RCCL Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!!!!

[jrm9999]

To those wondering about the 50% cruise credit, we were on the 9/5 mariner (that left on 9/7) and me and a bunch of others booked our next cruises while on the ship using the 50%. No one had to wait.

[kristineth]

Renee, I'm so glad you came to your senses!!;) I'm with you.....by the time we get on board I'll be needing a big ole drink right away.....yay for the ship board credit!!:D

[dobie]

I am SO glad that you are going on the cruise!!! What a deal.....and I'm sure you will have a great time...it's not where the ship goes that is important, the ship is a destination in itself, and you and your husband will be together to enjoy your trip. All of this talk about Atlantic hurricanes, I kept wishing I was out on a ship that couldn't get back in!!!! When you book your next cruise onboard you will not only get the 50% off but the shipboard credit as well....how great!!!

[iroyster]

I think I am having bouts of temporary insanity today! Well, thanks for all of your advice... we decided to go ahead and risk it and take the cruise.

 

I AM SO GOING TO NEED A STRONG DRINK when I board. Good thing we have a credit.. the bar bill is going to be large! ;)

 

 

GREAT

 

I think you did right. Now the next problem is getting there and the stress with that but the ship has plenty of "stiff drinks" Plus lets say $5.00 per drink with your credit of $250.00 thats 50 drinks, headache!!!!!!

Good luck and do like we did, just enjoy. :)

Ira

[OrangeCallaLily]

Holy cow... 50 drinks! That is one great way to look at it! :D

[Pumbaamd]

Orange Lily, Have a great cuise and enjoy it. Hakuna Matata!

[jerzzgirl]

I would have liked the customer service rep to admit that she told us we would get a refund, and then get the refund... since that is what we were told we would get.

 

Here is why I am cancelling:

1) In my mind we are really missing a day and a half of the cruise. We are not departing until 9PM on Monday... when we were supposed to depart at 5PM on Sunday. Originally I was planning on getting on board around noon on Sunday to explore the ship (like many other cruisers recommended), I am not sure when we will be able to board on Monday.

 

2) If Jeanne does damage to Port Canaveral (like Ivan did) and the Mariner cannot dock on Monday because the depth of the channel (or whatever you call it) is less than 35 feet... then what happens? I know an option is to then dock in Miami.

 

I was really just looking for a relaxing vacation with my husband to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. I just would rather change our plans and be certain that we have a place to vacation. I do understand that no everyone would take that option, but it is the right thing for us.

 

I also admit that I was a bit heated about the whole ordeal. It is just hard when you are new to crusing, you are told one thing, then told another, and did not receive an apology for the confusion.

 

We will give cruising a try again in the future (esp since we have a credit :p ). I will just be sure to know when hurricane season is, and to avoid it. Maybe we will try Alaska... do they have hurricanes there?

 

Anyways, thanks for the comments... and sorry for flipping out.

My DH and I are suppose to "set sail" on 10/25 for our 2 year anniversary also but if derailed (as you were) we'd still go (I told him what happened to you). We would probably do an additional day of pre-sail in Ft. Lauderdale since we already booked for the day prior. I hope you wind up doing something great for your anniversary and look at this as just another "adventure" in this wild journey we call LIFE! (wow, that was deep for me!) :eek:

[Merion_Mom]

Lily - I am SO sure that you are going to have a MEMORABLE 2nd anniversary cruise, that here's my suggestion for some of that $250 credit: use the internet while onboard to post to Cruise Critic and tell us all what a fabulous time you are having!

 

Carol

[Slam308]

OrangeCallaLily,

Just think, maybe another hurricane will come along, and you'll end up with your seven days onboard!

You made the right decision. You will enjoy every moment. There's nothing like a cruise, and sharing this time together will mean more, and bring more lasting memories than the initial frustration. In a year's time, this will be a funny footnote to an otherwise wonderful and romantic time together.

[Flossie]

So glad that you decided to go! Like the others said you will have the time of your life and will be wanting to go again as soon as possible.

I have a ticket to go to Florida the end of Oct for a much needed vacation but I am just hoping that there will be a place to go to, as I am visiting a friend and they have had to leave there home 3 times in the last month. They live in Punta Gorda.! She said tonight that it will be 7 months before some of the repairs can be done to their home!

Hope that Jeanne takes a turn and heads out to sea!

[tinsel57]

Isn't that the truth? Those poor people getting slammed again. Sure makes our little inconveniences look small when you stop and listen to some of the horrible things going on in the world. Aren't we the fortunate ones to have the opportunity to be cruising.

[tinsel57]

Isn't that the truth? Those poor people are being slammed again.

 

Sure makes the rest of our troubles look awfully small when we take a look at some of the awful things going on in the world around us.

 

Aren't we the lucky ones to have the opportunity to cruise.

[Kami's pal]

Yes, I know. Most of us pinch pennies, even borrow money, do extra hours to "bank" vacation time, pay for childcare, pet care, elder care, house maintenance, buy new clothes, diet (i.e. voluntarily not eat!) just to have this luxury. Some of us waited until retirement, can 'only' cruise in off season, steerage (inside cabins), NEVER go to the alternative dining restaurant because we are budgeted so closely, 'only' have one drink with dinner' etc. We are the lower middle class in North America, or even the upper lower class. I still insist that we are rich.

 

Yes, in the larger scheme, we are rich, almost spoiled rotten. Haitians and many others simply can't understand our complaints.

 

As my daughter said after we were delayed 24 hours by a blizzard and were lining up to get an hotel voucher to wait out the storm, "Mom. Get a grip! We are not lining up for a cup of dirty water in Rwanda!"

 

That remark has been my standard since when dealing with these kinds of hassles. I'm very rich. This is part of my vacation. It's not my choice, but I am safe, and likely far more comfortable that those suffering through it.

 

I find that cognitive restructuring (what I say to myself) very helpful. It's now become our shortcut; DD or DM says, " mental health check needed?" We stop, take a breath and laugh. After all, if a woman can give birth in a tree during a typhoon, we can surely handle weather related changes.

 

UHMM about Alaska. That's a RAINFOREST climate. Rains a lot there. Often accompanied by wind, clouds, cooler temperatures, cold wind on ship, wet hiking trails and even some rocking and rolling on the ship. I loved Alaskan cruise, as I loved the category 9 gale we ran from in NZ. Even bought the video to prove that I had been in that storm!

 

Glad you chose to take the $250 credit and the 50% off the next cruise. I say you're lucky. Count your blessings. You have your husband to celebrate with. :D

[tinsel57]

God Bless your Daughter! She's wise beyond her years.

[Kami's pal]

Yup! I am blessed. :D

Like to say that I can brag about her because none of her genes are mine.

[lvcruiser]

I am glad you changed your mind and are now planning on going on the cruise. For another thought that may give you some comfort, please think about the possibility that the csr that spoke with your husband simply gave misinformation rather than an intentional lie. Since you live in the Midwest, you may not be familiar with the stress that accompanies an approaching hurricane, and likewise, may not realize what this csr had going through her mind during her conversation with your husband. While you are worrying about the shortened length of your cruise or whether you will get a refund or a credit, she is worrying about her home and family and wondering if they will once again make it through the next one alive since she is living within the potential strike zone. Don't get me wrong - I'm not slamming you; just asking you to see another side.

[bUU]

[quote name='OrangeCallaLily']I would have liked the customer service rep to admit that she told us we would get a refund, and then get the refund.[/QUOTE]Sorry, but I think it is unreasonable to expect thousands of dollars as compensation for a misstatement made by a harried customer service worker, unquestionably being placed under significant stress by a (righteously, perhaps) "heated" passenger. I could imagine a scenario whereby the conversation between you folks and the customer service agent was so contentious (you said that you were "a bit heated about the whole ordeal") that it would have been [i]worse[/i] for the customer service agent to try to draw the discussion with you towards a recognition that there was simply a misunderstanding. You have made it clear that you'd not have been happy with a verbal apology for the verbal confusion, which would be reasonable compensation IMHO. This isn't a dig at you, please recognize: Most people when stressed by circumstances as you describe you were, would feel the same way, and so customer service agents (in any realm) are well-advised when dealing with us in that kind of situation, to [i]resort to the [b]written[/b] word[/i], and not try to address the misunderstanding in any other way.

Again, the [i]key[/i] point is that a [i]misstatement[/i] by a customer service agent, even if it was as clear-cut as your saying it was, doesn't warrant [i]thousands of dollars in compensation[/i], which is essentially what you were asking for.

[bUU]

Good point Kami.

[Croozin Soozin]

I certainly understand the OPs original reaction - no one likes change!!!! I react the same way when a monkey wrench is thrown into my plans - but when I stop and think about it things are never as bad as they originally looked - although I probably would have had a fit at the time. Maybe we're all like that??

Kami's pal - I'm going to read your post to my husband - we leave for our Hawaii cruise next week and if we have any glitches along the way I'd like for him to have the opportunity to see things in a different light (he tends to be self-centered and thinks everything is happening only to him!!!)

OrangeCallaLily - I'm so glad that you're going on your cruise - I hope that you have a wonderful time!!! Stay safe!!

Soozin:)

[frayedend]

I haven't read all the posts, but...
It may not be RCIs fault, but it also isn't our fault. If we can't get on the cruise they should issue a refund! Not all of us are able to go on another cruise by next year. 250 is less than we paid for 1.5 days when divided by 4 people in a cabin.

We are still going, but that is my point about the OP.

[bUU]

[quote name='frayedend']It may not be RCIs fault, but it also isn't our fault. If we can't get on the cruise they should issue a refund! [/QUOTE]If it isn't [i]their[/i] fault, why should [i]they [/i]pay for it? Let's keep in mind that we agree, when we purchase our cruise, to incurring that risk onto ourselves, practically indemnifying the cruise line from responsibility for a variety of such circumstances.

[u]With respect to the specific circumstances that are outlined in the cruise contract*:[/u] They offer the cruises with those terms and conditions deliberately to avoid the costs of having to take responsibility for the weather, and thereby are able to do what we (the big "we") want: [i]offer lower fares[/i]. So given that they price their services based on the agreement that we take responsibility for the weather instead of them, why should they pay for weather-related circumstances?

I think we (again, the big "we") need to make up our minds: Do we want suppliers to offer lower fares or better service? Asking businesses to be less profitable because we (again, the big "we") want [i]everything[/i] isn't reasonable, and isn't fair to the people who seek to secure their financial security through investing in companies.

_____
[i][size=1]* Are we sure that the circumstances here are or aren't covered by the cruise contract?[/size][/i]

[MGoBlue2]

[quote name='frayedend']I haven't read all the posts, but...
It may not be RCIs fault, but it also isn't our fault. If we can't get on the cruise they should issue a refund! Not all of us are able to go on another cruise by next year. 250 is less than we paid for 1.5 days when divided by 4 people in a cabin.

We are still going, but that is my point about the OP.[/QUOTE]It's nobody's fault. However, you had the opportunity to buy insurance and chose to, or chose not to. If you chose not to, that's certainly not the cruiseline's fault.

[mammallama]

OrangeCallaLily--I think once you're on board the ship and enjoying yourself, you'll also be fortunate to know that you have a 50% off cruise coming up next year too! Lucky you! You'll probably become addictd to cruising just as the rest of us are! Happy Anniversary!

[frayedend]

I'm kind of sick of hearing about travel insurance. RCCL did not mention it when we booked and until I was on this message board I never heard of cruise insurance. My point is that if we can't go they should give the money back rather than just a credit, for those who need the money. Anyhow, I am going, just changed my flight, but they can't give seat assignments. I am forced to go on another cruise by next year :( ;)

Have fun everyone,

Jim

[cruisingator2]

I hope that they are able to fly in now. My TA just told me that Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale are now closed are they will be by noon today. Miami is still open at this time. This is where it is going to be a nightmare.