Hate Losing Shareholder and Next Cruise Benefits? MAKE SOME NOISE WITH RCCL NOW

[beachbuddy]

RCL stock was UP today 1.38 to 18.35. I don't see a bankruptcy for them anytime sooner or later.

 

No one said they were going bankrupt! Those stocks have been going up and down for months.......and probably will continue to do so especially in this market - a week ago they were down to $13. Although I'd be happy if they went sky high so I could recoup all the money I lost on them!:D :D

[mikeerdas]

I knew I'd read somewhere that unused OBC was not redeemable for cash. Who here claims to have cashed out unused OBC? Was it possible years ago perhaps?

 

http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-shareholderbenefit#6

 

"Onboard credit ... is not redeemable for cash.... Any unused credit shall be forfeited."

[beachbuddy]

I knew I'd read somewhere that unused OBC was not redeemable for cash. Who here claims to have cashed out unused OBC? Was it possible years ago perhaps?

 

http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-shareholderbenefit#6

 

"Onboard credit ... is not redeemable for cash.... Any unused credit shall be forfeited."

 

Yes, you could have taken it out as cash........we always spent ours plus, but even though it says they can't be cashed out, they did cash them out and if you didn't cash it out from what I understand, they even credited your charge card.

[Coralc]

I knew I'd read somewhere that unused OBC was not redeemable for cash. Who here claims to have cashed out unused OBC? Was it possible years ago perhaps?

 

http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-shareholderbenefit#6

 

"Onboard credit ... is not redeemable for cash.... Any unused credit shall be forfeited."

 

I don't know, we've never ever had any OBC left at the end of a cruise. We always have a significant amount due after all cruises.:D

[French_Fry]

No one said they were going bankrupt! Those stocks have been going up and down for months.......and probably will continue to do so especially in this market - a week ago they were down to $13. Although I'd be happy if they went sky high so I could recoup all the money I lost on them!:D :D

 

 

The point was you can cancel your cruise and get your five hundred bucks back and other dissatisfied stockholders can do the same RCCL will not go out of business cause of 1 or 1,001 or even 10,001 shareholders doing this. A large majority of those cabins will still get sold to non shareholders and the ones that don't get sold will be made up for by the fact that they will not have a shareholder OBC attached to them when they are sold.

 

And you haven't LOST any money on your shares, unless you sold them. All you have is a "paper loss."

[traveler/]

I have really appreciated all the benefits of the C & A loyalty program with RCL. In particular, the stockholder and onboard booking credits were nice benefits that helped us save some money and cruise a bit more.These are difficult economic times, so I understand the need to change policies and restrict the combining of certain benefits.

This change will not keep me from cruising with RCL. I still think cruising is a great value. I will merely adjust how or when I book in the future.

I do think the concept of restricting the combining of benefits may have some unintended consequences (with regard to reduced bookings) for RCL because they are adversely affecting some of their more loyal customers. Jeopardizing the brand loyalty that took time to achieve with veteran cruisers for a small percentage of increased revenue by reducing benefits may not be the best course of action. Time will tell.

[beachbuddy]

The point was you can cancel your cruise and get your five hundred bucks back and other dissatisfied stockholders can do the same RCCL will not go out of business cause of 1 or 1,001 or even 10,001 shareholders doing this. A large majority of those cabins will still get sold to non shareholders and the ones that don't get sold will be made up for by the fact that they will not have a shareholder OBC attached to them when they are sold.

 

And you haven't LOST any money on your shares, unless you sold them. All you have is a "paper loss."

 

I know they are paper losses........ Anyway, with what's happening to the rest of the market, those RCCL stocks are the least of my worries!:(

 

RCCL can do whatever they want, my problem with them right now is the communication piece and the fact that you can't get the same answer from any one of their reps that you call.

 

I sometimes put cruises on a 24 hr hold on their website if I see something good. I do this and then talk to DH about it and if we don't want it, the hold just drops the next day anyway. Well, over the last 3 months whenever one of my 24 hr holds dropped, someone from RCCL was calling me. He told me he saw that I cancelled a cruise and he was calling to see if there was anything he could do for me. Okay, I told him that I didn't really cancel, I only had it on hold, it wasn't booked. He said I'll be getting a call from him everytime I do that. Well, now it's getting on my nerves because he was calling me all the time. I told him he's wasting his time calling me and that in fact I have 2 friends that are TA's (told him that so he wouldn't call, but he stil calls just to chat). Then one day, I put a cabin on hold but put it under my husband's name figuring he maybe he won't call him.......a few days later my husband comes home from work and said "this guy form Royal Caribbean keeps leaving messages on my phone on work, who is he and why is he calling". So now DH had a completely different guy calling him. I called the guy and told him to never call my husband at work again just because our hold dropped and told him I already had another guy calling me. I wonder if RCCL is trying to assign sales reps to people because this guy gave me his direct line and told me to call him for anything I need.

 

Anyway, I know that was off the subject, but it felt good to vent. I just don't like them calling me all the time like that.

[mikeerdas]

> Well, over the last 3 months whenever one of my 24 hr holds dropped,

> someone from RCCL was calling me. He told me he saw that I cancelled > ... He said I'll be getting a call from him everytime I do that. Well, now

> it's getting on my nerves because he was calling me all the time.

 

1) Consider starting a new thread--"Is RCI desparate? Unwelcome telemarketing calls regarding 24 Holds". Don't let it remain hidden in this thread where few will take notice of it.

 

2) Consider writing to crownandanchor@rccl.com and inform them of the problem; or to any other RCCL customer service email address. Forward your whole post. Encourage others to do the same if they're

 

I would be terribly annoyed by that practice if it happened to me.

[beachbuddy]

Mikeerdas,

 

I don't really want to start a new thread and rile everyone up, I was just wondering if this has been happening to anyone else. Next time I put something on hold and it happens again I will contact C&A and ask if they can put "do not call" or something by my name........LOL I know they're doing their job, but it's just annoying. I'm afraid to put anything on hold anymore..........LOL This guy told me to call him for all changes,bookings, etc and if he's not there to leave a message and he'll call me back but to be honest, I'd rather just dial the C&A phone number when I want to book or change to a different cabin or have questions because someone always answers. If I wanted to get voicemail or wait for my answers I'd use a TA....LOL

[ChevyCruiser]

I choose to stand up and be heard. Here's the text of a letter I sent to RCCL:

 

My wife and I are "Loyal Royals" having cruised exclusively with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We are Diamond members of the Crown and Anchor Society, Royal Caribbean shareholders, and as young retirees looking forward to many, many more years of cruise vacations. We have introduced several friends and family members to cruising and we frequently book cruise vacations on RCI together.

 

We are distressed to learn from a cruising friend - we missed the official announcement from RCI - that we will no longer be able to combine Next Cruise on-board credits with shareholder benefits. Luckily, we learned of the change in time to utilize two open Next Cruise certificates that we purchased on the Radiance of the Seas in September and we hurriedly booked two cruises prior to the October 15th deadline. Had we known in September of the changes taking effect in October, we would not have booked two open Next Cruise certificates.

 

Because of this sudden change in benefits that even had the RCI phone reps scratching their heads in trying to explain the ramifications to the customers, our confidence in RCI has been seriously eroded. We do understand that RCI retains the right to adjust loyalty program benefits, but you must understand that we retain the right to adjust our cruise plans.

 

With the ill-timed, sneaky, and poorly communicated changes to the RCI loyalty program, we have begun to look elsewhere for cruise vacations and recently booked a two-week cruise with Princess Cruises this winter. Another couple with whom we have cruised with RCI in the past, will join us on the cruise. That represents approximately $10,000 in revenue that RCI has let slip away.

 

Any wet-behind-the-ears MBA understands that it is much more cost-effective to retain loyal customers than find new ones.

 

We hope that RCI will reconsider the recent changes to shareholder benefits.

[beachbuddy]

ChevyCruiser,

 

Let us know if you get a response.

[ChevyCruiser]

ChevyCruiser,

 

Let us know if you get a response.

 

 

Hey beachbuddy, it just came in this afternoon. I'll cut-and-paste. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent:

 

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Clampett:

 

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay in our response.

 

We appreciate the time you have taken to communicate this concern to us. We have forwarded your concern to the appropriate department for further review and consideration and have provided the current Shareholder policy below.

 

For any sailing that is confirmed on or after October 15, 2008, the shareholder benefit will no longer be combined with any other benefit or offer, be it for dollars off or onboard credit. The only exceptions will be the Crown and Anchor Platinum and Diamond balcony/suite discounts and Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Credit Card Reward Points for onboard credit or discounts. In the event that two offers or benefits are available on a given reservation, you may choose which offer you prefer. Unless advised otherwise, we will presume you wish to have the offer or benefit with the higher value. For full program details, please visit our investor's website at www.rclinvestor.com.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Clampett, thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International.

 

Sincerely,

 

Christopher Fitzgerald

Customer Service Representative

[beachbuddy]

Hey beachbuddy, it just came in this afternoon. I'll cut-and-paste. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent:

 

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Clampett:

 

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay in our response.

 

We appreciate the time you have taken to communicate this concern to us. We have forwarded your concern to the appropriate department for further review and consideration and have provided the current Shareholder policy below.

 

For any sailing that is confirmed on or after October 15, 2008, the shareholder benefit will no longer be combined with any other benefit or offer, be it for dollars off or onboard credit. The only exceptions will be the Crown and Anchor Platinum and Diamond balcony/suite discounts and Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Credit Card Reward Points for onboard credit or discounts. In the event that two offers or benefits are available on a given reservation, you may choose which offer you prefer. Unless advised otherwise, we will presume you wish to have the offer or benefit with the higher value. For full program details, please visit our investor's website at www.rclinvestor.com.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Clampett, thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International.

 

Sincerely,

 

Christopher Fitzgerald

Customer Service Representative

 

ChevyCruiser.....or should I call you JED......LOL

 

Did you notice that now they are saying that the shareholder OBC isn't combinable with any other offer or benefit.......the letters they sent to others didn't say that! They just said they weren't combinable with another OBC like from Next Cruise. Looks like rules are changing every day!! LOL

 

I wonder what's combinable if you don't have stock.......:confused:

 

And I love how they direct people to the investor website for further details.........especially since there are no details there unless they changed the site yesterday! LOL

 

I give up..........this looks like nothing is combinable with the shareholder OBC, except the Platinum/Diamond discount.

 

Thanks for sharing your letter and your response. Do you email the letter to just a general RCCL address? or to the CEO?

[mikeerdas]

Nice letter ChevyCruiser. Please let us know if you get any further response.

 

With the non-combinability, I may never make it to Diamond level--or want to make it to Diamond level--having started cruising later in life.

 

What gets my goat the most, for the style of cruising I prefer, is the dropping of port stops and reducing time in port. Wonder who I could write to about that. I cruise primarily for the ports to "get out there" off the ship and to give the world a good spin.

 

If they want to mess with itineraries for cruises they haven't yet sold any cabins on, that's fine. But if they're cheating people by changing itineraries on cruises people have already booked and paid for, well that's highway robbery--or piracy.

[beachbuddy]

Nice letter ChevyCruiser. Please let us know if you get any further response.

 

With the non-combinability, I may never make it to Diamond level--or want to make it to Diamond level--having started cruising later in life.

 

What gets my goat the most, for the style of cruising I prefer, is the dropping of port stops and reducing time in port. Wonder who I could write to about that. I cruise primarily for the ports to "get out there" off the ship and to give the world a good spin.

 

If they want to mess with itineraries for cruises they haven't yet sold any cabins on, that's fine. But if they're cheating people by changing itineraries on cruises people have already booked and paid for, well that's highway robbery--or piracy.

 

Mikeerdas,

 

I know what you mean.........they just dropped Tortola from our March -09 cruise and they also shortened the time that we'll be in Barbados. Well, Tortola was the only port that we haven't been to so I was looking forward to it and we were in Barbados only once and had rain so didn't get to do much and now we're leaving there by 4 p.m. I read that people on the November cruise that had Tortola dropped are getting $100 OBC but someone from our cruise called and they were told we're not getting anything...... I booked this cruise last December so they've had my $900 deposit since then. They are starting to piss me off and I'll probably be calling or writing to them about that as well.

[traveler/]

ChevyCruiser.....or should I call you JED......LOL

 

Did you notice that now they are saying that the shareholder OBC isn't combinable with any other offer or benefit.......the letters they sent to others didn't say that! They just said they weren't combinable with another OBC like from Next Cruise. Looks like rules are changing every day!! LOL

 

I wonder what's combinable if you don't have stock.......:confused:

 

And I love how they direct people to the investor website for further details.........especially since there are no details there unless they changed the site yesterday! LOL

 

I give up..........this looks like nothing is combinable with the shareholder OBC, except the Platinum/Diamond discount.

 

Thanks for sharing your letter and your response. Do you email the letter to just a general RCCL address? or to the CEO?

IMHO, the shareholder benefit from Oct. 15, 2008 appears to no longer be combinable with the OBBC, NC, Savings certs, one day sales, etc.

However, all my cruises booked before 10/15/08 will still get the full OBC as booked.

Any new cruises, I have to pick one(whichever is higher) among NC, OBBC, Stockholder credit or savings cert, for example. And I can still apply plat/diamond balcony discount, RCL VISA card credit, and any Future CC.

Also any resident, military, senior type discount still applies, as does price drops, and any TA OBC still applies.

So basically, there is no reason for me to book onboard anymore, since I plan on keeping the RCL shares, which potentially over a $250 max OBC. So, essentially, I can keep all my deposit money until I am ready to book.The airlines have made many changes to their fees and credits because of the tough times, and I choose to accept what is going on, and adjust my plans accordingly. Perhaps in time, this will pass. Business is business.

[grandsix]

This was a poor policy decision made by headquarters and has to be changed before more to good will damage is done.

[ChevyCruiser]

The airlines have made many changes to their fees and credits because of the tough times, and I choose to accept what is going on, and adjust my plans accordingly. Perhaps in time, this will pass. Business is business.

 

With such changes we, the consumer, have the final word. If we don't like what's going on with Delta airlines, for example, we can move on to another one and at least we won't be paying Delta for service that we don't like. I tried to point this out to RCCL when I wrote:

 

We do understand that RCI retains the right to adjust loyalty program benefits, but you must understand that we retain the right to adjust our cruise plans.

 

And we did adjust our plans when we decided to book with Princess Cruises. With four of us cruising together, we spent 10K with Princess.....maybe not enough to wake up the suits at RCCL, but at least we have the satisfaction of spending our cruise money where we'll be better appreciated.

[Hotelfixer]

Well,

I have just spent an hour of my life reading all these post. 160 plus of them. After about twenty they all said the same thing. I understand why people are not happy. Everybody wants to maximize their opportunities for "free" money. These post remind me of the customers that complain that happy ended at seven o'clock because they arrived at five... they should be allowed to drink all night at happy hour prices.

 

I honestly don't understand the complaint. It looks to me like RCL has saved you money in the long run. At the very least they have done you a small favor. Just STOP booking future cruises on board. Many of you have been giving RCL your money to hold for a year, two even three years interest free. All they have done is taken away your incentive to do that. They have not hurt you.

 

How many times have you been denied a cabin because ships are sold out. I seldom ever book more than three months out. If I can see a chance to go, I look at what's available and go. The shareholder credit still applies and my money works for me for that year or two, not RCCL. It stands to reason that stock holders should all STOP making NC deposits. One of two things will happen. You will see that there are not enough of us to make any difference or there is and the policy will get reviewed. Pretty simple math to me.

 

The main thing is relax..... you're on vacation! You can still plan ahead, save up do all the things you always do now you can do it without giving RCL so much cash up front. If you have NC certificates make a reservation, cancel it and buy some more stock.

 

Gregg

[Morecruisesplz]

Well,

It looks to me like RCL has saved you money in the long run.

 

Gregg

 

Then you read to fast Gregg. They fact that the OBC for Stockholder is no longer combinable will cost us anywhere from $100 to $250 per cruise. It's that simple and that is the bottom line. (And they continued to sell Next Cruises as late as 10/3 on the Liberty without telling us that the rules had changed. Very unfair.)

[Hotelfixer]

I love this site but....

 

I really do love this site and I love cruising even more. If all goes well I hope to spend at least three more weeks at sea before the end of the year.

 

I continue to be amazed everyday how many people take such hard positions on such minor issues. Thread after thread post after post hundreds of people have complained about shareholders and NC credits not being combined. It is RCL's policy and it really is NOT all that unfair. (refer to change at anytime clause)

 

I have said this before, complaining about this issue is the thing same thing as customers that complain happy hour ended at seven. They scream I was here at five and I should be allowed to drink all night at happy hour prices. I know its human nature to want something for nothing but when is enough actually enough?

 

This is so very simple, you can have ONE, either one you want, just not both. If every shareholder FOREVER stops buying NC credits onboard one of two things will happen. Either future bookings go down and RCL will reconsider their position or...... We learn how small of a block of clients we really are and how little our complaints mean.

 

I think NC credits are a bad deal for myself anyway. I don't like the idea of giving my cash to a corporation interest free for future considerations. If you have any now and you don't like the new policy..... Make a reservation on a short cruise. Wait one day cancel it and get a full refund.

 

The people that say they will never cruise again over a hundred bucks probably are not the ideal demographics for a cruise line anyway. These people scream a deal is a deal blah blah blah. I noticed the people screaming the loudest about this will post on another thread they received price reduction credits. YEAH!!! The price went down I got 300.00 back!! Where is the ""A deal is a deal mentality now""? After all you agreed to pay X number of dollars and you were happy, now you're given an unexpected credit.

 

Ok, call me senile but that's pretty one sided. In the interest of fairness if you're going to complain that the rules were changed, you should refuse any price reductions because after-all those are post deal rule changes. With that problem solved we can spend our time on more important issues like..... smuggling alcohol onboard or how to not tip the staff or demanding free vacations because it rained or a port was closed.

 

Relax.... we're on vacation!

[madforcruising]

 

I think NC credits are a bad deal for myself anyway. I don't like the idea of giving my cash to a corporation interest free for future considerations. If you have any now and you don't like the new policy..... Make a reservation on a short cruise. Wait one day cancel it and get a full refund.

 

 

 

While I agree with you about the steady complaining, you can´t get your deposit on NC bookings back. It´s part of the deal they are non-refundable and if you cancel you loose the deposit. That´s at least my information about them.

[beachbuddy]

While I agree with you about the steady complaining, you can´t get your deposit on NC bookings back. It´s part of the deal they are non-refundable and if you cancel you loose the deposit. That´s at least my information about them.

 

You can't cash it in and get your $100 back that you paid for it, however, you can book a cruise with it. Book just a short cruise like 4 or 5 nighter so that you only have to put a $200 deposit on it (another $100 out of your pocket). And a week later just call and cancel the cruise and they will refund your entire deposit of $200.

 

Once a next cruise is turned into a definite booking, it is treated like any other booking and is no longer a next cruise. Good Luck!

[madforcruising]

You can't cash it in and get your $100 back that you paid for it, however, you can book a cruise with it. Book just a short cruise like 4 or 5 nighter so that you only have to put a $200 deposit on it (another $100 out of your pocket). And a week later just call and cancel the cruise and they will refund your entire deposit of $200.

 

Once a next cruise is turned into a definite booking, it is treated like any other booking and is no longer a next cruise. Good Luck!

 

 

Well if that´s the way it works I stand corrected, my understanding of the terms have been different:)

 

No luck for me needed with this though, as they wouldn´t even sell a NC booking to me.:rolleyes:

[traveler/]

I think the information posted on CC is great.

For example, I would not have known about the stockholder policy change if I hadn't read about it here.

With that information, I was able to make sure all my cruise bookings were qualified for the OBC before 10/15.

Different opinions and viewpoints is what makes CC so interesting to read. I can choose to read or not read any post as I see fit. I filter the information as I see fit for my needs. And, I try to contribute information in a respectful manner that I think is worthwhile as a way of paying back to the CC community for the help they have given me.

CC is the best! Thanks to all of you for making this a useful website!:)