Royal Caribbean excursion nightmare

[ali3pt14]

I am currently on Adventure of the Seas. We have been having a lovely cruise and the ship seems to be in fine shape despite some of the reviews I'd read prior to sailing. The food is fine and our service in the MDR has been fabulous. However, yesterday we went on an excursion (I'm unsure if I'm allowed to type the name) and it was one of the most terrifying experiences I've had in my life! For our time in Antigua, my mother and I signed up for an excursion where you operated your own inflatable jet ski sort of thing. (It looked like a jet ski with a rubber raft surrounding it. It was raining when we arrived in port, and we questioned whether the excursion would be cancelled due to the weather and it wasn't. So off we went figuring we'd be getting wet anyway, so fine. There ended up being a total of eight of us. We were taken by taxi by a very personable driver. Once at the excursion place, we were then quickly shown how to operate the boats by the owner, were introduced to our guides, (one was the owners son who we found out later was only 16 years old!) and we all loaded up two per boat (with a 400 lb weight limit) and headed out single file through a cove and out into open water. The rain, which we were told should pass by 11am was getting heavier by the minute. Once we left the cove, the heavens opened and we were getting pelted by driving rain in the eyes. I was directly behind the boats with the guides who were speeding off ever faster. The waves are rough and splashing over the bow and in our faces but (luckily???!) the rain spearing into my eyeballs kept the saltwater from stinging. I had to really push to keep up! After what was probably 30 minutes, but felt more like at least double that, we arrived at a buoy over at reef area and our boats are all tied off. The other couples that pulled in behind me all look like I felt! Now it begins to thunder and lightening! At this point the younger of the two guides tells us where we should try to snorkel and that we'd spend 45 minutes there! Each and every one of us said that this was unsafe. The water was really rough and did I mention THUNDER and LIGHTENING? ! He was really trying and jumped in the water to dive down and hand us a shell. We all were looking at each other and told them again that we wanted to leave. Finally they agreed, but one boat would not start. The rest of us puttered around while they tried to start the boat to no avail. So the two guests got on the guides boat, and one of the guides got in another's boat. So now two of the four remaining boats are over the weight limit. We again take off with the two boats each with the guides in the lead. I am following at the end. The boat in front of me is going slower and slower....they are breaking down! They guides are way ahead at this point!!!! I tell them we will speed aged to try to get help. Finally the guide turns around and notices us (thank goodness, because I wasn't catching up!) We all again wait while they try to help this boat. I can't really see, but I think they get that boat working, but another is now malfunctioning and smoking! The guide connects my boat to theirs and now I'm towing them. This is slow going, I have the engine at full throttle, and we are just creeping along. The first twoboats are now out of sight. The guide then tells us he got their engine fixed and for us to go on. At this point, we are shivering and this is horrible, but it gets even better! We take off, I'm trying to see the other boats and my mother behind me is tapping me on the shoulder. There is no one behind us! We are alone in the water!!!! My boat is now sputtering, I've no idea if we are out of gas or about to break down as well! I slow way down, and begin to pray that the first group will come back to help us soon. After probably 15 minutes the owner comes..not in a speedboat, but on another of these rafts!!!! We tell him of the loss of the other stranded (we guess) group. He tries to explain which inlet we should head back to and takes off to find the others. We are again alone, but make it into the cove, only to find that there are many turn offs and we've no idea how to get back to their docks, so again we wait another half hour or so. He finally comes back alone!) The other people got out and were going to try to swim to shore, but were rescued by another boat!!! Finally we are onshore, the wife of the owner takes us to a nearby open air restaurant and we are given hot coffee. The other people that were rescued, then call from shore telling them where they are. A taxi is sent to get them, and we wait for their return. Once all 8 of us are again together in the warm taxi, we decide to go as a group to guest services to say we want our money back for this excursion. We are turned away by the gentleman behind the counter. He says that we must come back at 6pm to talk to the excursion desk. We have dinner reservations at 6, but agree that there is strength in numbers, so we all meet at 6. We tell our tale to the lady and she is apologetic and mortified for us, but says that her manager must speak to the owners before she can authorize a refund. Last night we got a call from the lady - not the manager - and they have talked to the owners and have come to the agreement that a 50% refund is in order since we agreed to go on this excursion. How many of you believe this is fair??

[marci22]

I wouldn't waste time complaining further onboard. I would take my 50% now and note that I am not satisfied.

 

When you get home, you can send an email to Royal (edit this one to 1/3 and use paragraphs).

 

You were in a tough spot because if you refused to go they probably would have said you weren't entitled to anything. On the other hand, you risked your life for $75 pp (I don't know the price).

 

Regardless, I would expect my money to be returned in full. But don't waste your time now trying to do it.

Edited September 16, 2015 by marci22

[grand isle joe]

...take the money and run......leave a review with C.C. and a shortened one to RCL and get on with your life. I found out that when you travel to second world countries you should not expect the same civil protections as home and money drives most decisions on excursions. As Marci22 has stated you were in a tough spot in the beginning so at least you have a great story to tell on future sailings as well as to your grandkids....."kids, let me tell you a story when we were caught out in the open seas, waves 40 feet tall and lightning crashing within inches of us, abandoned by our group.........";)

[marci22]

Edited, but still long:

 

On Adventure of the Seas, my mother and I went on an excursion that was one of the most terrifying experiences of our lives. For Antigua, we booked excursion #xx123, your “Horrifying Island Experience”. It was raining when we arrived in port, but the excursion was not cancelled due to the weather. So 8 cruisers loaded up, two per boat, and headed out single file through a cove and out into open water. The rain, which we were told should pass by 11am, got very heavy. After about 30 minutes of driving through torrential rain, we stopped at a reef area. It began to thunder and lightning. We all wanted to leave.

 

Finally they agreed, but one boat would not start. They had to overload the other boats because of this. We again take off with the two boats each with the guides in the lead. I was following at the end. The boat in front of me then broke down. They guides were way ahead of us. Then we saw another boat malfunctioning and smoking. The guide connected my boat to theirs and I had to tow them. The guide then told us that he got their engine fixed and for us to go on. We resumed but soon realized that we were alone in the water. My boat was sputtering. After 15 minutes the owner arrived in a raft and again directed us to return on our own.

 

We tried, but had to stop and wait for ½ hour as we couldn’t find our way. The owner finally returned, but meanwhile, the other people tried to swim to shore and were rescued by another boat!

 

We requested a refund at the excursion desk. They told us they needed manager approval for a refund. Last night we got a call from the excursion desk who stated that a 50% refund is in order since we agreed to go on this excursion.

 

In view of our terrible experience, I feel that a 100% refund is in order.

 

Thank you for reviewing my request.

Edited September 16, 2015 by marci22

[setsail]

If you feel the need, you can leave a review on rci's site under this excursion.

[MommaBear55]

I agree that you are due 100% back. The minute the thunder and lightening started the excursion should have been aborted.

 

I would write reviews here, on Trip Advisor and on the Royal Caribbean website with specifics. I would also encourage you to send a letter (example above is a great starting point) to Royal Caribbean as well.

 

I understand that RCI cannot be responsible for the excursions but they are recommending them by sponsoring them and so have some degree of culpability. I just wish you could get 200% back.

[alexkrn46]

it depends how much energy you wish to spend on your vacation. 50% is better then nothing.

[snorkelman]

Just because you agreed to go on a jet ski in the rain doesn't mean that you agreed to be told by the excursion operators to enter the water to snorkel while it was lightening.

 

Sounds like you obtained zero enjoyment. Should have to pay zero for that horrible excursion.

 

Did the folks running that operation ask for a tip at the end?

[griffy116]

These vendors contract with Royal for the excursions. They are supposed to be reliable. Your experience certainly warrants 100% of the excursion cost back and Royal Caribbean doesn't need to continue to use them. This just puts other guests at risk with a vendor who was unsafe.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

We had a negative excursion experience back in June, and the onboard customer services staff had no problem providing an appropriate credit to us.

 

In addition, we were treated to something "beyond the call of duty" in terms of a "gift" in our cabin upon our return that evening.

 

Our historical experience is that your restitution depends on HOW you approach staff, HOW you can substantiate a problem, and WHO you approach for addressing the issue. We have no complaint about how things were addressed.

[marci22]

Our historical experience is that your restitution depends on HOW you approach staff, HOW you can substantiate a problem, and WHO you approach for addressing the issue. We have no complaint about how things were addressed.

 

But it's also the luck of the draw.

 

My historical experience is that you can explain the same problem the same way to 5 different people and the 5th person finally gets it and fixes the problem in a few minutes.

[LA_CA_GAL]

I suggest that you provide the specifics on the company that ran the excursion as well as the specifics on what RCI excursion and number.

 

Post a review on the excursion here on CC as well as Trip Advisor.

 

One more thing, paragraphs are our friends.

[George C]

We also had a terrible shore excursion, RCCL needs to do a better job on what excursions they offer, I do not trust them at all at this point.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

But it's also the luck of the draw.

 

My historical experience is that you can explain the same problem the same way to 5 different people and the 5th person finally gets it and fixes the problem in a few minutes.

No luck involved.

 

In our case...about 40 people were affected and all were addressed. It's about HOW people go through the process of communicating the problem and then approaching those in a position to address them.

 

There's no magic or secret sauce involved.

[squadron]

These vendors contract with Royal for the excursions. They are supposed to be reliable. Your experience certainly warrants 100% of the excursion cost back and Royal Caribbean doesn't need to continue to use them. This just puts other guests at risk with a vendor who was unsafe.

 

The guests should have received a complete refund and the ship stop using the tour operator. However, I doubt if this will happen. I have found the excursion desk the least helpful of any customer service on board. I complained about a Mexican excursion where the guides dumped us a site then disappeared - leaving us to fend for ourselves.

[mulan1123]

Our first RCI cruise was on Oasis and we signed up for an excursion in Cozumel for the boat/submarine tours. And the waters were very choppy. We met up with the excursion group and the guide said you have the option of going or getting a refund if you think you can't tolerate the waters. If you went on the excursion they made you sign saying that you agreed to go on the excursion even after you were warned about the choppy waters. We opted for the refund. We went back to the excursion desk and got a refund no problem.

 

The excursion tour/guide should have given you the same option especially if it was raining.

[marci22]

No luck involved.

 

In our case...about 40 people were affected and all were addressed. It's about HOW people go through the process of communicating the problem and then approaching those in a position to address them.

 

There's no magic or secret sauce involved.

 

So I guess OP (and the 6 other people with him) didn't communicate the problem properly? Is that what you are saying?

 

Otherwise I don't understand how your problem/resolution relates to his.

 

Maybe you have complaining superpowers.

[ryano]

Edited, but still long:

 

.

 

Thank you kindly! :o

[Big_G]

Whatever you do, don't drop it. If the tour operator is willing to give up 50 percent then there's no reason why Royal can't make up the difference. They should have said full refund or we drop you as an excursion.

[A&L_Ont]

Whatever you do, don't drop it. If the tour operator is willing to give up 50 percent then there's no reason why Royal can't make up the difference. They should have said full refund or we drop you as an excursion.

 

I wonder if Royal gave up their 50%, and the operator got their share.:confused:

 

EDIT: Other than word of mouth there is no real idea who gave up their 50%.

Edited September 16, 2015 by A&L_Ont

[CRUISEFAN0001]

So I guess OP (and the 6 other people with him) didn't communicate the problem properly? Is that what you are saying?

 

Otherwise I don't understand how your problem/resolution relates to his.

 

Maybe you have complaining superpowers.

That wasn't said...so it must be your translation.

 

Having seen numerous WRONG ways of resolving issues of this nature...I'm not surprised not everyone gets things resolved.

 

Since none of us (except the OP) actually heard, saw, and observed HOW any process for restitution was executed in this case...there's no opinion of substance for that specific case possible without being much more than speculation/guessing.

 

The point is that numerous successes on such issues have been posted on this site, and there is no silver bullet. As others have said, the cruise line itself has a vested interest in resolving such matters, even though any contracted excursion company was engaged in the incident itself.

 

As others have stated, it requires presenting a clear explanation of the problem to the right person (someone who actually has the authority to address a resolution, not just any desk agent that happens to be at the counter). In addition, it requires calm persistence that a reasonable resolution will be done. Those two things have resulted in many, many cases successfully addressed as reported throughout this site.

Edited September 16, 2015 by CRUISEFAN0001

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

What a terrible experience you had, I would of been scared to death in that situation.

 

I agree that RC needs to step up on their choices of excursions and vendors.

 

Glad you enjoyed everything else.

 

***

[jm485]

No luck involved.

 

In our case...about 40 people were affected and all were addressed. It's about HOW people go through the process of communicating the problem and then approaching those in a position to address them.

 

There's no magic or secret sauce involved.

 

I have a feeling that there was indeed "secret sauce" -- consisting of 40 people demanding a resolution. That so many people were involved may have aided in the quick response you got.

 

I agree with those who say that the ShoreEx desk people are not helpful. The impression I got is that they are there to sell trips, not deal with problems.

 

We had an issue with a recent excursion and the Excursions desk did nothing. Our tour was on the last shore day and we went to them as they were open that evening. Was promised a response after speaking with "manager" and "vendor." I don't think it is reasonable that a customer should be expected to waste hours of time standing at a desk waiting for the "appropriate" parties to be available, so I left at that point. When we heard nothing the next day, we tried to reach them by phone and in person. The phone was either busy or not answered and there was no one at the desk in the middle of the posted hours.

 

We did get the tour price refunded in full when we contacted RCI customer service upon arriving home, but it was in the form of future OBC. Apparently, I have no issue communicating with the people at the main office customer service -- only with the people on the ship!

Edited September 16, 2015 by jm485

[CntPAcruiser]

I suggest that you provide the specifics on the company that ran the excursion as well as the specifics on what RCI excursion and number.

 

Post a review on the excursion here on CC as well as Trip Advisor.

 

To the OP: Please also leave a review on RCI's website in the cruise planner page where their excursions are booked online. That would greatly help others who may not use CC.

[ali3pt14]

Here is a quick update. We had another call from the excursion desk this morning to schedule a time when all of us (those that took this tour) could all meet this evening. I do hate to waste any more time on this, but will go and see what they have to say (both to help myself and to support the others that took this excursion). I do think that we will actually be speaking with the excursion manager this time. Fingers crossed.

 

To those of you that indicated that it depends on how things are handled, I do agree. However, in this case, we all simply explained what had happened to us to an individual behind the excursion desk that didn't have the authority to do anything (none of it angily - we were actually all pretty sure that there would be no question at all that a refund be issued). Beyond that it was in an elusive managers hands that rendered the 50% decision only by speaking directly to the vendor and none of us.

 

I'll let you know what outcome we see tonight.

 

PS Sorry for the long-windedness and lack of paragraphs in my original post. I know better...just in vacation mode! ;)

 

PPS St Lucia (today's port) is lovely! :)