Very unhappy with Royal Caribbean

We have just started to get that 'excited' feeling... dining is open, trips are booked - getting into cruise mode...

Enter Royal Caribbean!

Just had a 'revised' invoice - we booked this trip on-board 13 months ago and there was an offer for OBC and free drinks package - sounds too good to be true - thats because it is!

We were Diamond when we booked and were told that as we would be Diamond Plus when we take this trip we would be entitled to an improved discount if we told RC before the sail date - WRONG - they won't honour this.

When we booked we requested late dining (as is in our cruise preferences) - RC put us on MTD - we requested it changed (13 months ago) - they have now informed us we will have to go on a waiting list!

Finally we have now been told that by 'taking advantage of the offer' we forfeit our loyalty discount! Are they taking the p**s?

We have waited for this cruise as our first cruise as D+ for ages and were so excited - RC seem hell bent on annoying loyal customers in favour of attracting new customers - surely they should look after us?

Our original invoice states our discount - signed 13 months ago!

RC offers state that offers are not combinable BUT we have signed an agreement showing our discount and showing the offer. I own my own business - if I suddenly sent people 'revised' invoices upping the price I would go out of business!

Basically by being in the loyalty scheme and booking on-board we are now being penalised over £300 - ridiculous - I could have gone on Vision cruises and booked this and got a cheaper price and the same offer!

We have stuck up for and stuck with Royal and I do honestly think the standards are dropping, Dynamic Dining (on quantum) was a farce, all inclusive drinks are turning RC into glorified booze cruises and they expect us to pay more for it!

We have two more cruises booked with RC and due to this latest mess this WILL be our last - we will be cancelling the other two - I do not wish to give my custom to deceitful, money pinchers. So we will have a fantastic time on Oasis as it will be our last time cruising with a company with such appaling standards and customer service.

Rant over!

I don't blame you for being upset. Unfortunately the rules are different for you as you are from the U.K. so I'm not sure what help CC can be for you. All I can suggest is call RCI and ask to speak with the Resolution Department. I've had reps here tell me wrong things (like 500 cruise points was Pinnacle) and perhaps the LA who booked you while you were on the ship didn't know what he/she was talking about. But it has been the rules for a long time that you can not use your crown & anchor discount AND get OBC that originates with RCI. That's why we've subjected ourselves to interior cabins for so long (so we could get our shareholder OBC). You also can't get OBC from RCI if you book one of their "special pricing" cruises. I was denied OBC because I booked an interior using the going, going, gone sale. So call back and talk to another rep, and if you don't get anywhere, ask to be transferred to the resolution dept.

Over here in the US it has been the policy for quite some time that in order to get the extra discount when you go from one C and A level to the next they re-price your entire booking

I don't agree with it but that's the way it is..

On the dining issue, call and ask them to e-mail Dining. Since you are Diamond, soon to be Diamond Plus, you should get it. Even you don't do this, being Diamond on a wait list should get you moved to your preference. Someone dropped the ball in that you were not moved by now.

I just booked a cruise on the Navigator for Oct. 25, 2015. We wanted early dining and both early dining and MTD were closed. We were put in late dining. The agent who booked the cruise said she would e-mail dining. We decided we would make late dining work for us. The next day I logged into our cruise on the web and early dining was listed. We are Diamond, far from Diamond Plus.

The problem you described with the loyalty discount and other offer seems to be their policy, but they made the mistake when you booked the cruise and should honor what they agreed to.

I'm sorry this experience is putting such a blight on your cruise. You will enjoy the Oasis and I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Hi All

Thankyou for your suggestions - I will definitely get the dining emailed and will contact resolutions.

Thanks again

Dean

Royal Caribbean at times seems very cavalier about peeing in loyal customers Wheaties.

We can't always have what we want.

There have been several times when I would have liked to have combined discounts and the policy didn't allow it to be done.

Instead of getting myself all worked up and threatening to abandon Royal Caribbean, I accepted the policy and enjoyed the cruise. I'm not going to let a few hundred dollars spoil a holiday.

I've never felt that Royal Caribbean ever "peed in my Wheaties"...actually they have always treated me fairly and kindly.

Royal Caribbean at times seems very cavalier about peeing in loyal customers Wheaties.

Ha ha Paul - i might use that quote! :)

We can't always have what we want.

 

There have been several times when I would have liked to have combined discounts and the policy didn't allow it to be done.

 

Instead of getting myself all worked up and threatening to abandon Royal Caribbean, I accepted the policy and enjoyed the cruise. I'm not going to let a few hundred dollars spoil a holiday.

Hi beachnative - you missed the point - they GAVE us both and agreed it and are now withdrawing it - point of principle, nothing to do with money. This is straw that broke the camels back to be honest - i just feel royal are letting things slide lately.

I don't blame you for being upset. Unfortunately the rules are different for you as you are from the U.K. so I'm not sure what help CC can be for you. All I can suggest is call RCI and ask to speak with the Resolution Department. I've had reps here tell me wrong things (like 500 cruise points was Pinnacle) and perhaps the LA who booked you while you were on the ship didn't know what he/she was talking about. But it has been the rules for a long time that you can not use your crown & anchor discount AND get OBC that originates with RCI. That's why we've subjected ourselves to interior cabins for so long (so we could get our shareholder OBC). You also can't get OBC from RCI if you book one of their "special pricing" cruises. I was denied OBC because I booked an interior using the going, going, gone sale. So call back and talk to another rep, and if you don't get anywhere, ask to be transferred to the resolution dept.

Karen, I'm confused. :eek::D:o We've booked cruises using a NextCruise Certificate from home and then booking on board using the BOGOHO Promo as well as the 30-30-30 Promo and have always gotten both our balcony discount as well as the OBC applied to each booking.

We have just started to get that 'excited' feeling... dining is open, trips are booked - getting into cruise mode...

 

Enter Royal Caribbean!

 

Just had a 'revised' invoice - we booked this trip on-board 13 months ago and there was an offer for OBC and free drinks package - sounds too good to be true - thats because it is!

 

We were Diamond when we booked and were told that as we would be Diamond Plus when we take this trip we would be entitled to an improved discount if we told RC before the sail date - WRONG - they won't honour this.

 

When we booked we requested late dining (as is in our cruise preferences) - RC put us on MTD - we requested it changed (13 months ago) - they have now informed us we will have to go on a waiting list!

 

Finally we have now been told that by 'taking advantage of the offer' we forfeit our loyalty discount! Are they taking the p**s?

 

We have waited for this cruise as our first cruise as D+ for ages and were so excited - RC seem hell bent on annoying loyal customers in favour of attracting new customers - surely they should look after us?

 

Our original invoice states our discount - signed 13 months ago!

RC offers state that offers are not combinable BUT we have signed an agreement showing our discount and showing the offer. I own my own business - if I suddenly sent people 'revised' invoices upping the price I would go out of business!

 

Basically by being in the loyalty scheme and booking on-board we are now being penalised over £300 - ridiculous - I could have gone on Vision cruises and booked this and got a cheaper price and the same offer!

 

We have stuck up for and stuck with Royal and I do honestly think the standards are dropping, Dynamic Dining (on quantum) was a farce, all inclusive drinks are turning RC into glorified booze cruises and they expect us to pay more for it!

 

We have two more cruises booked with RC and due to this latest mess this WILL be our last - we will be cancelling the other two - I do not wish to give my custom to deceitful, money pinchers. So we will have a fantastic time on Oasis as it will be our last time cruising with a company with such appaling standards and customer service.

 

Rant over!

Not much difference between D and D+ anymore!

Here is my unsolicited opinion on this particular, irrelevant issue. ;)

 

I think that his/her last name is ayera-rodriguez. Not a first and last name protocol.

Or maybe it's A. Yera-Rodriguez, since there's usually a first initial in the RCI email addresses.

Or maybe it's A. Yera-Rodriguez, since there's usually a first initial in the RCI email addresses.

Google seems to agree with this theory.

I had my upcoming Oasis cruise booked when I was D and made D+ on the previous Feb. '15 Quantum cruise. Called C&A and the rep. increased my balcony discount by the add'l $25 without a problem. Had called day earlier to the reserve dept. and was told that I could not get it unless I re-priced. Go figure. Try, try again and you may/will succeed--I did.

We can't always have what we want.

 

There have been several times when I would have liked to have combined discounts and the policy didn't allow it to be done.

 

Instead of getting myself all worked up and threatening to abandon Royal Caribbean, I accepted the policy and enjoyed the cruise. I'm not going to let a few hundred dollars spoil a holiday.

Hi beachnative - you missed the point - they GAVE us both and agreed it and are now withdrawing it - point of principle, nothing to do with money. This is straw that broke the camels back to be honest - i just feel royal are letting things slide lately.

beachnative - the UK office (which also happens to deal with Irish customers) is, frankly, a complete mess. They foul up the simplest requests, send conflicting/confusing invoices, and on top of that generally set prices that are hugely above what the US customers pay. Doing mock bookings for the same cabin on the same sailing through the UK/US sites has on more than one occasion shown me variances of $800+. Certain variations can be accounted for by different rates of tax, currency hedging and the UK ABTA membership, but not $800.

This is not simply a case of poor training (though that may come into it), but of archaic processes and procedures. To put it politely, the UK office needs a complete business practises review and overhaul. To put it less politely, they need a giant kick up the arse and learn to cop themselves on.

Some issues are common to both the US and UK - for example when you book with a promo, it's ridiculous that the first invoice you get doesn't show whatever the promo is, and you then get an updated invoice up to a week later that shows what you've actually booked. This alone must generate a ridiculous number of customer service calls every day.

theallens55 - I get where you're coming from. One thing to consider is booking through a US travel agent which does seem to make things a bit smoother (and often cheaper). The agent will know in advance what is combinable with what, so you get an accurate quote up front.

Thanks for your input, we were going to book on RC but now, we will swap lines. Thanks

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

:( Hate this happened.

Over here in the US it has been the policy for quite some time that in order to get the extra discount when you go from one C and A level to the next they re-price your entire booking

 

 

 

I don't agree with it but that's the way it is..

Thank you for sharing this info. After this cruise, I go from emerald to diamond and was going to call for the extra discount but it sounds like I may need to pass on that as the single supplement jumps quickly.

Minor update...

Dining sorted and confirmed! Just waiting for feedback on the invoice issue.

Thank you for sharing this info. After this cruise, I go from emerald to diamond and was going to call for the extra discount but it sounds like I may need to pass on that as the single supplement jumps quickly.

I still have ages to go before I even get to Diamond. I do have a question, and I am sorry for being so stupid/ignorant about the process. Are you all saying that they charge you more for your cruise the higher your loyalty level goes? IF so, why would anyone ever want to get higher loyalty levels? I am guessing the "perks" maybe even it out a bit, but many say the "perks" are going downhill.

It seems unimaginable to me that they would charge you more because you achieved a higher loyalty level. That is not good business. So, if I booked a cruise now as a Platinum member and achieved Emerald at the close of my next cruise, I would have to pay more for the following cruise simply by virtue of being at Emerald?

I obviously know I could choose a lesser cabin class and pay less. But if I wanted a balcony room, it would cost more just based on picking up loyalty points?

If that is their business model, then I will gladly move on to something else.

Karen, I'm confused. :eek::D:o We've booked cruises using a NextCruise Certificate from home and then booking on board using the BOGOHO Promo as well as the 30-30-30 Promo and have always gotten both our balcony discount as well as the OBC applied to each booking.

I mean I can't get my C & A balcony discount and then apply for my shareholder OBC, it's one or the other. Once I was denied shareholder OBC because I had booked a Going, going, gone rate.

I mean I can't get my C & A balcony discount and then apply for my shareholder OBC, it's one or the other. Once I was denied shareholder OBC because I had booked a Going, going, gone rate.

Karen, I was referring to booking on board and getting the C&A balcony discount as well as an OBC. You are correct that OBC from Shareholder's Benefits can not be combined.

So sorry, I feel your pain. We have been screwed a few times by RCCL. We are Diamond as well and soon to be Diamond Plus. You can't win, it's all about the $$$$.

beachnative - the UK office (which also happens to deal with Irish customers) is, frankly, a complete mess.

 

 

 

Yes, I'm aware of that and have read earlier threads about your frustrations with the call-answering service based in Guatemala.

 

Fortunately, for those of us in the U.S. we have an excellent Crown and Anchor call center. As Europeans you do have some protections that we do not but also have some restrictions we don't.

 

Again, I must say that I have always had excellent service from Royal Caribbean. There have been a couple of times when they have even gone well beyond what I expected to deliver a satisfying product to this customer.

 

I'm glad I interact with the U.S. representative rather than those that you have to use.

Hi all

Just want to say a big thankyou to everyone for all your feedback (especially critterchick and tagsalong for the email) - my email was passed on to a very nice lady (Brittany from executive guest relations) who telephoned this evening and has agreed to honour our initial price. It was definitely a mistake by the onboard team but we are now all sorted and can look forward to pre-cruise planning again.

Thanks again for everyones suggestions.

Dean