Rhapsody Of The Seas Letdown

[Mystang101]

I sailed on Rhapsody Of The Seas on Feb. 18th, 2007. Some of you have heard the horror stories from this fresh-out-of-drydock sailing (Should-have-stayed-in). I have written to many people at RCCL about the dissapointment with the condition of the ship and the incomplete repairs from the drydock. After getting the shoveoff from RCCL, I wrote to the BBB, and then posted the following on the consumerist website. I admit my letter was a little long, but with this many issues, why not let them hear it all! You can see the photo's I took as well. With over 30,000 views on that site alone, hopefully RCCL will begin to think twice about the way they treat their customers... Someone also posted it on digg.com for me...

 

http://consumerist.com/consumer/complaints/royal-cruise-was-a-royal-disaster-273015.php

 

http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Royal_Cruise_Was_A_Royal_Disaster

 

My letter to RCCL is there, and you will see their reply as well, pretty much saying thanks for your money, we're through with you now. Obviously, their definition of customer service is very different than mine. As you will see from some of the other posts, I am not the only one who thinks they do not care...

 

I would also like to hear from anyone else who was on this sailing... What were your thoughts?

[Mines]

I sailed on Rhapsody Of The Seas on Feb. 18th, 2007. Some of you have heard the horror stories from this fresh-out-of-drydock sailing (Should-have-stayed-in). I have written to many people at RCCL about the dissapointment with the condition of the ship and the incomplete repairs from the drydock. After getting the shoveoff from RCCL, I wrote to the BBB, and then posted the following on the consumerist website. I admit my letter was a little long, but with this many issues, why not let them hear it all! You can see the photo's I took as well. With over 30,000 views on that site alone, hopefully RCCL will begin to think twice about the way they treat their customers... Someone also posted it on digg.com for me...

 

http://consumerist.com/consumer/complaints/royal-cruise-was-a-royal-disaster-273015.php

 

http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Royal_Cruise_Was_A_Royal_Disaster

 

My letter to RCCL is there, and you will see their reply as well, pretty much saying thanks for your money, we're through with you now. Obviously, their definition of customer service is very different than mine. As you will see from some of the other posts, I am not the only one who thinks they do not care...

 

I would also like to hear from anyone else who was on this sailing... What were your thoughts?

Have a look at the comments on the first cruise by Azamara Journey (same group as RCL). This was also an out of dry dock disaster. Everyone on the first sailing to Bermuda received a free cruise from Celebrity.

 

From what you describe, your situation was not as bad as theirs, but there is some similarity and RCL/Celebrity's judgement of paying out all or nothing seems harsh. It may be asking too much to get a full compensation but surely they could go somewhere in between. The problem they have is that the unfortunate circumstances did not apply only to you, they were common to all of the guests. If they offer you compensation, they would have to offer it to all of the guests on that sailing - and that is expensive!

[Lowcountrygal]

I think it is unacceptable for the pools & Windjammer to be closed for the entire cruise due to maintenance. I could see if there was a health issue, but not due to renovation or ongoing maintenance that SHOULD have been performed in dry-dock! It was not clear to me if the casino was closed the entire time or not, if it was for the entire cruise.....that too is unacceptable. RCI was not delivering the product as advertised -- period! :(

 

I think RCI's response was unacceptable as well. :(

 

RCI, you can and SHOULD do better than this! :eek:

[OKC Cruisers]

My wife and I were on the sailing right after yours. Windjammer was still closed for the 1st day, then partially opened for the next 3 or 4 days and didn't fully open until the last couple of days of our cruise. Fortunately (for us) everything else was completed and open. They were still doing some room completions and we did occassionally have to deal with rolls of carpet in the hallways.

 

I do agree with you that every passenger on your sailing should have received something besides $20.00 and the shove off. It is a sad testament to today's corporate world to see the lack of customer service in many companies out there. Apparently it's all about the $ and not the customer.

 

Hope any future cruises you go on will be fantastic for you!

[Lightsluvr]

I am a RCI shareholder, and agree that the cruise line's response was poorly handled.

 

I would follow up with a concise, (less whiny) certified letter to Richard Fain with copy to the Crown & Anchor Society. Address the important issues as outlined in previous posts. Tell him what you expected and what was not provided. Be concise and factual. Provide comparisons of what was done in similar situations on other RCCL ships. Tell Mr. Fain what you would accept as reasonable compensation for the lost portions of this cruise. Don't threaten or name-call.

You've pretty much lost your leverage by posting your laundry on a somewhat whacko anti-cruising website, but perhaps a letter will be more productive than your previous e-mail.

JMHO.

Good luck.

 

LL

 

P.S. - your complaint may have had 30,000 hits, but probably 25,000 came from here on Cruise Critic from users following links on other threads. I suspect that CC users sympathize with your issues but don't really care for the consumerist types who blame the world's problems on cruising...

[Emi's Mom]

By April 1st, Rhapsody was in great shape. We had a wonderful time and the Windjammer was in full operation with an awesome staff.

[daisysheridan]

P.S. - your complaint may have had 30,000 hits, but probably 25,000 came from here on Cruise Critic from users following links on other threads.

 

That is the only reason I looked at it!

[bubbadog]

this shouldnt of happened,and was caused by corporate, because they loose so much money each day that the ship doesnt sail, so they do this and sail and continue to complete the renovations at your cost,its simply greed that makes things like this happen:))):rolleyes:

[TEXASMUNK]

This thread be perminently tacked up at the top of page one from now on.

The perfect example of how not to get what you want.

 

I noted the travel date and wanted to thank the original poster for helping to contribute to my quarterly dividend,

[Coralc]

I don't mean to sound harsh...but this issue seems to come up quite frequently. We had a bad cruise in 1998, a very bad cruise on another line. We no longer sail with that cruiseline. We have since learned quite a bit more about travel. "Trouble Free Travel...And What to do When Things Go Wrong" by Nolo Press is a great book.

 

"Lack of Enjoyment" is not covered by your cruise contract. The cruiseline agreed to provide certain accomodations and food for the length of your cruise. Ports are not guaranteed, amenities and such are not guaranteed. We received the offer of a 2 category upgrade and a fruit basket if we cruised with that line again within a year. No thanks.

 

It does make you angry, but RCCL (and this other cruise line) provided and fulfilled their part of the cruise contract. It is up to you, as the consumer, as to what you decide to do with your future vacation dollars. I don't believe you will receive any additional compensation.

[abridalmaven]

That is the only reason I looked at it!

Ditto, if not for the link on CC I would not bother with that site.

 

 

And I know enough after being on CC never to book a cruise on a ship right after dry dock, and I am making no judgement on you, just an observation. On the otherhand I also research every trip thoroughly beforehand. And sometimes bad things happen no matter how much planning.

 

We had one trip to Fla in a big resort where teens vandalized the hot tub and pool every night for 5 days, they woke us up with the noise, but by the time security got there they were gone. Hot tub was closed all week and pool emptied several times, we got no compensation either. It did not ruin our trip we were with others and we still had fun, but annoyed.

But I think the worse was when the smoke alarm ( another trip) kept going off in our hotel room one night. It was intermittent, but we did not get a new room nor compensation. And then on another trip there was an invasion of girl scouts on our floor in a posh hotel, running up and down halls and so on, again nothing except by the 2nd day to move our room.

 

 

So you can say never again with RCI, but there is no guarantee it will not happen again anywhere. And as for those responders on that site saying this is why they will never cruise, I say it is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Bad things can happen anywhere anytime.

[isujim]

That is the only reason I looked at it!

 

Me too..........

[madforcruising]

Me too..........

 

Count me in as well.

 

And although I agree that this was a cruise not up to RCCL standards, all the gripe about this issue can´t keep me away from Cruising, RCCL and the Rhapsody.:cool:

[firefly333]

As someone who was on Rhapsody shortly after drydock I was following the issues pretty closely and think $20 was not enough. I disagree with the posters who think "enjoyment of cruising" or whatever they called it is not covered. This was more than that, it was a dry dock problem and they needed another week in dry dock.

 

Elevators were not all working, buffet they were moving the drink station and it was closed most of the next week. That whole situation was a mess. There were plumbing problems and overflowing more than the usual, so it might have been connected to dry dock issues. At least two nights the water was turned off and you couldnt flush toilets. Electricity went out. It sounded pretty bad from everyone who posted here the week after dry dock. They cant all be exaggerating.

 

I dont know what is fair compensation, but the post I read on this yesterday, they had a suite. $20 future OBC is nothing to someone who paid for a suite.

[realtreebar]

well all i have to say to this whole subject is i'm sorry! but you should chock it up as a loss and build a bridge! ----------- and get over it! i would never persist on expecting a refund of any sort unless i planned on NEVER SAILING THAT CRUISE COMPANY AGAIN. are you prepared to cancle all royal caribbean cruises for the rest of your life for a small fraction?

[spam-la]

well all i have to say to this whole subject is i'm sorry! but you should chock it up as a loss and build a bridge! ----------- and get over it! i would never persist on expecting a refund of any sort unless i planned on NEVER SAILING THAT CRUISE COMPANY AGAIN. are you prepared to cancle all royal caribbean cruises for the rest of your life for a small fraction?

 

 

I know they get tons of mail, but it didn't appear by the reply on the form letter that they didn't even read the OP's complaint. Pools closed? :eek: C'mon! that sucks!

 

good luck to you.

[crusinmama06]

OK everyone, you HAVE to admit, if you got onto a ship and the pool was CLOSED, Windjammer was CLOSED and the casino was CLOSED...you wouldn't be angry?

 

I would be downright livid.

 

And $20? That is a joke. My question is WHY didn't RCCL try to give them at least some onboard credit. I have seen them offer compensation for less.

[petel]

Count me in as well.

 

And although I agree that this was a cruise not up to RCCL standards, all the gripe about this issue can´t keep me away from Cruising, RCCL and the Rhapsody.:cool:

 

I didn't bother reading the link ....... I'll be on Rhapsody August 12th and can't wait. Sometimes things just don't go well but I want RCI to be in business for a long long time. :)

[Brahmama]

From our 6/17/07 cruise on the Rhapsody.

 

It was when we had to disembark. What a sad day.

 

For those of you who have her booked, I just wanted to reassure you that it is simply a great ship and you will have a fantastic time! We had absolutely no negatives for this cruise.

 

I am sorry for anyone that has issues that detract from their enjoyment, but I loved the words of the poster that said "Build a Bridge" and try to get over that and don't hesitate to cruise again.

 

In our world, things just aren't perfect and from time to time we all get bad stuff. It just happens.

 

Happy Cruising.

[CruzinPat]

I agree that RCI handled this very poorly but they surely aren't alone with companies putting corporate greed ahead of consumer comfort and satisfaction. It has taken hold in all areas of business and it's called Risk Analysis. If there is a product or service that doesn't necessarily meet a standard go ahead use it anyway, wait for the consumer backlash and hopefully it isn't significant enough so you come out ahead financially anyway! Also, especially in the travel industry one person's significantly bad experience isn't necessarily the other person's as we see in many posts on this board...so it's all relative to the individual.

 

We were in NYC around the holidays and stayed at a hotel that didn't honor our room rate despite a written confimation from the hotel's reservation site. They sited a recent rate increase and we had no choice but to pay an extra $50 per night. We were lucky as many others trying to check in didn't have rooms even though they also had written confirmations. Recently I received a notice from an air carrier that I now have to pay for ALL checked luggage for my August flight even though I purchased the airfare several months ago at a non-sale rate and it was not the policy at that time. My husband previously worked as an engineer for an automotive company and when a product problem was discovered they immediately did the Risk Analysis and usually it was more financially profitable to release the product with the defect and then deal with whatever the backlash would be...even a recall...then spend the time and money to refit the product up front.

 

Until the point where enough consumers do not continue to spend their hard earned dollars on a product or service that doesn't meet their standard businesses in all areas will continue to operate this way...just my two cents worth!

[wolfganghowell]

The casino did not open the first night because the ship did not leave port until 11 pm. It takes 60-90 minutes to reach international waters from Galveston so opening the casino at 12:30 was simply not worth it. They probably assumed a vast majority of passengers were exhausted from a trying day.

 

The tone of your letter told RCCL that they had irrevocably lost your business. Perhaps if the tone had been more business like rather than angry and a list of controllable problems had been listed, the result might have been different. In comparison, we had a business trip to the Bahamas. When we booked the trip the flight was non stop. A month or so before the trip the flight was changed with a stopover in Miami. This added considerably to the travel time and had this been the case when we booked we would not have chosen that location. It was company policy that all retreats be less than 3 hours by air. I wrote a letter to the airline explaining how this impacted our trip, that it was too late to make changes and described the inconvenience since many people had to spend extra time changing the flights because the flights we had been assigned were terrible times. I got back a letter and a $50 travel voucher for future travel. I felt that my concerns had been listened to, I didn't threaten or tell them how they ruined the trip or say I would never fly them again. I stated the concerns and I received at least something in return. That, to me, is how you get results.

 

I don't recall all the details 4 months later but I do seem to recall other people on the cruise stating that the pool was not closed the entire week. You also had the Solarium pool to use - yes, I know that it is not the same but for full disclosure, there was a pool area in use.

[TPKeller]

I sailed on Rhapsody Of The Seas on Feb. 18th, 2007. Some of you have heard the horror stories from this fresh-out-of-drydock sailing (Should-have-stayed-in). I have written to many people at RCCL about the dissapointment with the condition of the ship and the incomplete repairs from the drydock. After getting the shoveoff from RCCL, I wrote to the BBB, and then posted the following on the consumerist website. I admit my letter was a little long, but with this many issues, why not let them hear it all! You can see the photo's I took as well. With over 30,000 views on that site alone, hopefully RCCL will begin to think twice about the way they treat their customers... Someone also posted it on digg.com for me...

 

http://consumerist.com/consumer/complaints/royal-cruise-was-a-royal-disaster-273015.php

 

http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Royal_Cruise_Was_A_Royal_Disaster

 

My letter to RCCL is there, and you will see their reply as well, pretty much saying thanks for your money, we're through with you now. Obviously, their definition of customer service is very different than mine. As you will see from some of the other posts, I am not the only one who thinks they do not care...

 

I would also like to hear from anyone else who was on this sailing... What were your thoughts?

Glad to see your post here. If you didn't catch it, I posted a thread here about your post on consumerist.com.

 

I read that site regularly, and while yes, there are some folks who seem to whine a bit, by far, the vast majority of reports there are cases where the consumer has been taken advantage of. And if you read there enough, you will see that the commenters can be quite harsh towards the "whiners" in some cases when they feel it is merited. Sites like that are essential these days in keeping the corporate world accountable to just about the only thing that matters any more: public opinion.

 

There have been many cases reported where I believe the only way a wrong was righted was because of the light of attention, and if you recall, we have seen a few similar cases here as well. It is sad that it comes to that, but I am glad that at least for now, we are free to communicate in this manner.

 

As I've said before, it amazes me that sometimes service providers think they can get away with some of the stuff they pull, without being exposed to the light of public attention.

 

Theron

[jnnifer01]

Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. DH and I did the Rhapsody in April and loved it. Everything seemed to be in order by then. This was one of our favorite cruises so far.

Hope things get better for you.

[zantedeschia]

OK everyone, you HAVE to admit, if you got onto a ship and the pool was CLOSED, Windjammer was CLOSED and the casino was CLOSED...you wouldn't be angry?

 

Well, no. I don't gamble and I don't use the pool so the only thing that would have annoyed me would have been the Windjammer being closed. Especially since I really like doing the breakfast buffet. Was the cafe in the Solarium still open? I'll grab a burger. Whatever, I eat too much on cruises anyhow. (see, I'm making lemonade).

 

Cold showers? I can cope. Elevators crowded? I'll take the stairs (I do anyway). Power outages? Yeah, that sounds a bit hinky but if they're not too long I can deal. Would it ruin my vacation? Nah. Would I be irritated? Probably a little. Would I be really aggravated? I doubt it.

 

Sfunny how they thought leaving at night ruined the sailaway. Leaving at night from San Juan was pretty cool.

 

The carpeting comment was odd. There has been maintenance being done every time I've cruised, I consider it a part of cruising. (Ironically I think it was my Rhapsody cruise where several times I left my room and right outside was some guy on a ladder with his head up in the ceiling and wires hanging down to the floor.)

 

Ditto with the guy on the balcony. There's a chance people might be outside your window, it's one of the hazards of having windows.

 

Also the guy was in a junior suite, which is just a glorified balcony room; I don't consider it in the same category as say a Grand Suite. (IMHO)

 

Would it stop me from sailing Royal again? Doubtful, there's just too much other stuff going on, it's enough to keep me distracted from the annoying crap.

[TolleranzaDelDio]

Well I can understand after a dry dock there are probably lots of bumps to work out...new crew, basically turning everything on in the middle of the ocean for the first time. I have a suggestion...why don't they take the crew out on sea for a week after dry dock and have them go through a full cruise rotation. Yes, it would probably be a big cost, and they don't get the customer complaint division, but at least it gives them a chance to try things out on the water. Might not be a perfect solution, just a suggestion.