Grandeur of the Seas 10/8/16

[rms519]

Royal didn't choose to do that.

 

 

 

The USCG did.

 

 

The USCG chose to close the bay, not the doors to the ship.

 

 

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[troykahack]

I guess that would be worse than when the Explorer ran out of horseradish last week. ;)

 

And Enchantment was out of Bloody Mary mix.....

[Moltar]

The USCG chose to close the bay, not the doors to the ship.

 

 

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The actions by the USCG forced RCCL to close their doors early. Doors dont close early, ship goes nowhere. 100 percent of passengers complaining or 25 or so percent that didnt board? you choose which is the bigger headache if you are running this company. I'd rather have the 25 percent to make happy as opposed to the whole ship.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Moltar

[rms519]

The actions by the USCG forced RCCL to close their doors early. Doors dont close early, ship goes nowhere. 100 percent of passengers complaining or 25 or so percent that didnt board? you choose which is the bigger headache.

 

 

Not my job to choose. Customer service shouldn't be viewed as a headache. They knew about this possible situation days before.

 

 

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[Moltar]

Not my job to choose. Customer service shouldn't be viewed as a headache. They knew about this possible situation days before.

 

 

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You're not getting my point. Enjoy your next cruise.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

The USCG chose to close the bay, not the doors to the ship.

 

 

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But to get out of the bay, they had to close the doors to the ship.

 

Now I do realize that Royal's communication is sometimes bad in these situations, but all I'm trying to say is that it's not Royal's fault that they had to leave early or change the itinerary.

Edited October 10, 2016 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[Eeyore1962]

Not my job to choose. Customer service shouldn't be viewed as a headache. They knew about this possible situation days before.

 

 

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No actually they did not know days before since Matthew changed direction to head out to sea instead of looping around to hit Florida again.

:rolleyes:

 

EVERYONE who books a cruise during Hurricane season SHOULD know that unexpected itinerary changes happen due to storms. Your parents really should have stayed on and they would have been able to take advantage of the Future Cruise Credit.

[rms519]

No actually they did not know days before since Matthew changed direction to head out to sea instead of looping around to hit Florida again.

 

:rolleyes:

 

 

 

EVERYONE who books a cruise during Hurricane season SHOULD know that unexpected itinerary changes happen due to storms. Your parents really should have stayed on and they would have been able to take advantage of the Future Cruise Credit.

 

 

They are still getting the credit, that's not the point. The point is, communication beforehand on RCCLs part. Why should everyone who books a cruise during hurricane season know there could be changes, but RCCL should have no responsibility to inform the customer before they cruise of possible changes?? C'mon people.

 

 

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[mjkacmom]

Not my job to choose. Customer service shouldn't be viewed as a headache. They knew about this possible situation days before.

 

 

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Of course they did, however, I'm guessing the final decision was made at the last minute, based on the most current information about weather. People boarded NCL's Breakaway only to learn that they would be docked overnight in MYC, and headin to storm damaged Nassau instead of Bermuda. There were probably many different plans, based on the weather.

[Moltar]

Anyone cruising during hurricane season and WHILE one is going on in the Atlantic arent the brightest if they think the cruise has no chance of changing at any given moment due to weather. That departure change happened that morning, the decision was made that morning by the USCG. Go and yell at them.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Moltar

[BND]

By RCCL who chose to close the doors and sail away! Seriously people, these people have a right to be upset! If they choose to be, good, if they choose not to be, good. You can't control how someone should feel! If you're in that situation then you can feel how you want and react how you want. Stop making people feel inferior because they're upset that their vacation is/was ruined! RCCL needs to improve customer service in these situations, period! You can have your opinions, but don't make people feel bad for expressing theirs!

 

 

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No one said they can't have their feelings, but you need to understand this was not done to them by RCI. You aren't onboard either (or scheduled to be) and don't really know how everyone feels. Sigh, RCI as others have pointed out, had to close the doors and leave. I'm still totally confused about what you think customer service could have or should have done differently? Tell the ship to gnore the USCG? You're the one making the stink about it and you aren't even impacted by what happened.

 

BTW, if people feel bad about their feelings, that is their issue. You need to quit blaming everyone else for your feelings. You're letting others own your feelings.

 

Vacations get changed/disrupted by weather all the time. What if, they were driving to the beach and the hurricane changed direction and they had to evacuate, would they and you be upset that the beach house owner hadn't communicated with them? Do you react the same way when a flight is cancelled due to weather?

Edited October 10, 2016 by BND

[rafinmd]

There's a rare if not unique challenge in sailing from Baltimore. It's not just the local weather; the Captain and Authorities have to be satisfied that conditions will be favorable 10 hours later and 150 miles away in a much different weather system.

 

This situation brings back memories of my own from 4 years ago. I was booked on the Crystal Symphony 10/31/12 from New York to Los Angeles. When word of Sandy came I went to New York an extra day early to be ahead of the storm. Sandy was worse than expected and I ended up in a hotel with no power and limited communications and transportation options. Then the port was closed and the ship skipped the embarkation port, sailing straight from Boston to Charleston. I was on my own; no help from the cruise line. My resourceful TA determined that while all the airports were closed Laguardia had cars to rent so I lucked out. You can bet I was unhappy but eventually things were made right, and I do understand the frustrations.

 

Matthew was a very unpredictable storm. I think South Florida fared much better than predicted just a few hours before the storm and the Carolinas much worse. Things changed very fast. I don't know when the final decision was made to close the bay but it couldn't have been much before noon Saturday leaving little if any time to notify passengers. What could Royal have said, "things COULD change" but anyone paying attention should have known that.

 

Royal COULD have kept the doors opened until 4, but I think the results would be even worse than they turned out. The Carnival Pride was coming and the Grandeur would have had to move but it would not have been able to get to sea. I assume it would have needed to either anchor or go to a cargo dock until the all clear was given. The Pride stayed docked until at least midnight so the Grandeur would have to sit for at least 32 hours before leaving. By leaving early the majority of the passengers had at least a chance of salvaging their cruise.

 

My 2012 experience has led me to the belief that morally if not legally cruise lines have a responsibility to take care of people who appear at the designated embarkation port at the proper time. People who arrived before the doors were given the best cruise Royal could provide under the circumstances; it's an act of God that it wasn't what they expected. They aren't really "due" anything more but it certainly is traditional to provide compensation and I think Royal was generous. I believe people who arrived at the terminal before all aboard and were denied entry were entitled to a refund which they received. I don't think they were "due" anything for their inconvenience but the credit on a future cruise was certainly reasonable.

 

I'm glad Royal provided some concessions to people who chose to leave the ship before it sailed but I see no reason they should have been expected to.

 

Roy

[cle-guy]

One should never book a cruise for the primary reason of visiting a fixed list of ports. Doing so just sets one up for disappointment.

 

One should book a Crusie to enjoy the facilities of the ship, and be happy it may stop at a few places along the way, hopefully following a planned itinerary, but sometimes not.

 

It's why the cruise contracts are so explicit in that they don't guarantee any ports of call, they just to ensure that you are picked up and dropped off where planned.

 

And in the event RCL had been more clear with announcements at port, what would that have done to change anything. How many people would have honestly left the ship knowing ports were changing.

 

It's all in the moment, and dealing with so many people like that, there are going to be delays, it's part of a cruise. We can't expect them to have 2000 members of staff on hand every day to plan for the eventuality of a disaster like this. We all just have to roll with it.

 

They had and implemented a plan, that was to pass out cards and have people call to get support from a team dedicated to such matters that can actually help, as opposed to ehe pier staff who aren't trained in such matters.

Edited October 10, 2016 by cle-guy

[Biker19]

What that poster was describing, is that a $1000 cruise fare is typically advertised as

 

$1000 fare

$200 taxes and fees

______

$1200 total trip cost

 

But what the fare is in reality:

$700 Crusie Fare

$300 non commissionable crusie fare (expense reimbursement really)

$200 taxes and fees

-------

$1200 total trip cost

 

And therefore the cruise credit will be 50% of the $700

In this case and all other reported cases, the fare paid is what the FCC is based on, not the reduced commissionable fare. And in this case it sounds like the FCC will be 100% - so in your example the FCC will be for $1000.

[vthokie]

My sister is on this cruise. She was

Onboard for more than 24 hours

Thinking she was headed to Bermuda.

Nobody informed her of anything.

They didn't pack warm clothes and were

Scared to death the first night due

To high seas. It was unacceptable not to

Inform passengers prior to leaving

Port.

[swoopy2110]

What did you want them to be informed of exactly? That it was going to be rough?

 

I'm not sure of how the change in schedule un-folded as I'm not there, but maybe the decision was only taken after the ship left port after the sea conditions were truly seen by the Captain and the decision was taken to try to keep passengers as comfortable as possible

[BND]

frustrations.

 

 

 

Royal COULD have kept the doors opened until 4, but I think the results would be even worse than they turned out. The Carnival Pride was coming and the Grandeur would have had to move but it would not have been able to get to sea. I assume it would have needed to either anchor or go to a cargo dock until the all clear was given. The Pride stayed docked until at least midnight so the Grandeur would have to sit for at least 32 hours before leaving. By leaving early the majority of the passengers had at least a chance of salvaging their cruise.

 

 

Roy

 

Yes, Grandeur had to get out with Pride coming in. There isn't room for two cruise ships there at the pier at the same time. If they waited til 4, they probably wouldn't have made it out of the bay by midnight which was when the bay was being closed (from what I remember reading). I'm also pretty sure there are spots on the bay that the two ships cannot pass side by side. As it is, having done it several times, they pass fairly close to each other. With the winds coming in that would have been more dangerous also.

[Cindy]

What that poster was describing, is that a $1000 cruise fare is typically advertised as

 

$1000 fare

$200 taxes and fees

______

$1200 total trip cost

 

But what the fare is in reality:

$700 Crusie Fare

$300 non commissionable crusie fare (expense reimbursement really)

$200 taxes and fees

-------

$1200 total trip cost

 

And therefore the cruise credit will be 50% of the $700

 

My numbers are assumed and rounded to help with clarity, though probably close. Point is a travel agent doesn't get commission on $1000, only $700 as the other $300 in the industry is earmarked not as fare, but as expenses,

 

So the poster was clarifying that you wont get FCC on the ENTIRE amount of the cruise fare. It is adjusted as per above,

 

That was not my experience with an RCCL (Celebrity) FCC due to a cancellation. I received a percentage of the entire cruise fare, less port fees and taxes. The amount didn't include anything I had paid for in advance, such as specialty dining, but there was no reduction for non-commissionable fare.

 

They didn't pack warm clothes...

 

As for warm clothes, why would anyone sail out of Baltimore in October without at least a sweatshirt/heavy sweater? Even if a cruise is headed to a tropical destination, I think people would understand that the sea days going down and returning have the potential to be cold that time of year. We've cruised out of Galveston a lot in November, December, March, and April, and I've always taken something warm for the first and last days.

[shipnm]

On the bright side it was an absolutely beautiful day in New York and Royal Caribbean had chartered/contracted a New York Waterways Ferry to take passengers from Bayonne to Midtown and lower Manhattan. I found this photo of the Grandeur of the Seas in Bayonne with the ferry alongside.

 

The associated article also talks about other Manhattan related cruise changes.

 

http://www.nycruiseinfo.com/Cruise-News/2016-10-06-Hurricane-Matthew-Disrupts-Cruise-Schedule.html

 

I spoke with some passengers who were onboard the Grandeur of the Seas last night. They confirmed it was a rough ride but actually were in good spirits today taking it all in stride.

 

They did state that some passengers did grab their luggage today and disembarked once in Bayonne but many did stay on board.

 

Ironically the people I spoke with today were from New Jersey.

[Saab4444]

My third try but does anyone know departure time of Grandeur from Bayonne today? Thanks!

 

 

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[Eeyore1962]

My third try but does anyone know departure time of Grandeur from Bayonne today? Thanks!

 

 

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Looks to be tonight sometime.

:rolleyes:

[mjkacmom]

My sister is on this cruise. She was

Onboard for more than 24 hours

Thinking she was headed to Bermuda.

Nobody informed her of anything.

They didn't pack warm clothes and were

Scared to death the first night due

To high seas. It was unacceptable not to

Inform passengers prior to leaving

Port.

 

So no announcements were made? I find that very hard to believe. How did everyone else find out?

[cruisecrazybmore]

So no announcements were made? I find that very hard to believe. How did everyone else find out?

 

It was announced around 7 pm on Saturday that we weren't going to Bermuda.

 

Looks to be tonight sometime.

 

All aboard is 8:30 pm.

Edited October 11, 2016 by cruisecrazybmore

[Thetrail]

Not my job to choose. Customer service shouldn't be viewed as a headache. They knew about this possible situation days before.

 

 

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Are you done with your rant yet???? You are starting to sound tired and repetitive.....K.O......:rolleyes:

[Thetrail]

My sister is on this cruise. She was

Onboard for more than 24 hours

Thinking she was headed to Bermuda.

Nobody informed her of anything.

They didn't pack warm clothes and were

Scared to death the first night due

To high seas. It was unacceptable not to

Inform passengers prior to leaving

Port.

Very amusing, sailing out of Baltimore in October and didn't bring ANY warm clothes, just plain dumb......K.O.:rolleyes: