What happens when things
go wrong on a cruise? As with any vacation, occasionally some aspect of your
trip will go awry. It's happened to all of us -- the cruise documents are late
coming, you don't like your stateroom, a shore excursion is sold out. So what
do you do? In this series, we focus on the occasional -- well, to
be honest, the most common -- complaints we hear from Cruise Critic readers.
Our format is designed to
present the problem, clarify the rules and offer suggestions that we hope will
empower you to solve it -- whether it's a pre-cruise or onboard issue.
Can't
fix it then? Check out our post-cruise section,
where we provide tips on alternative avenues where, in a best-case scenario,
a cruise line will finally respond to your satisfaction or, at the very least,
give you an outlet to alert fellow passengers about your experience. And for
those of you who use travel agents to book your cruise, know this: They can
be a powerful advocate on your behalf.
We didn't accomplish this
alone; a handful of cruise lines, selected to represent all ranges of styles,
including Carnival, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Princess
Cruises, very generously chipped in with their suggestions.
They also tipped us off about the most common complaints they receive.
One suggestion, offered
by everyone we talked to, applies across the board. If you have a problem, try
to solve it on the spot. Oh, and another thing: You know that tediously fine
print that blurs before your eyes on page after page of that glossy brochure?
Many of your answers can be found there. Read it before you go. We promise,
you'll be glad you did.
What happens when things
go wrong on a cruise? As with any vacation, occasionally some aspect of your
trip will go awry. It's happened to all of us -- the cruise documents are late
coming, you don't like your stateroom, a shore excursion is sold out. So what
do you do? In this series, we focus on the occasional -- well, to
be honest, the most common -- complaints we hear from Cruise Critic readers.