Cancelled Rccl cruise on December 5th 2017 due to charter

[Duck Creek]

RCCL website is selling a cruise on Explorer from 9/12/17 for 6 nights to Melbourne and Hobart (roundtrip Sydney).

 

Wonder what it is doing for the time between 5/12 and 9/12??

[MicCanberra]

But I see a big difference between cancelling for mechanical reasons, delayed in drydock etc to oh well we got a better offer (to charter the whole ship).

 

Agreed but the result is the same, the disappointment of no cruise.

[MicCanberra]

Yep and if you don't like the offers made and feel strongly enough, you can always cancel for a full refund and book on another cruise line. Otherwise I think it is a matter of 'suck it up'.

 

Unless something fitted perfectly, I would be going elsewhere as well.

[The_Big_M]

I don't know what else you can really do apart from taking what you can get and making it work for you. The alternative is to cancel the lot and get the full refund.

 

Agreed. When it happened to me I cancelled and took the refund.

 

Was insulted with the alternatives tbh, and found the travel agents tardiness even worse - took over 6 weeks to get the refund. But all worked out better in the end.

[bearone]

Well, we finally booked two other cruises to replace our two cancelled bookings due to the charter. I guess we felt that getting the offered onboard credit was better than nothing and that Royal would not offer any more than that for what was a major disruption to our December holiday plans. We were fortunate to actually get someone competent to handle our bookings which made things less stressful as we have had some shocking agents in cruise administration who were both rude and incompetent. I always take the customer survey they offer after the call and give feedback both positive and negative if that is justified. I wonder if they ever listen to those comments or view these posts? :rolleyes:

[Beanb41]

Nothing like Aussies getting off topic

[Kiwi Kruzer]

You said that it was a 10 day cruise leaving 5/12/17.

 

Interesting that Sydney Ports is now showing:

Leaving 5/12/17 coming back to Sydney 9/12/17 (4 nights)

Leaving 9/12/17 coming back to Sydney 15/12/17 (6 nights)

 

Yes wonder what the charter/s is????????

 

 

Wonder if it is indeed a charter ?...or if they have decided they can get more per day by offering shorter cruises by cashing in on the "Christmas Spirit".

[The_Big_M]

Wonder if it is indeed a charter ?...or if they have decided they can get more per day by offering shorter cruises by cashing in on the "Christmas Spirit".

 

I'd say it's a charter.

 

Plus the other cruise hasn't appeared, which it would if being re-released.

 

Also, this is the off-peak period and prices are often lower as people can't take leave til later. Although I'm not a fan of late arranged charters like this, I don't believe it's anything worse than that.

[Travel time bug]

We were in the same position. We were told by agent that RC said if not happy with $200OBC they will cancel our booking. I mentioned expense outlays like travel insurance etc. again told too bad. Lucky we were able to re book a different cruise a few days later. We had booked long service leave 12 months ago.

[Hunter69]

I'm glad your happy with the outcome... Having to accepted there pricing Etc. But after catching the cruise bug 5 years ago. It seem only RCCL is the only one having these issues with chartered cruises. No peeps from The Carnivalian's (carnival, P&o, princess). 4 nights Tassie or Bris-vegas for the charter!!!

[GUT2407]

I'm glad your happy with the outcome... Having to accepted there pricing Etc. But after catching the cruise bug 5 years ago. It seem only RCCL is the only one having these issues with chartered cruises. No peeps from The Carnivalian's (carnival, P&o, princess). 4 nights Tassie or Bris-vegas for the charter!!!

Nah don't think it's exclusive to Royal.

[MMDown Under]

The signatory to the letter was "Redeployments and Itinerary Changes", which says it all. Since this practice seems to be growing and like most Australians I book pre or post land travels attached to the cruise, I no longer book cruises overseas in advance.

 

However, this is the first time I've seen this happen with an Australian cruise (apart from Ovation). December is our peak season, with private school children already on holidays, so I can see a lot of people will be inconvenienced.

[Miystic]

I accepted the offer to the Voyager one day earlier. I am booking 2 cabins 4 people. With the short time to make the decision wether to accept or not i, I did accept. Big mistake!. Date Not suitable. I am going to cancel my booking so l now will loose my deposit and on board credit. Think I will book with Carnival for January. It is about the best deal I can find. Any other suggestions gratefully received. Needs to be school holidays and suitable for a 14 year old boy.

Cheers

[Hazydavo]

On RC's site there's a 6 night Tasmania cruise (stops in Melbourne and Hobart) available for booking that departs Sydney on the 9th of Dec.

So looks like the 4 night sailing from the 5th is the chartered cruise.

[Hazydavo]

Interesting to see Royal are selling this cruise again. From FB...

 

"Fancy a 4-night Sydney-Brisbane-Sydney getaway on the beautiful, Explorer of the Seas departing 5 December, 2017? It's the perfect introduction for those who are new to cruising and a great opportunity for those looking for a quick, relaxing getaway!"

[TEALBIRDS]

Now The Charter has Cancelled and RCL are advertising a New 4 nighter Return from Sydney on Dec 5th visiting Brisbane.

[joandian]

It's always annoying but there really is nothing we as cruisers, can do about it :(

[The_Big_M]

Was it said who chartered it, and then didn't?

[Hazydavo]

Was it said who chartered it, and then didn't?

 

Well whoever they are I reckon Royal would be none too pleased with them!

[TEALBIRDS]

Was probably only ever advertised in the Middle East with Emirates airline a sponsor of Stars Onboard

and info still available on this site http://www.starsonboard.me/site/aboutus/company-profile.html?imz_st

[Hazydavo]

Was probably only ever advertised in the Middle East with Emirates airline a sponsor of Stars Onboard

and info still available on this site http://www.starsonboard.me/site/aboutus/company-profile.html?imz_st

 

Ok so I wonder wether this "event" is still going ahead and they're now just trying to sell the remaining empty cabins?? :confused:

[TEALBIRDS]

Ok so I wonder wether this "event" is still going ahead and they're now just trying to sell the remaining empty cabins?? :confused:[/quote

 

Still availability in all categories including Royal Suite for US$50,000 (4 nights) including Reserved Seats for STARS ONBOARD Shows - doubt you will get to see those if you book with RCL

 

http://www.starsonboard.me/site/prices.html?imz_st

[MicCanberra]

If I had a spare $50,000, I certainly wouldn't be booking this cruise.

[The_Big_M]

Was probably only ever advertised in the Middle East with Emirates airline a sponsor of Stars Onboard

and info still available on this site http://www.starsonboard.me/site/aboutus/company-profile.html?imz_st

 

Interesting, thanks.

 

There's some overlap between cabins available, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's still running. Could be a shared charter cruise...

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Interesting, thanks.

 

There's some overlap between cabins available, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's still running. Could be a shared charter cruise...

 

It would not be much fun if you were not part of the "group charter " as they will take over .... everything.