In an Emergency, Celebrity Shows Its Strength

[bbappel]

We often focus on the food, the cabins, the entertainment, because after all, it is a cruise. When something unexpected happens, though, this is when Celebrity shows its strength.

 

The strength is caring for the passengers in important ways and caring for our safety. This puts in perspective any criticisms we might make. Which would you want, a ship where you find nothing to criticize but if you have an emergency, you are on your own OR Celebrity, where you are well cared-for.

 

Short story about what happened & how Celebrity helped.

My husband and I were in Cadiz on the 7th night of a 12 night Silhouette cruise, a Friday night (the ship was staying until 11:00 PM). We had been out in the earlier part of the day to explore our options for a nice Spanish meal. Back on board, getting ready to go out, my husband was trimming his eyebrows and dropped the scissors, cutting his eye causing the eye to internally fill with blood and alarm us.

 

We dashed down to the Medical Facility just before they closed; the nurse and doctor on staff examined him and felt he might need immediate surgery and weren’t equipped to diagnose nor to do the surgery. We speak no Spanish beyond gracias and cervesa. With help from Celebrity’s staff, we were disembarked with our luggage to get medical care in Cadiz (first at Clínica La Salud, a private clinic, and then at the public hospital to determine if he needed surgery--he didn't). Celebrity provided us a medical-interpreter/liaison from the area, Salim, who stayed with us until everything was resolved, communicating with cabs, and even loaning me his cell phone. Celebrity personnel in the US kept in contact with us and when he was declared fit to travel, Sherry, in Miami, communicated with the Bridge, who agreed to wait for us. Captain Kefatzis later said, with his typical humor, that we just made it; he saw the cab pulling up and hoped it was us, since he could not have waited longer. We have been able to enjoy the cruise thanks to Celebrity personnel.

 

It was an aha moment for us when we realized that Celebrity's strength is in their protocols for caring for passengers whether in the health area or in safety, and that is what is most important. We are grateful that Celebrity's priorities are what they are.

 

Beth

Edited September 22, 2016 by bbappel

[GUT2407]

Great to hear, hope all is well, but by the same token, most, if not all, lines would have done the same.

[Karynanne]

We often focus on the food, the cabins, the entertainment, because after all, it is a cruise. When something unexpected happens, though, this is when Celebrity shows its strength.

 

The strength is caring for the passengers in important ways and caring for our safety. This puts in perspective any criticisms we might make. Which would you want, a ship where you find nothing to criticize but if you have an emergency, you are on your own OR Celebrity, where you are well cared-for.

 

Short story about what happened & how Celebrity helped.

My husband and I were in Cadiz on the 7th night of a 12 night Silhouette cruise, a Friday night (the ship was staying until 11:00 PM). We had been out in the earlier part of the day to explore our options for a nice Spanish meal. Back on board, getting ready to go out, my husband was trimming his eyebrows and dropped the scissors, cutting his eye causing the eye to internally fill with blood and alarm us.

 

We dashed down to the Medical Facility just before they closed; the nurse and doctor on staff examined him and felt he might need immediate surgery and weren’t equipped to diagnose nor to do the surgery. We speak no Spanish beyond gracias and cervesa. With help from Celebrity’s staff, we were disembarked with our luggage to get medical care in Cadiz (first at Clínica La Salud, a private clinic, and then at the public hospital to determine if he needed surgery--he didn't). Celebrity provided us a medical-interpreter/liaison from the area, Salim, who stayed with us until everything was resolved, communicating with cabs, and even loaning me his cell phone. Celebrity personnel in the US kept in contact with us and when he was declared fit to travel, Sherry, in Miami, communicated with the Bridge, who agreed to wait for us. Captain Kefatzis later said, with his typical humor, that we just made it; he saw the cab pulling up and hoped it was us, since he could not have waited longer. We have been able to enjoy the cruise thanks to Celebrity personnel.

 

It was an aha moment for us when we realized that Celebrity's strength is in their protocols for caring for passengers whether in the health area or in safety, and that is what is most important. We are grateful that Celebrity's priorities are what they are.

 

Beth

 

 

What a happy ending. And I agree, we usually read of complaints.

 

Nice to know that Celebrity followed through, on what could have been a difficult situation for both of you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Fish Lover]

We often focus on the food, the cabins, the entertainment, because after all, it is a cruise. When something unexpected happens, though, this is when Celebrity shows its strength.

 

The strength is caring for the passengers in important ways and caring for our safety. This puts in perspective any criticisms we might make. Which would you want, a ship where you find nothing to criticize but if you have an emergency, you are on your own OR Celebrity, where you are well cared-for.

 

Short story about what happened & how Celebrity helped.

My husband and I were in Cadiz on the 7th night of a 12 night Silhouette cruise, a Friday night (the ship was staying until 11:00 PM). We had been out in the earlier part of the day to explore our options for a nice Spanish meal. Back on board, getting ready to go out, my husband was trimming his eyebrows and dropped the scissors, cutting his eye causing the eye to internally fill with blood and alarm us.

 

We dashed down to the Medical Facility just before they closed; the nurse and doctor on staff examined him and felt he might need immediate surgery and weren’t equipped to diagnose nor to do the surgery. We speak no Spanish beyond gracias and cervesa. With help from Celebrity’s staff, we were disembarked with our luggage to get medical care in Cadiz (first at Clínica La Salud, a private clinic, and then at the public hospital to determine if he needed surgery--he didn't). Celebrity provided us a medical-interpreter/liaison from the area, Salim, who stayed with us until everything was resolved, communicating with cabs, and even loaning me his cell phone. Celebrity personnel in the US kept in contact with us and when he was declared fit to travel, Sherry, in Miami, communicated with the Bridge, who agreed to wait for us. Captain Kefatzis later said, with his typical humor, that we just made it; he saw the cab pulling up and hoped it was us, since he could not have waited longer. We have been able to enjoy the cruise thanks to Celebrity personnel.

 

It was an aha moment for us when we realized that Celebrity's strength is in their protocols for caring for passengers whether in the health area or in safety, and that is what is most important. We are grateful that Celebrity's priorities are what they are.

 

Beth

 

I am very glad that your husband was able to be treated without surgery.

 

Bravo to Celebrity. Given how well they handle weather threats , I am not shocked to hear how well they handled a medical emergency. It is good to know though. I have personal experience with Princess and Royal Caribbean and their inability, ineptitude, and/or unwillingness to even come close to your experience in an emergency situation.

[LisaAtlCruiser]

When it all comes down to it - this is what matters. Makes me feel great about Celebrity. I would rather pay a higher price and know I am in safe/caring hands than pay bargain basement prices and have a cruise line not come through when I really need them.

[Bo1953]

Beth,

 

I Am so happy to hear of the good outcome and X's care for you and your husband.

 

To be sure, it does not escape me that even if you were not able to make it back to the ship in time, some accommodation may have been made for you to meet at the next port... yet happy that was not necessary.

 

I trust others will be able to understand the value which X can bring to a cruise vacation beyond OBC, Beverage Packages inclusions or not, and other such.

 

They brought that little extra which makes it worth every penny and then some, because one never knows when they will need it....

 

Thank you for relating this to the community here....

 

bon voyage

[easyboy]

Nice to know that your husband didn't have to undergo surgery.

I hope he feels better now.

Thanks for sharing the reliable concern of Celebrity on its guests.

[chemmo]

Hope your husband continues to improve. I am sure many readers, me included, felt reassured you were looked after in port.

 

Well done Celebrity!

[SWFL Cruisers]

Outstanding! First off I am happy your DH is okay. Second It is refreshing to see a positive post, Great job Celebrity!

 

Cheers!:D

[Texed]

Thank you for posting this. :)

[marieps]

Beth:

 

Knowing how much time you take coordinating the roll call of whatever cruise you're on, (Eclipse 2 week Caribbean, for instance), it is no surprise you took pause to inform your Celebrity friends of your positive experience. I'm so glad you did, and thankful your husband was not seriously injured.

 

I hope the X staffer now monitoring this board is writing an internal memo of congrats to those crew involved. Sometimes modern luxury must take a backseat to old fashioned caring. I'm pleased for you that it did.

[hcat]

Thanks for the report. Glad it turned out well...sounds like Celeb did a great jobb& of course that's one of fav Captains,,,all are very good but a few stand out!

[CruisingChick]

Hi Beth,

 

So happy to hear that Celebrity stepped up for you and hubby. That's terrific. You must have been so relieved he did not need surgery.

 

I think maybe you should invest in one of those battery operated eyebrow trimmers for DH so he does not have to use scissors in the future.

 

Take care,

 

Anne Maria

[flyingv4me]

So glad your husband is doing better. Silhouette is a great ship with a great staff!

[Happy2cruise]

Glad to hear, thanks for sharing:)

[bbappel]

Thanks for the kind comments. I love hearing from people with whom we've shared cruise experiences. Thanks Marie & Anne Marie. And those with whom I expect to - Thanks Jacquie.

 

One more thing - I was just reviewing my notes. They said this:

 

In the future, we should pack and unpack in such a way that it is easy to just repack in a hurry if needed. All things in safe in a single plastic bag. All pills ditto. And we should develop a procedure to do it if needed.

 

This is because the packing was an ordeal - I don't deal with emergencies well - I would love to be the person who falls apart after everything is handled, and I swear next time I will be, but then the next time comes and I am a mess. So as the ship stewards were trying to pack our bags, I was trying to remember where I was putting our money from the safe, our pills so we could get to them, and on and on. It certainly didn't reduce the stress. I left behind my "valuable" wall hooks so I have to be on the look-out for new ones because they were gone when we returned. I'm going to use the suitcase packing devices for over the bed. It will make unpacking easy and repacking even easier. I hope we never need to do this again, but on our cruise, there was a much more serious emergency in the first port. Because it was the first day, I hope they hadn't done all their unpacking.

 

I tend to be one of those people whose suitcase sort of explodes. The guys couldn't get everything back in the cases despite their best efforts since time was a key factor, so had to substitute Celebrity bags, the light ones, not the nice zippered Concierge ones; some of our stuff was just tied in these bags. We arrived with 2 large cases, 2 rolling totes, a back pack and a regular tote. We left the ship that night with all of those plus 4 Celebrity totes just tied in a bow. Luckily the Clinic in Cadiz was able to secure all our stuff when we went on to the hospital, and retrieve it when we were going back to the ship.

 

Has anyone else any sure-fire solutions to preparing for this sort of emergency? I'm thinking about it, that's for sure.

 

Beth

[ecslady]

Thank you for sharing. I'm glad your husband didn't need surgery, you were able to re-join the cruise, and Celebrity was there for you! :)

[Azulann]

Thank you for sharing the response from Celebrity.

These passenger emergencies and how they are handled by the cruise line speak volumes.

Kudos to Celebrity.

And thank you for the extra tip about more organized packing and unpacking on a cruise.

[Grandmaanne7]

I would like to add my thanks for posting this. It is so very reassuring to know that safety truly is Celebrity's number 1 concern as they say at muster. I have almost always experienced great customer service at every level on Celebrity so I am not surprised, just pleasantly confident that we are in good hands while cruising.

[Payd]

Happy that all worked out well for you and your husband.

 

I really appreciate that you told this story that has so many positive outcomes!

 

Happy Cruising:D

[cachouonacruise]

Thank you very much for posting this information! I am very glad to hear that for you and your husband, everything is well, that ends well. I am also extremely pleased to hear that Celebrity did not let you down or abandon you. It is very reassuring. Reading these boards for a few months now; I find that information regarding safety issues or emergency situations is very rare. So your post, is definitely interesting, comforting and enlightening. So thank you very much, and I hope that your husband's recovery went well. P.s. Bravo Celebrity!

 

 

RCL Sovereign of the seas (1992), RCL Enchantment of the seas (2010), HAL Rotterdam (2014), HAL Maasdam (2015)

[Arzeena]

Glad to read something like this for a change.

Beth, hope your husband is doing well.

[awhfy]

Wonderful that your husband was able to reboard without surgery & you were able to continue your journey. What an ordeal & how great to know it was handled so well by Celebrity

 

Christmas gift - electric trimmers!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[travelpeon]

I'm also glad to read that your husband is ok and Celebrity handled it well.

 

While I wish all cruise lines could handle such a situation in an organized, calm, and compassionate manner, I honestly don't believe several companies would really do it well.

 

Regarding the wall hooks and packing for emergencies - It is good to keep some of the critical things together in such a scenario. Passport, travel insurance contact # & policy #, cash, credit cards, medication list, and meds are critical. Even a cell phone falls into a maybe, though very useful if you need to arrange to get home or authorize certain things with your travel insurance provider. The rest is not and never should be more important than seeking urgent medical care. If you've seen news reports of people hauling their carry ons during a plane evacuation and hindering the escape of other passengers - remember, your clothes and gadgets are not worth someone's life. The stewards could mail them to you at the end of your trip. For the plane, I keep my critical items in a small pouch with strap at my seat or in my coat pockets.

 

As a one-bagger where everything, even a specific hook, is deliberated and the exact quantity, functionality, and weight is scrutinized, I feel your dismay at losing the hooks. I suggest reading Marie Kondo's book to pare your luggage contents down to things you really will use & enjoy and packing cubes. eBags lightweight cubes are a good option.

Edited September 23, 2016 by travelpeon

[riclop]

We often focus on the food, the cabins, the entertainment, because after all, it is a cruise. When something unexpected happens, though, this is when Celebrity shows its strength.

 

The strength is caring for the passengers in important ways and caring for our safety. This puts in perspective any criticisms we might make. Which would you want, a ship where you find nothing to criticize but if you have an emergency, you are on your own OR Celebrity, where you are well cared-for.

 

Short story about what happened & how Celebrity helped.

My husband and I were in Cadiz on the 7th night of a 12 night Silhouette cruise, a Friday night (the ship was staying until 11:00 PM). We had been out in the earlier part of the day to explore our options for a nice Spanish meal. Back on board, getting ready to go out, my husband was trimming his eyebrows and dropped the scissors, cutting his eye causing the eye to internally fill with blood and alarm us.

 

We dashed down to the Medical Facility just before they closed; the nurse and doctor on staff examined him and felt he might need immediate surgery and weren’t equipped to diagnose nor to do the surgery. We speak no Spanish beyond gracias and cervesa. With help from Celebrity’s staff, we were disembarked with our luggage to get medical care in Cadiz (first at Clínica La Salud, a private clinic, and then at the public hospital to determine if he needed surgery--he didn't). Celebrity provided us a medical-interpreter/liaison from the area, Salim, who stayed with us until everything was resolved, communicating with cabs, and even loaning me his cell phone. Celebrity personnel in the US kept in contact with us and when he was declared fit to travel, Sherry, in Miami, communicated with the Bridge, who agreed to wait for us. Captain Kefatzis later said, with his typical humor, that we just made it; he saw the cab pulling up and hoped it was us, since he could not have waited longer. We have been able to enjoy the cruise thanks to Celebrity personnel.

 

It was an aha moment for us when we realized that Celebrity's strength is in their protocols for caring for passengers whether in the health area or in safety, and that is what is most important. We are grateful that Celebrity's priorities are what they are.

 

Beth

 

Nice story!!!