Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises Discontinue Interpreter Service – Need Your Support!

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises Discontinue Interpreter Service
– Need Your Support!

Dear Cruise Travelers,

Many of you have enjoyed the marvelous interpreter service that Royal
Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises provided in the past. Thus, you were
able to discover remote destinations, learn about the history and
culture, and enjoy the onboard entertainment. Although the ADA does
not apply to regions like Europe, Asia, Australia, or South America,
the two cruise lines went above and beyond for many years and provided
interpreters for all destinations that their ships were sailing to. No
other cruise line provided this service to so many destinations so
consistently for individuals and groups as Royal Caribbean and
Celebrity Cruises did. They deserve a lot of praise for doing so.

Recently, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises decided to
discontinue interpreter service for cruises that do not start or end
or do not have at least one port of call in the U.S. or Canada in the
itinerary. That means that there will be no interpreter service for
cruises at destinations like Europe, Asia, Australia, or South America
in the future unless the cruise starts or ends in the U.S. or Canada
like transatlantic sailings.

Frustrated about this decision, I talked to Royal Caribbean’s
President & CEO, Adam Goldstein, and went to Royal Caribbean’s
office for a meeting to discuss the issue. I was told that the
companies have to pay several thousand dollars for each interpreter
who will work on a cruise overseas (air, hotel, incidentals,
transportation, tips, compensation, interpreter agency fee etc.). The
cruise lines feel that they provided a service way above and beyond
and did not receive enough recognition for doing so. Therefore, they
decided to provide the service only in a scale that is requested by
the ADA including Canada and transatlantic sailings if the sailing
starts or terminates in the U.S.

After my meeting at Royal Caribbean’s office with no positive
outcome regarding the interpreter policy, I sent letters to Adam
Goldstein and Dan Hanrahan, President & CEO of Celebrity Cruises. I
asked them to reverse their decision and continue to provide
interpreters for all their cruises if requested. However, I am only
one voice. Since the deaf community is a lot more powerful with
several million people in the U.S., I would like to ask you, the deaf
travelers, to send a letter to the cruise lines’ CEOs, Adam
Goldstein and Dan Hanrahan, to express your dissatisfaction about the
policy change. Write a personal letter to the addresses listed below
and let them know how important it is for you to have interpreters on
all cruises, not only at the destinations that are covered by the ADA.
If you do not feel comfortable writing a letter, you can use the two
sample letters shown below. Feel free, to change the letters if
desired. I hope that you will join and help to make the life for the
deaf traveler easier.

If you have a professional travel agent, ask the agent to contact the
CEOs and ask for a policy change. Your travel agent should be an
advocate for you.

April 30, 2009

Mr. Adam Goldstein

President & CEO

Royal Caribbean International

1050 Caribbean Way

Miami FL 33132-2096

Dear Mr. Goldstein,

In the past, thousands of deaf people enjoyed the excellent
interpreter service provided world wide by Royal Caribbean and
Celebrity Cruises. Having interpreters on a cruise makes it possible
to be treated equally with hearing passengers. Interpreters are for us
the key to the hearing world and allow us to enjoy the cruises and the
shore excursions as much as the hearing people do. Finally, we had the
privilege to understand the tour guides, to learn about the history
and culture of foreign countries, to understand the onboard work
shops, and to enjoy the nightly entertainment. We were part of a world
that respected us despite the fact that our ears are filled with
silence. How much we appreciated this outstanding and comprehensive
service is reflected in the number of deaf cruise passengers who went
on a vacation with your cruise lines year after year. Even an entire
ship, the Freedom of the Seas, was chartered for a deaf only cruise.

We, the deaf community, understand that this service has a hefty
price tag especially for cruises outside of the U.S. It was so great
to know that there are two companies who opened up our silent world to
all the fun and excitement of cruising and went above and beyond the
ADA by providing interpreter service for all destinations. You did not
deprive us from learning what the world has to offer and you helped us
to broaden our knowledge. How disappointed were we when we recently
learned that this service will no longer be offered by your companies
for sailings that do not start or terminate or have at least one port
in the U.S. or Canada . Our daily life is full of struggle for our
rights anchored in the U.S. legal system such as the ADA . It was so
nice that your companies understood our needs and provided the
interpreters without having to fight for it every time. With your
recent policy change, the world has changed for us again in a negative
way. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a deaf person to see what it
is like to be left out if you live in a world of silence. It is like
sitting in the back of a tour bus while the tour guide is talking in
the front of the bus without a microphone. How much will you enjoy the
tour if you do not understand anything? Or it is like watching TV
without sound. What can you understand? That is exactly what the deaf
community is experiencing in daily life.

We, the deaf community, are a group of several million people in the
U.S. We would like to ask Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises to
continue their marvelous interpreter service for all cruises within
and beyond the ADA requirements. We understand that maybe some
adjustments have to be done because of the present economical problems
in our country. Your companies have always been the leaders in
innovation. Royal Caribbean proclaims itself as the Nation of Why Not?
So, let the deaf passengers be an equal and respected member of your
Nation and reverse the recent decision regarding the interpreter
policy.

Sincerely,

April 30, 2009

Mr. Dan Hanrahan

President & CEO

Celebrity Cruises

1050 Caribbean Way

Miami FL 33132-2096

Dear Mr. Hanrahan,

In the past, thousands of deaf people enjoyed the excellent
interpreter service provided world wide by Royal Caribbean and
Celebrity Cruises. Having interpreters on a cruise makes it possible
to be treated equally with hearing passengers. Interpreters are for us
the key to the hearing world and allow us to enjoy the cruises and the
shore excursions as much as the hearing people do. Finally, we had the
privilege to understand the tour guides, to learn about the history
and culture of foreign countries, to understand the onboard work
shops, and to enjoy the nightly entertainment. We were part of a world
that respected us despite the fact that our ears are filled with
silence. How much we appreciated this outstanding and comprehensive
service is reflected in the number of deaf cruise passengers who went
on a vacation with your cruise lines year after year. Even an entire
ship, the Freedom of the Seas, was chartered for a deaf only cruise.

We, the deaf community, understand that this service has a hefty
price tag especially for cruises outside of the U.S. It was so great
to know that there are two companies who opened up our silent world to
all the fun and excitement of cruising and went above and beyond the
ADA by providing interpreter service for all destinations. You did not
deprive us from learning what the world has to offer and you helped us
to broaden our knowledge. How disappointed were we when we recently
learned that this service will no longer be offered by your companies
for sailings that do not start or terminate or have at least one port
in the U.S. or Canada . Our daily life is full of struggle for our
rights anchored in the U.S. legal system such as the ADA . It was so
nice that your companies understood our needs and provided the
interpreters without having to fight for it every time. With your
recent policy change, the world has changed for us again in a negative
way. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a deaf person to see what it
is like to be left out if you live in a world of silence. It is like
sitting in the back of a tour bus while the tour guide is talking in
the front of the bus without a microphone. How much will you enjoy the
tour if you do not understand anything? Or it is like watching TV
without sound. What can you understand? That is exactly what the deaf
community is experiencing in daily life.

We, the deaf community, are a group of several million people in the
U.S. We would like to ask Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises to
continue their marvelous interpreter service for all cruises within
and beyond the ADA requirements. We understand that maybe some
adjustments have to be done because of the present economical problems
in our country. Your companies have always been the leaders in
innovation. Royal Caribbean proclaims itself as the Nation of Why Not?
So, let the deaf passengers be an equal and respected member of your
Nation and reverse the recent decision regarding the interpreter
policy.

Sincerely,

Respectfully,
Kerstin Fox
Hibiscus Hibiscus Travel
www.kerstinstravel.com