Disgusted with RCL and Rhapsody Cabin changes!

[Elizanessie]

CC news story -

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4805#

[papakaiser]

I doubt that you would call me a sheep, but I don't think the Florida AG would take this case. RCI reserves the right to change cabin accommodations. One would hope that they would do so for a business reason - moving a solo out of a cabin that sleeps 3 or an AB person out of an accessible cabin to accommodate somebody who needs it. One would HOPE that it wouldn't just randomly happen because of sloppy work procedures, stupidity or a complete lack of regard for ones customer bad, which appears to be the case here.

 

RCI's action, or lack thereof, may be negligent, but IMO there is no criminal aspect to it.

 

Years ago, Citibank ran an ad about using credit responsibly (after getting themselves into trouble by lending to anybody who asked, regardless of creditworthiness,much like today's lending crisis). The tag line was, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

 

So was RCI's handling of the process wrong? IMO, absolutely. Was is criminal? No.

 

I agree. There is no criminal conduct. The tag line you mention is quite accurate. And it applies in this case very well.

 

But I have to wonder. The cruise lines all said they had the right to apply the fuel surcharges 5 years ago. No one asserted there was anything criminal in that move, that I can recall. The cruise lines tried to vaguely cover themselves in the cruise contract on that issue also. The contract did not provide the cover the cruise lines thought that it would, and they agreed to change their conduct. Now, that provision is clearly stated in the cruise contract.

 

Without re-direction from the attorney general in that case, the cruise lines would have continued to collect the surcharge. In this case, I am simply asking for a legal opinion on a contract issue, from an elected official charged with such tasks. If the issue passes muster, as many here feel that it will, end of story.

[WK-Orlando]

If RCL accepted a booking for those cabins and then rebooked them to someone else, the original booker should get it and they should move the mistake... Makes you want to see how much the original booking was for and how much they got from the booking they gave the cabin too... Since they are going to have to screw with someone, why did they not go first come first serve unless there was a $$ difference motivating them. ;)

 

Sounds very shabby to me and likely there is another agenda at work behind the curtains that we are not aware of. :cool:

 

If it happened to me, I would cancel and start filing complaints on every consumer forum and stock news website I could find until they refunded any out of pocket costs... Take my $$$ to another venue. Taking the $200 credit just encourages them to do it again.

 

I took a 50 cabin booking away from one line because of some of their bs and walked accross the street with my money. Made damn sure that corporate and the stockholder relations people knew about it and why.

 

Sad thing is they are filling the ships no mater how badly they treat people. Carnival has gone to the low end of hotel food on all of their ships ($1/day/person) model and still they sell... Until they feel consumer pressure from the bad service, they will do as they please.

[kruisinkris]

Actually, if you look at the new deck plans you will see that cabin numbers:

8544 - 8546 - 8548

8044 - 8046 - 8048

Have been downgraded from JS to new Fat Window View

 

While cabins:

8042 & 8542 have been downgraded from Disabled JS to non-disabled Fat Window View.

 

I wonder what their story is to these people, especially for the Disabled cabin's. And if it is a different story to the one being told to the "afties", then they have opened the flood gates for the de-possessed.

 

And one final point, the affected aft cabins number 7 in total, and even if the Rhap only did 7 day cruises, the total affected bookings for the next year would be 364, which should not be that hard for even RCI to manage. It would not have cost them a fortune to re-book all the "newbies" into side berth cabins even if everyone of them told RCI to stick it (and RCI would no doubt have re-sold those side berth cabins anyway), so no cost at all in dollar terms, just a huge backlash in customer satisfaction.

 

I was noticing this, too. And when I looked at the before and after deck plan it looked like several connecting cabins would be affected.

 

This is not just a case of just aft cabins, or corner cabins. It's a case of a large amount of cabins getting new numbers, and a large amount of cruisers being affected NEGATIVELY.

 

Sheesh. We aren't affected directly by this fiasco, but we have a cruise coming up with RCL next year, and if it wasn't for the friends we're sailing with, I'd have already told RCL to "stick it".

 

I like cruising with Princess, Kris

[cruzegurl104]

"Goldstein has been with the company since 1988. Prior to 2002 he held the positions of Senior Vice President, Total Guest Satisfaction; Senior Vice President, Marketing; Vice President, Marketing; Vice President, International Sales and Marketing; Director, Market Development; and Corporate Secretary to Royal Caribbean's Board of Directors.

 

Goldstein serves on the Board of Directors of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). He was National Chair of TIA in 2001. Goldstein also serves on the Board of Trustees of Our Kids, Inc., the nonprofit with oversight responsibility for foster care and related services for approximately 5,000 children in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

 

In 1998, Advertising Age named Goldstein to the "Marketing 100," the magazine's annual roundup of the best and brightest American and international marketing minds.

 

Goldstein graduated with honors from Princeton University, majoring in public policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He also has a law degree from Harvard and an MBA with distinction from INSEAD, the European business school in Fontainebleau, France. Goldstein and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, David and Julie, and live in Miami-Dade County, Fla. " < --- Taken from RCI's website.

 

It seems that Mr. Goldstein is indignant about being commited to "Total Guest Satisfaction" in which he held the position of Senior Vice President. As well as having the nerve not to respond to an email?? Is that not his job?? To be concerned with the passengers I would assume (I'm naive, I know) that they would actually care. What has the business world come to? I would (and am) be bubbling over in my anger towards such ridiculous & careless behavior on the part of RCCL. I hear what others are saying as "they have the right to change you to a different room per the cruise contract" ... but once I'VE PAID FOR a room, it should be immediately taken off the available cabin listing. A NOTE of some kind should be placed in my guest portfolio, that even tho the "cabin numbers are changing" so & so still BOOKED & PAID FOR THIS ROOM!! This is just one more "turn off" for me to ever sail with them again.

 

I wish all that are involved good luck & God Bless!!:)

[EVALUATOR]

I have read where a lot of people have stated that if the cabin switch happened to them they would cancel their bookings and go with a different cruise line.

 

To me it seems wrong to have this attitude.

 

If you think that RCI is treating people wrong then you should cancel your cruises with them even if the cabin switch doesn't directly effect you. Otherwise RCI will keep their position knowing that not many will vote with their pocketbooks when it comes to the integrity they might expect out of the cruise line.

 

I have contemplated booking a short cruise on the Monarch or Majesty in the near future. Each time I was about to hit the purchase button this topic reminded me of my expectations and I decided against doing business with RCI.

[WK-Orlando]

But they pull stuff like this all of the time... All of the lines are guiltly of mass moves, rebooks, or cancellations whenever the $$$ are right. A big group calls and wants a date and a specific part of the ship... no problem, they just dump the people out of those cabins and offer them a $100 credit and maybe a refund if there is no longer space for them... Someone wants an entire ship, no problem, a 2000+ paying customers have their plans nuked so a corporate group or celeb can take a date private and people that had booked a year+ earlier are just screwed. Best they get is a refund but travel and other costs are the customers problem...

 

This is old news to this industry. As I said before, this will happen as long as they fill ships. When there is a steady rate of empty cabins, things will change but not before.

 

Cruise industry needs some of the overhauls the airlines have been hit with regarding involuntary bumps and required compensation, not to mention bumps for financial gain like dumping everyone off a cruise for a private party, being entitled to REAL compensation.

[loubetti]

While the cruise industry is changing, big time, and I don't just mean big ships. It has ALWAYS been about the $$$$ and keeping the money flowing. For some years many cruise lines were privately held. Now most are part of public corporations, with shareholders and 10Ks and 10Qs and other SEC filings to make. It's a different ball game. The bottom line and share price is everything for cruise industry executives.

 

So, you leave RCL and go to Celebrity, well, they own Celebrity. Now, you go to Carnival, and don't like them. Where do you go? Princess? Guess who owns Princess, Costa, Cunard, P&O and others?

 

Did RCL (or, if you prefer, RCI) handle this well? Absolutely not! But, what are your options? Take your business elsewhere, and when you are not happy there, where do you go? Management knows this, and ultimately you can be "expendable". They'll get someone else to take your place, and all the chatter here will make little difference.

 

Carnival and RCI dominate the cruise market. Pick your poison. :rolleyes:

[Cruising89143]

Carnival and RCI dominate the cruise market. Pick your poison. :rolleyes:

 

And this is one of the big issues. Many of us saw this coming when the big two started buying up all of the other cruise lines. Carnival almost got NCL at one time. Glad that did not happen.

[marci22]

If you think that RCI is treating people wrong then you should cancel your cruises with them even if the cabin switch doesn't directly effect you. Otherwise RCI will keep their position knowing that not many will vote with their pocketbooks when it comes to the integrity they might expect out of the cruise line.

 

I have contemplated booking a short cruise on the Monarch or Majesty in the near future. Each time I was about to hit the purchase button this topic reminded me of my expectations and I decided against doing business with RCI.

 

Good point.

 

So, you leave RCL and go to Celebrity, well, they own Celebrity. Now, you go to Carnival, and don't like them. Where do you go? Princess? Guess who owns Princess, Costa, Cunard, P&O and others?

 

Did RCL (or, if you prefer, RCI) handle this well? Absolutely not! But, what are your options? Take your business elsewhere, and when you are not happy there, where do you go? Management knows this, and ultimately you can be "expendable". They'll get someone else to take your place, and all the chatter here will make little difference.

 

Carnival and RCI dominate the cruise market. Pick your poison. :rolleyes:

 

Well I don't really believe that. Good companies can go out of business if they continue to treat customers poorly.

 

I think the chatter does make a difference. If it didn't, you wouldn't see all these companies scrambling to get on FB and twitter.

[ccarpenter1963]

I normally post on the Carnival board, but have to chime in here. I have yet to cruise. Looking for a cruise for October 2013 for my birthday. I keep checking RCL for more choices for that month before I make my final decision. Reading this thread has made my decision for me. Unless they do some better (and I mean awesome!) damage control, I will never sail them. I guess I better go look at NCL for more choices.

 

RCI, you are disenfranchising new sailors too. If your old ones leave and the new ones won't sail your line, you will be lonely.

[Cruising89143]

I normally post on the Carnival board, but have to chime in here. I have yet to cruise. Looking for a cruise for October 2013 for my birthday. I keep checking RCL for more choices for that month before I make my final decision. Reading this thread has made my decision for me. Unless they do some better (and I mean awesome!) damage control, I will never sail them. I guess I better go look at NCL for more choices.

 

RCI, you are disenfranchising new sailors too. If your old ones leave and the new ones won't sail your line, you will be lonely.

 

I am not happy at all with the way that RCI is handling this but if you stick around long enough, you will find that most of the cruise lines do this from time to time. Lately it seems to be RCI that is screwing up but others including Carnival have had their fair share of situations of leaving people out in the cold.

[ccarpenter1963]

Yeah, I think I need to check all of them out. I may stick to a boat on the river!

[CarpeCerevisi]

The contract gives them the right to move people to different cabins yet when the original bookers of the cabins in question complained about the move all they did was ask the second bookers to move. If they had the right to move the first group why couldn't they move the second group? They would still have some angry people to deal with but from a PR perspective it is far easier to argue that the original bookers should have first access to those cabins.

[PantherFan]

The contract gives them the right to move people to different cabins yet when the original bookers of the cabins in question complained about the move all they did was ask the second bookers to move. If they had the right to move the first group why couldn't they move the second group? They would still have some angry people to deal with but from a PR perspective it is far easier to argue that the original bookers should have first access to those cabins.

 

 

Good point

 

That is the exact argument I would use if I were talking with them on the line.

[marci22]

The contract gives them the right to move people to different cabins yet when the original bookers of the cabins in question complained about the move all they did was ask the second bookers to move. If they had the right to move the first group why couldn't they move the second group? They would still have some angry people to deal with but from a PR perspective it is far easier to argue that the original bookers should have first access to those cabins.

 

Yes, it doesn't seem to make any sense. Unless the new bookers are paying a lot more than those early bookers, in which case Royal may be valuing them more highly in terms of whom they want to piss off.

[auntierobin]

. So, you leave RCL and go to Celebrity, well, they own Celebrity. Now, you go to Carnival, and don't like them. Where do you go? Princess? Guess who owns Princess, Costa, Cunard, P&O and others?

 

Did RCL (or, if you prefer, RCI) handle this well? Absolutely not! But, what are your options? Take your business elsewhere, and when you are not happy there, where do you go? Management knows this, and ultimately you can be "expendable". They'll get someone else to take your place, and all the chatter here will make little difference.

 

Carnival and RCI dominate the cruise market. Pick your poison. :rolleyes:

 

 

Haven't sailed on RCL, but that has to be a horrible feeling, you book a cabin that you really wanted, and poof, it's gone. I know my heart would have sunk to my feet.

 

 

If you really don't want a Jr. Suite (mini to us), you could cancel and not lose your airfare, because I am sure that there are several other ships leaving for Alaska on your sail dates. Granted they probably wouldn't be RCL, but you would at least have options. That is what I would do.

 

 

NCL has some great penthouses with big balconies (our personal fave).

 

 

P.S. Nobody owns NCL but NCL and Star Cruises.

[dbcrac]

Makes sense to me that the original people deserve the room. I agree it must be RC wanting more money for the room. I am very disappointed with RC and scared of future cruises we spend alot of time planning which room we want.

[Pushka]

The bottom line is that there would be no one wanting to sue or call n the lawyers, if rcl gave them the cabin they booked, back. As I said before there may well be people now allocated to an aft cabin who don't want one. They may have even used the old template for booking.

 

And yes, if the original occupants can be moved and rcl deems that OK, then why the hell don't they move the new occupants out? And explain the reasons why. It isn't rocket science.

[wing n]

If RCLI has the right to bump passengers for any reason, then it only makes sense that they bump the new cabin passengers in favor of those that booked first. Their loyalty should be to those with the fore thought to book early rather than the late comers. Best of luck.

[rcclmiami]

We're booked on Grandeur this fall (post refurb). I can only hope my cabin on deck 7 isn't affected. If I paid in full for a particular cabin, that cabin is mine to give up. Own up to your mistakes RCI and give your loyal passengers what they paid for. The airlines have to compensate pasengers alot more for double booking that you are offering. Put the first booking passengers in their original cabins and compensate the ones who booked the cabin second, in error!

[BecciBoo]

After having read everything pertaining to this debacle, to say the least, I believe it is only fair that the original booking be honored. The party to be bumped should be the second booker, not the first. If anyone has to be disappointed and be offered OBC, it should be the second booker for the rooms affected. That is the bottom line. RCCL should not have even asked the second party to vacate, they should have apologized to the second booker and given the OBC to them, not the original bookers. First come, first serve.:cool: This is just a que problem and the original bookers were first in que, step away from the cabin dude!:mad:

 

From now on, I am checking my res. frequently to make sure there are no surprises....live and learn.

[Clarea]

We're booked on Grandeur this fall (post refurb). I can only hope my cabin on deck 7 isn't affected. If I paid in full for a particular cabin, that cabin is mine to give up. Own up to your mistakes RCI and give your loyal passengers what they paid for. The airlines have to compensate pasengers alot more for double booking that you are offering. Put the first booking passengers in their original cabins and compensate the ones who booked the cabin second, in error!

It looks like you should be OK. I just took a look at Grandeur's current deck 7 layout. It appears the current stateroom numbering has open numbers for the staterooms they add in the centrum area. So there should be no need to renumber any existing staterooms.

[Bushy H.]

I understand the loss on the plane tickets would be an important factor, but I would of canceled my cruise with RCI and found another vacation at the destination of the tickets. I of course would never go with RCI again. If you can't trust the cruise line to follow thru that is so much stress and vacation is all about leaving that behind. You know the whole vacation would be ruined because you would think about it every time you wanted to use the balcony. :(

[Anjjmum0294]

Personally, I woulda told em to "Bump this" and cancelled it. The airfare can be used to go to where ever the ship is and explore that city. Or you can ask to fly somewhere else and meet up with a ship in a diff port diff company. Piss em off and tell em you are going to NCL!:D