Why I Will Never Again Sail With X

[mldiluna]

My husband and I recently got home from the April 17 Eclipse sailing, and quite frankly, neither of us will ever sail with Celebrity again.  It started with a starkly noticeable decline in food quality and service since our October cruise on Infinity, Aqua cabins both times, so a true apples to apples comparison.  Other than hummus the first night, spreads for bread in Blu quickly stagnated into an endless monotony of pureed corn, beets, peas, and/or carrots, pick two, served with by about midpoint on the cruise, often stale bread.  Not even Olive Garden has the gall to serve stale bread.  We also noticed that cuts of meat were fattier or not trimmed as well as they were six months ago, and there was a distinct lack of vegetables as sides, even if they were listed on the menu as accompanying the entree.   We noticed that Blu seemed understaffed, with fewer waitstaff than there had been on the Infinity six months ago, covering a dining room that was approximately a third larger.  There were occasions when we ordered a glass of wine with our meal that never arrived.  This was bad enough all on its own, but not the worst.

 

For us, the real end of cruising with Celebrity occurred in Maui.   We had booked an excursion to see the sun come up over Mt. Haleakala, so we went down at 2 AM to catch the tender ashore.  While descending the steps down to the tender, I slipped and fell, not once, but twice, on those wet, slippery stairs, in front of approximately half a dozen crew members.  For the record, I had both hands on the rails, which is why I'm here with pulled muscles and a wrenched spine, instead of a cracked skull.  Not one of the crew members that were there bothered to ask if I had hit my head, or did I want to get checked out beyond a brusque "You okay?".  Nobody asked for my name or cabin number, nor did they ask the names and cabin numbers of any of the people who had seen me fall, much less any of the other information that would go into making any sort of incident report.  When I went to make a report to guest services about the accident, the woman at the counter was completely disinterested in what had happened, asking if that was it when I told her what had happened.  I ended up going to urgent care in Lahaina to see a doctor, where I was diagnosed with a wrenched spine and pulled muscles, along with bruises and abrasions from butt to shoulders.  Frankly, the complete lack of concern for passenger safety appalled me.

[mom says]

Curious: when the crew member asked if you were okay,  what was your reply? Did you ask for medical assistance? Did you see the ships' doctor, or did you get on the tender and go on your excursion?

[simon stingray]

How many other passengers boarding the tender fell on the slippery stairs? 

[mldiluna]

40 minutes ago, mom says said:

Curious: when the crew member asked if you were okay,  what was your reply? Did you ask for medical assistance? Did you see the ships' doctor, or did you get on the tender and go on your excursion?

The crew member didn't stop long, immediately turning to yell for somebody to come and wipe up the steps.  At the time, I was in shock, not thinking straight, and rather than see the ship's doctor, I went to urgent care in town.

[yorky]

Never nice to have a accident while on holiday but sadly as we all know these things happen. I’m quite surprised an incident report was not completed, would have thought that had to be done as a matter of course, it certainly would be at my work. 

[chemmo]

Re your fall.....

 

Did you say at the time you were hurt? If you continued on to your excursion staff would assume you were OK...Did your husband ask the staff to get you medical attention? Did he ask if you had bumped your head? Were you sat on the steps for some time before moving? If you and your husband just both continued onto the tender why would staff feel the need to take names and cabin numbers? Would your slip be perceived as an ‘incident’?

 

Tendering by its nature can be a little precarious, was everybody slipping? Were the shoes you we wearing appropriate if you slipped twice? 

 

At what point did you report to guest service? I assume later on in the day? What did you expect them to do/say? The point of a report is if there is a lesson to be learned re a breach in health and safety and/or evidence for a negligence claim. Were Celebrity in any way negligent? Do you think conditions were such that tendering was unsafe?

 

I can understand that at the time you were shocked but if you were accompanied by your husband staff would feel that it was up to the two of you to decide to continue on or request medical aid...

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by chemmo

[yorky]

7 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Re your fall.....

 

Did you say at the time you were hurt? If you continued on to your excursion staff would assume you were OK...Did your husband ask the staff to get you medical attention? Did he ask if you had bumped your head? Were you sat on the steps for some time before moving? If you and your husband just both continued onto the tender why would staff feel the need to take names and cabin numbers? Would your slip be perceived as an ‘incident’?

 

Tendering by its nature can be a little precarious, was everybody slipping? Were the shoes you we wearing appropriate if you slipped twice? 

 

At what point did you report to guest service? I assume later on in the day? What did you expect them to do/say? The point of a report is if there is a lesson to be learned re a breach in health and safety and/or evidence for a negligence claim. Were Celebrity in any way negligent? Do you think conditions were such that tendering was unsafe?

 

I can understand that at the time you were shocked but if you were accompanied by your husband staff would feel that it was up to the two of you to decide to continue on or request medical aid...

 

 

 

 

Have to say we would not have a choice, if someone falls on a wet surface we have to complete an incident form. The op stated she fell twice on the stairs which should automatically trigger that course of action as an incident. Given  that a crew member was instructed to wipe up the wet steps it’s a pretty straightforward procedure that should have taken place. Not saying that automatically assumes Celebrity were negligent, just that the paperwork is the first step before any investigation takes place. Obviously the most sensible next step is to receive medical attention from the ships doctor if an injury is suspected.

[ipeeinthepool]

How was the sunrise?  I’ve often wondered if it was worth leaving in the middle of the night.  Did you get any sleep?

[Lastdance]

Sorry about the entire incident that happened...

 

Life sometimes goes completely in a different direction at times, and seems unfair, uncaring and even unbelievable.  But somehow we find the inner strength to go on and try to normalize things once again by regrouping...I know this because I almost had to leave my cruise in Azores.  The difference was that everyone onboard was there for my DH and for me.  I am sorry that you were not treated the same...

Edited May 7, 2019 by Lastdance

[Bo1953]

I Am so sorry that you were failed on this sailing.

 

Honestly, this is one of the worst incidents that I have read here in a while and find it horrifying.

 

I trust your travel insurance will cover most, if not all, of the medical expenses.

 

Were you confined to your cabin for the duration of the sailing?

 

I Am not sure if you reported the incident upon returning to the ship and feeling even worse, most of the incident may be on camera and easily verifiable, too.

 

I truly trust that your wounds and pains will heal quickly and the trauma will soon dissipate..

 

It is very strange that the crew or fellow passengers were not more involved in your situation at the time. My experience has been different in terms of falls or injuries as far as other passengers are concerned. Sounds like an epic fail in customer service and medical staff, based on your report.

 

Maybe you were in shock at the time to do what was needed for complete aid while still at the ship yet still decided to dis-embark and seek aid in town and go on the excursion?

 

I trust that whichever line you choose going forward will be far better for your needs and personal attention if such a situation arises again, hopefully not.

 

Please feel better and heal.

 

bon voyage

[hcat]

We try not to tender..Have heard  of too many incidents where folks get hurt  going on the slippery metal  stairs,  hitting the head  boarding in bobbing seas..etc,  While it does not happen every day we just avoid it if we can.,,

 

OP should not attribute the  lax attitude of a few staff members to all of X.  Most reports are that staff are very concerned and helpful in these situations and have gone above and beyond to assist.

 

Hope OP has healed...and enjoyed other parts of the trip. 

[waterbug123]

What exactly is a "wrenched spine?"  Did you literally damage your spinal column, i.e. vertebrae in your back?  Or was it pulled muscles in your back?   I'm truly just trying to understand the injury, as I've never heard of a "wrenched spine." 

 

I'm very sorry you were injured but I do wonder why you didn't speak up at the time.  When the crew member asked if you were ok, what did you say?  I know you said that person immediately turned away, but you said there were 6 crew members who saw you so I would assume 5 others could have heard your answer.  Did you indicate to any of them that you were no ok or weren't sure if you were ok?  Did you speak up and say anything that might indicate your were injured or did you just get up and continue disembarking so as not to miss the excursion?   When you made the report at guest services, was that before or after you saw a Dr. in Lahaina?  The woman at guest services certainly should not have seemed so nonchalant, but I'm curious about what you wanted from that exchange.  Did you simply want to report it?  Did you want her to offer medical service?  Did you want her to offer compensation?

[vtcruising]

When I fell last fall on the Edge a few months ago (tripped on something sticking up out of the floor on the gangway), I had a totally different experience. Some of the crew saw me hit my head and probably the blood is what got their attention. At first, I was embarrassed and just wanted to get up and move on. The copious amount of blood streaming down my face prevented that. The crew instructed me to sit and my husband and I put pressure on the it. They called an ambulance since I wasn't quite onboard. An officer (Lorenzo) arrived from the ship and gave me his handkerchief - I don't know what his position was (didn't recognize the title), but met him later on the ship and he was a genuinely nice person. The ambulance crew tried to haul me away to the hospital for sutures, but I refused since I had never lost consciousness, the bleeding had slowed down and my vital signs were fine (I wasn't about to miss my long-awaited cruise!). Lorenzo called Medical on the ship and said that I could go there and be evaluated so I boarded in a wheelchair. Medical was wonderful - had 8 stitches and steri-strips for my nose and lip. The ship's safety officer came and interviewed my DH and me (and asked what suggestions we had) and took pictures. The head of GS called a couple of times to see if I needed anything (I think she was on the gangway as well, after it happened). Many staff onboard seemed to know about my accident and asked how I was doing. Everyone was so nice.

 

They brought me ice all day the next day, a nicer bottle of champagne than the usual, a bottle of wine and chocolate-covered strawberries. The MD was very good about filling out paperwork that included all of the key information for my insurance and my insurance paid my complete bill (BC/BS). Celebrity gave us Future Cruise Credit for an amount approximately the same as the Medical bills (not sure if amount was intentional). I hadn't asked for anything except a hat to cover my sutures. They gave me a nice new Edge hat and that is still a prized possession. 🙂

 

I understand why you probably didn't go to Medical right away. When these things happen, people are embarrassed and sometimes in shock and denial. Since you were half way off the ship, probably your instinct was to continue on to get to your shore excursion. Probably since there wasn't blood or visible evidence and you were up and moving, the crew didn't jump into action. I'm sorry that GS seemed unsympathetic. Now that I know what I know, I would make sure to go to Medical onboard when injured, but wouldn't have known that before. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

[rhblake]

 

OP, would you have taken the time with the crew for them to go get the appropriate forms and to fill out the accident report(s) when the fall occurred, knowing that it might mean missing your excursion? My guess is the answer would have been no. And, when you went to guest services later (probably at least 6 hours after the fall) what did you expect from them? For all they knew you could have hurt yourself ashore and were trying to blame it in the cruise line, since there was no report filed.

I think all would have been different if you had reported your injuries right away to the crew. If you said nothing at the time of the incident how is the crew to know you were hurt.

I am sorry you were injured but it seems as if you were your own worst enemy in the scenario you presented.

[Sascol]

7 hours ago, mldiluna said:

While descending the steps down to the tender, I slipped and fell, not once, but twice, on those wet, slippery stairs, in front of approximately half a dozen crew members.  For the record, I had both hands on the rails, which is why I'm here with pulled muscles and a wrenched spine, instead of a cracked skull.  Not one of the crew members that were there bothered to ask if I had hit my head, or did I want to get checked out beyond a brusque "You okay?".  Nobody asked for my name or cabin number, nor did they ask the names and cabin numbers of any of the people who had seen me fall, much less any of the other information that would go into making any sort of incident report. 

 

Sorry to hear you fell.  An incident like that can ruin a vacation quickly.

 

My thoughts though are that the reaction of the crew in the immediate area would depend on the situation and on your reaction to the incident.  Did you voice your injuries (or your concern for injuries) at the time?  Did you continue with the excursion?  Sounds like you did.  I would never expect the staff to get cabin/name information from witnessing passengers even if an injury did occur.  Is that part of normal protocol?  What they saw (or did not see) may not have been reason to start an incident report unless you spoke up about it at the time.

 

I'm not trying to downplay what happened but if evidence of an injury was not obvious to the crew around you at the time and you did not voice concern at the time I don't think they acted inappropriately based on your description of what happened.

 

All that being said I hope you are feeling better.

[Yoshikitty]

First of all, I am sorry to hear what has happened.

 

As for tendering, I am quite sure, that those kind of accidents happen with other cruiselines as well.

So, why boycotting Celebrity? Or will you stop cruising and/or tendering at all?

 

As for the crew not following up: I'd give them the benefit of doubt. If I understand correctly, you where not visibly injured (fractures, blood etc.) and you have said that you are ok. So what do you expect? The crew following up on every incident when a passenger said that they are ok and have not filed any report immediately (from your post, it seems that you have reported it later).

 

As for food in Aqua:

We've had the opposite experience: 

First time Celebrity and Aqua (Solstice 2017) and the food was not really great. A huge disappointment and we've let the chef know. However no significant improvement of the 18 night cruise.

 

2018, same ship, same itinerary, same Aqua restaurant: Food was phantastic - so it's not always going down.

 

Best wishes for recovering soon.

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Yoshikitty

[gerelmx]

9 hours ago, mldiluna said:

While descending the steps down to the tender, I slipped and fell, not once, but twice, on those wet, slippery stairs, in front of approximately half a dozen crew members.  For the record, I had both hands on the rails,

 

I do not understand how you fell if you had both hands on the railing.

 

The good thing is that there were no fractures. Wounds that heal soon, it was more fright and anger. We will miss you in X.

Edited May 7, 2019 by gerelmx

[Eloise4Ever]

26 minutes ago, gerelmx said:

 

I do not understand how you fell if you had both hands on the railing.

 

The OP already mentioned that if she had not had both hands on the railings she would have suffered much worse consequences from the fall. Even when holding onto railings it is entirely possible to slip on wet steps. Your instinct then is to grip onto the railings as you fall and thereby injure your shoulders/back. 

 

OP I am sorry to hear this happened to you, particularly about the lack of concern by X. I had a nasty fall on an X ship once, (slipped on a piece of smoked salmon someone had dropped in the entrance hallway leading to the Ensemble Lounge) and X were not especially concerned. I was also on my way to an excursion and went ahead with it. I was so shaken by the fall I couldn’t think straight at the time. With the benefit of experience, I would advise anyone in this situation to take the time to assess any injuries you may have suffered and not to just brush the incident off through embarrassment.

 

[davekathy]

10 hours ago, mldiluna said:

My husband and I recently got home from the April 17 Eclipse sailing, and quite frankly, neither of us will ever sail with Celebrity again.  It started with a starkly noticeable decline in food quality and service since our October cruise on Infinity, Aqua cabins both times, so a true apples to apples comparison.  Other than hummus the first night, spreads for bread in Blu quickly stagnated into an endless monotony of pureed corn, beets, peas, and/or carrots, pick two, served with by about midpoint on the cruise, often stale bread.  Not even Olive Garden has the gall to serve stale bread.  We also noticed that cuts of meat were fattier or not trimmed as well as they were six months ago, and there was a distinct lack of vegetables as sides, even if they were listed on the menu as accompanying the entree.   We noticed that Blu seemed understaffed, with fewer waitstaff than there had been on the Infinity six months ago, covering a dining room that was approximately a third larger.  There were occasions when we ordered a glass of wine with our meal that never arrived.  This was bad enough all on its own, but not the worst.

 

For us, the real end of cruising with Celebrity occurred in Maui.   We had booked an excursion to see the sun come up over Mt. Haleakala, so we went down at 2 AM to catch the tender ashore.  While descending the steps down to the tender, I slipped and fell, not once, but twice, on those wet, slippery stairs, in front of approximately half a dozen crew members.  For the record, I had both hands on the rails, which is why I'm here with pulled muscles and a wrenched spine, instead of a cracked skull.  Not one of the crew members that were there bothered to ask if I had hit my head, or did I want to get checked out beyond a brusque "You okay?".  Nobody asked for my name or cabin number, nor did they ask the names and cabin numbers of any of the people who had seen me fall, much less any of the other information that would go into making any sort of incident report.  When I went to make a report to guest services about the accident, the woman at the counter was completely disinterested in what had happened, asking if that was it when I told her what had happened.  I ended up going to urgent care in Lahaina to see a doctor, where I was diagnosed with a wrenched spine and pulled muscles, along with bruises and abrasions from butt to shoulders.  Frankly, the complete lack of concern for passenger safety appalled me.

Have you reported your accident with Celebrity now that you are home? 

[LMKohler]

I agree with you —  you need to try another cruise line and hopefully you won’t fall again while tendering. Food is subjective and we look forward to spending 32 days in Aqua on Eclipse in SA. Good luck.

[Eloise4Ever]

3 hours ago, vtcruising said:

The MD was very good about filling out paperwork that included all of the key information for my insurance and my insurance paid my complete bill (BC/BS). Celebrity gave us Future Cruise Credit for an amount approximately the same as the Medical bills (not sure if amount was intentional). 

 

Very sorry to hear about your accident but glad that X looked after you. I am, however, surprised to hear that X billed you for your medical expenses. Surely X should have provided medical services gratis as they were at fault for not ensuring the gangway was clear of dangerous obstructions? When I had a fall on an X ship I was seen by the doctor onboard and charges were not even mentioned.

 

I understand that you were able to claim on your insurance so were not out of pocket but I still think it was very cheap of X to charge you. IMO they should have given you free medical care AND an FCC.

[Bo1953]

38 minutes ago, Eloise4Ever said:

 

Very sorry to hear about your accident but glad that X looked after you. I am, however, surprised to hear that X billed you for your medical expenses. Surely X should have provided medical services gratis as they were at fault for not ensuring the gangway was clear of dangerous obstructions? When I had a fall on an X ship I was seen by the doctor onboard and charges were not even mentioned.

 

I understand that you were able to claim on your insurance so were not out of pocket but I still think it was very cheap of X to charge you. IMO they should have given you free medical care AND an FCC.

VT - is quite a gracious person, and as such, those types of expectations are not foremost in her mind IME, just the overall experience and care.

 

Which she has spoken about and was very pleased with.

 

Not sure what a FCC is, yet if offered, she would have been gracious about it.

 

Some of us do not have such over reaching expectations in such situations, just great care and attention, which she reported was received through the end of her sailing.

 

bon voyage

 

 

[helen haywood]

FCC = Future Cruise Credit

[Cyber Kat]

I can empathize with the OP - embarrassed, torn between missing what sounds like a wonderful experience, then wondering afterward if it was a wise decision to go on.

We were on an Azamara cruise just a few weeks ago.  We were ported in Charleston, SC for 2 nights and having a wonderful visit.  On the last day, I wanted to tour some of the old homes that are open to the public for tours.  We were walking along the route we had taken the previous day on a carriage tour.  I was paying more attention to the views than I was to the sidewalk - they are very uneven, mostly due to tree roots - and I tripped and fell flat out. 

I had no idea if I was seriously hurt - sometimes injuries take a bit to let you know.   I felt like a klutz and hoped no one had seen, but a lovely couple came over and offered to help.  At the moment, aside from being embarrassed I was concerned about my camera which I'd had around my neck on a strap.  I also wanted to go tour those houses!

I was very lucky - aside from a bruised knee and a scrapped palm on my hand, I was okay.  I was able to stand and flex and walk around.  We continued on, toured the homes and had a lovely day.  But I could have really hurt myself.

In my case, I wasn't on the ship and I had no one to blame but my 2 left feet and not paying attention to where I was walking, but I do understand how the OP was feeling.  It is embarrassing regardless of the reason for a fall.  If you are on your ways someone where exciting or interesting, you want to go and hope that the injury is inconsequential.

I didn't feel the need to visit medical.  I put aloe and some neosporin on my hand (I travel with a whole medicine cabinet).  We asked the steward for some fresh ice, and I iced up both the hand and the knee.  I was very lucky - a fall like that at my age 71 - could have been bad.

I fully understand that the OP should have gone to medical, and I probably should have gone back to the ship - but I also understand the desire to put it behind you and press on!  I wouldn't hold it against the cruise line or the ship's crew for not forcing me to do what I really wouldn't have wanted to do.  A little sympathy from Guest Services would have been nice, I'm sure.

We have a Celebrity cruise booked for next spring and I'm looking forward to it.  I don't know if we have any tender ports, but I am going to be especially careful walking if we do!

[Langley Cruisers]

I'm sorry you fell and are hurting. I know how that can quickly turn a vacation on a downward spiral.

 

We were on the cruise before you, and noticed a decline in the service in the MDR. Drinks never received, very slow service, we felt forgotten about. As well, we had problems with  OBC given and then taken away, and gift items ordered and paid for yet not delivered. My husband figures he spent at least 1.5 hours of his vacation at Guest Relations. Shame.

 

My husband slipped on the floor (ramp) in the Solarium after exiting the pool. He didn't hit the ground but he was a bit shaken, and after looking at the floor on the ramp I wondered why there weren't measures in place to help with that - adhesive strips (like sandpaper material, maybe) to help with the grip for people with wet feet. I think that is an accident waiting to happen, as well as with the metal ramp on which you experienced your fall.

 

I hope you will feel better very soon. 🙏