The SUSPENSE is killing me! Miracle...

[patrice1]

 

Folks like you are the reason I don't vacation in New York. Most people from New England, New York in particular, do nothing but complain and expect the world to revolve around themselves....

 

Sorry, but just a tiny geography lesson here. New York is not part of New England. Five states make up New England - Maine, NH, Conn., Mass. & Rhode Island. Now, even though I've lived in Florida for 21+ years, I still consider myself a Masshole - proudly. :eek: :D ;) I was born in Salem & have the broom to prove it!:eek:

[VentureMan_2000]

UGH

I have my central air on 67 and its still not cool enough... its gross outside!

 

 

 

In California here... it's normally 85F in the summer... no humidity... no bugs... no rain... just sunny sky's... and the most unbareable issue is having to pick all the fresh vine ripe tomatoes and other veggies daily... it's so much work given the abundance of output each day... :eek:

[lovesublime]

 

 

SexyMax, I suggest you reread the guarantee. You have to declare you're not happy before you get to the first port of call and depart the ship at the first non-US port of call.

 

 

Carnival - "If you are not completely satisfied with your cruise vacation experience, all you need to do is notify us before arrival at the first port of call and you must debark at your ship's first non-U.S. port of call. Carnival will refund the unused portion of your cruise fare and pay your flight back."

 

 

No where do I read that you can decide to leave the ship anytime you want and expect Carnival to pay your way home. I suggest your next vacation as a safari in New Hampshire to watch the leaves turn color.

 

Folks like you are the reason I don't vacation in New York. Most people from New England, New York in particular, do nothing but complain and expect the world to revolve around themselves. I have been on 4 Carnival cruises, far less than many others on this board but, I have NEVER encountered any of the problems I've been hearing. The problems I have encountered have been with the passengers not the crew! I've found the crew to be top notch with nothing more than a desire to make us happy. As far as I'm concerned, I'll be sailing Carnival as long as there are ships in the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've lived in Texas, Louisiana and now in Florida. Your "Location" says you live in Texas, if that's true, you above many others on this board should know that hurricanes are unpredictable and NO ONE knows where they are going. Ike is a prime example. Just a couple days ago we expected to take a direct hit threatening all departures from South Florida. Now it looks like it's headed to New Orleans again. Who knows, tomorrow it may be Houston.

 

Your contract with Carnival says ports of calls are subject to change without notice and substituted with another port. You are NOT guarantied a "Caribbean" cruise and they state that very clearly. No contract violation I can tell. I suggest your next vacation as a safari there in Texas.

 

 

Yes, I live on the Texas Gulf Coast. However, I beg to differ with you. These hurricanes are pretty much predictably tracked. EVERYONE knows where these storms are located and the general vicinity where they will make landfall. The cruise lines are just out to make bucks-bottom line. I'm a survivor of Alicia and Allison. I don't give a flying flip what the 'unfair' cruise contract states. It's a rip-off. BTW, where in the heck in Texas would I take a freaking safari?

[VentureMan_2000]

But the self-centered wailers don't care, they are "special!"

 

 

You can't cure stupid.

 

Dan

 

 

 

The saying from Ron White is, "You can't fix stupid"... :D

[fat_joe]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyship0907,0,6485883.story

 

This article about the Miracle was in NY Newsday and includes statements from a Carnival representative.

 

Didn't the Miracle come back on Saturday? The reporter claims that she returned on Friday.

[The Big Booper]

At least the ship stopped in the Bahamas to beat the PVSA.

 

We were on the Freedom OTS in July 2006 when a couple big storms were rumbling around the Caribbean. The ship elected to skip the private island south of Cuba and head North around Cuba and avoid the storms.

 

The Captain gave an illustrated talk in the big theater with computer projections on the screens and everything showing in graphic detail where the ship was, where the storms were and why he was scooting off in a different direction. It was repeated twice more that day by other senior bridge crew.

 

That is how this situation should be handled, not by sarcastic comments by the senior staff.

[DizzyDallasDi]

BTW, where in the heck in Texas would I take a freaking safari?

 

Anywhere between Midland / Odessa and San Angelo...:D

[jandjfun]

There you have it. Timed so no one used the guarantee.

This would have costed them a fortune.

 

So who is worse? The people removing tips or the cruiseline for screwing people out of the guarantee option?

 

ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE PEOPLE REMOVING THE TIPS!!

[Tar Heels]

Well said!!!

[scperk]

The link took me to nowhere!! :(

I knew it would not last very long, you did not miss anything....Dennis

[pe4all]

While I feel sorry for all the people inconvenienced by the hurricane, when you cruise in Aug/Sept., that is a fact of life. We cruised only once in those months, and our whole itinerary got diverted. (from east to west carr.) We were disappointed, as we specifically picked that itinerary on the Valor as we had never been to Roatan, Belize, etc. Ended up going to 3 islands we had been to many times before. My solution - I booked the Dream, so I'll hit those missed islands!:D But, as I had stated way back in this thread - be educated about the weather possibilites, and don't take it out on the crew. They usually go above and beyond to please. If anything, I'd probably add on to our tip - think of all the complaints THEY had to weather on this past cruise!

[snoodel]

Yes, I live on the Texas Gulf Coast. However, I beg to differ with you. These hurricanes are pretty much predictably tracked. EVERYONE knows where these storms are located and the general vicinity where they will make landfall. The cruise lines are just out to make bucks-bottom line. I'm a survivor of Alicia and Allison. I don't give a flying flip what the 'unfair' cruise contract states. It's a rip-off. BTW, where in the heck in Texas would I take a freaking safari?

 

Beg to differ all you want, You are wrong,, It is a guess on where the path will go.. They have a "General" idea,, but the actual PATH that a hurricain will follow is very unpredictable.

Most meteorologists are even at best, 70% Right.. If that..

But I do see that you are of the mentality that is it is ok to risk 2,000 peoples lives over what you feel is "Your Vacation"..

Best of luck to you and your life.. I am Gratefull you are not the one with the responsibility and final authority to make those decisions..

[MrPete]

Yes, I live on the Texas Gulf Coast. However, I beg to differ with you. These hurricanes are pretty much predictably tracked. EVERYONE knows where these storms are located and the general vicinity where they will make landfall.

 

We appreciate and hope one of your jobs is directing where cruiseships go with your soothsayer abitilies.

 

Care to tell us where Ike will hit?

[Noire]

EVERYONE is saying not to cruise in Hurricane season.... No one at least on this thread is not complaining about port changes - they are complaining about customer service and communication. It seems that the CCL die hards simply will not believe that miscommunication could occur.

 

I can't say - I wasn't there however I have to believe that this situatuion could have been handled better - with communication.

 

Being profitable has nothing to do with what happened here, it sounds like they made these decisions after anyone could take advantae of the guarantee - this is also disturbing. There had to have been some warning / clue that the ship would be redirected.

 

I sail the miracle next week and am hoping for no issues with the weather.

 

 

Come on now. You know that on this board you can't say anything negative about Carnival. :rolleyes: You are labeled as either a troll or a straight out liar.

[disfan13]

Come on now. You know that on this board you can't say anything negative about Carnival. :rolleyes: You are labeled as either a troll or a straight out liar.

Call me whatver the hell you want - I tell it like I see it. I'll judge for myself, my first Carnival cruise next week. I have a feeling I am going to ave a great cruise!

 

There are folks on here and other boards that live and die by their brand - that's fine. But lets face reality here - what YOU think is the best may not be what I think is the best. It's sad that people have to jump through hoops of fire to defend their favorite cruiseline. There are many cpmplaints one has that are ligitimate for that person. They have the right to their thougfhts. Yet they get jumped on because someone else disagrees. It's incredible.

 

There's a lot of good info on these boards - but there are alsoso many die hards that stick around and wait like litttle kids to jump all over someone at any moment :rolleyes:

 

Those who read this and are one of the folks I described above will probably have no clue I'm speaking about them!

[nanuak]

BTW, where in the heck in Texas would I take a freaking safari?

 

Maybe Glen Rose :D

[LynneL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by disfan13

It seems that the CCL die hards simply will not believe that miscommunication could occur. I can't say - I wasn't there however I have to believe that this situatuion could have been handled better - with communication.

 

Amen ! Communication is key...and IF it was not there-then the senior staff (and Carnival) was not helping the situation at all !

(as I said in another thread--the pulled one!)...Knowledge is power and ignorance is not bliss..

 

 

The most basic thing you learn in a COMM 101 class is to cut off problems at the pass with proper communication. Carnival must deal with these diversions on a regular basis & know people will be upset & angry, some taking it to different levels than others. Were these people justified in causing an uprising over being diverted...of course not...and the removing of tips is terrible.

 

However...another poster described how on their cruise the staff provided a detailed description & visual of weather patterns, dangers, and why the options that were being taken had to be done. This was repeated during the day. I'm sure this type presentation, with an added, "We can certainly understand your disappointment and frustration with this situation. You've looked forward to this vacation for a long time with certain expectations....BUT...." would have gone a long way. BETTER COMMUNICATION TRAINING FOR ALL MGMT. STAFF. I worked in customer service for years for a utility (of yeah, I could feel the love when idiots ignored multiple non-payment bills & then had their water shut off); however, people want to know that you hear where they are coming from first rather than you try telling them this is the way it is and suck it up - justified or not.

[PelicanBill]

This was all about communications and expectations setting.

 

From the beginning, when I saw the announced plan to visit Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport, I plotted the path of Hannah and said they were crazy to sail straight toward the storm in Nassau. 3 days later, sure enough, not going to Nassau, only to Freeport.

 

If they had made daily communications about the situation, and maybe, just maybe offered a $50 OBC since they were now going to 2 non-tropical US ports and one Bahama port instead of 3 caribbean ports, they would not have such discontent.

[obxmidgett]

I have read all the comments on this thread and another one on the same subject. A lot of posters say it was lack of communication, well maybe the lack of communication was due to the fact that they were trying to figure out where the storms were going before they decided to go to a certain port. How would you have liked it if they told you that you were going to one port only to have them tell you the next day that you were going to another because the storms changed paths. For someone to say that the forecasters know for sure where a hurricane is going to go is ridiculous. I just think that the ones that want compensation back should look to the lawyer and his followers for it instead of Carnival.

[jaja]

and lost in all this...

 

others have it a lot worse -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26540352

[TDM516]

UGH

I have my central air on 67 and its still not cool enough... its gross outside!

 

 

Sounds like a normal summer/early fall day here in Middle Tennessee! LOL ;)

[PelicanBill]

But this storm did not change paths, it hung around a long time over T&C and south Bahamas, and then moved NW as predicted. The Miracle played chicken with the plan to call on Nassau and lost.

 

I think they'd have done better with the passengers saying "we tried, but it's going to be more days at sea". If they really said "we have a great third port planned" and then sprung Newport on a shipload of people cruising from New York, shame on them.

 

The comments about New Yorkers and New England pretty much guarantee this thread go poof today just like the last one.

[MrPete]

This was all about communications and expectations setting.

 

 

If they had made daily communications about the situation,

 

Why are others posting that they did get daily updates?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=16166048&postcount=2152

[MrPete]

But this storm did not change paths, it hung around a long time over T&C and south Bahamas, and then moved NW as predicted.

 

Always a bit easier to talk about a storms path afterwards, heh?

[LynneL]

I have read all the comments on this thread and another one on the same subject. A lot of posters say it was lack of communication, well maybe the lack of communication was due to the fact that they were trying to figure out where the storms were going before they decided to go to a certain port. How would you have liked it if they told you that you were going to one port only to have them tell you the next day that you were going to another because the storms changed paths. For someone to say that the forecasters know for sure where a hurricane is going to go is ridiculous. I just think that the ones that want compensation back should look to the lawyer and his followers for it instead of Carnival.

 

If the staff was trying to figure out where they were going they should say just been honest & said with the unpredictability of the hurrican path, as well as the problem of docking requiring many agencies to be contacted, clearance needed, please bear with us as we try to make your upsetting & disappointing situation the safest environment for all on board.

 

As someone else mentioned, a small OBC for passengers to get a couple of beverages to help them chill a bit, even a $25. credit probably would have made people feel like they were being acknowledged. Does Carnival owe anything to the passengers like this - absolutely not - but a company must always weigh what the "give" will bring them in return. It may have been $25. well spent in public relations.