Customer Service: a rant.

We just completed our third cruise with Royal Caribbean and booked our fourth while on board. We were satisfied with our vacation and have no serious complaints about our onboard experience.

Our displeasure stems from some misinformation we were given concerning our future booking. I will not go into detail but will just say that we do not feel valuable to RCI. We were on the phone for over 3 hours yesterday trying to resolve our issue. Nothing was accomplished. We were given lots of empty apologies but not even the smallest token of appreciation or understanding was granted.

I am a veteran, a Crown and Anchor member and we paid full catalog price for next cruise. We were told by the future cruise desk representative onboard that the cruise we booked qualified for a particular discount. However once we got home and reviewed the booking we discovered that this discount was not applied to the total. Which started our phone conversation.

In the end the call was escalated to Mathew who works in the Loyalty Resolutions department, and he only accomplished ensuring that we do not sail with RCI or its subsidiaries again. He assured us that if we had booked with a travel agent there would have been more that he could do but since we booked directly with RCI that there was nothing he would do.

We split our time between Royal and Carnival and I assure you that Carnival would have handled this better, more professionally and certainly we would have not felt undervalued as a customer.

Lessons learned:

1) book RCI cruises with a travel agent

2) RCI does not believe in the customer is always right mantra when it comes to customer support.

3) loyalty means nothing to RCI, (maybe if we were pinnacle status it would have been different?

4) never expect outstanding customer support pre or post sailing with RCI.

I know many will have had different experiences with RCI. I am only ranting about our bad experience and will end this with two thoughts. 1) we were warned that Royal Caribbeans customer service was poor. 2) we are sharing our poor experience with Royal Caribbeans customer service.

In the end the call was escalated to Mathew who works in the Loyalty Resolutions department, and he only accomplished ensuring that we do not sail with RCI or its subsidiaries again. He assured us that if we had booked with a travel agent there would have been more that he could do but since we booked directly with RCI that there was nothing he would do.

Unfortunately shore side staff are not held to the same standards that the crew on the ship is.

That said, the above highlighted statement is an out and out lie. If you book with an agent, everything has to go through the agent, Royal Caribbean will not even speak with you. Since you booked direct, Royal Caribbean actually has more flexibility, since they are not bound by any agency contracts.

Unfortunately shore side staff are not held to the same standards that the crew on the ship is.

 

That said, the above highlighted statement is an out and out lie. If you book with an agent, everything has to go through the agent, Royal Caribbean will not even speak with you. Since you booked direct, Royal Caribbean actually has more flexibility, since they are not bound by any agency contracts.

This is the way we thought as well but... We got a quote for this cruise from a travel agent and RCI would not match the price. "We only match RCI prices" so the best price guarantee is no guarantee either.

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Cancel onboard booking and book with travel agent

This is the way we thought as well but... We got a quote for this cruise from a travel agent and RCI would not match the price. "We only match RCI prices" so the best price guarantee is no guarantee either.

 

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Royal Caribbean will only match its own price? That sounds like something I would say - when I'm joking. By definition, any price Royal Caribbean publishes will match its own price.

Our displeasure stems from some misinformation we were given concerning our future booking.

I book most of my cruises onboard. The person doing the booking will print out the booking confirmation for you to take. ONLY YOU are responsible to throughly read the confirmation to confirm that everything is OK and everything discussed is detailed on the confirmation.

I can understand your problems trying to convince the agent on a later call that something was told to you but not included. If they always just took your word for it, they would have people calling telling them that the onboard agent told them that they were supposed to get some off the wall discount or onboard credit. It happens.....

You should have reviewed the booking confirmation before you left the office or at least within an hour or so to confirm everything was OK. Just live with it and consider it a life lesson learned.

This is the way we thought as well but... We got a quote for this cruise from a travel agent and RCI would not match the price. "We only match RCI prices" so the best price guarantee is no guarantee either.

The Best Price Guarantee is defined as using Royal's web site as the price source. At least in that case, they are pretty clear about the guarantee.

A travel agent may have staterooms reserved when prices were much lower. As John mentioned, it's best to cancel and reserve with the travel agent in that case.

Cancel onboard booking and book with travel agent

I booked a cruise while on board the Explorer (yes, the one hit by the big wave). I even brought a printout showing Royal Caribbean's price on its own website. It was $3800. I got an invoice for $4800 with a $200 OBC. I mentioned the $3800 price. I was told the $4800 plus $200 OBC was the best price available. However, I could check with my travel agent and rebook at a lower price if it becomes available. When I got home I rebooked for the $3800 price, but lost the $200 OBC.

That is the last time I'll book a future cruise with Royal Caribbean. It is also the last cruise with Royal Caribbean for a while. My next cruise after than is with NCL. After there are other lines I want to try.

Or transfer to a travel agent that offers you benefits.

I've never found any benefit to booking direct with RCI. They are not good to deal with when resolving issues; may as well let a TA deal with it.

just say that we do not feel valuable to RCI.

Cancel onboard booking and book with travel agent

What a great idea, just cancel and re book with a TA.

Customer loyalty should be rewarded, and you should be made to feel special, you should feel "Loyal to Royal"

You should not have to explain your disappointment with a bunch of strangers on an internet forum.

Cancel and re-book or take another cruise line.

.

Or transfer to a travel agent that offers you benefits.

 

I've never found any benefit to booking direct with RCI. They are not good to deal with when resolving issues; may as well let a TA deal with it.

It used to be that you got an OBC when booking on board. However, in my case that OBC cost me $800, so I had my travel agent rebook my cruise at the current price and saved $800.

The Best Price Guarantee is defined as using Royal's web site as the price source. At least in that case, they are pretty clear about the guarantee.

Which is exactly what I had when I booked on board the Explorer OTS. But they refused to match it.

Which is exactly what I had when I booked on board the Explorer OTS. But they refused to match it.

Incredibly frustrating.

Recently received my actual invoices fro the cruises we booked onboard Oasis. Based price was the same as what I saw online prior to boarding plus, there was additional discounts and free tips in addition to the OBC from the onboard booking promotion.

Happy camper so far

The Best Price Guarantee is defined as using Royal's web site as the price source. At least in that case, they are pretty clear about the guarantee.

 

A travel agent may have staterooms reserved when prices were much lower.

Exactly right. And if Royal starting price matching these then the TA's would stop buying them up. This would just be bad business and makes total sense to me not to do it.

All, we understand everyone is going to have opinions on this issue. My displeasure is not in the fact that we are not getting our way but the fact that RCI is unwilling to do ANYTHING at all to help us. Sure we should have been more observant with our onboard booking, but we were very specific on our needs and the agent was very specific in what our deal was. Now as we try to transfer the booking to a travel agent RCI is dragging their feet and will not expedite the transfer and we risk losing the price quoted by the TA.

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Cancel onboard booking and book with travel agent

Or just transfer the booking to a TA so you can keep the OBC and still get the TA's price. I've done this with every cruise I've ever booked on board. I've got 2 cruises booked now, both were booked on board and both still have the OBC and the TA's price which was better than what was booked on board.

All, we understand everyone is going to have opinions on this issue. My displeasure is not in the fact that we are not getting our way but the fact that RCI is unwilling to do ANYTHING at all to help us. Sure we should have been more observant with our onboard booking, but we were very specific on our needs and the agent was very specific in what our deal was. Now as we try to transfer the booking to a travel agent RCI is dragging their feet and will not expedite the transfer and we risk losing the price quoted by the TA.

 

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As John and Bob stated just cancel. You are before final payment. Book direct with the TA.

After dealing with phone reps from several different cruise lines, I've just given up and decided not to let any mistakes bother me. Most phone reps are very nice, but not terribly well trained, and frequently give me the wrong information. I will email the cruise line if I need proof of an answer I was given in writing, and try to figure out the answers to my questions here on cruise critic or once on the ship. It really seems to be an industry wide problem, and I wouldn't rule out any one line because the phone operators can't (or won't) help. If I liked the itinerary and the TA's price, I would try to either switch the booking to keep the OB credit or cancel and rebook with a TA.

This is something I have NEVER understood.

On previous cruises, seeing people sitting (or lining up) waiting for a representative from the "Future Cruise" department just confuses me. We walked by to pick up a catalog to look through...but some people were in there, wheeling and dealing. Later on there was an actual line!

Why in the world would you waste ANY valuable vacation time on your current vacation booking your next one?

I really, really just don't get that, especially when you can get "perks" and OBC from home. :confused:

This is something I have NEVER understood.

 

On previous cruises, seeing people sitting (or lining up) waiting for a representative from the "Future Cruise" department just confuses me. We walked by to pick up a catalog to look through...but some people were in there, wheeling and dealing. Later on there was an actual line!

 

Why in the world would you waste ANY valuable vacation time on your current vacation booking your next one?

 

I really, really just don't get that, especially when you can get "perks" and OBC from home. :confused:

Perks, yes, onboard booking bonus, I don't think so. It was also easier to get the B&J Sweet while on board

Repeat customers are the back bone of any business. Royal seems to have a different thought these days.

So, just to be clear -- you can book a future cruise on board and get the OBC (for the cruise you are currently on) and then go home and cancel it without any sort of penalty? I have to be missing something here --- Admittedly, I've never booked on board.

So, just to be clear -- you can book a future cruise on board and get the OBC (for the cruise you are currently on) and then go home and cancel it without any sort of penalty? I have to be missing something here --- Admittedly, I've never booked on board.

Amount of OBC you received is deducted from your deposit and non refundable if you cancel.

Amount of OBC you received is deducted from your deposit and non refundable if you cancel.

Ah yes - I can't imagine a huge corporation would miss a loophole like that. If not, it would explain a line at the future cruise desk, though :D