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Royal Caribbean Strands Family on Cruise From Hell
Royal Caribbean cruise lines urges potential customers to “Start Planning Your Adventure. Book Online Today!”
But, for one family in Orange County, FL, the promised adventure turned into the “Cruise from Hell”.
The family told Eyewitness News on Friday that the cruise line kicked them off the ship late at night and abandoned them in the Bahamas when their 7-month-old child became sick. They think they were kicked off the ship because her symptoms were similar to the Norwalk virus.
The family booked five tickets and was supposed to be gone for five nights when their trip was cut short. They had to spend thousands to get home.
The Cortes family actually said that their Royal Caribbean cruise was “a living hell.” After boarding in Miami on Monday, they enjoyed the splendor of a RC cruise–until they were kicked off the boat Tuesday evening in Nassau.
“Everyone was crying and pleading that they wouldn’t throw us of the boat, begging them if we could stay,” Luis Cortes said.
Their 7-month-old child, Zoie, was throwing up and had diarrhea. A doctor on the ship said she was dehydrated and had to be treated in a hospital. The family said a security guard gave them 10 minutes to pack their bags and get off the boat. It was 11 o’clock at night.
On their website, Royal Caribbean promises “All cruises are not alike.” Luis Cortes would certainly agree with that blurb. Their cruise ship wouldn’t even let them get out of their pajamas before being booted.
“I asked if my wife could get out of their pajamas and there was no time for that. We had to leave,” Luis Cortes said.
A doctor in a Nassau emergency room made the diagnosis.
Zoie had a common cold, not dehydration. The doctor cleared her to travel and signed a form stating that.
However, the Royal Caribbean ship had already cruised away, leaving the Cortes family stuck in the Bahamas with no passports and only memories of their Royal Caribbean cruise holiday.
“We had to find our way to the U.S. Embassy. All of this on foot. A family of five in this town we knew nothing about,” Cortes said.
The embassy issued them emergency passports for $455. They spent another $650 on plane tickets back to Florida. The emergency room bill was $600. All together, the Cortes family spent more than $3,000 on their disastrous vacation and they want a refund.
“I don’t want this to happen to another family,” Cortes said.
Royal Caribbean said they will give the family a credit to use on another Royal Caribbean cruise trip and will not pay for the passports or plane tickets because they didn’t pay for trip insurance.
So, it would seem that if you’re booking a Royal Caribbean cruise, the trip insurance is definitely a must–especially if it’s a family outing.
No word on when the Cortes family planned to use their credit.
by Mondoreb
image: DBKP
Source: Family Says Cruise Ship Kicked Them Off Boat Because Child Was Sick
Also posted at DBKP at Blogger.
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I’ve been on a couple of RC cruises, and generally they are ok, but never again. This is beyond the pale, I had catastrophic kidney failure and aplastic anemia, and as such can pop a bleeder easily. I don’t think I’d like to be dumped off somewhere. What the heck is up with the ship’s doctor? What happened to “First, do no harm.”?
Sheesh
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I’ve cruised twice with Royal Caribbean and my wife has travelled with them several times but I must admit I don’t think we’ll be using them again. Not if they can get away with this kind of disgaceful treatment of their guests.
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I cannot believe that Royal Caribbean got away with such an UNSENTIVE move on this family. I wish that this family get the form to SUE THE HELL out of this company. So, on one hand we have these totally UNEDUCATED flight attendants who kick passenger out of the planes and now THIS?! PLEASE! Give me a break!
I really believe that today’s day people are more interested in being SHITTY and BITCHI with customers than to be busy providing the best customer service they could. I never has travel with Roay Caribbean Cruise but now with this news I WILL NEVER travel with them either, because if they can be this IGNORANT then I don’t wanna have nothing to do with them. As for the family, I am sorry what happened to you and I wish that JUSTICE is being done on the matter, the issue makes me very angry. But know that companies like these ones loose business somehow because people will not choose or ended up choosing other ways of traveling. Companies needs to learn that they should feel HONOR to be choosen and not feel that you are a pest to them. I do truly believe in the philosophy that the customer is always right and it should be treated with respect and dignity no matter what. Best of luck to the famiy and to the company put your future offers in your f***ing *ss.
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After reading this I had to wonder about the “credit” that RCI offered. Why in the world would this family want to cruise with RCI again? There is no possible way that they will feel like valued guests of the cruise line. Shameful! We won’t be sailing with RCI. Thankfully, on the line our family uses, we always feel like valued guests.
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http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2546
The news source that originally published the article left out a lot of details which made it look like the family was the victim. If you look at the whole story, the family is to blame and only made the situation worst for them.
“According to spokesman Michael Sheehan, the Cortes family called Majesty’s Guest Relations Desk at 7:30 p.m., concerned about their daughter’s health. They were urged to bring the girl to the medical facility, but did not do so until 11:20 p.m. Not only did the girl’s medical condition worry the doctor, but as the ship was about to set sail for Coco Cay — Royal Caribbean’s private island with no medical facilities — he also feared that if she got worse, there’d be no help for her.
Medical staff explained the situation to the parents, who agreed to take their baby to the hospital. At 11:45 p.m., an ambulance was called. Ship staff offered the Corteses the option to have one parent take the girl and the other stay onboard with the other two children, but the family chose to debark all together. As the ship was preparing for an imminent departure from Nassau, the family did have limited time — but did manage to pack all their belongings prior to disembarkation.
Royal Caribbean arranged for complimentary hotel accommodations in Nassau, and assigned a Guest Care specialist to assist the Corteses with their arrangements and on-island transportation. In addition, the family was asked to contact Corporate Guest Relations to resolve the unused portion of their vacation. However, the family chose to make their own arrangements and did not contact Guest Relations. The same day the Cortes family took their story to the media (April 25), claiming they were ill-treated and deserved compensation, Royal Caribbean had its Guest Relations contact the family and explain that they were eligible for a future cruise credit to replace the unused portion of their cruise.”
As for WHO ASK comments on Flight Attendants, most have college degrees and most are very much educated. You are so ignorant.
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Cruise Critic:
Without having been there, after reading your comment, one question did cross my mind:
You wouldn’t derive any of your income from the travel industry, would you?
Just wondering…
That being said, thanks for stopping by and commenting. You have made me want to check further sources now. I’ll do an update, if the basic storyline changes to the one you outlined.
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testing
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