Cruise not taken due to Hurricane Sandy 11/03/2012

They are asking for 4 pitiful points from RCI...

On RCI's loyalty program, there is a huge difference that 4 points could bring. It could mean the difference between free drinks, and even a free cruise (depending on where OP is, status-wise). Anyway, if they gave points for a cruise not taken, you can bet all the other loyalty members would be up in arms, guaranteed.

OP can't be too upset - s/he has a B2B booked with Royal. :)

....RCI has lost nothing as I am sure they resold the stateroom, even if at reduced rates, it would be a gain for them. There is a good chance that they did as I have talked to enough people on cruises who do this regularly. The guy on my transatlantic was retired and he said if he had not gotten on ours he would have gotten on one of Cunard's ocean crossings. He was single and so was not worried about when he came back to the US. From what he said to us, he makes pretty much a "career" of doing this.

Well, to me this is stretching the logic quite a bit to prove a weak point. I really doubt that there will be anyone sitting in the check-in lobby waiting for someone to miss the ship so they can get their room. This person would have to pack for a 16 day cruise, get themselves to the terminal, sit around for who knows how long for a chance to book the cabin of someone who missed the ship. Keep in mind that the cruise line will keep the check in counter open until the very last minute just in case the original occupant arrives at the nick of time. No way are they going to give it to someone while the original person still has a chance to make it in time, and then have to deal with the original person if they show up.

Your description is so out there that I can't even imagine someone going through all that trouble and preparation just in case someone doesn't show up. Seems pretty outlandish to me.

The insurance was an option, not a requirement. Like auto and home insurance, it is a way to cover unexpected loses. The cruise line should in no way be expected to accommodate that cost since it is there only for the protection of the customer. If you own a home, you purchase home insurance to cover any catastrophic damages, hoping all the time that you will never need it. If you have a fire, you expect the insurance company to pay for the damages. Do you also demand that who you bought the home from offer you some additional compensation as well? After all, they got paid in full for the home. The answer, of course, is "NO".

 

What I, and several other reasonable people are saying is that the OP should expect zero points for a cruise that the cruise line made available to them but they missed due to their own circumstances, not the cruise line's, regardless of who paid for it. That they were reimbursed for it by their insurance makes the denial of points even more reasonable.

You're reading way too much into what I said. When I said that the OP would have not have paid nothing, he would have paid an insurance premium which he did not get back, that was all I meant. There was no hidden subtext about how the cruise company should have reimbursed his premium. I've read again what I wrote, and I really can't see where this came from.

I never denied that you, or the many other people who think the OP got what they deserved, are reasonable. I bow to you in your reasonableness, I admire you for it. But there is a difference between "reasonable" (which you are) and "right to the extent that dissenting voices are wrong" (which you aren't. As I'm sure you don't set out to be.)

It's a reasonable viewpoint to say that the cruise points are for travellers only and those who don't travel, don't get points. (It could also be used, and I dare say has been used, to deny points to those who are sick and leave a cruise half-way through.) It's also a reasonable viewpoint (IMO) to say that if the cruise line takes the full fare and the traveller doesn't actually board, they can still issue the points because they've had the money. Both positions are reasonable.

You're reading way too much into what I said. When I said that the OP would have not have paid nothing, he would have paid an insurance premium which he did not get back, that was all I meant. There was no hidden subtext about how the cruise company should have reimbursed his premium. I've read again what I wrote, and I really can't see where this came from.

 

I never denied that you, or the many other people who think the OP got what they deserved, are reasonable. I bow to you in your reasonableness, I admire you for it. But there is a difference between "reasonable" (which you are) and "right to the extent that dissenting voices are wrong" (which you aren't. As I'm sure you don't set out to be.)

 

It's a reasonable viewpoint to say that the cruise points are for travellers only and those who don't travel, don't get points. (It could also be used, and I dare say has been used, to deny points to those who are sick and leave a cruise half-way through.) It's also a reasonable viewpoint (IMO) to say that if the cruise line takes the full fare and the traveller doesn't actually board, they can still issue the points because they've had the money. Both positions are reasonable.

The problem with opposing positions is that they are only reasonable if it benefits the person. If that position does not, it is no longer "reasonable", regardless of how reasonable it may actually be. :D

I am glad you and I appear to be on the same page - more or less. ;)

My husband & I were not able to take our cruise of a lifetime 16 days on RCCL Adventure of the Seas T/A Malaga to San Juan P.R. 11/03/2012 due to Hurricane Sandy...we would have attained Diamond level with this cruise needing only 4 of the 16 days to reach this level..we had as always travel insurance which covered the trip ...RCCL received ALL the monies for our 16 days at sea even though we were not on board possibly even getting more money if they were able to resell our cabin..I contacted RCCL Crown & Anchor to see IF we could be given another cruise or at least cover the 4 days so we would at least move up to Diamond status to no avail...I also wrote a letter to the head of RCCL and last week received a call to inform me we are not entitled to any benefits from this cruise ....this is a sad scenario to a company that is doing very well ( we are RCCL shareholders )..the person that contacted us with the latest acknowledgement reiterating that we are entitled to nothing was surprised that I was not happy with his answer...We have another RCCL cruise booked for 5/01/2014...we will reach Diamond level with this cruise...this is a sad story for a thriving company RCCL...

Entire homes and communities were wiped out by Sandy and you are whining over not reaching Diamond level?

Loyalty levels are reached when the required nights on board are completed. Imagine the chaos if everyone who had to cancel and forfeit some deposit demanded to get some days "covered".

A luxury problem many would love to have.

Well I will for sure not book a cruise based on loyalty points with a line. bottom line it is a sales gimmick and what people do not realize while they book all those more expensive cruises just to get loyalty points that with the money they saved they could buy their own free drinks and specialty coffees.

Carol S. I agree customer service is a thing of the past once a company gets too big. I still say once I am burnt I take my business elsewhere. They may not care but I do. More and more I am supporting small businesses.