|
Way back
in January, a good friend and I booked a 5-day cruise on the Carnival Inspiration to the Cayman
Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. After patiently waiting
months and months, watching co-worker after co-worker go on their own
vacations, we finally set sail on our first, much-anticipated cruise last week. Right in the middle of Hurricane Gustav.
We knew
September was hurricane season when we planned the vacation, but the cheap
prices seemed worth the risk. What were
the chances, anyway? All of the message
boards,
FAQs,
and travel experts
said not to worry. They were right; as
Gustav gained strength in the days before our trip, I didn’t worry – I freaked
out.
Wanting
information about the cruise, I immediately turned to Carnival.com for an update. Nothing.
I checked my e-mail.
Nothing. I read Carnival’s blogs. Nothing.
In fact, an employee was blogging from another ship, as if everything
was good in the world. Meanwhile,
Carnival’s own boards were blowing up with people wondering what would happen
to their cruise. Would it be cancelled?
(Highly unlikely, as I discovered. Cruise lines rarely cancel cruises.) Would the itinerary change? (Highly likely,
though you usually won’t know until you’re actually on the ship.) Would we be safe? (Yes, though you may get a little seasick). Despite all the questions, Carnival was
silent. In fact, the cruise giant didn’t
make any effort to communicate with us in the days leading up to
embarkation.
On departure
day, my friend and I boarded our plane to Tampa,
Fla., with our anxiety in full
swing. We were excited, yet we were
about to cruise into a category 3 hurricane.
When we arrived at the port, as a feeder band from Gustav drenched the
area, we received a letter saying we would be visiting Key
West instead of Grand Cayman. It was Carnival’s first communication with us
about our trip. As it turns out, it
wouldn’t be the last.
As quiet
as Carnival was on land and online, onboard it was a completely different
story. The cruise director and even the
captain himself made frequent announcements updating us on the weather
situation and where the ship was headed.
They quickly informed us when the Key
West port closed, meaning a missed port and extra day
at sea. Most importantly, they ensured
us that every move they made was for our safety. In addition, the crew went above and beyond
and always had smiles on their faces, even when cleaning up after people who
obviously forgot to take their Dramamine.
The guests were dancing, laughing, eating, drinking, swimming and
shopping. This was the Carnival cruise I
had imagined after seeing the commercials (except for the nasty weather and
wicked waves).
That
being said, while Carnival lived up to its brand promise of F-U-N, I’m still
surprised that it made no effort to communicate with its guests before
embarking. The public has come to expect
instant communication, especially in times of crisis or potential
disaster. While some companies are using
blogs, Facebook and even Twitter to distribute information, a simple e-mail
from Carnival would have calmed some nerves, provided reassurance, and
established trust with the company.
In the
end, I suppose operations trumped communications, as everyone I met went home
happy with their experience. In fact,
I’m already looking forward to booking my next cruise, probably during
hurricane season.
 |
