Never Cruising Carnival Again - PLEASE read and give me a chance !

[tkportersat]

All I can say is WOW......I am so sorry this is how your first experience with Carnival went as I have always had great service from Carnival and would have expected they would have done more for you. At the very least an apology and discount for a future cruise. While I understand that the flight being delayed is not their fault, their air department should have never scheduled your flight so close to the cruise embarkation.

 

If I were you I would continue to write. Did you send to the President's email? Also attach threads from here documenting others who have had this issue with flight arrangements to plead your case. This comes up far too often and if Carnival is going to drop the ball then maybe they should not offer flight planning any longer. Good luck.

 

Folks .....

 

First THANK-YOU for commenting about my personal info being on the letters ... STUPID me ... didn't even think of that.

 

For those who MAY want to read my story ... feel free to.

 

The purpose of this post is for new cruisers to learn from our mistake ... that is all.

 

ALL I AM SAYING IS THIS .... I trusted Carnival to take care of a first time, inexperienced cruiser.

 

We feel that they did not ... could have made some simple gestures to keep us as a future client and it simply appears that THEY DON'T CARE.

 

Here are my letters …..

 

http://www.racemedical.com/Letter-1.pdf

http://www.racemedical.com/Letter-2.pdf

http://www.racemedical.com/Letter-3.pdf

http://www.racemedical.com/Letter-4.pdf

 

Letter 1 & 3 are from myself …. Letter 2 & 4 are their response.

 

Dave

[trock]

WOW ....

 

Did not expect so many reads on this link and this many replies ....

 

I agree also .... LAWSUIT .... that seems a bit rediculous ... this is ALL about satisfying a customer with a problem ... a SIMPLE problem that could have been resolved.

 

The medication was my error ... I thought they were in my carry on but that still reflects back on a small gesture from their part would have gone a long way.

 

As far as email vs writing a letter ..... they were sent via email, through my travel agent to an email account for "inside sources" only ... they could not give the email address out as it was only for travel agents.

 

My last email came from the upper office ... again ... what ticks me off even more is the phone call I got today.

 

Dave

 

 

The contact i gave you in one of the above threads is an 'inside source'... Call and follow up like Halos said with snail mail..

 

Good Luck!

[Kurbanfan]

 

 

I read the letters, and If there is such a thing as a tux voucher then he and his son should have been offerred them by the purser's desk. But my point still stands, this isn't a problem that is exclusive to Carnival.

 

 

Who is arguing that:confused: It doesn't matter what cruise line it was....it just happened to be Carnival;)

[twoputt.plusone]

I suppose in hindsight that your first mistake was to take them at their word. What a sad state of affairs. :(

 

2P.P1

[RaceMedic]

In regards to the other flight offer .... it was NOT feasible .... it was in a different terminal and our luggage had already been checked and there was not enough time.

 

I would have sooner had them suggest that they could not fly me in early enough and suggest flying in the day before ... I surely would have paid for the hotel room ... we spent $1,000s on this cruise so obviously $100 for a night is a no brainer but being new to cruising I trusted Carnival to take care of our needs and were ASSURED on 2 different occasions not to worry !

 

Dave

[dan40]

From now on all Carnival Commercials should include the following or similar wording:

 

Please review Cruise Critic for actual rules, regulations and responsibilities of passenger and cruise line...:rolleyes:

 

You left out, "You should have reviewed before.....................................:D

 

Dan

[Stircrzy]

I was VERY polite with the customer service reps on the first two occasions talking to them ... IN FACT ... they agreed with me ... the 2nd rep I talked to was SHCKED to hear I was not offered any compensation.

 

FOR THE RECORD ... We were not expecting a LARGE compensation but some type of gesture.

 

As far as the polite component ... these letters were sent via email with the letters as attachments. The email component stated we had a GREAT cruise BUT a HORRIBLE start .... maybe because we said over all it was great they don't see a need to compensate us.

 

YES we had insurance and some of our clothes were covered but they wanted $120 USD EACH for a tuxedo rental and I did not know if it would be covered under our insurance.

 

My travel agent is forwarding this thread link to her Carnival rep ... probably won't do anything still ... I have given up hoping.

 

Just hoping others can learn from our mistake.

 

THANK-YOU for all the positive feedbackk and I don't mind the criticisms either !

 

Dave

 

 

P.S. It wasn't until I got a phone call today from them telling me NOT to reply again that I sort of got rude !

 

I'm taking my 14th Carnival cruise in October, so you know I like the product...but THIS experience is outrageous. I'm sorry that things have turned out this way for your family.

 

Compensation on a future cruise is not an out-of-line request in your situation, and for nothing other than good will, Carnival should have offered that compensation, IMO.

 

It's a shame the downturn in customer service that has occurred since Mr. Cahill took the helm from Mr. Dickinson.

 

Mr. Dickinson seemed to always be available to his customers...I know this because he always answered MY email (and I'm nobody). He was always prompt in his replies and courteous in his service.

 

Carnival, you dropped the ball this time.

[golfadj]

OK girl one question. Which dept of Carnival are you working for?

 

If I ever have problem with a cruise want to make sure I do not reach you as obviously you would be worthless and useless in getting anything resolved.

 

Amazing how someone can take Carnival's side without bothering to read and understand the situation.

 

Carvinal could have had a customer for life by stepping up to the plate and tossing the OP something to make up for the grief it caused.

 

Experienced cruisers know not to book air thru the cruise line but we all learn thru experience.

 

Golfadj

[baseball921]

Good luck Racemedic!!!! I agree the customer service was completely blown. Carnival dropped my parents luggage overboard offloading and paid for:new luggage, replacement of the damaged property in the luggage, half off the next cruise, and (we actually aren't sure where this came from) the next cruise had SUBSTANTIAL OBC, but like I said, we don't have any idea where the OBC came from. The compensation was more than necassary, my folks would have been ok with just replacing the damaged luggage and items. I have no problem with requesting 20%, that is not an unreasonable request at all, and if they want to keep your business, it is one they should consider.

 

~Kristie

[dapaddo]

Today is April the 6th yet your last letter from Carnival is dated the 9th how do that happen...

[umwife11]

Can I also chime in and ask about your travel agent?

 

With all due respect, other than forwarding this thread, it doesn't sound like your TA did much BEFORE your trip to help you avoid this situation.

 

They should have been a little bit more aggressive with Carnival about making better flight arrangements AND they should have advised you not to accept a flight so close to the ship's departure time.

 

My mother's a TA and I worked in her office all through high school and college. Trust me when I tell you if anything like this ever happened to one of her clients, her clients would be going after HER head, not Carnival's, lol.

 

Honestly, I think your TA could have avoided this entire mess by doing a little better job. Doesn't help after the fact, obviously, but it may not just be Carnival you're reconsidering for your future travel plans. I'm a little baffled as to how a TA--who HAS more experience with this stuff--would have just accepted the "oh, it's perfectly okay" line from Carnival when you questioned the short amount of time between the flight and the cruise.

 

I don't mean to take all the blame here off Carnival...but they weren't the only ones who let you down.

[motherchic]

Hi Racemedic,

I will be sailing with Carnival for the first time in August. Prior to this we have sailed Celebrity. Over the years I have read some strong, justified complaints with Celebrity and the cruisers disappointment with the cruise lines response. I am saying this just as a comment that the "grass is probably not greener". That being said, carnival ABSOLUTELY was wrong here. Its surprising, as stated in this economy, that they would dismiss you so easily. Usually it doesnt take much to make us feel appeased. The tuxedoes, a spa treatment, a bottle of wine.... so simple and you would have at least thought.... "well at least they care".

We have always booked our own flights due to having frequent flyer milage. But I have to say, I ALWAYS thought that when you booked your flight thru the cruise line that you were guaranteed "peace of mind" (guess not) . ITs not even less expensive to book thru the cruise lines.

Thank you for sharing. As others have stated: its a good warning. To be careful.

I like to fly in the day before, because of things like this, my DH does not, he is not a worrier like I am, though. But, I always buy travel insurance.

I hope when you cruise again, you have a great time. stress free.

Nadine

By the way, your letters were very well written

[neverpar]

It is not a scenario exclusive to Carnival, but it is exclusive to Racemedic and this cruise experience...

 

 

BINGO!! You hit it right on the nose Trock...I couldn't agree more!

[LemurCat]

From now on all Carnival Commercials should include the following or similar wording:

 

Please review Cruise Critic for actual rules, regulations and responsibilities of passenger and cruise line...:rolleyes:

 

Actually, it would be "Please carefully read and consider all actual rules, regulations and responsibilities of passenger and cruise line before booking."

 

You need to *read* it carefully. But you can consider it wildly. :rolleyes:

 

(And that's basic investment advertising disclosure, in case anyone is wondering.)

[RaceMedic]

Our TA has been very active in this fight for us .... to be honest ... I am not sure if we told her about our flight times because we were ASSURED by Carnival it was not an issue.

 

They are offering us a discount on ANY future travel and are pushing on Carnival for us. They have a LARGE group going on Carnival in the future and she says that she has also expressed concern on that cruise with the quality of customer service they are providing.

[LemurCat]

Our TA has been very active in this fight for us .... to be honest ... I am not sure if we told her about our flight times because we were ASSURED by Carnival it was not an issue.

 

They are offering us a discount on ANY future travel and are pushing on Carnival for us. They have a LARGE group going on Carnival in the future and she says that she has also expressed concern on that cruise with the quality of customer service they are providing.

 

Race, did your TA book the cruise for you but not the flights? Or did they book the whole package for you with Carnival? Or did you not get your TA involved until after the fact?

[RaceMedic]

Quick Question .... is Mr. Cahill the president ... maybe I should write a letter to him directly marked confidential on it !

 

One last kick at the can as the saying goes !

[Littlegoo75]

You will learn that people have very strong opinions on this board, there will be bashers, and some people that are not so nice. I read your first letter right after you initially posted on here. I sympathized with your situation and really felt that Carnival should have AT LEAST compensated you with a couple of free tux rentals, I can understand how such a bitter start to a dream vacation could put a bad taste in your mouth.

 

I have never had any problems/issues with Carnival, but if I did, I would feel that it would be a good faith gesture for them to try to rectify the situation at least a little bit.

 

I would have been nervous about having such little time between the arrival of the flight at the departure of the cruise, especially coming from as far as Canada, but if the cruise line is the one that arranged it, they should know better than that. It is almost the norm these days for flights to at least be an hour late.

 

I put so much thought and care into packing, and putting my outfits together (especially for formal night) that I would have been heart broken to have to resort to wearing casual clothing.

 

I am really sorry that you weren't able to enjoy your Carnival cruise as much as many of us have in the past.

 

Better luck to you with your next cruise if you choose to try it again.

[tedjazz]

Customer Service is still a problem for Carnival and when over 50% of their business is from return customers you would think they would make significant changes/improvements to insure that these customers do return.

[RaceMedic]

It was a total package price .... paid the deposit about 10 months before the trip ... balance 30 days prior ... flight confirmed on Carnival's website 2 weeks prior.

 

Once it was booked there wasn't much more for out TA to do.

 

PLEASE let me be clear ... we have used this TA before and will use them again ... they are GREAT.

[LemurCat]

Quick Question .... is Mr. Cahill the president ... maybe I should write a letter to him directly marked confidential on it !

 

One last kick at the can as the saying goes !

 

Why? So his admin can open it? Marking something "confidential" doesn't mean "eyes only". I don't want to discourage you from writing, but I would suggest you send your letter Registered Mail so you know who signs for it and can follow up with them.

[KULPN]

The links worked for me. I have been on 3 Carnival Cruises & have my 4th & 5th booked. I am totally disgusted with their treatment of you & their follow-up. I also have read of Air fare issues with their Fy Away program. Thank God, I now live in Florida.

 

I am on your side. Did you tell them you are a Cruise Critic Member & that you woud be pubishing your letters & their responses?

 

Shame on them. I don't blame you for not wanting to cruise Carnival again. I would feel the same way.

[kelz66]

Race, did your TA book the cruise for you but not the flights? Or did they book the whole package for you with Carnival? Or did you not get your TA involved until after the fact?

 

That is what I was wondering....doesn't the flights have to be booked with the cruise to get the air through carnival?

 

I would think a TA would know better and advise a customer about flight times and such.

[LemurCat]

It was a total package price .... paid the deposit about 10 months before the trip ... balance 30 days prior ... flight confirmed on Carnival's website 2 weeks prior.

 

Once it was booked there wasn't much more for out TA to do.

 

PLEASE let me be clear ... we have used this TA before and will use them again ... they are GREAT.

 

Did you TA book it, or did you book it directly with Carnival? Yes, this makes a difference.

[Ephraim]

Carnival should do the right thing when they have done the wrong thing...

 

You should have never been booked on that flight. While I agree that they are working as the agent... they should have known better than to book that flight considering how close the times were.

 

They should have offered the formal wear. Most lines do. I do not know why they did not.

 

That being said, if your trip was insured or you purchased your trip on a Canadian Gold (or above) American Express card there are insurance policies that you should be aware of. They can help in these kind of situations.

 

If your trip was purchased by an Ontario agency, you may have TICO to help you.