Just one example of Why DCL may very well be worth the $ I keep paying

[poohfriend]

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/carn..._more_business

For those that don't read the link, Carnival is busing people when they get off the Triumph to New Orleans. Where they can then spend the night or take a flight to Houston.

My favorite part is that Carnival is going to explain to passengers after they go through Customs that they can choose board a bus with 1 toilet for 50 people after going 4 days without running water.

The ship is coming into Mobile and it's about 2.5 hours to New Orleans from the Alabama coast. At least the bus should be air conditioned.

I'm not saying the unexpected couldn't happen on ANY cruiseline. I am saying that the parent company has done very little to consider what the guest has gone through.

Disney has done a good job of convincing me that my family is safer on DCL than Carnival in particular. I could take 3 carnival cruises for what 1 DCL cruise is for my family in May 2014, but DCL will continue to get our money even if it means we cruise less often.

5 years from now, business students will be looking at the case study of how Carnival handled this crisis. They will shake their heads in disbelief.

[lilpooh108]

OMG that is ridiculous.

They don't even get a Doubletree stay in Mobile or anything to rinse off? Sleep? Shower?

I personally would take a cab to the closest airport, Priceline myself a hotel and call my travel insurance company to see what they can do for me.

Getting on a bus with all those people ugh....

[poohfriend]

Originally Posted by lilpooh108

OMG that is ridiculous.

They don't even get a Doubletree stay in Mobile or anything to rinse off? Sleep? Shower?

I personally would take a cab to the closest airport, Priceline myself a hotel and call my travel insurance company to see what they can do for me.

Getting on a bus with all those people ugh....

I'd be happy with a Motel 6 as long as the water was hot and clean.

[Aggiegrl]

Huh? From what I have read, they are giving the passengers a choice: stay in Mobile or a New Orleans hotel and rest before returning home or board a bus and get back to Texas as quickly as possible.

Yes, some will have to driven a distance to a hotel. Carnival has reserved 1500 hotel rooms for these people (good luck taking a cab to one, you won't find it). I doubt Mobile has that many unoccupied rooms, thus the need for rooms in New Orleans (also closer to the airport). Carnival can't get rooms that simply do not exist. They will also have medical triage there for anyone who needs it. I've read over 200 volunteers have been organized to help the passengers in any way possible.

[poohfriend]

Originally Posted by Aggiegrl

Huh? From what I have read, they are giving the passengers a choice: stay in Mobile or a New Orleans hotel and rest before returning home or board a bus and get back to Texas as quickly as possible.

Yes, some will have to driven a distance to a hotel. Carnival has reserved 1500 hotel rooms for these people (good luck taking a cab to one, you won't find it). I doubt Mobile has that many unoccupied rooms, thus the need for rooms in New Orleans (also closer to the airport). Carnival can't get rooms that simply do not exist. They will also have medical triage there for anyone who needs it. I've read over 200 volunteers have been organized to help the passengers in any way possible.

yes...there are limitations for every city. And perhaps the week of Mardi Gras, Mobile didn't have enough hotel rooms. But Mobile has a lot of hotel rooms. And an airport. In theory, chartered planes could have flown out of Mobile and had people in Houston much earlier.

[lilpooh108]

I just have to say...

My family friends were on the Carnival Splendor during the last fire in 2010. They insist that they were treated very well and lucky for them my friend was still BF'ing at the time, so no need to wash/sanitize bottles or anything. They took their "free" cruise this past November 2012 from FLL to the Caribbean and loved it. So some people love Carnival....and will stick with them no matter what.

They told me that after the Splendor was towed back To Ensenada and they were bused back over the border, they got a "free" hotel stay in San Diego (they rented their own car after disembarking) and made a vacation out of it.

So you never know..maybe Mobile will work out for these people.

[TXDCLfan]

Originally Posted by poohfriend

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/carn..._more_business

For those that don't read the link, Carnival is busing people when they get off the Triumph to New Orleans. Where they can then spend the night or take a flight to Houston.

My favorite part is that Carnival is going to explain to passengers after they go through Customs that they can choose board a bus with 1 toilet for 50 people after going 4 days without running water.

The ship is coming into Mobile and it's about 2.5 hours to New Orleans from the Alabama coast. At least the bus should be air conditioned.

I'm not saying the unexpected couldn't happen on ANY cruiseline. I am saying that the parent company has done very little to consider what the guest has gone through.

Disney has done a good job of convincing me that my family is safer on DCL than Carnival in particular. I could take 3 carnival cruises for what 1 DCL cruise is for my family in May 2014, but DCL will continue to get our money even if it means we cruise less often.

5 years from now, business students will be looking at the case study of how Carnival handled this crisis. They will shake their heads in disbelief.

First off the guy that wrote the story is not completely correct and left out some details. Here is what Carnival put out on the FB account.

Carnival Cruise Lines has announced further compensation for the passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph, currently being towed via tug boats to Mobile, Alabama after an engine room fire early Sunday caused a loss of propulsion.

All guests on the current voyage will receive further compensation of $500.00 per person.

Gerry Cahill, President & CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines said: “We know it has been a longer journey back than we anticipated at the beginning of the week under very challenging circumstances. We are very sorry for what our guests have had to endure. Therefore, in addition to the full refund and future cruise credit already offered, we have decided to provide this additional compensation. I look forward to welcoming everyone to Mobile tomorrow and have mobilized our full resources to assist and support them as they travel home.”

As previously announced, all 3,143 guests on board will receive a full refund of the cruise along with transportation expenses and reimbursement of all shipboard purchases during the voyage, with the exception of gift shop, art purchases and casino charges. All passengers will also receive a future cruise credit equal to the amount paid for this voyage.

In not one article that I have read or news report said that people will be bussed directly from the ship back to Galveston ( not given the opportunity to get cleaned up). This guy has skewed the things just to make Carnival look bad. IMHO there is only so much a cruise ship operator can do in these circumstances and Carnival is trying very hard to make things right.

[poohfriend]

Mobile Mayor Sam Jones questioned the plan late Wednesday, saying the city has more than enough hotel rooms to accommodate passengers and its two airports are near the cruise terminal.

"We raised the issue that it would be a lot easier to take a five-minute bus ride than a two-hour bus ride" to New Orleans, Jones said. Jones said Carnival employees will be staying in Mobile, adding he was not told of the company's reasoning for putting passengers on extended bus rides after their experience at sea.

[TDC Nala]

The report on the news this morning indicated that many Triumph passengers are electing to take buses directly back to Texas without stopping to stay in a hotel anywhere or to clean up. The story definitely said they weren't being FORCED to do this, they were choosing it.

Granted, if they don't want to head right straight back to Galveston, they do have to go to New Orleans.

[melwill530]

Originally Posted by Aggiegrl

Huh? From what I have read, they are giving the passengers a choice: stay in Mobile or a New Orleans hotel and rest before returning home or board a bus and get back to Texas as quickly as possible.

Yes, some will have to driven a distance to a hotel. Carnival has reserved 1500 hotel rooms for these people (good luck taking a cab to one, you won't find it). I doubt Mobile has that many unoccupied rooms, thus the need for rooms in New Orleans (also closer to the airport). Carnival can't get rooms that simply do not exist. They will also have medical triage there for anyone who needs it. I've read over 200 volunteers have been organized to help the passengers in any way possible.

Now that Mardi Gras is over we have plenty of rooms!

[neg58]

I don't know for sure, but I'd probably be one who said 'I just want to go home' and if the fastest way was to take a bus to Galveston, that's what I'd do (if my car was there, or I lived near there).

If I'd flow into Galveston and was flying home, I'd fly from Mobile or N.O. Taking a shower or being in a hotel room would not be my first choice, getting home would.

Nancy

[Aggiegrl]

Originally Posted by neg58

I don't know for sure, but I'd probably be one who said 'I just want to go home' and if the fastest way was to take a bus to Galveston, that's what I'd do (if my car was there, or I lived near there).

If I'd flow into Galveston and was flying home, I'd fly from Mobile or N.O. Taking a shower or being in a hotel room would not be my first choice, getting home would.

Nancy

Exactly. It looks to me that Carnival is giving them a choice, which is what they should do. I'd reserve all the hateful judgement until we actually see what happens.

[declansdad]

Originally Posted by poohfriend

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/carn..._more_business

For those that don't read the link, Carnival is busing people when they get off the Triumph to New Orleans. Where they can then spend the night or take a flight to Houston.

My favorite part is that Carnival is going to explain to passengers after they go through Customs that they can choose board a bus with 1 toilet for 50 people after going 4 days without running water.

The ship is coming into Mobile and it's about 2.5 hours to New Orleans from the Alabama coast. At least the bus should be air conditioned.

I'm not saying the unexpected couldn't happen on ANY cruiseline. I am saying that the parent company has done very little to consider what the guest has gone through.

Disney has done a good job of convincing me that my family is safer on DCL than Carnival in particular. I could take 3 carnival cruises for what 1 DCL cruise is for my family in May 2014, but DCL will continue to get our money even if it means we cruise less often.

5 years from now, business students will be looking at the case study of how Carnival handled this crisis. They will shake their heads in disbelief.

Do you really think that they are going to force them right on the bus without some time to get some food, medical attention and use the restrooms?

[mickey2000]

"Disney has done a good job of convincing me that my family is safer on DCL than Carnival in particular"

[Rogillio]

Like many things with corporations, it's not necessarily the facts but the perceptions. This will hurt Carnival and IMO they have done a poor PR job handling this. They should be all over this thing with the PR experts....going on the morning talk shows telling what they are doing to help people and the 'above and beyond' things they have done, are doing and will do. They need to be talking about how they are taking measures to ensure this never happens again, etc.

The perceptions of the OP are probably representative of a lot of people. Personally, I trust Disney and trust is HUGE when selling things.

When Crystler and GM about went under and had to take a government bailout I went out and bought another Ford....because I trust them. When I wanted to cruise the Med and the Baltic Seas, I was willing to pay more for DCL becuase I trust them.