P&O Cruises Guests Mistaken

[Cruising Caribbean]

More than 50 cruise guests were left in the dust in Auckland due to a communication error from P&O Cruises. Although this happened over a month ago, guests are still uneasy about what happened. I would be pretty furious. From my experience, cruise lines usually don't really help you with documentation info. I have always been directed to "check online." I believe these guests who were unable to board in New Zealand deserve a do-over. What do you think?

[LukeJ]

Yeah I can understand the anger and frustration. I know people say to double check things like this, and yes maybe in hindsight people should, however saying that if a reliable company tell you no, then I can see why nobody would bother checking and take it as face value with what you believe a company who should know what they are talking about says.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I really think the cruise line is at fault here. I feel so strongly about the cruise line taking responsibility for its error. P&O Cruises should offer guests an all-expenses-paid experience that mimics that of the original itinerary. People save for many years to get an experience like this. To have it all taken away like that is very upsetting. The customer service representatives are supposed to be the most reliable source of information. These sorts of errors happen with one or two cases here and there, human error, but 50 cruise guests! That's a big deal.

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas very well said. Cruise lines responsibility 100%. And the sad thing, there may be guests onboard who have never or never will again go on a cruise and this could have been their one and some ridiculous failure on their part won't make up for their part in denying a guest the trip they wanted.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ That's right! Not many people can afford to go on such an epic cruise itinerary. Personally, I haven't been able to save up enough to do it but if I had the chance, I would be devastated if something like that happened! Hopefully,  P&O Cruises will come around and make it right with the affected cruise guests. Without making it right, I don't think the cruise line will ever get those guests back as returning customers. 

[PaulB]

@LukeJ I totally agree with you about the price of the cruises. It's taken us two years to save up for our next cruise. Even though we are excited, it's a lot of money, something I dread handing over ha ha. So to scrimp and save to go onboard, I would love myself and my family feel like its all been worth the sacrifice.

[LukeJ]

Yes I totally agree with your assessment. We work hard to put money in their accounts. The least they could do is make it all feel worthwhile. But every cruise I've been on, they have treated us very good to be fair, so there is no complaints my end.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ That's very true! I haven't had any awful experiences with cruising which is why I keep coming back for more. Things like this do happen, and I would be pretty upset with an outcome like the one mentioned above. That may deter me from cruising with the same line in the future.

There are plenty of other great cruise lines if one does you wrong. If you are new to cruising and hesitant to have a bad experience, I recommend starting with doing your research beforehand. Try a reliable and highly-ranked ship for your first experience. It won't disappoint!   https://www.cruisehive.com/category/cruise-rankings

[PaulB]

Such a shame that this continues to happen. Some people get most of the bad luck, but as @LukeJ stated that people do work hard for their money and also the need to enjoy a break away from the world, so to have that intefeered with, is shocking to be honest.

[3Sisters]

I was under the impression that P&O Cruises is quite reputable. I do know, however, that it is the guest's sole responsibility to have the proper documentation. I saw this mentioned in another thread, but it's better to book with a travel agent for international cruise itineraries. They are usually the most informative and helpful with obtaining all necessary travel documentation. Cruising isn't cheap, I would be pretty upset to be left in the dust like that. The changes of this recurring is pretty unlikely. I would imagine P&O Cruises learned its lesson. 

[LukeJ]

I do hope so, every cruise line needs to learn their mistakes and at least put their hand up and apologise. It would make people respect them and forgive them a little if they did. Again, I'm one of the lucky ones, and I've sailed on P&O a few times now, and the vacation has always been incredible and me and my family have thoroughly enjoyed and come back for more. That's all we ask on a vacation is that we enjoy ourselves and have fond memories in years gone by.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ That's right. It takes maturity for sure, but being able to admit when you are wrong is a strong character trait. Everyone has flaws, but it takes the bigger person (or entity) to admit when they are wrong and apologize. I have heard wonderful things about P&O Cruises so this must be a fluke incident. The line usually stays out of the negative spotlight and has been going strong for years. 

I did however read an article recently about deep cleaning for an illness that was circling around. At least the line is taking the time to deep clean everything, but hopefully, it does the trick. It's awful to be sick on vacation. The first and only time I stayed in a 5-star hotel my children got the stomach bug and were up all night. Needless to say, I can't smell the Waldorf Austoria's signature scent without being sick to my stomach. 

[LukeJ]

However hard we try to avoid a bug, it's impossible. As you say even 5 star hotels spread them and even hospitals which are really the cleanest places around (should be) and it's sometimes unavoidable that something will spread. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ It's true. It's a fact of life to fight germs and keep our immune systems on their toes every now and again. I usually avoid any highly processed foods in my diet including refined sugars, but on vacation, I get swept away from that mindset very quickly. Sugars reduce your body's ability to fight off germs and get rid of them quickly. When your immune system isn't at its peak, in combination with drinking alcohol and overindulging in fried foods, your body will be more susceptible to picking up a virus. Many people are quick to blame the location's cleanliness but aren't thinking about their personal choice that may be weakening their immune system. Exercising and continuing to consume a healthy variety of fruits and vegetables along with enough sleep will go a long way toward keeping your body fighting off germs most efficiently!

[LukeJ]

I don't know whether it's true or not as my take on science isn't all the best, but many have explained to me that the reason we catch so many bugs is because we in the UK are too clean an don't allow our bodies to have any germs so that we can't fight any bugs in our immune system. It sort of makes sense in what they are saying, but again not sure if it's correct. 

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ That's an interesting theology! I want to go to the UK where everything is very clean. I couldn't claim the same thing about the US. Most things are dirty around here. I believe it to be true, but people in the US get sick all the time too and it's dirty here. My children are sick right now actually so I can testify to this remark being true. I think cruise ships are pretty clean actually. The crew is visibly cleaning all day long! 

[PaulB]

Coming from a hospitality and catering background, I can confirm that the UK is too clean. It's over the top sometimes where everything is cleaned within an inch of its life. So many protocols in place, which doesn't allow any error, I sometimes think is it all necessary.

[LukeJ]

Maybe the answer is to treat the place like we did when covid was around. Everything was in place and hardly any germs was passed around, everyone was washing their hands at every opportunity. Covid was making the rounds I admit, however nobody was catching any colds or anything.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ It's a coin toss really! If it's too clean your immunities get weakened; if it's too dirty, you get sick all too often. I think everyone should wash their hands, but I also don't think there is anything wrong with catching a cold. I don't want to go back to the pandemic times. It was brutal. Guests have to realize they are going to get sick. They also have to realize they are more likely to get sick if they protect themselves 24/7 and then let loose while cruising. Your immune systems aren't going to be strong enough to kick real germs if you aren't going out and catching a cold every now and again. Do you agree?

[LukeJ]

As we discuss this topic, there was a cholera scare onboard Norwegian Dawn, and has now been cleared to return. But goes to show you again how easy it is to get sickness bugs onboard ships, and the strictness that cruise lines now must impose on passengers and crew to practice good hygiene standards.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ These things so happen, but with the high sanitary standards of cruises today, they shouldn't be happening. The cholera outbreak shouldn't be happening if the ship is following the strict sanitary standards cruise lines enforce for their ships. It's certainly not a good look for NCL to have an outbreak like this. Thankfully it's handled and under control now. After this, I highly doubt Norwegian Dawn will ever experience this again. All eyes will be on the ship and ship staff to ensure this doesn't occur. One thing is a virus that isn't because of the ships doing and another is completely the ships fault due to contaminated water. I would think if anything Norwegian Dawn is cleaner and more sanitized now that it ever was before! 

[LukeJ]

It only takes a slip of standards for something like this to happen onboard a ship. I understand after time, things get complacent and a drop in concentration and before you know it, you have a cholera epidemic on board. So I agree with @Kendall James-Vargas, after being caught out, the cruise line will definitely buck up and begin getting concentration levels and standards back to where they were.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I'm glad you agree.  Can you imagine if it happened again? I'm sure the ship's reputation would just be destroyed at that point. That's something you can't mess around with. It's pretty uncommon that an outbreak like this even occurs due to those really stringent sanitary protocols. Cruise lines have to stay on top of everything to keep themselves as attractive. There are many options out there in the industry; I believe more than ever before! It's a competitive market for sure. Cruise lines are only looking for good publicity, not negative!

[LukeJ]

Good reputations for anyone is necessary these days. Any negativity tends to stick around, and despite stating it doesn't, it does have a bearing on bookings. If a cruise line has come under fire on more than a couple of bad feedback or reviews, guests will definitely start looking at other cruise lines. It's the norm.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ A good reputation is absolutely important! Also, these sorts of outbreaks are serious. No one wants to cruise knowing they will likely become ill. You have to avoid getting sick on vacation. I'm glad the ship has got it all under control now. Some issues arise by surprise, like the recent flooding onboard Carnival Sunrise. The flooding was due to sever weather, but multiple decks were affected. Can you imagine if your room and the halls flooded like this? I understand bad weather happens, but happening like this is a really bad look.