Last week we all followed the plight of the wounded cruise ship at sea. We imagined what horrors the 4500 passengers were experiencing. When they landed, we expected to see harried travelers fuming with rage.
Instead we saw people getting off the ship with smiles. They called the trip a real adventure. One man said he renamed the Carnival Splendor the Carnival Slender because he lost weight.
One travel agent on-board the cruise wrote the Carnival cruise lines gave a full refund, future credit , refund of transportation , paid for overnight stay in San Diego, Carnival changed airline flights for passengers and on and on.
The real heroes were the staff. They lined the stairwells assisting people up and down. They hauled everything up (food, drinks, plates) and down the ship – ever vigilant, ever helpful and always on call.
Since there was no horror story to print, the media coverage on the returning travelers was slim.
The customer service turned the horror into an adventure. The organization did all the things necessary to develop long term clients. They were honest and natural in their communication. The cruise line hired friendly people who were able to connect with the travelers and offer them reassurance and make an uncomfortable journey a bit more comfortable. They took the matter seriously but kept calm when addressing the passengers.
This cruise adventure turned into a HUGE public relations success. The clients will return for another (free) cruise, they will brag about their adventure, they will write, blog, talk and the word of mouth will spread about how amazing the crew were during the ordeal.
Heck, maybe I’ll even check into the next Spendor voyage and see if I can blog my way through it! Congratulations for a job well done!
BE sure to read: How to Develop Long Term Clients
Way to go Carnival!
Happily ... after retirement 
While cruising on a sister ship Carnival Liberty, there was never a word spoken about what was happening on the Splendor and I’m sure that was not to worry any of us guests but even among the guests themselves there were no discussions abou…t it because we all knew that the captain and crew would take the very best care of all the patrons on board and do whatever they could for them. They have wonderful staff and they all work very hard at what they do. Most go above and beyond and I’m sure that Carnival will treat them all generously for all their hard work during that unfortunate week.
LikeLike
Hi Anne,
From what I’ve read — the cruise line was top notch and did everything possible to make the voyage as bearable as possible. That must have been so tiring for the crew who had to be everywhere at once, with smiles, with confidence and with no assurance they would get a good night’s sleep.
I’m glad your trip (departing from Miami) was filled with good memories and tons of great photos!
LikeLike