travellady09

I'd be disappointed and pi**ed too if I signed on for a too good to be true deal and than was told it was indeed too good to be true.

 

Unless you have the time, energy, and expertise to mount some kind of social media campaign about it there is really nothing you can do. Sometimes airlines make an oppsie and honor very low fares but it probably depends on the total amount of money involved for the company.

 

A lawsuit would cost a lot more than $5800 and what personal harm done could you claim?

If there was a roll call for this trip I could check to see what the others were going to do , but the roll call for this trip is only for the cruise portion. There is power in numbers, if I could manage to contact those other buyers, but that would be almost impossible.

Dee

If you read the contract I suspect you will find that the cruise line is well within its rights.

 

TN has a consumer protection agency. You may want to contact them to see if there is anything they can do or to file a formal complaint.

Thanks for the tip.

Dee

Nope. By law an advertisement is nothing more than a solicitation for you to inquire of the merchant. Nowhere does the law state that any statements made in the advertisement are automatically included in the terms of the purchase once one is executed. You can argue that once you made a deposit or payment to the agent that a binding contract was issued, but RCI can easily claim that said contract contains such an egregious error (the price being off by $5800) that it is void.

That is exactly what they are doing. They are saying it was a system glitch and that they are not responsible. I feel it is their error, they should absorb it. Their agent absolutely agreed that it included everything.

I even told the agent that I had some friends that might want to take advantage of this deal and he said "Well you better tell them to jump on this cause I have never seen this before and it won't last long".

Dee

It may or may not be binding, without a lot more information it is impossible to determine. You need to consult an attorney.

That's what I was thinking. I told them I wanted to find out what my rights as a consumer were. Hmmm.

Dee

We found a great deal on RCCI yesterday and called and booked a cruise tour trip to Alaska for 2016. I asked the agent if he was sure this great price included the land portion as well as the cruise, and he said yes.

So we booked it and put our deposit down.

Today the cruise line called us and said OOPs! there was a glitch in our system and we cannot let you have that trip unless you pay us $5800.00 more.

I feel the contract is binding for both sides. I have a receipt that indicated each day of the land tour and each day of the cruise for the price I found on their website.

They had several people that found this deal on their website and bought

it. They are contacting each of us and telling us the same thing.

I feel they should honor what they advertised and sold. Isn't it the law in the US that they cannot advertise something and then renege on the deal?:(

Dee

Thankyou. Yes, I've emailed him using that address. I also started a brand new thread, "Calling Graham Seymour!" :-)

comment withdrawn.

Thanks for the heads up on this name change...We have not received anything from RCI as yet..

On the subject of air prices, I always shopped for the best price first and then called Choice air and told them what I wanted and asked if they could beat it. Most times they could not, but I always had them book the flight at the rate I found on the airlines I wanted. Since the booking fee has been waived since Emerald status, I don't pay the fee. So I get the same price and the insurance coverage..for no fee.

;)

We usually prefer US Airways for overseas flights and I try to check seats ahead of time and get the two seats alone on the window, if they are available on a convenient flight. Makes it more comfortable for flying.

Dee

Hi

 

How is Graham Seymour as a CD? he will be on Explorer when we are on the Barcelona to Dubai cruise, I know it's not a make or break but they do vary and can sometimes make a difference on the longer cruises.

We loved Graham ....would love to sail with him anytime.

Here is a sample of his humor from YouTube

Caution- part of this is from his adult humor show!

He's a pretty good singer and musician as well

Graham singing Chasing Cars

Dee

Where's Paul Rutter? Does not appear on any of the lists lately.

Paul is the CD on the Vision in the Western Caribbean right now.

We were on Nov 29th through Dec 6th.

Dee

:D

That is well and good when you cruise Celebrity, Azamara, or RCL, not gonna help you so much on Oceania.

Yes true not all cruise lines use Choice Air...but for those who do, I think it is a good option. ;)

I recently got the Chase Sapphire Preferred CC for just this reason ... travel cancellation insurance. It will be a huge savings for us each year. But your description seems different from mine. I have the Benefits booklet in front of me and it clearly states that it covers the Primary Insured Person and Immediate Family Members automatically as long as I have paid for the travel with my card.

 

It states that each member will be reimbursed up to $10K for each covered trip. The maximum limit of insurance per occurrence is $20K and the maximum benefit per 12 month period is $40K. So if you spend more than $40K in a year you would have to get regular travel insurance for the balance of those trips.

 

While it covers cancellation and interruption for medical reasons, it is NOT medical insurance and that would need to be purchased separately. When not including cancellation, medical coverage is much cheaper so there is still a huge savings.

 

Like any cancel/interruption insurance, there are limitations and things that are not covered ... one of those is a pre-existing condition, declared or undeclared War .... and (just to add some humor) it doesn't cover if you're flying on a rocket propelled or rocket launched aircraft:):)

 

Still, best card ever in my opinion and I have my TA to thank for telling me about it!

We got the American Airlines Card and United airlines Card. They both have interruption/cancellation coverage.

American says you have to pay for every part of your trip with their card or they will not cover.

I did not see that stipulation in the United rules, but I would tend to believe it would be the same.

Remember to always use the same card for all the travel reservations associated with your trip.

Also if you are making flight reservations, always use Choice Air. They have a $35.00 service fee, but they waive it if you are C&A Platinum or higher. They insure your travel as well. They will help you get to the ship even if the ship has already left the port. They will transport you to the next stop.

I always find the flights I want and then call Choice Air to book. The prices are always the same or better. Some people have said Choice Air is higher, but I have never found that to be true.

Dee

We'll be staying in Sydney starting Feb. 19 for 5 days after our cruise on the Voyager OTS. Looking for hotel or furnished apartment recommendations in central Sydney possibly in the US$150-200 range if such things exist. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Robert

Robert, We are using the "Medina Serviced Apts-Martin Place" for our 2 day pre-cruise stay. We got a decent price of $336.36 +VAT of $33.64 AUD..With the conversion this comes out to $322.70 US...or about $160 a nite.

No breakfast but there is a McDonalds down the street. We booked an efficiency apartment. If you are staying for 5 days, you could make toast and such and run. Has an equipped kitchen.

We booked through booking.com and this hotel does not charge you until check in...that rate was a refundable rate as well. I would never book anything unless I did refundable/free cancellation.

I had booked us into a B&B for one night (free cancellation) and then had to change our plans a bit. Found out they charged us immediately,,,,,still waiting nearly two months now for our refund! $300,00 tied up...ugh!

If you can find a rate which includes breakfast for about $12.00 pp extra, that is a good rate. Food is expensive over there.

We are arriving in Sydney at 6AM and the hotel agreed to hold our luggage for us, no fee, until we can check in. That way we can drop and run! :D

Be careful with the older heritage hotels. They don't always have private bathrooms, (not our choice) we like our privacy. And some do not have elevators.

Good luck with your search.

Dee

I was wondering what nights the Formal nights are scheduled on the RCCL VOS for a Sat-Sat cruise. We want to schedule reservation in a specialty restaurant and would like to book it on a non-formal night. Thanks.

Denise I agree they will probably be on Sun and Thursday.

Friday is a cruising day but everyone has to pack up, so they probably won't do it on Friday. ;)

Dee

We have friends who are older and have some health issues. They buy a yearly policy, and their pre-existing is covered if there has been no treatment ( as in dr apps and/ or prescription changes. This includes dosage changes on the same drug) for SIX MONTHS. As others have said you have to read the fine print. I know she spent a few weeks researching which one to buy. A lot of work.

 

Mo

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Mo can you tell us which company you are buying your yearly policy from? I take meds for BP, but no changes in medication in 5 years...hoping to be able to quality for a policy where they do not penalize me for High BP.

I'm assuming you are talking about a yearly travel ins. plan...

Thanks

Dee

Here is the link to the hourly weather report for Cape Liberty in case you need to check it out.

http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/graph/07002?pagenum=2&nextbeginIndex=6

Looks like a nice day tomorrow for your arrival.

Thanks to all the cruisers who posted and answered questions.

Dee

What my husband and I do is book a future cruise certificate with him as prime and a guest. Then I also book a future cruise certificate with me as prime and a guest. That way it only costs us $100 deposit each but we can take B2B cruises for only the $200 ititial deposit. They don't tell you that you can do that but you can. I always leave off the TA so that I can book on-line and transfer the cruises to our TA when we deceide to do it. We did this for the Inaugural cruises because the inital booking took place on a week end and our TA's office was closed. Then on 8:00am on the day we were aloud to book I was on the phone to RCCL. (hope this is understandable)

 

Take care...

Irene and Miles

Irene, good thinking. We are cruising in the S. Pacific in Feb. which we booked via a "future cruise" commitment we signed up for on Allure. We still have only paid $200 bucks towards this cruise. Nice not to have so much money sitting on the reservation books in deposits.

Also , I use United cruises (through United Airlines) as my travel agent. Once I book the cruise I transfer it over to them. On my next cruise to Australia we are getting 8X mileage plus points for the trip. (Based on using our MP credit card & booking a balcony.) When we return from that trip we will have over 40 thousand miles deposited into our air miles accounts. This will offer us a free trip to Europe for our Sept, Greek Isles cruise.

Love getting free stuff! LOL ;)

Dee

Hi All,

 

I have been asked to no longer post photos and updates. Sorry about that. :(

I enjoyed the pics you posted, before they cut you off...;)

We will be sailing with you in Feb 2015 out of Sydney.

Looking forward to the new and improved Voyager!

Thanks

Dee

Such great suggestions...thanks for sharing your tips and tricks. Do you think that bottled water will make it on board if I put it in bag with a tag?

We were just on Allure in March of 2014. I took a 6 pack of bottled water and stuck it in a huge zip lock bag (to avoid a crushed leaking water situation). I then put it in a small duffle bag with bottles of root beer and Sprite packaged the same way. I then wrapped a towel around the bottles to keep them from moving around to much. I handed this bag to the porter with my other bigger bags.

Once on board, The rest of my luggage arrived at our room at about 4-5 pm...the duffy did not arrive until about 9-10 pm. It had an orange ticket hanging on it that said "plastic bag" and it had been searched.

DH & I figured the zip lock bags must have looked strange on the xray machine so they put it aside for inspection, but when they found it was simply soda and water, they let it go through.

I find each ship staff handles these issues differently, some sticking to the rules, others bending the rules. There is no absolute answer. :)

Hope this helps.

Dee

Sailing on the Jewel next year. Any secrets or need to knows about this ship? I understand she is beautiful!!

You will love this ship. She is our absolute favorite of all the RCI fleet. The closets (unless they have been changed) are devine. Nice wood shelves for shoes and folded items. All up the center with room on each side for his & her items. ;)

The safe is over the desk and allows for easy access of stored items. No crawling into the closet! :eek:

This ship is smaller and has a very intimate vibe. We have traveled on her several times.

Good luck and Enjoy!

Dee

Cruising October 12th on Allure. Our cabin has not been assigned yet. We have a guarantee of a Central Park view. Just wondering when this might be assigned. We have never done a room guarantee so I'm getting

Sorry for poking my nose in here, but we were just on the Allure in March 2014. Wanted to share our experience with you, it may help you out.

The CP balconies are very warm (hot) and there is little air when using them. No privacy, you need to keep your blinds pulled nearly all the time you are in your cabin. We are Diamonds and have cruised a bit....we thought we would give a CP balcony a try and we regretted it. We could not use the balcony at all. Absolutely no privacy. Don't plan on spending any romantic time with your spouse out there. :eek:The rooms across from you look right at you.

Our recommendation would be to ask for an ocean view. Just some feedback for you. :)

Dee

I bought a bottle of garcinia cambogia when it was "all the rage" from the dr. Oz show. It's been sitting on my counter since I got it in the mail. From what I understand it works best if it's paired with a cleanse that was also advertised with it (that I didn't buy but think i'm going to).

Has any anyone tried this??

Yes I tried it, spent $28 bucks for the chews...they don't taste to bad. About the size of a caramel. I did not notice any side effects or benefit from it. Took it for about three weeks, then got sick with a different health issue(not related to it) and I stopped taking them. I will prob try again...for a longer period of time to give it a chance to work or not.

We had a central park balcony room on deck 14 on oasis. Not under the kids pool, but the one right across it. I don't remember ever being really bothered by the noise from above, although we did hear some occasionally. Mostly deck chairs being drug around. We loved the location, though! Just 1 deck up to pick up breakfast, then 1 deck down back to the room for breakfast on the balcony!

 

 

Sent from my PM23300 using Tapatalk

Hi wondering if I can also get some advice on room selection on the Allure. I have chosen a Central Park bal room on Deck 12. My DH says he would like to go aft and get one of the Boardwalk rooms. Does anyone know if these rooms are open to the outside? Seems I saw a picture of them once and it looked like you could see the ocean out the back. Also does anyone know if you can view the Diving Show from the boardwalk balconies? appreciate any advice from those in the know!

With limited time you could do all this but probably not Giglio?

but rent a car and go and grab someone else to share from your hotel!

or use train or use buses.

 

Tarquinia is a quick hop on the train from Civitavecchia (13 minutes or so). There are also buses.

I'd go to Tarquinia, personally, just to see the Etruscan tombs: a must see :D

 

Marinella, (around 5-10 mins)

is a really nice sandy beach and local resort area!

 

Giglio for a look on salvage as

crews begin the mammoth task of refloating the Costa Concordia

 

Civitavecchia - intown (see net)

We have stayed there up on hillside

before and are again in November up at cattle ranch overlooking the town and port! A wonderful restaurant on site with

menu of own beef, and home grown food! A real treat!:)

SSB- do you have the contact information for that Cattle Ranch place ?

we are deciding where to stay pre-cruise in August and might like that.

Thanks

Denise & Bill