Who do I email to complain to? Change in Cuba Itinerary

[KCmomof5]

No one has speculated as to the reason for the itinerary change. Having sailed to Havana, I know that the dock space is very limited. On the day I sailed in on Empress, we had had to wait offshore at 4AM while a Carnival ship which had been in port sailed out. I'm guessing the the Cuban authorities either changed Majesty's departure in order to allow another ship to sail in the early morning or the authorities messed up and double booked it to begin with.

 

Just be nice; and you'll probably get some OBC. My guess is that RCCL isn't trying to make you upset on purpose.

 

We were wondering this but when I looked on that website that shows which ships are in what port I didn't see another ship....but that has been awhile and things could have changed. I agree it is probably something to do with another ship. I am just really excited about this particular cruise because I had so many plans an unfortunately the early depart changes that. Also, not just me but several people are upset because we paid more for this cruise because of the 2 full nights. I am sure RCCL will compensate passengers. I'm just disappointed right now:(:(

[Homosassa]

Rule of thumb, if you must be in a port on a certain date, at a certain time, for a certain length of time, do not cruise.

 

Book a land vacation and hope all goes well with arrival and departure plans.

 

And waxing lyrical about sunrises and sail aways doesn't really make any difference in the outcome of one's complaint. Also complaining that one's personal plans in port has been disrupted also doesn't factor into complaint outcome.

[KCmomof5]

Just my 2 cents, it may be the contract but it's still not good business. It's like relocations or "walks" in the hotel business, we can certainly do it at anytime but doesn't make it right.

 

I agree, just not "good business". I do understand things happen. This is just such a big difference. We could have booked a different cruise for much less. As others are saying. I am sure they will compensate us something. When we were on the Liberty of the Seas and we missed a port....even though they squeezed in a different port. Everyone was compensated.

[Homosassa]

Post deleted.

[KCmomof5]

OP - I am sorry to hear of all your changes and hope you get some resolution. I understand you are upset, and I would be too, but there is likely nothing that can be done.

 

Unfortunately, many of us have had itinerary changes, for a variety of reasons, or no reason at all. Many have missed a port due to passenger illness, weather, or a whole variety of reason. I recently had a transatlantic cruise that we booked specifically to see Dublin, and the Dublin stop was cancelled while we were on board and just two days prior to our arrival there. I've had an Eastern Caribbean cruise changed the night prior to sailing to become a western Caribbean cruise. I've had a cruise that included passage through the Suez Canal and for what ever reason, we did the passage at night, and missed everything. Folks were really mad about that nighttime passage. Nothing was offered to passengers because after all, the contract was to go through the Suez Canal, and we did just that.

 

Please do keep us posted with any resolution.

M

Thank you. I will keep you posted! You are right, anything can happen. Sorry to hear about your trip to Dublin. Especially when you booked the cruise just for that reason. To me the fun part of vacation is planning a dreaming of rhe vacation. I guess...that is what makes it just a bit of a let down. Thank you for your kind words!

[KCmomof5]

Post deleted.

My fault. That does sound confusing! I booked this upcoming cruise for July 23rd 2018....back in May of 2017. It was originally for the Empress of the Seas. For some reason RCCL changed us to Majesty of the Seas. Same cruise just a different ship. It was for 2 overnights in Havana. We were supposed to leave Havana on our 3rd day at 9am. Yesterday someone posted that RCCL changed our departure to 2am.

[KCmomof5]

Rule of thumb, if you must be in a port on a certain date, at a certain time, for a certain length of time, do not cruise.

 

Book a land vacation and hope all goes well with arrival and departure plans.

 

And waxing lyrical about sunrises and sail aways doesn't really make any difference in the outcome of one's complaint. Also complaining that one's personal plans in port has been disrupted also doesn't factor into complaint outcome.

 

I agree if I really want to see some place I book a land vacation. However, going to Cuba is a little different. Which is why I booked this specific cruise. I do understand things change when cruising but they usually happen on the cruise, usually weather related etc.... I ....or I should say, several passengers on this particular cruise are just a little shocked at the change now. Not to mention the price has been a hot topic...but again, they will probably compensate something. As someone else said, it is probably a conflict in scheduling another ship in port.

Half the fun of vacation...at least for me is in the planning and anticipation so I do get a little sappy on the looking forward to sunsets & sunrises. As for the sail away...many people who have come back from Cuba have said the sail away is fun. The Cubans come out to wave good-bye....so we were looking forward to that. Maybe I came off too strong when I was describing how upset I was....its more of a let down to what we had anticipated. Of course we will adjust and still have a great time.

[Clarea]

hi.

any e-mail address,s for top management at CELEBRITY.

please

Try the Celebrity forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

[Biker19]

I am sure they will compensate us something.

I certainly wouldn't be so sure nor even expect it.

[smplybcause]

I certainly wouldn't be so sure nor even expect it.

It's only a 6 hour difference after all. If it's not a port issue I wonder if they've discovered that 99% of guests are back on by that time and they figure being able to sail back home slower is advantageous?

 

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[KCmomof5]

Omit the top line. Laly is no longer there.

 

Despite what others have said on this thread, mbayley@rccl.com is NOT his personal email. It is specifically the email that his large staff read to sort out legitimate complaints and praise and send them to the right place for action.

 

Good to know I will omit that one. Thank you!

[KCmomof5]

It's only a 6 hour difference after all. If it's not a port issue I wonder if they've discovered that 99% of guests are back on by that time and they figure being able to sail back home slower is advantageous?

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Funny you would say that...we were just saying, probably not to many people coming back after 2. :).I checked the cruise time table. No other ship in port until Saturday. Maybe they did figure people would be back on board by.1:30...or possibly they are planning on doing something to the dock on Friday. Who knows. I will definitely report back if I ever hear the answer.

[KCmomof5]

I didn't think I would get this much response. I really appreciate everyone who took time to answer my question. We all see things differently and I appreciate everyone who wished me luck, gave me advice and even encouraged me to enjoy the cruise.....no matter what! Sometimes others help you look at things differently. I will definitely update when/if I hear anything.

[Snit13]

No one has speculated as to the reason for the itinerary change. Having sailed to Havana, I know that the dock space is very limited. On the day I sailed in on Empress, we had had to wait offshore at 4AM while a Carnival ship which had been in port sailed out. I'm guessing the the Cuban authorities either changed Majesty's departure in order to allow another ship to sail in the early morning or the authorities messed up and double booked it to begin with.

 

.

 

Finally a response that makes sense. We too have sailed to Havana and had to wait until another ship departed before we could sail in to dock. Royal DOES NOT control these times the government of Cuba controls arrival/departure times based on the extremely limited docking space. Their docks are falling down just like most of the homes we saw on our tour. Apparently they do not have the money to repair their docks so they can allow more ships to dock/visit.

 

Having sailed Empress and Majesty I view it as an upgrade except Majesty does not have a Chops and Empress does. I don't understand why you are just finding out about the change in ships as it has been common knowledge on CC for many months that Majesty was being switched from PC to Tampa to take over the Cuba cruises. If you are a regular CC reader/poster you should have been aware of changes.

 

I place blame with your TA for not being up to date and informing you before final payment. I always book directly with Royal or Celebrity and thus receive emails advising me of changes. I hope you can overcome your anger and concerns and just enjoy your cruise. Another reason to always buy travel insurance, you can cancel without penalty if you are not feeling well.

[lbjen]

I think you have to have an idea of what you want to achieve from your complaint when you write to them. They’re not going to change the departure time at this point. Could you demonstrate a tangible loss to you from the earlier sail time? Maybe. I think that the best you can really hope for is a token OBC gesture. Of course, letting them know that you are unhappy is important, because they need to be reminded that their decisions impact real people sometimes.

[KCmomof5]

Finally a response that makes sense. We too have sailed to Havana and had to wait until another ship departed before we could sail in to dock. Royal DOES NOT control these times the government of Cuba controls arrival/departure times based on the extremely limited docking space. Their docks are falling down just like most of the homes we saw on our tour. Apparently they do not have the money to repair their docks so they can allow more ships to dock/visit.

 

Having sailed Empress and Majesty I view it as an upgrade except Majesty does not have a Chops and Empress does. I don't understand why you are just finding out about the change in ships as it has been common knowledge on CC for many months that Majesty was being switched from PC to Tampa to take over the Cuba cruises. If you are a regular CC reader/poster you should have been aware of changes.

 

I place blame with your TA for not being up to date and informing you before final payment. I always book directly with Royal or Celebrity and thus receive emails advising me of changes. I hope you can overcome your anger and concerns and just enjoy your cruise. Another reason to always buy travel insurance, you can cancel without penalty if you are not feeling well.

 

 

I don't think I was very clear on my post. I found on on cruise critic in December that our ship was switched. I asked my TA....she said she wasn't informed but I'm not sure about that. I just found out yesterday from someone else that RC sent out emails this week about the time change.

According to the cruise time table another ship is not in port until Saturday. ...but as you said the docks are in need of repair and since a new company stepped in, perhaps they are using Friday for repairs? Or perhaps the cruise time table is wrong.

[KCmomof5]

I think you have to have an idea of what you want to achieve from your complaint when you write to them. They’re not going to change the departure time at this point. Could you demonstrate a tangible loss to you from the earlier sail time? Maybe. I think that the best you can really hope for is a token OBC gesture. Of course, letting them know that you are unhappy is important, because they need to be reminded that their decisions impact real people sometimes.

 

Well said! Thank you.

[spookwife]

Someone else said that about the cruise contract. I am just not understanding how they can advertise a 2 overnight then change it for no apparent reason. We could have picked a different cruise for less. Thank you for the well wishes. I hope they help us too ....somehow, someway :)

 

 

technically it is two overnights. yes the ship is now leaving 6 hours earlier, but it you consider midnight to be the break between days, you are overnight that second day. there are MANY reasons why an itinerary has to change. its highly likely that a ship is pulling IN to Cuba that morning and needs the berth Majesty is going be at.

 

best you can maybe receive is some OBC as otherwise, the have the right to change things around at any time.

[sandebeach]

I can understand the OP’s disappointment. Travel to Cuba has been so limited for US citizens, unlike citizens from many other countries, that the Cuban cruises are a bucket list trip for many. And the Cuba cruises are very pricey. I will say that the OP should be OK with the Tropicana if booked through the ship. I did this excursion through NCL and we were on the bus and back to the ship by 12:30. However, the neat thing, if you could stay later, is that the dancers and singers come down into the audience after the show to take pictures with those that have paid the extra $10 video fee. Some people at our table decided to stay and just take a taxi back to the ship, since we did not leave until 12 noon the next day.

 

 

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[Biker19]

And the Cuba cruises are very pricey.

They have been coming down - Empress sailings show up on the weekly GGG flier quite often.

[SFBayAreaShipLover]

They have the "legalese" language in the contract and fine print. Most people think it's based on weather changes, but they can change for a whole lot of reasons. Sometimes it's a domino effect from the port authorities jockeying ships around. Could be almost anything, but it's not common.

 

 

 

RCCL should be able to do something for you. We had a very bad experience on the Rhapsody recently. They froze my husband's insulin, causing it to become insu-garbage. The doctor on board and Customer Service went crazy taking care of the problem. On board is a whole different story from Corporate Miami. However, start with Corporate and see what happens.

 

 

 

I'm thinking cabin upgrade, or drink package, or obc, or dining package. Something to make your time on board (where they hope you will spend more money), enjoyable in spite of the disappointment.

 

 

 

My rule of thumb from 45 years of cruising: ALWAYS, always, always be nice and keep your cool. Polite goes a long way, even on the phone, with them.

 

 

 

I totally agree with you after 40 plus years of cruising,,,, keep calm and deal with it in a professional manner. Remember all communication is recorded and notes put in you on line file, so getting irate from the beginning won’t help the problem. And yes there are many more reason times and ports get shifted. Pilots, other vessel traffic, weather, travel time to next port. Max fuel economy is a factor. Many many reason.

 

 

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[PCWalton1]

Schedule changes happen, I don't see where you would get much compensation for this change. On our recent Ovation cruise in Asia we were told on day one that our port visit to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on day three was cancelled and we were going to a port we had never heard of (Nha Trang). They gave us a little OBC and free internet for a day to find new excursions.

It happens, roll with it and have a great cruise. :D

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Schedule changes happen, I don't see where you would get much compensation for this change. On our recent Ovation cruise in Asia we were told on day one that our port visit to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on day three was cancelled and we were going to a port we had never heard of (Nha Trang). They gave us a little OBC and free internet for a day to find new excursions.

It happens, roll with it and have a great cruise. :D

 

Agree about schedule changes happening. We're grateful you were able to get the 4 of us a great last minute tour. To many, including us, missing a port like Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was huge. I still don't understand the reason of "port congestion". Disappointed.....yes......but we rolled with it and made lemonade out of lemons.

[yuvraj]

In this situation I would get angry, annoyed and frustrated. I would even question whether I should continue to cruise with RC or even whether cruises is the right type of holiday for me. I believe a lot of people would feel that way and I have a great deal of sympathy with OP.

 

However, thirty years of cruises has taught me that itineraries can and do change. Ports get missed, arrival and departure times get changed, sometimes without reasonable justification. Each time it can be really annoying, especially if you have paid a premium for a given destination or period of stay. I have now come to accept that it is always a possibility and if it happens then this is something I have to adapt to. I never make firm plans at port stops because of this.

 

I have made several complaints during my time when I have felt that I have been treated unfairly and unreasonably. Very much along the same lines as OP has. What I have learnt is that the complaint has to be well structured and these days I use the following approach :

 

Brief intro to explain the complaint.

Itemise a list of issues. Each one being well defined and makes a significant point. Avoid listing weak points or listing too many.

Be constructive perhaps with some suggestions on how things could have been handled differently.

Conclude with a proposed resolution. Essentially what you are seeking as a remedy.

 

I have learnt from experience that it is best to reflect on what I want to achieve from making the complaint and make that my aim. I also prepare for an unsuccessful outcome. My approach is to give it a shot but be prepared to let it go if you don't get anywhere.

 

Only other option, if it is a really serious matter is to look over the terms and conditions and see whether any of these have been breached. If the answer is yes then you have a stronger case for compensation.

 

I have found that emailing Crown and Anchor is as effective as emailing anyone else. They will route the complaint to the appropriate person.

[lbjen]

We also take out a cruise insurance that specifically offers a payout if ports are changed ahead of sailing.