Undelivered Message

[xxHadleyxx]

And that is my point, I can't imagine why there can't be a reliable way to reach someone on a ship by means other than their cell phone. Again, I understand why folks wouldn't want to bother to find another way. It is worth it to me to spend a bit of time on it.

 

Have a good day!

 

Unless I have left my teens behind, I tend to not turn on my cell phone or go online while cruising--I get that.

 

I ask again, did the in laws check their in stateroom phone looking for messages daily? Honestly, it is easy to miss if you do not LOOK for it, but I do not think that make the ship's systems unreliable.

If they forwarded the message through their internal system and the OP'sin laws simply failed to see it (which is quite likely, IME) nothing failed really.

 

On huge ships there are likely several people in any given sailing being notified of things like a death of a loved one when sailing---surely you do not expect that staff will hunt down and personally deliver messages to each and every one?

Edited April 13, 2016 by NHDisneylover

[YadaYadaJodi]

Here's the information for how to contact the ship to leave with friends and family back home. They will need to know the ship's name. I also give them my cabin number and of course they know my legal name.

 

888-724-7447 ($7.95/minute)

 

My next cruise I will be traveling with my daughter. I will leave all my information with both my husband and my parents.

 

I am attaching a copy of the type of information I leave behind. I think it's important they have my travel insurance and parking information as well in case something happens to me.

CruiseContactInfo.pdf

[JaniceB]

Here's the information for how to contact the ship to leave with friends and family back home. They will need to know the ship's name. I also give them my cabin number and of course they know my legal name.

 

888-724-7447 ($7.95/minute)

 

My next cruise I will be traveling with my daughter. I will leave all my information with both my husband and my parents.

 

I am attaching a copy of the type of information I leave behind. I think it's important they have my travel insurance and parking information as well in case something happens to me.

 

Thanks for sharing this with us. My next cruise will be without my husband, just some girlfriends and the next one will be with him. I will be sure to include all this info for my family on both cruises.

[live2vayk]

On huge ships there are likely several people in any given sailing being notified of things like a death of a loved one when sailing---surely you do not expect that staff will hunt down and personally deliver messages to each and every one?

 

Not at all!! It sounded to me like the message the OP was speaking of never made it at all, not even a v/m on the cabin phone.

 

Thanks for the information YadaYadaJodi, very helpful!

[xxHadleyxx]

Not at all!! It sounded to me like the message the OP was speaking of never made it at all, not even a v/m on the cabin phone.

 

Thanks for the information YadaYadaJodi, very helpful!

 

I think it is unclear if it might have made it onto the voicemail and simply gone unnoticed by the cabin occupants.

[Bandit236]

Thanks for the emergency phone number. I'm leaving on Saturday and wanted to give that to my family.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Unless I have left my teens behind, I tend to not turn on my cell phone or go online while cruising--I get that.

 

I ask again, did the in laws check their in stateroom phone looking for messages daily? Honestly, it is easy to miss if you do not LOOK for it, but I do not think that make the ship's systems unreliable.

If they forwarded the message through their internal system and the OP'sin laws simply failed to see it (which is quite likely, IME) nothing failed really.

 

On huge ships there are likely several people in any given sailing being notified of things like a death of a loved one when sailing---surely you do not expect that staff will hunt down and personally deliver messages to each and every one?

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't notice the messages on the phone if they're there! It should be a fairly simple replacement to phones that have some kind of signal (on Disney there is a strip that lights up red (pretty sure it's red, could just be a light) at the top of the handset so it's much easier to see that you have a message, for example) - pretty much any hotel I've been in has some light or blinking thing to indicate a message.

 

As I said earlier, on Radiance last summer our group organizer had left a message for me and I didn't even realize there was a message on the phone because nothing blinked or lit up to indicate it. I only knew something had been left because I happened to run into her on my way to the event that had a location change - when I got back to my cabin I actually looked at the phone screen and saw a tiny indication there, so after that I knew to look at the screen. But otherwise I would not have known that you could have a message and nothing would ALERT you to it.

[tlatrice]

So perhaps one of the tips we should start passing along here on CC is: check your cabin phone for messages at least daily. There may or may not be a flashing red light on the phone indicating a voicemail. It may just be a tiny indicator on the screen.

 

OPs, sorry for your loss.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

So perhaps one of the tips we should start passing along here on CC is: check your cabin phone for messages at least daily. There may or may not be a flashing red light on the phone indicating a voicemail. It may just be a tiny indicator on the screen.

 

OPs, sorry for your loss.

 

Definitely. Or at least be prepared to check - newer (or more recently refurbished) ships might have different phones that do have a light indicator. But it's something I'll now know to check on RCCL cruises!

[Cruiserlady39]

Here's the information for how to contact the ship to leave with friends and family back home. They will need to know the ship's name. I also give them my cabin number and of course they know my legal name.

 

888-724-7447 ($7.95/minute)

 

The number which you gave above is the number my in-laws' son called. The message was not forwrded to them.

[Cruiserlady39]

I think it is unclear if it might have made it onto the voicemail and simply gone unnoticed by the cabin occupants.

 

My in-laws were with another couple and left messages for each other on the cabin phone. These were all noticed.

[allie3490]

Never would I rely on a ship that carries 6000+ passengers to relay any important messages to me. In this day and age with cell phones, email, text, facetime, skype, etc. we should be able to communicate with family back home and not rely on some antiquated messaging service (i.e. ship phone voicemail).

[Langley Cruisers]

The number which you gave above is the number my in-laws' son called. The message was not forwarded to them.

 

OP, while I am terribly sorry for your family's loss and that the message was not delivered/received, I think we have all learned an important lesson here. What is also troubling is the fact that his phone call probably cost him no less than $25 for about 3 minutes - a lot more than a text message or cell phone call would have cost. It is certainly not an efficient way to (supposedly be able to) connect with someone on a ship out to sea.

 

Again, so sorry. I also see no one has actually answered your question on who to contact. I don't have that info, even though it is all over these various threads every day (I never made a note of it). Are you still wanting to pursue this?

[Havingfun2010]

First Cruise = What's a cell phone

2000-2010 = OK, it a cell phone but it does not work on a ship

2011-2016 = oh my gosh, if I leave it on, I will get a $1000.00 bill!

 

I travel a lot, and have family members that are not in the best of shape. I want to know if an emergency happens etc. I'm not a big talker, but I do use my smart phone constantly. But when I travel internationally, and/or cruise ship, I also make sure I understand how to work it, so I can keep it on, and not worry about a $1000.00 bill. I may not always carry it, like around the ship, but it is always on, ready to accept a call, or more importantly, a text. I can afford the cruise, so I can afford a few dollars on my phone for international roaming. Keep data roaming off. Keep WiFi on. Incoming texts are free or $0.10. No need to respond to texts unless you really want to. Same for phone calls. If your phone rings, let it go. I only get calls from my wife, or adult kids, and my wife is with me, and the kids know not to call me. So if my phone rings, its important!

 

If I am also doing a land package or land trip, than I just buy a data package for $30.00 and than never worry.

 

You can not fix what happened, but you can email RCCL and give them an idea of a situation that could have been handled differently so that others will not go through it.

 

For others, remember, that keeping your phones on, does not mean $1000.00 bills.

[grandmarnnurse]

First Cruise = What's a cell phone

2000-2010 = OK, it a cell phone but it does not work on a ship

2011-2016 = oh my gosh, if I leave it on, I will get a $1000.00 bill!

 

I travel a lot, and have family members that are not in the best of shape. I want to know if an emergency happens etc. I'm not a big talker, but I do use my smart phone constantly. But when I travel internationally, and/or cruise ship, I also make sure I understand how to work it, so I can keep it on, and not worry about a $1000.00 bill. I may not always carry it, like around the ship, but it is always on, ready to accept a call, or more importantly, a text. I can afford the cruise, so I can afford a few dollars on my phone for international roaming. Keep data roaming off. Keep WiFi on. Incoming texts are free or $0.10. No need to respond to texts unless you really want to. Same for phone calls. If your phone rings, let it go. I only get calls from my wife, or adult kids, and my wife is with me, and the kids know not to call me. So if my phone rings, its important!

 

If I am also doing a land package or land trip, than I just buy a data package for $30.00 and than never worry.

 

You can not fix what happened, but you can email RCCL and give them an idea of a situation that could have been handled differently so that others will not go through it.

 

For others, remember, that keeping your phones on, does not mean $1000.00 bills.

 

Thanks for the info. I have never bought the wifi packages because I prefer to not use that on vacation. As for my cellphone--I would have to purchase an international plan before boarding from Straight Talk, and I just never bothered. As it stands with their usual plans, my phone goes dead the minute I travel out to sea, or cross any border (as from our home in Buffalo, NY when we cross over to Canada) My hubby only has a trac phone,mand no service in those areas also.

[PH8]

You know, it depends how they have their phone set up. Either way...it wouldn't have made much of a difference. I would assume they would have called the relatives CELL phones, instead of the ship....but if they called the ship...there's no way to track it.

 

Let it go. The deceased wasn't harmed...there was nothing the cruisers could have done to help.

 

 

Let it go.

 

What a horrible thing to say...too bad you never re read your comments.You might realize how insensitve your comment was.:mad:

[Langley Cruisers]

What a horrible thing to say...too bad you never re read your comments.You might realize how insensitve your comment was.:mad:

 

Could be the worst one yet. Very insensitive, borderline cruel.

[PH8]

I have been on ships where the light does not flash on the phone,yet I have messages....maybe that's what happened??

[sushigirl53]

My husband and I were on the Radiance in Alaska (still in the US and with regular cell phone coverage) in June of 2004. When we were in Juneau, my husband checked his voicemail after we returned to the ship from our excursion. He had a message from our adult daughter at home telling him to call her ASAP. When he called her, she told us that my father had passed away. After recovering from the initial shock, we immediately went to the Guest Relations desk and told them. They said that they would handle everything and make arrangements for us to disembark the next day in Skagway since we were only about 30 minutes from sailing out of Juneau and there was not enough time to leave before sailing. So, we packed up and the following morning were assisted in leaving the ship and catching a van (ordered by RCCL) that took us to the company in town that would fly us back (on a SMALL 6-seater Cessna!) to Juneau. From there, we were flown to Seattle and then to San Jose before flying home to Atlanta. Although we flew all day and night, RCCL took care of all of the arrangements. Fortunately, we DID have travel insurance and ALWAYS make sure we buy it whenever we cruise. I realize that travel in Alaska is not the same as when you travel out of the country, so cell phone use isn't the issue that it is elsewhere, but RCCL was very good and accommodating in making arrangements for our trip home.

[Cruiserlady39]

I would suggest you contact this individual, with all the information concerning this incident. It's too late concerning your situation, but maybe a repeat can be avoided in the future.

 

Aurora Ayera-Rodriguez

Aurora "Laly" Yera-Rodriguez Director, Guest Relations & Shared Services Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, & Royal Caribbean International

 

ayera-rodriguez@rccl.com

 

We want to thank you very much for giving us this information. The incident was handled to my in-laws satisfaction. Laly is looking into why this may have occurred.

 

Thanks again!

Traudi

[xxHadleyxx]

My in-laws were with another couple and left messages for each other on the cabin phone. These were all noticed.

 

Then it sounds like, in your case, someone did drop the ball. So sorry about that and your loss.

[Royal2464]

We want to thank you very much for giving us this information. The incident was handled to my in-laws satisfaction. Laly is looking into why this may have occurred.

 

Thanks again!

Traudi

 

You are welcome. Glad I could help.