Why I Will Never Again Sail With X

[Coral]

I am so sorry this happened and I hope you are able to recover soon.

[vtcruising]

1 hour 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.

The MD asked about my insurance and when I said BC/BS, she said that they are very good about reimbursing so I decided that I would take a chance on getting most back (I figured 20% out of network cost). If my condition had worsened on the cruise, we would have had a chat or if I had been denied any coverage by insurance, my plan was to call X and discuss it, but be prepared to eat the cost.

 

They gave me plenty of opportunity to ask by saying "What can we do for you?".  I was a little surprised they didn't offer to cover it, but maybe because it was BC/BS, they didn't.  My husband was quite clear about who to blame (and it wasn't me🙂), but I had 3 more Edge cruises coming up and decided to play it cool. I'm not saying that was the smartest thing to do, but I did what seemed right for me at the time.   We were treated like royalty for the next 3 cruises and got lots of freebies and I'll use the future cruise credit to pay for part of one of my booked cruises. Of note, I went back in January to show the MD my minimal scars due to her fine work and to give the staff chocolates. Such a good group of people there!

 

It was funny because I was doing a live thread on CC at the time and someone had asked where Medical was on the Edge. I thought that it was an unusual request but found it on my app and posted it. It was pretty funny when I got wheeled onto this brand new ship and the guy wheeling me said, "I don't know where Medical is" and I said "Deck 2 Forward. " 🙂  Gotta love Cruise Critic!

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by vtcruising

[Forecheck]

1 hour ago, LMKohler said:

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.

Classy

[TeeRick]

Sorry to hear your story.  Hope you are better.  You slipped on wet steps.  I am assuming there were no "wet floor" caution signs around.  The crew was not helpful.  Celebrity charged you for Medical but it seems like they were at least partially at fault.  I hate trivial lawsuits and have little respect for those that sue over next to nothing.  But---this sounds like legitimate lawsuit  potential or a least settlement for your out of pocket medical expenses. 

[Bo1953]

2 hours ago, helen haywood said:

FCC = Future Cruise Credit

Ahhh, thank you for this and she did receive that too, graciously.

 

bon voyage

[happy cruzer]

So you will not cruise with Celebrity again?  Are you sure another line would have responded differently?

 

Crew at 2am are probably used to seeing alot of accidents.  They asked if you were ok, and you continued on to your excursion.  At guest relations, they knew you had gone ashore for care so hard for them to know your injury was serious.

 

You were there and know that you felt uncared for.  But would it had been different anywhere, even filing a report would not have really shown care, maybe just CYA?

 

I hope you feel better and get back to enjoying traveling.

[Kartgv]

As others have said...sorry to hear about your misfortune and hope you are fully recovered.   Just curious...when did you finally seek medical help?    Did you find an urgent care center open in Lahaina at 2:00AM?    If not, and you waited until after your tour, you might have realized that you were better off going to the ship's medical center so that Celebrity would have verification of your injuries.    You might have then gotten more of a sympathetic response from them.           

[markeb]

FWIW, the OP's experience is very different from what I've observed on cruise ships, and frankly most land-based business. I've always seen a uniformed crew member in seconds when someone went down, on the radio, and with them until everyone was sure they were fine, or had been transported for medical care (or presumably was documented as declining medical evaluation). That's just risk management 101 and this particular set of crewmembers, and guest services, failed. 

 

Boarding a tender at 2:00 a.m. with or without wet steps shouldn't have a "low" risk assessment from anyone, and a fall under those circumstances should be a high risk event for the passenger (injury) and the ship (liability). At an absolute minimum they should have spent a couple of minutes with her, called an officer if one wasn't present, and if she declined care, taken down her name and number to follow-up later. This would definitely have warranted an incident report for review by the safety officer.

 

And back to the OP, I'd be pretty upset as well. From what I've seen on the cruises I've taken on multiple lines, your experience is an aberration, and although wrong, I can't attribute it to Celebrity as a whole, but to crewmembers who screwed up. Big time.

 

Hope you're well. Unfortunately, if you've sprained your back (a better term than wrenched), you're probably going  to wish you'd just broken something; the bones heal faster...

[cache77]

I knew when I saw this thread title it was going to be about the Eclipse.  I have seen a big spike in the last couple months of complaints about the food on the ship on the reviews here.  I've been reading them out of excitement for an upcoming cruise on the ship.  I just made my final payment on an Eclipse cruise in Alaska and I'm getting pretty nervous about it.  I hope whatever has gone wrong on that ship is resolved quickly!

 

[cruisingnewtoit]

10 hours ago, Yoshikitty said:

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.

 

My husband & I sailed X  for the 1st time on the Summit in April this year. I thought the food was average. We are sailing Aqua for the 1st time to Alaska maybe we will also have a turn around on the food.

[wpgcycler]

28 minutes ago, cache77 said:

I knew when I saw this thread title it was going to be about the Eclipse.  I have seen a big spike in the last couple months of complaints about the food on the ship on the reviews here.  I've been reading them out of excitement for an upcoming cruise on the ship.  I just made my final payment on an Eclipse cruise in Alaska and I'm getting pretty nervous about it.  I hope whatever has gone wrong on that ship is resolved quickly!

 

Relax. For every "horror story" recounted here, there are dozens of happy stories that go untold. Have a great cruise.

[davekathy]

5 minutes ago, wpgcycler said:

Relax. For every "horror story" recounted here, there are dozens of happy stories that go untold. Have a great cruise.

Agree. 

[jelayne]

25 minutes ago, cache77 said:

I knew when I saw this thread title it was going to be about the Eclipse.  I have seen a big spike in the last couple months of complaints about the food on the ship on the reviews here.  I've been reading them out of excitement for an upcoming cruise on the ship.  I just made my final payment on an Eclipse cruise in Alaska and I'm getting pretty nervous about it.  I hope whatever has gone wrong on that ship is resolved quickly!

 

 

Food is very subjective.  DH hates salt so he feels many  items are too salty.  The ones he feels are not too salty I find bland.  

 

We returned last month from 15 nights on the Eclipse and we both found the food very good.  Took a couple of meals until our waiter understood what I meant by liking my food served hot.  By the 2nd night he was  carrying my plate with a towel so he didn’t burn himself.  

Personally I wouldn’t worry about sailing on the Eclipse.  We have 2 more cruises this year on her and booked 2 more for next year.

[bunzini]

2 hours ago, cache77 said:

I knew when I saw this thread title it was going to be about the Eclipse.  I have seen a big spike in the last couple months of complaints about the food on the ship on the reviews here.  I've been reading them out of excitement for an upcoming cruise on the ship.  I just made my final payment on an Eclipse cruise in Alaska and I'm getting pretty nervous about it.  I hope whatever has gone wrong on that ship is resolved quickly!

 

We were on the Eclipse for fifteen days as well and loved the ship!  No offense to the original OP, but honestly, if that is the way you feel, then I say take your business elsewhere.  I recently fell and broke my wrist on a sidewalk in my hometown.  I can't blame anyone for the snow on the sidewalk.  Nor can anyone blame Celebrity for some wet steps. I have seen incidents on ships and always someone comes immediately to help.  I have seen incidents on land and people come to your aid.  If the poster is that upset, I say go ahead and change cruise lines.  Hope they are happier elsewhere.

 

[Mytravellove]

10 hours ago, cache77 said:

I knew when I saw this thread title it was going to be about the Eclipse.  I have seen a big spike in the last couple months of complaints about the food on the ship on the reviews here.  I've been reading them out of excitement for an upcoming cruise on the ship.  I just made my final payment on an Eclipse cruise in Alaska and I'm getting pretty nervous about it.  I hope whatever has gone wrong on that ship is resolved quickly!

 

I was on the Eclipse before the 15 day cruise to Hawaii when this incident occurred. I just cannot say anything bad about my 9 day cruise on Eclipse from San Diego to Vancouver in April. It's a gorgeous ship, food was fine and edible, the activities were sufficient to keep me busy yet relaxed, the captain (Leo) and his staff were very visible throughout the sailing. I was also impressed that the Captain decided to skip the port of Monterrey because it involved tendering and the waters were rough and would definitely not be safe for either his crew or passengers. If I had any complaint it would be that I didn't get a chocolate on my pillows every night (I was travelling solo), it was a hit and miss...but really I made up for that by getting 'reeses pieces' at the ice-cream station.

So go with an open mind and ready to have fun and enjoy both Eclipse and Alaska.

[waterbug123]

20 hours ago, davekathy said:

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

 

The OP indicated that they reported it to guest services onboard.  What is the point of reporting it a 2nd time now that they are home?

[oneputt18]

On 5/7/2019 at 1:04 AM, 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.

Did you complain? I would have asked the waiter for better spreads and fresh bread. If you don't like an entree send it back. After 5 minutes I would be asking: "Where is my wine?"

I also would have had a word with the Hotel Director.

[Big_G]

Hope the OP is recovering. I wouldn't write off a cruise line based on one incident such as this but sometimes there are other underlying issues that are cause for the 'Never Again' decree.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

The OP indicated that they reported it to guest services onboard.  What is the point of reporting it a 2nd time now that they are home?

Because the accident went on deaf ears (according to the OPs post) while they were onboard when reporting the incident to GS. 

Edited May 8, 2019 by davekathy

[ak1004]

Some of the responses here are simply amazing. It's like asking a rape victim "did you invite him to rape you?" But I guess to Celebrity loyalists, Celebrity cannot do any wrong. Ever.

 

This is so different from what we experienced on our last Azamara cruise when we watched a woman fell on uneven surface before boarding a tender.  

[cruisingnewtoit]

I think the OP wanted to be heard & valued as a guest. That's understandable. Guest services should have showed kindness & concern. Gave a free dinner or OBC after verifying the situation with the crew who witnessed the accident..Cruise lines want to continue the good relationship with the guest. 

 

On the Summit my experience with guest services was the opposite of the OP. They were wonderful. On one situation I thought they were too accommodating to my DH (he agreed). It was a misunderstanding and Guest services was lovely in their fix of it. 

 

 

 

 

 

[BridgeMates]

14 hours ago, cache77 said:

I knew when I saw this thread title it was going to be about the Eclipse.  I have seen a big spike in the last couple months of complaints about the food on the ship on the reviews here.  I've been reading them out of excitement for an upcoming cruise on the ship.  I just made my final payment on an Eclipse cruise in Alaska and I'm getting pretty nervous about it.  I hope whatever has gone wrong on that ship is resolved quickly!

 

 

You and me both!!  We're on the Eclipse in October and the recent bad reviews have me wondering too.

We have been on this ship once before and thoroughly enjoyed it.   Even the specialty restaurants are getting negative reviews.....hope Celebrity isn't putting everything into the new Edge (which we did enjoy by the way) and shorting the other ships......

[wpgcycler]

9 minutes ago, BridgeMates said:

 

You and me both!!  We're on the Eclipse in October and the recent bad reviews have me wondering too.

We have been on this ship once before and thoroughly enjoyed it.   Even the specialty restaurants are getting negative reviews.....hope Celebrity isn't putting everything into the new Edge (which we did enjoy by the way) and shorting the other ships......

Three words... Man bites dog

[Hlitner]

Any experienced cruiser knows that tender operations are, at best, full of risk.  Sometimes the cruise line could do a better job, and other times there is little they can do other then warn passengers to be careful.  But the OP lost me when she said that a crew member did ask if she was, "OK?"  This is a very appropriate question and when she answered in the affirmative then the crew would likely turn their attention to their continuing operation and the other passengers. If she had indicated that she was hurt, then this is an entirely different story.  At that point they should have pulled her out of the tender queue and called for medical help.  But apparently the OP simply continued on the tender, ashore, etc.   Since the OP did not tell the crew member they were injured there would be no reason for the crew member to take their cabin or seek out witnesses ("yes, I saw her slip?").

 

Must admit that after more then 1000 cruise days and numerous tender ports we still hate every part of tender operations.   Over the years (and far more then 100 cruises) we have had our share of pulled muscles and bruises from maneuvering on and off tenders in some rough conditions.  This is all too common with tendering and there have even some deaths (one of the most recent was on HAL in 2018) related to tendering when a lady slipped and fell between a tender and the ship!   For those that do not want to deal with the risk there is always the option of staying on the ship (quite a few folks do this on every cruise).   As one who has done extensive cruising on 15 different lines I can assure the OP that the same tender risks exist on every cruise line.

 

Hank

[waterbug123]

21 hours ago, davekathy said:

Because the accident went on deaf ears (according to the OPs post) while they were onboard when reporting the incident to GS. 

 

I took the OP's post to mean that the CS rep did take the report, but the OP simply wasn't happy with the rep's response (Is that it?).  If she wanted a different response, she should have spoken up and asked for whatever it was that she wanted.  (medical care?  speak to an officer?  onboard credit?  other?)  If the rep listened to her but didn't actually take a report, that wasn't clear to me.

 

21 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Some of the responses here are simply amazing. It's like asking a rape victim "did you invite him to rape you?" But I guess to Celebrity loyalists, Celebrity cannot do any wrong. Ever.

 

 

The OP was asked if she was ok, and all indications are that she said yes and continued on her way.  If that's not what happened, she hasn't been back to clarify.  If that IS what happened, what were the staff supposed to do?  Insist that she potentially miss her excursion and go to medical even though she said she was fine?  Can you imagine the outrage if that happened every single time someone slipped and fell?  If they gave you no option to decide if you were ok and made every single person who tripped on their own feet go to medical whether they wanted to or not?