Terrible customer service with RCL when booking first cruise

[Kymgfan717]

i just had a really bad customer service experience with RCL that totally made me rethink cruising with them.

I am a long time DCL cruiser - platinum level - but with the recent high prices, I decided to look at other cruise lines. I've been checking out RCL and their recent schedule and decided to try them out.

 

Last night I booked a cruise for Feb 2018 (kinda of a planner ). I went thru the entire booking process and paid the deposit. It displayed a deposit of $250 so that is what I paid. I received an email a little bit later to create an account to manage the reservation. I set that all up. Once I logged in , I noticed that it said I still owed $250. I thought maybe what I had just paid hadn't posted to their system yet. They did have a promotion that ended yesterday that offered 1/2 deposit on some cruises. My cruise didn't indicate if it was in the promotion or not but since it came up wth the 250 deposit I figured it was.

 

I logged in this morning to see if it was displaying correctly. It still showed I owed the 250. I called RCL and explained the issue. He said that apparently my cruise didn't fall under the promotion. I'm like then why did the website offer the 250 deposit. He acted it was my fault and said if I didn't want the cruise to auto cancel then I needed to pay the rest. I asked to speak to his supervisor

 

I waited about 10 minutes and I talked to another person and explained the situation. She said that my cruise apparently didn't fall under the promotion. I'm like then why was I offered the 1/2 deposit. I would not have arbitrarily decided to pay 1/2 if I knew it was 500. I asked if there was any way to honor what their own site provided. She took my email and said she could see what she could do but no promises.

 

Couple hours later I received an email from her, the revenue team could not add the promotion back on my cruise since it ended last night (reason I booked). Only thing she could do was place a note on my account to not cancel and hope the payment team didn't cancel due to deposit not fully paid. Then she wanted to know when I was sending the 250. I'm like when final payment is due. That one question sealed the deal of not keeping this reservation. The entire phone call was about that issue so why ask when it's the reason I called in the first place.

 

This whole CS experience left a really bitter taste in my mouth. I told her that I was a long time cruiser on another line but we wanted to give RCL a try. This was not a good first impression. We decided to just cancel the cruise instead of dealing with the hassle. If this was the level of customer service we received on the phone, hate to see what we get on the ship.

[Teris50]

to comment on your last line...

my first cruise (on the ship) with RCI was just as bad with customer service! Tried them once more, and it was not much better. Decided RCI was not for me

[LewesBeach]

Well, I'm glad I read this. I'm getting ready to book my first RC cruise in 8 years. I'm Elite on Princess but want to try something different. I will stick with my trusted Travel agent. Thx!

Berni

[FSUNole]

to comment on your last line...

my first cruise (on the ship) with RCI was just as bad with customer service! Tried them once more, and it was not much better. Decided RCI was not for me

I'm really not trying to be one of the curmudgeons but may I ask why you're on a RCI forum? Not being a smart aleck, just curious.

[FSUNole]

i just had a really bad customer service experience with RCL that totally made me rethink cruising with them.

I am a long time DCL cruiser - platinum level - but with the recent high prices, I decided to look at other cruise lines. I've been checking out RCL and their recent schedule and decided to try them out.

 

Last night I booked a cruise for Feb 2018 (kinda of a planner ). I went thru the entire booking process and paid the deposit. It displayed a deposit of $250 so that is what I paid. I received an email a little bit later to create an account to manage the reservation. I set that all up. Once I logged in , I noticed that it said I still owed $250. I thought maybe what I had just paid hadn't posted to their system yet. They did have a promotion that ended yesterday that offered 1/2 deposit on some cruises. My cruise didn't indicate if it was in the promotion or not but since it came up wth the 250 deposit I figured it was.

 

I logged in this morning to see if it was displaying correctly. It still showed I owed the 250. I called RCL and explained the issue. He said that apparently my cruise didn't fall under the promotion. I'm like then why did the website offer the 250 deposit. He acted it was my fault and said if I didn't want the cruise to auto cancel then I needed to pay the rest. I asked to speak to his supervisor

 

I waited about 10 minutes and I talked to another person and explained the situation. She said that my cruise apparently didn't fall under the promotion. I'm like then why was I offered the 1/2 deposit. I would not have arbitrarily decided to pay 1/2 if I knew it was 500. I asked if there was any way to honor what their own site provided. She took my email and said she could see what she could do but no promises.

 

Couple hours later I received an email from her, the revenue team could not add the promotion back on my cruise since it ended last night (reason I booked). Only thing she could do was place a note on my account to not cancel and hope the payment team didn't cancel due to deposit not fully paid. Then she wanted to know when I was sending the 250. I'm like when final payment is due. That one question sealed the deal of not keeping this reservation. The entire phone call was about that issue so why ask when it's the reason I called in the first place.

 

This whole CS experience left a really bitter taste in my mouth. I told her that I was a long time cruiser on another line but we wanted to give RCL a try. This was not a good first impression. We decided to just cancel the cruise instead of dealing with the hassle. If this was the level of customer service we received on the phone, hate to see what we get on the ship.

From what I've read, you may be disappointed with the cruise product as well if you are accustomed to Disney. I personally really like RC but if the reports are accurate, there is a definite difference in the quality of the product.

[missvictoria121]

Try going through a travel agent who will work with rci so you don't have to deal with them.

[Kymgfan717]

I was prepared for the differences between RCI and Disney. I was actually looking forward to trying something new but this issue really burned them for me - all over a deposit issue that could have been easily corrected. It wasn't like they weren't getting the same amount at the final payment date

[akcruz]

I was prepared for the differences between RCI and Disney. I was actually looking forward to trying something new but this issue really burned them for me - all over a deposit issue that could have been easily corrected. It wasn't like they weren't getting the same amount at the final payment date

We have found that the phone reps really know nothing and truly do not represent the experience you will have onboard. Of course you need to decide whether you can alow for that or not.

[Dave4120]

As I post a zillion times, don't imply that your rare experience is the norm and basically tell others not to cruise RCL because of your isolated incident. I wonder if it was as bad as you say. Most complainers that go beyond just pointing out their experience have a tendency of complaining about everything in general and stretch the truth.

 

We will be going on our 30th RCL cruise in a less than two months and have always booked with RCL over the phone. Never, has there ever been any misunderstanding, rudeness or, anything else. Smooth and enjoyable.

So, do I call you a liar, and you call me a liar?

All I'm saying is...if you had or have a bad experience, that's fine and you can say so. But don't basically tell people not to cruise RCL implying that everyone will be treated like you were, because that's not true.

[dcgrumpy]

Truthfully it was probably a mistake and the rep was also wrong. Their website is horrible. I booked a cruise a couple of months ago under the 50% deposit promotion. When I log in it says that I owe the other half of the deposit. I know I don't, so I'm just ignoring it.

 

I wouldn't have that one experience keep you from ever trying RCCL. I've always had great service on their ships.

Edited March 10, 2016 by dcgrumpy

[Cabansail]

I too found their pre-cruise service to be terrible. Each time I rang up you got a different story. It was like they just wanted to tell you anything to get you off the phone.

 

When we got on the ship it was much better, other than the things I was promised on the phone were not honoured on the ship. We found the crew to be hard working, professional and friendly. If there were not other issues I would probably be someone who would cruise regularly too. However it may well be a one off event for us.

[Merion_Mom]

Many of us booked cruises online two nights ago and found that the website only asked for half the usual deposit.

 

I called up today and "topped up" the deposit.

 

To me, it was no big deal.

 

I would rather pay a standard deposit than lose my VERY advantageous cruise fare.

 

As you yourself said, Kymgfan717, you would have to pay the amount ultimately anyway.

 

I just don't see what the big fuss is.

[Cabansail]

I just don't see what the big fuss is.

 

The fuss is that they were stuffed about and things kept changing. It can cause some to lose confidence in the product.

 

The way I read it, the amount of the deposit wasn't the big issue.

[jbobst]

Many of us booked cruises online two nights ago and found that the website only asked for half the usual deposit.

 

I called up today and "topped up" the deposit.

 

To me, it was no big deal.

 

I would rather pay a standard deposit than lose my VERY advantageous cruise fare.

 

As you yourself said, Kymgfan717, you would have to pay the amount ultimately anyway.

 

I just don't see what the big fuss is.

 

I am not the OP here, but "the big fuss" is: first, not a "big fuss" but someone sharing about their poor experience with RCCL, and second, it doesn't appear to be about the money at all, but about customer service (or lack of) and a poor website/reservation system and the lack of honoring what was originally promised. It seems pretty obvious to me... How do you figure the OP was making a fuss about the money???

Edited March 10, 2016 by jbobst

[mollyeilis]

Truthfully it was probably a mistake and the rep was also wrong. Their website is horrible. I booked a cruise a couple of months ago under the 50% deposit promotion. When I log in it says that I owe the other half of the deposit. I know I don't, so I'm just ignoring it.

 

I wouldn't have that one experience keep you from ever trying RCCL. I've always had great service on their ships.

 

Agreed.

 

Many of us booked cruises online two nights ago and found that the website only asked for half the usual deposit.

 

So you're saying (and I tend to trust you) that it wasn't actually a half-deposit booking, but was in fact an error? Since I booked at an actual half-deposit booking and was digitally hounded (as in, it told me I owed the rest until I did final payment) about it for that whole time, I figured that this showed that the OP had, in fact, booked under the promotion.

 

 

 

While I have always had terrific customer service with Royal, I've read of others not having that experience...but I have also always had great experiences with the staff while on the cruise.

[Merion_Mom]

Agreed.

 

 

 

So you're saying (and I tend to trust you) that it wasn't actually a half-deposit booking, but was in fact an error? Since I booked at an actual half-deposit booking and was digitally hounded (as in, it told me I owed the rest until I did final payment) about it for that whole time, I figured that this showed that the OP had, in fact, booked under the promotion.

 

 

 

While I have always had terrific customer service with Royal, I've read of others not having that experience...but I have also always had great experiences with the staff while on the cruise.

 

Yes, I believe that it was a website error/glitch.

 

Getting a half-price deposit has never been one of my deciding factors.

 

I am someone who knows that it all has to be paid in the end, so what is the real difference?

 

Pay me now, pay me later. Bank accounts pay NO interest to speak of these days anyway.

[Merion_Mom]

I am not the OP here, but "the big fuss" is: first, not a "big fuss" but someone sharing about their poor experience with RCCL, and second, it doesn't appear to be about the money at all, but about customer service (or lack of) and a poor website/reservation system and the lack of honoring what was originally promised. It seems pretty obvious to me... How do you figure the OP was making a fuss about the money???

 

But if the OP had just said to himself, ok, my booking wasn't eligible for half-price deposits, I'll pay the whole thing, there would have been no need for ongoing CSR involvement. It would have been over.

[Keith1010]

I would use a TA.

 

Keith

[cruisingsince94]

It can happen. We know how bad things go with the RCI website. Had this happen to us once even when using a TA.

It certainly didn't stop us from booking the cruise. It just meant less to pay later.

[dolphingirl47]

From what I've read, you may be disappointed with the cruise product as well if you are accustomed to Disney. I personally really like RC but if the reports are accurate, there is a definite difference in the quality of the product.

 

I would not be so sure about this. We are Platinum Castaway Club members on DCL and branched out to Royal Caribbean just before Christmas. We did a 7 night cruise on the Splendour and loved it so much that we scrapped plans for a Panama Canal on DCL in May in favour of a Suez Canal cruise on the Ovation. In many regards, they are pretty similar. Some aspects I preferred on Royal Caribbean, others on DCL.

 

Corinna

[CruisinCat31]

I have always thought this was just a problem with the website display. Whenever I book with a reduced rate deposit it says there is still the remaining regular deposit amount 'due now'. I just disregard it and have never had any issues. It's a shame the customer service staff didn't provide you the correct advice.

[icsys]

I am not the OP here, but "the big fuss" is: first, not a "big fuss" but someone sharing about their poor experience with RCCL, and second, it doesn't appear to be about the money at all, but about customer service (or lack of) and a poor website/reservation system and the lack of honoring what was originally promised. It seems pretty obvious to me... How do you figure the OP was making a fuss about the money???

 

But if the OP had just said to himself, ok, my booking wasn't eligible for half-price deposits, I'll pay the whole thing, there would have been no need for ongoing CSR involvement. It would have been over.

 

Then again, if the CSR had said, ok, there was a website error (again), we are going to get the full amount at final payment anyways, we'll honor OUR error and make a customer happy, there would be no need for this thread at all.

Edited March 10, 2016 by icsys

[papaflamingo]

Then again, if the CSR had said, ok, there was a website error (again), we are going to get the full amount at final payment anyways, we'll honor OUR error and make a customer happy, there would be no need for this thread at all.

 

I have to agree, since they acknowledged (I think) that the website was in error, they should have overrode it and accepted the half deposit. But they didn't. Could be they just weren't able to do that. But I also have to say that dealing with ANY customer service these days seems to be "difficult." I use a TA. But not long ago I booked some cabins under a promotion that allowed me to use my C & A Discount and still keep the promotion. It was a Sunday so I simply called RCCL and booked and then transferred to my TA. Will never do that again. My TA needs a HUGE raise! It was frustrating. I had copied the rules of the promotion to my desktop and had to read them to the representative, who had to get permission from the supervisor to allow the promotion to apply, EVEN after I read them to her. Now, having said that, I found all quite nice. Frustrating? Yes. But nice and desiring to be helpful. Seems possible that in this case, they tried to help the OP, "I'll attach a note not to cancel cruise but don't know if Revenue will honor it." To judge an entire cruise line by the customer service reps being unable to apply a discount that the OP is technically not entitled to is a bit "harsh." But also, if you expect Disney Service on RCCL, you'll likely be very upset. There is a reason Disney is more costly than RCCL.

I sort of chuckle when I read all the posts trying to convince someone to "give Royal Caribbean another try." Cruises are remarkably subjective. Some people, for many reasons, love Royal Caribbean. Some people for different reasons love Carnival. I've done 28 cruises. 21 on RCCL, 4 Carnival, 1 NCL, 1 Celebrity, and 1 Princess. It's fairly obvious that I really enjoy RCCL. I liked the other cruises, but not as much. I think people should try other cruise lines, but really, why? Other than a better itinerary or lower cost, why? So, the OP won't try RCCL again. Ok. I really don't care either way as I won't be sailing with them. I really only care about my friends that I want to sail with. In fact I encourage someone who is going to be so angry with having to pay the full deposit that they already hate the cruise line, to go elsewhere, where they will be happier. Happy cruisers make a fun and happy cruise. :)

[davenew]

From what I've read, you may be disappointed with the cruise product as well if you are accustomed to Disney. I personally really like RC but if the reports are accurate, there is a definite difference in the quality of the product.

 

And the price :D

[phabric]

I booked online 2 cabins, a couple of days ago with a 1/2 price deposit. I noticed like many people that under my cruises that it says that I needed a full payment. I called this morning and asked if I needed to make another payment. She checked, the answer was no since I have a confirmed booking and nothing was needed until final payment.