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When did failure of its equipment, if that part is even true, become "factors or conditions beyond Carnival's control?"
Chargeback. They've tried to get it resolved, and Carnival is notorious for underhanded crap and screwing people - most folks won't pay with cash for something this big, so hopefully chargeback is an option for them here.
Cruising is fun when everything goes right. The problem is that everything seldom goes right.
Taking a cruise isn't my ideal vacation, but because of how my husband likes to vacation (mostly being lazy and sleeping in) I've considered it. Stories like these make me consider it a lot less.
@coren: Chargeback may not be an option for this, since this (though still vile & despicable) was in the contract they agreed to.
@samurailynn: Read "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" by David Foster Wallace. That will pretty much make you consider it never again.
Happened to us years ago when we got re-routed to the Bahamas instead of Bermuda in August when a hurricane closed the port. Learned not to cruise in hurricane season.
We were luckier than some poor souls from another cruiseline who were re-routed to Canada. Brrr.
Uh oh. I have a Carnival cruise scheduled for June. They've already changed the itinerary once, so this scares me!
I'll never understand the desire to board one of these poorly managed, low class ships. The day I get in my car and drive through multiple states to board a crappy ship is the day I'm an Alzheimer patient.
@coren: Also note people often pay for cruises WAY in advance to get the best prices, so it's not unusual to have it fully paid for 14 months before actually going on the cruise. Can you do a chargeback that long after the original charge?
I've never had a satisfactory experience aboard a cruise. Few I know have. If you like McDonald's, Motel 6 and tractor pulls then you'll feel right at home and be treated accordingly.
I had a pretty good time on the one cruise I've been on. It was about what I expected. Could have been better, could have been worse. Better company would have made it much more worthwhile - the girl I was with was about as fun as a box of nails.
After all of the horror stories, I will never cruise. I've heard, however, that nice - if barebones - voyages can be had by booking passage on a cargo ship that offers limited passenger service. Since I'm not the casino and floor show type, I think I might do that someday. And since they're delivering cargo, there's very little likelihood that you'll end up somewhere unplanned.
Carnival has a poor reputation in the industry and among cruisers; they're roughly equivalent to a floating frat party.
It is true that cruise lines generally retain the right to alter the itinerary if it becomes necessary to do so, but the reputable ones only do it if it *really* is necessary (e.g., a hurricane), and to the minimum extent possible.
The cruise I was on with Holland America back in '07 had to turn around to allow the off-loading of a crew member who had become sick with acute appendicitis (via Coast Guard helicopter!), and they didn't use that time lost as an excuse to cancel any ports... the captain just kicked the boat into high gear and got us where we were going, on time.
I'm a bit surprised, to be honest, that these folks would drive from New York to Fort Lauderdale to take a cruise when they could have taken one out of NYC or New Jersey, but that still doesn't excuse Carnival's behavior.
I've been on 4 cruises now and have always had a great time. But I don't expect to be waited on hand and foot as I suspect some people do.
@chiieddy: Well, a hurrican is an understandable reason to be re-routed. In this case, if it was equipment problems, I would be afraid to even get on the boat in the first place.
@samurailynn: I've been on 4 cruises (all on different cruise lines) - three to the Bahamas and one to Bermuda. I haven't had a bad one yet.
@prag: I've been on cruises on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Princess. I had a great time on every single one of them.
I've cruised once and the cruise itself was great fun. The Bahamas, however, felt more like South Florida Annex than anything else. It was underwhelming.
I read the comments on the original story. Apparently carnival has a "satisfaction guarantee" that if you're not happy you can disembark at the first port of call, fly home, and they will refund your cruise and pay your fare home. Sounds like a reasonable way to get your money back. Eventually.
We did a Disney world 2-fer including a cruise and they did not go to the disney private island due to 'high seas' making docking difficult. We got another port of call instead. I would have rather gone to the island, but it wasn't happening.
@EudoraAnius: Holland America is owned by the same company as Carnival, they're target audience is just an older crowd than on the "Fun Ships".
I've been on both and never had any problems.
I was just on the Carnival Miracle a couple weeks ago. We were supposed to go to St. Maarten, St. Kitts, and St. Lucia, but St. Lucia got swapped out for Tortola, BVI thanks to the engine issue. Big deal. I don't go for the ports, anyway--I go to escape. I had more issues with the ship itself and its amenities than with the itinerary and any changes thereto.
For any noncruisers who may have been turned off by this Carnival story: my cruise last January was on Princess, and it was much more enjoyable. Different lines, and indeed different ships within those lines, provide very different experiences.
Anyone who does their homework would know that this can happen on a cruise. The itinerary can change. Most times it doesn't, but it can happen. Big whoop. Like Hirayki said, most times this doesn't happen. I've had nothing but good experiences on Carnival and Royal Carribean.
Website is down. Anyone get a mirror of it?