Sending Amenities to RCCl or Celebrity - Don't

[natah]

Sending Amenities to RCCl or Celebrity - Don't

Recently sent 2 items to my parents for their first cruise, one to be delievered the first day and the second on the 4th.

 

The second item was not that expensive but the idea was for them to get a smile and know that we were thinking of them.

They recieved the first and called from the ship, very excited, never heard from them about the second. They arrived home today and I asked if they had received anything on the 4th night such as a fruit basket. Remembered that they had but did not have a card. Called and the concierge checcked as well, found it was shipped through Miami and the only information they had was that it was from ****. As they were in a suite and had been getting amenities throughout the cruise, they were told it must be from the captain.

They did not eat the fruit but that was not the point of sending the item, it was to let them we were thinking of them.

 

Called customer service and they only indicated they would send a note to the ship. Kept going higher and basically they would do nothing.

 

So what I learnied was....if you want to send an amenity to someone taking a cruise on Royal Carribean or Celebrity but don't care if they do not know it was from you go ahead, if you want to send something to let someone know you are thinking of them, the DON'T as they may be told it was from the captain and the company will not do anything beyond an apology.

[cruisinfanatic]

Sending Amenities to RCCl or Celebrity - Don't

Recently sent 2 items to my parents for their first cruise, one to be delievered the first day and the second on the 4th.

 

The second item was not that expensive but the idea was for them to get a smile and know that we were thinking of them.

They recieved the first and called from the ship, very excited, never heard from them about the second. They arrived home today and I asked if they had received anything on the 4th night such as a fruit basket. Remembered that they had but did not have a card. Called and the concierge checcked as well, found it was shipped through Miami and the only information they had was that it was from ****. As they were in a suite and had been getting amenities throughout the cruise, they were told it must be from the captain.

They did not eat the fruit but that was not the point of sending the item, it was to let them we were thinking of them.

 

Called customer service and they only indicated they would send a note to the ship. Kept going higher and basically they would do nothing.

 

So what I learnied was....if you want to send an amenity to someone taking a cruise on Royal Carribean or Celebrity but don't care if they do not know it was from you go ahead, if you want to send something to let someone know you are thinking of them, the DON'T as they may be told it was from the captain and the company will not do anything beyond an apology.

Well that's just not right. I think RCL should send you all on a free cruise because someone lost a note.

[PhoenixCruiser]

I have used that service a couple of times, no problems at all. I'm sorry that you didn't have the same experience.

 

###

[Merion_Mom]

It IS a hit or miss situation, which it really shouldn't be. RC does SUCH a good job on so many on-board services, making your cruise a delight, that they SHOULD be able to get these deliveries right, too.

 

On my last cruise, a dear friend sent a package which involved a gift every day, with two "extras" whose delivery date wasn't specified. Most of these were food (canapes, fruit, fruit and cookies......).

 

They were ALL delivered on the last day. Together. At one time. On a really large tray. A stack of plates.

 

Does this lessen my friend's gift? No. He was still kind and thoughtful.

 

Did RC "get it right"? NO. It's silly to deliver four plates of food at one time.

[Bill-Squared]

We're going on RCCL in November, and I'd love to send a nice surprise for my S/O. I'm a rookie cruiser, so not sure how this works. Any insight? What can and cannot be sent? (Wine? Flowers?)

 

Thanks!

[madforcruising]

Sending Amenities to RCCl or Celebrity - Don't

Recently sent 2 items to my parents for their first cruise, one to be delievered the first day and the second on the 4th.

 

The second item was not that expensive but the idea was for them to get a smile and know that we were thinking of them.

They recieved the first and called from the ship, very excited, never heard from them about the second. They arrived home today and I asked if they had received anything on the 4th night such as a fruit basket. Remembered that they had but did not have a card. Called and the concierge checcked as well, found it was shipped through Miami and the only information they had was that it was from ****. As they were in a suite and had been getting amenities throughout the cruise, they were told it must be from the captain.

They did not eat the fruit but that was not the point of sending the item, it was to let them we were thinking of them.

 

Called customer service and they only indicated they would send a note to the ship. Kept going higher and basically they would do nothing.

 

So what I learnied was....if you want to send an amenity to someone taking a cruise on Royal Carribean or Celebrity but don't care if they do not know it was from you go ahead, if you want to send something to let someone know you are thinking of them, the DON'T as they may be told it was from the captain and the company will not do anything beyond an apology.

 

Just curious, but what do you think they should do. Your parents received the gift, though the note was lost. Yes they should have done it right, but humans do make mistakes and what can they do than appology for it.

[brmoqueen]

I've had the same problem.....what we learned is that when u send a gift make sure you give a card to the person sailing to open when they board the ship, that way they know what's coming and to go ask for it if it doesn't....

 

The last time we ordered items we had to ask for every single one of them and had over 7 items coming between the two cabins....

[jphc318]

Cruisefanatic

IAGREE!:D

[tnsunshine]

Sorry for what happened to you. As for the smart remarks from some people....RCCL is a business that advertises and sells these special gifts and they should take responsibility for the proper delivery of the items WITH the proper acknolegement, to say anything else is poor business ethics. You pay extra for these specialities and they need to be treated in the proper way or they should not be selling the items to begin with. Yes, mistakes happen but the least they can do is apoligize. I hope this dosen't happen often. It was very thoughtful of you to want to do something special .

[terri23]

tnsunshine - I agree! A paid-for service should be provided as promised. And to the OP - just ignore the "smart" remarks of a couple of posters.

[azbirdz]

I guess I didn't read the OP like some folks did -- I didn't see where s/he wanted anything more than an apology/acknowledgement that it was not a desired outcome. I had a similar experience when we cruised two years ago with friends (their first) and I had pre-ordered flowers for their stateroom. Never arrived -- no record on board --- I was never charged. So they just lost the order.

 

So I'm reluctant to try this process again --even though I'm not asking for any 'compensation'. Sometimes we post just to share a situation -- not necessarily because we feel we 'deserve' something.

 

I guess the lesson for me is -- if the gift isn't in my hand then I can't really control it -- and sometimes things won't go as planned. True onshore or onboard. :)

[Dockman123]

Sending Amenities to RCCl or Celebrity - Don't

Recently sent 2 items to my parents for their first cruise, one to be delievered the first day and the second on the 4th.

 

The second item was not that expensive but the idea was for them to get a smile and know that we were thinking of them.

They recieved the first and called from the ship, very excited, never heard from them about the second. They arrived home today and I asked if they had received anything on the 4th night such as a fruit basket. Remembered that they had but did not have a card. Called and the concierge checcked as well, found it was shipped through Miami and the only information they had was that it was from ****. As they were in a suite and had been getting amenities throughout the cruise, they were told it must be from the captain.

They did not eat the fruit but that was not the point of sending the item, it was to let them we were thinking of them.

 

Called customer service and they only indicated they would send a note to the ship. Kept going higher and basically they would do nothing.

 

So what I learnied was....if you want to send an amenity to someone taking a cruise on Royal Carribean or Celebrity but don't care if they do not know it was from you go ahead, if you want to send something to let someone know you are thinking of them, the DON'T as they may be told it was from the captain and the company will not do anything beyond an apology.

 

What is that you are looking for other then an apology?

[megessey]

Just curious, but what do you think they should do. Your parents received the gift, though the note was lost. Yes they should have done it right, but humans do make mistakes and what can they do than appology for it.

 

That is very simple.... RCC should refund their money. Immediately, and without a "yeah but".

[JaneStarr]

What is that you are looking for other then an apology?

 

I think a sincere apology and maybe a partial refund (like $5) would show good will. If it were my business to sell these amenities, I would go the extra mile to show that customer service is a priority.

 

Jane

[Dockman123]

That is very simple.... RCC should refund their money. Immediately, and without a "yeah but".

 

I disagree with a full refund. I do acknowledge the fact that RCI lost the card saying who it was from and that is bad. They did deliver the product on the day that it was ordered for but obviously lost the card. (You show me what company never has a problem or never makes a mistake). The OP in the last sentence said they received an apology. Obviously they were looking for more and I am just curious what they were looking for.

[Bill-Squared]

Can't add anything to this discussion and certainly don't want to hijack the thread, but I asked a question earlier that got lost in the dialogue.

 

 

We're going on RCCL in November, and I'd love to send a nice surprise for my S/O. I'm a rookie cruiser, so not sure how this works. Any insight? What can and cannot be sent? (Wine? Flowers?) Who do you use? :confused:

 

Thanks again!

[Dockman123]

Can't add anything to this discussion and certainly don't want to hijack the thread, but I asked a question earlier that got lost in the dialogue.

 

 

We're going on RCCL in November, and I'd love to send a nice surprise for my S/O. I'm a rookie cruiser, so not sure how this works. Any insight? What can and cannot be sent? (Wine? Flowers?) Who do you use? :confused:

 

Thanks again!

Here is the link to RCI's service for this http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/home.do;jsessionid=0000VdjZItWQ2F79HZumXYZTYnz:10ktmerriThere seems to be mixed feelings as to whether it is worth it or not. I have not used it so I am unable to say.

[Cam6959]

Our children purchased us a romance package for our 25th anniversary, which includes canapes before dinner and strawberries dipped in chocolate on first formal night after dinner which happened to be our anniversary night and a bottle of champagne. other things were also included but the food items were the ones we had problems with. No canapes and no chocolate covered strawberries. Thankfully, our children had told us before we went what they had done so we could read up about it before hand so we knew what to expect. We complained to our room steward and the second formal night (which was not our anniversary) in came canapes and chocolate covered strawberries and another bottle of champagne and a cake and a nice $25.00 credit on our account. Way to go RC!

[megessey]

Our children purchased us a romance package for our 25th anniversary, which includes canapes before dinner and strawberries dipped in chocolate on first formal night after dinner which happened to be our anniversary night and a bottle of champagne. other things were also included but the food items were the ones we had problems with. No canapes and no chocolate covered strawberries. Thankfully, our children had told us before we went what they had done so we could read up about it before hand so we knew what to expect. We complained to our room steward and the second formal night (which was not our anniversary) in came canapes and chocolate covered strawberries and another bottle of champagne and a cake and a nice $25.00 credit on our account. Way to go RC!

 

That's what I'm talking about!

 

I'm do not fish for freebies when a company makes a mistake, and I believe me I know everyone makes mistakes--I have my own home business and have made a few -- I always fix it and give a free gift for the inconvenience, or give full refund and a free gift for the inconvenience.

 

In my opinion is, if a business does get it wrong, then it is their responsibility to either make it right or refund the customer's money. Ok, and maybe not a full refund, but they didn't even offer anything! An apology isn't enough, in my opinion.

[benjidog]

When we toured the Radiance in Dec, we saw flowers in the cabins before the people had boarded. My daughter decided that was a wonderful idea, so she sent us a beautiful basket. She called us about 3pm on the ship and we didn't mention it, so she called back. We didn't have the flowers yet. We checked with customer service. They had no record of it, but couldn't reach the floral department then. We got them later that evening.

 

Our group ordered roses for a couple celebrating their anniversary. They also didn't get them until evening.

 

My daughter also sent us chocolate covered strawberries mid week. We did get the card. But I have no idea if they came on the right day or not.

 

I have no idea what she spend, but the dozen roses cost our group about $50.

 

dockman123, I hope you saw the answer to your question with the link to find out what's offered. Others companies also do packages and deliver them to the ship. Just keep reading the threads and I'm sure you'll find out about those too.

[Merion_Mom]

Can't add anything to this discussion and certainly don't want to hijack the thread, but I asked a question earlier that got lost in the dialogue.

 

 

We're going on RCCL in November, and I'd love to send a nice surprise for my S/O. I'm a rookie cruiser, so not sure how this works. Any insight? What can and cannot be sent? (Wine? Flowers?) Who do you use? :confused:

 

Thanks again!

So, Bill, you are cruising WITH your significant other? That makes it much easier. Don't use the "send it to your cabin" stuff. Go to the floral cart in the Centrum (should be right by the Purser's Desk every afternoon/evening) and BUY flowers there. I am sure that they'll deliver them to your cabin, OR you could take them up yourself when you are sure that the cabin is empty.

 

It's a lovely thought. Have a great cruise.

[hobbit81]

I purchased some items to be waiting for me and a friend when we get to our cabins. Now I'm wondering if they'll be right. We leave on Splendour the 27th of this month. I'll let you know when we get back if it was done.

I know that 2 years ago, we sailed on the Holiday (Carnival) and there were strawberries and Champane in the room. No card. Not sure where they came from but assumed that they were from the company that booked the cuise. It was a sales meeting cruise my friend had to go on. I just tagged along. It was a nice surprise though.:)

 

Splendour 2/06

Holiday 11/03

[Bill-Squared]

So, Bill, you are cruising WITH your significant other? That makes it much easier. Don't use the "send it to your cabin" stuff. Go to the floral cart in the Centrum (should be right by the Purser's Desk every afternoon/evening) and BUY flowers there. I am sure that they'll deliver them to your cabin, OR you could take them up yourself when you are sure that the cabin is empty.

 

It's a lovely thought. Have a great cruise.

 

Thanks, "Mom," I might just do that!

 

He's been trying to talk me into a cruise for almost 10 years, but I've resisted. The one time I went on a cruise, it was horrible. Small ship, storm...sick! Couldn't even port at the first two stops. I lost 8 pounds that week. :( Swore I'd never do another one...but here I am...compromising. Ain't that what's good relationships are all about? And funny thing is, I'm getting very excited doing all the research...and it's 10 months away. So I thought he deserves flowers for all the effort in the past 10 years. :o

[Merion_Mom]

Bill, hang out here enough until your cruise, and you'll be so excited, you won't even REMEMBER that one bad experience from years ago!

 

You are definitely in the right place to get all the info you need to make your cruise fantastic. Just remember: ask HERE, NOT on RC's phone lines!! ;)

[Bill-Squared]

Bill, hang out here enough until your cruise, and you'll be so excited, you won't even REMEMBER that one bad experience from years ago!

 

You are definitely in the right place to get all the info you need to make your cruise fantastic. Just remember: ask HERE, NOT on RC's phone lines!! ;)

 

Yes, this board seems to be a wealth of information. I've gotten packing ideas and items I never would have thought of by myself, but make lots of sense. Rather learn it before we leave!!

 

Thanks for your help! ;)