I know this is supposed to be a "happy board", but sometimes things I hear don't make me happy.

On other boards, like CC, there have always been trolls, flamers, and nit-pickers who complain. Disregarded! But recently, some believable and worrisome problems have been reported. For example, here are three of them.

1. In the case of the recent Diamond cancelation fiasco, some canceled cruisers were told (by members of this board and by Radisson) that Radisson would reimburse them for airline and hotel penalties, and other put-of-pocket expenses of this nature. Now, it has developed that Radisson is refusing to do this. And this problem overlays the larger problem of Radisson's failure to protect itself in its lease agreement against being deprived use of the ship in the event of a sale.

2. Capt. Broussard (sp?) of the PG will be leaving the ship tomorrow, for good! Why? Nobody knows, except for the fact that the skipper isn't too happy about it, as he has been the Captain since the PG first sailed. The experience of the Captain is important to cruisers, as he makes the ultimate call on whether water near a port is REALLY too rough to visit, and other things that make sure if a port is missed, there is rally a good reason.

3. It has been reported that the pay of the maintanence staff on the PG has been cut in half. This is of concern, as I've cruised on ships where the maintanence staff wasn't very motivated when I had a plumbing or AC problem --- and I don't want to do it again.

I don't want to be a chronic "worrier" and I'm certainly not trying to start any arguments! Rather, a Radisson cruise is a bit of an investment to us. In the past, they have been worth it. Now, I'm starting to wonder. Can any of you throw any light on the situation?

Thanks,
Richard

Richard, I read a couple of month's ago about Brossard's departure, so this is not sudden, for one thing.

For the other, as discussed on CC, the big gaff about reimbursing cancelled Diamond passengers for their privately-arranged airfare was that they purportedly *said* they would do it, and then changed their minds. That is bad, for sure.

I had also heard the rumours about the cuts in pay of the "crew" of the PG. I guess we Pipsters will find out in 5 weeks what the situation is then.

To many negative issues lately. We just did the March 3rd Panama Canal Cruise on the Mariner and everything was great. The future of Radissson is a little fuzzy right now. Making me a little nervous. :(

You know, none of these rumors are substanciated. How do we know the crew salaries were cut?
As for the the reimbursed air for someone that did not book it through RSSC, I think that is the risk you take. When I book my own air, I am willing to take responsibility for it. As I said on the CC post, it is rare that you cannot transfer air for a small re-ticket fee, so there really is no loss to the passenger. It's is a gamble, but, this is what happens in business.
There are no guarantees. Now, if RSSC keeps routinely cancelling cruises like that, then they will have a problem.
And as for Capt. Broussard, he might not be happy and we really don't know if they are replacing him because of some other contract situation.

It seems we always have someone aboard ship somewhere, so we are in on the loop. No one has had any complaints that have come up from being on board.

I agree that the best feedback is from individuals who just came back from a recent cruise. When many of those reports (not just one or two)come back negative, I will analyze the feedback and take it from there. I recently had a wonderful cruise on the Navigator and had some of the best service I have ever experienced. I tend to discount negative feedback from individuals who become a bit unglued, resorting to nastiness, when others question them. I am also very aware that when one presents a problem on a board, it is human tendency to leave out the details which don't look favorably upon your case. If I understand correctly, one passenger wants to be reimbursed for a nonrefundable airline ticket that they purchased, still have in their possession and have a year to use. Good luck. As a past manager who had to fire people, I was always well aware that all kinds of rumors swirled around the reasons for firing someone, when I knew that the answer(at least for my cases) had to do with incompetence and endangering the public. All I am saying is that changes are difficult for everyone, sometimes for the better, and it is best to wait for the dust to settle see what Radisson does and then reach your own conclusion.

I am worried, too. We booked the New Year's Cruise on the PG. We thought we were "safe" through 2005 with Radisson management/crew/service/etc. Now I am not so sure. We have been looking forward to this cruise for such a long time. All the reports are making me nervous. Keep the info coming!
Miriam

I have read all the threads on CC and just chosen not to respond over there. So much is gossip and speculation. I never have the inside scoop on these types of things and I live and breath RSSC everyday all day. So I think that one must always remember that just because you read something does not make it fact.

The one thing I do not quite accept is that RSSC is not agreeing to pay normal and reasonable out of pocket expenses for personal air costs on a charter - never experienced this personally. There may be more to the story than we know here. ChatKat has it right there is seldom a "completely unrefundable ticket". Everyone gets upset when a ship charters and that is COMPLETELY understandable. However, with small luxury ships charters do happen, and will continue to happen. There is always an offer for displaced passengers. In this case there was a $500 shipboard credit per person for a future cruise. This has not been mentioned in these threads.

Captain changes. This type of change is going to happen. We have lost some great crew staff over the years and then the replacement turns out to be wonderful. I recognize that we must accept the changes in staff. It is inevitable.

Crew maintenance staff salary being cut. I have no idea. It is quite amazing if this did happen if any regular passengers would know anyway. I dont think I have ever had a conversation with the maintenance staff on any of my trips.

I am so glad PIP is coming up so we can go to the PG and see for ourselves if there are really any changes since the sale. Colonel Wes just went and said it was fantastic.

Until I see multiple reports of a negative "ship experience" from sources we know and trust I just dont pay any attention to all the rumors. That is really all that matters to the passenger is that the ship experience is as it should be.

Remember Radisson is merging with Crystal too that has been out there are as a rumor for years and keeps coming up!!!

I understand why you posted this Richard but these "rumors" are just that really - rumors. When we have bona fide problems on the ships then I dont mind them being posted but lets stick to facts and not continue to promote gossip and speculation.

Ngaire, I think you have put it all in perspective quite well. From my experience with many cruises (I think I'm up to 14, none longer than 14 days) on Radisson, I have only happy memories of them(well, maybe that IV thing I had while sick in France wasn't fun, but the nurse sat there forever with me!) or I would not continue to book with them. Like Doc Desdin, I take every negative review with a bit of caution based on my past personal experience. If a poster well-known to me from participation on this board or cc comes back with negative impressions, then I listen a little harder if their experience was different than the past. But when someone brand new posts either here or on cc with a totally negative experience, I try to evaluate what happened, how they reacted, and what was the outcome.

I don't recall any "pattern" of negative reviews from people on this board or cc of recent cruises on any ship in the fleet. Almost everyone is coming home happy, and we are hearing balanced reviews based on big and little things that mean more to one person than the other.

The Diamond thing with airfare is unfortunate, and I would be upset if had I purchased airfare independently and didn't get made whole for my losses. I have had the experience of being canceled twice, but it wasn't the end of the earth, I rebooked, and I was well compensated for my inconvenience! RSSC may be costing themselves more in bad customer relations on this issue than taking care of the customer would have cost in dollars. Word of mouth is a powerful advertising tool, positive or negative.

Richard, I don't recall you have had negative experiences on any of your cruises, unless you were on that 2-fer on the Diamond when so many were upset about a group of children on one particular cruise. You seem to me disappointed that the fleet is changing size, as we all are. Nothing we can do about that, other than look into good deals on similar lines such as Silversea, and gosh knows I get enough of them in e-mails, several a week. As for the rumors and speculation, I just let stuff like that go right over my head. Sometimes on boards like cc, people with little RSSC experience seem to like to blow off steam, and have little knowledge about the facts. I feel that if Ngaire knows something, she is going to share it, and since as she says, she "lives and breathes RSSC" every day, we shouldn't be ruffling our feathers in angst over what may be nothing.

For sure, if one gets on a ship looking for problems to report on this board, no doubt he/she will find them, and dwell on that more than all the good part of the experience. I prefer the "glass half full" rather than "glass half empty" approach to life, in both work and play. And I for one think it best to speak from our personal experiences rather than speculation gleaned from others as we post here.

Well, I WAS on that Diamond 2 for 1 with all the children that caused complaints --- but not from me! The cruise was a little "off" by Radisson standards, but was still good and fun!

In deciding to "worry" I completely disregarded complaints like the guy who didn't like one of the airlines RSSC booked him on and didn't like the shipboard security, and the like.

The main concern was Radisson's failure to cover out of pocket expenses for the early fleet departure of the Diamond (and I guess the PG charter too). Unless senility is upon me again, I seem to recall even Ngaire saying that Radisson would surely cover air and hotel penalties and the like in these cases. My secondary concern is that "little pieces" of reports that LOOK reliable seem to add up to the conclusion that GCT is taking a more active role in managing the PG than the past owners/lessors have.

But then, my dad used to call me a "worry wart" when I was a little kid, so maybe I still am?

Thanks,
Richard

Richard, I used to be a "worry wart" as that was a name my mom gave to me!! Yes Ngaire did comment on the air and hotel penalties, we know where she stands on this, and surely RSSC will read her comments!

Until we see those "little pieces" add up, all I was saying is that we should listen to recent cruisers reports, just like DocDesdin says. I so wish he would come here more often, as "reason" is his middle name. He was my favorite poster so many years ago when I first got on cc for my first cruise.

What I meant by "do not accept"" is that I am not convinced that the poster is giving an accuarate statement. I do not know who even posted that so I dont want to say this person is not telling the truth just that they are either misinformed or are not being properly assisted in how to proceed in this circumstance.

I just have NEVER known them NOT to cover these types of expenses unless the person is claiming something that is unreasonable. I had a LOT of people on those Diamond sailings and to my knowledge EVERYONE had their expenses covered.

There was one man who had tickets with some hefty fees and it took a little time to get approved. However, those were covered I know they were approved and he has not called me so he must have received his money or I would have heard from him.

I think there is more here in this story than meets the eye. There are always two sides to every story we are only hearing one side.

Yes, Richard I do think that this PG owner is taking a more active role is something that is becoming clear. I have no idea of how decisions are made between RSSC and the new ownership but I do know that RSSC takes their reputation seriously and while they manage the ship RSSC is on the line. With that being the case I am sure that RSSC has some control over the quality of the product. While RSSC is in managment I am not really worried.

IF RSSC left the managment of the PG then I think the ship would not be the same.

Ngaire: Of course there is more to the story than meets the eye - too bad we are not smart enough to realize that asap - I can be a slow slow learner - Joanna

Well, sure! That is why I am only asking questions, and not reporting any problems. I have never experienced any problems on Radisson that were not adequately addressed. I have absolutely no personal complaints. And I hope it stays that way! I'm only saying that I'm WORRIED about our next booked Radisson cruise, which is the PG Sept. 17.

Thanks,
Richard

I have a favorite saying. Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair, you go back and forth and you dont get anywhere.

Ngaire:

I hope I will be forgiven for my worries. You see, we are among the "move up' crowd from the mass market lines, in our case RCI. We left them based upon what we had read "on the boards", and in that case, all turned out to be true! And we began cruising Radisson, based upon what we read on the boards at that time -- which proved to be also true. I sense that I have become a negative influence on the boards recently, and (if you will recall all my posts from earlier) I certianly don't intend to be so! Let me say this: I have had very few problems with Radisson cruises, and the few that I've had have been taken care of in a fair manner. I, personally, have zero complaints with Radisson at this time!

My situation now is very much like it was regarding RCI in June, '01 when I read "on the boards" that there had been some changes in RCI's policies that I would not like. And there were too many such posts to disregard. And, they turned out to be true. So we booked no more with them.

Now, we have a 14 night PG cruise booked on Sept. 17. And we can't tell who is running the ship. Is it RSSC or is it GCT? Frankly, from reports received, we can't tell. And our "penalty period" starts in about a month. The cruise, as you know, is several thousand dollars for the two of us, plus air and overnights required by the distance. So I hope all will forgive me if I'm worried about making air plans using points or our dollars, and not knowing if Radisson will reimburse us if the PG also gets pulled from the fleet early, or is "chartered." And I beg forgiveness if I'm worried if we arrive onboard and are treated to a "GCT style" experience, rather than a "Radisson style" experience.

Can we all remember the days when I was accused on the CC boards of being a Radisson empolyee, because of my zeal for this line? Nobody has been a greater Radisson "cheerleader" than I have been. No, I don't think I am worried over nothing here. If any of you are in a position to have your cruise canceled and take a loss on your air or hotel and say "oh, well" then good for you. If any of you are in a position to book a Radisson cruise and get a GCT experience and say "oh well", then good for you. But we are not in such a position, and therefore are worried.

Thanks,
Richard

Richard,

With PIP coming up in a few weeks, we'll be able to tell you more when we get back. Hopefully, it will still be your cancellation period

You could always transfer your booking to Voyager, Navigator or Mariner if GCT worries you. Your ports will be different but not your experience.

Richard...I am sorry to hear of your aprehension over your upcoming PG cruise. You have been quite a stalwart for Radisson for as long as I have been reading here and CC. I also am among many that are concerned about the changes at RSSC. When I started on RSSC I thought it was easy money to get $200 credit for booking/deposit on the same day....now that is no more. I could use that "free" money to make an on-board deposit for another cruise....no more. Where is my overnight at LAX to Tahiti?...no more. Now I have a bitch'n 18 hour Friday from Colorado Springs (southwest zone) ...just because they can fly us from DIA to LAX at 6am.
Great memories of 3 years ago bring great expectations for the future but businesses change, and not always for our betterment. I hope you can figure out for yourself if things have changed too much for your comfort before your final payment, (hopefully we PIP'sters can help) but there is alot of water under the bridge between 119 days and 2 days out before your cruise. Things may change yet again, but I would not let the recent, what I perceive to be "high maintanence" types on CC cloud your judgement. Ngaire has forgotten more than we know about RSSC and I believe her remarks above to be spot on, there is more to those stories over at CC. Her judgement certainly carries alot of weight with my decision.

ColonelWes just came back from PG recently and said it was fantastic. All of our 6 RSSC cruises have been great so we took his advice and booked Navigator next Jan. We fully expect to have the same wonderful experience as before and until personally (or as Olivia has said, someone with credibility) proves differently, we will continue with RSSC.

Richard

I, for one, choose to use the phrase "watchful waiting" rather than worrying. Ownership changes usually signal change - sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. One would think that GCT would not tamper with success. While not heavily into cruising, we have been on all RSSC (including Diamond and Song) ships except PG and will be on it for 3 weeks this Fall. Am I worried about the cruise - no. Am I paying close attention to reports - you bet. Would I cancel based on negative reports - probably not, unless it were a landslide on this board. So, I'm watching and waiting.

BTW, when RSSC cancelled the Mariner back in '02 3 weeks before a family cruise, I expected no reimbursement for our independently arranged air for 10 people. I was amazed when we received full coverage - even for redepositing miles used for upgrades. That made me a RSSC zealot, not unlike you, Richard. So, all of you going on PG, let us know!

Unless my calculations are wrong, my 120 day penalty period begins May 20. So I'd greatly apreciate any reports from the PG between now that time. BTW, I don't place much stock in pure rumors, either. It is just that lately there have been so many of them, and none of them good. I'd also appreciate any advice on whether we should book our air through Radisson on this one -- out of an abundance of caution!

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

With all of you PIPsters on board the PG in a few weeks, I would suspect that if there was even a momentary lapse in the traditionally excellent service on the PG, that by sheer numbers you would be able to easily stir a mutiny and overwhelm the entire staff, forcing them to meet LCT-level expectations, then and for all cruises afterward... ;) ;) ;)

Richard, all; Ida and my experience onboard
the PG last month was heaven..as the title of my post from the ship said...service, food, diving,
motu, cabins, etc exceeding our expectations daily. Our second week we were in the cabin next to the GCT owner, Henry Lewis--who told me their goal was to try to keep the PG in FP thru 2009. The only changes he told me they were tweaking had to do with 2006+ b2b itineraries that would make them more attractive to veteran PG cruisers...sounded reasonable to me..the only visible GCT change I saw, was their somewhat "tacky" cruise table to the side of the professional PG excursion desk...but I did not notice any difference on the ship..the GCT cruisers were as friendly as the RSSC ones....the next best report will be the first hand ones from the many PIPsters...look fwd to them.

PS..Michael, we're glad you booked the Navigator
next Jan, Dave and I are already looking at post cruise locations in San Juan..interested?

r/wes

While I am not sure about on board posting from the PG (is there a computer room on board?), I will try to keep you all up on the PIP events and the status of the PG!

Mrs. 2000, yes there is a computer room o/b with
six computers..($55 for 100 min or $100 for 250 Min)..r/wes

Ouch!

I last paid $75 for 20 HOURS on Voyager. Are the PG computers based on connect time or download time? If the latter, are there any samller packages available?

thanks,

Ouch is right - but I still have to connect with the office, so I have no choice. Better than smoke signals. I had to call home on our Bermuda Cruise from the ship $75.00 charge for a very very short call.

Well, now there is something right there! The reported computer charges are MASSIVELY higher than on our last RSSC cruise.

Wes:

I read all your reports, and it did sound much like the PG of two years ago. However, some of the posts that motivated me to post this appear to be about events since your cruise. And, as some of us know, cruise lines can change things with the snap of the fingers. I saw it. We used to cruise RCI, believe it or not, on their smaller ships. Oh, yeah, RCI always "nickeled and dimed" but before June '01 you could "protect yourself" by carrying on liquor and beer, buying liquor in the ships store, and carrying on soda. It was perfectly within the rules then. But suddenly, in mid June '01 many posts hit CC about how RCI was confiscating all carry on beverages (hard and soft) and refusing to sell liquor in the duty free store for onboard consumption. All without any warning to previously booked guests who thought they knew the rules from many previous RCI cruises. And all these posts turned out NOT to be mere rumors. They were all true. We never cruised RCI again. Partially because we did not like the "new rules" but mainly because RCI had simply "sprung" these new rules on folks who had booked under the "old rules" and that does not seem fair and right.

Here is what bothers me about suspected changes in cruise lines. If I had a product ordered for Sept. 17 delivery, it would either be delivered as per specifications and as per examples I had examined pre-order, or I could decline delivery and payment. Cruise lines are the only sellers I know of that can seem to get away with changing the deal, and still requiring the customer to go through with it. So I wouldn't have any worries about (for example) a car I had ordered for delivery in a few months. If it arrived "not to specs" I'd simply walk away with my money in my pocket. But with a cruise, I can't do that -- so yes I do worry.

Thanks,
Richard

Richard, maybe you should choose a different vacation? You will be so tied in knots prior to September's arrival that you will never enjoy the cruise.

Richard, like Equailo and Wes have said, they enjoyed their PG experience much like the rest of us in the past! I don't understand why you are getting so worried! As I have said before, if you get on that ship looking for something to be wrong, you are going to find it, whether it is a frayed carpet that might have missed your attention before, or a rushed waiter that before would have allowed another glass of wine with no bother. Silversea is offering some really great bargains for the summer and early fall in Europe, although I know you have your heart set on a return to FP.

Marc,

I agree. All this worry will not make a good cruise for Richard.

JPar

Richard,

Maybe you should change your plans on future trips with RSSC. If you are in doubt and worried.

Regards, JPar

I think the PG computer charges are more expensive because they're probably using a different computer hookup than the other RSSC ships. Remember that until recently, the PG didn't even have Internet access so I guess we should be grateful that they're even offering it now. :)

Masaki

Hey Kathy, sorry to hear that you have to stay in touch with the office. I will be officially out of touch for our trip, except by phone in the case of a family emergency. The office can cease to exist for all I care, while I am in FP.

Since the Paul Gauguin is no longer a truly "Radisson" but under the control of Grand Circle Travel (a minimal provider) and in the future, Vantage Travel, I would not chance taking a trip on it.

OK, thanks all for your comments, both pro and con. And, please, keep those onboard reviews comming in!

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)