Never Again On Rccl

[dougp26364]

While I understand the frustration of people when things go wrong, I'm always curious if the folks that complain the loudest and blame the cruise line (airline, government response to hurricanes, etc.) were put in charge how much better they would have done in the short amount of time available to set things up,the distances involved and the time difference between the U.S. and Spain. Also, dealing with the various agencies involved in a foreign country that are responsible for some of the things that need to be done had to be interesting.

 

 

Just curious, that's all.

 

to start with, I wouldn't have been asking all the cruise only passengers to get their flight infomation in so that RCI could contact the airlines to make flight arrangements for them. Instead, I'd have told them they needed to do this themselves as soon as possible.

 

I also wouldn't have told them RCI would be taking care of them and getting hotel rooms for them. I'd have told them they needed to be checking into it themsleves.

 

If I really wanted to be nice, I'd have offered the use of the internet for free in order for the cruise only passnegers to make arrangements and maybe even waved the phone fee's so that passengers could call their airlines direct. Perhaps even allowed them the use of fax services to contact whomever they needed to contact.

 

I certainly would have known better than to give out a phone number and said it was toll free when it could not even be reached from Spain without an AT&T calling card.

 

I can think of a lot of things I'd do but one of them isn't telling all the passengers what I was going to do for them and then not following up on any of it. Telling lies is the one thing I would not do but is the one and only thing RCI seemed to do.

[ElvisandTracey]

Then people should stop whining about it and contact the right people at RCI and get the satisfaction they are seeking-

 

Whining about it on these boards will not get them what they really want-money, a new cruise, credit, whatever-

 

If it were me in this situation, instead of wasting my time complaining to a bunch of other posters who could not possibly help me, I would be going higher up in the RCI food chain until I got what I wanted-

 

If you add up all the time it is taking to post these accounts on these boards, that time would be far better spent speaking to RCI to get compensated-I can't stand people who complain for the sheer sake of complaining, yet are totally unmotivated to take real, serious action. Not trying to be mean, but what these people really want cannot be accomplished here on the boards.

 

When I have a problem with RCI or anyone else, I don't waste my time belly aching about it with a bunch of other belly achers, I go to the person in charge and get it fixed!!

 

Case closed, move on-

 

If you don't like what I have to say, close your eyes!!!:eek:

[dougp26364]

While I understand the frustration of people when things go wrong, I'm always curious if the folks that complain the loudest and blame the cruise line (airline, government response to hurricanes, etc.) were put in charge how much better they would have done in the short amount of time available to set things up,the distances involved and the time difference between the U.S. and Spain. Also, dealing with the various agencies involved in a foreign country that are responsible for some of the things that need to be done had to be interesting.

 

 

Just curious, that's all.

 

to start with, I wouldn't have been asking all the cruise only passengers to get their flight infomation in so that RCI could contact the airlines to make flight arrangements for them. Instead, I'd have told them they needed to do this themselves as soon as possible.

 

I also wouldn't have told them RCI would be taking care of them and getting hotel rooms for them. I'd have told them they needed to be checking into it themsleves.

 

If I really wanted to be nice, I'd have offered the use of the internet for free in order for the cruise only passnegers to make arrangements and maybe even waved the phone fee's so that passengers could call their airlines direct. Perhaps even allowed them the use of fax services to contact whomever they needed to contact.

 

I certainly would have known better than to give out a phone number and said it was toll free when it could not even be reached from Spain without an AT&T calling card.

 

I can think of a lot of things I'd do but one of them isn't telling all the passengers what I was going to do for them and then not following up on any of it. Telling lies is the one thing I would not do but is the one and only thing RCI seemed to do.

[cruise182]

Then people should stop whining about it and contact the right people at RCI and get the satisfaction they are seeking-

 

Whining about it on these boards will not get them what they really want-money, a new cruise, credit, whatever-

 

If it were me in this situation, instead of wasting my time complaining to a bunch of other posters who could not possibly help me, I would be going higher up in the RCI food chain until I got what I wanted-

 

If you add up all the time it is taking to post these accounts on these boards, that time would be far better spent speaking to RCI to get compensated-I can't stand people who complain for the sheer sake of complaining, yet are totally unmotivated to take real, serious action. Not trying to be mean, but what these people really want cannot be accomplished here on the boards.

 

When I have a problem with RCI or anyone else, I don't waste my time belly aching about it with a bunch of other belly achers, I go to the person in charge and get it fixed!!

 

Case closed, move on-

 

If you don't like what I have to say, close your eyes!!!:eek:

 

They are doing a service by warning other posters. Thanks to them I will be better prepared if I find myself in their situation. Perhaps you should take your own advice and "move on"....don't click on the thread.

[james j feller]

JBOND,

 

I was going to say the same thing to ELVIS AND TRACEY.

 

In all my experiance traveling around most of the world, cruises,land tours and on my own i have never seen anything like this, period.

 

The way i understand, RCCL will give those that booked the airfare through them $250 toward their next international cruise, notice i didn't say any cruise, it has to be overseas again, lord help us. RCCL is so cheap that they can't give $250 to any of their cruises, of course i won't worry about it as i won't cruise with them again.

 

JIM

[kristikae]

I'm always curious if the folks that complain the loudest and blame the cruise line (airline, government response to hurricanes, etc.) were put in charge how much better they would have done in the short amount of time available to set things up,the distances involved and the time difference between the U.S. and Spain. Also, dealing with the various agencies involved in a foreign country that are responsible for some of the things that need to be done had to be interesting.

 

That is irrelevent. The people complaining aren't in the cruise business...RCI is. I can't believe how terribly these people were treated. I'm sure it was very scary to be in a foriegn county and not really have any idea what is going on. I'm sure it's not much consolation but I don't think Carnival would have done any better in that situation. They're a classic example of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.

[kristikae]

It's a good thing James and Doug joined before their cruise or it surely would have been implied that they were trolls! :p

[james j feller]

ELVIS AND TRACEY,

 

Some day something like this will happen to you,and the posters out there will hear you loud and clear.

 

We are in the process of talking to the right people, it takes time.

 

JIM

[critterchick]

Clearly, RCI is fully responsible for fisherman strikes in Spain, this is totally under their control, and all passengers affected should be fully compensated with 3 free cruises each year for the rest of their lives.

 

Additionally, RCI will be held responsible for the following future events, should they occur in a location that somehow affects a cruise:

 

1. Meteor Showers.

 

2. The flying of pigs.

 

3. The freezing over of Hell.

 

4. Alien overthrow of the earth.

 

You get the idea-

 

Geez people, there was a labor dispute-IN SPAIN!!! What is RCI supposd to do about it?? I am sure they did what they could, and I am also sure that they were far more distressed about it from a business perspective than any passenger was because of the effect on his/her 3 day cruise-

 

Speak to the right people in the right way and you just may be compensated for it, but how can you hold RCI responsible for a Spanish fisherman strike??:eek:

 

The fact that the strike was in Spain and not Los Angeles or Miami really isn't relevant - they have local agents who are familiar with the area and should have been able to carry the ball.

 

The building I work in has a contingency plan for earthquakes (it's in LA, so it might happen). Also for general emergency evacuations (it's a highrise, so it might happen). Hell, DH and I even have 3 days' worth of supplies stashed outside in case we get stranded in a major event. RCI seems to have NO such contingency plans for one of the issues that is most likely to affect them, that is, a port closure due to something other than natural disaster. They seem to be quite capable of making alternate plans for hurricanes - changing ports, diverting ships, staying at sea for an extra day, etc. Why couldn't they put that sort of plan into play here? Yes, we on the 3-day would have been disappointed at our cruise being cancelled (I don't imagine they would have flown us all to an alternate port for that short of a cruise), and some number of posters would have gone ballistic over that. We were fully expecting to have the cruise cancelled, and had made alternate plans in case we stayed in Barcelona for 3 days.

 

RCCL has an obligation to be honest with their passengers (I suppose telling us they didn't know anything was honest, if not reassuring). It sounds to me as if they were not. That troubles me.

[james j feller]

KRISTIKAE,

 

This really happened, no trolls.

 

I post on other sites too.

 

JIM

[cruise182]

It's a good thing James and Doug joined before their cruise or it surely would have been implied that they were trolls! :p

 

I was thinking the same thing!!

[dougp26364]

 

Whining about it on these boards will not get them what they really want-money, a new cruise, credit, whatever-

 

If it were me in this situation, instead of wasting my time complaining to a bunch of other posters who could not possibly help me, I would be going higher up in the RCI food chain until I got what I wanted-

 

 

Who said anything about compensation or money? I don't believe I've seen anyone pull out the "Let's get a lawyer card and sue RCI for everything they're worth!" have you? All I've read about is the terrible way that RCI lied to and treated most of the passengers on this sailing.

 

Personally, I gain some satisfaction if I know that others are forwarned about RCI's underhanded treatment of it's passengers when the chips are down.

 

As far as complaining to RCI, I have already sent my seven page complaint letter to every department I can think of. Not once have I asked for compensation. Personally, I could care less about compensation. I have travel insurance that should cover my out of pocket expenses and anything received from RCI in the way of vouchers sort of rings hollow with me right now.

 

When I'm screwed over by a company, I tend to tell other people about it. If you don't like what I feel are valied complaints, then don't read my words.

[Larryhnj]

I sure hope the RCCL front office is reading this thread. Just maybe if they do they will consider doing something about planning for problems like this in the future. like having staff trained on how to handle emergencies like this one. The crew practices for fires, abandoning ship etc each week, maybe management on the ships and the corporate office in Florida needs to plan and practice for emergencies of all types in order to be able to help and know how to solve unexpected problems.

 

Larry

[kristikae]

KRISTIKAE,

 

This really happened, no trolls.

 

I post on other sites too.

 

JIM

 

I'm not doubting you at all. Just pointing out how others like to play the troll card when someone is saying something bad about a cruiseline.

[FitzLA]

I guess no one can read. You have been directed to other threads that explain the situation. Again, as many have stated, no one is blaming RCI for the strike. RCI guaranteed passangers that they would be taken care of since they were arriving at the port late due to the strike and many were missing flights. RCI lied. Plain and simple. Left people stranded in Spain with no where to go. I know their contracts state that it is not their responsibility, but come on. Have a little respect for your passengers. If a ship went to Ft Lauderdale that was suppost to go to Miami due to a strike in Miami...they would have arranged to get the passengers back to Miami. Now, on the other hand, I doubt that any other cruise line would have handled it differently. I am sure that everyone affected by this strike on every cruise line is upset. So leaving and never cruising RCI again because of this, well, you are just going to run out of cruise lines eventually. Read other threads and you will see that there are just as many people upset with every cruise line for one reason or another. It is the nature of the business. Big companies suck and either you learn to live with it, or you become a hermit with no vacations.

[james j feller]

Doug,

 

Hear Hear

 

 

 

Jim

[dougp26364]

JBOND,

 

 

The way i understand, RCCL will give those that booked the airfare through them $250 toward their next international cruise, notice i didn't say any cruise, it has to be overseas again, lord help us. RCCL is so cheap that they can't give $250 to any of their cruises, of course i won't worry about it as i won't cruise with them again.

 

JIM

 

The letter I have, and I'm quoting directly from it, states, "Each guest who take advantage of option 2 will also be sent a certificate for a $250 discount on a future Royal Caribbean International sailing." (there was no s after the work take in the letter I'm holding).

 

There was a second letter that came out later when they finally figured out the phone numbers they gave couldn't be called from Barcelona. I don't know what that particular letter said.

 

I take this to mean and RCI sailing in the future, not just international sailings. To be honest with you, it's not something I'm overly thilled about right at this moment. Maybe in a few months when I 've had a little time to calm down but right now, I'm in more of a cancelation frame of mind rather than adding another cruise with RCI.

[sailor05]

I think if this ever happened to me, it would take any Army to get me off of the ship in first place. I wouldn't leave the ship until I knew I had arrangements to get home. Then it would be RCCL's problem. They can't control isolated incidents such as this, but there should be a team of people that handle these situations. And it seems they are doing less and less for people who encounter BIG problems, in the way of reimbursing, or discounting future cruises. And I also would of used the internet and made phone calls and then dared them to charge me for them. (dispute charges on credit card?)

 

SHAME ON YOU RCCL!!!

[corina27]

Doug thanks for telling us your story and you were very smart to get the Travel Insurance hopefully that will help you out some.

Hopefully RCI will learn from the mistakes that were made.

I hope your next cruise is non-eventfull.:)

[rubrrick]

This is the second cruise in a row where there has been a major incident (we were on the Monarch cruise where 3 crew members died), and RCCL customer service had no idea that anything was going on either time.

 

Were you embarking on the day that the 3 crew members died? We were disembarking and everything ran smoothly. We heard the Alpha Alpha Alpha, and then the Bravo, Bravo Bravo calls.

I also know that there was a hold up in the embarkation process, as there was a major incident that had just occured. Outside of the fact that you couldn't board till later, what other problems did you experience?

 

We are Diamond members with RCCL, and have every intention of becoming Diamond Plus within a year or two. I do hope they come up with some kind of contingency planning formula, though. We keep getting $150 credits for inconvenience, and as a shareholder, I'd rather see them do things right the first time around.

 

I agree, there have been times that communication does not come up to par. I just got wiped out by hurricane Wilma (my timeshare in Cancun, that is) and we were just told two days ago to come on back this Saturday. It could have been a little more timely.

We overlook some of the bumps as it could happen anywhere. We are still happy with RCCL and enjoy cruising on her ships.

 

Rick

[PTarbay]

They are doing a service by warning other posters. Thanks to them I will be better prepared if I find myself in their situation. Perhaps you should take your own advice and "move on"....don't click on the thread.

I absolutely agree with you.Just from reading what happened I know I will be better prepared if something like this should happen to me.For one I will definitely have a cell phone with me that works where I am traveling as well as here.

Whining about it on these boards will not get them what they really want-money, a new cruise, credit, whatever-

If you add up all the time it is taking to post these accounts on these boards, that time would be far better spent speaking to RCI to get compensated-I can't stand people who complain for the sheer sake of complaining, yet are totally unmotivated to take real, serious action. Not trying to be mean, but what these people really want cannot be accomplished here on the boards.

How do you know what actions they are taking or who they spoke to or what their motivations are?Aren't you assuming quite a bit here?Have you even really read these posts?They are not complaining for the sake of complaining or whining.These people made us aware of some serious issues and even gave us some good suggestions in case we ever find ourselves in the same kind of situation.It seems to me they showed a lot of patience and restaraint under the circumstances.They never blamed RCI for the strike as you implied.These were informative and well spoken posts ,not whiny.I thank them for all the time they have taken answering our questions,some several times on different threads.I think what they really want on these boards has been accomplished, and that is to let us know what happened and to warn us what could potentially happen to others.Maybe a little venting too but they are entitled to that.Honestly you have spent as much time posting on this subject and complaining about their posts as they have.

[colette5479]

Then people should stop whining about it and contact the right people at RCI and get the satisfaction they are seeking-

 

Whining about it on these boards will not get them what they really want-money, a new cruise, credit, whatever-

 

If it were me in this situation, instead of wasting my time complaining to a bunch of other posters who could not possibly help me, I would be going higher up in the RCI food chain until I got what I wanted-

 

If you add up all the time it is taking to post these accounts on these boards, that time would be far better spent speaking to RCI to get compensated-I can't stand people who complain for the sheer sake of complaining, yet are totally unmotivated to take real, serious action. Not trying to be mean, but what these people really want cannot be accomplished here on the boards.

 

When I have a problem with RCI or anyone else, I don't waste my time belly aching about it with a bunch of other belly achers, I go to the person in charge and get it fixed!!

 

Case closed, move on-

 

If you don't like what I have to say, close your eyes!!!:eek:

 

 

 

I would suggest a course in Reading Comprehension 101:)

 

I am VERY glad to see this addressed on the boards. I could not imagine what these poor folk had to endure. I know I would have been a basket case! This is a very unusual situation...one I never would have dreamed of happening but is something all cruisers should think about. Please keep us updated on the situation!

 

BTW E&T...if your next cruise is not all lollypops and flowers, please don't tell us about it. You will be labled as a whiner and not many will have sympathy for you.:)

[spoonful]

I understand your problems. RCI is in the travel business and, as you said, they should have plans for this type of event (not being about to return to home port), especially after September 11th and Katrina. And they should have been honest instead of simply placating.

[ElvisandTracey]

I would suggest a course in Reading Comprehension 101:)

 

I am VERY glad to see this addressed on the boards. I could not imagine what these poor folk had to endure. I know I would have been a basket case! This is a very unusual situation...one I never would have dreamed of happening but is something all cruisers should think about. Please keep us updated on the situation!

 

BTW E&T...if your next cruise is not all lollypops and flowers, please don't tell us about it. You will be labled as a whiner and not many will have sympathy for you.:)

 

Trust me, if my cruise isn't "all lollypops and flowers" I won't be wasting my time here crying about it, I will be on the next cruise that I get for free from RCI (if it was their error that caused the problem!!)

[colette5479]

Thanks for the warning then!;) :)