Thread: Live from Mariner 4-28-2009 (Swine flu update)

The weather should be getting better for those taking that trip the next few weeks. 80 in Seattle today.

I like taking the coastal cruises but I am already booked for Alaska later this month.

Talked to my Ladies today and they all went and bought jackets since it was a little chilly in SF. They recieved an OBC from RCCL because of their changed itinerary.
I got to give them some good news that the Ruby cruise had a price drop and I have applied that to their bookings.

Reggie

Really disappointing news for those cruising these next few weeks and were looking forward to seeing some of Mexico, but it's probably better safe than sorry.

Got an email today from RCCL with super cheap deals on the Mariner and I never made the connection until now

If I had thought to check earlier, I could have noticed the change in itinerary and gone to Seattle to see everyone.

Hope those cruising now and in the coming weeks had/have a nice time.

Kudos to Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill for realizing the value of a customer and doing the RIGHT THING!!

Now that Princess and Carnival are BOTH giving their passengers 50% off a future cruise, I hope that RCI will see the errors of their ways concering the 4/26 Mariner sailing and do the same!!

May 14, 2009

Dear Guest,
I want to take this opportunity to welcome you home and to thank you for sailing with us on the April 27th sailing of the Carnival Ecstasy.

I realize many vacations are chosen because of a specific itinerary and I sincerely regret we were not able to deliver the itinerary of your choice. The H1N1 influenza situation occurring in Mexico escalated quickly and the CDC advisory issued at 7:00 pm on Monday, April 27th left us with no alternative but to take immediate action and cancel the port calls in Mexico.
I empathize with your disappointment and want to extend my sincere apologies for this disruption to your vacation. I recognize many of you were unhappy with the manner in which we handled this situation. Guest satisfaction is very important to us and we regret we did not meet your expectations in this regard. I want to assure you, however, that we made our decisions with your best interests in mind given our commitment to the health and safety of our guests and crew. Considerable time was spent by my team researching port substitutions. Regrettably there were no other viable ports of calls available to us.

I now realize these changes had a more substantial impact on your cruise experience than I had anticipated, and it was not the memorable vacation we had hoped to provide. We value our relationship with you and hope we can win back your confidence. We would welcome the opportunity of having you sail with us again and hope you will accept our offer of a 50% cruise fare discount on a future 3 to 5 day vacation, departing before December 2010.

Please make your reservations in your usual manner and inform your agent (or Carnival) of the discount at the time of reservation.

Most importantly, I want to thank you for choosing Carnival and look forward to having the opportunity to welcome you back on one of our ships.
Sincerely,

Gerry Cahill
President & CEO

NOTE: Discount is non transferable, may be combined with other Carnival promotional fares and cannot be used in lieu of deposit. Discount does not apply to airfare, transfers, Cruise Vacation Protection Plan, gratuities, government fees and departure taxes. Not valid with full chartered sailings

Here is some "interesting" information concerning the 4/26/09 Mariner sailing. After getting back and reading all this, I am furious at RCI!!!!



This is the statement from the CDC, which was released a full day BEFORE we boarded the Marnier.

April 25, 2009 12 PM ET
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now recommending that US travelers avoid non-essential travel to Mexico. The recommendation comes after forty cases of swine flu were confirmed in the United States, though all cases in the US so far have been relatively mild, unlike in Mexico where some 150 people have died from the illness.



And here is RCI's statement on April 27th, which was released a FULL DAY BEFORE they let us off in Cabo.

Royal Caribbean International
Swine Flu Statement
April 27, 2009
Today, we announced we are temporarily suspending our port calls in Mexico. The decision was made in an abundance of caution, and allows additional time to better understand the full impact of the Swine Flu.

The temporary suspension involves four of our ships currently making regularly scheduled port call in Mexico - Enchantment of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas. It also involves two additional ships scheduled to make upcoming Mexico port calls as they reposition - Serenade of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas. The revised sailings for each ship will be as follows:




Yet this what were were told on the ship until AFTER we left Cabo on April 28th at 6 pm!!
Royal Caribbean International
Swine Flu Statement
We've been closely monitoring all developments regarding the Swine Flu, to help ensure the health and well-being of our guests and crew members.

Health authorities from a variety of nations are investigating the situation and we remain keenly attuned to their progress. We maintain close working relationships with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our industry association, and we're working in close coordination with them.

It is important to note that health authorities have not raised concerns regarding the ports of call we visit in Mexico. None of our sailings have been altered and none are scheduled to be.



So by reading those statements, it looks like every single passenger on the 4/26/09 Mariner sailing was completely lied to by RCI!!

Ooh, that doesn't look good at all! I would like to believe that RCCL acted with their best intentions but the sequence of notifications does not seem that great. It will be interesting to see what they have to say.