Royal Caribbean Announces Allure of the Seas Will Undergo Repairs in February 2014

[alane10]

Anyone had luck rebooking? I've been on hold for about 40 minutes now.

 

If so, do the OBC combine with other OBC (booking onboard)?

Is there flexibility on alternative cruises for what they list in the email?

We JUST paid in full for our January cruise on Adventure, and that cruise returns 2 weeks before the latest Feb 9 alternative cruise date. April or March could be feasible.

 

Oasis on Feb 22 isn't showing any JS available for booking, but if they want to upgrade us to GS, we'd be ok with the "smaller" ship :)

 

Hopefully, I'll learn something soon!

[UtahCruise]

@pappy i don't understand why you were told there was an inventory hold. We talked to three different people at RCL and they told us for sure that our cruise on the February 23 was canceled. We were given the option of canceling for hundred percent refund or transferring to an earlier sailing on the Allure at the same rate we booked at. The other option was to switch to the Oasis of the at the same rate for February. We were also offered $200 OBC and up to $150 pp for flight changes.

[uksimonusa]

There isn't a drydock long enough there for Allure. The longest drydock there is 310m long which is far too short for Allure. However, Voyager class and Freedom class have both done drydock there and they both exceed that length. But... they are floating dry docks so maybe they can handle the length as long as the beam fits, which it does. :confused:

 

http://grandbahamashipyard.com/facilities/drydocks/

 

 

If the azipod could be serviced from inside of the pod I'm not sure that they would go to Freeport to do it. :confused:

 

Nowhere in the Press Release does it say that Allure is going into dry dock, just states that it is going to Grand Bahama Shipyard, of which RCCL is a major share holder, and who replaced the azipod on one of X's ships recently. I understand that the bearings on these pods can be replaced with the ship in the water, so no dry dock is needed

[jpe87]

We just rebooked on Oasis feb 22 sailing. RCI honored the rate had we booked Allure for and they gave us $200 OBC. Although we are disappointed not to be sailing on Allure, we are happy with the outcome.

[alane10]

After 2 hours on the phone (mostly on hold), we are re-booked on the Feb 22 Oasis cruise.

 

The OBC does combine with other OBC, and JS does qualify for $400 OBC. There was 1 JS that came available by the time I got through, so not sure what would have happened if there were no JS left!

 

There was not an option to change to a later cruise at the same price.

[castlebride14]

Hey guys,

 

have spent a tough afternoon with the UK office trying to sort this out. Because we don't fly into FL until midnight on the sat night we cant switch to the oasis sailing on 22nd (not that i wanted to do the eastern cruise anyway!).

 

So the lovely people there have offered us a 6 night (instead of 7) cruise on independence (instead of allure)

 

we will also have added cost of a extra night in FL when we return.

 

no refund on the diff of cost between both ships, even though its a shorter cruise on a "smaller" ship. ????

 

not good enough, would not let me speak to a manager.

 

Said that is all they would offer.

 

Time to get full refund and go with another cruise line?? When do ye cruisers think?

[blueteam]

After 2 hours on the phone (mostly on hold), we are re-booked on the Feb 22 Oasis cruise.

 

The OBC does combine with other OBC, and JS does qualify for $400 OBC. There was 1 JS that came available by the time I got through, so not sure what would have happened if there were no JS left!

 

There was not an option to change to a later cruise at the same price.

 

Welcome to the Oasis on Feb 22! My wife are celebrating her birthday that week. I considered the Allure the same week, happy I chose Eastern Caribbean instead. I suspect the Oasis will be VERY full that week. The more the merrier!

[reney313]

Hey guys,

 

have spent a tough afternoon with the UK office trying to sort this out. Because we don't fly into FL until midnight on the sat night we cant switch to the oasis sailing on 22nd (not that i wanted to do the eastern cruise anyway!).

 

So the lovely people there have offered us a 6 night (instead of 7) cruise on independence (instead of allure)

 

we will also have added cost of a extra night in FL when we return.

 

no refund on the diff of cost between both ships, even though its a shorter cruise on a "smaller" ship. ????

 

not good enough, would not let me speak to a manager.

 

Said that is all they would offer.

 

Time to get full refund and go with another cruise line?? When do ye cruisers think?

 

I'm not sure I would be happy with that outcome either. I do like the Freedom class and I think you'll be happy sailing on it, but I do think you should be offered some additional compensation due to the extra hotel night and shortened cruise day.

 

I'm not sure the UK rules, but I "thought" there were extra protections for cruises booked there vs. booked in the US. Maybe someone with UK specific knowledge will be able to help out.

[reallyitsmema]

Nowhere in the Press Release does it say that Allure is going into dry dock, just states that it is going to Grand Bahama Shipyard, of which RCCL is a major share holder, and who replaced the azipod on one of X's ships recently. I understand that the bearings on these pods can be replaced with the ship in the water, so no dry dock is needed

I pointed out the same thing on the other thread, Royal Caribbean did not leave the words dry dock out of that press release by accident. Someone keeps linking to a cruise website as a source saying that Allure is going into dry dock but I will stick with the actual press release until the cruiseline releases further information.

[cello56]

Nowhere in the Press Release does it say that Allure is going into dry dock, just states that it is going to Grand Bahama Shipyard, of which RCCL is a major share holder, and who replaced the azipod on one of X's ships recently. I understand that the bearings on these pods can be replaced with the ship in the water, so no dry dock is needed

 

At a Captains Q&A session one of the captains mentioned that azipods can be changed while the ship was in the water as you have mentioned.

[Ocean Boy]

Hey guys,

 

have spent a tough afternoon with the UK office trying to sort this out. Because we don't fly into FL until midnight on the sat night we cant switch to the oasis sailing on 22nd (not that i wanted to do the eastern cruise anyway!).

 

So the lovely people there have offered us a 6 night (instead of 7) cruise on independence (instead of allure)

 

we will also have added cost of a extra night in FL when we return.

 

no refund on the diff of cost between both ships, even though its a shorter cruise on a "smaller" ship. ????

not good enough, would not let me speak to a manager.

 

Said that is all they would offer.

 

Time to get full refund and go with another cruise line?? When do ye cruisers think?

 

No way would I accept that offer. The same price as Allure to sail on Indy for one less day is ridiculous. I would not pay for Indy what I am paying for Allure even for the same number of days.

[alane10]

Welcome to the Oasis on Feb 22! My wife are celebrating her birthday that week. I considered the Allure the same week, happy I chose Eastern Caribbean instead. I suspect the Oasis will be VERY full that week. The more the merrier!

 

Very nice! We will be celebrating my husband's birthday as well!

[Pappy64]

Pappy64 change asap before others take up the cabins/sailings that you want. There may also be a price change now to a lower rate that you may able to get. It is official that your sailing won't happen because the Allure will be getting fixed. That rep didn't know the right info or is lazy to make the changes, I would change now.

 

Done... Got my email within minutes of my post. Did not call the number listed on the letter, but called the C&A number instead. They were super nice and very accommodating. We got booked on the Oasis in a better location. Full refund, $150 flight change to be paid upon proof of incurred, and $200 OBC. Already have show times and specialty restaurants reservations made. Only hassle left is a front end plane change.

[Dave85]

Am I the only one who find's Cruise Critic's article on the topic confusing? Cruise Critic is saying that they're also swapping the drydocks of Oasis and Allure, which I didn't see in RCI's announcement unless I missed something? :confused:

 

Royal Caribbean Sets Repair Date for Largest Ship, Cancels Cruise

 

(8:00 a.m. EST) -- Royal Caribbean will swap the scheduled dry docks for its two largest ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, to undertake repairs to Allure's propulsion system.

 

The line said it is scratching Allure of the Seas' February 23, 2014, scheduled sailing, and sending Allure to the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas, for repairs to one of the ship's three propulsion motors. Bearing wear in the central propulsion "pod" has kept the ship from reaching top speeds in recent weeks.

 

The move was widely speculated on this week after Royal Caribbean's chairman and CEO, Richard Fain admitted the line was considering whether Allure should take the week-long dry dock slot in 2014 that had been planned for sister ship Oasis of the Seas instead of its planned dry dock in 2015.

 

In a statement, Royal Caribbean said that it was important to bring Allure "back up to speed … and fix the problem as soon as possible."

 

"All three motors are fully operational," the statement read, "and there is no impact on the maneuverability of the ship or on the safety of guests and crew.

 

"However, since the rate of … wear is directly related to ship speed, the ship's top speed has been limited. This … will ensure that all three propulsion motors are fully available for maneuvering and emergencies until repairs can be completed."

 

The ship's propulsion problems have also shortened port calls and increased travel time on its recent Eastern Caribbean itineraries. And according to the line, the "minor adjustments" to itineraries will continue until the ship goes in for repair.

 

"Allure of the Seas will now call on Nassau, Bahamas, from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.," on its Eastern Caribbean itineraries. There will be no changes to Allure's Western Caribbean itineraries.

 

Royal Caribbean said that passengers sailing on the cancelled cruise in February would receive a full refund or the option to sail on "select itineraries" at the same rate they'd originally paid for their fares.

 

The 5,400-passenger, 225,000-ton Allure of the Seas holds the record as the world's largest cruise ship, along with sister ship Oasis of the Seas.

 

--by Jamey Bergman, U.K. Production Editor

[springfire]

We will be on the first cruise after they have fixed this issue. Sure hope no issues!

[Cindy]

Hey guys,

 

have spent a tough afternoon with the UK office trying to sort this out. Because we don't fly into FL until midnight on the sat night we cant switch to the oasis sailing on 22nd (not that i wanted to do the eastern cruise anyway!).

 

So the lovely people there have offered us a 6 night (instead of 7) cruise on independence (instead of allure)

 

we will also have added cost of a extra night in FL when we return.

 

no refund on the diff of cost between both ships, even though its a shorter cruise on a "smaller" ship. ????

 

not good enough, would not let me speak to a manager.

 

Said that is all they would offer.

 

Time to get full refund and go with another cruise line?? When do ye cruisers think?

 

That doesn't seem reasonable at all...even if they were offering another 7-night cruise, Allure and Oasis are more expensive than the smaller ships.

 

Done... Got my email within minutes of my post. Did not call the number listed on the letter, but called the C&A number instead. They were super nice and very accommodating. We got booked on the Oasis in a better location. Full refund, $150 flight change to be paid upon proof of incurred, and $200 OBC. Already have show times and specialty restaurants reservations made. Only hassle left is a front end plane change.

 

I think that's very fair, especially since you're still over three months out. We didn't get much more than that for our cancelled Millennium cruise, and that was cancelled just a couple weeks before we were due to sail.

[Giorgi-one]

Thanks guys,

 

think we will wait it out so and see what happens.

 

We dont get in to FL until midnight the sat night so it will need to be a sunday cruise really. :(

 

Fingers crossed we get the call sooner rather than later and get a good deal.

 

3 months to the wedding - this disaster was not in the plans!! ;)

 

If we were to change to princess or celebrity, which would be better? Exhausted myself researching for the allure cruise - not sure if i have it in me (or the time!) to start again! :confused:

 

I would definitely select Celebrity. I believe that Celebeity Silouhette sails out of FLL on Sunday. I love Allure and will be sailing on it again in January, but Celebrity is still my favorite cruise line and I think the Solstice Class ships (Silouhette is one of them) are the most beautiful cruise ships sailing today. By the way, Royal Princess has been getting consistently bad reviews.

[nelblu]

Thanks guys,

 

think we will wait it out so and see what happens.

 

We dont get in to FL until midnight the sat night so it will need to be a sunday cruise really. :(

 

Fingers crossed we get the call sooner rather than later and get a good deal.

 

3 months to the wedding - this disaster was not in the plans!! ;)

 

If we were to change to princess or celebrity, which would be better? Exhausted myself researching for the allure cruise - not sure if i have it in me (or the time!) to start again! :confused:

 

The following is an extract from RCL that was covered in another post dealing with this topic:

 

 

As an alternative, guests may move to the same stateroom category in any of the following sailings for the same cruise fare rate they paid for their February 23, 2014 sailing.

 

Allure of the Seas: February 2, 2014 or February 9, 2014 sailings

Oasis of the Seas: February 1, 2014, February 8, 2014 or February 22, 2014 sailings

 

Guests who choose this option will also receive a $200 per stateroom onboard credit for interior, oceanview, balcony and neighborhood staterooms, or a $400 onboard credit per stateroom for suites.

 

Also, if your client booked air transportation through Royal Caribbean International, they will receive a full refund. If your client did not purchase air transportation through Royal Caribbean International, we will assist them by paying for their airline change fee, up to $150. We ask that they please send a copy of the receipt for the change fee along with a brief note explaining that they were booked on the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas to the following address: Royal Caribbean International, Customer Service, 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132-2096.

 

A special help desk has been established to assist you with moving your clients. The desk opened on November 14, 2013 and will remain open until November 29, 2013. All reservations that are not changed by the specified close date will be cancelled and ineligible for the compensation offered.

 

For Individual Reservations: 1-888-281-9344 ext. 28546

For Group Reservations: 1-888-281-9344 ext. 28623

 

Thank you for your assistance in notifying your clients about the cancellation of their February 23, 2014, sailing. We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation they were looking forward to. We understand that our guest’s vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly. As always, we thank you for your ongoing support of Royal Caribbean International.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Royal Caribbean International

[Dave85]

The following is an extract from RCL that was covered in another post dealing with this topic:

 

 

As an alternative, guests may move to the same stateroom category in any of the following sailings for the same cruise fare rate they paid for their February 23, 2014 sailing.

 

Allure of the Seas: February 2, 2014 or February 9, 2014 sailings

Oasis of the Seas: February 1, 2014, February 8, 2014 or February 22, 2014 sailings

 

Guests who choose this option will also receive a $200 per stateroom onboard credit for interior, oceanview, balcony and neighborhood staterooms, or a $400 onboard credit per stateroom for suites.

 

Also, if your client booked air transportation through Royal Caribbean International, they will receive a full refund. If your client did not purchase air transportation through Royal Caribbean International, we will assist them by paying for their airline change fee, up to $150. We ask that they please send a copy of the receipt for the change fee along with a brief note explaining that they were booked on the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas to the following address: Royal Caribbean International, Customer Service, 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132-2096.

 

A special help desk has been established to assist you with moving your clients. The desk opened on November 14, 2013 and will remain open until November 29, 2013. All reservations that are not changed by the specified close date will be cancelled and ineligible for the compensation offered.

 

For Individual Reservations: 1-888-281-9344 ext. 28546

For Group Reservations: 1-888-281-9344 ext. 28623

 

Thank you for your assistance in notifying your clients about the cancellation of their February 23, 2014, sailing. We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation they were looking forward to. We understand that our guest’s vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly. As always, we thank you for your ongoing support of Royal Caribbean International.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Royal Caribbean International

 

That's a perfectly reasonable offer. They should have featured that info a little more prominently in their press release.

[bilyclub]

The XO Azipods can have their bearings and seals replaced from inside the pod. While they are designed to be replaced every 5 years during regular drydocking, they can be replaced in an emergency while afloat. It's one of their major selling points.

 

Allure has V azipods, although newer versions. It should be interesting how they do this.

[ahecht]

Allure has V azipods, although newer versions. It should be interesting how they do this.

 

If that's the case, then the brochure for the XO Azipods is really misleading since it's filled with pictures of Oasis of the Seas (although I now see that it never specifically says Oasis uses the XO Azipods):

 

http://www05.abb.com/global/scot/scot293.nsf/veritydisplay/b3d438b1fe5063c8c12576b70048dad2/$file/Azipod%20XO_2010.pdf

Edited November 15, 2013 by ahecht

[blueteam]

You guys are really quite familiar with azipods. I take comfort in knowing that if we get shipwrecked, you can build us a new cruise ship out of coconuts.

[Cruisegirl6]

Honestly, she is getting fixed for a good reason also I would consider the fact that time of year sailings could be a little more rough due to the weather, I would wait for the Allure to get fixed then go.

[bilyclub]

If that's the case, then the brochure for the XO Azipods is really misleading since it's filled with pictures of Oasis of the Seas (although I now see that it never specifically says Oasis uses the XO Azipods):

 

http://www05.abb.com/global/scot/scot293.nsf/veritydisplay/b3d438b1fe5063c8c12576b70048dad2/$file/Azipod%20XO_2010.pdf

 

 

Yes, they dance around the subject. I found something that listed all the ships that ABB pods and they listed the Allure as having V's, plus the power was more than the XO's. Have to look in the other thread for the link.

 

Today a wide range of vessels take advantage of the benefits

of Azipod® propulsion, and the new Azipod® XO promises to

bring these benefits to an even larger spectrum of vessel types

[ButterBeanMcGee]

Hi guys, unlucky enough to have booked our honeymoon cruise on the feb 23rd sailing :(

 

no word from RC by email or otherwise.

 

Any suggestions as to what we need to / should do about this?

 

Already have a a fair amount of it paid of, and have flights booked and paid for into FL around the cruise times!

 

disappointed! (maybe its a sign! :D )

 

Give them a call see what your options are. I know the Independence of the Seas leaves the same day from Port Everglades but it's only a 6 night cruise. Your other options would be maybe to book on one of the other cruise lines that are leaving port that day (Celebrity Silhouette, Nieuw Amsterdam and Royal Princess). That way you won't lose your flight arrangements or having to pay your airline a change fee to change your flight to another day. Just a suggestion.

Edited November 16, 2013 by ButterBeanMcGee