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celebrity cruises
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celebrity cruises
carnival
It Shouldn't Take Three Years To Book A Carnival Cruise
Leslie and her husband haven't been able to cruise with Carnival since Hurricane Katrina rained all over their original itinerary back in 2005. Carnival promised they would be able to cruise on a "space available" basis, except Carnival won't confirm if space is available until three days before departure, making it nearly impossible for Leslie and her husband to buy affordable plane tickets or arrange care for their sixteen-month-old daughter. More »
carnival cruises
Carnival Cruise Lines Turns Away Pregnant Woman At Dock
Huey Tsao, an expectant mother, was looking forward to a family reunion aboard the Carnival Glory. Along with her boarding pass, she received a document entitled "Welcome Aboard: Things to know before you sail" which stated that guests who are 27 weeks into their pregnancy are not permitted to sail because of the risk of premature labor. Huey was not concerned because she was only 26 weeks and had a note from her physician stating that she was fit to travel. She and her family arrived at the dock only to find out some very bad news. Unbeknownst to Huey, Carnival had changed their no-sail pregnancy policy from 27 weeks to 24 weeks. Despite her doctor's note and attempts at escalating the issue, she was denied passage onto the boat. Her letter, inside... More »
holland america
Holland America: Sorry, You And Your Wife Are Too Young To Go On Your Honeymoon
Reader Austin and his fiance will be married on May 22, and their honeymoon cruise leaves May 29... without them. Holland America says that Austin (23), and his bride to be, Kelly (20) are too young to sail. Austin says he wasn't told about this restriction when he booked and paid for the cruise. More »
nightmares
There are few things in life more decadent and luxurious than a cruise vacation. Unless of course, you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and your child gets a cold, and then a paranoid crew kicks you and your family off the ship at night in your pajamas at a foreign port where you then have to spend thousands dollars for passports and tickets to get home. It sounds like a nightmare but that's exactly what happened to this Florida family according to WFTV. Read the details of their misadventure, inside...
More »
Royal Caribbean Tells Family To Abandon Ship
There are few things in life more decadent and luxurious than a cruise vacation. Unless of course, you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and your child gets a cold, and then a paranoid crew kicks you and your family off the ship at night in your pajamas at a foreign port where you then have to spend thousands dollars for passports and tickets to get home. It sounds like a nightmare but that's exactly what happened to this Florida family according to WFTV. Read the details of their misadventure, inside...
More »
tragic
Carnival Will Refund $40 Million In Fuel Fees
Carnival Corp has reached an agreement with the (pesky) Florida attorney general and will refund $40 million in fuel surcharges to passengers who booked trips made before Nov. 7 last year for trips starting Feb. 1 this year. More »
travel
Royal Caribbean And Celebrity Cruise Lines To Refund Sketchy Fuel Surcharges
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines will refund fuel surcharges to customers who booked their cruises before November 16th, says the Orlando Business Journal. Passengers who have not yet sailed will receive their refund in the form of onboard credit. More »
travel
Stressed? Grab A Last Minute Cruise Deal
Here's a tip for those who refuse to let their boviscopophobia rule them: Jim at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity recommends looking for last minute cruise deals. He recently snagged a 4 night Western Caribbean holiday for $300.More »
Last minute deals are so great because they represent revenue that would otherwise be lost to the company offering it. The cruise ship will set sail with a full complement of crew and supplies regardless of the actual passenger count and an empty cabin represents a lot of lost revenue so selling it at a discount to the rack price is something they're very much willing to do. It's why hotels and airlines sometimes have last minute fares and discounts, an empty room or seat is lost revenue.
problem solving
Solve Problems On Cruise Ships By Staging A Mutiny!
When storms force your cruise to skip ports of call, don't sit idly in your cabin watching the whitecaps break menacingly against the ship. Go find your fellow passengers and stage a mutiny! At least that is what passengers onboard the Sapphire Princess did when two typhoons kept the ship from planned port calls in Vietnam, Japan, and Taiwan.At one point, with passengers assembled in the ship's theater, she said, "the attorney jumped up and grabbed the microphone away from the assistant cruise director and said: 'We're taking over the stage! We have a petition!'"More »
blogosphere
Strangers Chip In To Fulfill Cheated Grandmother's Cruise Dream
There's hope for humanity yet: the 78-year old pensioner who saved 10 years for a cruise, only to have Princess Cruises screw her out of her money after missed connections resulted in a missed embarkation? She will get to take that cruise. After her story hit the papers and the blogosphere, strangers stepped forward to fund her cruise ship dreams. This time, Almentia McKan will arrive a day in advance, fly non-stop, and purchase travel insurance. She probably won't be sailing Princess Cruises either.
Dream? On. [Washington Post]
PREVIOUSLY: Pensioneer Saves For Cruise For 10 Years, Misses Flight, Princess Cruises Keeps All Her Money
scams
Pensioneer Saves For Cruise For 10 Years, Misses Flight, Princess Cruises Keeps All Her Money
A 78-year old pensioner saved for a cruise for 10 years, but after she missed an airplane connection, she missed the cruise ship and Princess Cruises gets to keep her $2500 paid for the cruise. They're also keeping the $559.80 the airlines refunded because she didn't take the flight. (See how that works? You don't get charged unless you actually use their service...) You gotta read the Washington Post column for the full run-down of all the different things that went wrong on this lil old lady's trip.
For the cruise industry, cancellation fees of 100% are the norm. It's clearly stated in the fine print on your contract. Since there's disclosure, the FTC isn't of the opinion that there's anything wrong with it. With these non-existent refund policies, perhaps floating prison rides are one time travel insurance is worthwhile?
The Dream Trip That Wasn't [Washington Post]
RELATED: Princess Cruise Lines Requires Death Certificate To Get Off Junk Mail List
(Photo: Getty)
travel
When Shopping In A Port Of Call, Document Your Purchases
If you find you're on a cruise to, say, the Caribbean, and you decide to buy something expensive—like, say, an emerald ring—then be sure to pay with a credit card, take photos of the item and the person who sold it to you, and get a receipt. It may sound like overkill, but if the "emeralds" in the ring fall out and it turns your finger black once you're back on the boat and have left Antigua, chances are it's not a cursed pirate ring but a fake, and you'll be glad you have some documentation when you start trying to make things right. More »
decisions
Four Questions To Ask Before Buying Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a waste in most situations, but before dismissing it outright, ask yourself four questions:- What Could Go Wrong? Is an elderly parent sick? Could you be called into work? By identifying specific incidents that could arise, you can better evaluate whether insurance is worthwhile.
What Coverage Do You Already Have? What parts of your trip are not already covered by your credit card, health insurer, or auto club?
How Expensive Is The Trip? Travel insurance is a waste for discount air tickets, but might be worthwhile for a pricey cruise.
What Is Already Prepaid Or Nonrefundable? Know what you can realistically expect to get back.
travel
The Future Of Cruising: Botox And Data Mining
Cruise lines are sullying their heritage as the height of cultured travel by working overtime to squeeze every last penny out of passengers. Though gluttons are still sated by free meals, cruises now regularly charge for sodas, "special venue dining," and other amenities that were once free. A recent industry convention in Miami revealed that these charges are just the tip of the iceberg. More »
cruises
And best of all, the cruise industry doesn't seem to give a rat's ass. They're happy to take your money, force feed you at the interminable buffets, as if to fatten your liver for a nice foie gras, and subject you to musical entertainment that would make your high school drama teacher vomit in terror. But if you fall over the rails, that's your problem.
Maybe they'll blame the Bermuda Triangle for their latest problems. More »
What Kathy Lee Didn't Tell You About Cruise Ships
Another person has gone missing from a cruise ship — the 62nd person to go missing in the last six years. The 36-year old woman fell overboard on her four-day Carnival cruise to Key West and Mexico.And best of all, the cruise industry doesn't seem to give a rat's ass. They're happy to take your money, force feed you at the interminable buffets, as if to fatten your liver for a nice foie gras, and subject you to musical entertainment that would make your high school drama teacher vomit in terror. But if you fall over the rails, that's your problem.
Maybe they'll blame the Bermuda Triangle for their latest problems. More »
jones act
