where to sleep?

[Gil T. Azell]

That's horrendous.

 

I absolutely agree that it's nuts that their computer system doesn't prevent such a booking.

 

Yes it really isn't good that it happens. However, I'm not sure what is worse....that it happens....or that Royal can't solve it on their own.

 

Then they don't even clearly explain it to the room steward and they first call you by the wrong names and then can't figure out why you are in that cabin. Eventually you just answer to whatever name they call you. First port getting off was a mess as the list wasn't updated and the pictures didn't transfer so we didn't match our cards.

 

We also got excursion tickets delivered to our cabin but we just brought them to the other cabin rather than involve the front desk. However we took it all in stride and joked with each other we'd have to see which bill we got and keep whichever one was less. LOL

 

Actually about the names.....that was kind of funny. Towards the end of the cruise our girl who struggled a bit with English but was very pleasant got it. She comes up to me one day and says....oh you not...you are....LOL that made me laugh and I told her oh that's ok I was getting used to my new name! lol

[micmacmissy]

HATE TO BE blunt but don't believe a single word of this post:rolleyes:

 

Really? You don't even believe the photograph? :rolleyes: If you have nothing to contribute, or don't believe the OP, then kindly move on without dropping negativity.

 

OP, so sorry this happened to you. Hope you get a good resolution!

[torqueathletics]

curious minds want to know...did RCL connect with you today? Has there been any resolution?

 

 

they called me last night the only time I was unavailable between 5-7pm haha I will call them this AM

[torqueathletics]

It doesn't matter if you book directly with RCI or use a TA. My family of 3 booked a cruise on the Radiance. It was booked directly with Royal and all names and ages on the invoice were correct. When we got to the cabin we discovered that it was only a 2 person cabin....no sofa bed or pull man. There were no cabins available for us to switch to and Royal was not much help for us. We ended up finding our own solution and switched our cabin with other passengers. However it was a hassle as credit card info and such had to switched and all room info also. It wasn't seamless.

 

The attitude on board was very casual to their mistake and we were offered no OBC or future cruise credit. That was ok for us as we did have a proper cabin in the end. However, it would have been nice if they had at least sent us a bottle of wine to us for finding our own solution and saving them from having to think.:rolleyes:

 

If it wasn't for my finding the solution myself we would have ended up like the OP with just a rollaway in the room. It's a shame that the onboard staff didn't step up and at least try and find someone to switch cabins with the OP. A little bit of OBC for both parties and everyone would be happy and at a cost less than having to issue a future cruise credit. I know it happens as it has happened to me personally. I'm not one to accept that there is no solution so I solved my situation myself.

 

Extra training is needed on board if they cannot come up with such a simple solution and need passengers to do their job. We had a balcony cabin and there was no way I wanted to deal with a roll away in the cabin. The OP was in an inside cabin with a roll away!! The OP should insist on at least a 50% future cruise credit as I am sure they were extremely crowded in the cabin with the roll away. Their enjoyment of their cruise would have been affected by the crowding and sleeping arrangements.

 

Not to mention....it is Royals booking system that allowed 3 adult passengers in a 2 person cabin so they should offer adequate compensation for their error. Again....all our paperwork was correct with the proper names and ages of each of us as it also seems to be for the OP. The TA should have noticed this also so I would also want something from the TA. At the very least the TA should be fighting for their client.

 

PS....I say adults as we are speaking of adults and teenagers

 

'''

 

did you ever find out HOW this even happened?

[PattyG12]

I thought they always held a couple cabins back for problems too. I can't imagine that there wasn't ANYWHERE else they could have put OP. I think I might have set up camp in the Solarium instead of living like THAT for a week. Bet they would have found somewhere for me to be THEN!

[LovesCruising]

on my invoice my cabin number says 'TBA (Q)'

 

however, I do recall as soon as I logged on to RC's site to book excursions etc I remember seeing our room number and was happy we were on the 10th deck and not in the bottom

 

If your original paperwork listed your cabin as TBA Q, this is a Q guarantee, and the cabin was chosen by Royal Caribbean. They are totally responsible for assigning 3 passengers to a 2 passenger cabin!

 

As others have said - sounds like this was booked as a guarantee. The cabin was assigned by Royal. They made the mistake. As far as the travel agent catching it, when the cabin is assigned the TA is not notified of the assignment. The only way the TA would catch that error is if they constantly followed up on the booking to see if the cabin had been assigned. This is a Royal error.

[Hotel CA]

While this may well be a Royal error-- the TA should be helping get some form of settlement.

 

I would guess the TA carries more weight than does the client individually-- yet the TA seems to want to wash their hands of the situation-- "Not my problem" when they COULD be helping.

 

Am I the only person troubled by this?

[PattyG12]

 

Am I the only person troubled by this?

 

I think it's terrible customer service by the TA ... they should have "inside contacts" that could fix this, or at least help out.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

While this may well be a Royal error-- the TA should be helping get some form of settlement.

 

I would guess the TA carries more weight than does the client individually-- yet the TA seems to want to wash their hands of the situation-- "Not my problem" when they COULD be helping.

 

Am I the only person troubled by this?

 

 

No you are not alone on this!

What happened to the policy that the TA owns the reservation and therefore has control?

 

This TA is not doing their job, the OP needs to be more aggressive and go to the top, meaning the manager or owner of the agency.

 

***

[wrp96]

As others have said - sounds like this was booked as a guarantee. The cabin was assigned by Royal. They made the mistake. As far as the travel agent catching it, when the cabin is assigned the TA is not notified of the assignment. The only way the TA would catch that error is if they constantly followed up on the booking to see if the cabin had been assigned. This is a Royal error.

 

While this may well be a Royal error-- the TA should be helping get some form of settlement.

 

I would guess the TA carries more weight than does the client individually-- yet the TA seems to want to wash their hands of the situation-- "Not my problem" when they COULD be helping.

 

Am I the only person troubled by this?

 

I agree with Hotel CA. This is definitely Royal's mistake but the reason you use a TA is to help you with stuff like this. A TA's service doesn't end with the actual booking. My TA even knew that I had booked some excursions and entertainment because she's paid attention to my booking.

 

The TA should've been monitoring for the cabin assignment. The TA should've seen that the assigned cabin didn't accommodate 3 people (unless the error was that the cabin was showing as for 3 people previously and the deck plans have been changed since the OP was assigned the cabin). The TA should've taken care of this before the cruise. And the TA definitely should be the one helping to get a resolution for this now since she didn't take care of it in advance.

 

As it is the OP is in no better position than the person who didn't book with a TA - and in fact is having the additional hassle of each side blaming the other and having to go back and forth between both of them.

[LMaxwell]

I stand by my position that the TA is not handling this properly. The TA's job is to provide expertise and consultation, as well as be an advocate for their client in dealing with disputes. Your TA was NOT diligent in following up on your reservation and is treating you like garbage now. Just another person or company that thinks they get paid to make a booking and that is it.

 

I'd escalate this immediately. Your TA is unwilling to communicate with you and has left you in a position of receiving less than you paid for. Unacceptable.

 

Time for certified letters to the TA and letters to the Consumer Affairs division of the State AG for the state the TA does business in. You already gave them an opportunity to discuss with you and they dismissed you. You are nothing more than a payment to them. Not the sort of service anyone deserves.

 

If you booked with a credit card it's time to look at the coverages and policies attached to that card and employ THEIR services in seeking fair remuneration from the TA as well.

 

Some may disagree with me, but once I give a reasonable opportunity for a business or person to respond to me in a reasonable time frame and they blow me off I use every option available to begin escalation to achieve resolution. I'm no ones door mat, I hope OP isn't either!

Edited October 30, 2013 by LMaxwell

[LovesCruising]

While this may well be a Royal error-- the TA should be helping get some form of settlement.

 

I would guess the TA carries more weight than does the client individually-- yet the TA seems to want to wash their hands of the situation-- "Not my problem" when they COULD be helping.

 

Am I the only person troubled by this?

 

I think it's terrible customer service by the TA ... they should have "inside contacts" that could fix this, or at least help out.

 

You are absolutely correct. While the TA didn't originally make the error - he/she does have a sales rep and a rep at Royal Caribbean they could call on for assistance to help make the client happy for the awful error that was made.

Edited October 30, 2013 by LovesCruising

[skiiergirl]

No you are not alone on this!

What happened to the policy that the TA owns the reservation and therefore has control?

 

This TA is not doing their job, the OP needs to be more aggressive and go to the top, meaning the manager or owner of the agency.

 

***

 

Like!

 

I agree with Hotel CA. This is definitely Royal's mistake but the reason you use a TA is to help you with stuff like this. A TA's service doesn't end with the actual booking. My TA even knew that I had booked some excursions and entertainment because she's paid attention to my booking.

 

The TA should've been monitoring for the cabin assignment. The TA should've seen that the assigned cabin didn't accommodate 3 people (unless the error was that the cabin was showing as for 3 people previously and the deck plans have been changed since the OP was assigned the cabin). The TA should've taken care of this before the cruise. And the TA definitely should be the one helping to get a resolution for this now since she didn't take care of it in advance.

 

As it is the OP is in no better position than the person who didn't book with a TA - and in fact is having the additional hassle of each side blaming the other and having to go back and forth between both of them.

Big Like!!

[torqueathletics]

thanks everyone for your support and comments. I'll continue updating this as things progress. I just recieved a generic email from TA and let them know how I feel (in the nicest way I can) they have dropped the ball in supporting their customer and how the generic email was a huge slap in the face.

[LovesCruising]

thanks everyone for your support and comments. I'll continue updating this as things progress. I just recieved a generic email from TA and let them know how I feel (in the nicest way I can) they have dropped the ball in supporting their customer and how the generic email was a huge slap in the face.

 

generic e mail?:eek:

[LMaxwell]

Time to stop being pleasant and start getting aggressive. Some companies just don't respond to reasonable requests without a little force. Sorry you have to waste time and energy on this OP; hope you get a resolution that is fair.

[torqueathletics]

generic e mail?:eek:

 

 

Dear Andrew,

We hope everything about your vacation aboardAllure of the Seas was great! We also wanted to thank you again for letting us plan your trip, and sincerely hope we did everything we could to make it both a pleasure and hassle-free!

[senrab]

Dear Andrew,

We hope everything about your vacation aboardAllure of the Seas was great! We also wanted to thank you again for letting us plan your trip, and sincerely hope we did everything we could to make it both a pleasure and hassle-free!

 

FAIL!

 

And if anything, this email makes their non-response even more pathetic.

[Ourusualbeach]

While I am sure that there are some great Travel Agents out there, reading threads like this does not make me want to rush out and try to find one. I'll stick to booking direct.

[awhcruiser]

Did you check the deck plan after the cabin was booked to see how many people it would accommodate?

the TA selected the room, I didn't care or have a preference where the room was.

[awhcruiser]

Quick question. Isn't it ultimately the passengers responsibility to check deck plans to see how many persons could sleep comfortably in a cabin? Just wondering why the OP wasn't more proactive? When I call my TA I have a copy of the deck plans in front of me.

Edited October 30, 2013 by awhcruiser

[torqueathletics]

Did you check the deck plan after the cabin was booked to see how many people it would accommodate?

 

 

i did not. I saw it, said cool we are on deck 10. never thought it was even possible to book a 3 person party in a 2 person room. i guess now i'll be a psychotic stressed out vacationer triple checking that everyone did their job.

[awhcruiser]

Right...The TA should have known better...

i did not. I saw it, said cool we are on deck 10. never thought it was even possible to book a 3 person party in a 2 person room. i guess now i'll be a psychotic stressed out vacationer triple checking that everyone did their job.

[torqueathletics]

Quick question. Isn't it ultimately the passengers responsibility to check deck plans to see how many persons could sleep comfortably in a cabin? Just wondering why the OP wasn't more proactive? When I call my TA I have a copy of the deck plans in front of me.

 

 

I don't agree. I pay a TA to do that. I'm an engineer and gym owner, none of my clients expect to engineer the projects they hire me for nor do my athletes pay me for training or use of my facility and question if I have the equipment I am telling them to use nor do I charge for accomondation I do not have or cant provide.

[Starry Eyes]

i did not. I saw it, said cool we are on deck 10. never thought it was even possible to book a 3 person party in a 2 person room. i guess now i'll be a psychotic stressed out vacationer triple checking that everyone did their job.

 

Oh, I bet you will always check the assigned room from now on. Not only will that assure you that three are allowed, you'll see where it is and it you were upgraded or not. Next time you might get a happy surprise pre-cruise (instead of an unhappy surprise when you get there). And also see if there are better cabins in your category; typically US/Canada guests can swap within the assigned category.