Royal Carribean Cruise Lines ripoff Explorer VIRUS of the Seas Cruise Feb. 26 '06 deceptive secrets Miami Florida

My family and I sailed on the VIRUS, opps sorry, EXPLORER of the Seas on February 26th 2006. We have sailed with Royal Carribean several times before but this will be our last because what you have heard on the news over the past year about this cruise line is absolutly true. We did not believe that they do their best to cover up things as they have said about certain events that occur aboard their ships becasue we had sailed with them (we meaning averyone in my entire family) a few times in the past. WELL THE COVER-UP'S ARE TRUE and we expierienced one of them.

We set sail on the Virus of the Seas February 26th for a nice getaway with grandma and grandpa. My wife and 2 children excited for the adventure. On the second night, my mother became ill. The next morning she went to the ship's doctor only to find several people waiting to see the doctor. She was instructed to go to her cabin and wait for a call to come down. 5 hours later, she was able to see the doctor. This is when she was informaed that there was a breakout of the Norwalk Virus. She was told by that doctor that he had seen several hundred people with it in the past 2 days. They quarantined her to her room for 24 hours along with my father. Keep in mind we are on our 3rd day.

This virus is one that is spread by a "hand to mouth" situations to the most part. We saw no attempt to educate or inform the passangers.

While standing in the buffet line on the morning of our 4th day, I was in line behind a passanger who was also a doctor. While in line he called over on of the crew members in the buffet that appeared to be management of some kind. This doctor proceeded to tell the crew member that he knew what was going on on the ship with a virus and that he could not believe that they would allow the passangers to touch the buffet and serve themselves. He said that it was "incompetent and reckless under the circumstances". By noon they were serving the passangers under a reccommendation of a passanger!

While we slowly but surely saw them take a few precautions, still no information to the passangers about what was going on and what they could do to prevent it. The crew acted as if nothing were happening and you could not speak to a single passanger at that time that did not know someone that had gotten the virus.

OK this is where it gets unbelievable. DAY 6 we are in Grand Cayman and we are to go to "Studio B" so we can get ashore for our planned event for the day. The one the kids were waiting for all week. As we sit in this area, it continues to fill up and noone is leaving. They are not rotating to people in and out according to the instructions given to us prior to going there. Now the place is packed and we find out that they cannot get clearance at that time becasue Grand Caymen does not like to idea of the virus. In the meantime, Studio B is packed and the best part, there are people that are sick in there but they will ot go to the doctor becasue they have heard to horor stories of those that have been sick and how they have been treated. No kidding, I had a woman tell me that her kids did not feel well but someone else in their party went to the ships doctor and they whote down their name, sent them to their room and were told to stay there until they can got to them and never came.

So here we are all in a situation to get sick, packed in this area with healthy passangers and sick passangers. When I heard the story from the mother noext to me, I gathered my wife and kids and left the room and waited in the foyer where I was told "you must go back inside, you cannot wait out here"!!

Alright, you might think this is all but it is not. When we were finally given clearance to get off the ship, (only those who they did not know were affected by the virus the rest could not get off the ship) we had to leave grandme and grandpa behind becasue tohey could not join us on our excursion. At the gangplank, now 1 hour late for our excursion, my youngest son get denied and we are told he cannot get off the ship becasue he was regestered to my parents room on the reservation. He had not been in that room the entire trip and I orginally asked reservations why they would put him in their room and they told me it was becasue it was easier for the reservation.

After standing in line for another 30 min. at the pursers desk, they finally move my sons reservation to our room and proceed to tell us we can get off. We were lucky enough to get someone to bring us to the excursion by boat that we were supposed to be on 2 hours earlier with a little cash of our own so our kids could at lease get a little of what they waited for all week.

Now do you thinks that they would offer us any type of compensation for the loss of over half of our excursion? I DON'T THINK SO. Do you think that since my family has spent tens of thousands of dollars on their cruiseline in the past 10 years and have entertained and paid for customers of our business as well as family reunions? I DON'T THINK SO! Do you think that they told the truth on thier press release after the cruise? I DON'T THINK SO.

ROYAL CARRIBEAN IS ONLY CONCERNED WITH THE BOTTOM LINE. NOT YOUR LOYAL BUSINESS OVER THE YEARS. NOT YOUR HEALTH. NOT YOUR SAFETY. AND CERTIANLY NOT YOU AS A CUSTOMER.

PLEASE IF YOU READ THIS, CONSIDER ANOTHER CRUISELINE BECASUE THIS ONE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. IF THEY DID THEY WOULD HAVE SPENT A LITTLE MORE TIME ON SANITATION WHIOCH DID NOT COME OUT UNTIL THE END OF THE CRUISE AND THEY WOULD HAVE PUT A LITTLE FAITH IN THE PEOPLE TO HELP EDUCATE THEM ON PREVENTION.

THEY ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT YOU AND YOUR HEALTH, THEY JUST WANT YOU $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Craig
Princeton, Minnesota
U.S.A.

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