Carnival Cruise Lines defends Hurricane Ike actions, shifts cruises to Houston
Carnival Cruise Lines today defended its handling of passengers on two ships that it diverted to New Orleans after Hurricane Ike struck Galveston, Texas. It also said it will move the Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy to Houston this week, subject to ship channel conditions, and sail from there until Galveston’s port reopens.
In comments posted on the Los Angeles Times website, several people who said they were passengers on Carnival Conquest said they received little or no help in getting back home when they disembarked in New Orleans, one of two options they were given. (The other was to stay on the ship in hopes it could return to Galveston, which turned out not to be possible.) Carnival did not even provide a shuttle to the New Orleans (MSY) airport, they said.
Several other readers said the cruise line was doing the best it could in a tough situation.
In a phone interview, Tim Gallagher, spokesman for Carnival Cruise Lines, defended the company’s actions.
“We made it very clear to people who are not in our air-sea program that if they chose to get off [in New Orleans], they would be on their own to get back home,” he said. “I don’t know why they would be surprised. They did have the option to stay aboard.”
By contrast, Gallagher said, Carnival is taking care of making new travel arrangements and covering change fees, for passengers who booked both their flights and cruises through Carnival.
“It has been a very difficult experience for everybody,” he added.
Most Carnival Conquest passengers disembarked in New Orleans, with fewer than 400 remaining on board, Gallagher said. Those passengers, and also those on the Ecstasy, will sail toward Houston.
To get to Houston, both ships must sail through Galveston Bay and then up a ship channel that is so far open only to smaller ships. Gallagher said port officials have told Carnival they expect to open the channel to larger vessels such as the Ecstasy and Conquest by Thursday.
—Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor
[Photo: Marine One, with President Bush aboard, flies over Hurricane Ike devastation near Galveston, Texas. By Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press]
83 Comments on “Carnival Cruise Lines defends Hurricane Ike actions, shifts cruises to Houston”
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September 17th, 2008 at 6:00 am
just wondering what details are pending the opening of port in galveston…
September 17th, 2008 at 7:29 am
I find the fact that Carnival didn’t cancel this trip morally reprehensible. We trusted them to make the correct and safe decision and they didn’t cancel even though there was a mandatory evacuation in effect for Galveston and Houston. They wanted to make as much money as they could off of us even though we were putting our cars in lots they knew would most certainly flood. Where was our notice that we could get a refund like the cruise after us? We left Galveston port on 9/11/08 with our immediate family of 11. As a passenger that just got home by flight, no thanks to Carnival, I will never travel through this cruise lines again. Already I’ve gotten emails and mail to book another one. NO thanks. They didn’t handle the situation well at all. We were given a nice pat marketing public relations response to all of our questions and concerns. We had people frantically trying to use the free consecutive 30 minutes Intenet service that Carnival offered us(from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. two days) for approximately 2000 passengers, to try to arrange for travel home. You had to wait in a line for at least an hour and then you were lucky if you got a rental car or a flight home. They offered free calling from your room but the lines were continually busy, you were lucky if you got a line out. We traveled with a party of 4 families and 3 out of 4 of us have lost our cars as best we can ascertain from information we received, not information that we received from Carnival though. That worry and concern about our families homes and cars in Houston and Galveston put a heavy pall over our trip. We are extremely upset about the destruction that has hit the Galveston and Houston areas. We do consider ourselves very fortunate that we didn’t lose any of our family. Kelly Jelson
September 17th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Carnival Actions were horrible, they keep saying you got what you paid for a cruise. You were safe and never in harms way. But what they don’t tell the news media is that they never gave us an option. When we arrived in Galvestion we were handed a letter of itenary change only and no information that the entire town was given a mandatory evacuation. How could they set sail knowing we were leaving our cars behind in danger and not give us some kind of notice. All they cared about was keeping their money, yes we were kept safe but at what cost. They lied to us about the condition of our cars, would not provide but 30 minutes of free internet one day only to make our own plans to get home. They did not want us surfing the internet and getting information they would not supply. They just dropped us off in New Orleans and said “Ain’t we Just GREAT!!!!” Never, ever will I sail with Carnial and their lies.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:48 am
This guy ticks me off. They told us at 5:15 pm that we were porting in New Orleans and we would be responsible for our own transportation home. Then openned 12 lines for 3600 people to call and make reservations, what, did they think we had phone books up our rears…then about 3 hours later they provided us with a list of #’s but still, it took me 2.5 hrs to dial out then they cut the line because I was taking too long…what choice did we have. If we choose to cancel the trip (whioh I called before it left) they said we could not get a refund unless THEY cancelled it…so we were forced to board of lose our money…they all this to miss our port of call then be rerouted, detained and finally dumped off!!! to fend for ourselves and no car … no apology that our cars were probably in the ocean…they kept us in the dark…They did offer us to stay on the ship….but they made it clear they had no idea if or when it would port within the week…we all have jobs and were forced to take the NewOrleans option….I am so mad…I will be the first in line to get my money back….I will not stop until I get my money back for the cruise and for the travel back. I am also looking into the loss of my car due to the fact that they made the choice to sail and they are the experts and we had no choice or lose our money, we trusted them because they are the ones that should know these things.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:56 am
First of all, what do you expect Carnival to do? Why would Carnival pay for guests transportation back home when those guests booked their own flight. Second do you think a cruise ship has 3,600 individual telephone lines on a ship? Why didn’t you use your cell phone if you were so worried about getting a flight or a rental car. It makes me laugh how guests will turn anything around so they can justify their actions. How about the ingratefull guests screaming in the lobby at the Pursers because they want off the ship now and Carnival and any other cruise line can’t sail into Galveston. Let me ask you this question, no one knows when the shipping chanell will open so how the heck can Carnival give you an answer as to when? In a situation like this, everyone should be a little bit understanding as to what has happened. Carnival did its best, but as usuall there are people complaining. How the heck would Carnival know the condition of peoples personal cars? Do you think they had inspectors checking them in Galveston? Give me a break. This is why everyone who works on cruise ships thinks they guests are getting worse and worse. All they want is something for nothing and to complain. Why don’t you go ahead and sue the government for closing the Port of Galveston? That makes about as much sense as getting mad at a cruise line for doing their best.
September 17th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Lesson learned…never book a cruise during hurricane season. Wise to buy travel insurance if you do!
September 17th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I have taken many trips on carnival and wonder why someone would travel to that area in hurrican seasone.Sometimes you have to take responsability for your actions.Everyone knew there was A hurrican in the area.I would not of put my family in that danger.
September 17th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I was a passenger on the Conquest, prior to the 09-07-08 cruise, I called Carnival and asked about cancellation and was told, yeah I could cancel but would not be given any refund. I took off from SC and headed to Austin and drove with friends dowm to Galveston. Family members of mine repeadedly called the Carnival Lines to check on my safety and they were told that it would be a breach of confidentiallity to give any information about me or the cruise even though they were the persons of contact. The Captian of the ship only spoke to us twice and when we were finally told that we were docking in New Orleans, I asked the Captian if any of the personell would be able to help with flights he told me only if you booked through Carnival, if not you were on your on, all Carnival was responsible for was delivering us back to Galveston.
Jen,the cruise director, was given the responsiblity of dealing with the passengers and told us that we knew as much as they did-they were getting their news the same way we were through CNN. I really felt sorry for her, the Captian through her under the bus. Jen, please send your resume to Costa Lines you deserve better. In addition the Conquest had been advised to cancel the 09-07-08 cruise but chose to put 3500 peoples lives in danger. When they told us you were on your on in New Orleans they meant it. When guests asked about information on the parking lot or the phone # for information we were told that Carnival’s attorneys had advised them not to answer any of these questions. Lack of communication above all was their fall from grace. I can not imagine any business that cares so little about its clients to stay in business, with Carnival its about the allmighty dollar not the safety of its clients. If we had been given a little notice we all could have made arrangements and/or have $$ sent to cover the extra expenses of flights, hotels, transporatation and food. In my opinion Carnival Cruise let us all (and our families)down, it was anything but THE FUN LINE.
September 17th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I am mad as hell, Carnival did not do all they could to help people get home after being dumped in New Orleans, they gave us no notice and you could not get out , or make a call on personal cell phones or ship phones. they could have cancelled or postponed this trip, so it would not have been a total loss, for us that purchased Ins. coverage for this trip . we had spent about 4 grand for a trip that is now going to cost us five times that. I called Carnival today which is 9-17-08 to see if they had any news about the port or our cars we left at the port , and they said NO! !!!!! I will never travel on Carnival again.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I agree with Gary Miller. Yes all the time things could always be done better, but keep in mind that if Carnival cancelled the cruise you would now have once again upset and pissed of guests complaing becasue there vacation was cancelled. You cant win. You have to take some risk when you go on a cruise during a hurricane. If people would take the time to read the ticket contract, maby they would know what Carnival is responsable for. If I was paying for a “4,000″ vacation, that is what I would be doing
September 17th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
In response to Jan Deaton, how the heck in anyones right mind would Carnival know about all guests cars parked in Galveston? Please answer that for me. The PORT WAS CLOSED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT, what do you not understand? Yes maby the line of cumminication could have been better, but you can not blame Carnival for not knowing about your car.
September 17th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I booked a cruise on the ecstasy that departs on the 20th. $429 pp is a good deal for a reason, and I booked with full knowledge of hurricane season. I wouldn’t leave my car ANYWHERE for a week without full coverage. Millions have been inconvenienced by Ike to say the least. Trying to lay blame on a cruise line for an act of nature is pretty pathetic. Sh*t happens, especially in the gulf in Septemeber, next time don’t go for bottom of the barrel vacations.
September 17th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Me and my wife were on the Conquest when it was diverted to New Orleans as well. I was furious that they didn’t even supply a shuttle to the airport; also the refusal to communicate any word on the state of our cars (we paid $70 for this parking) was unexcusable.
I have already spread the word to about 100 folks I work with about how badly I thought they handeled the situation. Carnival will loose so much business by word of mouth. They will have a lot of damage control to address over this.
September 17th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Once again for Michael Scott, HOW WOULD CARNIVAL KNOW THE STATE OF YOUR CAR? PLEASE EXPLAIN? That is your responsability, not anyones. You left your car there on your own accord. If someone broke into your car, would you blame Carnival fo rthat? Please that is not their fault.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Well I was not on the cruise I was here being hit by Ike. I have to say something, first of all there is not anyone in Galveston worried about cars that were left behind. It is just as hard for Carnival to get any info than anyone else. We are all having our own problems here. I live in the Baytown area and we were hit very hard. We have no Electricity, no Ice, no Gas to run our genorators. The gas lines are 3 hours long. We have kids to take care of our homes are destroyed and thats not just me thats millions of people. Our only communication has been the radio and internet. We can’t seem to get info ourselves from fema and others… How do you think you can get info from carnival if no one is giving it out. Also the Bay is flooded there is debris floating everwhere. Yes your cars are destroyed there was 9 feet of water at the cruise terminal and they will not let anyone into Galveston. I am sorry for your loss but you have got to realize this is not a script and no one knows what to do in a disaster. You have to give it time. My cousins are on the ecstasy and they stayed on waiting to come back. We heard they would be here Friday. Carnival and others have all cruised during Hurricane season and they are used to it but obviously you are not. Carnival or no Carnival just don’t go in Hurricane season. I’m sure that people around here wished there car was the only thing they lost.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I do not think Carnival forced anyone to get on the ship. The people that chose to take a cruise KNOWING there was a hurricane has no one to blame but themselves. So they would have lost money, still cheaper than having to replace a car. If they had read the contract they would have known there was no refund just before sailing. They do not want to admit to being STUPID and taking the blame so instead they blame Carnival. You know what Forrest says…stupid is stupid does.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I can’t believe people are calling Carnival about their cars left at port in Galveston. The whole island is under water didn’t you see the news. So there is a good chance your car was under water too. I am sure the island of Galveston’s top priority is to go check on your cars and report back to Carnival the status of them.
Everyone who has a 5th grade education knew well before those ships left the Texas coast was in jeopordy so you had to know there was a risk the ship might have travel issues returning.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
My big question is why did you get off the ship in New Orleans???
You were given the option to stay on the ship until safe passage was available to Galveston. It sounds like several people panicked and felt the need to get off the ship, when in reality staying would have been a much better option.
I would have taken advantage of that extra cruise experience(Sorry, I love cruisin’) and what damage was done, was already done. There was no need to hurry back at that point.
September 18th, 2008 at 6:33 am
I was on the Carnival Ecstasy as well. I take full responsibility for leaving my car in a port knowing a hurricane was coming and gettting on the ship. My car is my least concern (that’s what insurance is for). What made me mad, was the lack of communication on the ship. I never could get through on the stateroom phone, the internet that I was paying for (I have a laptop and exceeded the allotted 30 minutes of time) was slow and almost impossible to connect to, and yes I did TRY to use my cellphone; but that also was not working well. I would dial and re-dial on my cell phone with no outgoing lines available. I understand that I was one of 2,000 trying to get out on a phone line; but Carnival could have done better. They know the buisness of sailing involves hurricanes and should have a better system in their ships to handle mass communication. I have 2 children that I needed to get home to. Yeah, they will “let me off in New Orleans or I can wait until Houston. I chose not to wait until Houston and got off in New Orleans. I am not even saying they should have paid my way home; but the communication could have been better. Carnival passed the minimum standard and broke no contract or laws; but far from did a good job.
September 18th, 2008 at 6:59 am
My wife and I were married the day before the conquest set sail on september 7th, this was suppose to be our 7 night HONEYMOON which turned into the HONEYMOON FROM HELL!!!! The food was terrible, service terrible, boat was very unstable, and then last of all dropped us off in NEW ORLEANS with no transportation. Thanks Carnival for the HONEYMOON we will never forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 18th, 2008 at 8:03 am
I sailed on the Carnival Ecstasy on September 11. Yes, I booked a cruise during hurricane season, and because of it considered purchasing the trip cancellation insurance, only to be told that it was not a blanket cancellation policy, but a sicknes or death policy. Even if I decided to cancel, if a hurricane brewed in the Gulf, I still would have lost my money invested in this trip. I checked the Carnival site repeatedly for the status of the cruise in the days leading up to the trip and called a few times only to be told that the plan was to sail. The morning were were to depart, I called as soon as the Mayor of Galveston called for an immediate mandatory evacuation of Galveston Island. The Mayor of Houston and Harris County officials were also warning people to stay off of the roads to allow those that need to evacuate from our area to be able to do so. I expressed this to the Carnival agent only to be very abruptly told that passengers are able to get to the ship and so it was going to sail. I had no option, but to sail or cancel. No option to re-book for another time or no option for a refund of any amount. It was very ugly and upsetting and I felt like they were asking me and my family to go against what our government officials were asking us to do. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was put on hold never to have an agent answer again. I could not believe what they were asking me to do and I could not believe that re-booking a cruise on Carnival was not an option in this extreme situation.
My problem is not with my decision to go on the cruise (I had planned this trip for months with my extended family to celebrate my parents 50th Anniversary - it was a very difficult decision to stay or to go) and the huge losses my family and I have incurred becasue of my actions, my problem is with Carnival and their decision to ask that their passengers transport themselves into an area that was under mandatory evacuation, and board a ship that was about to sail into a body of water with an unpredictable and very large storm forming. We all trusted Carnival to make the best decision on behalf of its crew and passengers and it appears that this was a very, very bad choice.
All Carnival had to do was simply offer the passengers booked on this ship the option to rescedule the cruise at another time. My entire group and everyone I talked to on the ship would have been happy to do so. Instead, Carnival put themselves and everyone aboard the ship into a very difficult, stressful and frightening situation that now has caused financial difficulties and emotional stress for all involved. It is a poor reflection on Carnival and demonstrates that their coporation does not have its employees or passenger’s best interest in mind.
September 18th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I think some people are totally in my opinion not understanding the full siktuation. At the time that that ship sailed ike was on a path not headed towards galveston. The ships have sailed many times with hurricanes forming but not head in the cruise direction. At the time theyh left there was not a mandatory evaction. I know this because I had friends that sailed on the conquest during this cruise. I don’t think they would put thousandss in harms way!
September 18th, 2008 at 11:27 am
In response to dazzlepremier…What working individual would have stayed on the ship in New Orleans not knowing if it would be days or even WEEKS before the ship returned to Texas? While there are a few extremely well-off people in this world, most of us are 40-hr a week working-class people who saved up money and vacation time for many months for a vacation like this, only to come back to the wrong state and without any direction. If I weren’t within 30 days of my cruise, I would definitely cancel it. Carnival’s reputation is now ruined due to their greediness.
And as far as the ‘you should have known it was hurricane season…blah blah,’ most of us don’t choose the day we’re going to say ‘get married’ around hurricane season, do we? The cruise is no cheaper during this season than it is in the winter. We’re not cheapskates here, it’s just when we can take off work and have the money saved up.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:36 am
All in all, you have to take responsability for your actions. Dont blame Carnival for the Hurricane, blame yourself for leaving your car in a non “carnival” entity. That parking lot belongs to the Port of Galveston, why dont you sue them for not having proper protection on the parking lot. Give me a break. What do you mean you dont choose when your going to get married. Anyone knows that Hurrricane season is June to Novemeber. You DO CHOOSE when you go on vacation. Everyone is very quick to point the blame and see what they can get out of this, money and compensation, as usuall. The main focus should be getting back on track and hoping the people who lost EVERYTHING in Galveston can be helped.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
You know I am sick and tired of these whiney babies. YOU chose to go ahead with the cruise, the ship was going to sea weather anyone was on it or not. The captain and crew went. You think they were going to put their selves in harms way? You think Carnival lied to you and were rude? Well excuse me if I had 2000 people hounding me to death wanting answers that I did not have I just might get a little rude also. You people that CHOSE to go on the cruise grow up and shut up. This was YOUR decision. I’d sure hate to think that my life was worth the cost of a cruise which evidentially the people that went on the cruise thought.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I was on the cruise that left Galveston on 9-7-08. We knew there was a hurricane but nobody knew where it was going. I knew that if I got on that ship that they were going to keep me safe. (along with their ship) They couldn’t help that the hurricane hit Galveston. Do you think everyone should leave the coast because of weather?? or California because of earthquakes?? Quit blaming Carnival for things they couldn’t help.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
My husband and I are scheduled for a cruise in October. We received word today that we would be going out of the Port of Houston, which is fine with us. If it was not the fact that we would lose money we would cancel our trip with Carnival. I belive that they should have cancelled any cruises where people’s lives COULD have been in danger. Shame on Carnival for not listening to a mandatory evacuation of Galveston. You cant tell me they did not know that Galveston and some of Houston was being evacuated. Shame you people who think we should should grow up and lose our money. My husband and I are using our son’s life insurance to go on a cruise the month he would have turned 1 year old. Dont tell people like me to suck it up and lose my money!This will be my last cruise with them.
September 18th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
In response to tae and others –I agree with thr fact that the 9/7 trip set sail under safe conditions, and glad Carnival kept everyone safe at sea. But the fact remains that on Friday, 9/12, when the storm surge already was flooding Galveston, the cruise line told people via their web site and over the phone to head to Galveston because the ship would sail as soon as the hurricane passed through. Some people would have the common sense NOT to head toward Galveston right into the path or the wake of a hurricane, but others, well … you know. Anyway, on Friday, 9/11, as Galveston was flooding, it seems rather imprudent that Carnival encouraged people to head to the Gulf Coast.
Next time, y’all ought to book a trip to California. We don’t have an earthquake season, so your odds are pretty good. :-)
September 18th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I WAS A GUEST ON CONQUEST, AND I FELT THE COMMUNICATION COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT BETTER. LUCKY FOR YOU WHO LEFT THE CONQUEST AFTER NEW ORLEANS, BECAUSE THE SERVICE WENT DOWNHILL REALLY FAST. GUESS ONCE YOU PAY YOUR ACCOUNT YOUR JUST AN AFTER THOUGHT…NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE CARNIVAL CRUISES. ALSO IF CARNIVAL READS THESE POSTS, TRY AND UPGRADE YOUR PARKING LOTS FOR FUTURE CUSTOMERS. IM SURE A PARKING GARAGE WOULDNT HURT.
September 18th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I was on the Conquest that sailed out of Galveston on 9/7. At no time did I feel like the cruise line put me in danger. And there were sure alot of people having a good time on that cruise. How easily we make ourselves out to be the victim these days. What happened to taking responsibility for our own actions. Sure, we were told when we would be passing the closest to Ike, and it got a little bumpy one night, but the crew and staff of Carnival were great. They couldn’t do anything about the weather.
My brother’s car was at the parking lot in Galveston, still no word about the condition, but he doesn’t blame Carnival. That’s what insurance is for. We had a great time. Thanks Carnival.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
The only thing Carnival was responsible for was getting you in and out of port safely and keeping you safe at sea and at ports of call. It is not their responsibility to make up your mind if you should go or not. Use common sense people. As for your transportation….it was not Carnivals responsiblity to get you there or take you home…face it a natural disaster happened and there is nothing Carnival or anyone else could have done to prevent it.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I also was on the Esctasy which left on 9/11. I have contacted my lawyer and I will not stop until I receive my money back. I will never cruise with Carnival again, it was awful.
September 19th, 2008 at 5:54 am
I sailed on the Esctasy over labor day weekend and got stuck in the gulf while Gustav was moving through. Carnival did a great job. They made us as comfortable as they could manage. They are not responsible for handing our welfare checks.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:03 am
I have a question for those people on the Conquest. What port of calls did you get to visit and for how long were you there? I know this seems like a strange question but I was on the Ecstacy. We set sail on 9/11 and were suppose to get to Cozumel on 9/13. Instead we went to Vera Cruze Mexico… It was terrible. Carnival was not prepaird to take us there at all. There were 5 shore excursions to choose from. 4 were all tours of historic sites and the last was a visit to the aquarium. When we asked about a beach we were told they had heard there was one 14 miles away but that it wasn’t very nice and that Carnival did not recomend it. So my group got off the boat, walked around for about an hour and got right back on. Luckily they finally opened the pool. (yes it had been closed Thursday and Friday)It’s not anyone’s fault on the conquest but there were roomers going around on our boat that the reason that we did not go to Cozumel was because the Conquest had to dock there overnight. My group wants to get all the facts straight. After leaveing Vera Cruze, we coasted for 66 hours to New Orleans. Everyone felt trapped on the boat and yes, they drained the pools again on Monday evening. This is what I feel was another money making strategy because everyone had to leave the pools and go to the bars or casinos. We also called several times to see if the cruise was going to allow us to cancel and sail at another time but were told no. At the time that we left, the hurricane was still not headed directly into galveston and a cat. 2 usually does not do as much damage as this one did. What a lot of people are not talking about is how only 6 hours after the Ecstacy left port, the hurricane had doubled in size and was more on a direct path to Galveston. They had time to turn around and they choice not to. My opinion, they wanted to evacuate their ships and this was the cheapest way for them to do it. Bottom line is Carnival should have done the just thing and given poeple the option to rebook at a later time. There wouldn’t be 4000+ passengers on both boats angery and their friends and family would not be upset with Carnival either. I think Carnival is going to loose more money in the long run because people are not going to trust them.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:22 am
In response to Kristy, what do you think your lawyer is going to do for you? All he will do is give you a high bill to pay. You knew in advance about a Hunrricane, unless you lived under a rock. If you say you didn’t knowm they your lieing. What are you going to sue Carnival for? They have no legal obligation in regards to anything but your passage on the cruise ship, and you can’t sue for not having a good time. First of all, Carnival will squash you in court and second the cruise lines do not need peopel like you cruising becasue all you do is try to find a loophole and make some quick cash. Maby Carnival will sue you for suing them, it is called defamation of character. You need to read your ticket contract before you continue with this. If not you will for sure waste time and money.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I cruised on 9/11 on the Ecstasy. I was told if I cancelled I would not rec’d a refund. Then I was told my car would be safe. So you have to be a bit smarter during hurricane season to book a cruise. I feel I was wrong for going and Carnival was wrong for not cancelling. Live and Learn! By the way their main office is in another country so good luck on suing the cruise line.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I was a passenger on the Ecstasy 9/11 and 4 hours before they sailed there was a mandatory evacuation order given for Galveston Island, We sailed at 4:00 and the order was given at 12:00 noon. To me that is just plain stupid for them to sail the ship with passengers. This is bordering on Criminal charges in my book. They say they cannot control mother nature well they knew it was coming before they sailed, it was no surprise. By the way I called the cruise line and offered to upgrade so I could change the date and was denied. My wife called at 12:30 the day of the cruise and they said they were still sailing even after the manditory evacuation was ordered.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:31 am
What an awesome cruise!
I was aboard Conquest when she set sail 9/7 for my first ever civilian cruise. The food was excellent and the service was above and beyond all my expectations!
I got on board of my own free will knowing full well that there was a hurricane in the Gulf. At that time Hurricane Ike was not expected to hit Galveston, but hurricanes go wherever they want. There was no time that I felt I was in any danger due to Ike and I know that everything was done to make the trip as smooth as possible. If you want to stay in a hotel that doesn’t move, you need to stay ashore (but not in California).
I didn’t make my flight arrangements through Carnival and I still didn’t have any problems getting my flight changed once we were in cell phone range, and I didn’t have to pay anything extra to get it changed. That’s WITHOUT travel insurance, but I might consider it next time!
I am ready to go again and I put a $100 deposit down on my next cruise!
Hey, Carnival! If you need testimony on your behalf, just give me a call.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:45 am
In response to Topher et al.
Carnival evacuated you didn’t they? Or you could have evacuated yourself.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:46 am
marc we are glad your paycheck says carnival on the bottom of it now shut up!!!!!. No my car was not in Galveston. I just think it is foolish to sail a cruise ship out of a port that is under a mandatory Evac. with passengers on it. Also you refer to the ticket contract, it states a passenger will be given the chance to change or cancel if the Itinerary is changed I was not given that option so my contract should be null and void. The only thing I ask of them is they should pay my way home, for saling during a mandatory evac. of the port they are sailing out of.
September 19th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Seriously? I am so tired of people always playing the victim. You are all adults who need to take responsibility for your decisions. YOU chose to cruise during the most ACTIVE part of hurricane season. It is Carnival’s responsibility to keep you safe and out of the way of the hurricane. They did that. YOU chose to park your car in Galveston. I was on the Conquest that sailed 8/24. Do you think I left my car in Galveston knowing I’d be gone for 7 days and a hurricane could develop at any time??? Of course not! I left my vehicle in a safe place in Houston and took a cab to Galveston. Did it cost more than the $70 that some paid to park in Galeveston? Yes, but it was worth the peace of mind! Carnival also gave you the option of staying on the ship. If you chose to get off in New Orleans, that’s your decision. Get a grip. Don’t hold Carnival accountable for YOUR decisions. There are people in Galveston who have lost EVERYTHING. Be happy you just came off of a 7 day vacation in the Carribean and all you’ve lost is your REPLACEABLE vehicle!!!
September 19th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Well, we were on the Conquest and left it in New Orleans because the news about the ship’s float plan unfolded a piece at a time and rather slowly. They said they were not going to Galveston Sunday night after staying in Cozumel an extra day, but were going to set sail for Galveston the next day.
They said they did not know where they were going on Sunday at noon and were continuing to make way to Galveston. They finally announced New Orleans as their next destination on Sunday evening at 5PM and that we could stay on the ship there until it left for Galveston. We made airline arrangements Monday morning after arrival. We would have done it earlier, but the purser’s office gave us some bad information on the two preceding days: they said that Continental (Our airline) had the passenger manifest and was reworking all reservations for everyone onboard whether they booked through Carnival or not and we would get information later. We never did and were left to our own devices. (So Mr. Gallagher, it is what I expected, but you need to go interview a few employees before you blast me for expecting something else that they told me about!)
By the time we could make reservations to fly home on that Monday that we arrived, all we could get was Thursday flights. We elected to stay on Conquest as long as possible. Monday evening as dinner was concluded, the next ultimatum was announced: “Get off the ship by 9 AM the next morning if you wish to remain in New Orleans, because the ship is going to try to get to Port of Houston” Carnival did arrange for discount hotel rooms in New Orleans via a booking code, but this was never widely broadcast or known: I basicallty discovered a piece of paper on the counter at the purser’s office. I never found out about the free Internet service, because it was not widely broadcast or documented. We read every letter from the Captain and listened to every announcement. We were stuck with the flights and out money as it is, so we grabbed a couple of rooms in the French Quarter. They were inexpensive and adequate.
Did the ship make it into Houston on Thursday or is it still floating out in the Gulf? We watched it leave New Orleans and return to be tied up at another dock on Tuesday after they said they were definitely leaving New Orleans. The next day the Conquest was gone and the Ecstasy was tied at the International Cruise terminal. As I write this on Friday morning, both ships may be floating around the Gulf or heading for an alternate port to disembark passengers. Some of the folks onboard stayed because their cars were in Galveston. Even if they made it to Houston (which is slowly coming back to life: rental cars, fuel and power are still lacking in many places) they would not let them in on Thursday.
Captain Massimo and cruise director Jen get an “A” for passenger safety and about a “D-” for keeping passengers properly informed. Carnival itself gets an “F” for emergency planning and disaster recovery. They need to replace some staff in operations and find some folks who can deal with this scenario: they have been lucky up until now with operations in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, but they really need a standby port and a plan to actually get folks home when they lose their port: even if they are handling their own travel arrangements. Carnival will keep you safe, but they won’t necessarily get you home.
- Keith B
September 19th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I DID NOT LEAVE MY CAR IN GALVESTON, the cruise should have been canceled after the mandatory evac. was ordered is all I am saying. Because the EVAC. was ordered they should pay for my airfare for sailing knowing the hurricane was going to hit Galveston head on. I did my part in not leaving my car in galveston. I am not asking for any other money except for my airfare reimbursement. I drove down to save money if I knew I would have had to fly home I would have flown round trip the first time it would have been cheaper. My end was covered I had a ride home, my car was not there and I still had to pay extra to fly home and I think CARNIVAL should pay for that.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:22 am
TO DAZZLEPRIMIER…the reason we got off the ship is to keep our jobs. I already missed two days of work and had to drive nine hours one of those days to get back home. It was unknown when the Conquest would be able to port at Galveston. SO our choice was to just stay on the boat and wait until who knows when OR take action and get back home so I could keep my job and feed my family and keep my home etc.!!
It’s so easy to play Monday morning quarterback. When you are in a situation like this you just have to deal with the circumstances as best as you can. Stop critisizing people if you haven’t walked in their shoes.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Keith B. is 100% correct in his assessment.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Matthew, I did not have a flight because I did not need one. That was until they sailed the boat full of people out during a mandatory evac. order I could care less what all you people say that are defending them I think they should pay for a plane ticket I would not have had to buy had they cancled a cruise that sailed DURING A MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER. You had flight already booked that is what made it easy.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:27 am
To TeresaV…OMG, shame on you. I cannot beleive that you admitted how you paid for your cruise. If you are so upset with Carnival you should not even consider going. Carnival did not put people lives in danger,(cruise ships always sails out to sea when there is a hurricane)people put their own lives in danger by getting on the ship which was BY THEIR OWN CHOICE. Sounds to me like some people needs to do a reality check and put the blame where it belongs…with themselves.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:37 am
If you had not gotten on the ship, you would not have had to buy a plane ticket. You made a choice. If you had purchased travel insurance, you might have made a different choice.
September 19th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
FIRST OFF- Everyone who thinks they know about hurricanes and does not live in the gulf regions…aka all the Californians and Yankees alike need to shut their pie hole. Yes, it is Hurricane Season and yes one hit and took out my car, understood. THE PROBLEM IS NO SYMPATHY from CARNIVAL to the HOUSTONIANS and people whose homes were hit by the storm. YOU TELL ME how you would feel if your house was hit by a hurricane and told sit on a boat and wait 4 MORE DAYS to bring you back. I am sorry some people on that Boat were needed back home (Firefighters, Police, Medical) and want to help rebuild, etc. I think it was childish to not have any help for us to call off the boat, or assistance to get back to our community. I realize the Conquest had 500+ Californians on it, BUT if 600+ people from Houston and the surrounding areas. I want you to think when everything you work and live for is slammed by a hurricane. All you people who do not live in the area could care less…sit on the boat and fly home, or let the peoples’ lives who are in more need be assisted. IT MAKES ME SICK how many of you call yourself Americans and such and feel that a Flight to where ever is more important than someone trying to find out their home and get home. I wish you could see how well we band together and pick up the pieces. My complaint is not with how they navigated, but how they did not have any customer service to the ones MOST IN NEED.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for NEXT TIME CARNIVAL:
1) GIVE us LOCAL NEWS or THE WEATHER CHANNEL not stupid DENVER?!?!?!
2) Update the storms path MORE than ONCE or TWICE a day
3) OPEN the PHONE LINES (and don’t turn off your cell tower when the mandatory evacuation was given EVER AGAIN!!!) to those who need it when you know there is an mandatory evacuation. NOT 2 hours after you know we are going to NEW ORLEANS
4) OPEN the internet to those who need it to find out about what they are coming back to, open roads, boil water notices, etc. NOT to STUPID FANTASY FOOTBALL people, YOU MAKE ME SICK as well, who cares who caught a touchdown…the person behind you might have lost their house.
5) HAVE A BETTER policy than “WE DON’T KNOW” you have to have some initial plan. I mean if you catch on fire you are taught STOP, DROP, and ROLL…right?…CARNIVAL use your head.
6) Have some type of kindness in your heart and reach out to people in need. You should have got buses or something to get people back. Yes FEMA is horrible, but they would have payed you back. I mean you told everyone you did not know who they were, but yet during KATRINA…FEMA payed you to use the boat “as a hotel” then. IF YOU WOULD HAVE REACHED OUT I PROMISE THIS WOULD HAVE ALL WENT AWAY AND YOU WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE SAVIORS! Oh, and by the way it was my HoneyMoon and I live in the Bay Area, so thanks for the almost worthless time!
September 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
ok, enough. First of all to “person from Houston” cruise ships do not have cell towers, the use satelittes. Second the bandwith on the interent connection is not made for 3,600 people to use at one time. Now maby if you were so concerened about your house, and if that was a priority and you KNEW a Hurricnae was coming, why did you make going on a cruise your priority over your hosue? As usuall, cruise ship guests that have no one to blame but themselves are trying to swerve the blame towards a major corportation because a handfull of people want to make some quick cash. In closing, when you have satelite TV, esp on a crusie ship, that satelite company gives you a package, so to be fair you cant get whatever station you want. Next time you make comments, please make sure you know what your talking about.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
All I can say is God Bless you all, I was on the Conquest that sailed 8/31 and we dodged a bullet. To think my husband and I were upset about the itinerary change we really wanted to go to Montego Bay that pales in comparison to what you have gone thru. Carnival is in the business to make money not give it back.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I am sorry but I felt Carnival did what they could under the circumstances. We all got on that ship (mine was the Conquest) of our own free will, knowing there was a hurricane coming to the Gulf. This is one of the reasons they sell travel insurance. IT WAS YOUR CHOICE. I watched the weather reports before the cruise and still decided to go, we all did.
It’s stupid to bad-mouth Californians and Yankees because they don’t live in hurricane territory, you should have known better.
I have already booked my next cruise with Carnival and will continue to do so in the future.
Thank you again to the staff on the Conquest for the GREAT service you provided to me and my family.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I read these complaints, and I see no sign of personal responsibility and judgement. If you chose to book your own flight rather than through the cruise company’s package, then decided to get off instead of staying on until you could get into Houston or Galveston, wasn’t that YOUR decision? If you park your car on an island in the possible path of a hurricane, don’t you think it might not float? Where’s the personal judgement here. If it were me, there would be nothing I could have done about my home anyway. I’d have just enjoyed myself while I could. It beats the hell out of no gas, electricity, food, etc. that many of us have been through…
September 20th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Let me ask this question. If there was a mandatory evacuation 4 hours before the Ecstasy saild on 9/11, whcih would have made it 12noon, as the ship sails at 4pm, what about all the people already waiting outside the terminal to board? Did you think of that, what do you tell them now, to hopefully find a plane ticket to fly back home? The best alternative was to sail, because IF the people who drove knew there was an evacuation for the town that they live in, and they STILL went on the cruise, well SHAME ON THEM. Really, if I knew that my house was going to be in danger I would have not gone on a cruise. This about it..
September 20th, 2008 at 8:07 am
First, if there was a mandatory evacuation order at 12noon, like everyone is saying 4 hours before sailing, tehn what happens to the guests who already landed and are waiting outside the Port of Galveston. What do you tell them? Second if you drove to Galveston and your house was in the impact zone, what were your priorities? Going on a cruise or staying there? Step back and think about it. Why would Carnival cancell a cruise when an Evacuation means to get the hell out of the area? Really what everyone is saying and complaining about does not make sense.
September 20th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Here is a view of shipping traffic anchored offshore waiting to enter the Ports of Galveston, Texas City and Houston. Additionally, ships transiting the HSC . View the Google Map utilizing a Google Mash-Up on the VesselTrax site http://vesseltrax.com/.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I was on the Conquest.Hurricane Ike hit
Galveston. We went into New Orleans and was told we could stay on as long as we liked until we could get back to Galveston. My husband I decided to stay on and go back to Galveston. (we did not have a way of knowing how bad it was) No one knew about the cars. The first day a lot of people got off. They made us think we would be going back to Galveston the next day. About 7:00 that night they announced that they would be going back to Houston instead. My sister called and said don’t go into Houston, no gas, no cars to rent, no place to stay . It was hit hard too. So, I went down and talk to a carnival cruise person at the pulsers desk. I ask him what would happen when we got to Houston. He said you have to get off the ship. I said,” where will we go?” I heard that Houston was hit as hard as Galveston. He said that would be your problem ,you have to get off the ship. We are leaving tomorrow morning and if you don’t want to go, you must be off this ship by 9:00a. m. I told him that there was no hotels or rent a cars, buses , nothing. He said you can go back to Houston. I ask him will ya’ll help us there. No, you have to get off the ship in the morning or go to Houston and get off. I know that Carnival Cruise couldn’t help that a hurricane hit. But,before we left I called them three times to cancel and they said I would lose all my money. I borrowed money for my husband and I to take this trip. We are not weathy.This was going to be the honeymoon we never had. We have been married 28 years and have known each other 34 years.
Carey Fort Worth
Each time I called they said the hurricane was going the other way. If they had let people cancelled, that wanted to ,this wouldn’t have happened. I would have,even if it had been only half our money back. Now I am out of more money because we got off in New Orleans,because we were afraid of Houston. Even though the cruise ship was there the next day. They knew, they couldn’t get in to port. Another lie, which there was so many I could’t put them all in. Now my car is gone. I needed it for work. I only had liablity insurance. That is so if I wrecked it could take care of the other person. More than what carnival cruise did. I will never cruise with them again!!!!
September 21st, 2008 at 11:26 am
Stop and think one moment. If you knew that the hurricane was going to make a direct hit against Galveston, what is worhtmore, loosing $20,000 on car or a couple of thousand on a cruise, which probably cost you alot less than that, minus the flights. You see, with the airport being closed on Noon of that day, what was Carnvial to do? Let the people that were stranded be stuck in a mandatory evacuation zone, or sail the ship a thousand miles away from the storm? Think about it, I know you mad, but I am willing to bet that if you did cancell, that Carnival would give you your money back after the devestation of Galveston was discovered. Believe me Carnival is much better to work with that an Insurance company. That is the only thing I am asking, if your car was much more important, than why did you make a decision as an adult knowing full well that the car could have been destroyed, and then continued to drive to Galveston? Listen Fema, Carnival, The Federal Goverment, the local weather, CNN, they all didnt have the correct information becasue know one knew for sure.
September 21st, 2008 at 7:05 pm
the sept 11th cruise was a disaster. if they had only given
us an option to cancel or reschedule. i went on the cruise
to get destressed and now i need
a vacation to get over the stress
that i encountered on this ship. my car was destroyed also. i will never sail on carnival again.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:57 am
My husband and I were on the Connival Conquest that set sail on Sept. 7, 2008 at 4:00p.m. We knew the Ike was brewing out out there before we left. However the experts thought it was going to go up the east coast not the gulf. However we knew that Hurricanes are unpredictable. We drove to Pearland and had my father take us to the ship knowing our car stood more of a chance at his home. I also checked with our travel agent before we left to see if they would refund or set another sail date we were told that Carnival does not do that. Our Agent said that the storm was not going to hit Galveston according to the storm trackers. So we went boarded the conquest. Our cruise was our 20th anniversary trip the honeymoon we never had. Our stateroom was dirty trash under the bed really dirty Q-tips on the floor hair in the bathroom that was not clean. We cleaned it ourself because we could not get our stateroom person from anyone. Our dining room waiter was rude and just not a happy person. But we were set to make the best of our cruise. We did pass Ike on the way to Jamaica the seas were rough but everyone was safe. We did not get to go to Grand Cammen due to Ike. We did go to Cozimel the stayed in port all night and left the next afternoon. The Crew onboard the conquest were more concerned with getting off the boat so they could go party than they should have. We went on a cruise to have 7 nights of being waited on because thats what they say they are going to do for quests. We had already decided that we might not use Carnival again on our first day of the cruise. This cruise also pushes the sales onboard and in the ports we did not like this practice at all they were always on the mic pushing sales. We had already used Royal Carribean they were the best by the way. I feel the the Crew did lie to the quest about many things. They left cozemel stating we were going to Galveston They held two meetings the first was a waste of the crews time and the passengers time they gave no info. The 2nd they stated the just got word to head to New Orleans the we would be there at 6am on Monday Sept 15, 2008 the those who did not book air or travel to the port through Carnival would be on their own. They knew they were headed to New Orleans hours before they told us it was 2 hours after they told us that we noticed we were already headed up the ship channel into New Orleans so they had lied. I feel that they could have set up buses back to Texas. We got off the conquest in Downtown New Orleans it was a total mess. We took a taxi to Heriz rent a car office three blocks away with all our luggage we could not walk nor did we feel safe to do so. We get there to be told it could be hours to get a car that we reserved the night before. We were out on on New Orleans downtown street that was still under guard by National Guard there were 11 armed military trucks and Armed US forces standing on the streets right around us. Why did they send us to New Orleans and not Corpus Christi Texas. I feel that Carnival put everyone in danger by dumping us in a city that 3 years after Katrina still needs US Military Guards standing in the streets. We did get a car and got home around 2am the tuesday. I feel carnival should be sending letters out to all guest saying they are sorry. They also could have offered discounts for your next cruise. Carnival is a very large company who really dropped the ball on customer care. We did make the best of or cruise it was our vacation time. I do feel and pray for everyone who lost cars homes and family members in the storm. I did go back to my Dads to get my car a week after the storm by the way my dad and family members living down just N. of Galveston all fled the area to stay in our home while we were on our cruise. The damage to the area is really bad and the greater houston area will be in recovery for many many months to come my family members alone suffered damage to their homes and business and were with out power for a week and some as far N of Conroe still have no power. I hope Carnival does the right thing and send everyone a letter to state how sorry they are for how they handled things on these two ships. The Service was really bad our entire week. But we will go another cruise just not with Carnival.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:50 am
To Lisa: In response to your comment “Why did they send us to New Orleans and not Corpus Christi Texas. I feel that Carnival put everyone in danger by dumping us in a city that 3 years after Katrina still needs US Military Guards standing in the streets.”….Have you heard of a little hurricane called GUSTAV????? Oh wait, guess that one didn’t affect you and your little bubble. Give me a break. YOU chose to get off the ship.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Has anyone contacted carnival and what are their comments? Who do we need to speak/write too to complain. I also sailed on the Ecstacy, carnivals actions were awful.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 pm
To: Tracie yes I am well aware of Gustav Our daughter had to leave her husband of two weeks who was ordered to stay behind to protect and serve the people who were in harms way from Gustav. Yes we got off that ship not knowing that there were still guards in the streets. The ship took everyones seacard when they left and you could not get back on without this card. You can judge all you want you were not on board that ship. I have done some checking and New Orleans is still having great crime since Katrina. I am sending my contract to our attorney to see where we all stand on this issue. Shame on you for judging people who got off these boats Most people had jobs and families to get home to. Carnival put people in danger and as far as I can see they could care less.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 pm
First of all Hurricane season starts on June 1 thur Nov 30 this is a every year thing. I have cruise with Carnival to many times and I have better sense then to book in the summer because the prices are always higher then off summer season and because its hurricane season. The best time to book a cruise is late October and you can start booking through May. That is the best time of every year. I was not on this cruise but if I had been believe me I would of never got on that vessel knowing there was a monster hurricane approaching Galveston. I am sorry to hear your vacation was a terrible one. But People was it worth all the aggravation and worth spending extra money to get home. Think back it would of been alot better if you all didn’t get on the ship and lost your money you paid for your trip. Think about it add all your worries and money spend and if your car was lost how much would that of been, then if you would of lost for your cruise trip. People anytime you pay for anything read the Company policy its there for you to read. What part don’t you all understand. Stop putting the blame on Carnival. What happen is you got a great package deal with Carnival and forgot Hurricane season.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
I agree with IS. At the end of the day we are all adults. What is more important, loosing 2.500 for a cruise or loosing 15,000 for a car. Where is everyones priorities. If my family was about to loose anything, the LAST thing i would do would go have a fun time on a cruise and then come back and blame a company. No of this suppsoed mis communication would have happend to you if you did not go on the cruise, think about it.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I was on the 9/11 Ecstasy. I questioned carnival upon booking my trip knowing it was during hurricane season. They said “ma’am hurricane season runs from June to November, we would never put our customers, crew or ship in any danger and we can usually navigate around it.” They did go around it slinging us all over the boat. I asked what if we were unable to get to our chosen destination. She said “ma’am we would be re-routed usually to a much nicer place”. I asked what about our cars, she said “ma’am our parking is elevated” (continuing to say all the right things)…Vera Cruze was so nasty. It had plastic bags that wrapped around your legs and bottles in the water. We finally just returned to the ship. Upon all the complaints, they continued to say “they gave us the trip we paid for”. I would have never paid to go to nasty Vera Cruze. Also I purchased the insurance and was not allowed to cancel, as long as the ship was sailing. They had to get that ship out so why not with 1,700 paying customers.
Why I got on that hell hole I will never know, I have questioned myself everyday since, and if I had not waited until the last minute to get there (thinking for sure they would cancel) I would have made other arrangements for my car.
You that were not put in this predicament need to not JUDGE! Let us VENT.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Hi This is Jim And Josh ….. We were two CRAZY guys who decided to set sail on the carnival ectasy on 9-11-08 …. We called carnival over 20 plus times…. up to the last hour before we drove down to the island…. GALVESTON ISLAND WAS UNDER A MANDATORY EVACUATION AT THE TIME WE WE LAST SPOKE TO CARNIVAL … So we loaded up the truck… and headed down to galveston from the westchase (close to memorial) area. We got on the beltway listening to the radio …. watching countless bus lines and texas department of public safety convoys heading towards galveston…. we looked at each other wondering if we were making the right decision to really go on this trip….. We have been waiting for this day for EVER …. and this douche bag of a storm was about to screw it all up for the both of us….. So probably about the texas city exit we made one last call to carnival…. They advised us that the ship WILL set sail…. And of course NO REFUNDS AND NO RESCHEDULING…. the funny part was it seemed that the representative we spoke to seemed as they were on some sort of speed…. really not caring about the HUGE STORM FORMING IN THE GULF !!!!! They were very, very confindent that our vehicles would be ok IN PARKING LOT B…. oh by the way… my truck …. 4000 miles on it … TOTALLED… Yes i understand the fact that i made the decision to park there and it is my responsibility… But what really really blows… is the fact that we wanted to reschedule….. period… and that was NOT and option … so yeah… if you blog about hurricane season and making stupid decisions…. just understand that allot of people were looking forward to relaxing and getting away to a vacation….. not a cruise from hell…. and the fact that an option not to reschedule or a refund really does not give you a choice but to set sail…. we both had a great time… we met so many people and made new friends. I am thankful that we made it back ok and safe…. We took a van for $30.00 to new orleans airport and two plane tickets at $140.00 a piece…. it sucked to go through all of that …. but all in all …. IT WILL BE SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET…..
September 25th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Kim, vent all you want. If someone told you to jump off a cliff because there was a soft landing at the bottom, would you beleive them? YOU did not HAVE to be in the predicament you CHOSE to be there. A few years ago I was on a cruise and we were 70 miles from the eye of Ivan. Sure the ship was rough sailing for a while but I CHOSE to be there and we had a good time. I sure did not blame the cruise line for me going and there being a hurricane. AFTER ALL I knew Ivan was out there.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Hey I went on the Carnival Conquest on 8/31 and our cruise was very good. It was actually my fourth cruise on Carnival. They did make us go to Progresso instead of Jamica. I was pretty mad about that, those of you who set sail on 9/7. Ya’ll should have known it was hurricane season. All I’m trying to say is don’t blame carnival. Blame you’re self.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:03 am
me and my wife are leaving on 12/07/2008 on carnival conquest.i been hearing good and bad things about the ship.can anybody give me a rating on this ship.from 1 to 5. we took one cruise in April of 2008 on the ecstasy and i can give it a 5. like i said i would just like to know how this ship is scene it will be are first time on this ship.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
I was on the Conquest, and tried for six hours to get a line out to call family and try to get transportation. My car was in Galveston, as my daughters and I drove the 150 for the cruise. We were given no help in finding a way home to San Antonio, nor any help in getting to the airport when we finally got a flight. I think that Carnival’s lawyers should advise them to return at least the passengers charges to get home, and maybe the cruise ticket price too, as the whole thing turned into a nightmare for all of us. I advise other cruisers not to use Carnival if you want to be taken care of and safe.
October 8th, 2008 at 7:56 am
In response to Donah, why would Carnival have to give you help going back to San Antonio? You decided to use your own method of transportation. Why should Carnival take care of 3,500 passengers? Be realistic. When you have 3,500 passengers trying to use a satelite phone at the same time, yes it will take a long time to get an outside line. I still don’t understand why everyone is shifting the blame to Carnival. Take responsabilty for your own decisions. You urge other people to not use Carnival, well i am sure cruise lines don’t want people like you cruising, as all you do is complain.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:34 am
To Jackie who is going on the Conquest 12/7….go and have a wonderful time. I have cruised on the Conquest 2 times and have not been disappointed either time. It is a pretty ship the food was good and there was a different variety every day. There are plenty of activities to do if you want and the crew members were very friendly and helpful. If you go expecting to have a good time you will. Of course there are always some people who would not have a good time if you paid them. They think the world owes them for an act of mother nature,but forget them and have a wonderful time.
October 9th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I was on carnival conquest that left on the 7th of September…my first cruise. Did I mention last? I do not have to explain how badly Carnival handled this cruise. To those people that were on it you know what we all went thru. I did write Carnival a lengthy letter and just received one back saying, “while we empathize with all your disappointments, no compensation will be offered with regard to any deviation or alteration of your cruise vacation. All of us at Carnival Cruise Lines appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back in the very near future. ” I am considering contacting a lawyer. Has anyone contacted theirs?
October 10th, 2008 at 12:19 am
The Bible says there is only one person who can Judge Others so if you were not on either of these ships but out. My husband and I were disapointed with the service or dirty stateroom which I ended up cleaning myself. The being taken to New Orleans with no help from the crew was what ruined our trip. I am a business woman who always takes care of my customers and take pride in doing it. I expected that from the Carnival Conquest Crew nothing more nothing less. After all that is what I paid for. I will pray for all of you who judge us when you were not there. Yes we did have a good time inspite of bad service and a dirty room. They left hair dirty q-tips dirty sink dirty toilet, I put our towels on the floor to get new ones and he just put our dirty ones back up. We had to leave a chore list as if this guy was a ten year old kid. Yes we meet a lot of new people who we are still in contact with. Carnival has not contacted any of us to date to say were sorry. As a business owner I would have sent letters to every customer on these ships to say how sorry and offered a discount for another cruise. Most people would be happy if they thought they cared for the hard working people who make it possible to have a job. I would go out of business if I treated customers in this manner. I pray for everyone who lost a car. The people we are in contact with are all having truoble with claims. The Island will not let any of them on the island to even try and find cars because they do not live there. My guess is there are many who are going without cars until who knows when. There are a lot of people who really did not know what a hurricane could do and had carnival telling them no refunds no re-booking at later time come on your cars will be fine. I thank god everyday I left my in Pearland Texas N. of the island but I was lucky to have gone through hurricanes in the past. My van got some damage due to flying objects but no storm surge. By the way when the conquest left they did not know that storm was going to come up the gulf. Most ever tracker was showing it going up the Alantic. It changed on our way out. And as for phones not working and the overload I got a bill for 130.00 I would get connected a drop the call. for 61 minutes. My husband works for a major cell phone company. He was even had onboard a test phone not on the market yet that he was testing I am not sure how much that bill is yet. We were just trying both cell phones to see who could get a line out. Carnival should have turned there system up coming up the port of New Orleans so people would pick up towers on land. I can say this is getting reported to the FEDS. Do you call that caring for customers. We were heading up the port by 7:00p.m. the night before they let everyone off the ship. We are planning our next cruise just not with Carnival. We love to cruise we just want kind happy people for our crew and a clean room. Again I Pray for all who were touched by Ike in someway. My family who all live close to the island lost a lot. I live in N. Texas and my house was everyones safe place while we were on our Cruise they fled the are 3 days after we left. Please quit judgeing us when you were not there. Again remember a lot of people do not know what these storms can do to an area people who live up North don’t really know they depended on Carnival to tell the truth not lie to them. So they drove to the island and got on the ship. After all the cruise liner should know rhe port parking and the history of the storms. And you might say watch the news they should have heard well I live N of Fort Worth our news does not say much about the storms until its to late. And by the way we are not hearing anything now I get mad about it everyday. If the news quits telling people those people down there will not get the donations or help they need. God help them all
October 10th, 2008 at 6:45 am
In response to Stephanie, what will a lawyer do,please explain that to me? What can you do. Nothing. It clearly states in your ticket contract the do’s and don’ts. You can sue anyone for not having a good time. This has been tried and failed.Maby carnvial could sue the guests for screaming and yelling and throwing tantrams at the front desk, did you ever think that?
October 10th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
When you go to a dealership and buy a new car do you read the fine print? Don’t you expect what you are told…I was told when i purchased my tickets by CARNIVAL “don’t worry about the Hurricane season, we will take care of you and make sure you have a great time. We will take you to different places if we can’t get to your destination” . They lied to me! I paid for a relaxing vacation and it was horrible…Marc you are an idiot.. so butt out!
October 10th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
To Lisa and Stephanie: Lisa you say you are a business woman, well after reading your post I would not do business with you, you cannot spell or write. Sounds to me like all you wanted was your own way and I think you are a bit over dramatic about everything. To Stephanie Allen, yes I do read the fine print on EVERYTHING I purchase and if you didn’t then you got what you asked for.
October 10th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
You know what is funny? You can bet your bottom dollar if Carnival offered everyone a free cruise 99% of the people would jump on the opportunity to go even though they say “I will NEVER cruise on Carnival again.” Just count how many times people have commented I have already booked another cruise, or I will cruise again just not with Carnival. This is so funny, do you know how many cruise lines are owned by Carnival.
October 11th, 2008 at 3:40 am
To Kathy T
I guess you are wright.i called carnival on 10/9/08 to get a upgrade on are balcony room. We were on deck 8 she moved us to deck 10 AT NO COST.That is what you call service.Can you tell me wear the best place to eat on the ship is.I here good and bad things about conquest but to me that is just here say.I WILL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT.I know there are alot of mad people out there becouse of what happen but give carnival a chance.who knows they might get a good deal like we did and we were never on any of those ships.Any ways can you give me some ideals of what to do just on the ship.P.S. my first day will be to get drunk.
October 11th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Stephanie, actually yes I do read the print on most everything, and in this case you didn’t and now just like most of the American population, you right away want to get a lawyer and sue. So please explain to me your itienary that week, because I know exactly where you went and I want you to please print your stops so everyone can read them. Yes you paid for a relaxing vacation, but come on you can’t sue Carnival for that, was it their fault, maby yes in your eyes maby no. Could comminication be better, yes, i will admit that, however trying to sue a company for a natural disaster is really not goin gto float in court,plus carnival would squash you way before it even went that far. The comparison you made with buying a car to going on a cruise is not even close. You must have had your cruise documents a few weeks before you went on the cruise, in fact I know you did, so why didn’t you at least read the documents? Maby carnival can sue you for defamation of character, did you ever think that?
October 12th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Kathy you are most likly right most people would take that free cruise and run with it. However I would not. The Conquest Crew really did not provide the service I paid for. I agree they could not control where the storm went or control what the port of Galveston did after the storm hit. However they could have control over the actions of the crew and they way the handled the situation. You stated I just wanted things my way well after all I did pay for good service and a clean room which I did not get. I do not blame them for the storm. You need to slow down and not judge me you were not walking in my shoes that week. I feel that the cruiseing business needs to look into a better way to handle the way they do business in the aftermath of these storms. We all are not going to agree about everything on these two ships and the way that Carnival handled themselves so let just agree to disagree. Again I want to Pray for everyone who was touched by Hurricane Ike. I have contacted Carnival and still have not heard from them.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
i’d be more than happy to join anyone in a class action suit against carnival… i contacted carnival.. just to see if they would even be willing to give a refund or discount… but they just wrote back and said.. NO… sure you can say we should have not gone.. but as the one lady said.. i called and tried to cancel but was told sure but you don’t get any money back.. so that makes them responsible for me… after that.. i’m still after a month dealing with the loss of my car… and it’s all been very expensive… if you want to join me in a suit.. email me at ziazeninc@yahoo.com