Great cruise but genuine offers ?

[B x]

I am new to this forum and am not sure if the purpose of my post is appropriate for this board but I feel our experience following our most recent cruise is something of concern of which others should be aware.

 

We have cruised with RCI and their sister company Celebrity many times during the last 20 years and on many of their ships. Often we travel with our daughter and her family and have always been happy with the service and facilities offered by RCI, invariably opting for adjacent Grand Suites for both the extra room they offer and the bonus concierge services. Also the diamond lounge available to us at diamond plus members.

 

On a general note we felt the quality of food in the main dining room on this latest cruise showed a vast improvement to that on our previous few cruises when we thought the food had declined. We also ate in both Chops and Geovanni's and the standard of food and service was good as always.

 

Staff as always remain happy and attentive and always readily willing to please and assist.

 

The ship is due for a re-fit in the Autumn I believe and although some of the fitting show some sigh of wear, the overall appearance of the ship, cabins and public areas remain clean and sparkling.

 

As with our last few cruises we were encouraged to book our next cruise on board and have previously had no reason to question the 'offers' available. However, when we returned home and received our booking confirmations via our UK travel agent there were a number of anomalies and omissions, such as missing discounts, on board credit, incorrect deposits and most significantly a variant in passenger costs between the two suites booked.

 

We took this up with our travel agent and in the course of doing so it was noted that the per person cruise costs 'sold' to us were significantly higher than those advertised on RCI's (and many travel agents) web site on the day the booking was made. When I say significant I am taking in excess of £1,300 for two people and not something that could be down to ''fluid pricing' which I appreciate can create variants.

 

RCI told us that as soon as discounts are added to a booking the per person price on their system will automatically increase. I have suggested to them that they are misrepresenting the offers used to temp customers to re-book and at the same time building the cost of the 'offers' into the prices sold on board.

 

To date they have failed to produce revised booking confirmations showing deposits, on board credit etc., or address the issue of over inflated prices. I would add that the whole experience led me to re-visit the paperwork and historic web pricing for the cruise from which we have just returned (also booked on board) and it seems we were charged in the region of £1,000 more that the advertised prices on the day that booking was made.

 

It may be that I am not the first to post about this issue but feel it is a cautionary message to those considering booking a future cruise on board.

 

B x

[iluvcruzin]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I can't comment on the differences between US and UK bookings. But I can say that sometimes the next cruise consultants can provide incorrect information. I've had that happen. I usually plan in advance and get a quote from my TA.

 

On my last RCCL cruise, I booked a future cruise on Celebrity. The pricing in their system was different. Not only that but they selected the wrong perks and automatically added cruise insurance without asking. I didn't see any of this until I arrived home. My TA was able to adjust the pricing and fix the perks after the fact.

 

I'm going to guess this happens more often than not.

[B x]

Thanks Maureen, yes indeed the pound to dollar prices can vary but they actually generated our booking on board in pound sterling, it's the huge variants between that and our TA and RCI's web site that raised the initial worry.

 

A hundred or so pounds difference can easily be put down to fluid pricing, but £1,200 is way out. And to add insult to injury, their excuse that the system will automatically generate higher prices when they add offers shouts out a con.

 

I failed to add that I mailed their CEO Richard Fain when UK customer services provided a less than transparent answer (I had his personal addy from a few years back), I received an automated response last week but as yet nothing further.

 

B x

[mom2tcdx2]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I can't comment on the differences between US and UK bookings. But I can say that sometimes the next cruise consultants can provide incorrect information. I've had that happen. I usually plan in advance and get a quote from my TA.

 

On my last RCCL cruise, I booked a future cruise on Celebrity. The pricing in their system was different. Not only that but they selected the wrong perks and automatically added cruise insurance without asking. I didn't see any of this until I arrived home. My TA was able to adjust the pricing and fix the perks after the fact.

 

I'm going to guess this happens more often than not.

 

I am kind of surprised you didn't notice until you got home, when we booked 7 cruises onboard (there were 3 of us), we received a printed out confirmation of every booking as the gentleman did them. We were easily able to see OBC, whether the insurance was added, etc.

[Bruin Steve]

I might question your travel agent...

One of the reasons I have a travel agent is to "go to bat for me" when there is an issue like this regarding a booking.

 

Personally, I have booked while onboard RCCL or Celebrity several times and have never had this sort of issue. The price quoted was always the price received...and, since I have internet onboard and the RCCL and Celebrity websites don't even count against paid minutes, I have always been able to check the pricing on my own before booking onboard. I typically have those onboard bookings placed directly with my TA--who then adds her own OBC.

 

That said, I haven't always found the onboard agents to be the sharpest tools in the shed, but I have never had the impression that they are in any way dishonest.

 

And, of course, here in the US (Yes, I know, the UK can be different on this), if I find a better deal later, I can always contact my TA or RCCL and get my price adjusted...or I can cancel and rebook with the better deal.

[B x]

The reason we didn't know until we got home (via our TA) is because their computer system went down on the last day of the cruise which is when we booked and they could only give a basic confirmation of booking without all the details.

 

I hope initially it was just an error but their reluctance to address the issue suggests otherwise.

[iluvcruzin]

I am kind of surprised you didn't notice until you got home, when we booked 7 cruises onboard (there were 3 of us), we received a printed out confirmation of every booking as the gentleman did them. We were easily able to see OBC, whether the insurance was added, etc.

 

What I received onboard was different than what RCCL emailed me after I returned home. My TA warned me this could happen. And the one I had was a lady who did not have much experience with cruising as it was obvious.