Pointing Fingers at Carnival

[DisneyManFamily4]

Did anyone else receive this email from RCCL? It clearly points fingers at Carnival. Anyone else think this is in bad taste? I think most experienced cruisers are well aware of the tragedy. I think they could have easily sent this letter, addressing potential concerns, without the finger pointing placing blame on Carnival. If the Captain is at fault, which seems to be the general consesus portrayed by the media, then I wouldn't place all blame on Carnival Corp. Then the promo plug for RCCL. It just isn't sitting right with me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cruise and have cruised Royal, Carnival and Disney and would love to cruise all three in the future!

Dear Jennifer,

All of us at Royal Caribbean International continue to extend our heartfelt sympathies to those affected by Carnival Corporation's recent tragic incident on the Costa Concordia. As a Crown & Anchor Society member and loyal Royal Caribbean guest, we know you may have some questions as the situation continues to unfold.

At Royal Caribbean International, the safety and security of our guests and crew is our highest priority. It is fundamental to our operations. Our maritime safety record over our 42-year history illustrates our commitment to the safety of the millions of guests and crew that sail on our ships. The measures we take in the interest of safety are many, often exceeding the regulatory requirements – these are all part of our ongoing commitment to innovation and continuous improvement in every aspect of our business.

To address some of your questions and concerns, here is a video that will provide an overview of safety onboard our ships; the training of our crew, officers and captains; and the many regulations that govern our practices. Click here to watch.

As a past cruiser, we know your friends and family may be asking about your own time at sea. We hope that you'll share this video along with your personal Royal Caribbean experiences with them, and reinforce that cruising continues to maintain the best safety record of any industry in travel.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon on one of our ships sailing to 270 destinations worldwide.

Sincerely,

Adam Goldstein
President and CEO
Royal Caribbean International

Any thoughts?

 

[AlexandNessa]

I got one from Celebrity as well. I didnt see it as throwing carnival under the bus as much as I think they just want to assure their pax that they have emergency procedures in place, etc.

 

[m&m's mom]

I do not view it as negative on Royal Caribbeans part. I like the fact that they are emphasizing their safety procedures and records.
Several years ago we cruised on RC and our ship in Alaska had the youngest ships Captain on a large ship. Even then, I just had a safe feeling.

 

[ClubDis]

HA! I got the same canned email, only replace "past guest" with "travel partner". But yeah, I agree with the pp, I don't think they're throwing Carnival under the bus. Just trying to help us seasoned cruisers reassure others who might not be.

 

[makaylee]

Wow, I think that is very tasteless.

 

[floridahippy]

I am reading it that they are just trying to reassure people that cruising is really still a safe holiday choice.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I really see nothing wrong with the email.......Its not finger pointing..it was simply a opening sentence to set the subject of safety concerns in the rest of the email.

They simply stated it was a tragedy......end of story.!

AKK

 

[Tinknalli]

I don't see anything wrong with the statement.

Furthermore, I don't know why people are ready to let Carnival off the hook. I think they bear a huge responsibility in this tragedy for one reason and one reason alone. This was not the first time that the captain had traveled in unaproved routes. He did it in August and I would happen to believe that Carnival did nothing or not enough to cause him not to do it again. If I can go on the internet and see where a ship is located and the direction they are traveling, I don't see why the corporation can't keep track of whether their ships are traveling in safe routes. JMHO.

 

[krispykreme97]

I agree with the majority I didn't see anything negative with the email by the way I'm going to Alaska on carnival and can't say the titanic didn't cross my mind but I can't let it stop me from enjoying life. I can see the same thing happening on an airplane with a pilot who doesn't follow protocol and the flight attendants who are just as scared and frightened. No amount of training can prepare you for what to do when it's actually happening. Just my thoughts, hope I don't get thrown under the bus.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I don't see anything wrong with the statement.

Furthermore, I don't know why people are ready to let Carnival off the hook. I think they bear a huge responsibility in this tragedy for one reason and one reason alone. This was not the first time that the captain had traveled in unaproved routes. He did it in August and I would happen to believe that Carnival did nothing or not enough to cause him not to do it again. If I can go on the internet and see where a ship is located and the direction they are traveling, I don't see why the corporation can't keep track of whether their ships are traveling in safe routes. JMHO.

Because when the Captain took the ship off course it August, Costa had approved that deviation and Costa ploted a new, approved course.

This time the Captain didn't tell Costa, didn't get his route approved or plotted and hit something.

 

[Gigi22]

Hmm--I find the email the OP received very interesting. Looks as though RCCL is worried that there will be a chill throughout the entire cruise industry as a result of the Costa disaster.
As a loyal HAL (which is also owned by Carnival) passenger, I have received no communication at all from HAL, or Carnival.
It seems that Carnival Corp. is sticking its' head in the ground, and hoping nobody notices. I expect Carnival will do its' best to distance itself from Costa, particularly in light of what I expect will be the massive lawsuits resulting from the sinking.

 

[DisneyManFamily4]

Lol! I guess that's the teacher coming out in me!

When something happens in my classroom, I don't ignore it, or point fingers at the guilty child(ren). When something happens that the entire class is aware of, it's kind of like the elephant in the room. Rather than saying, "Boys and girls, we don't want to do what "insert name here" did..." I would say, "We would never want "insert undesired event" to happen again, in the future we should...." The kids know I know who did it, I've addressed it privately with the guilty student, they all know who did it, but the goal is always to learn from the mistake and move forward.

It's hard to turn off the teacher, when I'm not at work.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Hmm--I find the email the OP received very interesting. Looks as though RCCL is worried that there will be a chill throughout the entire cruise industry as a result of the Costa disaster.
As a loyal HAL (which is also owned by Carnival) passenger, I have received no communication at all from HAL, or Carnival.
It seems that Carnival Corp. is sticking its' head in the ground, and hoping nobody notices. I expect Carnival will do its' best to distance itself from Costa, particularly in light of what I expect will be the massive lawsuits resulting from the sinking.

Actually, Carnival Corporation has put a cease and desist order on social media for all of their brands while they are dealing with the Costa Concordia tragedy.

 

[Who's your Mickey?]

Did anyone else receive this email from RCCL? It clearly points fingers at Carnival. Anyone else think this is in bad taste? I think most experienced cruisers are well aware of the tragedy. I think they could have easily sent this letter, addressing potential concerns, without the finger pointing placing blame on Carnival. If the Captain is at fault, which seems to be the general consesus portrayed by the media, then I wouldn't place all blame on Carnival Corp. Then the promo plug for RCCL. It just isn't sitting right with me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cruise and have cruised Royal, Carnival and Disney and would love to cruise all three in the future!

Dear Jennifer,

All of us at Royal Caribbean International continue to extend our heartfelt sympathies to those affected by Carnival Corporation's recent tragic incident on the Costa Concordia. As a Crown & Anchor Society member and loyal Royal Caribbean guest, we know you may have some questions as the situation continues to unfold.

At Royal Caribbean International, the safety and security of our guests and crew is our highest priority. It is fundamental to our operations. Our maritime safety record over our 42-year history illustrates our commitment to the safety of the millions of guests and crew that sail on our ships. The measures we take in the interest of safety are many, often exceeding the regulatory requirements – these are all part of our ongoing commitment to innovation and continuous improvement in every aspect of our business.

To address some of your questions and concerns, here is a video that will provide an overview of safety onboard our ships; the training of our crew, officers and captains; and the many regulations that govern our practices. Click here to watch.

As a past cruiser, we know your friends and family may be asking about your own time at sea. We hope that you'll share this video along with your personal Royal Caribbean experiences with them, and reinforce that cruising continues to maintain the best safety record of any industry in travel.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon on one of our ships sailing to 270 destinations worldwide.

Sincerely,

Adam Goldstein
President and CEO
Royal Caribbean International

Any thoughts?

It could be construed as RCI taking a swipe Carnival, but I think it's more them protecting their bookings and calming nervous travelers. There are going to be those "nervous nellies" who will consider the Concordia as a reason to cancel a cruise.

In some respects, RCI is viewed in the same light as Carnival. They are a large conglomerate with multiple brands under the RCI corporate banner. To me, this just appears to be the launch of a proactive safety campaign. With the Concordia tragedy, Carnival can't make an announcement like this right now. Instead, they have done the best that they can and announced that a comprehensive safety audit will be conducted companywide.

 

[Iceman93]

I would have no problem with the e-mail if they didn't awkwardly thrown in "Carnival Corporation". With that statement they are indeed trying to throw Carnival under the bus instead of simply referring to "the Costa Concordia tragedy."

The rest of the e-mail is fine, and indeed a good proactive measure to assure their past and hopefully future customers that they take safety seriously. Unfortunately, I think the sneaky "dig" at their competition undermines the message significantly.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We got the Royal Caribbean e-mail too. Made me wonder how many people have canceled cruises since the Concordia tragedy. Obviously RCI has lost business, or they wouldn't have bothered to send out the e-mail to their repeat customers.

 

[5lilfish]

I would have no problem with the e-mail if they didn't awkwardly thrown in "Carnival Corporation". With that statement they are indeed trying to throw Carnival under the bus instead of simply referring to "the Costa Concordia tragedy."

The rest of the e-mail is fine, and indeed a good proactive measure to assure their past and hopefully future customers that they take safety seriously. Unfortunately, I think the sneaky "dig" at their competition undermines the message significantly.

I disagree. The fact is, Costa is part of the Carnival Corporation. If I were another cruise company, I would want to be sure that my customers knew that Costa was not part of our company...as part of a bigger effort to assure people that our company took safety seriously. I don't think the e-mail is throwing Carnival under the bus. Carnival has taken care of that all on their own. While the captain may have made the errors that led to this tragedy, Carnival will have to bear the ultimate responsibility.

Jess

 

[dvcdisney]

I read the email as showing that RCL is concerned that some guest may decide against cruising and they are just, proactively, trying to alleviate those concerns over security and safety standards.

I would have no problem receiving this email since I don't see it as a company "bashing" another, but more in terms of stating that they know we, as guests, may be very anxious about cruise ships but they want to reassure us by stating their procedures.

 

[templed]

On the whole, I agree that it is an attempt to calm the nerves of folks that might be on the edge about cruising safety...

however...

I do think that they are absolutely using it as a marketing ploy to improve their position over Carnival Corporation as the "Safe Choice".

 

[donaldduck1967]

I have to agree with dvcdisney. I just don't see any finger pointing there. I have no issues what so ever with that letter.