC, a free cruise?

 

The OP says she just wants an explanation. Truth is, they may NOT know why it happened!

[leisuretraveler223]

Just remember, whenever children are rough housing on the balcony, make sure they are wearing their safety harnesses!:rolleyes:

[ryano]

9 & 14 year olds should not be rough housing on the balcony.

 

Nor should a 3 year old be leaning against the glass.

[scooter90]

They may not know how it happened. Sometimes there's a stress fracture in the glass or a manufacturing flaw and if you strike it just right or if it vibrates just right it will shatter. It's safety glass, so it's meant to shatter into a million pieces (none of them very sharp) so you should not have had "shards" of glass on your balcony, you should have had what are more like 'nuggets', and yes, they're very difficult to clean up.

 

The company I work for has a lot of glass in all our locations, it's part of our build & design.

 

We would never tell a customer why the glass broke or how the glass broke, even if we KNEW how it happened. It's not something you're entitled to know, and it's not something they're going to release, for their own legal protection. If it were endemic, and many many balconies were having these catastrophic failures, it might be different.

 

But one piece of tempered glass shattering on a ship? Not even cause for concern. I understand the propensity to worry, but if you 'what if' your entire life, you'll spend it wrapped in bubble wrap and never leaving your house. :)

 

What she said!

[LetsGetWet!]

I have to agree with what several others have said. Glass breaks occasionally, because its glass. I'm not sure exactly what kind of "explanation" you want, I doubt they swept up all the bits of shattered glass and sent it off to some lab for engineering analysis - it broke, it happens on rare occasion, and it had to be replaced!

 

Also, your claim of "shards of glass" exposes your propensity for melodrama. As has been explained by others, safety glass is designed and engineered such that when it breaks it shatters into thousands of small pellets, I'm seriously doubting you had "shards of glass" on your balcony for the remainder of the cruise! Yes, they should have cleaned/vacuumed more thoroughly, I'd have addressed that with them at the time.

[mustangjoe]

Glass Happens.

 

Move on.

 

If I worried every time there was an accident or something strange happened, whether at seas or on land, I would be considered stark crazy.:D

[amarantha7]

They may not know how it happened. Sometimes there's a stress fracture in the glass or a manufacturing flaw and if you strike it just right or if it vibrates just right it will shatter. It's safety glass, so it's meant to shatter into a million pieces (none of them very sharp) so you should not have had "shards" of glass on your balcony, you should have had what are more like 'nuggets', and yes, they're very difficult to clean up.

 

I literally put my head through a side window of a car in a side-impact accident, and didn't have a scratch. It was this kind of glass. It broke into neat little cubes with no edges- pretty mind-boggling to experience. If I didn't get cut from that, I'd say a person standing underneath a cascade of some might get a little pelted and maybe it would hurt a tiny bit, but you wouldn't get any cuts.

 

It sounds a bit alarming, but I'm not sure it quite qualifies as "horrific". Of course, I am _not_ a worrier and I let my early-teenage children ride the public transit by themselves. So YMMV, as they say.

[JetsFanCruiser]

Nor should a 3 year old be leaning against the glass.

 

No way.....This I disagree with.....I trust that the glass on a balcony is secure enough for myself or a child to put their head against and look down.....sorry I don't buy that you should't lean against it....It should be secure enough so that I feel comfortable that it won't break....Why stop at glass???....what if the railing simply split and gave way??....do we now say..."well you shouldn't be leaning on a railing"....Come on....

 

OP....I understand your worry, and at a minimum I think an inquiry or RCCL is warranted......THere are so many "what ifs" in this scenerio that it's scary.....

[ryano]

No way.....This I disagree with

 

Well, that is certainly your right to do so.

[PuterMonkey]

That sounds like a very shocking experience! I completely understand why it would have unnerved you.

 

I think it's entirely possible that that piece of glass may have been under stress, as others mentioned. It may have also been broken by the humans above you, as difficult as I'm sure that is to do. Even 'shatterproof' glass can shatter under the right circumstances. You didn't actually see it happen.

 

I don't think they owe you an explanation of why it happened. No one got hurt. It was a freak accident but like others said, you can't dwell on the freak accidents. Your kids have higher odds of drowning in the pools than the balcony randomly shattering beneath them.

[xxoocruiser]

What if it had been our balcony? What if our 3 and 4 year old were leaning up against it at the time it shattered? How about if my boys ages 9 and 14 were rough housing on the balcony at the time of impact? Horrifically frightening and I'd be lying if I said we have nightmares the rest of the Cruise. Less traumatizing, but equally as concerning is that the glass on our deck was never really totally cleaned up. Yes the vacuums were used a few times but many shards of glass remained. Our kids never stepped foot on the balconies again.

 

 

Things happen all the time as there's risk in just living life. How is this any different than the possibility of getting hit by car when walking across the street or, being in a car accident or numerous other occurrences?

 

Don't understand why RCCL owes you an explanation when it did not occur on your balcony nor was anyone from our family injured?

Edited February 4, 2014 by xxoocruiser

[jp30338]

Sometimes glass breaks.

 

 

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This!

[icat2000]

It happened on Celebrity Equinox in April 2013 TA. The back deck area near the buffet one of the panel glass just shattered while we were in port. It just happens. They boarded it up I think from memory.

 

I don't think RCL owes you an explanation.

[LindaO]

Email agoldstein@rccl.com describing what happened. Include a phone number where you can be reached. Someone from Executive Customer Service should get back to you to discuss this situation.

 

Excellent advice!!!

 

With that in mind... please equate your experience to this... One day I looked on my back deck to find my dining table in the same million pieces you describe. Tempered glass... millions of small... almost harmless pieces... We looked all over for a rock... something that shattered this table. We found nothing. It just broke. For whatever reason.. it broke. Did I worry that the next table would do the same thing? No... Did I not let children play around the table? No... Did it ever happen again? No... It was your choice to not enjoy your balcony after this... rather than focusing on the fact that no one was injured, it was your choice to worry... and it may be that you will never get an explanation as to what happened, how you deal with that is your choice.