No AC on Anthem of the Seas

[irisheileen]

6 hours ago, psternklar said:

For those boarding today please post updates if available.

Yes  I'm curious as well as to how things are being handled with new set of passengers 

 

[reallyitsmema]

3 minutes ago, irisheileen said:

Yes  I'm curious as well as to how things are being handled with new set of passengers 

 

 

What cabin did you have last week and how long were you without a/c?  We board on the 26th and really hope this issue is fixed by then.

[irisheileen]

We fortunately only experienced no AC in some public areas. OUR cabin was 9540 and we never lost AC thank God!

[Spqr105]

Our email to RC prompted a meeting with the hotel director and guest services manager last night. They're going to let me know if they will offer anything in addition to the $300 but I doubt it. They did at least pick up our son's medical bills on the ship which we appreciate. 

 

If we don't receive an incentive from them for a future cruise we're just going to book the Norwegian Escape for our Bermuda trip in April 

[What about the customer]

Just got home - Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - not AC  - the worst 6 nights Sat through Friday morning I have spent in recent memory - 83-85 degrees from Saturday through our arrival when it went down to 76. We slept on deck when we could (very uncomfortable and noisy with them washing decks and radios etc.) or we had our cabin door open with people looking on as they walked by and the piped music in the hallway  - We ordered buckets of ice to help us cool down and put face cloths on our foreheads. Averaged 3 hours of sleep a night. Inside room on deck 10 - whoever is getting on the cruise today has a room with no AC. The second to last day we had to to keep an eye on my wife as she was starting to get delirious from lack of sleep. Worst of all we booked our cruise 5 days before sailing and paid full rates (a lot more than people with balconies) because we thought this was a good ship with a good cruise line with management that cared about its customers - wrong on all fronts. 

[irisheileen]

39 minutes ago, Spqr105 said:

Our email to RC prompted a meeting with the hotel director and guest services manager last night. They're going to let me know if they will offer anything in addition to the $300 but I doubt it. They did at least pick up our son's medical bills on the ship which we appreciate. 

 

If we don't receive an incentive from them for a future cruise we're just going to book the Norwegian Escape for our Bermuda trip in April 

Thank you for the update I'm glad that you're getting something extra from them and I hope it continues to improve. We were on the 9th floor and had no problems with AC in our stateroom but felt bad for everybody else that did.

[Clarea]

30 minutes ago, What about the customer said:

Just got home - Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - not AC  - the worst 6 nights Sat through Friday morning I have spent in recent memory - 83-85 degrees from Saturday through our arrival when it went down to 76. We slept on deck when we could (very uncomfortable and noisy with them washing decks and radios etc.) or we had our cabin door open with people looking on as they walked by and the piped music in the hallway  - We ordered buckets of ice to help us cool down and put face cloths on our foreheads. Averaged 3 hours of sleep a night. Inside room on deck 10 - whoever is getting on the cruise today has a room with no AC. The second to last day we had to to keep an eye on my wife as she was starting to get delirious from lack of sleep. Worst of all we booked our cruise 5 days before sailing and paid full rates (a lot more than people with balconies) because we thought this was a good ship with a good cruise line with management that cared about its customers - wrong on all fronts. 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

[psternklar]

Just recieved a phone call from RCCL executive office after sending an email inquiring about the AC.  They promised me it is now fixed and technicians from the AC company will be on the ship for the next 2 sailings.  Hope they are being truthfull.  

[psternklar]

1 hour ago, Spqr105 said:

Our email to RC prompted a meeting with the hotel director and guest services manager last night. They're going to let me know if they will offer anything in addition to the $300 but I doubt it. They did at least pick up our son's medical bills on the ship which we appreciate. 

 

If we don't receive an incentive from them for a future cruise we're just going to book the Norwegian Escape for our Bermuda trip in April 

Good luck, safe traels home

[Merion_Mom]

1 hour ago, Spqr105 said:

Our email to RC prompted a meeting with the hotel director and guest services manager last night. They're going to let me know if they will offer anything in addition to the $300 but I doubt it. They did at least pick up our son's medical bills on the ship which we appreciate. 

 

If we don't receive an incentive from them for a future cruise we're just going to book the Norwegian Escape for our Bermuda trip in April 

 

I love your screen name.  Similar to my license plate. 😄

[hallux]

1 hour ago, psternklar said:

Just recieved a phone call from RCCL executive office after sending an email inquiring about the AC.  They promised me it is now fixed and technicians from the AC company will be on the ship for the next 2 sailings.  Hope they are being truthfull.  

 

I had a feeling that the issue was one they simply couldn't repair while at sea either because they didn't have the right person or the right parts on hand to fix it (they can't have EVERY spare part on board).  Your post somewhat reinforces this theory if the response is truthful.  I bet they called to shore and made sure the person and parts were available at the port as soon as the lines were tied.

 

I've been peeking at the thread as I was on this ship last April.  Oddly enough - it seems that was one of the few sailings WITHOUT an incident.

[ano]

On 1/17/2019 at 5:29 AM, Milwaukee Eight said:

Final payment was nearly 3 months ago. Not sure how one disputes a charge that old???

Different credit cards are different, but most base the time on when the service is delivered, not when the charge was made. My American Express has no limit at all on the time. Sometimes the time is 60 days after the service ends. Your mileage may vary. Remember YOU are the credit card company customer, not the cruise company, but when your money is withheld, the cruise company may not be happy with you, but if you are fair, they will likely be fair as well.

Edited January 19, 2019 by ano

[Loonbeam]

Does anyone know exactly how many cabins were affected?  

 

If we assume the issue was not something that could be fixed aboard, either needing parts or staff, that number will determine what the appropriate response from the cruise line is...

 

If it is a large number of affected cabins (say 40 percent or more), the right call is to stop the cruise and get people home with a refund and transport assistance.

 

If a moderate number, the ship should be providing alternate cooled venues for sleep even if suboptimal (I recall reading about a similar issue where I think they used the gym and other areas).  This assumes AC is available for those areas, if not, see above.  Alternately, pax in those cabins could be offered early departure/transport/refund.   Some credit would also be appropriate.

 

If only a few cabins, then they should work with those cabins to find the best possible solution for those individuals without disrupting the itinerary.  This includes looking for open cabins, even if that means shuffling some staff.  Same for credit.

 

This is not a minor issue, especially for inside cabins.  The design of ships plus the lack of AC can lead to very high temps in those cabins, with health concerns aside from lack of sleep.   Oceanviews can be worse because no way to dissipate heat from windows.  Balconies, that could probably be managed at night with a fan.

 

And yes, compensation in this case is certainly warranted, because in this case a core part of the promised product was not delivered, which is a clean and functional living space.    (Based on T+C there are only three things the cruise line is required to provide.   A functional cabin in the designated class or better.   Basic, safe and palatable food for 3 meals.  A seaworthy ship. - yes, that's really it).   This is one of the big 3.   AC in Public areas does not meet the same criteria.

 

 

 

 

[xpcdoojk]

4 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Bob, I didn’t know you had it in you.😈

 

jc

[gaylemh]

On 1/17/2019 at 2:18 PM, Spqr105 said:

Are you sure unaffected rooms received money?

Not everyone received money.  I know of a few that I sailed with that didn't.

[mets123]

I was on this cruise as well. We had a balcony on deck 9 that was not affected. We were not offered compensation nor did we expect it.

[gaylemh]

On 1/14/2019 at 12:48 PM, chengkp75 said:

The ship has 4 large A/C units in the engine room, that chill a fresh water system that then circulates this chilled water around the ship to cool the air at the various locations.  Public spaces and the fresh air supply to the cabins are done at large air handlers (coolers) that service several areas, each cabin has a cooler that gets this chilled water to cool the recirculated air in the cabin.  If there were one of the A/C chillers down, it would only show up as a general heating up of all spaces on the ship, as the common chilled water system would not be getting cooled enough.  This "traveling" problem sounds like one I had that took several days to trace down.  If air gets into the chilled water system, it will collect at the highest points (those air handlers and cabins at the highest part of the particular loop of chilled water, and this air cuts down on the cooling area in the air handler.  They need to find the source of the air (ours was a water cooled air compressor that was added at a later date and not well documented), stop it, and then bleed out the air from the system, which can take a while.  This is a serious problem for guest relations, and a difficult one for engineering.

If anyone went to the Captains Corner the last afternoon, this is pretty much what the head engineer on Anthem said had happened on Anthem.  

[ONECRUISER]

2 hours ago, Loonbeam said:

Does anyone know exactly how many cabins were affected?  

 

If we assume the issue was not something that could be fixed aboard, either needing parts or staff, that number will determine what the appropriate response from the cruise line is...

 

If it is a large number of affected cabins (say 40 percent or more), the right call is to stop the cruise and get people home with a refund and transport assistance.

 

If a moderate number, the ship should be providing alternate cooled venues for sleep even if suboptimal (I recall reading about a similar issue where I think they used the gym and other areas).  This assumes AC is available for those areas, if not, see above.  Alternately, pax in those cabins could be offered early departure/transport/refund.   Some credit would also be appropriate.

 

If only a few cabins, then they should work with those cabins to find the best possible solution for those individuals without disrupting the itinerary.  This includes looking for open cabins, even if that means shuffling some staff.  Same for credit.

 

This is not a minor issue, especially for inside cabins.  The design of ships plus the lack of AC can lead to very high temps in those cabins, with health concerns aside from lack of sleep.   Oceanviews can be worse because no way to dissipate heat from windows.  Balconies, that could probably be managed at night with a fan.

 

And yes, compensation in this case is certainly warranted, because in this case a core part of the promised product was not delivered, which is a clean and functional living space.    (Based on T+C there are only three things the cruise line is required to provide.   A functional cabin in the designated class or better.   Basic, safe and palatable food for 3 meals.  A seaworthy ship. - yes, that's really it).   This is one of the big 3.   AC in Public areas does not meet the same criteria.

 

 

 

 

You read threw the thread wasn't as many areas as you think. Defiantly not even close to 40%, would have heard if was. Some were down a few days, some longer. Was always functioning, just not 100% if wasnt bet some those rooms would been even higher. Problem having Balcony is you can't ever leave door open even if Air isn't functioning 100%, it would effect other cabins not only yours... Makes you think. In old days these Ocean going Liners had no Air Conditioning. Some had interior windows into halls for circulation... Myself, feel for those effected and can relate. Spent 2 years in Phoenix with no Air Conditioning in my Car. One Summer he had 35 days above 111 degrees. Had to drive everyday sitting in traffic hottest part of day PU my kids from school. Then remember month with no Air in Army Barracks in the South, 100 degrees Hot/Humid. Sleeping on top my sheets with just my shorts on. And had Cabin on Brilliance, a 2Bd/2Ba that the common area would get up to 79 in afternoon and never cooler then 76, even with keeping curtains closed...

[Milwaukee Eight]

9 hours ago, Loonbeam said:

Does anyone know exactly how many cabins were affected?  

 

If we assume the issue was not something that could be fixed aboard, either needing parts or staff, that number will determine what the appropriate response from the cruise line is...

 

If it is a large number of affected cabins (say 40 percent or more), the right call is to stop the cruise and get people home with a refund and transport assistance.

 

If a moderate number, the ship should be providing alternate cooled venues for sleep even if suboptimal (I recall reading about a similar issue where I think they used the gym and other areas).  This assumes AC is available for those areas, if not, see above.  Alternately, pax in those cabins could be offered early departure/transport/refund.   Some credit would also be appropriate.

 

If only a few cabins, then they should work with those cabins to find the best possible solution for those individuals without disrupting the itinerary.  This includes looking for open cabins, even if that means shuffling some staff.  Same for credit.

 

This is not a minor issue, especially for inside cabins.  The design of ships plus the lack of AC can lead to very high temps in those cabins, with health concerns aside from lack of sleep.   Oceanviews can be worse because no way to dissipate heat from windows.  Balconies, that could probably be managed at night with a fan.

 

And yes, compensation in this case is certainly warranted, because in this case a core part of the promised product was not delivered, which is a clean and functional living space.    (Based on T+C there are only three things the cruise line is required to provide.   A functional cabin in the designated class or better.   Basic, safe and palatable food for 3 meals.  A seaworthy ship. - yes, that's really it).   This is one of the big 3.   AC in Public areas does not meet the same criteria.

 

 

 

 

First off, I would be very upset if our cabin AC didn’t work. Having said that, as has been stated previously, this is a First World problem. 

 

I was born born and raised in Florida. We didn’t have AC until late 60’s.  When I was in the Army, 80% of the time we had no AC. I will always remember summer Columbia South Carolina was the hottest environment I had experienced. We have had hurricanes here where we lost power in excess of two weeks. No AC. Very humid conditions. We survived. 

[Spqr105]

2 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

First off, I would be very upset if our cabin AC didn’t work. Having said that, as has been stated previously, this is a First World problem. 

 

I was born born and raised in Florida. We didn’t have AC until late 60’s.  When I was in the Army, 80% of the time we had no AC. I will always remember summer Columbia South Carolina was the hottest environment I had experienced. We have had hurricanes here where we lost power in excess of two weeks. No AC. Very humid conditions. We survived. 

Agreed, but Royal Carribean should have been more fair to us being that we paid thousands for our vacation. We were refunded roughly 6% of our purchase price and way more than 6% of our vacation was impacted. 

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

First off, I would be very upset if our cabin AC didn’t work. Having said that, as has been stated previously, this is a First World problem. 

 

I was born born and raised in Florida. We didn’t have AC until late 60’s.  When I was in the Army, 80% of the time we had no AC. I will always remember summer Columbia South Carolina was the hottest environment I had experienced. We have had hurricanes here where we lost power in excess of two weeks. No AC. Very humid conditions. We survived. 

It may be a first world problem but those people paid several thousand $ not to experience it.  Big difference.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Ourusualbeach

[ecslady]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

First off, I would be very upset if our cabin AC didn’t work. Having said that, as has been stated previously, this is a First World problem. 

 

I was born born and raised in Florida. We didn’t have AC until late 60’s.  When I was in the Army, 80% of the time we had no AC. I will always remember summer Columbia South Carolina was the hottest environment I had experienced. We have had hurricanes here where we lost power in excess of two weeks. No AC. Very humid conditions. We survived. 

 

Many of us grew up without AC, me included. But we had windows to open or a fan to put on for some air circulation.  We were not stuck  in a room without windows like an inside cabin.  I really feel for those that were in inside and outside cabins, as they couldn't even escape to the balcony for some fresh air or a breeze.

 

People in the affected cabins should receive more compensation that what they did.  Hopefully RCL I see listening and will review their initial offer.

[John Reid]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

First off, I would be very upset if our cabin AC didn’t work. Having said that, as has been stated previously, this is a First World problem. 

 

I was born born and raised in Florida. We didn’t have AC until late 60’s.  When I was in the Army, 80% of the time we had no AC. I will always remember summer Columbia South Carolina was the hottest environment I had experienced. We have had hurricanes here where we lost power in excess of two weeks. No AC. Very humid conditions. We survived. 

"We survived"? What the heck does that have to do with this situation for people who have paid for an upscale vacation? Hot in South Carolina? It was hotter in Vietnam, my friend. I would never use it as a comparison to this situation - and I was on this cruise in an affected cabin. And I thought the ridiculous expression "first world problem" had run its course.

[notladjr]

I am not a Diamond on RCCL but I am Platinum and have had a great experience with the company so far. I was very pleased that RCCL stepped up and gavde 100% refunds to the Oasis cruiseers with the huge norovirus outbreak. The company did the right thing there but it is disappointing that they are not doing the right thing here. They should be giving a substantial if not all of the cruise fare back to the passengers whose cabins were affected. I hope enough follks on that cruise contact corporate to get them to rethink this.

Edited January 19, 2019 by notladjr

[chengkp75]

12 hours ago, gaylemh said:

If anyone went to the Captains Corner the last afternoon, this is pretty much what the head engineer on Anthem said had happened on Anthem.  

Thanks, I love it when I get it right.