"Not long into the cruise, the toilets on lower decks overflowed several times," the Oltmans said in their lawsuit, filed in King County District Court in Washington state on Wednesday.

The Oltmans, who paid $4,642.06 for the cruise, said it took crew members 15 hours to clean up the mess, which "created incredibly unsanitary conditions on board, separate and apart from a piercing stench."

Seattle-based Holland America, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. (CCL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world's largest cruise operator, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The Oltmans said they suffered from a gastrointestinal illness, and also saw crew members eating directly from buffet platters.

"During the scheduled stop in Ecuador, Jack Oltman noticed some crew members openly associating with prostitutes," the lawsuit said.

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Originally posted by bmajor:
[QB"During the scheduled stop in Ecuador, Jack Oltman noticed some crew members openly associating with prostitutes,".[/QB]

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Are prostitutes nowadays required to ware a special “I’m a prostitute” badge? How else are you going to recognize if a crew member is seen with a prostitute. I have seen passengers that dress worse then a prostitute so clothing says nothing, and what if a crew member is seen kissing a female, for all it could be his girlfriend waiting on shore for him? You know the sailors saying that they have a sweetheart in every town they visit! I guess the only way you really recognize a prostitute is when: A - you are one yourself, B - you are a loyal customer.

If you are shocked of something you thought was a prostitute then you have a severe case of western culture denying disorder and then you should definitely not go on a cruise to experience cultures! Surely blaming your own prudery on HAL is not fair. Besides are crew members when on shore still under the orders of the cruise company, isn’t the company owning the docking facility/terminal responsible for allowing prostitutes on their property? If so I think I’ll dress up as a prostitute next time when I want to photograph a ship, maybe this way I will be allowed on the quay for some snaps.

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Onno wrote:
...I think I’ll dress up as a prostitute next time when I want to photograph a ship, maybe this way I will be allowed on the quay for some snaps.

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Brilliant idea.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

Seeing a crew member with a prostitute will not cause a gastrointestinal illness.

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The story is that the mother would not have anny attention of one off the crewmembers (Dutch) and here son eather (Indonasian)

Therfore they making up the whole story ore overreact at least on the toilets floading over. I wonder iff they have earlyer seud a cruiseline.

I think I have mentioned before a couple I knew who took pride in telling people they had never yet paid for a cruise, as always went out of their way to find something wrong to make a song and dance about for a refund.

The trouble is, with all the false claims by such people and the 'padding out' of real complaints with extra irrelevant nonsense, it makes one [well me anyway] very skeptical whenever reading a complaint.. and there must surely be some valid ones. I think some cruiselines have become somewhat over generous in handouts when things go wrong, thereby prompting more and more complaints from certain types.

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Originally posted by PamM:
I think some cruiselines have become somewhat over generous in handouts when things go wrong, thereby prompting more and more complaints from certain types.

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There is a paradox here. If your complaint is successful, 9 times out of 10 you get a 'money off' another cruise voucher. Now, if the cruise line was SO bad, what use is money off voucher?

Personally, I think many complaints arise from the unrealistic expectations created by the cruise publicity materials. I saw a P&O promo video which showed deck scences and the pool etc. There were just two longers on this particularly large deck area and just one attractive couple sunbathing. Then couple then had a swim and they were the only two people in the pool etc. etc.

We have become too much of a compensation expectant public. Just look at the new EU flight rules. Way OTT in favour of the passengers [but I can vouch for the fact the airlines are not paying up as they should, but I don't blame them.] But OT.

An apology should be sufficient when small things go wrong, but unfortunately that is not good enough these days; people want more and eyes seem eternally blinded with $$$£££.

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Originally posted by PamM:
All publicity materials make something look better than it really is. Be they cruise brochures, holiday brochures, car info/adverts, house for sale particulars, and so on. A photo or two can always make something not so good, look great, without telling any lies. That's the job of the ad people. One has to read between the lines and view off shot. I've managed a pic or few of empty rooms on ships, however that may have only lasted a few seconds, but it was a true view at the time.

We have become too much of a compensation expectant public. Just look at the new EU flight rules. Way OTT in favour of the passengers [but I can vouch for the fact the airlines are not paying up as they should, but I don't blame them.] But OT.

An apology should be sufficient when small things go wrong, but unfortunately that is not good enough these days; people want more and eyes seem eternally blinded with $$$£££.

Pam

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Originally posted by PamM:
All publicity materials make something look better than it really is.

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I do not think that is a problem with something ‘tangible’ like a new car. You see pictures of the new car and you are given the technical statistics, and generally that is exactly what you get when you buy it. If it damaged or does not function. it is pretty clear to everyone concerned that it needs to be exchanged or repaired.

On the other hand, a holiday is a ‘subjective’ experience. However, I do think cruise lines do have themselves to blame, to an extent. For example, the brochures are full of ‘superlatives’ which are of course difficult to deliver. Many ships are described as ‘spacious’ in the brochures, even if they actually have a very low ‘passenger to space’ ratio. Is than not simply a lie? Most of the pictures in brochures show ‘models’ onboard the ships and not real passengers, also misleading.

You said: “An apology should be sufficient when small things go wrong” and I agree, but it is surprising how often staff today in any service environment do no do this. I recall complaining politely that a hot meal was cold. The waiter said ‘I will bring you another one’, which he did, eventually after a long wait. No one apologised though – good manners are almost dead, are they not?

[ 04-03-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

but with time differences around the world..
perhaps it was supposed to appear

April 1

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Originally posted by bmajor:
...Is this another April Fools posting?

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I very much doubt it.