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Pitiful

r4addz

By r4addz,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Paulras

Paulras

Posted
Posted

Call me when you have real issues to complain about. Actually don't. I would throw myself overboard if I had to listen to petty complaints all the time.

 

Oh and congrats on getting a worker from a third world country fired for calling your room when you weren't sleeping. Awesome!

 

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bengaltiger1

bengaltiger1

Posted
Posted
Call me when you have real issues to complain about. Actually don't. I would throw myself overboard if I had to listen to petty complaints all the time.

 

Oh and congrats on getting a worker from a third world country fired for calling your room when you weren't sleeping. Awesome!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

Where has the OP stated that he got someone fired?

 

 

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dateacher

dateacher

Posted
Posted
So, you're not really interested in getting an answer to your complaint at all. The whole cake disaster may well be because your TA who "did an excellent job" actually did nothing of the sort, but rather failed to book a special package, just hoping that Celebrity would do something.

 

Pitiful.

 

Stuart

 

Exactly. To get a special occasion cake you have to request AND pay for it. By just asking your TA if they did, you shouldn't ruin a future relationship with them. As a matter of fact, if it was ordered and paid for, you should have some written receipt. We were on another cruise line in November. I ordered and paid for a cake directly through the cruise line website (even though I had used a TA for my booking). I received a confirmation and asked the waiter when we got to dinner if it was noted anywhere about the cake. It's not rocket science or a major conspiracy against you.

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r4addz

r4addz

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Call me when you have real issues to complain about. Actually don't. I would throw myself overboard if I had to listen to petty complaints all the time.

 

Oh and congrats on getting a worker from a third world country fired for calling your room when you weren't sleeping. Awesome!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

 

I actually said I went back to sleep after the in room breakfast and was awakened by the phone call, but that wouldn't look as good in your attempts to denigrate me would it so why let the facts get in the way of a good attack?

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r4addz

r4addz

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Posted
Oh the horror! How dare Celebrity try to compensate you for a minor irritant! Did this occur after all the other “incidents”? If so, it was probably their attempt to shut you up. Also, could you not have simply just called down to the specialty restaurant to cancel? It certainly would have saved you that 20 mins in line!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I went to complain about the culture that stops them from accepting that if a guest says "I don't want this" then they actually don't! In my opinion, the 20 mins were well spent in that respect but it shouldn't have been necessary!

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sanger727

sanger727

Posted
Posted
Actually no, none of those.

 

 

 

If you want a new instalment.....

 

 

 

So I have already commented on the DND issue but not saidwhat happened when I complained about it. This is a classic example of how theytotally ignore the guest’s wishes. I visited GR to complain about room servicebypassing the DND sign and they were (I admit) very apologetic, they offered tobook me into a speciality dining experience in compensation but I declined. Ipointed out that I had brought the transgression to their attention, not to geta freebie but to hopefully ensure that other guests didn’t have to put up withthis kind of thing. I actually had to get quite insistent that I did not wantany freebie so imagine my amazement when I got back to my room to find amessage waiting telling me I had been booked in to one of the specialityrestaurants against my wishes. I spent 20 mins in the queue for GR the next dayto see the person I had dealt with to ask why and cancel the booking (someoneelse may have wanted to go). Why couldn’t they listen to me and respect mywishes, I wasn’t there for a freebie but they tried to give me one anyway!

 

 

You can’t be serious? I wonder if this is a cultural difference. First you were upset because when you were complaining there was a manager present which you found ‘intimidating’. Then you’re upset that after 3 complaints they insisted on offering you something for your troubles?

 

I’ve complained at businesses a few times for bad experiences. And any business worth their salt offers something as compensation. I always say, no thank you, that’s not why I complained - just wanted you to be aware of the issue. They insist because they want you to be happy enough to return. And at that point the only polite response is ‘thank you’.

 

I did have sympathy for your experience and everything that went wrong. But if this story is accurate I can only have sympathy for the staff that went out of their way to make your cruise a bit better. This behavior is incredibly rude. Maybe the bartender wasn’t coughing at you because they were sick; maybe your name had just gotten around on board as being difficult.

 

What was your point of going to guest services to complain. 1. They can’t undo what happened; 2. They can offer that they will deal w it (if they were wrong) and it won’t happen again - and in your situation the issues didn’t repeat so that may be true, but you would never know if it wasn’t... outside of that, all they can offer you is something as a token of apology. It won’t right a wrong, but since you didn’t have the special birthday you wanted; you could have had a special night another night.

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G.M.T.

G.M.T.

Posted
Posted

I'm shaking my head - left to right, right to left (in total disbelief) more than I would while watching men's final at Wimbledon.:rolleyes:

 

I think I'll go back to watching paint dry, at least that comes to and end.

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richsea

richsea

Posted
Posted
Oh the horror! How dare Celebrity try to compensate you for a minor irritant! Did this occur after all the other “incidents”? If so, it was probably their attempt to shut you up. Also, could you not have simply just called down to the specialty restaurant to cancel? It certainly would have saved you that 20 mins in line!

 

 

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Where’s the fun in that?

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Michidoeme

Michidoeme

Posted
Posted

Again, as in some other threads, I am so puzzled by this - already 10 page long - epic.

 

I am not taking sides here, but I very much like Michelle's "when they go low, we go high". On these boards, it seems like it is one long run to the bottom, to see who can go even lower.

 

If someone has gripes (deserved or not), what is the point of slamming him, offending him, calling him names, etc ? Aren't these responders not just showing that they are as negative as what they blame the original TA for ? What is their contribution to an honest exchange of information or sharing experiences, tips, etc. what I thought these boards are meant for ?

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Oceangoer2

Oceangoer2

Posted
Posted
Amen!

We should all just say: Yes dear!

 

 

Or the OP (and we) should perhaps just say nothing and give our ulcers a break! This OP is definitely not feeling very good about this cruise. Going over each detail is re-living it...not good for one's health. And dumping on the OP isn't going anywhere either. BTW...saying 'yes dear' might work in your house...not sure about mine..LOL.

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Cairn Mom

Cairn Mom

Posted
Posted

Here is what I now think. The people who are defensive and nasty when defending Celebrity are trolls working for the company. You are not doing them any favors. If you represent the majority of people who travel the line, I will never give them another try.On other lines I have traveled, my events were acknowledged free of charge and on the correct day. I’m sure there are packages to pay for, but I never have. Please, stop saying that it happened to you and it’s okay. It may be alright with you, but it was not okay with the OP. When one pays for a vacation it should meet expectations. This trip did not met his. Discussions should be civil. OP stop bantering with them, they love it. You need to confront your TA and both of u need to contact the cruise line. Good luck!

 

 

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GottaKnowWhen

GottaKnowWhen

Posted
Posted

One final thought. Back on the original concern about a missing birthday Surprise apparently due to miscommunication along the way.

The lesson, I believe, is that no organization is perfect. And there are certainly multiple examples offered here on Cruise Critic about glitches involving inadequate communication between land-side Celebrity and shipboard Celebrity. The chaotic treatment of Meet & Mingle signups comes to mind.

So anyway, the solution is to ask and try to verify. Examples:

a1. In the middle of this b2b we will go from Select to Elite. Will you adjust our status in the records so that we receive the appropriate increased perks?

a2. You said you would annotate the change in our status. Our second-leg room keys still show us as Select. Will you fix this so that I get the higher discount on the Internet?

 

or, more to the OP's issue,

 

b. My TA hinted that she had arranged some sort of Surprise for my birthday. Without revealing details, can you tell me if that is in the works? If not, I might want to order something special for myself...

 

Stan

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ScubesDad

ScubesDad

Posted
Posted

When I read the first few posts on this thread last week, based upon the OP’s comments I went and looked at the other two posts on other threads, and my initial reaction was “sometimes things get screwed up” and off I went. Although I am a long time follower (lurker) on cruise critic, I use the boards as a resource board searching for info, consequently I post very infrequently, I drop in once every few weeks and when I was working I would go for months between visits.

 

However, this morning when I was watching the news and drinking my coffee, and not being particularly motivated to do anything, I came back to the boards, and low and behold this thread has exploded….so I read the entire thing.

 

My conclusion is that I believe everything has occurred as the OP has described.

 

I also find the attitude of many of the posts to be a form of electronic bullying– folks, we are no longer in high school, you have nothing to prove. There have been many posts of support, many posts of advice by what I personally think of as the “elder statesmen” of the boards (I know when I come across one of their posts in my research quests, I am going to get some good advice), and the vitriolic rants of a few whoare unfortunately becoming common place on the boards, and IMO add very little if anything to the discussion.

 

As I understand it there were initially three issues, and then 2 more were later disclosed, a total of 5:

 

-mishandled birthday celebration, including no recognitionon actual day, apathy by guest relations staff, cake delivery the following day at dinner, and subsequent delivery of a bottle of champagne by stateroom attendant,

 

-requesting chips off the seapass card in the casino, and the snarky reply by the croupier “Because that is the way it is”.

 

-the special needs request of extension cord for CPAC, and the faulty cord supplied,

 

-room service/housekeeping ignoring the DND sign,

 

-bingo prize.

 

Ok, my thoughts in no particular order. As stated by previous posters a few of these instances are the result of assumptions being made, based on previous experience. As this was the OP’s first -X-cruise, and probably his last based upon his treatment here, that accounts for some of the issues. As far as bingo goes, never played, never will; however, if I was going to pay out a significant sum of money to play a game, I would at least want to know what I was playing for.

 

On the issue of the DND sign, if I was having a mid morning nap, or whatever, and the DND sign was on the door I would expect it to be respected. What is missing is the experience from the housekeeping staff’s side; what were they told to do, get all the room service trays, don’t come back till you have them all….maybe in the past they have respected the DND signs and someone has complained their tray wasn’t picked up, people often leave the DND sign in place and leave the room – maybe all the previous calls to rooms have resulted in empty rooms. I don’t know I wasn’t there.

 

As far as the dealer’s comments on the casino, that could be interpreted as being rude; certainly it was very brusque and straight forward. Experienced cruisers know there is a fee attached to such requests. In this circumstance as the OP used the term croupier, I am assuming (we all know where that can lead) that he was asking at the table rather than at the cashier, I have never charged chips to my card so I don’t know what is involved, at the very least the dealer has to stop the game and fill out “some paperwork” and get a signature, disrupts the game and the flow…maybe it was the 50th request this shift, more likely it was someone whose first language was not English – our DIL is Asian, English is her second language, she often phrases things very bluntly. The answer was correct if rather indelicate.

 

As far as the CPAC fiasco goes, what can I say. I have personally witnessed our stateroom attendant using the extension cord for his vacuum and it had more repair tape on it than the full roll I have in my workshop; is it safe, probably: would I use it probably not. We all “know” you cannot bring on certain items, and power boards with GFCI or breakers are not allowed, yet we all know many people do it each cruise. If my life depended on my CPAC to get me through the night I would be concerned about the power cord I was forced to use being reliable, if I couldn’t use my own. If the OP says it was cobbled together, based upon what I have personally seen, it probably was.

 

Finally the big one. Based upon my PERSONAL experience, my conclusion was the special gift arranged by the TA was the bottle of champagne. Several years ago DW and I celebrated a milestone anniversary with a combination land trip and cruise. This was prior to our retirements and prior to beverage packages. On embarkation day, upon returning to our room after sail-away celebrations, we were greeted with a row of wine bottles lining the counter, each was accompanied by a little card with Happy Anniversary or some such comment and the name of the person providing the gift. Several of our family friends and colleagues had gone through the effort of providing us with gifts. My take on the entire process is that the “card” made it to the room but the bottle didn’t… the stateroom attendant rectified the situation the next day when the mistake was discovered.

 

I agree with many comments that the original tone of the thread was negative. I agree that the use of the word “Pitiful” to describe the thread was not the best. Pitiful is a judgemental word, a fact if you will. From my perspective a better word would be “Disappointed”. Disappointed describes the emotion and feeling the OP experienced and more accurately reflects his experience.

 

Is the above accurate, I have no idea, it could be a total work of fiction or pretty close to the truth. Only one person knows and that is the OP. We can all agree that every one of these situations is the exception rather than the rule. For each exception above, I may get 100 replies stating it didn’t happen that way for me; that’s why they are exceptions. This was a holiday cruise, never taken one probably never will based upon comments I have read over the years about the things that can happen on holiday cruises.

All I know is that the OP was disappointed with the cruise. His expectations were not met, and he felt frustrated by the experience.

 

 

People get over it. The OP provided his experience in an effort to assist others. There are bigger problems in the world.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I am not a troll from Celebrity. I am not a troll hired by the OP. Our first cruise on -X- was in 2001 and we have completed 18 enjoyable cruises with -X-. We have experienced a few issues none of which we have declared to be significant and very few of which I can recall. And, because it is important to some people to prove my creds…I am Elite Plus.

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