If there’s a downside to being the first people to sail on a new ship, it’s that there’s a pretty good chance that the kinks haven’t all been worked out. Reports from the inaugural voyage of Royal Caribbean’s new Harmony of the Seas would definitely indicate that was the case with the latest ship to (at least temporarily) hold the title of “World’s Biggest Cruise Ship.”
“DisHarmony Of The Seas”
According to the London Telegraph, upset passengers are threatening legal action following the completion of what’s now being billed as a “pre-inaugural” trip that found them dealing with numerous problems ranging from a lack of hot water to construction going on until all hours of the night. Though unconfirmed, the paper cited a TripAdvisor reviewer’s claim that the ship’s captain told passengers that he had “informed the company’s bosses at its headquarters in Miami that [the ship] was not ready… and should not have set sail.” (The Telegraph noted that they had been unable to verify the claim, and that Royal Caribbean had declined to comment on the captain’s alleged criticisms.)
A casual perusal of the hashtag #HarmonyOfTheSeas on Twitter turns up numerous complaints, such as @dianekh000 posting pictures along with the caption “a few more examples of incompleteness, including exposed electric from today.” Royal Caribbean’s Twitter account later responded, “Hi Diane. We’re very sorry about this. We’re working as fast as we can to prepare for Harmony’s official maiden voyage.” But as @MinxyTrixie pointed out, “At no point did Royal Caribbean ever tell us as paying passengers that Harmony Of The Seas would be unfinished.” @Sarah_plater seemed to speak for many when she posted several pics from areas of the ship which were still under construction, saying, “Harmony Of The Seas will be a stunning ship… when they’re finished building it. #NotReady #DisharmonyOfTheSeas.”
The Other Side Of The Story
The new standard #HarmonyoftheSeas pic.twitter.com/ddWaftXUZv
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) May 27, 2016
Not everyone, however, was disappointed. Plenty of people shared tales of the great time they had, with various aspects of the ship receiving rave reviews, including the live production of Grease and the food at the eclectic dining venue Wonderland. A spokesperson for the line told The Telegraph that the trip was never billed as a mainden voyage, but rather a preview cruise, adding that passengers were offered discounted tickets “to allow for any finishing touches that were being made on the ship before the official maiden voyage.”
The spokesperson went on to add that Royal Caribbean wanted “to strongly reiterate that Harmony of the Seas is safe and being regularly checked by [our] experienced team of safety officers to ensure it is safe for our guests. Royal Caribbean can assure its passengers that the incidents reported have been isolated incidents, most occurring more than four days ago and they were immediately dealt with.”
Do you think the passengers had a right to complain, and to even consider legal action? Or were the problems encountered to be expected when one books an inaugural or preview cruise?
Featured photo: Sarah plater @Sarah_plater May 28
Source: Cruise Radio
