Ship photographers really messed up this time

[babyher]

For some people the photographs are an integral part of the event - lose those and it really does screw up the event. And you just can't separate the wedding from the cruise because the cruise only happened because of the wedding. The wedding only took place for a couple hours, but those hours were disproportionately important.

 

You're talking about equivalence and I'm talking about responsiveness and smart business. Let me give you an example what I mean. I went with three family members to Gordon Biersch restaurant, and naturally ordered the garlic fries appetizer (because they're just about the best thing in the world). We waited 20 minutes or so and then the main courses came out. No fries. I asked the waiter who went back and checked. The manager came out and apologized for the screw-up. He then said, "I'm going to pick up your check because I feel bad about what happened." Yep, he picked up an $80 ticket because they screwed up $6 fries. And I did ultimately get the fries.

 

If he'd just taken the fries off the check, I would have been telling people about the lousy service at Gordon Biersch. Instead, I think the restaurant is great. I go back frequently. I tell people about how well they took care of us. They screwed up but they really went out of their way to offset that.

 

That's being smart, doing what you can to turn a negative into a positive.

 

Comping the couple would have done a lot to turn the situation around. They could have gotten creative and treated the couple to special things - tour of the bridge, maybe a special excursion, captains table, etc. etc. - to further soften the blow. Then, even if the couple DID complain publicly the company could talk about all the things they did to compensate the couple for what happened. A refund and phony reshoot is lousy compensation.

 

 

 

I

 

I agree with that. The couple should have accepted the reshoot. Of course, that would have made it harder for them to throw a fit after the cruise LOL

 

 

 

so as long as the company gives into the extortion of every complainer, everything is ok

 

Just do the right thing, or someones idea of it and that's good business.

 

A waiter forgets an order of fries for $6 dollars and the restaurant owes you an $80 dinner????? and they bring you the fries anyway???? Oh but you didn't go out and bad mouth the restaurant over a simple mistake . So that was good business sense on the restaurants part huh?

[websiteauthor]

so as long as the company gives into the extortion of every complainer, everything is ok

 

Just do the right thing, or someones idea of it and that's good business.

 

A waiter forgets an order of fries for $6 dollars and the restaurant owes you an $80 dinner????? and they bring you the fries anyway???? Oh but you didn't go out and bad mouth the restaurant over a simple mistake . So that was good business sense on the restaurants part huh?

 

Wow, distort much?

 

Owes me? When the hell did I say that? It was the manager's idea and his decision. All I did was ask where the fries were. It was his idea and his offer. And yes, it changed the way I felt about the restaurant. They've gotten a lot of business and good word of mouth from me following that.

 

Nothing wrong with that at all.

[websiteauthor]

BINGO.

 

RCI comped their entire wedding package (of which the photos were a relatively small portion). Now they are trolling for a free honeymoon also, preferably for not only them but also for their family and friends. Believe me if you search my posts you can find some where I slammed RCI for what I thought was insufficient compensation, but in this case I smell a shakedown.

 

It is more than a little disingenuous that in the original CKNW article the bride whines "I have nothing" under a picture of the couple with her in her wedding gown (admittedly I don't think it is ship photo). Let's see: she is married (cost comped by the cruise line), has a husband, has at least one photo, had a week honeymoon experience, yet "I have nothing". Life should be about an on-going happy marriage, but she seems determined to overlook that.

 

 

I don't know what the couple's motivations are. They're the ones who suffered from RCI's failure here. Everything I've said has referenced RCI's response. The problem was theirs, the failure was theirs - I've simply stated what I felt they should have done in response to their failure..

[kymbakitty]

I don't have photos of my daughter being born, and that day wasn't ruined for me....

 

My husband and I are cracking up laughing at this post.

 

Um....not quite the same! I can't recall the last time anyone offered to show us their album from the birth of their child, or, the last time we saw a really nice 8x10 frame on someone's wall or mantle taken from the day of birth! Very personal wonderful moment, no doubt, but those pictures are probably better shared with very few people.

 

Cracking up....thanks for the chuckle.

 

:)

[websiteauthor]

My husband and I are cracking up laughing at this post.

 

Um....not quite the same! I can't recall the last time anyone offered to show us their album from the birth of their child, or, the last time we saw a really nice 8x10 frame on someone's wall or mantle taken from the day of birth! Very personal wonderful moment, no doubt, but those pictures are probably better shared with very few people.

 

Cracking up....thanks for the chuckle.

 

:)

 

LOL I missed that one. Too funny!

 

Now, if RCI started selling birth cruise packages where your guests stood around to watch the delivery, and the package included photography, this analogy might make sense.

[kymbakitty]

LOL I missed that one. Too funny!

 

Now, if RCI started selling birth cruise packages where your guests stood around to watch the delivery, and the package included photography, this analogy might make sense.

 

Oh my, could you imagine? Don't say it too loud because if there's money in it....

 

It would give new meaning to birthing in/on water!

[S.A.M.J.R.]

You're talking about equivalence and I'm talking about responsiveness and smart business. Let me give you an example what I mean. I went with three family members to Gordon Biersch restaurant, and naturally ordered the garlic fries appetizer (because they're just about the best thing in the world). We waited 20 minutes or so and then the main courses came out. No fries. I asked the waiter who went back and checked. The manager came out and apologized for the screw-up. He then said, "I'm going to pick up your check because I feel bad about what happened." Yep, he picked up an $80 ticket because they screwed up $6 fries. And I did ultimately get the fries.

 

If he'd just taken the fries off the check, I would have been telling people about the lousy service at Gordon Biersch. Instead, I think the restaurant is great. I go back frequently. I tell people about how well they took care of us. They screwed up but they really went out of their way to offset that.

IMO, there's a WIDE range of what the restaurant could have offered. Obviously, you shouldn't be charged for the fries. But, how about an offer of free desert for the table? Or take your entree off the bill. Or a round of drinks? Did he go above and beyond? Yes. Would you have been satisfied with something "less"? I don't know. I would have.

 

I'm assuming the refund offer covered MORE than the photos. So you get the pictures free (which will probably be easily $3-400), PLUS $2K off the cost of the wedding. And I agree with NH, if they offered for picture retakes, I'd be asking for new flowers, a new cake, and makeup. I'm guessing RCI would do that. But..

The couple should have accepted the reshoot. Of course, that would have made it harder for them to throw a fit after the cruise LOL

EXACTLY!

 

:D

[websiteauthor]

IMO, there's a WIDE range of what the restaurant could have offered. Obviously, you shouldn't be charged for the fries. But, how about an offer of free desert for the table? Or take your entree off the bill. Or a round of drinks? Did he go above and beyond? Yes. Would you have been satisfied with something "less"? I don't know. I would have.

 

I'm assuming the refund offer covered MORE than the photos. So you get the pictures free (which will probably be easily $3-400), PLUS $2K off the cost of the wedding. And I agree with NH, if they offered for picture retakes, I'd be asking for new flowers, a new cake, and makeup. I'm guessing RCI would do that. But..

 

EXACTLY!

 

:D

 

You're missing the point of my restaurant story.

 

You are focusing on the couple's motivation for complaining which is irrelevant. The problem was RCI's and they offered a minimal compensation for a terrible screw-up that would be devastating for most people.

 

The couple was upset and RCI didn't do enough to acknowledge and respond to what happened. I think the couple wanted to complain. Maybe because they wanted a bigger refund and maybe because they got royally hosed over and want to give RCI a black eye over it. Like I said, their motivation isn't the point.

[lovesublime]

I disagree. A cruise ship wedding is both a wedding and honeymoon rolled into one location. This was a 7 day cruise--not even a shorter one on Allure (which I still think would be more than just for the wedding--which is, what? at most a 4 hour event?).

 

Nonetheless, let's play it your way. If this happened at a land based wedding, would it be reasonable to expect the photographer to reimburse the wedding couple for the entire cost of the wedding ceremony (church rental, decor, flowers, officiant, etc)? I do not think so and I would be stunned if you could find any example of that happening.

 

 

 

Off topic, but I never knew people actually rented churches for weddings. I always believed couples were married at either the bride's or groom's church and then offered a monetary gift to the priest, minister, reverend etc. Weird.

[kymbakitty]

Off topic, but I never knew people actually rented churches for weddings. I always believed couples were married at either the bride's or groom's church and then offered a monetary gift to the priest, minister, reverend etc. Weird.

 

I don't know where you live, and it is probably a wonderfully idealic town.

 

But we have an entire generation that not only have never stepped foot into a church growing up, they have no connection to a church now that they are grown ups.

 

Do people really think that everyone automatically has a home church? Very sweet...but so out of touch with reality today. I know so many folks that wouldn't even have an answer if I asked them, "where is your church?" They wouldn't even know how to respond.

 

I have a church. And my monthly tithing is probably the only indication of it....haven't gone in over a year and the monthly tithe is automatically taken out of account so I don't even write check anymore.

 

So no.....hundreds of thousands of couples getting married don't have a church.

 

:(

[babyher]

IMO, there's a WIDE range of what the restaurant could have offered. Obviously, you shouldn't be charged for the fries. But, how about an offer of free desert for the table? Or take your entree off the bill. Or a round of drinks? Did he go above and beyond? Yes. Would you have been satisfied with something "less"? I don't know. I would have.

 

I'm assuming the refund offer covered MORE than the photos. So you get the pictures free (which will probably be easily $3-400), PLUS $2K off the cost of the wedding. And I agree with NH, if they offered for picture retakes, I'd be asking for new flowers, a new cake, and makeup. I'm guessing RCI would do that. But..

 

EXACTLY!

 

:D

 

 

I can't see a manager just automatically comping 2 dinners over a simple mistake like forgetting an order of fries . Things like that happen , especially in a well known place on a busy night Like you said a round of drinks or a dessert or certainly get the fries for free.

 

I have a feeling the poster made a bigger stink than the garlic on the fries and the manager finally gave in .

[websiteauthor]

I can't see a manager just automatically comping 2 dinners over a simple mistake like forgetting an order of fries . Things like that happen , especially in a well known place on a busy night Like you said a round of drinks or a dessert or certainly get the fries for free.

 

I have a feeling the poster made a bigger stink than the garlic on the fries and the manager finally gave in .

 

LOL you feel wrong. I didn't even complain. I just asked the waiter "are my garlic fries coming out?" I wasn't even angry. I'd eat those fries for dessert. I was really surprised.

 

But you believe what you want and keep avoiding the point of my post.

[Twin A]

I can't see a manager just automatically comping 2 dinners over a simple mistake like forgetting an order of fries . Things like that happen , especially in a well known place on a busy night Like you said a round of drinks or a dessert or certainly get the fries for free.

 

I have a feeling the poster made a bigger stink than the garlic on the fries and the manager finally gave in .

 

Chiming in to say that there are some places that have really great customer service practices like this. I've been on the receiving end of a comp'd meal, and it certainly wasn't because I asked. In two separate cases that I distinctly remember, the waiters didn't charge me because they got my order wrong.

 

Back to the original post: I got married on a cruise ship last year. My family and friends joined us because of the wedding. Except for 4 guests, none of them had ever stepped foot onto a cruise ship. So I can see how the trip could be ruined for them - not saying that my family would have had that reaction.

 

Also, based on my experience, it would have been difficult to recreate the photos to truly reflect the day: hair, makeup, decor, cake (had to be specially ordered), reception (RCL probably wasn't going to offer free catering for a second reception) not to mention emotions! I would have been devastated to find out that we had no professional photos from our wedding day. And yes, I probably would have shouted it from the rooftops. It is, after all, a very special day for many. This cruise was not not just another vacation for them.

 

With that said, I would have taken the photo shoot. Like others have said, something is better than nothing.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Edited August 2, 2014 by Twin A

[reedl]

I fail to see how not having pictures of the wedding event would ruin the event for those who attended.

 

If they were there, they saw the event.

 

Why do we need photographic evidence of everything we do now?

 

What happened to just enjoying the moment, instead of having to having pictures of the moment we just experienced?

[reedl]

Furthermore, we have a single picture from our wedding, and it is out somewhere in our house. We have been married for 28 years, and have not looked at our wedding album in at least 25 years. There is simply no interest by us or our kids to see this thing that happened 28 years ago.

 

What is important is right now, and the future. People who live in the past never advance to the future.

[basilisk43]

This was supposed to be a special occasion but due to the lack of happy snaps it's now classed as a devastating event. I really feel for this couple and believe RCI should have come to the party (umm, that is to say, come to the hissy-fit party not the wedding party, which was a real party until after the event where by it became know as the non-party due to a third party contracted by RCI not being able to produce party photos taken of the devastating non-party) and offered more than just a retake and a refund. RCI should have broken out the flux-capacitor and sent back a team of photographers to re-capture the lost captures. (Perhaps they could also go back to the future and capture the birth photo's too...)

 

For those that think the event is in the past and the bride should get over it and move on I say, no! At the end of the day someone stuffed up and needs to be held accountable and then suitably chastised with the appropriate amount of tongue froth and bad words commensurate with such a devastating outcome. I think only then will the bride be able to de-hiss and go on with her life knowing that wrongs have been righted and at least she has the retaken wedding photos to look at. Oh wait, she didn't agree to the retake option; for her, righteous rage and froth were more important than fake wedding photos.

 

Now I am beginning to understand why she is so devistated

[Ocean_Waves]

Here ya go! Pass this onto the couple. Maybe it will help them feel a tad better. This was done on a low end program at work. I can make it look 100 X's better on photoshop!

[xxHadleyxx]

Off topic, but I never knew people actually rented churches for weddings. I always believed couples were married at either the bride's or groom's church and then offered a monetary gift to the priest, minister, reverend etc. Weird.

 

We wanted to get married in the college town we had had our entire relationship in. DH had attended the local Catholic church a few times, but was still a member at the one in his hometown an hour away (the church he grew up in). So we had to pay the non congregant fee, which I think was $300. I know it was double whatever his cousin from that city, who had grown up in that church, been baptized and confirmed there and attended regularly her whole life paid for her wedding which was 6 months to the day before ours in the exact same venue (same reception venue too, but very different styles--we all got a good laugh out of it and ended up comparing and contrasting lots of things).

 

I did not grow up going to church, and am not religious now, so I have no idea how normal that was--but none of DH's family seemed to think it was unusual at the time.

[Bradtez]

Here ya go! Pass this onto the couple. Maybe it will help them feel a tad better. This was done on a low end program at work. I can make it look 100 X's better on photoshop!

 

 

NOOOOO, what about the emotional damage you are doing to the poor guy in the background? Now he has NO physical evidence that he was on the cruise also!

Maybe you can photoshop him walking next to the pool so he wont have a hissy fit :rolleyes:

[babyher]

This was supposed to be a special occasion but due to the lack of happy snaps it's now classed as a devastating event. I really feel for this couple and believe RCI should have come to the party (umm, that is to say, come to the hissy-fit party not the wedding party, which was a real party until after the event where by it became know as the non-party due to a third party contracted by RCI not being able to produce party photos taken of the devastating non-party) and offered more than just a retake and a refund. RCI should have broken out the flux-capacitor and sent back a team of photographers to re-capture the lost captures. (Perhaps they could also go back to the future and capture the birth photo's too...)

 

For those that think the event is in the past and the bride should get over it and move on I say, no! At the end of the day someone stuffed up and needs to be held accountable and then suitably chastised with the appropriate amount of tongue froth and bad words commensurate with such a devastating outcome. I think only then will the bride be able to de-hiss and go on with her life knowing that wrongs have been righted and at least she has the retaken wedding photos to look at. Oh wait, she didn't agree to the retake option; for her, righteous rage and froth were more important than fake wedding photos.

 

Now I am beginning to understand why she is so devistated

 

 

 

*LMAO*

 

 

Love it :)

[celebrity]

I don't think so. The missed photos (which could NOT be recreated) were from the event which was the PURPOSE of going on the cruise for these people. They went on the cruise for the wedding and all its trimmings - and RCI failed to deliver.

 

I think if RCI had done something like this, the couple might have been less inclined to make it a public story - in the long run, I think they would have lost less if they'd comp'ed the cruise instead of experiencing the bad press that will be online for years to come. It would have been the smart thing to do from a public relations standpoint.

 

I respectfully disagree. My heart certainly goes out to the couple BUT Royal offered to retake photos and they declined. Was it the same as capturing the moment? Of course not but they would still have photos to look back on and share with their future children.

I suspect if they have asked for a new cake and perhaps some champagne to be included in the re-creation, they would have been obliged.

Are we to believe that none of the guests snapped photos? I always take my own pictures when I'm a guest at a wedding.

 

One aspect of their wedding was not delivered, yet Royal comped the entire cost of the wedding.

 

As far as I'm concerned, this couple is trying extort the cruise line for one mistake.

They delivered the wedding, a cruise, food, drinks, entertainment, etc.

To state that everyone in her party had a spoiled vacation due to the lack of photos is not only absurd but an insult to my intelligence. Did they all stay in their cabins and cry over this mishap? Did they miss meals, ports, entertainment? I highly doubt it.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Yes, sue. The modern American solution to everything.....:rolleyes:

 

 

 

"Plain unreal"? What exactly is that supposed to mean? :rolleyes:

 

 

Crazy world we live in...

Even then they would have no pictures, maybe the judge would order the retakes ;)

 

Eta: and make them pay for the pics, case settled :)

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - Oy, excuse the auto correct ;)

Edited August 2, 2014 by Julia’s Journey’s
eta

[Ocean_Waves]

NOOOOO, what about the emotional damage you are doing to the poor guy in the background? Now he has NO physical evidence that he was on the cruise also!

Maybe you can photoshop him walking next to the pool so he wont have a hissy fit :rolleyes:

 

Lol! By midnight CST, I will put this guy somewhere else on the ship!

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Lol! By midnight CST, I will put this guy somewhere else on the ship!

You better. If he doesn't have any pictures, his cruise might be ruined. :D

[websiteauthor]

I respectfully disagree. My heart certainly goes out to the couple BUT Royal offered to retake photos and they declined. Was it the same as capturing the moment? Of course not but they would still have photos to look back on and share with their future children.

I suspect if they have asked for a new cake and perhaps some champagne to be included in the re-creation, they would have been obliged.

Are we to believe that none of the guests snapped photos? I always take my own pictures when I'm a guest at a wedding.

 

One aspect of their wedding was not delivered, yet Royal comped the entire cost of the wedding.

 

As far as I'm concerned, this couple is trying extort the cruise line for one mistake.

They delivered the wedding, a cruise, food, drinks, entertainment, etc.

To state that everyone in her party had a spoiled vacation due to the lack of photos is not only absurd but an insult to my intelligence. Did they all stay in their cabins and cry over this mishap? Did they miss meals, ports, entertainment? I highly doubt it.

 

Well we can certainly agree to disagree, very respectfully. If they'd taken care of the couple they wouldn't be dealing with the negative press and the online coverage that will be around for a long time. I think that will ultimately cost them a lot more.

 

We can't know the couple's motivation, but to me that's irrelevant. What's important is that RCI is responsible for what happened, ultimately, and their effort to take care of these people was to me, negligible.

 

But it is nice we can discuss these things in a positive way . . . it's great when people can do that on a discussion forum! :)