Over the past few years, Carnival has developed a pretty good reputation when it comes to making things right when something goes wrong during a cruise. So it should come as no surprise that in response to complaints from passengers aboard the Carnival Glory who found themselves dealing with construction issues earlier this month, the line is not only apologizing but offering restitution.
What They’re Saying
A statement released by Carnival to several outlets reads as follows: “We sincerely apologize to our guests for the disruption created by the refurbishment work to the water park area on Carnival Glory. We clearly underestimated the impact this work would have on our guests’ cruise experience. While we have done this same refurbishment work on other vessels without issue, we did not fully appreciate the impact that the mid-ship location of the water park would have on our guests and, in hindsight, should have communicated with them in advance. We sincerely regret the inconvenience they experienced. All guests on the impacted cruise will receive a 25 percent refund of their cruise fare and a 50 percent credit towards a future cruise.”
When Will The Work Be Done?
Although the ship is currently in drydock, a letter signed by Carnival’s president, Christine Duffy, is being sent to those slated to sail on the Glory immediately following the drydock warning that some of the work will not be completed at that time. “During your cruise,” it reads in part, “ we will be putting the finishing touches on our new WaterWorks experience. Unfortunately, we are unable to completely finish this feature and WaterWorks will not be open during your voyage. The main and aft pools, along with the hot tubs, will all be open and the Carnival Glory team has lots of fun activities and terrific entertainment in store for you.”
The missive goes on to say that Carnival understands this is disappointing “and, as a result, we will be providing a $200 per cabin credit to your on board account.” For those opting to cancel their cruise, Carnival is allowing them to switch to “another comparable sailing in similar accommodations at the same price” or receive a full refund.
While Carnival is clearly and wisely making this offer as a pre-emptive strike to avoid dissatisfaction among cruisers, it is expected that the post-drydock work will be far less disruptive than what was experienced by cruisers during the construction which took place earlier this month.
