Oasis of the Seas: From Devastation To Hope

[jandlcruise]

Hey cruisers. On May 14, 2016 my wife, daughter, and I missed embarkation on Oasis of the Seas due to egregious errors and miscalculation by *this guy*. I wrote about our experience here.

 

The sympathetic and constructive feedback was truly appreciated and typifies what it means to be part of a community.

 

After stewing for a couple weeks we decided to give it a shot again and booked Harmony of the Seas for Feb'17. It gets better. RCCL issued a letter of credit out of pure compassion and mercy over our misadventures. I won't get into detail about this benevolent act nor how it came to fruition. Just know you want to do all you can to avoid the predicament of being mere steps away from the gangplank only to be sent back from whence you came. Show up early and enjoy the ship.

 

AND....if something were to happen, be sure you have a standard US passport and not the puny passport cards my daughter and I sported. You never know when you have catch a last-minute bird to the Bahamas for the interception play.

 

With that, we look forward to being on the Harmony. Hope to see some of you there!

 

Chris

 

So very glad to hear this! We arrive at the port at 10:30 no matter what time it tells us we can board. We would much rather wait there than be late due to crowds. We were on that sailing and arrived at 10:30 and breezed through check-in. We were told that in about an hour it would get very busy. We sat and waited in the waiting area until 12:30 but that was fine with us. Have a wonderful cruise!

[payitforward]

I have absolutely NO doubt that your attitude and willingness to take responsibility for your own mistakes is what prompted them to "show mercy." I am thrilled that you and your family will be taking that cruise after all. I hope it is well worth the wait!

[crusin gator]

Yeah!!!! I wish ya'll the BEST vacation ever. :-) I am so happy for u

[Rosy1013]

Wahoo! Very happy it worked out!

[Spurschick]

Hey cruisers. On May 14, 2016 my wife, daughter, and I missed embarkation on Oasis of the Seas due to egregious errors and miscalculation by *this guy*. I wrote about our experience here.

 

The sympathetic and constructive feedback was truly appreciated and typifies what it means to be part of a community.

 

After stewing for a couple weeks we decided to give it a shot again and booked Harmony of the Seas for Feb'17. It gets better. RCCL issued a letter of credit out of pure compassion and mercy over our misadventures. I won't get into detail about this benevolent act nor how it came to fruition. Just know you want to do all you can to avoid the predicament of being mere steps away from the gangplank only to be sent back from whence you came. Show up early and enjoy the ship.

 

AND....if something were to happen, be sure you have a standard US passport and not the puny passport cards my daughter and I sported. You never know when you have catch a last-minute bird to the Bahamas for the interception play.

 

With that, we look forward to being on the Harmony. Hope to see some of you there!

 

Chris

 

 

So pleased this worked out for you. I really hope you enjoy your new trip:)

 

 

Great news! So happy for you and your family. Make sure you arrive a day early and just hang out at the hotel and stay local.

 

The OP arrived the day before when they missed the ship:D goes to show anything can happen!

Edited June 20, 2016 by Spurschick

[Firefighterhoop]

Hey cruisers. On May 14, 2016 my wife, daughter, and I missed embarkation on Oasis of the Seas due to egregious errors and miscalculation by *this guy*. I wrote about our experience here.

 

The sympathetic and constructive feedback was truly appreciated and typifies what it means to be part of a community.

 

After stewing for a couple weeks we decided to give it a shot again and booked Harmony of the Seas for Feb'17. It gets better. RCCL issued a letter of credit out of pure compassion and mercy over our misadventures. I won't get into detail about this benevolent act nor how it came to fruition. Just know you want to do all you can to avoid the predicament of being mere steps away from the gangplank only to be sent back from whence you came. Show up early and enjoy the ship.

 

AND....if something were to happen, be sure you have a standard US passport and not the puny passport cards my daughter and I sported. You never know when you have catch a last-minute bird to the Bahamas for the interception play.

 

With that, we look forward to being on the Harmony. Hope to see some of you there!

 

Chris

 

Glad everything worked out, and I hope you enjoy the Harmony!!

[PCHENG]

Glad everything worked out for you. I am sure you will have a blast on the Harmony.

 

Good thing your daughter is too young to remember what happened with the Oasis. I had two daughters aged 2 and 5, and I once missed a 6 a.m. flight because of traffic jam from accident. We got to the gate just as the plane closes its door, and to this date my elder daughter would keep asking me "Daddy, will we make the flight" every time we go on vacation.

[troykahack]

I don't think having a great attitude about the situation and taking responsibility for the mishap hurt your cause at all. RCI must get so tired of listening to entitled cruisers that call to complain, threaten and wail about real or perceived slights, and hear demands for freebies and compensation. Somehow they always "gotta make it right" even if the situation is not their fault. Nobody takes personal responsibility anymore.

 

Kudos to you and RCI. Glad you are happy with the outcome. Have a great cruise .

 

I couldn't agree more. Thank you for sharing and to RCCL for making it right. RCCL has always been good to us.

[aichambaye]

That's great news!

[newsanchor]

That's great news for you! I also missed a cruise on Disney five years ago - mine was weather related - but stupid me had not bought trip insurance. Long story short, both Disney Vacation Club (we had booked through it and not the Cruise Line) and Southwest Airlines took great care of me, and we were able to rebook at no additional cost. When I shared the good news on Cruise Critic, I was met with a tidal wave of venom from cruisers on the Disney page who felt I should have been publicly stoned for my mistake of not buying insurance and certainly not given a break by the airline and Disney. Glad to see the warmer reception here on the RCCL page! Enjoy your cruise!

 

John

[newsanchor]

I stand corrected - I was not lambasted on Cruise Critic... I went back and checked - I was lambasted on the Disney Cruise Line forum at DISboards.com. Sorry to have besmirched the good name of my friends at Cruise Critic! :)

[ReneeFLL]

What a horrible thing to happen to you for your first cruise, but I am so glad it worked out for you in the end.

[ReneeFLL]

Chrislilynorah, here is a link to the roll call for your upcoming Harmony cruise. Have a great cruise.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2207715

[CGoguen]

So glad to hear this update. With a young family myself, I can only imagine the heartbreak of that day. I'm sure you will never miss a ship again but here is a tip just in case: ... While in ports, the ship departs on 'ship time' and not necessarily the time it is in whatever port you are in. Your cell phone may change time zones automatically so do not rely on that and always know what time it is on the ship!

 

 

 

Enjoy your vacation!

[tlatrice]

so glad to hear this update. With a young family myself, i can only imagine the heartbreak of that day. I'm sure you will never miss a ship again but here is a tip just in case: ... While in ports, the ship departs on 'ship time' and not necessarily the time it is in whatever port you are in. Your cell phone may change time zones automatically so do not rely on that and always know what time it is on the ship!

 

 

 

Enjoy your vacation!

 

excellent advice!