Holiday cruise shipwrecked!!!

“Consumers should be aware that the cruise ship’s duties and
liabilities are governed not by modern, consumer-oriented common and
statutory law, but by 19th-century legal principles — the purpose
being to insulate cruise lines from the legitimate claims of
passengers.”


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10946740/from/RSS/

Holiday cruise shipwrecked
Itineraries can change with no warning. It's enough to make you seasick

By Anita Dunham-Potter
Travel columnist
Tripso.com
Updated: 12:51 p.m. ET Jan. 23, 2006


Retired college professor Bobbie Deemer had the perfect Christmas
cruise planned, but eight months after she booked her reservation,
things started falling apart. Imagine her surprise when she received
her cruise documents and discovered the itinerary had changed. Neither
her agent nor the cruise line had notified her of the change, and now
it was too late for a full refund.

Last March, Deemer and her husband booked a five-day cruise aboard
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Sovereign of the Seas, sailing from Port
Canaveral. The cruise had the two things the Deemers were looking for:
a Key West port stop and Christmas Day at sea. But when Deemer
received her cruise documents the last week in November, she was
dismayed to discover that the port stop would now be in Miami and that
Christmas Day would be spent on Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamian
island, Coco Cay.

“Miami has no appeal to us as we live two hours away,” says
Deemer. “And we really wanted the day at sea on Christmas for a more
formal atmosphere. Now it was just a beach day.”

Fax, lies and audiotape

The Deemers had booked their cruise through Cruise Value Center (also
known as My Cruise Value) in East Brunswick, N.J. When Bobbie Deemer
contacted Cruise Value Center to ask about the itinerary change, the
agent said it was the first she had heard of it. The agent then
contacted Royal Caribbean and was told a fax had been transmitted to
the agency on October 3.

“Had we known this, we would have immediately canceled the cruise,”
says Deemer. At that point, more than 60 days from sailing, the
Deemers would have received a full refund. Now, less than 30 days from
sailing, the Deemers could recover only 50 percent of the fare.

Upset, Deemer called Royal Caribbean to find out why the cruise
itinerary had been changed. After being informed that the cruise line
reserves the right to change the itinerary, Deemer pressed for the
actual reason. She was told that Hurricane Wilma had damaged the docks
at Key West.

The next day, Deemer ran into a friend who had just returned from a
cruise that had stopped in Key West. The friend reported that there
was no dock damage, a fact subsequently confirmed by two other
sources: Gary Hansen, a port operations official with the Key West
Port Office, and Caribe Nautical, Royal Caribbean’s own shipping agent
for Key West.

Hoping to get the real story, Deemer again called Royal Caribbean.
This time she got excuses ranging from “port congestion” to “operation
constraints” to “immigration delays.” When the agent added “berthing
conflicts” to the list, Deemer got mad. This, she knew, was untrue,
because Hansen, the Port Office official, had told her that only one
vessel was scheduled for Key West on December 24.


Deemer demanded to speak to someone higher up and was transferred to
Royal Caribbean’s resolution specialist, Jennie Martinez, who informed
Deemer that their conversation would be recorded. After going over the
details of her complaint, Deemer asked if the Key West port stop could
be reinstated. According to Deemer, Martinez became agitated, accused
Deemer of not listening, and reiterated the company’s right to change
the itinerary.

Deemer had gotten nowhere, so she asked Tripso to help.


I contacted Royal Caribbean’s Corporate Communications spokeswoman,
Lyan Sierra-Caro, who gave me a copy of the fax that was sent out to
agents about the itinerary change. It was dated August 25, not October
3, as Deemer had earlier been told. Sierra-Caro attributed the
discrepancy to a limitation of the fax-recording system, which logs
the date a fax is sent but not its content. Apparently, the Deemers’
travel agent, Cruise Value Center, had received two faxes from Royal
Caribbean, but sadly, the Deemers received no information at all.

Cruise consolidator nightmare

The Deemers are regular cruisers who have sailed more than 20 times.
The voyage on Sovereign of the Seas was to be their seventh cruise
with Royal Caribbean. Knowing the exact cruise they wanted, the
Deemers felt comfortable booking for the first time with Cruise Value
Center, a large cruise consolidator.

Cruise consolidators purchase blocks of cabins from the cruise lines
and then resell them to consumers. Because they buy in bulk, travelers
can find deals with consolidators that they can’t find anywhere else.
The Deemers may have saved a little money, but they certainly got
shortchanged on service. Sometimes at large agencies things fall
through the cracks — in this case, two faxes from Royal Caribbean.

When contacted for this story, a Cruise Value Center official
stated, “This is in the hands of Royal Caribbean and the client.” When
asked about the missing faxes, the agent gave a terse “No comment.”

“The whole point of having a travel agent is to have an advocate in
situations like this,” says Lucy Hirleman, president of Berkshire
Travel in Newfoundland, N.J. “Mrs. Deemer’s travel agent should have
worked harder for her. If I were the agent, I’d be on the phone to
Royal Caribbean and to my local Royal Caribbean sales representative
until I got answers.”

Sea of blame

So, who’s at fault? Royal Caribbean for lying about the port change or
Cruise Value Center for losing the faxes?

Royal Caribbean created and sold a cruise itinerary that many
customers bought into. Eight months after selling the cruise, the
cruise line realized the itinerary was poorly planned, as it required
two time-consuming immigration checks. But (as Deemer found out the
hard way) lurking in the small print that comes with your cruise
ticket is a big surprise: The cruise lines reserve the right to change
itineraries for many reasons, and they are not required to offer
refunds or compensation.

In fact, Royal Caribbean’s cruise ticket contract states that the
cruise operator can make changes or cancellations for five stated
reasons — strikes, lockouts, riots, weather conditions, and mechanical
difficulties — and, for that matter, “for any other reason
whatsoever.” True, Royal Caribbean got caught up in numerous lies and
self-serving excuses, but legally it can change its itinerary in any
way it pleases.

Thomas Dickerson, a judge in Westchester County, N.Y. and the author
of “Travel Law,” says, “Consumers should be aware that the cruise
ship’s duties and liabilities are governed not by modern, consumer-
oriented common and statutory law, but by 19th-century legal
principles — the purpose being to insulate cruise lines from the
legitimate claims of passengers.”

As for Cruise Value Center, its agents provided inexcusably poor
customer service, which led to the Deemers losing half their vacation
funds.

And what about the Deemers? Do they bear any blame? Maybe. Some cruise
experts will argue that travelers should never depend on a cruise
itinerary, as too many circumstances can intervene between them and
their port-of-call.

“You cannot book a cruise and depend on any particular port on a
certain day,” says Linda Coffman, editor of Cruise Diva, a cruise Web
site, and author of “Fodor’s Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises.” “A
number of things can go wrong, like weather or propulsion problems.”
Better to adopt a laissez-faire attitude and choose a cruise whose
overall experience appeals to you.

How to avoid a shipwreck

So, how can you avoid a shipwrecked vacation? Here’s some advice:

Buy insurance. Several cruise lines including Royal Caribbean offer
vacation-protection plans. For an additional fee, travelers on Royal
Caribbean can buy cancellation insurance for covered events like
sudden illness or a death in the family; the coverage provides a 100-
percent fare refund for such events. The coverage also provides for
non-covered events, typically giving travelers a 75-percent fare
credit toward a future cruise when a non-covered event happens. When
it comes to itinerary changes, Carnival Cruise Line has the most
generous policy, allowing passengers 24 hours to cancel without
penalty.

Use a local travel agent. If possible, use a local travel agency when
you book your cruise. You may pay a few dollars more, but there’s
nothing like personal service when you need it.

Join a cruise message board. Cruise Critic has a terrific message
board section called “Roll Calls” where you can find other passengers
booked on your cruise. Members post information and tips about your
cruise and ports-of-call that you won’t hear from the cruise lines. In
fact, many passengers on the Deemers’ scheduled cruise posted comments
about the itinerary change in August. If only the Deemers had been
watching.

In the end, Bobbie Deemer took a $907 loss on her cruise. She plans to
remain a landlubber for a while. “I just don’t want this to happen to
anyone else,” she says. “I can guarantee you I’ll never book another
cruise with Cruise Value Center nor sail on Royal Caribbean ever
again!”

Anita Dunham-Potter is a Pittsburgh-based travel journalist
specializing in cruise travel. Anita's columns have appeared in major
newspapers and many Internet outlets, and she is a contributor to
Fodor's "Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises 2006." E-mail Anita or
visit her Web site anitavacation.com.


URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10946740/from/RSS/

"steinbrenner" wrote in message
news:MTEzODA0OTMzNi5wb25kZXJ0ZQ.1138049336@nulluse r.com...
"Consumers should be aware that the cruise ship's duties and
liabilities are governed not by modern, consumer-oriented common and
statutory law, but by 19th-century legal principles - the purpose
being to insulate cruise lines from the legitimate claims of
passengers."

*Major snippage...

Exactly why I said a few months ago to READ EVERYTHING in your cruise
documents. Try and get your Agent to show you the policy as written in
cruise documents before you book the cruise so you will understand that they
can do whatever they want. 99% of all cruise ships are not registered in
the United States and therefore do not have to adhere to U.S. laws except
for maritime law and the U.S. Coast Guard as pertains to arrival and
departure from U.S. ports.

READ THE DOCUMENTS.....

"steinbrenner" wrote in message
In the end, Bobbie Deemer took a $907 loss on her cruise. She plans to
remain a landlubber for a while. "I just don't want this to happen to
anyone else," she says. "I can guarantee you I'll never book another
cruise with Cruise Value Center nor sail on Royal Caribbean ever
again!"

Anita Dunham-Potter is a Pittsburgh-based travel journalist
specializing in cruise travel. Anita's columns have appeared in major
newspapers and many Internet outlets, and she is a contributor to
Fodor's "Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises 2006." E-mail Anita or
visit her Web site anitavacation.com.


URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10946740/from/RSS/

I think I would have reluctantly gone on the cruise, and made the best
of it--it had to beat NOT going!

Peter

Hi:

I have been on 20 plus cruises. Only twice has an itinerary been
changed. On our first cruise the Captain got mad that a barge wasn't
moved out of his way fast enough at the dock and moved on (1983) and the
other time was when weather conditions made tendering to a private
island unsafe.

However,in three cruises, and one future one booked, with Royal
Caribbean, it has happened twice. The first time was our Panama Canal
cruise booked October 2004 for October 2005. Published itinerary had
departure from San Diego, stops in Acupulco, Cabo San Lucas, Huatulco,
Puntarenas, Costa Rica, PC transit, Cristobal Pier, Panama, Oranjested,
Aruba. In February 2005, embarkation was changed to Ensenada ($70 pp
bus fare to get there, please) Acupulco was changed to Puerto Vallarta,
Ixtapa was added and Puntarenas changed to Puerto Caldera. All due to
"port congestion." While the canal transit was the main reason we
booked, leaving from Ensenada was a major drawback over San Diego. We
would have never booked a cruise leaving from Ensenada if we could leave
from San Diego or Los Angeles. Yes, we could cancel and get our money
back but there was no availability on some ships and no equivalent
accommodations for the price we had paid on RCI getting early booking
incentives, for those that did have space. Along about April or so they
said they would "comp" the transportation to Ensenada. Later, they said
they would be leaving from San Diego but we wouldn't be embarking until
11:00 p.m. and we would be checking in at the San Diego convention
center rather than the pier, and bussed to the ship in the afternoon.
When we went to check in, we found that Ixtapa had been cancelled due to
the all encompassing excuse of "port congestion." We also had to tender
in Puerto Vallarta. The port in Costa Rica that they changed us to was
on the far side of nowhere and unless you wanted to take a rather
lengthy and expensive shore excursion available through the ship, there
was nothing there. Not even a flea market at the tender pier let alone
a cab. I guess we were lucky that they didn't change the transit to a
night one (lol)

While on that ship, we booked an Alaskan cruise for ourselves and three
other couples for mid-June of 2006. By doing that, we got $100 per
couple cabin credit and, while availability was tight, we could get
cabins together. Last month we were notified that we would not be
cruising Tracy Arm. Instead we would have more time in Juneau--on a
Sunday--and they would bus us (note bus, not tour) to Mendenhall
Glacier. How can you go to Alaska and not cruise by a glacier? Again,
we could cancel and get our money back (and eventually did) but finding
an alternative cruise was difficult and a financial hit. We went from a
cabin on Deck 7 to a cabin in steerage for more money. We had purchased
third party travel insurance shortly after depositing to get the
pre-existing waiver which is not refundable, even if we cancel with no
financial loss. Fortunately, it transferred to our new cruise. RCI's
excuse for the change? "a conflict in planned call times." Someone on
Cruise Critic checked with the powers to be in Alaska to find out if it
was a permit problem or maybe "personal non grata" for the pollution
they have been fined for. No permit is needed and he had no
explanation of why it would be cancelled other than to save fuel
deadheading up and back in the fjord.

I know the contract and I am aware that changes can and, in most cases,
should be made in itineraries for mechanical, safety, weather reasons.
But twice RCI has pulled the rug out from under me due to "port
congestion or some other lame excuse" Once, shame on them. Twice,
shame on me. End result, if a port is really important to me, then I
will not be booking RCI if, indeed, I ever book them again. I seem to
see a pattern here of selling one thing and delivering a inferior thing
down the road when changes are difficult and expensive to make.

For what it is worth, both cruises were booked through agents. We found
out about the Panama Canal change on Cruise Critic before our agent was
informed--he couldn't believe it when we told him. On the Alaskan
cruise, the "change" correspondence from Royal Caribbean was dated
December 23. My agent informed me January 3. He works from his home
24/7 and I have not one shred of doubt he informed me within hours of
receiving the notification.

Tucker in Texas

I know I'm waaaay behind in my reading but this thread made me wonder why someone who has cruised more than 20 times was not aware that the cruise line, at it's discretion, has the right to change the itinerary; I think it is unfortunate that the Deemers, on so many occasions, chose travel agents who did not bother to share information with their clients. This right to change the itinerary applies to ALL cruise lines not just Royal Caribbean and there usually is a good reason for the change.

The late cancellation fee for holiday sailings is different than for non-holiday sailings: Cancel 90 or more days prior to sail date and you pay no penalty; 89 to 30 days prior and you lose your deposit.

A good travel agent does not need to be "local." Someone who is recommended by family, friends, co-workers, etc. is usually the best way to choose a travel agent. However, when thinking about a cruise, a QUALIFIED cruise specialist is definitely your best bet.