Royal Let Down

[naf536]

I took my third cruise last week on the Oasis of the Seas and whilst I really enjoyed my holiday, I feel that I have been let down by RCCL.

 

Every time I have cruised with RCCL, I have encountered a problem during each cruise.

 

The first cruise was on the Majesty of the Seas back in 2012, I had ordered some birthday gifts for my wife to be there for when we arrived, upon arrival they were not there, a trip to guest services and they were there the next day (a day too late). I shrugged this off and accepted that this could have just been overlooked, we got what I paid for eventually but was upset it wasn't there in time. We still had a great holiday and when we got back, we booked another two cruises with RCCL, one on the Adventure of the Seas and one on the Oasis.

 

My second cruise with RCCL was on the Adventure of the Seas back in May this year, the cruise was just a sampler cruise stopping off at La Harve in France, upon arrival, it soon became apparent that all the shops there were closed as it was a French bank holiday. This was very disappointing as there was not enough entertainment on the ship to keep people busy until the ship sailed back home. You would think that a company as large as Royal Caribbean would know which dates the ports would be fully open and closed. We did complain when we got back from this cruise and told them that we were thinking of cancelling the Oasis trip, they offered us $150 on board credit and we happily accepted this and started looking forward to the Oasis trip.

 

The Third cruise was the Oasis of the Seas trip, living in the UK, this was a big trip for us, 2 ten hour flights and a total of 10,000 miles round trip. Upon arrival at Miami airport, we had free transfers to the hotel, then to the ship and vice versa on return, this would have been great if we knew where the bus was. No signs and no paperwork to tell us, we took a chance and eventually found our way. We then had to wait for nearly an hour for the other passengers to find their way to the bus. On the way back from leaving the ship, the bus was outside waiting for us which was great, they dropped us off at the Sheraton Hotel by Miami Airport but did not give us a time they would be picking us back up, this left us hanging around the hotel most of the day doing nothing until the bus came back for us. we were dropped off at 9am and they did not come back until 6pm. We could have gone shopping at one of Miami's malls in this time had we known.

 

The ship and the ports were once again amazing, we had a great time, however the problems soon arose again. I had purchased a Grand Romance package for my wife as this cruise was classed as our late honeymoon. After meeting our room attendant, I asked him to sort it out whilst we were at dinner, imagine my frustration when he told me there was no package against my name, despite having the confirmation emails in my hand. I went to guest services who told me that the package might show up on their lists the next day (Sunday). Sunday came and went and still no package, the guest services told me that the package was never ordered, despite having the confirmation emails. I had no choice but to purchase an internet package on the ship to check the bank to see if they had taken the money. In all fairness, the money was not taken from my account but by now I was angry and also embarrassed every time I had to walk past the stateroom attendant.

I told my wife about the package I had "purchased" and we decided to foget about it and carry on enjoying the holiday, she could see that I was angry though and I was obviously putting a downer on the holiday at that point. The next day I was OK again and we enjoyed the time we had away.

 

The next part of the disappointment was with the Focus photo group, we had originally pre-purchased a photo book for $129.95, when we saw the photo book, my wife said that there was no way she was going to pay that much for it, it looked and felt cheap. We asked if we could pay the difference and have the top package at $469.99, this was agreed and we were charged $340.

On checking our account on the last night, we noticed we had been charged $340, $369.95, $369.95 & $369.95. We were then back down to guest services in the horrendous queues to try and sort this out. The photo manager came down to speak to us and said that the original transaction of $340 should not have been accepted as the pre-purchased monies of $129.95 was not available on the ship, so now they said they would remove all charges and then take one payment of $469.95 and a refund will be issued for the photo book that was pre-purchased. By the time this was all sorted, the night had disappeared, so our last night on the ship was wasted and we missed the farewell shows.

 

Royal Caribbean still have a "hold" on the money that we didn't spend on board and now we are back home, we have bills to pay with no accessible funds. We have been told that it will be cleared in 14 days. I wonder if I will be able to get away with telling the electric/gas/water/council tax companies they will have to wait two weeks ?

 

We have obviously been on the phone to Royal Caribbean to try and sort this out but they do not care, we even got to a point in the conversation when we said we don't think we will sail with them again in a hurry and the customer care operator had the cheek to say "yeah a lot of people try cruises with other companies but they always come back to us in the end !!! "

 

So overall, I am very frustrated with the way RCCL operate certain aspects of their cruises and their customer care is definitely lacking to try and keep customers coming back.

 

I feel like all I am to royal Caribbean is a $ sign. They don't seem to care too much if you experience problems. I do think it is a shame as we enjoy the ports of call, the entertainment, the food, etc. Just been messed about so much on every cruise so far.

Edited November 7, 2013 by naf536

[PattyG12]

You got a confirmation for the room decorations before they took payment? I've gotten the confirmations always after payment has posted. I'm sorry you were disappointed. Perhaps a more upscale line would suit you better.

 

We purchase pictures separately so I'm not sure I understand the problem with the pictures. We pay $20 for each one.

 

I'm also unsure about bank holidays. You're saying NOTHING was open in port the day you were in france on the AOS? I would think a business opportunity fail on the part of the businesses in port but certainly not the fault of RCI. If you sail on any holiday you need to beware. I'll bet excursions ran that day.

 

In Miami, what time was your flight out? I would think it would be safe to assume if you have a 9 or 10 pm flight you don't need to hang out waiting for your ride all day. You didn't ask at guest services? You just sat in a chair all day and waited for your ride? That makes no sense at all.

 

All in all, I am sorry you feel let down but most of what you mention are things that shouldn't bother you too much. Hope you enjoy whatever line you choose next!

[naf536]

We purchase pictures separately so I'm not sure I understand the problem with the pictures. We pay $20 for each one.

 

We took home 139 photos and the DVD with all of our photos on it, the problem arises with the fact that they are "holding" nearly $2000 for a package that costs $469.95 due to their incompetence to put through the till correctly.

 

I'm also unsure about bank holidays. You're saying NOTHING was open in port the day you were in france on the AOS? I would think a business opportunity fail on the part of the businesses in port but certainly not the fault of RCI. If you sail on any holiday you need to beware. I'll bet excursions ran that day.

 

We very rarely go on excursions as I think they are overpriced for what they are, we enjoy walking around the ports shops, these were all closed due to being a bank holiday

 

In Miami, what time was your flight out? I would think it would be safe to assume if you have a 9 or 10 pm flight you don't need to hang out waiting for your ride all day. You didn't ask at guest services? You just sat in a chair all day and waited for your ride? That makes no sense at all.

 

We made use of the hotels facilities whilst we were waiting, the hotel staff could not confirm any times. We did not use our mobile phones as the calls were costing about $5 a minute, this was realised after a $50 call to our bank to find out where all the money had gone (the money on hold from RCCL)

[griffy116]

I don't think you are being unreasonable to say that you had several disappointments that were not your fault. If I have a confirmation, I assume that the product/service is going to be available. You are not alone. I purchased champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries to be delivered to my parents cabin when we all sailed for their 50th wedding anniversary. They weren't delivered. I assumed it had been a hectic embarkation and excused it, but went to Guest Services and asked. I was told it would be taken care of, but I guess I should have asked what that meant because they weren't delivered that day. Night two was the first formal dinner. The entire family (of 27) went to dinner and followed up with photos and the late show...only to find out that the strawberries and champagne had been delivered while my parents were gone. I'm sure a Loyal Royal cheerleader will ask why that was a problem, but it wasn't how we had planned this and it had been paid for with the promise of delivery on the day of arrival...waiting in the cabin. Little things? Maybe, but these things occur and they do affect how passengers perceive it. My parents were tired and sleepy and they just put the fruit and champagne in the fridge. The surprise was ruined, the money was wasted. Not a word or an apology, excuse...or even an explanation was given. When I mentioned it on the comment card, I got a call and was basically told, "..but you did finally receive it, right?"

[bouhunter]

If they're holding funds because you used a debit card, yet another reason not to use debit cards.

 

In regards to the transfers, your problems are exactly why we use taxi's and not RCCL transfers. Taxi's are usually no more expensive, and you get where you want to go immediately without any confusion or waiting around for other passengers to fill a bus.

[naf536]

I don't think you are being unreasonable to say that you had several disappointments that were not your fault. If I have a confirmation, I assume that the product/service is going to be available. You are not alone. I purchased champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries to be delivered to my parents cabin when we all sailed for their 50th wedding anniversary. They weren't delivered. I assumed it had been a hectic embarkation and excused it, but went to Guest Services and asked. I was told it would be taken care of, but I guess I should have asked what that meant because they weren't delivered that day. Night two was the first formal dinner. The entire family (of 27) went to dinner and followed up with photos and the late show...only to find out that the strawberries and champagne had been delivered while my parents were gone. I'm sure a Loyal Royal cheerleader will ask why that was a problem, but it wasn't how we had planned this and it had been paid for with the promise of delivery on the day of arrival...waiting in the cabin. Little things? Maybe, but these things occur and they do affect how passengers perceive it. My parents were tired and sleepy and they just put the fruit and champagne in the fridge. The surprise was ruined, the money was wasted. Not a word or an apology, excuse...or even an explanation was given. When I mentioned it on the comment card, I got a call and was basically told, "..but you did finally receive it, right?"

 

I'm glad someone else has the same views as me.

Edited November 7, 2013 by naf536

[naf536]

If they're holding funds because you used a debit card, yet another reason not to use debit cards.

 

In regards to the transfers, your problems are exactly why we use taxi's and not RCCL transfers. Taxi's are usually no more expensive, and you get where you want to go immediately without any confusion or waiting around for other passengers to fill a bus.

 

We had originally used cash for the account on board but then after we had decided to buy the premium photo package realised we did not have enough cash on us left to buy it, this is why we put down the debit card. If the photo guys hadn't charged us for the same thing 4 times, we would have been OK.

 

The transfers sucked and the first bus driver was rude and basically forced me into tipping him, even though the drive was terrible, he was on his phone the whole way and kept slamming his brakes on because he wasn't concentrating on the road.

 

I think the problem was that we bought the holiday as a package deal, if we were to do it again, we will arrange everything ourselves.

Edited November 7, 2013 by naf536

[ULCajunCruiser]

I'm glad someone else has the same views as me.

 

 

Fear not, you are not alone. I feel as though you are perfectly justified in being dissappointed. Its very unfortunate that you make plans, and have those fall through because a paid service provider does not live up to their end of the agreement.

 

I'm sorry that these things happened to you. I expect to get what I paid for, and I expect it to be delivered on time. Why shouldn't you??? I'm glad that these incidents didn't ruin your vacations!! Hopefully, if you give RCCL another chance, they'll do a better job of delivering what they promise.

[workingonlytocruise]

You do have to watch for those cheerleaders, then ignore them.

 

You were let down and have every right to feel as you do, no matter what the cheerleader has to say.

 

When something is ordered for a certain day/time that's when it should be produced. RCCL is becoming a troublesome outfit to deal with when it comes to service.

 

And there is never any excuse for rudeness.

[voyager89]

Wow. I feel sorry for all the hassle you had to go through.

 

Have you tried disputing those charges from the bank?

I know the photo company is a third party but RC should stand up for it. Maybe that would be faster?

[LA_CA_GAL]

I am not disagreeing with the OP.

 

However, RCI customer service, as so noted on many of these threads, many times, falls short. At least that is my opinion.

 

With that being said, when I book a cruise with RCI, the only thing I book is my ticket to get on the ship. I take care of airlines, hotels, transfers, getting to and off the ship.

 

I would never order anything special, purchase photo packages, excursions etc.

[LBumb]

I agree with your points

with experience we have learned to do much on our own

we always take care of transportation to and from the ports

we never buy room decorations or packages

we always buy photos one at a time

sorry for the issues you are dealing with

no one likes to waste time on a cruise getting issues resolved

[Folk Singer]

You do have to watch for those cheerleaders, then ignore them.

 

You were let down and have every right to feel as you do, no matter what the cheerleader has to say.

 

When something is ordered for a certain day/time that's when it should be produced. RCCL is becoming a troublesome outfit to deal with when it comes to service.

 

And there is never any excuse for rudeness.

 

 

so true. a lot has to do with your TA.

[caribsun]

Bummer ! Maybe time to make a change in cruise lines.

[workingonlytocruise]

so true. a lot has to do with your TA.

 

 

How is that? There is no mention of a TA. He ordered himself. He made changes to the photo package onboard. He appears to have booked direct. The issues he encountered are with RCL with no mention of a TA.

[Big_G]

OP,

 

We've sailed four different lines all of which we've experienced some minor issues like yours but there have also been problem free cruises along the way. I wouldn't judge RCI by those incidents you mentioned. Those are the types of things that could happen on any line or ship. I think you just hit a bad streak. Hope your next sailing is problem free no matter what line you choose.

[setsail]

If I had bogus photo charges on account I would park myself at the photo store on ship, not GS. They are the ones that would have to fix this. The photo people are not rci employees.

Edited November 7, 2013 by setsail

[marjosagb]

Perhaps a more upscale line would suit you better.

Considering the OP enjoyed the food, entertainment, and ports of call I don't really think this is the answer.

 

If RCI (or any company) is going to offer services such as delivering gifts to your room for a particular date, they need to fulfill those services. These type of gift deliveries are in a lot of cases date specific, and if not delivered as promised it will naturally be disappointing.

 

Not really anything to do with "upscale"...everything to do with a Company fulfilling a service that they offer.

 

 

With that being said, when I book a cruise with RCI, the only thing I book is my ticket to get on the ship. I take care of airlines, hotels, transfers, getting to and off the ship.

 

I would never order anything special, purchase photo packages, excursions etc.

Agree, and this is not limited to RCI...do it with pretty much every vacation I take.

 

I know that it will be quicker, less restrictive, and in most cases less expensive if I plan it myself.

 

I do understand the convenience of booking an entire package though...not everyone is comfortable booking everything themselves.

[wolfganghowell]

Royal is totally at fault on the packages. It seems all we ever see here is how often they fail at delivering them - either not at all or late. It does seem odd that you had a confirmation email though and they still said you hadn't paid. I hope you let them know about this and the photo package. I'd be irritated too at all those messed up charges.

 

However I don't feel they are at fault for holidays in ports. Itineraries are set years in advance and sometimes its going to be someone's bad luck to be in port on a holiday. You called it a sampler cruise so I'm guessing maybe it was a repositioning cruise so not a regular itinerary and they probably had to go wherever they could find a berth.

 

As for the transfers, yeah those seem to always be chaotic. I can understand since you were traveling internationally the need to use it though. Again, I hope you let Royal know your experience. One thing though - I would never have gotten off the bus or let the driver leave without knowing my pickup time. If the driver didn't know there must have been a number you could call to get the information.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope your next travel is much easier!

[Colorado Babe]

I am sorry you had these difficulties on each one of your cruises. I can sympathize as I have had to spend a few times on at least 2 to 3 cruises standing at desk services trying to get issues resolved--sometimes for hours and several days. No one should have to spend a great amount of their vacation time trying to resolve problems but it happens. Thankfully, RCCL was able to resolve all our issues and all three times we were compensated for our time. I still love RCCL and as you can see will continue to sail with them.

[OttoCal]

I"ve had problems with pre-ordered items in the past (pre-paid wine package didn't show up- twice. 2nd time I was more prepared :cool:), and it was annoying! I can feel your frustration. But our last cruise, hubby pre-ordered flowers for me as a surprise and they were there when we arrived. And I was, indeed, surprised.

 

I would be pretty dang mad about the photo charge thing. The France bank holiday sounds like bad luck though. We've been in ports on Sundays when most everything was closed and just had to make the best of it, and my takeaway from that is pay attention to the days of the week and also any potential festivals that may impact our travel. But that's frustrating.

 

I'm not sure that I have even been on a cruise or any vacation without 'something' coming up that squashed a bit of my fun. Some of it stupid mistakes on my own fault (don't get on the white trains in Germany when you have only paid for the red trains), uncooperative weather, hotel not quite what I expected, but it all becomes part of the overall memory for me and I try to pout for a bit then get over it and make it into a funny story. I love the funny stories just as much as the 'xyz was soooo beautiful'. It's all part of the experience for me.

[time4u2go]

We purchase pictures separately so I'm not sure I understand the problem with the pictures. We pay $20 for each one.

Really? Did you not see the part about how they were charged 4 times for the same package?

[cello56]

Sorry you had so many problems. I must say though, that there is no way in the world that I would have gotten off the shuttle bus without having a clear understanding of when and where I was getting picked back up. That fact that you sat in a hotel lobby for an entire day boggles my mind! Seriously!

[Rockfordcruiser]

No excuse for it... Sounds like RC has an issue with their online ordering process. Here's another thread about same issue... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1939717 If anyone does contact them inform them please. I know it will work out for op.

[KarinaGW]

Really truly not defending anyone here because I would be pretty darned aggravated too.

 

Just have to point out that the account hold time lengths are entirely your banks decision. Possibly further complicated by different nationality banks/charging institutions.

 

My old bank, a hold came off 2 days after it was placed no matter the amount which would occasionally throw me off because sometimes the actual charge will have not come through that quickly and I'd think I have more money than I did. My new bank, works in real-time. I'll see how that works out eventually.

These are both US banks, I have no idea if UK banks have latitude to adjust hold times or are required to hold them for a specific period. But, the fact of the charges are RCCL's, but the hold length is your bank's.

Edited November 7, 2013 by KarinaGW