Consumerist
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mood killers
Royal Caribbean Sees No Problem With Twin Beds For Anniversary Trip
Wes and his girlfriend took a Royal Caribbean Cruise for their anniversary, but the experience was more stressful than blissful. Apparently, according to the cruise line, an appropriate stateroom for a couple is an L-shaped room with twin beds. Where the beds are bolted to opposite walls. While appropriate for a '50s sitcom, this was not what Wes had in mind for a romantic vacation. More » -
cruises
Cruisers Say Carnival Failed To Deliver Wine, Searched Cabin After They Complained
An anonymous couple wrote in to tell us about how they ordered a couple bottles of wine on a Carnival cruise, but were dismayed to find only one had been delivered. After they complained at the service desk and got their wine, they returned to their cabin to find a Carnival employee searching their cabin, telling them she was following policy. More » -
extortion
Royal Caribbean: Give Us $800 Or Find Another Ship
Royal Caribbean told Mary Hoefs at check-in that her family wouldn't be allowed to board unless they paid $800 on the spot, even though Mary had paid for the cruise in full four months earlier. Royal Caribbean later refunded $400, but why did they choose to kick off Mary's cruise with extortion? The answer, inside... More » -
swine flu
Carnival Cruises Is So Over That Swine Flu Thing
Pack up your maracas, Carnival is returning to Mexico! The cruise line wasn't happy with putzing off the California coast, and the CDC says that swine flu isn't deadly enough to keep us out of Mexico forever. By the end of the month, souvenir-seeking Americans will again be able to down margaritas and scoop up trinkets in Cabo, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta. More » -
swine flu
Continental: No Refunds For Swine Flu Cancellations
The swine flu outbreak is making thing tough for people who had booked Mexican vacations. Reader Kurt is one such person. He got a full refund from the hotel, but is dismayed that Continental won't extend him the same courtesy. More » -
cruises
Memo To Cruise Lines: Seattle Is Not Cozumel
A few different cruise lines took initiative and changed the itineraries of ships heading to Mexico in the near future. However, they won't let customers who are uninterested in sailing to the tropical paradise of San Francisco rebook or get full refunds. More » -
costa cruises
On Costa Cruises, Your "Waiter" Will Take Your Bread Basket Away And Give It To Another Table
There were lots of problems on the recent Costa Cruise vacation that Krista and her friends took, including lukewarm hot tubs, closed buffets, and missing towels. But the biggest surprise was when their waiter was replaced on the second day with a newly promoted, untrained busboy who abandoned them nightly. Well, when he wasn't taking their sugar or stealing their basket of bread. More » -
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loyalty programs
Royal Caribbean Scuttles Crown & Anchor Society
Royal Caribbean is gutting the Crown & Anchor society that lavishes loyal cruisers with perks like discounts, priority boarding, and a concierge lounge stocked with complimentary cocktails. The free booze will now be available only to cruisers who have sailed more than 25 times with Royal Caribbean. Many loyal passengers who don't spend their lives on Royal Caribbean ships are understandably pissed. More » -
scams
You Won A Free Cruise! Now, What's Your Credit Card Number?
Allison filled out one of those "win a free cruise" forms at a local cask ale festival and almost got dunked in a barrel o' scam fun for her troubles. Here's her story: More » -
royal caribbean
Royal Caribbean To Levy Late-Night Room Service Charge
Royal Caribbean's odd "steak fee" proved to be such a success that the bleed-'em-dry cruise line has decided to add yet another extraneous charge to their "all-inclusive" service: a late night room service fee! Gone are the days of waking up from a seasick-induced nightmare at 3 a.m. to the comforting thought of, "well at least I can order a cheeseburger." Now, seasickness cures ordered between midnight and 5 a.m. cost $3.95. More » -
royal caribbean
Royal Caribbean Levies $14.95 Steak Surcharge
Do you like flying? Well then you're going to love cruising with Royal Caribbean! The cruise line recently announced plans to charge customers who order steak in the main dining room a $14.95 surcharge. More » -
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 » -
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
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...
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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 »
cruises
We'd just like to tip our hats to the cruise ship passenger who helped fight off Somali pirates with a deck chair. [
New York, 4:38 AM
Tue Nov 10
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