Other Consumers' Experiences

Bill,

Attached below please find the link that describes asthma and COPD. My COPD is a direct result of childhood asthma. On this site you can see the triggers i.e. Dust Mites.

http://www.about-copd.com/html/copd-vs-asthma-symptoms.php3

· On Thursday, November 10, 2005 our cabin steward Justin approached both my husband, Tom my daughter, Amanda and myself and asked us if it was possible for them to change our rugs while we were in port in St. Maarten.

· We said "NO". We informed Justin that they could change the rug in our cabin when we departed the ship on Sunday.

· After returning from the beach on St. Maarten on Friday, November 11, 2005 we were very surprised to see that our rugs were being replaced.

· Because of my Asthma and COPD it was impossible for me to return to this room

· A very small inside cabin was provided to us to shower in however, we were not able to retrieve any clothing from our cabin as they were hanging in our closet and were contaminated with dust mites.

· My husband and my daughter had to go to the cabin to retrieve my asthma medication. I am currently taking Advair, Xeopenex and Pulmicort along with a rescue Proventil inhaler. I am only required to use the Xeopenex and Pulmicort in a breathing machine when something triggers an attack (I packed this in my suitcase just in case).

· Guest relations had all of our clothes dry-cleaned this process took approximately 3 hours. I ended up sitting totally naked with only a robe until this process was completed. Additionally, I had to request this robe it was not even offered to me!

· Our original cabin was 265 square feet and was able to accommodate the three of us (note that my daughter is only 15). We were then moved to two small cabins 9600 and 9602 while I was still in a robe. Since these cabins could only accommodate 2 passengers it was necessary for me to bunk with my 15 year old daughter rather than my husband.

· We finally received our clothes back and we received a knock on the door. I was partially dressed and my husband was not. I answered the door and standing outside the cabin was the Guest relations manager Arlee, the chief guy in charge of housekeeping and Justin our cabin steward. It felt like an interrogation! My husband and I explained that we told Justin that it was not possible to change our rugs period. Arlee the guest relation’s manager indicated that if they knew that I had this condition this would not have happened. I did not feel that it was my responsibility to explain the reason why we said no to the rug change. My husband indicated that as part of a corrective action that Royal Caribbean should put something in writing and require signatures to avoid this from ever happening to another passenger.

· We missed dinner with friends we had made on this cruise and attended second seating dinner.

· When I approached Arlee the next morning to find out what was going to be done about our situation and that reminded her about our proposed corrective action she indicated that there was a letter that was supposedly sent to our room. I advised Arlee that we did not receive a copy of this letter and asked that one be sent to our room. I further indicated that our steward should be written up at this point, as he did not do his job!

This situation has caused a lot of stress on the last days of our vacation. I cannot believe that Royal Caribbean would rent out a room and expect anyone to be inconvenience with a rug change. Unfortunately, for my family and me it was not that simple as there were medical reasons behind our not agreeing to this maintenance. To think we would allow the rug change given my medical condition is completely ludicrous.

I await your reply. Additionally, please forward a copy of the incident report that was provided to you from the ship.

Please note that prior to this incident we applied to be members of your Gold Anchor club.

Thanks In Advance,

Kathy

My husband is a retired NYC school teacher and saving almost $5,000. for this dream cruise does not come easy. After five days we received our luggage at home - it had traveled to Panama. The people on the ship had no idea where our luggage was so the only thing we could do was leave the ship. I know that $5,000.00 doesn't make any difference to them but my husband worked hard for that money. This incident has really turned me off cruising.

Janicre of Somerville, NJ, writes:
For Christmas my boyfriend purchased tickets for a cruise to the Bahamas. Our baggage was to be delivered from the plane when we arrived in Miami directly to the cruise. My suitcase, however, never arrived on the ship.

Although I complained repeatedly at the Purser's Desk on the ship (Sovereign of the Seas), I was told that they were doing everything they could. I begged them to call Continental Airlines to try and locate my baggage, but I was told that "they don't do that" and that their ground people in Nassau would be checking with Continental.

Therefore, I spent four days on a luxury cruise ship with little else but the clothing on my back. All of the clothing I purchased for the trip was in my suitcase which never arrived. When we arrived back in Miami, I checked at the Continental Baggage Claim Desk and was told that Continental had failed to deliver my suitcase to the ship but had flown it to Nassau and notified Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean denies any responsibility whatsoever, totally ignoring the fact that they failed to pick up my baggage in Nassau.

This trip was a gift to me, and it was ruined by the loss of my baggage. Both my boyfriend and I spent a great deal of time at the Purser's Desk because they kept telling me to check back in an hour. We couldn't go sightseeing in Nassau on that Saturday morning, and I had to attend the dinners in inappropriate attire. The only thing the cruiseline offered me was a $100 credit in the on-board shop which wasn't going to open until after the dinner began. I was never told that the airlines would reimburse me $100 per day for three days once my luggage was missing for 24 hours until after we were back in Miami and it was too late.

I was afraid to buy anything in Nassau because I had spent money prior to the trip buying the things I needed and couldn't afford to buy more things. My boyfriend and I have both been through some very rough times lately and this was supposed to be a relaxing, enjoyable vacation. Instead, I was tense and upset about my luggage.

I wrote to both Continental Airlines and Royal Caribbean with my complaint. Continental sent me one $300 voucher and a first class upgrade. When I thanked them and requested one for my boyfriend, they totally ignored the fact that he had purchased the tickets and responded that just because "Mr. P. tried to assist you in locating your luggage" he was not entitled to compensation.

I find it amazing that when someone is "bumped" from a flight, they are given vouchers for free travel, but our whole trip was ruined, and no one seems to care.

Royal Caribbean has responded that they regret our inconvenience but "decline your request for compensation". I have contacted an attorney and probably will have to file suit in Federal District Court. I really don't want to do this and would prefer that Continental Airlines and Royal Caribbean compensate us justly for our loss.

Rick of South Pasadena CA (9/12/04): We were only eighteen hours into our 35th wedding anniversary cruise (first time), when my wife slipped on board the ship and began what would become a nightmare we will never forget.

Having had a wonderful breakfast at the Windjammer Café we made our way out to the elevators located between the indoor and outdoor pools in the route to our suite. Mary Anne needed to go to the bathroom, so rather than hang out by the elevators, I went outside to where a young family was playing Ping Pong. Mary Anne came outside and joined me watching the ping pong players.

Shortly after coming outside a loose ball went by us and Mary Anne pursued the ball for the kids. Stepping from the simulated wood surface to the wet tile surface she immediately lost her footing and came down on her left rear hip. My first reaction given the severity of the fall was that her hip was broken. By coincidence the father of the kids playing ping pong was an Orthopedic Surgeon from Carmel, California. He had Mary Anne do some foot movements and determined that she didn't have a broken hip. We were somewhat relieved to hear this but still very concerned.

During this time a ship worker had called the ship's nurse who immediately responded. She inquired what had happened and made a radio call for a stretcher and assistance. During this time Mary Anne was experiencing severe pain. The orthopedic surgeon asked the nurse if they had x-ray capabilities and she confirmed the ship had everything. The doctor offered his service to view the x-rays. After entering the ship's hospital and staff performed an assessment of her vitals and series of questions as to what happened Mary Anne was x-rayed. Prior to starting the x-rays I was asked to leave the room and wait in the reception area.

Shortly after I entered the reception area a uniformed man with extensive tattoos on his arms identified himself as the safety officer. He asked that I explain to him what had happened. At the point where I stated she slipped on the wet tiles; he immediately jumped out of his chair and pointing his finger at my chest in a very intimidating tone insisted that the tile was dry and he had two sworn statements from eye witnesses that saw the accident and confirmed the tile was dry.

I told this nut case of a safety officer that he asked for a statement and he got it so get out of my face. Later on I was extremely disturbed to find out that my wife had the same experience with the safety officer.

The doctor asked me to come back into the room to look at the x-rays. The ship doctor reported that they couldn't find anything wrong with her, but had no explanation for the pain she was experiencing. She suggested we just let her rest for a while and possibly the pain will go away and we will try to get her to walk. I told her of the Orthopedic Surgeon that offered to come down and look at their x-rays and she responded that it was against their policy. I requested copies of the x-ray so that I might take them to him on my own and she responded that I would have to submit a request in writing to their office in Florida.

I was very upset with the unwillingness of the ship's doctor to allow an American doctor provide a second opinion. Unable to do anymore for my wife I took this opportunity to go up to our suite and get our camera to take pictures of the accident scene. Looking at the photos you can see we still have a wet tile and wood floor condition.

Wet tiles and wood flooring is probably a constant situation given that the ping pong tables are situated between the indoor and outdoor pools and it is the main outdoor path used by commuting swimmers. Also you have overnight morning dew, which is typical during the June Gloom season. I do remember walking the upper deck before breakfast and it was wet, either from overnight dew or from crews hosing down the deck area to remove salt from metal surfaces. Either situation would lead to water or moisture on the tile surface below and adjacent to the ping pong tables.

The doctors kept Mary Anne in their hospital for close to seven hours and it was determined that even with Demerol pain pills there was still considerable pain and she was not able to put weight on her leg. The doctors thought that maybe she had torn a muscle or ligament, but that would take an MRI to determine. The doctor said when we got to Cabo San Lucas they would take her to a hospital for the MRI.

I told her that I was not in favor of any kind of hospital work in Cabo, given a bad experience a friend had while visiting this area. She smiled and said that she knew a very good Orthopedic Surgeon in a fine hospital in Puerto Vallarta. I felt somewhat at ease with a larger, more developed city and agreed to keep Mary Anne immobilized in our stateroom til we arrived there in another three days. I took her to our room and made her comfortable and started discussing how we will make lemonade out of the lemons we were given for our anniversary.

Three hours later we received a call from the nurse saying that the doctors had discussed our situation and that when we arrived in Cabo we would have to have the MRI done there. I once again stated that we do not want to seek medical attention in Cabo San Lucas. The nurse insisted that it would be OK and she would be with us and they had to make sure she didn't have any internal damage. We reluctantly agreed to this.

The next morning another nurse calls and says that we need to get ready - that the Port Authority was coming to take us to the hospital. I said that wasn't the deal and what happened to the nurse that was escorting us. She replied it was her day off. Nevertheless, we were told we had to go to the hospital. The Port Authority was waiting for us and one of them that spoke good English assured me everything would be fine, the nurse on duty gave him a sealed envelope and they escorted off the boat with me attending to my wife in the ($500 if I lose it) wheelchair.

When we boarded the water taxi to the pier with many other guests, I noticed the good doctor and our thought-to-be-escort-nurse dressed for a good time. Once at the pier we were taken to a waiting ambulance, which hauled us to a small hospital about two miles inland from downtown Cabo San Lucas. I should stop and say that all this activity from our stateroom to the hospital was very painful for my wife.

At the hospital we were taken into an x-ray room, where I told the doctor there was a mistake that we were here for an MRI, not an x-ray. His English interpreter responded that there were no MRI machines in all Baja California, that only mainland Mexico had such equipment. I responded that we would then return to the ship. The interpreter informed me that we couldn't until they had evaluated my wife and that they are only responding to the request of the cruise ship doctor. I asked that they explain, for which they let me read the contents of the sealed envelope passed to the Port Authority prior to us leaving the ship.

The letter was a To Whom This May Concern; letter; the ship doctor didn't have a clue where the Mexican authorities were taking us, and it basically asked them to evaluate her condition and determine if it was safe for her to continue on the cruise. They performed their x-rays, had some concerns, did a CAT scan and from there determined that she had two fractures to her left pelvic. They said there was nothing they could do, except keep her immobilized, similar to a broken collar bone.

I responded that it was precisely what we were doing on the ship. The doctor said that she couldn't go back to the ship it would be too dangerous and he also reminded me that the ship left the final decision for him to make. I took this up with the ship doctor and he confirmed that we would have to stay in Cabo as recommended by the Mexican doctor. Not to mention that I had only 2 1/2 hours to get our stuff off the ship, because the ship would be leaving.

I can't begin to explain the emotions I was feeling, first of all leaving my wife at this mini hospital to discuss our loss of freedom, secondly to be told that we had no say and we had to stay in Cabo and thirdly get your stuff together and settle up with the purser cause the boat's leaving.

On one of the phone calls the purser made to our stateroom to hurry me along while I was packing our stuff I was told I also had the option of staying on board and continuing on the cruise because I was not injured? I told her I will be off before they set sail and hung up on her. At the purser's office I was greeted by the Port Authority again, it seems they had to escort me off the ship again, even though I made it back on my own. They escorted me to an ambulance that hauled me and our stuff back to the hospital. I could have taken a cab. But it wasn't allowed.

They followed us over and went in and spoke with the hospital staff and left. Prior to unloading our baggage in my wife's room I was told I had to sign some papers. The doctor said that IF my wife was going to be treated here, they would need a deposit. Oh boy! The doctor required a Twenty Thousand Pesos deposit ($1,803.66 US), which I paid. He said she could fly home in three to four days.

I thought the deposit would cover the stay and it didn't. After two days of three meals a day for my wife, visits every eight hours by nurses during their changing of shifts, no medical attention other than the room and I'm the bed pan person, I felt it was ridiculous to stay any longer. I approached the doctor and said they really weren't doing anything for her but providing room and board, so I saw no reason to stay any longer. Much to my surprise he offered no objections, but mentioned we would have to settle up on the bill.

I was stupid enough to think we would get some credit back. Not so, they charged us another Seventeen Thousand Pesos ($1,595.14). That evening (6/17/04) we flew to Los Angeles rather than San Diego, where our car was. My wife was still in a great deal of pain and I didn't want her to have to deal with a three-hour car ride to Pasadena after doing a two-hour plane ride. We made it home without any hitches and the following night I took a train to San Diego to retrieve my car that was in a parking structure by the San Diego pier, thus arriving home around 4:30am. My wife's condition did not allow her to be alone, so I made the trip to San Diego while she slept through the night.

Since returning to California Mary Anne has been under the care of an Orthopedic Surgeon in Pasadena, where her condition has improved from a wheel chair to a walker and now to using a cane. However, she still has pain in the pelvic, tires quickly and can't walk for long periods. The Doctor feels her injury will take a good year to completely heal to the point where she has no pain and limitations in walking.

Because of this accident I have had to take on additional responsibilities during the course of her recovery besides my normal 50-hour week job, where I work as a purchasing agent for a construction company. My added duties have been cooking, cleaning, doing the wash, grocery shopping, writing the bills, maintaining the yard and bathing my wife. Our anniversary vacation continues to linger on.

Even though this was an unfortunate accident the fact remains that Royal Caribbean has an unsafe floor surface in a designated play area. The designers of the boat anticipated there would be water in this area as evidenced by the floor drain they installed. Obviously, they anticipated there would be water in this open to the sky area, which is subjected to water by either wash down, rain or wash down from the deck above. I wonder if the decorator that made the decision to specify a tile, not even a slip resistant type of tile, considered or even knew ping pong tables would be set up adjacent to the tile flooring.

Given the extremely offensive attitude of the safety officer I wonder if this is perhaps not the first time someone has fallen on this surface. My wife and I have experienced pain, suffering, monetary loss, vacation time ruined and a complete change in our life style, which is impacted and will continue to be impacted for some time. In addition we had airline expense of $518.48, Amtrak train ride to San Diego of $29.00 and a cane for $23.76.

We felt it would be a good public relations gesture on their part to refund the total cost of the cruise ($1,935.90), the airline expense ($518.48) and provide another Mexican Riviera cruise at a time of our choosing (I won't have another vacation for another year). The ship's medical staff got us off the boat under false pretense, sent us to a hospital destination of unknown location in a foreign country, left us to fend for ourselves & figure out on our own how to get back home, has never called to see if we made it back all right from Mexico and how is your wife doing.

We did get a letter from their President (Jack Williams) thanking us for sailing with them and giving them the opportunity to send us home with an experience to remember (Jack: You don't know how right you are) and inviting us to join their Crown & Anchor Society. Hello? Does anyone at the main office know what happens on their ships or do they even care?

Since filing this letter to their office we received a speedy response say that we should have taken out the "Cruise Cancellation Insurance" that was offered to us. It was offered, but it came with no explanation of the coverage. Our thinking was that we had no intentions of canceling the cruise, we never concidered the "What if's".

Adrienne of Beverly Hills CA (3/9/04):
My 13-year-old son and I took a four-day cruise on the Monarch of the Sea on Royal Carribbean Line. On the second day, my son became extremely ill with bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. After seeing the ship's doctor, my son was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and we were forced to exit the ship in Ensenada, Mexico.

The ship's doctor took a blood test and said my son's white blood count was very high. (That bill was $514.00) In Mexico, the nightmare became worse. The doctors wanted to remove my son's appendix for $2,000 or send me to the boarder via their ambulance costing $2,500.

In fact, my son had been misdiagnosed with a burst appendix when in fact the hospital tests in San Diego (my husband sent an ambulence for us to get to the boarder) proved he had contracted campylobacter on the ship. That is when there is excrement in the food. This was documented by the Los Angeles County Health Department. There had been one other person at our table who also was very ill at the same time.

Needless to say our vacation became a nightmare, my 13-year old almost died and we are now in excess of $15,000 in medical and hospital expenses.

I have sent two letters to the cruise line with copies of all medical bills, etc. and have had numerous conversations with their insurance adjuster. Unfortunately, he spent the time telling me of his toothache and that he was on pain medication until the week when he could go have his root canal done. There have been promises of follow-up calls and NONE have been returned. Are they waiting for the one-year statue to run out? This is maritime law which I know nothing about. I now need to hire an attorney.

My child endured unnecessary pain and suffering with needless tests in an incompetent Mexican hospital. Can you imagine if I had allowed an operation? My husband had to travel to San Diego to pick us up after my son's hospital stay (4 days). I continue to feel victimized. It has been traumatic to have to watch your child go through all this - for nothing!

My son's eating habits have become strange and he is afraid to eat in certain places, etc. However, is there no protection for all the poor people who in good faith pay to go on a vacation? Accidents do happen, but where is the compensation and the protection needed so that literally hundreds of people do NOT contract food poisoning on cruise ships?

Kathleen of Spring TX (7/10/03):
On April 13, 2003 we boarded the ship Rhapsody of the Seas for a cruise. This ship is part of Royal Caribbean cruise lines. On April 15, 2003 I had imitation crab salad, chicken, and vegetables. Soon after we left the table my stomach started to hurt and cramp and I felt bloated. After going to bed I awoke at 1:00AM and started vomiting, about six different times. Then the toilet stopped flushing.

My husband called to have the toilet fixed and while he was on the phone I passed out in the bathroom. I had a bruise on my hip and leg where I hit the shower rail when I fell. He managed to get me back to bed and continued to call on fixing the toilet. After four or five phone calls, the purser on duty said, in a very sarcastic manner, that it was rest time for the plumber and he was sleeping. After arguing with her for a while she finally called the plumber and he fixed it in five minutes. The time was 5:30AM now.

The next day I felt weak. We finally found some Gatorade at the clinc and that helped me. We talked to the Guest Relations manager and after hearing the story she said we could have a complimentary visit to the ship's doctor. The doctor wanted to take a blood test and I agreed. The results showed my white count was extremely high and my potassium was low. Then she wanted to do a urine test. This showed a trace of blood in the urine. I asked for a copy of these tests but she would not give them to me.

At this time she said the visit would no longer be complimentary and a charge would apply. Two hours later and $563 and I was suppose to be fine. When I arrived home I saw my regular doctor. He said that when you vomit that much you deplete your body of salt, potassium, and liquids. As a result your white count goes up even though you do not have an infection. The doctor ordered lab work and it showed that my potassium was a little low but everything else was okay. He said it said it sounded like food poisoning and I would have gotten better with the Gatorade and water on my own.

The ship's doctor wanted to get the diagnosis away from the food poisoning and protect the cruise company. I am never sick and in good health and exercise three times a week. I take premarin, sinus medication, and no heart or blood pressure medication. I feel as if I had been taken twice, getting sick on the ship's food and then charged $563 for the emergency treatment. I also feel the treatment received from the ship's crew during the toilet incedent is most unprofessional. This ruined the rest of our trip and made the whole experience a nightmare.