Galveston weather concerns

[Cuizer2]

EB - Would it be possible to fly into your first port (Cozumel?? Roatan?) The day before the ship is to dock and get on then? If the ship is late, at least you can have some vacation fun while you wait!

 

Yes, that would be possible, and the extra cost would be covered by insurance, except EB didn't purchase insurance.

[perditax]

This map lets you see the Houston road outages due to high water.

 

https://traffic.houstontranstar.org/layers/#

[bluedevil72]

My wife and I WERE booked on the Liberty for tomorrow. We are a five hour drive to the port and there was no way I was going to risk it. Every overhead digital sign over every interstate in our area says "don't drive to the gulf coast." I called to cancel tonight and was told by Jennifer that we would receive a 100% future cruise credit along with refunds for shore excursions, specialty dining, taxes and port fees. She said that's what almost all of her calls have been about tonight. We also have cruise cancellation insurance thru RC so I will file a claim as well and hope to get a full refund instead of just a credit, although I'm OK with that. I just can't believe that Carnival has handled this so much better than RC. Whoda thunk it?

[Cuizer2]

They may not "owe" him anything but why not do the right thing and at least let him reschedule free of charge now and relieve all the anxiety? It's ridiculous that something like that hasn't been offered to these people less than 24 hours before they're supposed to board the ship.

 

I agree.

[Cuizer2]

I think most of us agree that the issue is RC not allowing EBFURR to rebook onto another sailing that is going to have an empty cabin they can take tomorrow.

 

Carnival is offering refunds rather than telling people that they have to fly into a dangerous situation or lose all their money and they have three ships out there, RC only has one!

 

I agree, but that does not mean most agree.

[perditax]

NWS Houston @NWSHouston

FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY: Around & north Hobby Airport to Pearland & Friendswood. PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL!

[geocruiser]

I would like to know if the ship does make it into port in Texas, how is RCCL going to restock the ship with food/supplies? I don't think that it would be easy to send supplies in to the port town.

[Cuizer2]

Yes, the cruise line does not owe him anything. But they can easily show good customer service and be sympathetic to the situation. RCL is not showing any sympathy at all right now. As I said earlier, as soon as Carnival gave their customers yesterday the option to cancel for future cruise credit. RCL should've done the same thing. People pay attention to these gestures and will remember these when booking in the future. It also make good business sense for RCL to give their customers this option under the current circumstances. I guarantee you he is one of at least a few hundred customers in the same delimma right now. Royal Caribbean needs to step up to the plate.

 

Thank you, you saved me some typing. You summed it up nicely.

[Cuizer2]

http://www.galveston.com/pier23videocam/

 

Watch here long enough and you will actually see traffic on Harborside. That is the CCL terminal with the RCCL one just up above it to the left. There was water on the road but it has drained off.

 

Granted there will probably be more rain tonight.

 

How long is long enough? I'll bet in a few days there will be lots of traffic there. What does that prove?

[cricketts]

I understand your frustrations, but not everyone agrees with the actions Royal Caribbean is taking in this case. I have taken 31 cruise (I'm making final payment on my 32 cruise soon) with five different lines. Enough of my cruises have been on Royal Caribbean that I am Diamond Plus (this includes two cruises out of Galveston). Royal Caribbean used to be known for its customer service. Then about three years ago Michael Bayley became the president of RCI and things have been going downhill since then.

 

From 2012 to 2016 I took seven cruises on Royal Caribbean. I currently have cruises booked out until 2019 and none of them are on Royal Caribbean. Why? Because of their new "We don't care attitude." I made my decision long before this weekend. Personally (and this is my personal opinion) I think Royal Caribbean has handled this shamefully.

 

The only advise I can offer is to look into flying into San Antonio or Dallas and drive to the port. In my opinion Dallas would be your best bet since it is a hub for American Airlines. I wish you the best of luck. I also recommend you look into insurance next time. Insurance is a strange product, since you buy it hoping you will not have to use it.

 

 

 

Interesting perspective on Michael Bailey... We are also D+ with 5 of our next 7 cruises into 2019 not booked with Royal... Their policy changes are not drawing us back to the fold but rather pushing us elsewhere!

 

 

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[lbjen]

⚠️ FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY FOR DEVASTATING FLOODING IN HOUSTON METRO TONIGHT ⚠️

 

August 26, 2017 1107PM: A catastrophic and devastating night of flash flooding similar to Allison is underway across parts of Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Galveston Counties. Rainfall rates are now approaching 7 inches in the last ONE HOUR. This is an EMERGENCY SITUATION. Do not leave your present location unless it is an emergency. Again we can not emphasize this enough - some locations have observed 10 inches of rain in the last 90 minutes. Catastrophic, widespread flooding is expected tonight in the Houston metro as additional heavy rainfall is developing.

[spleenstomper]

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

EZ Cruise parking lots are high and dry. :)

 

Dry???

[Cuizer2]

I would agree with this post if all things were equal.....meaning both cruise lines had ships coming in at the same time. But they didn't. Carnival had 2 other ships scheduled to port in Galveston days before RCI's ship was scheduled. This meant Carnival had to make a quicker decision. Comparing CCL's to RCI's reactions to this dilemma really is an apples to oranges comparison.

 

Normally I agree with your posts. But not this time. Carnival has three ships home ported in Galveston. Two were do in today (not days before) and one ship due in on Sunday, just like Royal Caribbean. 24 hours ago Carnival was in the same position Royal Caribbean is in today. Carnival made a decision that favors the customer. Royal Caribbean has put its passengers in a no win situation.

 

 

From a customer standpoint, Carnival is way ahead of Royal Caribbean this time.

[Cuizer2]

If you're basing that on a couple of posts making the (wrong) claim that they encouraged going to the port...you have been misinformed. A few other folks pointed out the error.

 

The exact opposite has been the case - a focus on safety. The ship was steered away from the hurricane, and those on the next cruise have been told to stay away for now. If you read back several posts....you'll see that Royal Caribbean actually told people NOT TO GO TO the Galveston port until further notice - the responsible thing to do.

 

Unfortunately this is exactly why reading posts with mis-information results in confused or misinformed consumers.

 

The problem is how late the decision from Royal Caribbean was made. I have cruised out of Galveston twice, and both times I have arrived the day before. In other words, I was already in the air by the time the announcement was made (if I had planned to cruise this Sunday). What should I do, ask the captain of the airplane to turn around?

[spleenstomper]

 

 

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[offnoncruiser]

My wife and I WERE booked on the Liberty for tomorrow. We are a five hour drive to the port and there was no way I was going to risk it. Every overhead digital sign over every interstate in our area says "don't drive to the gulf coast." I called to cancel tonight and was told by Jennifer that we would receive a 100% future cruise credit along with refunds for shore excursions, specialty dining, taxes and port fees. She said that's what almost all of her calls have been about tonight. We also have cruise cancellation insurance thru RC so I will file a claim as well and hope to get a full refund instead of just a credit, although I'm OK with that. I just can't believe that Carnival has handled this so much better than RC. Whoda thunk it?

 

Same here in the SA area, they are saying to not travel ANYWHERE NEAR the coastal regions, except for a life and death situation. The flooding in Houston and outlying areas has gotten much worse in the last few hours, and much more rain is expected. Getting in to (and out of) Galveston from anywhere will mostly likely be very dangerous over the next day or more.

 

Interesting that the Itinerary Update that was posted on the RCI website makes no mention whatsoever of the cruise credit cancellation options that are APPARENTLY available for anyone that cannot get to Galveston to board the ship by Monday. And isn't it too late today to be able to contact RCI to find out what the options are and how/what to provide for evidence they were not able to get there. Not a good situation at all.

 

And just my two cents, but I personally don't believe they'll be able to dock tomorrow, which will no doubt lead to many more unanswered questions for passengers that will be trying to get there. Must have been an interesting conversation between the Port of Galveston officials and RCI Miami.

[Cuizer2]

Lol a quick look at Cruisefan0001's profile, you can tell he/she is a huge RCL loyalist who probably won't even consider sailing with other lines. Thus the need to defend RCL so much. I've seen plenty of these kind of brand loyalists everywhere. Playstation vs Xbox, Honda vs Toyota, etc. You pretty much cannot say anything negative about their favorite brand, it's almost like saying something bad about their mother or child.

 

The word is "cheerleaders." Every cruise line has them.

[Cuizer2]

Before anyone piles on us again, remember some wise advice:

 

"Don't criticize someone until you have walked a mile in his shoes. If he gets mad you will be a mile away and he will be barefoot."

 

Aren't there any shoe stores near you?

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I am on your side in this mess.

[Cuizer2]

Interesting that an 8-year VP at RCI in their marine services department (who I've known for more than 12 years through my job} has repeatedly and clearly stated the opposite...but what would he know? :rolleyes:

 

Well, that explains your unbiased post.

[spleenstomper]

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

I apologize. That's my mistake. I thought Valor was scheduled to return yesterday.

 

My faith in you has returned. We all make mistakes.

[OSUZorba]

The word is "cheerleaders." Every cruise line has them.

I think Cruisefan0001 left the cheerleading squad and is now applying for the spam bot squad.

[Cuizer2]

Bring in the Royal cheer-leading squad. You guys look cute in those skirts.;p I jest. Free speech for all, even if I disagree.

 

Great line! Now I don't feel so bad about the joke I posted in post # 744. :)

[Galveston Cruiser]

it is late, been watching hours of weather reports while enjoying our screened back porch 20 blocks to the port.

Galveston is fine. BUT Houston is a different story.

 

PLEASE know the roads and where you are going.

 

To & From Galveston is dangerous.

 

The Island is fine, many hotels and short term rentals.

 

Be safe, not foolish.

 

 

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