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HUMANITARIAN FOR PR NOT SO MUCH FOR CRUISERS


RNM

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I am really aggravated with RC.  Have a cruise set for 10-21-2017, ADVENTURE OF SEAS.  Was scheduled to arrive in San Juan on 10-19-2017.  Received call from RC that hotel damaged in San Juan due to Hurricane Maria, but no rooms available on island.  RC employee told me I would be receiving a refund for hotel and confirmation e-mail -- nothing refunded or received.  RC employee said Air2Ground was working on my new flight itinerary because I would just have to fly from where i live to San Juan on 10-21-17, cruise date.  I said what if there is a flight delay and I miss ship, response, we will fly you to the next port.  Next port would be day 3.  Mind you was told no hotels on island.  Called Air2Sea and was told we are not working on anything for you.  We have you arriving on 10-19-17 in San Juan and if you change anything you will be penalized.  So we are in limbo--pretty pathetic considering the state of PR.  It's nice RC is evacuating people from PR, but it would also be nice if RC would spend some of those "humanitarian" efforts on its paying customers.  Also PR has limited water even for sanitation, little of almost everything.  Supposedly ADVENTURE OF SEAS will be back in San Juan on October 6 and ready to cruise October 7.  Not enough time for disinfection if you ask me especially if there was very little water for sanitation in PR and you are using ship for evacuees.  Why would RC still not give travelers a heads up re; a cruise a couple of weeks away -- where are we supposed to stay in San Juan if we miss our ship because of flight delay.  Feel sorry for islanders, but instead of RC being savior to the Caribbean, try being savior to your paying customers!  And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.  Who wants to go on vacation after all of this!

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6 hours ago, RNM said:

I am really aggravated with RC.  Have a cruise set for 10-21-2017, ADVENTURE OF SEAS.  Was scheduled to arrive in San Juan on 10-19-2017.  Received call from RC that hotel damaged in San Juan due to Hurricane Maria, but no rooms available on island.  RC employee told me I would be receiving a refund for hotel and confirmation e-mail -- nothing refunded or received.  RC employee said Air2Ground was working on my new flight itinerary because I would just have to fly from where i live to San Juan on 10-21-17, cruise date.  I said what if there is a flight delay and I miss ship, response, we will fly you to the next port.  Next port would be day 3.  Mind you was told no hotels on island.  Called Air2Sea and was told we are not working on anything for you.  We have you arriving on 10-19-17 in San Juan and if you change anything you will be penalized.  So we are in limbo--pretty pathetic considering the state of PR.  It's nice RC is evacuating people from PR, but it would also be nice if RC would spend some of those "humanitarian" efforts on its paying customers.  Also PR has limited water even for sanitation, little of almost everything.  Supposedly ADVENTURE OF SEAS will be back in San Juan on October 6 and ready to cruise October 7.  Not enough time for disinfection if you ask me especially if there was very little water for sanitation in PR and you are using ship for evacuees.  Why would RC still not give travelers a heads up re; a cruise a couple of weeks away -- where are we supposed to stay in San Juan if we miss our ship because of flight delay.  Feel sorry for islanders, but instead of RC being savior to the Caribbean, try being savior to your paying customers!  And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.  Who wants to go on vacation after all of this!

The Adventure of the Seas is not "shabby".  It's a beautiful ship.  To me, it's the sweet spot of cruising.

RCCL is helping save lives and doing the best they can in a terrible situation.  They will do their best for you.  It's unfortunate, but for now, you have to wait.  They are helping Puerto Rico recover.  If things don't improve in San Juan, they will have to cancel more cruises, including your's.  

Because you have air-to-sea, you are in a better situation than those flying on their own.  RCCL will know where you are in the process, and will hold the ship for a time if needed.  If that is the case, the more people running late, the better for you.

My advice, try to relax and see how it plays out.  I know people who cruise in Sept or Oct every year because the rates are so low.  However, there is more risk this time of year than other times.  This is the year where Mother Nature decided to make the bills come due.  It's not RCCL's fault.

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1 hour ago, BrianAlt said:

{sarasm:ON} Great first post. {/sarcasm:OFF}  :2_grimacing: 

I can understand their frustration,   they didn't say if it was their first or if they are Pinnacle level.  If its their first or even first with RC I can see where it would leave a bad taste.  People react harsh to less in todays world.  I chat with a friend at work often and we talk about when boat are stuck somewhere how with our jobs we have enough flexibility that it wouldn't matter to us but some people have a strict vacation schedule.  My father had two weeks vacation every year, week of July 4 and Christmas.  This was dictated by the factory he worked in, it closed those two week for maintenance.  If he planned a cruise during that time and it got messed up I'm sure he would be upset too so got to give them some slack on this even though RC is doing its part to help with the hurricane.  Wish they would come to my house and help me finish my problems... 

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I certainly understand the frustration.  What I can't understand is how someone comes here and makes that their first post.  How should we react to that?  It's like stopping a random stranger and complaining about coffee just because they are at a coffee shop.  Does that automatically make us compadres?

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I can understand your frustration...you planned what looks like a great vacation and are eager to get it started, but things are kind of up in the air with what the situation will be like in a few weeks.

Your cruise is not for another 3-4 weeks.  A lot can change between now and then.  The Port of Key West has already reopened.  In Royal Caribbean's defense, I'm not sure what you want them to do that they reallistically can do.  They cannot predict what the state of affairs will be in a few weeks, nor can they give you any 100% reassurances that your cruise will or will not occur.

My advice is to take a step back, and not worry about things until you're much closer in.  Perhaps 1-2 weeks away you can start looking around at the state of the airport, hotels, and the port itself.  With a mid October cruise, you're just too far away to start worrying yourself over this.

10 hours ago, RNM said:

And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.

That's just plain false.

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Thanks for the comments (even the sarcastic ones.)  Just a measly 4th cruise with RC. For Katrina, ships were placed in other ports. What I wanted was merely for 100% credit toward another cruise, I work in the legal profession and depositions and trials are scheduled daily, and every day I am asked will you be on vacation or not. Therefore, I'm in a precarious situation to be in. FYI I've gone through Hurricanes Camille and Katrina (not New Orleans where their levees broke) and didn't evacuate, so I know all about the aftermath oh hurricanes. As far as the shabbiness of the Adventure, I've read some of the blogs on this site and others. This is my first time on the Adventure. Are other cruise lines evacuating people since you all seem to be in the know? Just curious, how many bloggers here work for RC? Also didn't know my first blog on this site was to sing praise for RC with imaginary bells, violins, harps. I thought it was a place where info good and bad was exchanged. I do stand corrected. WHY RC  HAS THE MOST FABULOUS SHIPS NEVER ANY PROBLEMS, FIRST CLASS IN ALL RESPECTS; BETTER THAN ANY AND ALL OTHER CRUISE LINES. IN FACT, RC IS JUST PERFECT. ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. Now did I appease the RC gods?

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19 minutes ago, RNM said:

Just curious, how many bloggers here work for RC?

Zero.

20 minutes ago, RNM said:

What I wanted was merely for 100% credit toward another cruise

If your cruise ends up being cancelled or shortened, RC has shown with other sailings affected by the hurricanes they have provided the option of refunds or future cruise credits.

21 minutes ago, RNM said:

Also didn't know my first blog on this site was to sing praise for RC with imaginary bells, violins, harps. I thought it was a place where info good and bad was exchanged. I do stand corrected. WHY RC  HAS THE MOST FABULOUS SHIPS NEVER ANY PROBLEMS, FIRST CLASS IN ALL RESPECTS; BETTER THAN ANY AND ALL OTHER CRUISE LINES. IN FACT, RC IS JUST PERFECT. ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. Now did I appease the RC gods?

I think what some of the responses boil down to is a response to an initial post that seemed a bit too alarmist.  I think there's plenty of posts you can find here where we have called Royal Caribbean out for poor decisions/ideas, but the fair thing to do is look at each situation holistically and on a separate basis. I think we can all understand your anxiety related to your cruise happening, but as you stated, Adventure is slated to return to regular service on October 7.

The bottom line is I believe your sailing will depart as scheduled, and odds are you will have a great sailing.  Your departure date is far enough into the future that the impact of Hurricane Maria and the issues at hand today will be likely resolved to a point that it has little to no impact on your vacation.

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27 minutes ago, RNM said:

I thought it was a place where info good and bad was exchanged. 

Sure, but 1) who are you?  A bit of preamble would be in order.  Entering kicking and screaming and what should be expected on our end?  2) Where was your good?  3) Honestly, I do see this as a FAN site.  Some may disagree with me, and that's fine.  But I do think the majority are fans here.  See, if you entered by saying, "I'm a fan, I love Royal Caribbean because, blah, blah, blah, but WHAT IN THE HELL ARE THEY DOING TODAY?" it's likely I would have reacted quite differently. 4) No one here works for Royal Caribbean, as far as I know.  Maybe there are lurkers that do.  None of the people that run the website do, that much I know.  How are they in the know?  By keeping themselves in the loop.  That takes time and effort.  Others can come here FOR FREE and benefit from their "hobby" and they gladly share their time and effort FOR FREE.  So, showing some appreciation should be in order.

Thanks for listening.

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I get the frustration...when you plan a cruise there is so much more than just the cruise plan and cost. Airfare, hotels, connections etc. So by Royal moving or shortening or cancelling the cruise even with a refund, there is still a ripple effect and other factors that come into play.

 

At this point, I would just want to totally cancel and get my money back as it would be stressful to say the least with everything up in the air. Its a terrible situation for sure for ppl in PR and I think its nice for Royal to be offering to help, but I agree that they need to remember the paying customers that give them a reason to visit these Caribbean islands in the first place as well.

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11 hours ago, RNM said:

And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.

 

1 hour ago, Matt said:

That's just plain false.

Oh, I don't doubt there are blogs calling the ship shabby.  You'll always find blogs written by people with an axe to grind who will be negative about everything *cough*cruisecritic*cough.

Take exceptionally negative reviews with a big grain of salt, and try to read between the lines.  Can't please everybody, and sometimes people have legitimately bad experiences that the line could've handled better.  But sometimes they just had a bad day that was no fault of the cruise line and it colored their whole experience, and sometimes they're just miserable people who are impossible to please.

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Whether or not this is a fan site, it is clearly a site dedicated to RCCL and thus is guaranteed to have some bias.  I'm sure we all try to be fair, but this site is not called "Unbiased objective observations of all ocean cruise lines blog."  We clearly are coming in to this ready to provide RCCL the benefit of the doubt when possible.

Now when someone decides to join said site for (apparently) the express purpose of complaining about Royal's reaction to a bad situation, what are we to think?  Said person didn't ask opinions, or whether we thought there was anything they could do to make things more to their liking.  All I saw were complaints, nothing but venting.  So we know nothing about the person complaining, no familiarity or other previous contact.  The company that is the target of the complaint, however, we all know well enough to be members of a blog dedicated to said company.  How exactly is this supposed to go any other way than it did?  If anything I'm impressed by the restraint shown by the members trying to defend RCCL.  Far more restraint than the sarcasm soaked response given to them.

Regardless, I wish the poster good luck with the situation.  We have all had those moments in our lives, anybody who says they don't understand the frustration shown.  I would only ask that a more constructive conversation or course of action be considered in the future.  And paragraphs would be helpful as well.

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There are positives and negatives in every situation in life. We just have to make the best of it. We were at Disney a few weeks ago for Hurricane Irma. Was our vacation impacted? Yes. Did we know it was hurricane season? Yes. Were we a bit stressed? Yes. Did we have to abandon some of our set plans? Yes. Did we still have a good time? Yes. It must be stressful but look for the good. Life is easier that way. Good luck.

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12 hours ago, RNM said:

I am really aggravated with RC.  Have a cruise set for 10-21-2017, ADVENTURE OF SEAS.  Was scheduled to arrive in San Juan on 10-19-2017.  Received call from RC that hotel damaged in San Juan due to Hurricane Maria, but no rooms available on island.  RC employee told me I would be receiving a refund for hotel and confirmation e-mail -- nothing refunded or received.  RC employee said Air2Ground was working on my new flight itinerary because I would just have to fly from where i live to San Juan on 10-21-17, cruise date.  I said what if there is a flight delay and I miss ship, response, we will fly you to the next port.  Next port would be day 3.  Mind you was told no hotels on island.  Called Air2Sea and was told we are not working on anything for you.  We have you arriving on 10-19-17 in San Juan and if you change anything you will be penalized.  So we are in limbo--pretty pathetic considering the state of PR.  It's nice RC is evacuating people from PR, but it would also be nice if RC would spend some of those "humanitarian" efforts on its paying customers.  Also PR has limited water even for sanitation, little of almost everything.  Supposedly ADVENTURE OF SEAS will be back in San Juan on October 6 and ready to cruise October 7.  Not enough time for disinfection if you ask me especially if there was very little water for sanitation in PR and you are using ship for evacuees.  Why would RC still not give travelers a heads up re; a cruise a couple of weeks away -- where are we supposed to stay in San Juan if we miss our ship because of flight delay.  Feel sorry for islanders, but instead of RC being savior to the Caribbean, try being savior to your paying customers!  And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.  Who wants to go on vacation after all of this!

 

12 hours ago, RNM said:

I am really aggravated with RC.  Have a cruise set for 10-21-2017, ADVENTURE OF SEAS.  Was scheduled to arrive in San Juan on 10-19-2017.  Received call from RC that hotel damaged in San Juan due to Hurricane Maria, but no rooms available on island.  RC employee told me I would be receiving a refund for hotel and confirmation e-mail -- nothing refunded or received.  RC employee said Air2Ground was working on my new flight itinerary because I would just have to fly from where i live to San Juan on 10-21-17, cruise date.  I said what if there is a flight delay and I miss ship, response, we will fly you to the next port.  Next port would be day 3.  Mind you was told no hotels on island.  Called Air2Sea and was told we are not working on anything for you.  We have you arriving on 10-19-17 in San Juan and if you change anything you will be penalized.  So we are in limbo--pretty pathetic considering the state of PR.  It's nice RC is evacuating people from PR, but it would also be nice if RC would spend some of those "humanitarian" efforts on its paying customers.  Also PR has limited water even for sanitation, little of almost everything.  Supposedly ADVENTURE OF SEAS will be back in San Juan on October 6 and ready to cruise October 7.  Not enough time for disinfection if you ask me especially if there was very little water for sanitation in PR and you are using ship for evacuees.  Why would RC still not give travelers a heads up re; a cruise a couple of weeks away -- where are we supposed to stay in San Juan if we miss our ship because of flight delay.  Feel sorry for islanders, but instead of RC being savior to the Caribbean, try being savior to your paying customers!  And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.  Who wants to go on vacation after all of this!

This happen to me last year. I was on the Empress when my cruise was cancelled. I was upset, but I was glad that I was able to use the funds to re-book on the Empress in August 2017. I love the ship and booked three more cruises on Empress for June-July 2018. 

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It's an unfortunate situation, and if I was booked on this cruise I too would likely be frustrated by much of the uncertainty.  

Subjectively, I'd suspect that there'd be less of a negative feeling about this post if the subject didn't insinuate that uncertainty around a cruise vacation is in some way a humanitarian crisis analogous to over 3 million people being uncertain of when they might get clean water, medical supplies, etc. 

More objectively, with regard to the amount of time the ship would need to be cleaned - these ships have same day turnarounds every cruise.  They're cleaned, sanitized, etc.  The ships also generate their own supply of fresh potable water, so in a sense, the cleanest, safest place in Puerto Rico is likely Adventure of the Seas while she is in port, and there hasn't been a reason that the ship isn't able to maintain that type of operation at any point.

With regard to the scheduling and uncertainty, I'm sure that Royal Caribbean and everyone else wishes things were different.  If they cancel a sailing and it turns out they didn't need to be because the port re-opened and sailing was a safe and practical option then people get upset.  If they wait until the last minute to cancel that makes planning very difficult.  If they don't cancel there will be some who are glad their vacation is on, and others who don't feel they should be sailing for any number of reasons.  In a sense they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

In terms of reviews - whether for cruising or anything else, you can almost always find multiple reviews to back up any opinion.  This is great/this is terrible.  It's clean/it's dirty.  Service was fast/service was slow.  I try and look for the specific complaints or praises within a review, especially those points which are measurable and objective, and decide what those mean to me.  I also avoid giving much merit to reviews that give extreme praise or disapproval.  

For the record, I sail many cruise lines and haven't a reason to defend or knock RCI.  I've got no skin in the game of reviews.

Ultimately, I hope that if you want to sail, then you are able to without a hitch, and that if you don't RCI will work with you.  I can appreciate that at this point you just want to know where you'll be and what you'll be doing in a few weeks.  I hope you let us know how it all goes.

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19 minutes ago, monorailmedic said:

Subjectively, I'd suspect that there'd be less of a negative feeling about this post if the subject didn't insinuate that uncertainty around a cruise vacation is in some way a humanitarian crisis analogous to over 3 million people being uncertain of when they might get clean water, medical supplies, etc. 

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1 hour ago, monorailmedic said:

Subjectively, I'd suspect that there'd be less of a negative feeling about this post if the subject didn't insinuate that uncertainty around a cruise vacation is in some way a humanitarian crisis analogous to over 3 million people being uncertain of when they might get clean water, medical supplies, etc. 

I don't think OP wishes malice on those affected by the hurricanes or is suggesting that their trip is somehow more important to the world than RCI aiding those victims and to suggest so really turns off new people from this site. Bottom line is OP is mad (albeit early) because RCI is using the ship OP will be on for aid efforts and casts doubt on their vacation plans. While it is admirable what RCI is doing (assuming its truly out of charity and they weren't given a government contract like Carnival was after Katrina), OP is a paying customer and has every right to be mad should their trip be affected (hopefully not the case).

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As a newer member myself I don't think this site has trouble attracting new members. I've found the posters here all to be super helpful and I enjoy reading everyone's posts and especially enjoy the overall tone on these boards.

 

Speaking only for myself  - I totally understand the frustration of the OP and OP has every right to his/her own feelings. Your $$$ trip is up in the air. There just seems to be a lack of empathy and maybe a little disassociation with the whole situation. My frustration with your post is that I'm with you for the most part but then you use words like "savior" and "humanitarian" and how maybe your trip is more important than people getting food/water/shelter.

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15 hours ago, RNM said:

I am really aggravated with RC.  Have a cruise set for 10-21-2017, ADVENTURE OF SEAS.  Was scheduled to arrive in San Juan on 10-19-2017.  Received call from RC that hotel damaged in San Juan due to Hurricane Maria, but no rooms available on island.  RC employee told me I would be receiving a refund for hotel and confirmation e-mail -- nothing refunded or received.  RC employee said Air2Ground was working on my new flight itinerary because I would just have to fly from where i live to San Juan on 10-21-17, cruise date.  I said what if there is a flight delay and I miss ship, response, we will fly you to the next port.  Next port would be day 3.  Mind you was told no hotels on island.  Called Air2Sea and was told we are not working on anything for you.  We have you arriving on 10-19-17 in San Juan and if you change anything you will be penalized.  So we are in limbo--pretty pathetic considering the state of PR.  It's nice RC is evacuating people from PR, but it would also be nice if RC would spend some of those "humanitarian" efforts on its paying customers.  Also PR has limited water even for sanitation, little of almost everything.  Supposedly ADVENTURE OF SEAS will be back in San Juan on October 6 and ready to cruise October 7.  Not enough time for disinfection if you ask me especially if there was very little water for sanitation in PR and you are using ship for evacuees.  Why would RC still not give travelers a heads up re; a cruise a couple of weeks away -- where are we supposed to stay in San Juan if we miss our ship because of flight delay.  Feel sorry for islanders, but instead of RC being savior to the Caribbean, try being savior to your paying customers!  And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.  Who wants to go on vacation after all of this!

Sorry, but your frustration seems to be based upon comparisons to normal sets of circumstances. If you watch Snapchats and Periscopes from PR since the hurricanes, you would know how bad it is there far beyond what the main stream media is reporting. If you spent time in this community and on this blog, you would know that RC is not immune from criticism here. You would know that issues pertaining to RC are treated fairly, and yes, the vast majority people here are frequent cruisers with Royal and love the company, because it consistently doea the right thing especially when there are circumstances beyond their control. As a mass market cruise line, they have mastered the art of mass customization.

Despite the catastrophic conditions in PR, you will find that your experience on Adventure will be wonderful unless your practice in life is to criticize every adverse situation that comes your way. If you are any kind of a planner, why don't you simply seek out a plan B for accommodations on the island? It appears you didn't use a travel agent. Why didn't you do that? I won't touch your sanitation comments. They are just bizarre.

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43 minutes ago, ellcee said:

Speaking only for myself  - I totally understand the frustration of the OP and OP has every right to his/her own feelings. Your $$$ trip is up in the air. There just seems to be a lack of empathy and maybe a little disassociation with the whole situation.

I agree, I know I'd have a certain level of anxiety if my vacation that I had planned on and had been looking forward to for a while was in any kind of jeopardy, or just plain at risk of being less than awesome. 

I hope at the very least the person understands many factors are out of Royal Caribbean's hands, and the company reaching out with humanitarian aid to the suffering people of Puerto Rico is a wonderful gesture.  

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I don't post for a couple of days and you all have so much fun without me.....

I'm really sorry OPs cruise experience isn't what they hoped for, however, I'm probably more sorry for the people of the Carribean who I am sure are not having the experience they hoped for and are unlikely to for some time yet. I understand they OP must be truly frustrated, it sucks... but let's look at some context here. I'm certainly not a RCL fanboy (Don't get me started on how they favour people who drink alcohol v those of us that don't... whoops started...) but I M a fan of humanity and if RL want to put their resources into those who have lost everything including their very way of life while I sleep in my warm house with all the amenities at my disposal... I'll live with that,

"The needs of the many clearly outweigh the needs of the few" - Spock

 

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