Ham154

Everything is sorted, Miami have called me.

They can't give me a drinks package on the single cabin but they are giving me on board credit so I can purchase it on the ship.

I'm very happy now and can enjoy my vacation.

I believe the problem with doing this is the OP got the drink packages as an booking bonus and didn't pay for this as a separate charge. Now with his son in that cabin RC because of the son's age has downgraded his package to the lower cost soda one. Now the OP must buy a higher cost alcohol package as he wasn't allowed to take the alcohol package to the new cabin.

 

 

Was there not a nearby available cabin even an inside that the son could be in alone?

The above is typically allowed especially for an 18 year old. We will be doing that with our grand daughter, age 16 and 17, on our next cruise.

Yes that is correct.

Unfortunately the closest we could get for the single cabin was on the same floor but on the opposite side of the side. My parents have a cabin 9 doors away from the single cabin but I can't suggest to change with them because it's a surprise that my son is turning up the day before the cruise. I'm stuck in a mess of my own making but can't seem to find anyone at Royal Caribbean who isn't sat in front of a computer with some common sense!

Put your problem on Royal's Facebook page and you'll get a response from them pretty quickly

 

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

Thank you

I don't mind paying for the extra cabin, I got myself into this mess by asking my son without checking the prices and availability. I understand the terms and conditions that an 18 year old can't be in his own cabin away from a responsible adult.

My issue is with the drinks package which has not been transferred over with me when I was forced into the single cabin. I can't cancel the original drinks package and rebook it again because it was part of the package we booked last September. I had an alcohol drinks package and now I don't because I'm in the single room, they are trying to fob us off saying my son has the drinks package because he has been put into the room with his mother BUT it's only a soda package which I'd already bought him

Feeling very disappointed. Last September I booked a cruise for my wife and I on Oasis of the seas this coming March 18th. We booked a double room with an alcohol drinks package included. Within weeks we decided to ask my parents along and I booked them on the same package.

Over the Christmas holidays, while my 18 year old son was home from University, I asked him if he would like to fly out and join us for the cruise - he jumped at the chance. I have booked him onto the cruise as a surprise for my wife and his grandparents.

My idea was to add him into our room and pay a 3rd person supplement. My travel agent said that Royal Caribbean could only cancel the original reservation and then rebook us at the going rate that day, which would have cost £3000 more. That was a shock because I was expecting £500-£600! I was then offered an option of keeping the original booking, pay the single supplement and put my son in a single room(£1400). My hands were tied, I'd already asked him and he was excited. I was happy with this though because we did get an extra balcony cabin.

My Travel agent came back to me the following day and said that because he was 18, an adult in the UK but not in the US, he couldn't have his own cabin and she would needed to put myself into the single cabin and my son into the double cabin with my wife.

I now find that the drinks package I originally had has not been moved with me into the single cabin and we are being fobbed off with a soda package for my son in the shared cabin, which I'd already bought him.

It is only Royal Caribbeans terms and conditions that has forced me into the single cabin and I didn't expect to pay £1400 for my son to join us only for a drinks package to be taken away.

My Travel Agent has tried to sort this with the UK office and they have fobbed her off a couple of times saying only the ship can sort it.

I have emailed the Loyalty Ambassador on board the ship without any response back. I've also phoned the C & A Loyalty number without any luck - It seems that Loyalty counts for nothing and if the computer says NO nobody has any common sense to sort a simple problem out.

I will not let this spoil our vacation, we will enjoy our time on the Oasis but I will keep an open mind for future cruises.

My issue is purely the fact that a drinks package has been taken from me because I was forced into a single cabin through Royal Caribbeans terms and conditions. I will be happy when the drinks package is given back

The original 'Sun Viking' is up for sale at $16,000,000. She is still in service in Hong Kong, being used as a casino cruise ship.

She is the only 'original' ship of the line which wasn't messed about with - (cut in half and lengthened).

If I was RCI I'd snap her up and put her back to the original charm that she was in the 70's/80's. Use her as a retro museum piece of original Royal Caribbean cruising - No Windjammers, Chops etc. No 'My Time' Dining - Just the original Main and Second seating. No 'Headliner Showtime' - Just the Cruise Director and team entertaining.

Keep it how it was, many people would love to give it go. I'm a fan of the Oasis class but I'm also a fan of what cruising started from - the personal touch. It doesn't have to be cheap nor expensive - It just has to be sold as a 'Retro Cruise'. 7 or 14 nights around the Caribbean, starting Miami (7 nighters leave the ship Barbados) back to Miami.

The only modern items I'd have are flat screen tv's in cabins and Wifi on the ship for those who need it.

What are your thoughts?!?

How does the ship look Cinnamon?

We were on Splendour last Sept (which looked superb) and docked next to Rhapsody in one of the ports... to be honest Rhapsody looked tired and in need of a repaint, a lot of rust showing.

In the US we still have the same fantastic customer service from the D+ desk.

Royal Caribbean need to do the same as what Disney Vacation Club have and install Toll free numbers to the US for C&A Diamond and above.

We would get some decent service then.

This is not isolated to the UK only. The call center from Frankfurt, Germany was transfered to the Netherlands and all services went down the river. A lot of incompetent personell, no special D/D+ desk anymore- one "rep"serves all, the general public, the travel offices. No resolution desks for frustrated customers. Experienced cruisers generally know more than the reps when it comes to bookings.

Maybe RCCL Miami forced the other offices all over in the world to save money at all costs by scaling back services.

The positive- when RCCL Miami realizes its mistakes with the cheap call centers some time in the future, the acting CEO can announce a big time campaign to improve customer services and restore competence and confidence. Until then- take a deep breath....

(during my university time I learned that the cheapest must not necessarily be the best):D

I totally agree with you. The only decent service I have received over the phone is when I was forced to call the C&A desk in Miami. No one through the UK numbers could answer my question.

What has happened to Royal Caribbean UK?

At one time I felt my loyalty to Royal Caribbean was rewarded with access to the Crown and Anchor desk with a direct dial number for D+. I could book future cruises through the D+ number, be offered upgrades (when available) and sort out amenities. Now it seems you are redirected to a general call centre, were it's a lottery if you get someone who can understand me or I understand what they are saying!

The build up to a cruise is a large part of what used to be an enjoyable experience with Royal Caribbean.

Don't get me wrong, once on board any of the ships, they have everything spot on in my view - it's just they had something which was very good but changed it for the worst.

Yeah, Oasis III is scheduled for 2016. ;)

Did he say whether EXPLORER will be homeported there year-round?? :confused:

Hopefully than she does not offer the boring 3-4-night itineraries which Enchantment currently offers!! :mad:

I put 2 & 2 together and got 5 when reading the earlier posts - he didn't say 2015 for Oasis III that was my mistake. Oasis from 2016, Explorer from 2015 - both year round

A friend of mine lives near Port Canaveral, he's says Oasis 3 and Explorer are homeporting from there in 2015. Work is scheduled on PC to accommodate Oasis 3.

I am guessing they will be confirming what we already suspect...Anthem's Homeport to be Southampton and give us the Inaugural date and date for booking to open.

I hope they do the same launch party cruise like we had on Indy!!? ;)

Paul & Louise x

I'm really enjoying your live review Tim. I was on the Musica 3 weeks ago and I would totally agree with you about the food - too much choice, often bland and not what you were expecting, but sometimes superb.

It was my 1st time with MSC after over 30 cruises with Royal Caribbean. I loved the ship, thought the service was hit and miss and in general enjoyed the food.

I will certainly try MSC again.

Paul

Hello Naming Ceremony Cruisers!

 

Just reading some of the posts, Liz, the jacket is a nice reminder of our 'party cruise' weren't we privileged with all the lovely entertainment and drinks parties they put on for us, the weather was a godsend to be able to crash out and recover for the next evenings entertainment, those hot tubs were the best for my recovery, I had to be very careful not to fall asleep in them!

Ham,

Hope you and Louise are well, wish we were coming with you in July, have a drink or two for us we don't want to miss the fun! not long for you now. Hope your children didn't miss you too much and that you had a better drive back home than when you joined the ship last time.

Ruth and Mike

Hi Ruth & Mike,

The kids are getting very excited now waiting for the cruise, we can't wait to get back onboard!! We had a better drive back weather wise, I had to stop at a service station after an hour driving because I felt shattered - We decided to have a 10 minute nap & woke up in the car 2 hours later!!! I think it's called 'burning the candle at both ends'!!

Paul

And so back to our regular service :D

 

Thought some of our Indy cruisers might like to see this jacket I wore for the Pre-Inaugural

 

Hi Liz,

Great to see the jacket again!!! Hope you are well and your Oasis plans are coming together, we are counting the weeks to our Indy cruise at the end of July.

Paul & Louise

After 42 cruises with RCI I cant wait till sat to experience the Butlins crowd as this snob talks about :p

 

Here here CRUISEHOLIC as a shareholder fill them up with passengers who are prepared to spend money in the bars and not the ones who are snobs and never spend any money around the ship.

 

I bet this person only took a grand suite so they could sit in the Concierge lounge and not have to mix with the real party people and pay for there drinks.

 

As one who has 6 cruises booked in the future I am glad this person has decided not to cruise with RCI again as the thought of him moaning in the CL lounge would sour my Gin :D

Well said Scotsman!!!! Have a good Gin in the Dog & Badger!

Take a look a this thread if anyone is worried about life onboard Independence!

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=785605

Live from Independence

Hi

 

I hate to see our very positive 'all things thread' taking a down-turn. I am very excited about my upcoming cruise but feel that if I read much more negativity about it I am going to ruin it for myself.

 

I joined CC to glean information about RCI and the Indy, but now it seems that most of the threads I read just become negative with people doing battle with each other, hurling insults on all subjects whether it be - immersion cruises, smoking, food, currency, poor service, 'things ain't how they used to be', the Butlins crowd, pikeys etc!

 

I can only imagine that the 'Butlins crowd' mentioned, describes the kind of people that go to a 'holiday camp'. Here in the UK Butlins is a holiday complex, (there are different camps around the country) where entertainment is provided, there are swimming pools and activities and the accomodation is chalets or hotels. Butlins tends to attract people who are on a budget. So I would imagine people holidaying at Butlins are those who are not as fortunate to be able to take a cruise holiday. My sister goes to Butlins with her kids as this is all they can afford - but I don't think they are are lesser people :(

Lisa,

Don't worry about the posts from Chia Chonga, I have met 'Old British Snobs' many times on RCI ships - we have sailed with them 27 times. They simply have chosen the wrong cruise line for their tastes and then go about complaining and moaning about any little thing that they can pick fault with and try to spoil other peoples experience and put future cruisers off.

They quibble and moan about families with children who should be 'seen and not heard' and as with this one the quality of food is not upto a top restaurant on Queen Mary.

RCI food in the main restaurant is better than the food we cook at home so we have no complaints about it. If a meal comes and you don't like it the waiters bend over backwards to change it and, more to the point, if you like it and comment on it they will give you another one!!

The food in Portofino & Chops Grill is EXCELLENT for the extra £10.

Don't worry about it being a Butlins at seas, we were on board Independence for the naming ceremony and a short cruise afterwards and had a wonderful time!! We are really looking forward to our 14 nights on her from 26th July!