okay folks this is long but this is why you need to book with a travel agent and not online!!!!! nor with the cruiselines direct!!!! My clients back in March of 2011 went on a Royal Caribbean Azamara Cruise. They had a fire on their ship out in Somalia. It was a 10,000 cruise plus all their other parts of vacation etc. This client has traveled to more than 190 countries and we do all their travel at Elite Travel. When they had this issue in 2011 their only form of communication was my agent Judy Sontag who took the time and stayed up all night assuring them that she was there for them. They had no water, no food, no communication. Royal Caribbean gave them a credit for a future cruise! yipppie.. so they book their cruise to the Mediterranean with Judy again. Now while in Turkey at around 1:30 am on the 19th yesterday her husband fell in the cabin. Royal Caribbean reps put him in an ambulance and sent him to the wrong hospital. No One from RCCL helped, but made things worse. They were sent to a government hospital that was dirty, was a war zone in other words, not sanitary.. they asked for him to be moved there was no way he was going to have surgery there. He broke his hip and is 89 years old and needs to have immediate surgery. They would not allow his wife to see him no phone, no english, no royal carribbean representative, no photos, no text nothing. Judy barely got any communication. We did a tour for a client about two years ago and had a turkish tour operator that was amazing in turkey.. we communicated with him and asked for his help! He has been a blessing and has been with this couple all along, communicating back and forth. My client asked RCCL to get their insurance company which my clients are insured with Berkely to get an airlift helicopter to take them to the american hospital in Istanbul.. they said no. Finally my clients got a hold of the US Embassy and requested a government ambulance. They said okay and after going back and forth were going to have him transported via back roads for 6 hours to take him to Istanbul. Mind you we have been on the phone with her texting and communicating all night. I have reached out to ABC Action news who is doing everything in their power to help with this situation. In any case.. the cruise line or the insurance company denied them the ambulance to come and take them to the other hospital. They basically were kept hostage in this hospital in Turkey. Either the surgery was going to be done there, or he was going to die. So a few hours ago the ambulance transported them to the Hospital in Istanbul. Our turkish tour rep is there with her, the US Embassy and the American Consulate and some other people we are trying to support her. The insurance company for royal Caribbean basically said, you have to pay all the bills first otherwise we are not paying for anything !!! His surgery is set and we pray and hope for the best. How is this going to be handled, what if Judy or me or Elite Travel was not there for her along the way? Royal Caribbean dropped the ball and left them stranded.. what do you do? This is God awful.. and how are they to pay a bill that may exceed 100,000 in a different country. How are they to get back? Do you think this is right on the Cruises part to leave them stranded even when they have insurance? What is the accountability? The responsibility? The inhumane treatment to your clients? is it always about money? If anyone can help with anything or suggestions please let me know your thoughts and if you can help. Thanks
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 16:17:42 +0000
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