My two sons and I were one of the unfortunate victims of the two recent hurricanes in the Western Caribbean. Our 7-day cruise was cut to a six-day cruise and one the four stops (Grand Caymans) was deleted because there were too many ships already at port. While we certainly do not fault Carnival for the weather problems, the way the management handled the crisis was horrendous. It will insure that my next cruise will not be on Carnival.

When we were told our ship would be leaving a day late and without a stop at the Caymans, they told us all to get a hotel and come back at 7 a.m. or so for embarkation. The hotel costs were our problem, but they were quite proud of offering us $50 each in credit (not cash) for our trouble. Since I paid about $500 a day for the three of us, I wasn't too happy about their offer. Obviously, others were not either and the credit quickly rose to $150, but still ship credit and the $100 hotel and cab were still on me.

Since I don't drink and my kids sure do not, I could not see how I could spend $450 on soda and overpriced duty-free items. I asked if I could get real cash back and was met with a stern no. They said I could use the money toward any shore excursions, but since I had paid for those in advance, they also said no to a real refund. I cancelled my trip on the spot and went to a hotel room, where I called the Carnival 800 number and again pleaded my case. Maybe I got through to the right person or maybe the cancellations were piling up, but they agreed to give me a check for any left over credit. Read more