Carnival Cruise Corporation Attention: Micky Arison inhumane treatment, humiliation, neglect, cruel and unusual treatment, american outrage Miami Florida

Everything about this complaint screams stupidity about the author.  Although, it's been a few years old now, so he probably won't be back to read this.  

Some people think that because they are on a cruise ship where everything is taken care of, they can just get off in a foreign country and maintain the same level of carelessness.  Why in the world would anyone get off a ship in a foreign land with no money and without at least a small dose of important medication?  The second you step off the ship, you are a foreigner.  Some people are so darn stupid they can't figure that out.

Not getting back to the ship is no-one's fault but the author's.  All the other stupidity aside, it show's his intelligence to think a massive cruise ship can just stop momentum and tie back up.  no, ships do not just "idle" at the pier as the author claimed.   

This was not Carnival's fault. They clearly let you know what time you need to be back on the ship.
If you were already running late, why would you stop for drinks and shopping? I don't believe it only took 2-3 minutes. I have been on 7 cruises and have never missed the ship, because I make sure I know what time I have to be back on board. Even though the ship was still at the dock doesn't mean they can simply lower the gangplank. Once it is up, the ship is cleared to take off and they can't simply put it down to let people on. If you ever decide to cruise again, I would hope you would take the time to find out what time you need to be back on board. Some people just seem to believe that the rules don't apply to them.

So sorry to hear about your situation on the cruise. I have been cruising with Carnival for a number of years now and have never missed the boat. They tell you over and over, time and time again what time the ship will be leaving. They tell you before you leave a number of times, they have it wrote down and a number of places, they tell you at breakfast, they tell you when you get off, it is like a broken record. Why someone in your party did not write it down or remember it is beyond me. Carnival don't do everything right, but one thing they do get right is the fact that they tell you when to be back on the ship, believe.
Not taking sides, just telling you that Carnival can only tell you when to be back on the ship, it is up to you to get back in time to get on the ship.

Why should 5 or 6,000 people have to be inconvienced and have to wait because someone fooled around, took their time and deceided to stop and get something to drink AND go t-shirt shopping, when they already knew they were late? Last cruise I took they told everyone to be back at the ship by 4 because it left at 5. OP was at least an hour late. What did the OP think? What the heck, they'll wait. The OP has no one to blame but herself. It's time people started to take some personal responsibility for their own actions.

Please read the rebuttals..it's not that they wouldn't it's that they couldn't. The ship cannot redock and go through the entire process of reloading just because a few people CHOSE to be late.

Why should it matter who's fault this was? People are people and they make mistakes, lose track of time ect. The ship was there at the port. They could have let these people on. It would not have hurt anyone. The company chose not to. This is inhumane! A legitimate business goes out of their way to satisfy the customer. With these kind of business ethics this company doesn't deserve to be in business.

I assume that with the $3,000 windfall you must have bought some clothes. You must have looked pretty funny in your bathing suit on the flights through Miami to St. Thomas. I guess you truly had "nothing to declare"! Look at the bright side. You didn't have to pay a fee to check your bag.

How can you allege that you had "nothing but your bathing suits" when you missed your ship, when you clearly admit that the main reason you were late was because you had gone clothes shopping?

How about telling the truth so your complaint will be more believable?

It is entirely your fault for not getting back by the designated time. You are not special enough to delay a ship full of thousands of people. The captain clearly announces at each port of call what time you must return back to the ship. If you know that you "walk slowly," then perhaps you should allow extra time to meander your way back to the ship by the designated time. Save t-shirt shopping for another time. Hopefully this experience taught you a lesson in personal responsibility.

Port Fees are the reason that the ship cannot lower the gangway and pick up passengers who cannot be on time for departure. When the ship connects with land again it becomes another arrival and costs the line quite a bit. This story is NOT a rip off. Your problems are entirely your fault. You most likely would have arrived on time had you not gone shopping. You knew what time you had to be back and you ignored it. Tough Luck.

This does not appear to be their fault and there does appear to be some exageration in your report.

It is your responsibility to make sure you get back to the ship On-Time. Now, if you booked an excursion through them and that is running late they will make sure they wait. However, if you are running late they won't make this a free pass to do what ever you want. So you DON'T stop for drinks and T-Shirts(which I can guarantee did not take you 2-3 minutes).

As for leaving all of your stuff on board, that was also a mistake on YOUR part. If you have medical conditions why in the world would you leave your Medical ID Necklace, as well as your Medication On-Board? What if something happened during your excursion? Would that be the fault of the ship if the medical staff on-shore had no idea you had all of these conditions?

If you left everything on board including your money and credit cards how did you pay for the drinks and your T-Shirts?

As stated, if you did not book through the cruiseline they are under no obligation to inconvenience thousands of other passengers to wait for you. If you did, you must have known that you were running late so why stop? Even for three minutes? The ship is very clear about their position that they do not wait unless you are taking one of their excursions and if you are late, you will miss the ship and have to pick it up at the next port.

It appears that this is what happened. I can't see how they are to blame. Opening up the ship to allow on more passengers once they are sealed up isn't a two minute process either.

I have cruised this line a dozen times with no problems. There are rules that must be followed for the convenience and enjoyment of all passengers.

Was the excursion one that the ship organized and arranged? We had one of those return late and the ship waited. If you booked it on your own, the ship was not responsible for it returning late. Once we even had the cruise line (not Carnival) make plane reservations and everything. The plane was late enough due to weather that we missed the cruise ship in San Juan. We flew to Barbados, caught it there and they put us up in the best cabin on the ship which was WAY out of our budget otherwise. They even paid for the extra flight and a hotel and meals in San Juan.

Because of these experiences, I would only take excursions booked through the cruise line.

Having said that however, it seems like they could have figured how to get you on board. Maybe they are not allowed to board passengers once the dock lines are removed. Makes sense but it's just a guess.

It sure would suck anyway.

Last cruise we took, you HAD to be back at the ship by 4, it sailed at 5. You admit you were late, yet you stopped to get drinks AND shop for tee-shirts. I guarantee it didn't take any "2/3 minutes" to get drinks and 2 tee-shirts. It was a heck of a long walk from the street all the way down the dock, to the ship, maybe a quarter or a half mile and you admit you don't move too quick. IF the excursion IS booked through the cruise line, they guarantee the will hold the ship IF it runs late. If you were late already, WHY in the world would you stop to buy drinks and tee-shirts? We made sure we made it back to the ship at 3:30. Nope, this is all of your own doing. Can't blame the cruise line for this one.