We were on Radiance of the Seas leaving HNL September 20 of this year. Upon checking in we found our assigned room, 8008, was filled with the overpowering stench of harmful sewer gas. Opening the stateroom and balcony doors did not alleviate it. From 3:30 until 8:30 pm maintenance confirmed the problem, pulled at least a bucket of sand out of the shower drain, but could not fix the problem. The room was uninhabitable. Customer Relations said the ship was fully booked, and we were led to believe we had no choice but to leave the ship before it sailed—without our luggage. Customer Relations told us to “just go sit down and wait” and that if we got off the ship we would have to pay for the cruise anyway. After many hours of uncertainty arguing with Customer Relations, Gerardo Duarte told us there are frequently no-shows and likely we’d get a room. He was the one polite person there! After five hours we were assigned to 9072, having lost our entire first day on the ship.

On September 23 I spoke with the Hotel Director, Michael Rasmussen. He strongly insinuated that we were just trying to get a free upgrade because passengers “do that all the time for just a pin on the carpet” (his exact words). I told him I was a thirty-year retired Air Force Colonel, and we didn’t need to maneuver for a free upgrade. Later that day, as we were to meet another couple, he summoned both my wife and I into an office and said “Let’s put this to bed. We gave you a room, didn’t we?” (His exact words.) He didn’t care that we lost the first day of our cruise, and endured such poor treatment from Customer Relations. He granted my wife’s request of 10% off on the next cruise, but offered no apology whatsoever. In my role as an Air Force Colonel, I had over 7,000 personnel in my command, and I never even treated someone I was disciplining with such disrespect!

On September 27, we discovered a 3’ x 3’ puddle on our carpet in front of the sofa, but could not trace its origin. Read more