Carnival Hellgend I mean Legend 5-3-09!

[fairwren]

I think that the true test of a business is how it handles the extraordinary. I feel like this company failed abysmally. The captain didn’t have a choice to cancel the ports, one for swine flu (Mexico), and the other for civil unrest – some demonstrations at the pier in Honduras. We were told of this immediately AFTER leaving Belize.

 

The company, on the other hand, did have an opportunity to either arrange an alternate port, an additional day at a port we had already visited, or call the trip. The cruise line was aware of troubles earlier, and did have an opportunity to make some alternate plans, this according to the passengers from a different Carnival ship. We passengers do talk in port….careful Carnival. We also learned about the substitution of Key West for Cozumel.

 

Not only did we get only 2 ports, and floated about the ocean at 8-10 knots. Then, some illness onboard and we made for the Tampa coast a day early, so the coast guard could pick these unfortunate folks up. We, got to float off the coast of Tampa at 4 knots….we could see the town for another day.

 

Carnival likes this, because we do spend lots of money on the ship. I would have swum if I could to get off the boat.

 

Additionally, a group of passengers requested to meet with the captain, for some kind of explanation, and were refused. (I got this on film).

 

Additionally, the water system went out, and the water ran brown afterward. When I asked for water to drink, I was told I could purchase it (3.95 per liter). I called 2 times, was sent strawberries, and still no free bottled water, and up until the debarkation day, brown water. I took pictures; they are going to be on my facebook page. (fairwren)

 

We, the passengers, were aware that the cruise line was within the contract to cancel ports etc, but under all these circumstances, which were extraordinary; felt that it would have been good customer service to offer some compensation of some kind, other than just the $20 port fees. A coupon for something off an additional cruise, or a more substantial refund perhaps would have made the sting less painful.

 

I will reserve my cruises to alternate companies that are not holdings of Carnival, I was really surprised, and I thought that they showed poor business judgment in this decision of no customer service.

[matj2000]

I would be pissed too. I believe they could have re-routed the ship from the beginning to another itinerary. Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Grand Turk, Nassau, Freeport, Key West, St.Thomas, ect. Especially if they new of the trouble in Rotatan ahead of time.

I think they(Carnival) take any chance they can to have more sea days

More days at sea = more money for Carnival..

[modem9]

I too was on this cruise and I did not participate in the group protests. I was prepared for and enjoyed the extra day at sea due to the cancellation of Cozumel. I was aware of this ahead of time and I think Carnival did a great job of informing me of the itinerary change.

 

However, I do believe Carnival displayed very poor communication and customer service when announcing the cancellation of Roatan. I was aware of the strife their before boarding and I was not surprised when it was cancelled. I do believe Carnival could have offered more explanation about why we only received another day at sea when we could have stayed in Belize. Personally, I don't think they wanted to pay for the tenders and they did want us spending money in the casino and bars.

 

In my opinion, they did not make much of an effort at customer service. The extra fun day at sea was not special and was actually quite boring. Since I mostly came to do little more than relax, I was ok with this but others in my party came to have fun activities. This day was boring for them. Carnival wouldn't even provide free popcorn for the movie they showed in the lounge. Everything was designed to capture our wallets to make up for the missed shore excursions.

 

I did read all the previous posts. There are pro and con to both sides. Cruisers should know that ports can be cancelled. Carnival should know how to make it's customers happy. For me, this was my first cruise on Carnival although I have cruised many times. While I don't fault Carnival for cancelling the ports and I do understand why no other ports were acceptable (except a second day in Belize), their apparent lack of interest in providing a quality entertainment product moves them way down on my list for my next cruise.

[PaulMedik]

I would be pissed too. I believe they could have re-routed the ship from the beginning to another itinerary. Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Grand Turk, Nassau, Freeport, Key West, St.Thomas, ect. Especially if they new of the trouble in Rotatan ahead of time.

I think they(Carnival) take any chance they can to have more sea days

More days at sea = more money for Carnival..

 

 

Matj2000,

 

After Belize, the only port you mention that would be even remotely possible was Key West; the ship must make it back to Tampa. Are you aware most of those are EASTERN ports? Eastern as in not near Belize. Jamaica would have been out or range as well.

[cusyl]

 

The extra fun day at sea was not special and was actually quite boring. Since I mostly came to do little more than relax, I was ok with this but others in my party came to have fun activities. This day was boring for them. Carnival wouldn't even provide free popcorn for the movie they showed in the lounge. Everything was designed to capture our wallets to make up for the missed shore excursions.

 

Errr, wasn't this the "swingers" cruise?:D:rolleyes:

[big_duck]

First, I understand that many people cruise just for the experience on the boat. Cruise lines offer cruises catered to these folks called "cruises to nowhere". They are generally cheaper than cruises that visit other ports of call. To imply that destinations are not part of the package and just a bonus is being disingenuous.

 

On a per day basis, CTNs are usually more expensive then a regular cruise.

 

Is it unreasonable for passengers to expect the company to have alternate arrangements if one port is a bust?

 

You can't pull a 100,000 ton cruise ship into any old port you want.

[matj2000]

I mean they should have gone eastern from the start or changed the order of the destinations to hit more stops.

Key West - Jamaica - Grand Cayman - Belize.

I don't know what happened, I didn't even read all of the thread. I am just adding my thoughts.

But the cruiselines should always try to have a plan B & Plan C.

[PaulMedik]

I mean they should have gone eastern from the start or changed the order of the destinations to hit more stops.

Key West - Jamaica - Grand Cayman - Belize.

I don't know what happened, I didn't even read all of the thread. I am just adding my thoughts.

But the cruiselines should always try to have a plan B & Plan C.

 

 

matj2000,

 

If they knew of Roatan when they sailed, they may have had time to arrange something. Roatan's situation, contrary to what was stated earlier, was not known prior to the cruise. The situation in Roatan occured after Legend was well under way and in fact had already visited Grand Cayman and was enroute to Belize. They had no way of knowing Roatan would be missed until they were in the area. The two ports are about as close as can be for two different countries. Basically when the ship leaves Belize it is then on approach to Roatan.

 

From a practical standpoint, any cruise to the Eastern Caribbean from Tampa would only be able to hit two ports in a seven day cruise. The distance limits a third option. Logistically there would be issues as well. Grand Turk can port two ships. St Thomas can port five or so and they also allow tendering to St Thomas and St John.

 

Key West has been mentioned quite often too, but local laws prohibit ships after a certain time of day so they would have to arrive early and leave early.

 

Pilot schedules, other ship schedules, port rules & regs, port fees, as well as simple logistics of having excursion offerings either private or through Carnival would be near impossible to adjust for all of the ships involved.

 

Plan C as in Plan Sea is the best plan in my opinion. ;)

[JoeyJoeJoeJr]

JoeJoeJoeJr,

 

Yes. It is unreasonable. Carnival Legend's track record is well over 95% in making scheduled stops (Yes, that's a guess.) Most of the 5% would be Grand Cayman due to heavy seas or high winds preventing tendering. Why would a ship that sails every week to the same ports have alternate arrangements in place?

 

Airplanes make their destination much more than 95% of the time but still file an alternate destination in the event they can't land at the first. Granted, it's primarily safety driven, but there's nothing that says an occurence has to be frequent to plan for it.

 

How in the world would a ship that suddenly finds that planned ports are closed have a plan in place that would also account for the fact that EVERY other ship scheduled to call in Mexico also has to find alternative ports? My guess is they followed the plan that worked best; get alternative ports for the ships you can and have the other ships remain at sea. What other possible options could you come up with? NONE.

 

Whether a cruise is able to make another port or not, there should be a plan. Scenic cruise of the coast. Extra runnings of shows. An hour of free drinks. SOMETHING. Pretending like nothing happened is not the customer-friendly approach.

 

You suggest that Carnival should give you 'cash back.' Your suggestion has no merit. You booked a cruise, not a vacation in Roatan or Cozumel. Carnival will give you a cruise which is all that you paid for. If you simply wish to visit Cozumel or Roatan, get in your car and drive there. Ferry service runs daily to both islands whether civil strife or swine flu is present. Driving your own car would also be quite a bit cheaper.

 

I request nothing. I wasn't on the boat. But let me ask you - what is a cruise to you? Does the boat have to move? Why? Do you expect functional onboard amenities? How many?

 

These passengers paid for something which they did not fully receive. Name any other industry where that would be okay.

[Tatianablue]

I have cruised CCL many times. My first cruise was during a hurricane, all ports were canceled, Carnival tried to stop at every port possible, but the ship could not tender because of rough seas. We never heard of other passengers being ticked off because of it. We made the best of it and had a blast in spite of the weather. The only port we could dock in was Progresso, they gave us extra hours there to compensate. Honestly, I was not impressed, we would have been just as happy laying out by the pool or reading a book.

 

We were on Ecstacy a last year, the food in the buffet would be best described as worse than elmentary school food. We just ate in the dining room or out by the pool. No complaining, no rioting, no whining.

 

If I were on a ship and a large group of passengers held a big meeting to vent, I would have requested the captain drop them off in the next port for causing static/friction during a time when most people are trying to get away from that kind of baloney at home! Believe me, I have seen people put off the ship for fighting !!! They deserved it!

 

IMHO, lets get real here, a cruise from hell would be if someone died or took their life. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!!!!

 

PS, I am not a Carnival employee.

[tess2cruz]

Another issue is capacity of your port of call. If there are 3 ships a day in Belize (just as an example) imagine what would happen if 6 or 7 showed up. Even if you did get a tender to get you there, there is a big difference beteween having 6,000 passengers there, and 14,000 passengers there. Not enough buses, cabs, snorkel boats, open seats on excursions, etc. to accomodate everyone. Shopping would be near impossible because of the crowds, and then people would complain about that as well.

 

So what did Carnival do about it? They provided us with a beautiful day at sea, cancelled the day off for hundreds of staff members, lined up a full day of activities and shows, and did what they do best ... gave us a great vacation. Aside from the weather being perfect, including flat seas, the entertainment was always flowing, the activities never stopped, and the staff and crew on the ship, although being "confronted" by some angry passengers maintained their professionalism and good spirits.

 

I admit I did not read all the posts here, so I'm sorry if I'm saying some thngs you may have read already, but I had enough reading and had to chime in.

 

Well Done Carnival....looking forward to cruise 25 very soon!

 

Roy

 

Loved your post, even the things you repeated, you said so much better. I like the picture you painted of the overcrowded ports, I am all for that extra sea day!!!!

[cruisincory]

Found someone else talking about this on my local craigslist. Another one of those that would rather get the swine flu than miss their port. According to this person, there was damn near a riot.

 

"

News You will not see on the news (on the sea)

 

Reply to: pers-etyh8-1165912829@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Date: 2009-05-11, 6:04PM EDT

 

 

 

I just came back from a cruise where we had two ports canceled and got a great big refund of 20 dollars per port. There was a protest on the Carnival Legend. About 800 people protest that the ship only gave 20 dollars back for each port. There were 2 meetings and a third was scheduled. On the second meeting the captain had pictures taken of the leader of the protest. They found our leaders and made them stay in their rooms. The others were sent letters that they would be arrested when we reached Tampa if they continued to pursue the subject. The captain said that we had no rights as we were on the sea. This was not land. We spent five of our seven days at sea with two ports canceled. Today I got an email with up to 240 dollars off a cruise with was related to the canceled ports.

If you are going to take a cruise you may want to choose someone besides Carnival. They will never reach the port you want to go to, but you will get a big 20 dollars back.

 

• Location: on the sea
  
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
  

PostingID: 1165912829

[halos]

Found someone else talking about this on my local craigslist. Another one of those that would rather get the swine flu than miss their port. According to this person, there was damn near a riot.

 

"

News You will not see on the news (on the sea)

 

Reply to: pers-etyh8-1165912829@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Date: 2009-05-11, 6:04PM EDT

 

 

 

 

 

I just came back from a cruise where we had two ports canceled and got a great big refund of 20 dollars per port. There was a protest on the Carnival Legend. About 800 people protest that the ship only gave 20 dollars back for each port. There were 2 meetings and a third was scheduled. On the second meeting the captain had pictures taken of the leader of the protest. They found our leaders and made them stay in their rooms. The others were sent letters that they would be arrested when we reached Tampa if they continued to pursue the subject. The captain said that we had no rights as we were on the sea. This was not land. We spent five of our seven days at sea with two ports canceled. Today I got an email with up to 240 dollars off a cruise with was related to the canceled ports.

If you are going to take a cruise you may want to choose someone besides Carnival. They will never reach the port you want to go to, but you will get a big 20 dollars back.

 

• Location: on the sea
  
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
  

PostingID: 1165912829

 

My heart goes out to all ship employees. :(

I just can't imagine...it would be my worst nightmare, having to deal with all these way-beyond disgruntled passengers.

I'm thrilled the Captain took charge of the ring-leaders.

 

I sincerely hope that everyone who 'protested' realizes that cruising is NOT for them and that they don't book any more of them.

 

I could handle 7 sea days...I could handle the ship running out of supplies. I could handle a $20 refund. Yes, it would suck.... but dealing with a ship full of passengers that were like these would really be upsetting to me.

That would be a cruise nightmare for sure. :(

[PeggyMc]

I like to hear the good and bad of peoples experiences, then when I cruise I have reasonable expectations. I now have lowered my expectations and won't be as disappointed if ports are cancelled and more sea days added.

 

I will take this all into consideration when deciding how much I am willing to pay for a cruise and the additional costs of flying to a departure port so I can experience a particular itinerary. I am one of those, and I know I am not alone, who do choose cruises based on itinerary. I would pay more for an itinerary that is more appealing to me.

 

I'm not looking simply to get what is minimally required of a contract

When I read a review that ends with "they went out of their way to make sure we had a good time" I take special note of it. Doesn't matter if there were problems or glitches, but if everything is done to make it great I want in on it.

 

So I thank those who shared their reactions to the experiences they had. It is too bad that people feel intimidated in sharing their feelings, because they will be attacked and told they should have know everything prior to booking and take your business elsewhere. There are others of us who do appreciate hearing from everyone.

[loveJake]

matj2000,

 

 

Key West has been mentioned quite often too, but local laws prohibit ships after a certain time of day so they would have to arrive early and leave early.

 

;)

 

Actually that is not true, it all depends where you dock. We have gone to Key West on Disney and we left at 10:00 pm. I just checked their schedule and it is the same. If you dock at the ship yard, which we did on another line you leave before sunset, thus missing the best part of Key West.

[bcs819]

I think that the true test of a business is how it handles the extraordinary. I feel like this company failed abysmally. The captain didn’t have a choice to cancel the ports, one for swine flu (Mexico), and the other for civil unrest – some demonstrations at the pier in Honduras. We were told of this immediately AFTER leaving Belize.

 

The company, on the other hand, did have an opportunity to either arrange an alternate port, an additional day at a port we had already visited, or call the trip. The cruise line was aware of troubles earlier, and did have an opportunity to make some alternate plans, this according to the passengers from a different Carnival ship. We passengers do talk in port….careful Carnival. We also learned about the substitution of Key West for Cozumel.

 

Not only did we get only 2 ports, and floated about the ocean at 8-10 knots. Then, some illness onboard and we made for the Tampa coast a day early, so the coast guard could pick these unfortunate folks up. We, got to float off the coast of Tampa at 4 knots….we could see the town for another day.

 

Carnival likes this, because we do spend lots of money on the ship. I would have swum if I could to get off the boat.

 

Additionally, a group of passengers requested to meet with the captain, for some kind of explanation, and were refused. (I got this on film).

 

Additionally, the water system went out, and the water ran brown afterward. When I asked for water to drink, I was told I could purchase it (3.95 per liter). I called 2 times, was sent strawberries, and still no free bottled water, and up until the debarkation day, brown water. I took pictures; they are going to be on my facebook page. (fairwren)

 

We, the passengers, were aware that the cruise line was within the contract to cancel ports etc, but under all these circumstances, which were extraordinary; felt that it would have been good customer service to offer some compensation of some kind, other than just the $20 port fees. A coupon for something off an additional cruise, or a more substantial refund perhaps would have made the sting less painful.

 

I will reserve my cruises to alternate companies that are not holdings of Carnival, I was really surprised, and I thought that they showed poor business judgment in this decision of no customer service.

 

 

wow, thanks for signing up for Cruise Critic just to say this. I love how you thought you were entitled to meet with the captain. I asked to meet with the manager of the Eagles because I am not happy with McNabb, but I was refused.

[firefly333]

Actually that is not true, it all depends where you dock. We have gone to Key West on Disney and we left at 10:00 pm. I just checked their schedule and it is the same. If you dock at the ship yard, which we did on another line you leave before sunset, thus missing the best part of Key West.

 

Rhapsody also went into Key West and left late, staggered so to miss the early ships Im sure? We got to watch the sun set in Mallory Square and clap as is traditional. I dont think any of Carnival's ships do the late arrival, but Iv done it as well. It can be done because RCL has done it on a ship Iv been on.

 

That being said, I know Carnival had a lot of last minute changes to all their ships. Just changing 4/5 day cruises to 7 had to be a nightmare for the reps. Im sure missing Roatan was a dissapointment, but I very much doubt they can just decide last minute to stay an extra day in Belize. There were probably other ships rerouted there that also were coming in the next day.

 

Odd, Conquest did 2 ports and a few wished we had gone to Cozumel, but most were pretty understanding compared to Legend where folks actually had this big sit in or whatever you want to call it. Seems like this is a growing trend, you dont like where the ship goes, lets protest in front of the purser's desk and upset everyone.

[gtalum]

People still seem to keep forgetting that Tampa is a lot farther west and north than Miami. There are limited ports that can be visited on a 7-day cruise from Tampa, and the ship has to start steaming back earlier than a ship heading to Miami would have. Also, you simply can't visit Key West on the way back to Tampa because of the logistics of clearing customs in Key West and the requirement to enter the channel by 1 AM.

 

If you can't stomach the remote possibility of spending the entire cruise on the ship, you really shouldn't be cruising.

[carmelinam]

We obviously were lied to becuase the captain and general customer service manager said they didn't know of the change until 1 pm the day before. Which tells me that they didn't contact there other carnvial ships. The valor know in the beg to mid week.

 

WHen I asked if pirates got on the other ships would you know about it he said yes that is a different story. So please don't say we weren't lied to. ALos we were told we go faster than 17 knots. How come on friday we were goingy 22 knots to get back to tampa for sat at 2pm becuase passengers were sick?

 

I guess we were not lied to!!!!!

 

Sorry to tell you buddy but you were NOT lied too! Are you unable to read?? Did you not read your cruise contract?? Do you always travel with your head buried in the sand??

 

EVERY CRUISE LINE IN THE WORLD has the legal right to change any/or all itineraries at any time. Why is this soooooo suprising to you??

 

It happens all of the time. It is a chance you take when choosing to cruise and everyone is informed of it long before sailing.

 

I dare you to go cry about your "hell cruise" to all of the recent Mexican Riviera cruisers, some of who spent 6 days at sea!! That's the life of cruising.

[zqvol]

I think that the true test of a business is how it handles the extraordinary. I feel like this company failed abysmally. The captain didn’t have a choice to cancel the ports, one for swine flu (Mexico), and the other for civil unrest – some demonstrations at the pier in Honduras. We were told of this immediately AFTER leaving Belize.

 

The company, on the other hand, did have an opportunity to either arrange an alternate port, an additional day at a port we had already visited, or call the trip. The cruise line was aware of troubles earlier, and did have an opportunity to make some alternate plans, this according to the passengers from a different Carnival ship. We passengers do talk in port….careful Carnival. We also learned about the substitution of Key West for Cozumel.

 

Not only did we get only 2 ports, and floated about the ocean at 8-10 knots. Then, some illness onboard and we made for the Tampa coast a day early, so the coast guard could pick these unfortunate folks up. We, got to float off the coast of Tampa at 4 knots….we could see the town for another day.

 

Carnival likes this, because we do spend lots of money on the ship. I would have swum if I could to get off the boat.

 

Additionally, a group of passengers requested to meet with the captain, for some kind of explanation, and were refused. (I got this on film).

 

Additionally, the water system went out, and the water ran brown afterward. When I asked for water to drink, I was told I could purchase it (3.95 per liter). I called 2 times, was sent strawberries, and still no free bottled water, and up until the debarkation day, brown water. I took pictures; they are going to be on my facebook page. (fairwren)

 

We, the passengers, were aware that the cruise line was within the contract to cancel ports etc, but under all these circumstances, which were extraordinary; felt that it would have been good customer service to offer some compensation of some kind, other than just the $20 port fees. A coupon for something off an additional cruise, or a more substantial refund perhaps would have made the sting less painful.

 

I will reserve my cruises to alternate companies that are not holdings of Carnival, I was really surprised, and I thought that they showed poor business judgment in this decision of no customer service.

 

So you made up another new account just to comment on you own original post. You must be running out of new names.

[carmelinam]

People don't just want to go to an all inclusive and spend 1200 for a week at one place. That's why there are cruises. If I wanted to do that then I would have. if you want to stay on a boat the whole time why not do it a cheaper way and do a booze cruise. There are also crusies to nowhere!

 

 

FWIW, I couldnt care less if the ships didnt go to ANY ports! :D I wish they done a 7 day Cruise to Nowhere! I would be all over it!

 

I know Im a noob here and my opinion means nothing but seriously, I took my first cruise because of it being on a boat. Even though she is an old boat, I had a wonderful time!

 

I guess what Im trying to say is, I would have been tickled pink if this had happened to me :D More time on the boat IMO!

 

If I want to see ports, I will fly down to a all inclusive resort and spend my vacation like that.

 

Like others have said, READ YOUR DANG CONTRACT! Its clear as can be!

 

This is NOT Carnivals fault IMO.

[mafig]

I would have been disappointed too.

 

I wouldn't have protested though, but maybe I would have peeked around the corner to watch them.;) But then again, here was my chance to grab a lounge chair by the pool.

 

I do think the $20 was chintzy. I know that's all they are obliged to do; but they could have done something else.

 

I was on a cruise once where we had problems with airconditioning. The entire ship was given a $50 pp shipboard credit, free wine/beer/soda for dinner and 20% off a future cruise. This was on Norwegian (not particularly noted for their generosity), and it was on a 4 day cruise.

[PaulMedik]

Actually that is not true, it all depends where you dock. We have gone to Key West on Disney and we left at 10:00 pm. I just checked their schedule and it is the same. If you dock at the ship yard, which we did on another line you leave before sunset, thus missing the best part of Key West.

 

loveJake,

 

Depending on where you dock, it is true. ;) Thank you for reminding me of the alternative docking locations.

 

 

Airplanes make their destination much more than 95% of the time but still file an alternate destination in the event they can't land at the first. Granted, it's primarily safety driven, but there's nothing that says an occurence has to be frequent to plan for it.

OK, how would a company plan for an entire industry being rerouted to other ports? Not just one or two ships, but every ship from every company being rerouted. Get a clue.

Comparing airline emergency route planning with alternative ports for ships is not worthy of comment.

 

 

 

Whether a cruise is able to make another port or not, there should be a plan. Scenic cruise of the coast. Extra runnings of shows. An hour of free drinks. SOMETHING. Pretending like nothing happened is not the customer-friendly approach.

 

Did they stop serving meals? Did Lido buffets close? Did the bars, casino, and lounges close? Did they lock up the lounge chairs on the sun decks? Did camp carnival close? No. Life and service went on. The interruptions were caused by people who should have chose alternative vacations.

 

 

 

I request nothing. I wasn't on the boat. But let me ask you - what is a cruise to you? Does the boat have to move? Why? Do you expect functional onboard amenities? How many?

 

The ship doesn't have to move on it's own steam. I would prefer they tug it out to sea then back if that's an option, but otherwise I will enjoy the on board activities and relax. If we don't leave port, I'll expect the casino and shops will remain closed.

 

These passengers paid for something which they did not fully receive. Name any other industry where that would be okay.

 

They paid for seven days lodging on a ship. An industry where that would be OK, would be the hotel / motel / condo business. More people have had to sit in their rooms on weather drenched vacation days on land than have been rerouted to a day at sea on a ship.

 

[Warm Breezes]

If it were you on this cruise you would have done the same thing. PS Let's see if you miss ports and pay for sailing. i sure didn't! You are entitled to your opinion and my opinion is Carnival SUX Royal Rocks!!!!!!!!

 

If I were on this cruise, I definately would not have taken part of a protest. Why would I want to spend my vacation sucking lemons with a bunch of other lemon suckers when I could be out making lemonade? If I were on this cruise I would go with the flow and enjoy what the ship had to offer - pool, basketball, spa, food, shows, trivia, bingo, casino, etc .... Why would I want to sit around and complain with a bunch of other unhappy people, when there was so much other fun things I could be doing. A cruise is what you make of it - no matter what happens to you on it. I would have enjoyed what the ship had to offer and not worry about what I missed at the port. I would have left the ship with the good memories I had on-board with my family instead of unhappy ones sitting with a bunch of strangers.

[LemurCat]

People don't just want to go to an all inclusive and spend 1200 for a week at one place. That's why there are cruises. If I wanted to do that then I would have. if you want to stay on a boat the whole time why not do it a cheaper way and do a booze cruise. There are also crusies to nowhere!

 

Well, then perhaps you should have booked a cruise that didn't go to places that have swine flu and unstable governments.