Re: Check this out, A COMPLAINT SITE

"Jeff Gersten" wrote:
Is this normal, or was it an extraordinary and unfortunate occurrence? I
know I have read on these boards of problems on maiden voyages of cruise
ships as things shake out, but I have never read of major problems after
a ship has gone through dry dock.


Hi, Jeff,

Just based on the years we've been cruising & I've been following this newsgroup, CC and other sources of "cruise news," I'd say this was a fairly atypical post-dry dock cruise. That's the reason why I felt RCI should have done more. I'm usually the last to jump on the "Cruiseline, you owe me something because you spoiled my holiday" bandwagon when it comes to cruise glitches. So much has to fall in place for a cruise vacation to be "perfect," I think it's reasonable to be fairly forgiving when "stuff happens." But this one...to the best of my recall, I've never heard of a post-dry dock cruise that was as materially plagued with problems. Sure, I've read accounts of continued work of a more cosmetic nature, like finishing a re-carpeting job, but then, we've all seen crews changing out carpets, painting, fixing a pool, etc. on cruises that didn't follow a dry dock.

So, you're right, I probably went a little overboard when I said I should pay more attention to dry dock schedules when booking! To be candid, hearing about this cruise made me grumpy--I'm fond of the Rhapsody, and I'm a big fan of RCI generally, so I wasn't happy to hear how they dropped the ball on that cruise.

And yes, sailing on first voyages is different. Cruise lines generally market those cruises at an appreciable discount to allow for the "we're not quite ready" factor. (Maybe they should do the same and market a post-dry dock cruise at bargain rates but with full disclosure, "hey, this cruise might not be 'normal.') Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but it's been several years since I've read about a really messed up first voyage--it seems the cruise lines and shipyards have that whole production timetable down to a science these days. I've been on a maiden voyage (not the celebratory inaugural, but the first one from the shipyard) with RCI, and it was amazingly trouble-free, with only the slightest of "final touch" work being done while we cruised, none of which disrupted any services.

When are you leaving for the great anniversary Baltics cruise, Jeff?

Diana

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