Any disruption to a cruise vacation – a missed port of call, bad weather, technical problems on board the ship – can be disappointing, but most travelers understand that such incidents can occasionally occur and take any changes in stride.
Unfortunately, some guests become even more upset when unexpected incidents impact their cruise experience. Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador John Heald often receives such complaints and does his best to alleviate guests’ disappointment while carefully explaining the situation.
Recently, one guest was particularly upset and felt their cruise had been cut short due to an onboard medical incident Carnival celebration.
“I write this on behalf of every guest who was denied the last night we paid for. Last week I was at Celebration. The ship arrived back in Miami early. Most places closed. It was terrible! Someone might have been sick.” the guest explained.
“Someone was taken off the ship on Monday and they should have done the same with this person, but no. It’s as if Carnival said, “Well, it’s going to be okay.” Well, I’m NOT doing well! It was like being on the ship during a port day, but you can’t get off! What was actually wrong with this person? Why is there no compensation? This was not a seven-day cruise as promised by Carnival.”
It’s clear that the person who contacted Heald is angry that the ship has turned back PortMiami ahead of schedule, forcing the closure of certain onboard services.
The incident occurred aboard the Oct. 27 cruise, a seven-night Western Caribbean cruise that visited Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan. Carnival celebration departs and returns on Sundays, and the Saturdays of each cruise are typically days at sea.
Heald explained why the ship’s captain returned to the home port more quickly instead of arranging a medical evacuation by airlift.
“Since it’s not a topic I’ve discussed before, I wanted to explain it to this lady, and perhaps to others who may not understand,” he said.
“When a guest may be too ill to be evacuated by helicopter or boat by the brilliant men and women of USCG, or when weather may not permit this operation, the ship will divert to a port for safe docking. lakes. bring that guest or crew member ashore for the emergency medical care needed.”
Details of the medical incident on board Carnival celebration are not released to protect the privacy of the individual, as well as that of his traveling companions, friends and family members.
However, Heald notes that blood donations were requested on board, although this may have been for a separate incident.
“To the guests who answered the call to donate blood, I would like to say a huge thank you for your generosity, care and attention,” Called Heald.
Although medical incidents do not occur on every sailing, Carnival celebration can welcome as many as 6,500 guests at full occupancy. With so many travelers on board, especially for a popular Halloween sailingmultiple incidents are not necessarily surprising.
What happens if a ship returns to its home port early?
Regarding the operational change of the ship and the early arrival in Miami, this is a decision made by the captain to get the guest or crew member to care as quickly as possible. For this incident, sailing back to Miami faster than expected was the best option.
“In this particular case, the ship was closer to Miami than anywhere else, so the captain went full speed to get the ship there early,” Heald confirmed.
This did require some changes on board that may have disappointed travelers on the last night of their cruise.
“I don’t know exactly what time the ship docked on Friday evening, but if the ship is in U.S. waters, we legally cannot open the casino or the stores,” he said. Heald said. “Closing the casino and shops in these types of incidents is disappointing for people, I understand that, but it is also a very small price to pay to help save a human life.”
Photo courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line
To be clear, no other changes were made on board and all entertainment and activity options went as planned. In addition, all restaurants, bars and lounges operated as planned Carnival celebration was in Miami earlier than expected.
Also read: What to do on the last sea day of a carnival cruise
Since Heald notes that the ship returned Friday evening, this would mean the casino and shops would also have been closed all Saturday.
The guest claims that travelers were not allowed to leave the ship while docked in Miami. This may be due to the short time it took for the ship to arrive, which could mean it was not possible to offer shore excursions.
In addition, port activities may prohibit travelers from leaving the ship independently. While this is not an ideal situation, it is certainly an exceptional occurrence, and guests should not expect compensation for changes that contributed to someone receiving emergency medical care.
It is not known why the ship was unable to evacuate the guest after docking and then returning to sea for the remainder of the voyage, but this could also be a result of general timing, port operations, planned sea traffic and concerns about weather. .
The 180,000 gross tonnage Excel class Carnival celebration has continued its scheduled sailings without further delays. The ship can accommodate 6,565 travelers at double occupancy, with more than 1,700 international crew members on board to ensure that every guest can enjoy a fantastic cruise, even when the unexpected happens.
