Another "bumped out of chosen cabin" story - would this make you cancel?

[setsail]

That is not true at all. Hump cabins are ALL D1 category on Allure. There are no humps D2-D8 (regular balcony cabins). There is a price premium for D1 because of location, the hump, and the physical size of the balcony which is 60% larger than standard.

 

.

 

That's interesting, I have been in a D5 on the hump, slightly bigger balcony than other D5's, but the cabin is the same size. Deck 7 and up both port and starboard

Edited September 15, 2013 by setsail

[BND]

That is not true at all. Hump cabins are ALL D1 category on Allure. There are no humps D2-D8 (regular balcony cabins). There is a price premium for D1 because of location, the hump, and the physical size of the balcony which is 60% larger than standard.

 

You may be getting an awesome deal (I am too, upgraded from a D8 to a D1 mid-hump) but RCI absolutely does view these are premium real estate and charges accordingly.

 

We have a hump JS on Allure. It's the same price as any other JS. We've had a hump JS on EX and it was also the same price as any other JS.

Edited September 16, 2013 by BND

[LMaxwell]

We have a hump JS on Allure. It's the same price as any other JS. We've had a hump JS on EX and it was also the same price as any other JS.

 

Js may be a different animal than the multitude of standard balcony categories. One day...one day :cool:

[cb at sea]

"What might have been" really wasn't that magical to begin with. Yes...the hump is convenient, but the cabin would be identical to another of the same catagory elsewhere on the ship.

Go....cruise...enjoy!

[retird]

Thanks for all the opinions, guys.

 

Part of the problem, is the feeling of powerlessness - the only threat I have (with the TA and the CL) is to cancel, and if I do, they can then sell the whatever cabin I've been allocated for a higher price to someone else - yeah, really great threat!

 

My online agent is not back in the office till tomorrow so I'll see what their latest excuse is then - and locate the best cabin I can.

 

Bottom line, I have until early next year to cancel without penalty, so I guess I see whether they (or I - though having to do the work myself, while a TA gets paid for it, is rather bitter) can come up with a cabin which in MY OPINION (not their's) is the equal or better of the original. At that time, the prices will probably be dropping again (from what I've seen the Spring TA's do usually drop in price), so at least I'll have the meager satisfaction that it can't be resold for more...

 

 

If it were me , I would call an RCI booking agent and act as if you are interested in booking the cruise and ask if the cabin which you originally wanted is available , You might find that it is and that the TA is just trying to unload their own reserved cabins. A year ago I saw a specific cabin available on RCI website for the Transatlantic I wanted to book. I called a well known Travel company and asked them to book the room for me. A day later the agent called me back and told me the cabin was not available but there was one in the near vicinity. I took it upon myself to call RCI to ask why it was not available but still on their website. The RCI rep told me the cabin was available and had no idea what the TA was talking about. I booked the cabin through RCI, then called the TA back and informed them what I did. I now only book through the cruiseline.

[Desert Cruizers]

I had a situation a few months back on my Coastal Cruise coming up in a week, I was checking my Cruise Planner ( Princess ) and noticed my mid ship cabin B504 was now B 245 or thereabouts. I called my TA ASAP who had just gotten off the phone with Princess no more then 15 min earlier when notified I was moved, in their words upgraded from a Mid ship cabin to one way forward. My TA flatly told the agent I was to be moved back to my original cabin and moving me way forward was no upgrade. I checked my booking upon getting off the phone with my TA and I was back in my original room.

[Ourusualbeach]

So, you weren't really bumped as you never had the cabin. Sounds more like your TA messed up, not RCI. I would suspect your TA never put a hold on the cabin for you. BTW, we have had a hump cabin and have one again in Nov. They were the same price as non-hump cabins in the same cat. We didn't book them because they were hump, we did however book them because they're close to mid-ship. Not everyone thinks they're prime and RCI doesn't treat them as prime either. Those cabins go for the same price as others in the same category.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Also there is no need to convert your Next Cruise Certificate from Canadian $ to US$ (unless maybe if you are using a US TA). For most of our cruises we have used a NCC bought in Canadian and booked the cruise in Canadian. Maybe look for a better TA.

[mom4mom]

My friend booked with a TA and RCI cancelled her cruise twice on her. The first time it was because she hadn't paid the full required deposit of $900 yet she had paid for her cruise in full which was less than $700. They offered her a far forward cabin when she specifically booked a cabin midship that was the same cabin she was using on the next leg of her B2B. The only reason that she noticed the cancellation was that she started to do her sign and sail registration and message said to contact RCI. Her TA finally straightened it out and got her old cabin back.

 

A couple of months later she went into her booking to look at the port information and again the booking was cancelled. Her fear is that she will get to Europe and then not get home as this is her first transatlantic. This time her TA was notified and was working on it before she discovered the mistake. Royal finally got her cabin back even though someone else had been assigned to it. They offered her a small OBC for her aggravation. Right now she is a little paranoid about it happening again. My brother suggests that if she gets onboard and finds that her cabin is unavailable that maybe the captain could give up his cabin and send someone in who can fan her all night long.:)

[Ourusualbeach]

That is not true at all. Hump cabins are ALL D1 category on Allure. There are no humps D2-D8 (regular balcony cabins). There is a price premium for D1 because of location, the hump, and the physical size of the balcony which is 60% larger than standard.

 

You may be getting an awesome deal (I am too, upgraded from a D8 to a D1 mid-hump) but RCI absolutely does view these are premium real estate and charges accordingly.

 

This only applies to Allure and Oasis. On other classes of ships ie. Freedom there are other classes of balconies on the hump and the D1s are available both on the hump and not.

 

On the Oasis and Allure there are D5s and D2s right at the atart of the hump that do have a larger balcony than standard as well.

[Desert Cruizers]

A friend of ours for our 08 Hawaii cruise, went in to print out their set sail pass and was unable to. She had notified their TA to make final payment 2 months earlier, come to find out, she never called RCCL to authorize the payment but chargd it back to her office acct. They got on a 3 way conversation with RCCL who said if the TA paid the deposit and final payment our friends would be reinstated back into their room. They did a wire transferr. Our friends who had their flights booked to San Diego didn't know they were on until 1 month before sailing. Sadly this does happen and can understand ones hesitation in booking with a TA but there are excellant TA's.

[crisndeefromde]

knock on wood or a ship...we have a great TA. If I wish a specific cabin and it is available he snags it for us. If he has a block of cabins also available he tells me the numbers and the deal...usually extra obc or a dinner also and I look them up to see if that is appealing....He is a gem......

[nelblu]

 

 

I agree with this summation. I was booking thru a TA for an upcoming cruise and initially asked for my balcony to be on the hump (was booking way ahead). When I was sent my confirmation it wasn't a hump but since it was a group cruise and they put friends next door I didn't say anything. Later when upgrading to a higher class and with a refund (way before final). I mention to the TA why she didn't give me my requested hump and ignored my request. She said, Whats a hump? (and I thought, why are you a cruise TA?....) She did go on to say she had a "block" to use.

 

So yup, I bet the hump cabins weren't in the TAs block

 

I had to explain to an RCL Corporate Relationship Rep. the advantage of a hump cabin.

[storm1of4]

THe op's story is fishy....TA involved...............I'd wager a bet the TA messed up somewhere. I use TA's for other travel,,,but cruise travel no way it is just as easy booking a cruise yourself, In fact better...no middle man..If you have any issues you can call RC direct.

Edited September 16, 2013 by storm1of4

[BND]

My friend booked with a TA and RCI cancelled her cruise twice on her. The first time it was because she hadn't paid the full required deposit of $900 yet she had paid for her cruise in full which was less than $700. They offered her a far forward cabin when she specifically booked a cabin midship that was the same cabin she was using on the next leg of her B2B. The only reason that she noticed the cancellation was that she started to do her sign and sail registration and message said to contact RCI. Her TA finally straightened it out and got her old cabin back.

 

A couple of months later she went into her booking to look at the port information and again the booking was cancelled. Her fear is that she will get to Europe and then not get home as this is her first transatlantic. This time her TA was notified and was working on it before she discovered the mistake. Royal finally got her cabin back even though someone else had been assigned to it. They offered her a small OBC for her aggravation. Right now she is a little paranoid about it happening again. My brother suggests that if she gets onboard and finds that her cabin is unavailable that maybe the captain could give up his cabin and send someone in who can fan her all night long.:)

 

This also sounds like a bad TA. She may have paid her TA, but that doesn't mean the TA had paid RCI.

[piercetc4]

it has been my understanding that when a ta books a block of rooms that they are not given exact cabin numbers just cabin categorys- like 8 cat e2's- then when someone wants to book one of those and put a name and deposit down.....they can choose which e2 they want from what is available in royal caribbeans inventory......

 

if there is a hump cabin in the same category the op booked.......he can call his ta and have him/her switch him to that cabin

[PCWalton1]

Would I still go? yes

[spiritkat090909]

Personally, if I had a confirmed booking (deposit paid), with a fax showing the actual stateroom I had booked & it was later taken from me...I'd be LIVID.

 

Having been a TA in the far, far past (think early 90's)...my opinion is that when the RCI agent converted the certificate, the hump cabin had to be released back into the inventory to do the switcharoo and apply the NC. When she went to grab it back...poof! Someone else had already place a hold on it. At that point, something could have been done if the person holding did not make the deposit on time. This type of thing actually happened in our agency from time to time. What we did was negotiate with the cruise line to get a similar cabin (another hump) or an upgrade (next category). Since we were a super agency with a lot of clout, we were able to throw our muscle around with the cruise lines. A smaller TA would have had to bite the bullet & pay for an upgrade out of commissions, if they were going to do the right thing.

 

I thank you for sharing. If I ever use a NC (tried one once, didn't transfer due to some special rate when I cancelled original sailing), I don't think I will try to transfer it to another agency & will keep it as I booked it.

 

If another hump cabin becomes available in that category to switch into, you may have a hard time getting it if it comes available during hours your TA doesn't work. RCI won't be able to touch the booking without her doing it for you. Most likely, if one becomes available, it will be on a weekend. You will have to be vigilant to get one back.

 

Of course, I'd still sail at the 110% supplement rate/cabin I had. And due to the casual attitude of the TA, I'd never use her again. Ever. They should care about my vacation almost as much as I do since it pays their bills. JMO! And I would definitely tell her & her boss why.

[SeagoingMom]

I really don't want to go on cruise and for 2 weeks walk by what should have been "my" cabin every day and think about what might have been!

If it were me, I think my perspective would be, "I really don't want to be thinking every day for two weeks on land that I could have been on that ship taking that cruise!!"

 

You are clearly upset and angry, and you feel used and offended. If you have alternatives that will satisfy you -- an equally appealing cruise in a cabin you want that you cannot lose (is this possible?), then perhaps switching will work for you. But not cruising at all because of this disappointment...?

 

I would be cautious of "cutting off your nose to spite your face," so to speak. If you do not take this cruise in the alternate cabin, are you punishing the cruise line or the TA, or just yourself?

 

 

[westcoasttech]

So just to update the saga ... I've cancelled my booking.

 

To top it off, I realized that not only had I "lost" my chosen cabin, I'd also "lost" my cheap deal (no single supplment) and my "new" booking was at a much higher price (100% single supplement) - so double the price - yeah, that's not going to happen!

 

TA is saying my "actual booking" was not confirmed until month later than I had attempted to make the first booking and have no record of what the price was at the time of the first attempted booking. They say it was not confirmed at that time as RCCL had to exchange the currency (CDN to US) of the next cruise certificate - which apparently in RCCL land takes 4 weeks! I had a long argument with RCL about that back in September. TA is saying it was RCL's responsibility and RCL is saying it was TA's responsibility - which leaves me with no cruise!

 

Really, really annoyed at both parties. I actually started laughing when the TA said to let them know if there was another cruise they could help with me with - like I would use them again after this mess! Really wish, we could name names on this forum, as this is the 2nd TA to claim that they don't keep a record of the prices listed on their website at any particular time, and the 2nd TA to suddenly have no record of a good (solo traveller) deal that was listed on their website - all very fishy.

 

So to whomever snags a starboard balcony on deck 8 today for the IOS on May 4 - please enjoy!

 

Oh well, back to searching for a deal - perhaps I'll take a look at the westbound transatlantic crossings in the Fall...

[flexsmom]

So just to update the saga ... I've cancelled my booking.

 

To top it off, I realized that not only had I "lost" my chosen cabin, I'd also "lost" my cheap deal (no single supplment) and my "new" booking was at a much higher price (100% single supplement) - so double the price - yeah, that's not going to happen!

 

TA is saying my "actual booking" was not confirmed until month later than I had attempted to make the first booking and have no record of what the price was at the time of the first attempted booking. They say it was not confirmed at that time as RCCL had to exchange the currency (CDN to US) of the next cruise certificate - which apparently in RCCL land takes 4 weeks! I had a long argument with RCL about that back in September. TA is saying it was RCL's responsibility and RCL is saying it was TA's responsibility - which leaves me with no cruise!

 

Really, really annoyed at both parties. I actually started laughing when the TA said to let them know if there was another cruise they could help with me with - like I would use them again after this mess! Really wish, we could name names on this forum, as this is the 2nd TA to claim that they don't keep a record of the prices listed on their website at any particular time, and the 2nd TA to suddenly have no record of a good (solo traveller) deal that was listed on their website - all very fishy.

 

So to whomever snags a starboard balcony on deck 8 today for the IOS on May 4 - please enjoy!

 

Oh well, back to searching for a deal - perhaps I'll take a look at the westbound transatlantic crossings in the Fall...

 

Didn't read all the way through to see if anyone had suggested this, but in the future, if you know the date of what you saw on the website, go to the Wayback Machine (google it - it's an internet archive) to see if you can pull up exactly what was on the website on that particular day to help you make your case. I've been amazed at what I've been able to find to prove up advertisements.

[willing292]

I've seen a few stories on the various boards about people being bumped from their reserved cabins without notice, now it's happened to me!

 

 

 

Being a bargain hunter (and a solo traveller), I rarely book a cruise very far ahead, as I usually snap up the last minute deals that are offered at lower supplement. However RCCL had a great deal on the Independence of the Seas transatlantic run next spring at no single supplement. When I first saw it there was lots of availability and last month I managed to book a prime "mid-hump" balcony cabin - or so I thought. When I followed up with my travel agent (an online agency) because I hadn't received a confirmation email from him, I was informed that I no longer had my prime "mid-hump" balcony, but was now further back on the straight bit of the hull. I am not happy about the move! I rarely, if ever, have got to choose a "prime" cabin, I usually have to take a guarantee, or pick a cabin from last few remaining "left-overs"!!

 

 

 

The TA is telling me it is all the cruiselines doing - as I used a next cruise certificate it had to be converted from CAN$ to US$ and doing so, somehow meant that I lost my booking in the initial chosen cabin. It sounds a bit fishy to me - I suspect that as the no supplement deal they had is now finished, that they managed to sell off my "prime" cabin for a lot more than I had paid for it!

 

 

 

The new cabin is the same category, but is not in the "prime" location that I was so excited to book. I really don't want to go on cruise and for 2 weeks walk by what should have been "my" cabin every day and think about what might have been! The online TA can't seem to understand why I am upset about the cabin move, and in fact, I would not have realized until much later, if I hadn't been chasing them up for details.

 

 

 

Currently the issue is with a supervisor at the online TA, but they're not being very helpful.

 

 

 

So ... do I cancel the whole thing because I can't get the cabin I wanted? (No flights or hotels have been booked at this point.) I know, it's a real first world problem. However I'm left feeling like they think "oh that's just a solo traveller, we can put them anywhere, afterall they only paid $XXXX", but I did NOT book a guarantee, I booked THAT cabin and I want THAT cabin...

 

 

For what it's worth, if you're going to use a TA,use a real one, otherwise just book directly online to RCI. They do not convert your future cruise certificates currency. If your certificate was booked in Canadianq currency then that is what your cruise is purchased in. I think your online TA didn't make a firm booking and if they gave you the story about exchanging the certificate, they are full of you know what! I'm also Canadian.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[ehfl]

Anytime you introduce a middleman, you increase the complexity and the chance of problems.

[pollux]

I don't see a single supplement on that crossing.

 

Would take any cabin if that was the case.

[20pluscruises]

So just to update the saga ... I've cancelled my booking.

 

To top it off, I realized that not only had I "lost" my chosen cabin, I'd also "lost" my cheap deal (no single supplment) and my "new" booking was at a much higher price (100% single supplement) - so double the price - yeah, that's not going to happen!

 

TA is saying my "actual booking" was not confirmed until month later than I had attempted to make the first booking and have no record of what the price was at the time of the first attempted booking. They say it was not confirmed at that time as RCCL had to exchange the currency (CDN to US) of the next cruise certificate - which apparently in RCCL land takes 4 weeks! I had a long argument with RCL about that back in September. TA is saying it was RCL's responsibility and RCL is saying it was TA's responsibility - which leaves me with no cruise!

 

Really, really annoyed at both parties. I actually started laughing when the TA said to let them know if there was another cruise they could help with me with - like I would use them again after this mess! Really wish, we could name names on this forum, as this is the 2nd TA to claim that they don't keep a record of the prices listed on their website at any particular time, and the 2nd TA to suddenly have no record of a good (solo traveller) deal that was listed on their website - all very fishy.

 

So to whomever snags a starboard balcony on deck 8 today for the IOS on May 4 - please enjoy!

 

Oh well, back to searching for a deal - perhaps I'll take a look at the westbound transatlantic crossings in the Fall...

 

FYI...if you check both the cruise line and the online TA prices....going all the way to final payment...not once have I found a better price/deal with perks with an online TA...always less through the cruise line. Also, better room choices. Some will come here and say it isn't so...but I do my homework and know what the real deal is.

[JasonTehGreat]

As a travel agent I must clarify:

 

Every "block" of cabins I have worked with have been by category, not actual cabin numbers.

 

So if I reserve 5 D1 cabins, I can put a passenger in ANY open D1 cabin that they want. I don't have to choose from 5 set cabins, etc....

 

I guess some TA's do it differently and actually buy the cabins but I wouldn't do that because it's not MY decision which cabin YOU want.