johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Harmony of the Seas recently sailed on its first voyage from Southampton to Rotterdam, the trip was a disaster from the start, read this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3612880/How-Harmony-Seas-trip-PR-disaster.html

I trust that the Royal Caribbean group which includes other cruise lines such as Carnival, will fully refund the money passengers paid plus more for this irresponsible decision to set sail with the vessel in this condition. I would also assume the captain will be sacked as he is the person responsible for for the ship and its safety.
This is a just another typical problem which US cruise operators do not seem to be able stop themselves bringing about.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Here's the thing. If they left the ship sitting in the harbor, it would not make them one cent. If they took a chance and collected several million dollars from passengers, it could both sail and still be under construction. Win/win. It's all about the money.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Seems the operators scheduled and sold tickets for the first cruise without checking to see if the builder would have all the post launch stuff finished. And then went ahead with the cruise anyway because they couldn't say "We goofed, would you like a ticket on one of our other ships, or a refund?"

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

I wonder where the ship was built, and why it wasn't finished on time? I'm not one for having to buy the newest new car model, or anything electronic. Perfectly content to wait for the shakedown cruise and get the bugs out. That is a lot of money to cough up for being part of the Beta run.

exakta56 Loc: Orford,New Hampshire

I have never understood the allure of a cruise ship. Why would one want to 'get away from it all' with six thousand other vacationers?

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

And these days, at least in the US, it is not about the destinations - it is all about "cruising". Some 7-day cruises only make a few stops. Personally, I would rather visit a large grand old city with all the shows and restaurants and attractions you could ever want - a place with character where you can learn the subway system, hang out in the places the locals hang out. But I guess a major appeal of a cruise is that everything is done for you - you don't have to make arrangements for everything ahead of time - you just have to wait in line with thousands of other passengers...

The cruise lines do understand that if they don't sail it costs them money. I know a doc who works for the cruise lines sometimes. He was on a ship sailing from Galveston to Cozumel - there was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, and there was no way the ship was ever going to reach any of the planned destinations, but it sailed anyway - only to sail in circles in the Gulf of Mexico for three days, the minimum so that they did not have to refund everyone's money. He said there were awful swells and almost everyone on the ship was sick (and he was the only doctor for several thousand people! ). He was very angry that they had done that to all those passengers.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The worst cruise I had was on a large Carnival ship. The name says it all. The best - well, that was everything else. Holland America seems to prefer ships that are less crowded. We began cruising on the English ship Franconia in 1967. There were no locks on the cabin doors. We had a great cruise from NY to Bermuda. When ships began resembling skyscrapers, the enjoyment quickly diminished.

We sailed twice on the SS Normandy, which was originally the SS France, an actual oceanliner. We left from FL because with an insufficient number of elevators, it wasn't certified to sail into NY harbor. it was like going back in time sailing on this ship from 1962.

We also sailed on the QE2, the Queen Mary 2, and the Queen Victoria 2. I love cruising, but not with 6,000 other people who are rock climbing, racing cars, and fighting off stomach viruses.

allan catt Loc: gillingham,kent,uk

I agree with Jerry ,I don't like large ships,I cruised on the smaller ship The Saga Pearl 2,we enjoyed it so much we are booked for next year,only 475 passengers ,that's plenty.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I am going to add something to your stories.
Yesterday I participated in a promotion to have lunch aboard Divina, a cruise boat of Italian origin. I was requested like all passengers an ID to enter the boat, once again actualling checking-in and twice while inside the boat. I was requested an ID again on exiting the boat. I never went through so much before.
The food was acceptable and the crew courteous but there are many complaints in the Internet about this boat. Nobody tells the passengers anything but the ship imposes a $6 a day per passenger for gratuities and a 15% tax on anything bought on board stores. The ship usually carries 4,000 passengers so "tips" along are $250,000. In Europe that I know of it is not customary to tip.
Divina belongs to MSC cruise lines. I guess I am not going to be cruising with them for some time.

taffthetooth Loc: U.K

Watched it leave from my balcony, unfortunately my camera was behind lots of boxes as we are moving in.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yeah, I know what you mean. We cruised on Holland America years ago when they tried a no-tipping policy - that's money for the crew, not the ship tipping :D. The crew hated it, and it showed in the service. We saw "Tip us!" written on the wall of an elevator.

Security has gotten very tight, with passengers now needing a scannable ID card to get on and off. I remember the days when anyone could board a ship at the pier and join in the pre-sailing parties.

PRETENDER Loc: Micanopy,Florida

Going to Walmart is about as enjoyable as the cruises i have been on. At least I can go back home when i get my fill o f humanity.

Goober Loc: Southeastern PA

My first cruse is scheduled in 2 weeks with National Geographic/Lindblad Expeditions in Alaska. Total of 62 passengers plus crew which I think I can handle just fine. I have no desire whatsoever to spend time on a cruise with thousands of people. My view on the big cruise ships is that I may as well drive the hour to downtown Philadelphia, stay in a large hotel and stare out the window for a few days.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Though others seem to enjoy it, I just can't see myself locked up with thousands of people I don't know in a large floating petri dish.
--Bob

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

Not a trip I'd like to pay for.