Celebrity Cruises announced that the Solstice will be completed ahead of schedule and will make it's maiden voyage on November 23 instead of December 14. The December 14 voyage will now be the ship's fourth cruise. That's unfortunate for those who booked the December 14 trip expecting to be on the maiden voyage.
For those who this is a big deal to, they will be able to re-book for the new maiden voyage through June 12 with no penalty. Celebrity will also reimburse these passengers up to $100 for airline change fees.
New reservations will not be accepted for the re-scheduled maiden voyage until after June 12 to allow those booked on the December 14 cruise to make the switch.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Royal Caribbean Genesis Ships Get Their Names
The results of the contest to name the Genesis project ships are in and the names are Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. The names were judged by a panel of experts picked by Royal Caribbean and both names came from the same entrant, George Weiser of Michigan.
More than 180,000 names were submitted for the contest which was held in conjunction with USA Today. Many of the names submitted were discarded either because they were used by other cruise lines or, in some cases, by other ships in RCI's fleet. Oasis of the Seas will be the first ship in what will now be called the Oasis Class.
The names don't do much for me but I guess I'll get used to them. Maybe I was hoping for something a bit more grand. Conqueror of the Seas anyone?
More than 180,000 names were submitted for the contest which was held in conjunction with USA Today. Many of the names submitted were discarded either because they were used by other cruise lines or, in some cases, by other ships in RCI's fleet. Oasis of the Seas will be the first ship in what will now be called the Oasis Class.
The names don't do much for me but I guess I'll get used to them. Maybe I was hoping for something a bit more grand. Conqueror of the Seas anyone?
Monday, May 5, 2008
Royal Caribbean deploying two new ships to the West Coast.
Royal Caribbean announced today that they will be deploying Mariner of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas to the West Coast to sail the Mexican Riviera beginning in 2009. Mariner will become the largest ship ever to call the West Coast home when it relocates to Los Angeles. Mariner will be sailing 7 night cruises while Radiance will be making shorter 4 and 5 night trips.
The full press release from RCI can be read here.
The full press release from RCI can be read here.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
NCL Being Sued Over Dining Reservations
In another example of what is wrong with the legal system in the US, a former passenger has brought a lawsuit against Norwegian Cruise Line because she was unable to get reservations in any of the specialty restaurants on board Norwegian Star during an 8 day cruise. The gist of the lawsuit is that the company's commercials are misleading and false in stating that passengers can dine where they want, when they want. Of course, as a result of not being able to dine in these restaurants, the former passenger claims that her entire vacation was ruined and is asking for compensation for the cost of the cruise as well as hotel and meal expenses.
In addition to these claims, the suit also claims that NCL has a "secret" class system onboard as suite guests allegedly get preferential treatment when making reservations at the restaurants. The suit is claiming fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of implied covenant of fair dealing, and deceptive and unfair trade practices.
Now, I've never been on NCL so I don't know how their reservation system works but I have been on ships with specialty restaurants that require reservations. Basically, if you want to dine in these reservation only places, you had better know when and where prior to getting on the ship. It requires planning and flexibility on the part of the passenger. This woman obviously was not prepared.
Our last cruise on Freedom of the Seas, we wanted a reservation for one of the restaurants so we immediately discussed it with the rest of our party after getting onboard and made the reservation before the ship even left. Even then, we had to settle for an earlier time than we wanted because of other reservations already being made. If you want to dine in these places, you've got to have it all planned out and make the reservations as soon as you get onboard, period!
This is just another case of a frivolous lawsuit where the person suing is taking no responsibility for what happened. Maybe, the advertisements could be misinterpreted if you've never been on a cruise but with around 3000 people on board, wouldn't you think that you'd need to make reservations as quickly as possible for these places. This person probably waited until the last minute to make the reservations. Simple as that. You've got to do your homework. It's also kind of sad that the fact that not being able to eat at these few restaurants ruined an entire 8 day cruise. I imagine she found some food somewhere.
In addition to these claims, the suit also claims that NCL has a "secret" class system onboard as suite guests allegedly get preferential treatment when making reservations at the restaurants. The suit is claiming fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of implied covenant of fair dealing, and deceptive and unfair trade practices.
Now, I've never been on NCL so I don't know how their reservation system works but I have been on ships with specialty restaurants that require reservations. Basically, if you want to dine in these reservation only places, you had better know when and where prior to getting on the ship. It requires planning and flexibility on the part of the passenger. This woman obviously was not prepared.
Our last cruise on Freedom of the Seas, we wanted a reservation for one of the restaurants so we immediately discussed it with the rest of our party after getting onboard and made the reservation before the ship even left. Even then, we had to settle for an earlier time than we wanted because of other reservations already being made. If you want to dine in these places, you've got to have it all planned out and make the reservations as soon as you get onboard, period!
This is just another case of a frivolous lawsuit where the person suing is taking no responsibility for what happened. Maybe, the advertisements could be misinterpreted if you've never been on a cruise but with around 3000 people on board, wouldn't you think that you'd need to make reservations as quickly as possible for these places. This person probably waited until the last minute to make the reservations. Simple as that. You've got to do your homework. It's also kind of sad that the fact that not being able to eat at these few restaurants ruined an entire 8 day cruise. I imagine she found some food somewhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)