Quietly reading, now speaking out

[luvthis]

I've been quietly reading the threads about the Mercury and the norovirus outbreak. We will be sailing on her first trip to Alaska this year from 5/8-5/19.

Needless to say, it is unsettling to hear the horrendous stories that have been posted on this board. This will be our 4th voyage on a Celebrity ship and our 14th cruise.

 

I am confident that Celebrity will have the norovirus under control and that the staff will be back to their normal crazy hours by the time we sail.

 

With that said, I believe that it is not Celebrity's fault that this virus spread throughout the ship. They must deal with getting Mercury healthy again, but it was the passengers that did not follow basic sanitary policies or take the time to wash their hands that were the primary cause. This does not surprise me. Just look at how people drive today and the way they push themselves in front of others or take a parking spot right out from under someone else waiting? Today's society has way too many ignorant people that think laws, & policies & rules are meant for the next person, not them. As a result of passenger ignorance, Celebrity is being blamed, condemned, and blasted on these bulletin boards. Everyone sailing and soon to be sailing on the Mercury has been inconvenienced and Celebrity is striving to get the virus under control while still maintaining their sailing schedule. It sure is easy to blame the company instead of looking at ourselves and society as a whole. By the way, I am a strong democrat & do not make a habit of siding with business.

 

As far as the comments that furniture is tattered, floors are worn out, bedding is lumpy and the ship is run down, I choose to believe that multitudes of people have successfully sailed on her. She will be put into drydocks next year for refurbishing. I understand that and ya know what? So what if stuff isn't "new"? I choose to look at is as "comfortably used" and "successfully utilized". Heck, my house doesn't have new stuff in it. It's unfair to condemn Celebrity when there is an industry standard for refurbishing ships. All of us have the opportunity to find out how long it's been since the last refurbishing of a ship. If we want new, book new!

 

We were disappointed with Celebrity about a problem with a promised booking that they did not take the time to evaluate and honor. However, we have accepted that "glitch" and are looking forward to seeing Alaska by ship.

 

Will we be disappointed if there is still massive bleaching going on? Yup! Will we be upset if expected activities and perks are cancelled do to the on-going virus? Yup! Will we complain, blast, and demand compensation? Heck no! Sometimes S _ _ _ just happens. Look out lemons! If you invade our vacation you're destined to become lemonade. Celebrity is trying to "make things right" to those passengers that were caught completely off-guard. Unfortunately, there is no way they are going to please everyone.

 

I believe Celebrity is a victim as well as the passengers. You can thank the previous inconsiderate, ignorant people for contributing to this overwhelming problem.

 

We secured a very good price for our cruise. However, in the event that Celebrity is forced to pull Mercury out of service, I will accept that they tried ever other option first. You can bet I won't be on this board blasting them.

 

Sincerely,

Jean & Bob from Racine Wisconsin

[luvthis]

I continue to ponder the events of the last month on the Mercury. It is obvious that Celebrity took radical measures in bleaching everything in sight to kill the virus. I can't even imagine what it was like to be a member of staff, working their normal hours plus multiple extra, having to wear masks and gloves, as well as putting up with the complaints and concerns of the passengers. People tend to get rude and inconsiderate when they are upset and I'd betcha the poor lowly bottom end workers heard & saw more negative garbage than any of us would be expected to deal with.

 

We, as Americans, tend to be outspoken and blunt, thinking only of what we want and what we deserve. How would you feel if you were busy bleaching, cleaning up vomit and human waste, working hour after hour, only to be told how lousy things are being handled and finding grafitti on the elevator & hallway walls? Very sad. I get embarrassed thinking about how crude Americans can get if they are upset and inconvenienced.

 

What should Celebrity have done? If they pulled Mercury out of service, how many passengers would have been on these boards blasting Celebrity for cancelling their trip and wanting extra compensation for that, as well? Celebrity is damned if they do and damned if they don't. They couldn't NOT disinfect the ship. Again...what should they have done?

 

My heart goes out to all those that sailed on a sick ship and having to deal with the bleaching and cancelled activities. It is very unfortunate and not something that they OR Celebrity asked for. Do all of you think Celebrity should 100% reimburse you and/or let you set sail again for nothing? How do you expect them to stay in business? They did not cause this. It happens on all cruiselines. Why? Because passengers don't think about what might happen if they let the next person sanitize instead of themselves.

 

It's a rolling ball..."I don't have time to wash"...then the next person says..."I don't have time to wash"...then the next person says..."I don't have time to wash"...and so it goes. The poor Joe that thoroughly does follow the policy is probably one of the ones that will end up sick. It's just disgusting! Again I will say, it started with ignorant people that disregarded the safeguard suggestions for sanitary safety. It's just like the drivers on the road that see the stop light turning yellow (almost red) & decide "they can make it thru, the other guy will stop and wait" when they should have followed the law and stopped. Accidents happen as a result of people believing that they can bend the law and let someone else follow it. "Let the next guy wash his hands"...they didn't want to take the time. Were some of the crew sick and should they have been removed from the ship? Maybe so. But it's obvious that every worker was forced to put in 18-20 hour days just to try and stop the spread onboard. I'm sure they were being treated and put in quarantene just like the passengers for the period of time they were actively contagious.

 

It's less than a month until we board the Mercury. I hope she will not be pulled out of service. However, I continue to trust in Celebrity and their history of being a quality cruise line. Many people have said that management is not returning their calls and giving timely answers. Ya know what? At what point would you decide that being slammed, blasted, condemned, and judged is going to happen no matter what? They set the credit policy and are probably resigned that passenger abuse will continue no matter what. They must get the ship healthy again. This whole mess is not their fault. Everyone needs to look at things at360 degrees (full circle) and stop throwing daggers.

 

--Jean & Bob

[bububr]

Nicely said:)

 

Dave:eek:

[katiebeth]

I think there is a phrase that accurately sums up luvthis's post. It is called "blaming the victim".

 

I think a little empathy from corporate a bottle of champagne, a box of chocolates, an "I feel your pain" letter, etc. would have gone a long long way. From what I gather, it is the total indifference and refusal of corporate to even have the professionalism to reply to some of the very valid concerns of the passengers on these ill-fated voyagers that is the point of alot of frustration. In addition, passengers on the earlier cruise were not offered future credits while the next set of cruisers were.

 

I think that the issue of full disclosure is equally upsetting for many passengers. Based on what I have read, the embarking passengers were told that the ship was being "santizied". There was no mention of the extensive/constant bleaching, closed restaurants, overworked and extremely exhausted staff, etc. Apparently, the constant and extensive bleaching is not the typical way this type of outbreak is handled.

 

I think most would be satisfied with a sincere communication from corporate that the cruise was not the typical Celebrity experience, we appreciate your understanding, we value your loyalty, we hope you chose us again in the future, we are doing everything we can to assure that this situation will be handled in a more appropriate manner in the future, etc. etc. etc. I don't see how anyone can come to any other conclusion, other than Celebrity dropped the ball. I am having a difficult time understanding why that is so hard to accept.

 

I read on one of the posts that corporate had told the Celebrity "note takers" onboard that as long as 50% of the cruisers were satisfied then that was acceptable.

 

My husband is a small business owner, and I can assure you that if he set the bar that low in terms of customer satisfaction, he would be out of business in a hurry!

 

I can make lemonade with the best of them and have been a loyal Celebrity cruisers for the past several years, but I think corporate made a huge mistake by not appearing to be more concerned and responsive to some of the very valid concerns of their passengers.

 

Nancy

[luvthis]

You make a valid observation. I agree that a bottle of champagne or a small credit to each shipboard account would have been a great way of "bridging the frustration and showing concern". Hmmm...I wonder if maybe they were so overwhelmed with the situation that they just focused on having the staff try to combat the germs, verses delivering champagne or credit vouchers to each room. Don't know, but the concept is a good one. As far as admitting they dropped the ball...did they? Their communication was poor, but if they admitted they did something wrong, what do you think would happen? Every cruise complaint attorney in the country would jump on that as cause for a lawsuit.

 

My suggestion...have someone in the corporate office respond to each e-mail and letter with a personal correspondence apologizing for cancelled activities and bleaching problems necessary due to the norovirus. That same person should thank each person for taking the time to contact Celebrity with their concerns. No admission of guilt. No admission of neglect of informing. Just an apology for the overall unfortunate circumstances caused by the outbreak.

 

They can't go back and give out champagne or other perks and they can't erase the anger that those on this board have expressed. It was an awful experience for all involved. Those of us waiting to cruise are full of concerns instead of excitement.

 

I'm praying for sunshine. Those darn rain clouds are nothing but trouble.

 

--Jean

[elsje]

I think there is a phrase that accurately sums up luvthis's post. It is called "blaming the victim".

 

I think a little empathy from corporate a bottle of champagne, a box of chocolates, an "I feel your pain" letter, etc. would have gone a long long way. From what I gather, it is the total indifference and refusal of corporate to even have the professionalism to reply to some of the very valid concerns of the passengers on these ill-fated voyagers that is the point of alot of frustration. In addition, passengers on the earlier cruise were not offered future credits while the next set of cruisers were.

 

I think that the issue of full disclosure is equally upsetting for many passengers. Based on what I have read, the embarking passengers were told that the ship was being "santizied". There was no mention of the extensive/constant bleaching, closed restaurants, overworked and extremely exhausted staff, etc. Apparently, the constant and extensive bleaching is not the typical way this type of outbreak is handled.

 

I think most would be satisfied with a sincere communication from corporate that the cruise was not the typical Celebrity experience, we appreciate your understanding, we value your loyalty, we hope you chose us again in the future, we are doing everything we can to assure that this situation will be handled in a more appropriate manner in the future, etc. etc. etc. I don't see how anyone can come to any other conclusion, other than Celebrity dropped the ball. I am having a difficult time understanding why that is so hard to accept.

 

I read on one of the posts that corporate had told the Celebrity "note takers" onboard that as long as 50% of the cruisers were satisfied then that was acceptable.

 

My husband is a small business owner, and I can assure you that if he set the bar that low in terms of customer satisfaction, he would be out of business in a hurry!

 

I can make lemonade with the best of them and have been a loyal Celebrity cruisers for the past several years, but I think corporate made a huge mistake by not appearing to be more concerned and responsive to some of the very valid concerns of their passengers.

 

Nancy

Hello Nancy ~ well said!

I was surprised that "luvthis" was blaming the passengers for not washing their hands. How do they know? No one will know "who" spread the virus. Could have been someone that works on the ship. We will never know.

We can not make judgement calls on what "we" would have done "if" we were on the particular cruise that was bleached to the max. We were not there!

Els

[luvthis]

Nope...I wasn't there. Yup! I would have been unhappy. I just think that we are all to quick to blame someone else and the easiest target is the company, because they have the deep pockets. Blame doesn't fix things. I agree that Celebrity should have handled their communication better with an overall announcement of the status of the virus to all on board and some sort of a "sympathetic" perk like Nancy said.

 

I still lean towards passengers over crew as the cause, but that's because I am very frustrated with people that think they are "too important" to follow the law or comply with the rules. I see it too often. Those that bark the loudest are often the ones that disobeyed to begin with.

 

Sorry...but that's what I think. I sure hope all those that just got off the Mercury and those of us soon to board her, will be able to accept what was or is and move on.

 

Heck, every cruise is an adventure and whether people decide to cruise on a different line or decide to give Celebrity another chance, ain't it fun to see the world from the rail of a ship? I can hardly wait to see the glaciers in person.

 

--Jean

[Bisous3]

Well said Jean, very well said.

[cruisePRN]

I would have been in smalls claims by now had I been on that sick ship. Celebrity was totally to blame for not sanitizing the ship after the FIRST outbreak and allowing unsuspecting VICTUMS to board following that first sailing. Since every passenger disembarked it had to be CREW spreading the virus. The OP is wishful thinking.

[tuggers]

Nancy,

Exactly what I posted on another thread. Those 'I feel your pain' speeches plus a little 'reward' would have gone a long way toward making happy campers out of complainers.

As for the 'blame the victim' that is so true and so common (no pun intended!). I, too, was flabbergasted at blaming the passengers for not washing! How in the world would anyone know this? Strange! And amen to having to have been there to really know how it was.

The 50% comment came from me. This was what I had been told by passengers who had talked to Roxanne. When I met with her I asked, bluntly, like us Americans do, if she had said this. She not only denied it, she GAVE ME THE NAME OF THE PASSENGER she thought was responsible for the 'rumor'. How unprofessional was that? She said the statement she made was '50% of the people who came to SEE her were happy'. Now how true was that? They made an appt and came to see her, but they were 'happy'? Not hardly. And I am still not over her giving me their name and SPELLING it for me! And this is who they sent to deal with pax! I think you can see why these 'corporate people' in some cases just inflamed the pax more!

[luvthis]

Round and round the wheel rolls. What came first? The chicken or the egg? At this point, it doesn't matter. Ahh...lawsuits...ain't that what you can do if you buy coffee and then spill it on your lap because you're a clod and then sue the fast food restaurant because the coffee was hot? Dah???

 

Sometimes crappy things happen. The Mercury could still be a sick ship when I board her in May. I will make the best of it. My heart does go out to the unsuspecting passengers that boarded her on March 17th. They did not have prior knowledge of the problem. At least I know I'm chosing to take that risk. A admit I have a much better advantage of making a good trip out of possible problems than they had.

 

--Jean

[cruisePRN]

Round and round the wheel rolls. What came first? The chicken or the egg? At this point, it doesn't matter. Ahh...lawsuits...ain't that what you can do if you buy coffee and then spill it on your lap because you're a clod and then sue the fast food restaurant because the coffee was hot? Dah???

 

Sometimes crappy things happen. The Mercury could still be a sick ship when I board her in May. I will make the best of it. My heart does go out to the unsuspecting passengers that boarded her on March 17th. They did not have prior knowledge of the problem. At least I know I'm chosing to take that risk. A admit I have a much better advantage of making a good trip out of possible problems than they had.

 

--Jean

Spilling your own coffee on yourself is highly different then being an unsuspecting victum on the Mercury. You must work for X.

[edieredmann]

I don't think anyone blames Celebrity for Mercury having the Norvo virus onboard, that happens fairly frequently this time of year. I think what most of the complaints are about, are really about the constant use and spraying of bleach on surfaces being left to just drip. What some are forgetting, is that this is viral, not bacterial, and that there are other products that can be used, that may cost a little more, but are actually more effective, and less damaging to human health and clothing. Many other ships have had the problem, and handled it differently. I also believe that if Celebrity had acknowledged the situation by some small gesture, most of the people would be more accepting of the magnitude of the situation. To ignore the responses of their own PAX, and not even to admit to the problem to people calling and asking about the situation onboard, is unacceptable. Are they responsible for Mercury having the virus? No, but they definitely are abusing their fine crew and PAX in the way they are handling it.

[bububr]

I was on the March 17th sailing. This is the E-mail I recieved when I got home. I think its pretty out of touch to the point of being rude.

 

 

"Dear David,

 

Welcome home and thank you again, for sailing with Celebrity Cruises. I trust it was a truly remarkable experience that left you fulfilled, happy, and totally rejuvenated.

I hope you found the planning process to be smooth and my services valuable. It was my pleasure to be of assistance to you.

 

Warm Regards,

Stephen Schone

Email: sschone@rccl.com

Your Celebrity Cruises Certified Vacation Planner

Celebrity Cruises Certified Vacation Planning Department "

 

I'm starting to wonder If I was on the wrong ship?

 

 

Karyn8 - You are really out of touch on this issue. Mercury was not the only ship, where NORO was happening. Celebrity, Princess, RCCL, NCL were all affected during the same time frame. So based on your theory, the crew from all the ships and all the lines got together to have a big party and conspire to spread Norovirus amongst the cruiselines. Then they secretly went to the schools, and office buildings to further their cause. Of course ALL the victimized unsuspecting passengers were healthy and virus free when they boarded. Sounds good to me:D

 

elsje-"I was surprised that "luvthis" was blaming the passengers for not washing their hands. How do they know? No one will know "who" spread the virus. Could have been someone that works on the ship. We will never know"

 

I don't think luv this is blaming ALL the passengers. However the virus is spread by NOT washing your hands. I was on this sailing, and the number of men that did not wash their hands after using the mensroom was amazing. Not to mention the people that outright REFUSED to use the hand sanitizers, even argued with the staff when asked to use them.

People sneezing in line at the buffet without covering their mouths...I personally have never seen as many inconsiderate people on a cruise before.

 

While it is not impossible that it could have been a crew member, it is more likely it was a passenger/s. The # of crew that actually became ill was very few compared to the # of passengers. The crew lives in VERY TIGHT quarters, they are also monitored for any illness. Had it been crew related there would have been a larger # of affected, as well as a larger# of passengers affected.

 

Now on that note, I thought it was very thoughtful and considerate of some of the quarantined passengers to take it upon themselves to break quarantine, leave their rooms and mingle with the rest of us. But I guess we can blame the crew for that also.

 

Dave:eek:

[luvthis]

Ah...now that I can relate to. If Celebrity just grabbed the bleach because it was cheap and deliberately did not wipe it down because of the time it would take to do so, shame on them!

 

I do not agree with the blasting, condemning & demands of people in order to get extra compensation. However, I do agree that if another disinfectant was available and less toxic or damaging to clothing, but costed more to use, Celebrity should have been on the phone ordering it by the gallons before sailing on the March 17th voyage. It's one thing to be cost frugal and another to be cost stupid. The extra amount spent for a better cleaner would have been much less expensive than the amount of damage caused by so many unhappy loyal Celebrity cruisers.

 

Point taken, eddieredmann.

 

--Jean

[Andipanda1]

I would have been in smalls claims by now had I been on that sick ship. Celebrity was totally to blame for not sanitizing the ship after the FIRST outbreak and allowing unsuspecting VICTUMS to board following that first sailing. Since every passenger disembarked it had to be CREW spreading the virus. The OP is wishful thinking.

 

Perhaps you're engaging in wishful thinking yourself. Unless you are an epidemiologist, you can't say that it was definately the crew. You're dealing with a virus, one that is spread quickly. Anyone could have gotten on that ship, lied about feeling sick, not washed their hands, etc. There were a number of causes for this fiasco.

 

People were inconvenienced, annoyed, and did not get the experience they paid for, I totally agree with that; Celebrity went overboard with the bleaching, I totally agree with that; but to blame Celebrity for the outbreak is a little beyond the pale.

[luvthis]

Boy, oh boy. That letter you received upon return of your voyage has "form letter" written all over it. Talk about a "boo boo". That takes "mistake" to a whole new level!!

 

OOPS! Hopefully, some people saw that as a huge form mail boo-boo and after their blood pressure came back down, were able to see it for what it was...a major blunder.

 

Wow! I bet Celebrity was crawling out of their skin when they realized that was sent to all of you who sailed the Mercury on March 17th .

 

--JEan

[tuggers]

When we got on the ship things were 'pretty', mirrors shiny, etc. Then they started spraying and wiping. After a few days we were told the 'protocol has changed'. That is when the spraying and dripping and not wiping started, That is when the 'brigades' started. You would open your door and there would be 5 or 6 crew members staggered down the halls spraying, some with a sprayer in both hands! That is when the burning eyes and headaches started (for me), that is when the inhaler usage started (for me), that is when the ruined clothing got really bad, etc. And, yes, I have to think it was bleach because it was cheap. Other cruise lines seem to know about products that are not as harmful to people and clothing.

I am not exaggerating when I say we saw pallets of bleach being brought on board and dozens of the power sprayers.

BTW, my friend is still having nose bleeds that are attributed to the bleach in confined areas.

[mctrekkie]

Let's agree to disagree, and move on.

 

Dave, that email is insulting. Wonder if you'll get something more on point later.

[luvthis]

My heart truly goes out to those who sailed on the last few Mercury sailings. It was definately not a typical Celebrity experience.

 

--JEan

[bububr]

Bleach is a universal disinfectant. It kills almost every germ/virus known to man including AIDS. I personally thought the overspraying was overkill. You only need one part bleach to 100 parts water to be effective. As for safety, many resaurants use a bleach/water solution to effectively clean their vegetables and even meats. In small doses its not harmful. Think about how many times you've swallowed water in a pool, or how long you've soaked in a hot tub....On the other hand, the fumes can lead to some pretty nasty symptoms. The drying of nasal passages, shortness of breath, severe headaches, watery burning eyes...etc...They really should have used a diluted concentration within all those closed areas...corridors..elevators...etc.

 

Bleach is also more enviromental friendly than most of other products, and breaks down quickly.

 

It was quite a shock to walk onto a clean sparkling ship, then have it turned into a dried bleach streaked mess a day later.

 

Dave:eek:

[luvthis]

I just got a warning from one of this boards monitor people, so no more notes from me.

 

Bottom line, I'm looking forward to my cruise to Alaska on May 8 on the Mercury. We will make the best of what is, because we are going to see Alaska and Mercury is my vessel to take us there.

 

I choose to believe she will be healthy again by then and life will have returned to normal.

 

Lots to see and lots to do and lots to look forward to.

 

Best to all of my fellow cruisers. Hope to catch up with other Cruise Critic members at the Cruise Critic Party on-board Mercury May 8-May 19.

 

--Jean & Bob from Racine, Wisconsin

[teedee]

The thing that bothers me is a lot of people that were not on the sailings affected are telling those who were how they should have reacted. I wasn't on the sailings and I have no idea how I would have reacted if I had been. The only people with a right to complain are the ones who were actually on the ship. I'd like to think I would make the best of things, but who knows. I don't know how bad the bleach smells were and didn't have any clothing affected. I didn't miss out on activities I had been looking forward to. I just hope Celebrity fairly compensates (yes I'm using that dreaded word!) those who were on the affected cruises.

 

Terri

[WillK]

I really am grateful to those who've posted about their negative experiences on these last few sailings. If it's true that Celebrity reads the boards, the negative reviews may provide strong motivation to remedy the situation. I'm booked for the May 8 sailing. If things don't drastically improve by then, I'll gladly cancel my cruise, regardless of the loss of deposit etc. I would much rather stay at home than have the sort of "national lampoon" vacation that Tuggers and others have experienced. I would much rather be forewarned than ignorant and not in a position to make an informed decision. Even if the norovirus issue is resolved, I have no interest in spending 11 days on a ship that has had soft furnishings and varnishes destroyed by gallons of bleach. If that was the type of cruise I was interested in, I'd be sailing on Regal Empress, not Celebrity.

[edieredmann]

When we got on the ship things were 'pretty', mirrors shiny, etc. Then they started spraying and wiping. After a few days we were told the 'protocol has changed'. That is when the spraying and dripping and not wiping started, That is when the 'brigades' started. You would open your door and there would be 5 or 6 crew members staggered down the halls spraying, some with a sprayer in both hands! That is when the burning eyes and headaches started (for me), that is when the inhaler usage started (for me), that is when the ruined clothing got really bad, etc. And, yes, I have to think it was bleach because it was cheap. Other cruise lines seem to know about products that are not as harmful to people and clothing.

 

I am not exaggerating when I say we saw pallets of bleach being brought on board and dozens of the power sprayers.

 

BTW, my friend is still having nose bleeds that are attributed to the bleach in confined areas.

 

Gail, that is exactly my point. Other cleaners should have been used, and believe me, there are others that are just as effective. I do know something about Noro, as I worked at a middle school, with over 1400 students. We constantly had the virus crop up in early spring, and went into sanitation mode. We never sprayed bleach, as a matter of fact, it was illegal to do so because of what the caustic fumes could do to your lungs and membranes. OSHA would be contacted if we ever did. We did use a concentrated liquid on surfaces , and wiped them down.