curejunkie Wrote:
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>
> If we went to Progresso, we wouldn't get our 50%
> refund...only a 25% refund, 25% off a future
> cruise, $40 per person on-board credit, and $100
> per stateroom credit.
>
Did they present this clearly like in the letter posted just above my posting, or did they really offer 50% and then change the offer later? Obviously, if they presented it up front and logically as in the letter, it is a different story. If they just changed things midstream, that is pretty unprofessional.
> Seems like a lot, but really...considering all the
> deception and feeling like we were in the
> dark...very seldom did the captain let us know
> what was going on...we felt like we were going to
> Progresso ONLY to avoid getting our 50%
> refund...it felt rather...(scuse my french)
> chicken-s**t.
>
Based on the letter below (which is from the current week, not your week), it sounds like they were honestly trying to get you to a port. Opinions may vary, but Progreso is a typical port so whoever may have "cringed" at the mention of Progreso don't carry too much weight for me. It isn't Cozumel, but then again it isn't Cozumel.
>
> And I'm sorry, but have ANY of you spent 5 days on
> ONE SHIP?!?!?!
12 days actually. ;-)
I'm guessing you're talking about being *stuck* on a ship for 5 days.
> I mean except for the 2 actual
> nice days that we had (thank God for that - we at
> least got some sun) I was gonna go stir crazy
> after a while!!!!! I think if the weather was
> better, we would have felt a bit better, but it
> was overcast and cold most of the trip.
I'm sure you'll agree that Carnival can't control the weather, just like any other vacation provider. Cruises are more susceptible to weather than other vacation though, since 1/2 of the public areas on most ships are exposed. This is why hurricane season cruises are cheaper than other weeks... you roll the dice, you take yer chances...
>
> I know this problem was not their fault, they
> can't help that the boat had problems, they can't
> help that we didn't get to go to port, they
> couldn't help the weather either...WE ALL REALIZED
> THIS. But that fact was, Carnival needed to
> compensate us for it. They needed to take care of
> us. And if we went to Progresso as a port, we
> felt that the "package" they offerred was not
> enough. And it really wasn't.
>
It does sound like the really mishandled the public relations, but to their credit it appears that they have cleaned up their act a bit on this next cruise. I am surprised, even skeptical, though that Carnival wouldn't more or less down pat as these things happen. Particularly in light of the recent Glory problems... Of course, the competence of individual crews may vary drastically, put the letter (above) should be a standard issue fill-in-the-blanks after talking to corporate type of thing.
> So there. Hope this clears up any
> misunderstandings about the passengers of the
> Ecstasy 3/7. We were not dealt with honestly from
> the beginning.
>
That is fair. Unfortunately, this is par for the course in the travel industry. I've got 150,000 air miles, and I'm pretty sure the airlines all share a manaul on how to lie to customer. They are amazing consistent in lying about the duration delays.
Sorry to be a downer, but I'm not sure even the $300/pp/day lines would be much better about this. They are all looking millions of bucks per cruise, and a public that would scream if they cancelled a cruise too.
> And morale on the ship
> suffered...even the staff morale was a bit
> low...they never got a break from US! We were on
> the ship the whole time - never going into port.
> And those poor staff members have to do it all
> over again with this cruise...how horrible is
> that!!!!
Yep. Of course, I'd bet many of the pax were not like you and were giving them an earful at every turn. Like the room steward was going to run downstairs and fix the engine...
>
> So it wasn't just about ..."oh no...another day at
> sea away from work"...no - it was way more than
> that.
Well, I'd still have to disagree on that point. ;-) As long as the food keeps coming and the music keeps playing! Please,tell me that they didn't close the pool or the waterslide...
>
> OH...and after NOT going to Progresso, they went
> back to the 50% refund, $40 credit per person, 25%
> off a future cruise, but they took away the $100
> per stateroom credit. Some people spent that
> money the night before. I thought they should
> have just kept that - kinda chicken-s**t (again)
> to take that back.
I agree. If that was in a letter, I'd be pushing Carnival for the refund. If it was just announced, it was probably just a misunderstanding and bad customer service. When I first read your post, it didn't make sence that they'd give 2 different cabin credits ($40 + $100) so it may have just been confusion. Unless they stated some specific reason?
Still, the 50% + 25% sounds like an awfully good compensation to me. As indicated, I would be partying my butt off anyway, even if we never got more than 10 miles from Galveston. 50+25 is almost a free cruise in my thinking...
>
> Anyway, sorry I rambled so long, I just thought
> everyone should know how it REALLY happened. That
> we weren't a bunch of whiney complaining
> people....which is kinda how some of you made it
> sound.
Thanks for the post. It isvery good to have some first hand knowledge. Sounds like it would also be a good idea (based on the news article) to record any calls that come from Carnival in the days before a cruise...
