It's Not the End of the World - April 25th Empress Cancelled

o.k.

I've had time to calm down. Our April 25th cruise on Empress was just cancelled.

I've spent over an hour speaking with RCCL, Delta and Choice Hotels.

Bottom Line...

NEGATIVES...

1. Why did I have to learn of this from Cruise Critic? Still no communication from Royal Caribbean.

2. Five days notice???? Give me a break. They cancelled seven additional sailings through the end of May. Surely, they knew in Miami weeks ago that this would happen. Why wait until five days out?

3. No compensation for non refundable air tickets, just up to $200 in change fees which will have to be documented. Well some folks will simply have to cancel and will lose everything. I should point out that the airfares for our cruise were exceptionally high due to the season.

4. No compensation for non-refundable hotel bookings.

5. No price protection on another cruise.

6. Only 50% credit on a future cruise for those of us booked on Monday.

POSITIVES

1. Life is good!

BOTTOM LINE

1. It's not the end of the world. I will not let this affect me in such a way that my outlook on life is changed in any way. Yes, Royal Caribbean, your leadership messed up in a big way. If you were smart, you would do much more for those of us who were affected. Will you?

We were on the May 9th.....we have very flexible lives, but most others don't, so I'll just go somewhere else. But RCI has totally dropped the ball with this one, especially for those of you leaving in 5 days! Much more should be done, but like you said, will it??

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New policy: Passengers should have until five days before a cruise to make final payment. If they need to pull out before then, full refund... so sorry Royal. It's only fair! See how it makes you feel.

yogimax,

I have enjoyed reading your comments over the years!

I am have one comment, Royal management needs to seriously look at how they responded and managed this entire SNAFU.

It is very apparent they will not back down from their original offer for the first series of cruises cancelled. The same attitude will continue with the second set of cancellations. Again it very apparent, that refund for air or other peripherals are ones that are managed by Royal and ones they receive a sizable fee for providing.

It is a shame that this type of attitude towards customer has become so prevalent into today's business world, just pure greed. However, it is our free market society at its finest hours! Reminds me of a post graduate course I took many years ago on toxic organizations and how they continue without negative impact on their organizations. We all have short memories!

Carnival/Princess should exploit this failure on Royal's part and offer Empress "victims" a better OBC than Royal does (not hard) if passengers cancel Royal and rebook with them. What a smart way to lure jilted customers away.

Carnival/Princess should exploit this failure on Royal's part and offer Empress "victims" a better OBC than Royal does (not hard) if passengers cancel Royal and rebook with them. What a smart way to lure jilted customers away.

I was given $200 OBC to switch from 5/14 Empress 5-day to 5/16 Enchantment 4-day. Only 1 day difference and guaranteed to put me in same category with price protection. Dates were pretty close together too.

I think I lucked out because a JS is much bigger on Enchantment than Empress and I scored an Aft JS with a big balcony and walk in closet:)

I bet most people wont be as lucky. Such a crap situation this is for most.

I was given $200 OBC to switch from 5/14 Empress 5-day to 5/16 Enchantment 4-day. Only 1 day difference and guaranteed to put me in same category with price protection. bet most people wont be as lucky. Such a crap situation this is for most.

Interesting.

When I called, I was not offered any alternative cruise nor any price protection. That might have been due to the fact that we were only five days out and any other cruises were full.

In any case, I'm very happy it worked out for you!

Interesting.

 

 

 

When I called, I was not offered any alternative cruise nor any price protection. That might have been due to the fact that we were only five days out and any other cruises were full.

 

 

 

In any case, I'm very happy it worked out for you!

I'm now worried. I haven't been able to access my reservation since it changed earlier today although I do have an emailed and updated invoice reflection all that was promised in the switch.

I'm now worried. I haven't been able to access my reservation since it changed earlier today although I do have an emailed and updated invoice reflection all that was promised in the switch.

Keep that email. I never received any notice from RCCL, be it an email or a call.

Keep that email. I never received any notice from RCCL, be it an email or a call.

When Royal Caribbean called this afternoon to inform us of our cancelled EM cruise they said that they were calling their Pinnacles. don't remember if they said Pinnacles first. Within minutes we received an email outlining our options.

We were pleased with what we booked as a replacement.

When Royal Caribbean called this afternoon to inform us of our cancelled EM cruise they said that they were calling their Pinnacles. don't remember if they said Pinnacles first. Within minutes we received an email outlining our options.

 

We were pleased with what we booked as a replacement.

The person who called me said that she and another person were calling D+ & PC.

Others may have been calling other tiers.

Ball = dropped.

yogimax = awesomeness.

:D:D:D

The person who called me said that she and another person were calling D+ & PC.

 

Others may have been calling other tiers.

Were you offered any compensation due to the cancellation?

This is the second time we've been cancelled for Empress. I cannot believe five nights before sailing they figured out they weren't ready. How did they know the pricetag on the galley rennovations, but had not yet figured out they couldn't sail?

I spent quite a bit of time on the phone, was as nice as I could be, did point out that we'd done 45 cruises with them, and had been through this already. The resolutions person said "This is all set at corporate and we can't do anything to accommodate you" and offer me a JS on another cruise for only $3000 more.

I can't freakin' believe how incredibly insensitive they are to the fact that THEY screwed up twice.

Were you offered any compensation due to the cancellation?

It depends how close your sailing is.

We got OBC for May 14 & May 19. (if you rebook)

Supposedly the first two cancelled cruises (one is just five days away!!! :eek: ) also get 100% FCC, and the next two get 50% FCC.

Hi Yogi, I'm not taking it as...zen as you 😉

Long time no see. Sorry it was under these circumstances. This seriously sucks. No matter how you look at it.

I couldn't have dreamed that they would cancel sailings not once but twice. I am in the new category, those cancelled once ---offered the $100 OBC (ha, still laughing)

And my cruise is now 3 nights in a hotel - 3 nights on an actual ship (Enchantment).

Shameful display by management. I thought Michael Bayley was supposed to be some sort of gift to the loyal to Royal?

Yeah, if you POUNCED you got to switch to a lesser cruise. How about those Royal hasn't notified yet; no spaces left for them, and they get to eat lost airfare and lost hotel costs. Some people cruise 10X a year; some save up like the lady who was going on a combination honeymoon/anniversary/family trip after 15 years on their first cruise. Royal COULD make them whole money wise. They just won't.

I live in South Florida too; so this sort of GARBAGE treatment by management will make me strongly reconsider the more interesting itineraries where flights are involved and more money, time, and planning are at risk.

I don't think Carnival, Princess, NCL, or MSC would screw customers like this, maybe they would; but I *KNOW* for a fact that Royal Caribbean will. :mad:

Michael Bayley, you use this website for plenty of free advertising, why not use it to address those out hard earned money and vacation time?

Hi Yogi, I'm not taking it as...zen as you 😉

 

Long time no see. Sorry it was under these circumstances. This seriously sucks. No matter how you look at it.

 

I couldn't have dreamed that they would cancel sailings not once but twice. I am in the new category, those cancelled once ---offered the $100 OBC (ha, still laughing)

 

And my cruise is now 3 nights in a hotel - 3 nights on an actual ship (Enchantment).

That's a name from the past! Love the new picture of your girls!

Sorry for the hijack, back to the emerald mess.:)

We are booked on what is now the "inaugural" voyage on May 28 and DO NOT want to be on that particular sailing. The possibility of last-minute cancellation, sitting in the terminal hours while last-minute inspections are done, unprepared crew members, incomplete projects, etc. is daunting. So we booked another cruise on another cruise line for a later date; the final payment date is after May 28, so that cruise can be cancelled if the Empress makes the new deadline. I am not sure what I really want to happen, but I am leaning towards last-minute cancellation of the Empress with a refund and, hopefully, a future cruise credit. I felt so bad for those who were cancelled and those who were sweating out last-minute cancellations, and now find myself in the same unfortunate situation.

Is insurance not covering any of this?

Shameful display by management. I thought Michael Bayley was supposed to be some sort of gift to the loyal to Royal?

 

Yeah, if you POUNCED you got to switch to a lesser cruise. How about those Royal hasn't notified yet; no spaces left for them, and they get to eat lost airfare and lost hotel costs. Some people cruise 10X a year; some save up like the lady who was going on a combination honeymoon/anniversary/family trip after 15 years on their first cruise. Royal COULD make them whole money wise. They just won't.

 

I live in South Florida too; so this sort of GARBAGE treatment by management will make me strongly reconsider the more interesting itineraries where flights are involved and more money, time, and planning are at risk.

 

I don't think Carnival, Princess, NCL, or MSC would screw customers like this, maybe they would; but I *KNOW* for a fact that Royal Caribbean will. :mad:

 

Michael Bayley, you use this website for plenty of free advertising, why not use it to address those out hard earned money and vacation time?

Were you also cancelled? :confused:

Sorry to those that were cancelled. Very poor treatment. The whole situation is unbelievable.

Here is what I don't understand - they know how much money the project is going to cost, and I'm sure that includes the time estimate for completion, and project status to date.

How could they be so cold-hearted to leave the April 30 cruisers hanging until day 5 - and even offering them last minute upsales for the cruise that they knew was never going to happen!

And why are there no announcements or pictures from the ship showing the upgrades completed to the centrum, rooms, bars, pool, movie screen, dining rooms etc - if they are done - and supposedly have been done for weeks.

This whole project reeks of mismanagement.

New policy: Passengers should have until five days before a cruise to make final payment. If they need to pull out before then, full refund... so sorry Royal. It's only fair! See how it makes you feel.

Great idea Winks!

Do any lawyers read this board? Do any lawyers with class action experience read this board? Any ocean ambulance chasers out there? LOL

Perhaps one of the network trouble shooter type reporters will pick this up and run with it. A nice segment on 20/20 might make some RCC exec's stop and think (especially if they start spin doctoring for Disney cruises at the end of the story!)

That's a name from the past! Love the new picture of your girls!

 

Sorry for the hijack, back to the emerald mess.:)

Heyyyy mema! It has been a while! And that picture up there is me and my oldest. She is my mini me.

I think she may be the only one who is happy about this switch. I don't think she was looking forward to a small ship. So one person is relieved :p

o.k.

 

I've had time to calm down. Our April 25th cruise on Empress was just cancelled.

 

I've spent over an hour speaking with RCCL, Delta and Choice Hotels.

 

Bottom Line...

 

NEGATIVES...

 

1. Why did I have to learn of this from Cruise Critic? Still no communication from Royal Caribbean.

 

2. Five days notice???? Give me a break. They cancelled seven additional sailings through the end of May. Surely, they knew in Miami weeks ago that this would happen. Why wait until five days out?

 

3. No compensation for non refundable air tickets, just up to $200 in change fees which will have to be documented. Well some folks will simply have to cancel and will lose everything. I should point out that the airfares for our cruise were exceptionally high due to the season.

 

4. No compensation for non-refundable hotel bookings.

 

5. No price protection on another cruise.

 

6. Only 50% credit on a future cruise for those of us booked on Monday.

 

POSITIVES

 

1. Life is good!

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

1. It's not the end of the world. I will not let this affect me in such a way that my outlook on life is changed in any way. Yes, Royal Caribbean, your leadership messed up in a big way. If you were smart, you would do much more for those of us who were affected. Will you?

Sorry about your situation. Love your attitude! This sucks and I would hate to be in your situation. But with your positive attitude - no doubt you will enjoy whatever comes your way.