Refurbished Fantasy's 1st Cruise!!

[halos]

What are hashers?

 

:eek: I'm wondering that myself. :eek:

[jetskier]

What are hashers?

 

The full name is Hash House Harriers.

 

The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH, H3, or referred to simply as Hashing) is an international group of social, non-competitive running, social, and drinking clubs. An event organized by a club is known as a Hash or Hash Run, with participants calling themselves Hashers.

 

The Hash House Harriers is a decentralized organization, with each chapter (sometimes called a Kennel) individually managed with no uniting organizational hierarchy. A kennel's management is typically known as the MisManagement and consists of individuals with various duties and titles, such as Grand Master or Religious Adviser. There are more than 1,700 kennels spanning all seven continents. Most major cities are home to at least one kennel, with some areas boasting more than ten groups. Kennels typically contain 20-100 members and are usually co-ed, though some metropolitan area Hashes can draw more than 1,000 Hashers to an event.

 

Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a casual group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British paper chase, to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. This original group consisted of four members: Cecil Lee, Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Ronald "Torch" Bennett, and Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignacious "G" Gispert. John Woodrow was also an original member of the group, but is rarely credited as a founder, having left Malaysia soon after the war and returning to Scotland.

 

 

After meeting for some months, they were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a "group," they would require a Constitution and an official name. A.S. Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers" in homage to the Selangor Club Annex, where the men were billeted, so named the "Hash House" for its notoriously monotonous food. The final word, "Harriers," refers to the role of those in the chase, where the "hare" was given a head start to blaze a trail and mark his path with shreds of paper, and then pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers." Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the "true" path, harriers reaching the end of the trail would be rewarded with beer, ginger beer, and cigarettes.

[LHP]

Hashers are a running group. They are known all over the world.

 

But they drink more than they run.

 

As with any "group" some chapters are tamer than others.

 

Friends of mine cruised with this particular group last year and while no one cares what someone does in the privacy of their own cabin...there was way to much public pornography at places like the Lido pool area hot tubs around kids. Sorry, that is where I draw the line.

 

If folks want to get drunk and be loud....no problem. If guys want to drink while dressed in red silk dresses and wear high heels I do not care.

 

You want to perform a sex act on hubby/significant other/ or your best girlfriend in the public hot tub where kids can see...then we have a problem.

 

There are 50 of them on this group all staying on Upper....so IF they calm down the sex acts this time...unless you are staying on Upper...you will just see them around the ship and that won't be a problem.

 

They do have hallway parties...so if you are on Upper....be aware.

 

PS: I sent Dave a list their names, cabin numbers and "nicknames".

[Rowan555]

Okay, so there's a "hashers group" of 50 people, mostly on the Upper Deck, on the Fantasy on Nov 1?

 

My head is spinning....

[LHP]

Okay, so there's a "hashers group" of 50 people, mostly on the Upper Deck, on the Fantasy on Nov 1?

 

My head is spinning....

 

After the last time, Carnival may have given them the same "talking to" they gave the Aqua Boogie Group.

 

Aqua Boogie was not NEARLY the trouble this year on the Legend that they were on the Liberty last year.

 

50 is not alot when you think about 2,000 passengers on a ship.

 

Like I said, if it were not for DJ....I would be there with bells on!!!

[jetskier]

You want to perform a sex act on hubby/significant other/ or your best girlfriend in the public hot tub where kids can see...then we have a problem.

 

 

Note to self:

Spend more time by hottubs and pool.:p

 

 

Also according to their website, they wear no underwear to dinner. Also they have a M&G on the first day wearing just towels in the hallway.

Dave

[LHP]

Note to self:

Spend more time by hottubs and pool.:p

 

Behave yourself!!! :eek:

 

 

Also according to their website, they wear no underwear to dinner.

 

Neither do I, so no big deal.

 

Also they have a M&G on the first day wearing just towels in the hallway.

 

 

Dave

 

The towels in the hallway is where it starts to get "iffy". This is not a porn ship...this is a family cruise line. They need to "rent a room", if they want to start "inching" towards that line. Because the first time a towel "accidently" falls and there is a child around....if I were the parent...they would be overboard!!

[lama231]

Here is a copy of the email I sent two days ago to guest relations. So far no reply

 

 

 

 

To Whom it May Concern

 

I am writing to you pertaining to our last cruise Oct.3 on the Carnival Fantasy. I have waited until now to write because I was hoping to hear from Carnival either by phone or Email to respond to the many issues during this cruise. For the record we have cruised with Carnival a total of five times. We have also cruised with Princess, Royal Caribbean and Windstar. We have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world and never had an experience like this one. I am certain this is not the first letter you are receiving on this matter nor will it be your last. Up to this point we have been very happy with Carnival's customer service and we would like to give you the opportunity to make right the situation with this cruise. For the record, this was not our cruise of choice. We sailed on the Victory in February and I was lucky enough to qualify for the Poker Pro Challenge. For a number of years my wife and I would go away once a year without the children, but because of their ages we have not been able to do this for six years now. We were both really looking forward to getting away alone and this cruise was an excuse to do so. I will not bore you with a blow by blow account of what went wrong on this trip but will list the highlights {lowlights} of this cruise.

 

Day One Debarkation. We arrived at the port at about eleven Am. There was mass confusion by the Carnival Employees about the boarding process. Finally we were told to be seated by rows in the terminal and would be checked in by row, but this was after over an hour of waiting and no communication so as other guests arrived the rows were filled and we did not get on the ship until after three PM. We should have realized that this was just the beginning. When we finally boarded the ship it was filthy. We encountered razor blades on the decks which is both unsightly as well as dangerous. Ladders leaning against the wall on the lido deck as well as laying on the ground of the Serenity section. Windows so dirty you could hardly see out both in our cabin and on th lido which by th way were not touched the entire time we were gone. Departure was delayed until Midnight, not acceptable.

 

Day Two. Our cabin was R73 on the Riviera Deck. the stench from raw sewer was overwhelming. When I asked a Carnival Employee about the smell I was told that it was just stale air from the dry dock. I am not an expert, but I am pretty sure I can tell the difference between stale air and sewer, please don' treat me like an idiot.

 

Day Three went pretty smoothly except if you take into consideration the Water park which was the highlight of the refurbishment did not open until this day and when it was opened the drainage system did not function and caused the ceiling in the buffet to collapse, small detail I suppose unless you happened to be sitting in the area of the buffet where the roof fell in.

 

Day Four was the best. My wife and I have been to Cozumel on three occasions so we spent the morning there shopping and then returned to the ship for some lunch and an afternoon nap. After an hour or so we were awakened with runny eyes a very sore throat and difficulty breathing. I got dressed and went into the hall to see what was going on and encountered crew members running up and down the hall telling us to evacuate our cabin and proceed to the open decks that the fumes coming through the ventilation system were toxic. I sent my wife up to the lido and I went to the information desk to inquire what was happening. The person on duty had no idea what I was talking about and had the gall to ask me "Sir are you sure you are all right and have you been drinking". Your ship was either on fire or smoking depending on which story you believe. and your "Information" desk had no "Information" and to top it off they insult my by asking if I had been drinking. The foul odor rema ined in our cabin for well into the next day..

 

By Day Five we were waiting for what was going to go wrong next. We were not disappointed. The raw sewer smell, Oh I'm sorry stale air returned with a vengeance. By this time both my wife and I could not wait for the nightmare to end.

 

In todays troubled economic times travel has become more of a luxury than ever before. I am not a chronic complainer, as a matter of fact this is the first letter i have ever written to voice my displeasure. There are certain things that can ruin a vacation that are out of Carnivals control, weather, mechanical breakdown, an act of God, NONE OF THESE ISSUES, fall into those categories. This was simply a decision by Carnival to send out a ship that simply was not ready. I take it personally that your company would use the passengers on this cruise as guinea pigs. Upon returning home from our voyage in February our children went onto the computer to pick out our next cruise, of course Carnival.com. They selected a February 8 2009 cruise on the Carnival Triumph. When we returned home from the Fantasy I told them to start searching other cruise lines as an alternative. At this point the ball is in your court. I truly believe we are entitled to consideration and com pensation for the last debacle. We will travel in the future and I am certain there are many more cruises in store for our family. The only question is, Will it be with Carnival? That answer is in your hands. Please don't disappoint our children

[LHP]

Here is a copy of the email I sent two days ago to guest relations. So far no reply

 

 

 

 

To Whom it May Concern

 

I am writing to you pertaining to our last cruise Oct.3 on the Carnival Fantasy. I have waited until now to write because I was hoping to hear from Carnival either by phone or Email to respond to the many issues during this cruise. For the record we have cruised with Carnival a total of five times. We have also cruised with Princess, Royal Caribbean and Windstar. We have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world and never had an experience like this one. I am certain this is not the first letter you are receiving on this matter nor will it be your last. Up to this point we have been very happy with Carnival's customer service and we would like to give you the opportunity to make right the situation with this cruise. For the record, this was not our cruise of choice. We sailed on the Victory in February and I was lucky enough to qualify for the Poker Pro Challenge. For a number of years my wife and I would go away once a year without the children, but because of their ages we have not been able to do this for six years now. We were both really looking forward to getting away alone and this cruise was an excuse to do so. I will not bore you with a blow by blow account of what went wrong on this trip but will list the highlights {lowlights} of this cruise.

 

Day One Debarkation. We arrived at the port at about eleven Am. There was mass confusion by the Carnival Employees about the boarding process. Finally we were told to be seated by rows in the terminal and would be checked in by row, but this was after over an hour of waiting and no communication so as other guests arrived the rows were filled and we did not get on the ship until after three PM. We should have realized that this was just the beginning. When we finally boarded the ship it was filthy. We encountered razor blades on the decks which is both unsightly as well as dangerous. Ladders leaning against the wall on the lido deck as well as laying on the ground of the Serenity section. Windows so dirty you could hardly see out both in our cabin and on th lido which by th way were not touched the entire time we were gone. Departure was delayed until Midnight, not acceptable.

 

Day Two. Our cabin was R73 on the Riviera Deck. the stench from raw sewer was overwhelming. When I asked a Carnival Employee about the smell I was told that it was just stale air from the dry dock. I am not an expert, but I am pretty sure I can tell the difference between stale air and sewer, please don' treat me like an idiot.

 

Day Three went pretty smoothly except if you take into consideration the Water park which was the highlight of the refurbishment did not open until this day and when it was opened the drainage system did not function and caused the ceiling in the buffet to collapse, small detail I suppose unless you happened to be sitting in the area of the buffet where the roof fell in.

 

Day Four was the best. My wife and I have been to Cozumel on three occasions so we spent the morning there shopping and then returned to the ship for some lunch and an afternoon nap. After an hour or so we were awakened with runny eyes a very sore throat and difficulty breathing. I got dressed and went into the hall to see what was going on and encountered crew members running up and down the hall telling us to evacuate our cabin and proceed to the open decks that the fumes coming through the ventilation system were toxic. I sent my wife up to the lido and I went to the information desk to inquire what was happening. The person on duty had no idea what I was talking about and had the gall to ask me "Sir are you sure you are all right and have you been drinking". Your ship was either on fire or smoking depending on which story you believe. and your "Information" desk had no "Information" and to top it off they insult my by asking if I had been drinking. The foul odor rema ined in our cabin for well into the next day..

 

By Day Five we were waiting for what was going to go wrong next. We were not disappointed. The raw sewer smell, Oh I'm sorry stale air returned with a vengeance. By this time both my wife and I could not wait for the nightmare to end.

 

In todays troubled economic times travel has become more of a luxury than ever before. I am not a chronic complainer, as a matter of fact this is the first letter i have ever written to voice my displeasure. There are certain things that can ruin a vacation that are out of Carnivals control, weather, mechanical breakdown, an act of God, NONE OF THESE ISSUES, fall into those categories. This was simply a decision by Carnival to send out a ship that simply was not ready. I take it personally that your company would use the passengers on this cruise as guinea pigs. Upon returning home from our voyage in February our children went onto the computer to pick out our next cruise, of course Carnival.com. They selected a February 8 2009 cruise on the Carnival Triumph. When we returned home from the Fantasy I told them to start searching other cruise lines as an alternative. At this point the ball is in your court. I truly believe we are entitled to consideration and com pensation for the last debacle. We will travel in the future and I am certain there are many more cruises in store for our family. The only question is, Will it be with Carnival? That answer is in your hands. Please don't disappoint our children

 

 

First of all, I was on the second sailing and I have absolutely no doubt that the folks on the first cruise have a right to compensation. These were not "tweaks" that one expects from a ship coming right out of drydock.

 

And while ours was MUCH better than the first one, I can verify that the folks on the first one are not exaggerating.

 

My only suggestion is that I would have sent (and still would) a letter snail mail. The very few times we have had an issue, we have sent well worded letters to Carnival and have always been pleased with the response. However, it does take about 6 weeks to get a response....especially when the correspondence flow will be extremely heavy after a special "event". Plus they are still dealing with the mail flow from the cruises affected by the hurricanes....so it make take awhile.

 

The address is :

 

Guest Relations

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Place

3655 NW 87 Avenue

Miami, Fl. 33178-2428

 

I would call it a hard copy follow up to an email so that they know an email is already in the pipeline.

 

The second thing that I would suggest is that you stay realistic. How do you put a price on a family vacation that was not as promised?

 

When we sailed on the Ecstasy last month, our 5 day cruise to two ports turned into a 3 day cruise to nowhere. Without asking, Carnival gave us a 50% refund (which hit our credit card in a week) PLUS a 50% discount on a future cruise. I thought that was more than fair....others were complaining it was not enough. So Carnival is not ever going to make everyone happy.

 

Personally, the minute Carnival realized this ship was not ready for October 4th...they should have done TWO things:

 

1. given folks the option of cancelling.

2. been proactive with $100.00 per cabin OBC and a future discount of 25%

 

Then when things like the fire happened, deal with individuals as they were affected. Some people had to deal with the fumes...some did not. That should have been a special consideration.

 

But I think if Carnival would have been proactive...it would have put folks in a different frame of mind. I think "not being knowledged" is what pushes everyone's buttons. IMHO

[Rowan555]

I emailed Carnival and received a reply within 1 business day - I think it's all in how you handle things. IMO, the letter above is rude and demanding and won't merit a reply at all.

[Kurbanfan]

Be patient lama231! You did the right thing! But I would also mail them a copy........

Good luck!

[LHP]

I emailed Carnival and received a reply within 1 business day - I think it's all in how you handle things. IMO, the letter above is rude and demanding and won't merit a reply at all.

 

I agree that a well worded letter is the key.

 

Once I got an immediate response...the rest were about a week. But it can take as much as 6 weeks if they have a flood of complaints to handle.

 

Last month alone they have several hurricanes (which will generate a lot of letters) and the Fantasy drydock issue.

 

Personally, I have found that if I start the letters with the positives (and there always are some) and then add "however the reason for my letter is" and then be short, to the point, no judgments, threats, generalizations or exaggerations...

you should get a fair response.

 

At least that is what has worked for us in the past....

 

Oddly enough, the most OBC I have ever gotten was $200.00 and that was for a letter I wrote this year where everything was PERFECT. Not one complaint....not even a hint of a complaint or a suggestion. It was all good.

 

I was shocked....happy....but shocked!!

[luckycruzer]

Fantasy, STILL not finished :eek: ..sorry for the inconvieniences, from the cruise that ended today. More time I expect, will be needed for completion.

[Queenb559]

I emailed Carnival and received a reply within 1 business day - I think it's all in how you handle things. IMO, the letter above is rude and demanding and won't merit a reply at all.

 

Rowan555....What was the reply from Carnival?

[BamaCruiser20]

Fantasy, STILL not finished :eek: ..sorry for the inconvieniences, from the cruise that ended today. More time I expect, will be needed for completion.

 

the cruise that ended today????? The Fantasy is still at sea right now.

[luckycruzer]

or maybe two.....company in the house can do that to ya..gimme a solo cruze anytime

[DolfanNY]

Lama everyone is entitled to their opinions. One mistake you made is the cruise left on the 4th of October not the 3rd. If you are incorrect about the date, Carnival might have some doubt about your experience. I was on the Fantasy and agree with what you said. The facts are the facts.

 

Rowan, what was Carnival's response? I called guest relations on Friday the 10th and told I would get a response in the mail. I am curious if everyone is going to get the same compensation.

[LHP]

Lama everyone is entitled to their opinions. One mistake you made is the cruise left on the 4th of October not the 3rd. If you are incorrect about the date, Carnival might have some doubt about your experience. I was on the Fantasy and agree with what you said. The facts are the facts.

 

Rowan, what was Carnival's response? I called guest relations on Friday the 10th and told I would get a response in the mail. I am curious if everyone is going to get the same compensation.

 

Hopefully you will hear from them soon.

 

It looks like Carnival needs to automatically set the first two sailings of any ship coming out of drydock at a discount and designate it as such.

 

That way, when folks see the really cheap price....they will wonder..why?

Then they can decide if they want to take that chance....since only 1 to 2% of cruisers read forums like this.

[Queenb559]

We finally received our letter from Carnival yesterday about the 10/04/08 cruise. They sent a check for $169.00 and will be giving us a 25% discount on a future 3-5 day cruise. I am satisfied.

[Ms Belvedere]

We finally received our letter from Carnival yesterday about the 10/04/08 cruise. They sent a check for $169.00 and will be giving us a 25% discount on a future 3-5 day cruise. I am satisfied.

 

Thank you for coming back and posting the outcome; so many times we never hear how or if a complaint was resolved. I'm glad that Carnival did the right thing and took care of their customer.

Ms B

[halos]

Thank you for coming back and posting the outcome; so many times we never hear how or if a complaint was resolved. I'm glad that Carnival did the right thing and took care of their customer.

Ms B

ditto