Deployment schedule: let the guessing begin!

[Case1096]

My biggest gripe with the 2015 release is RCCL puts out a deployment release schedule. And almost every single year does not stick to that schedule. Instead of putting out a schedule with release dates way in advance, send a twitter or facebook message that "next week we'll be releasing the 2015 schedule for the Oasis & Allure" This way you don't have people planning with hopes of a release date and then disappointed when it does not happen.

 

We are all in the modern social media era, time for RCCL to use it. Their PDF with schedule release dates is pointless and antiquated. If you are going to put out a schedule then stick to it and don't change it 15 times along with missing just about every date listed on that schedule.

 

There is no "whinging" going on here, we all subscribed to this thread with the same questions, when is 2015-2016 going to be released. Some want to book the first day to get the best cabin and best price while others have complex work/life schedules to coordinate.

[MADflyer]

I .

 

I just believe some peoples expectations are unrealistic.

 

Very much so. My post on RE-DEPLOYMENT was all about what happens when RCI goes out with one itinerary and then decide to change it later. Not fun.

 

Better they get every last detail correct before opening anything for sale.

[tlatrice]

I love the speculating as to what ship may be where at what point in the future....but people shouldn't be angry that the deployment doesn't exactly come out on schedule....most of the near future is OUT.

 

I fully understand scheduling....my DH has to coordinate with other co-workers in his company their vacations -- ALL companies are doing with smaller staffs and coverage at work is important.

 

I just believe some peoples expectations are unrealistic.

 

 

How is it unrealistic to expect them to honor THEIR schedule? :confused:

 

To me 'not exactly on schedule' is a day or 2. Not two weeks! I've been staying up till midnight trying to snag the cabin I want! LOL!!! I need my sleep! :D

[yj2cute]

How is it unrealistic to expect them to do what they said they were going to do? We didn't create the schedule, they did. I have no problem waiting until the deployment is right, but then don't tell us it's going to be ready in March, when it's really going to be July. It's not fair to the ones who really want a specific, and usually high demand, cabin. Not to mention those who want to get the best price on the brand new ships. Pricing on the Quantum went up on the same day it was released in some cases.

 

They should do as some others suggested, send an email in advance, once it's correct, and say it will open in a week. That's what Jetblue does. They send an email on Thursday to say their schedule will be extended on Sunday.

[NorbertsNiece]

How is it unrealistic to expect them to do what they said they were going to do? We didn't create the schedule, they did. I have no problem waiting until the deployment is right, but then don't tell us it's going to be ready in March, when it's really going to be July. It's not fair to the ones who really want a specific, and usually high demand, cabin. Not to mention those who want to get the best price on the brand new ships. Pricing on the Quantum went up on the same day it was released in some cases.

 

They should do as some others suggested, send an email in advance, once it's correct, and say it will open in a week. That's what Jetblue does. They send an email on Thursday to say their schedule will be extended on Sunday.

 

Same as when Oasis in Europe was released..... my TA was watching prices go up whilst we were on the phone.... I never did get the early warning email that had been promised.....

[printingchick]

I agree 100% that the frustration results from a pattern of over-promising that happens every year. Don't GIVE us dates if they don't mean anything.

 

Additionally, several of us are simply waiting for the San Juan sailings. We're not talking about new ships. We're not talking about new territories. Ports of call and/or embarkation ports are not in the process of constructing new docking facilities to accommodate the ships. Theoretically, there will be a Voyager Class and a Radiance Class ship, as there has been for years and years. Theoretically, these itineraries should not require any particularly complicated negotiations or planning to finalize. Perhaps I'm over-simplifying, but even so...they were promised out by this week.

 

I'm going to eat lunch again. Maybe that will work this time! :p

[Dave85]

I just believe some peoples expectations are unrealistic.

 

Disagree. I think people expect Royal to adhere to the days they publish. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads telling them to release dates! I think that's an inherently reasonable expectation. If there's a reasonable prospect that Royal will not be able to live up to the dates they release -- especially now that we're at the second iteration of dates that we were expecting Quantum Summer '15 -- perhaps they should not release any specific dates at all and should just say "TBA" or "Coming soon!"

[Aggiebuttercup]

Carnival released their Galveston and San Juan sailings today....maybe Royal Caribbean will be inspired to catch up.

[FIRELT5]

Disagree. I think people expect Royal to adhere to the days they publish. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads telling them to release dates! I think that's an inherently reasonable expectation. If there's a reasonable prospect that Royal will not be able to live up to the dates they release -- especially now that we're at the second iteration of dates that we were expecting Quantum Summer '15 -- perhaps they should not release any specific dates at all and should just say "TBA" or "Coming soon!"

 

Totally Agree, Dave !!!

[ckfred]

You don't need a Harvard or Wharton MBA to understand that when a business promises to start selling a product on a specific date, and then it misses that date, it causes customers to look for a product from a competitor. Customers might also question whether there will be problems with the product, once they are able to purchase.

 

RC has set various dates for various cruises. When they don't bring those cruises on line, it will send customers to NCL, Carnaval, etc. Potential cruisers might also wonder if there will be other problems, either before departure or on board the ship, if RC can't even get sailings listed according to its own schedule.

 

It seems to me that RC needs to either simply announce that sailings have become available, rather than list dates on which sailings will go on line, or it should explain the delays. Did they have some cruises planned, only to find that other cruise lines have filled up dock space in ports, requiring some reshuffling of the schedules? Are ports behind on the construction of terminals, requiring smaller ships or revising entire cruises to call on other ports?

[SRV FAN]

Disagree. I think people expect Royal to adhere to the days they publish. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads telling them to release dates! I think that's an inherently reasonable expectation. If there's a reasonable prospect that Royal will not be able to live up to the dates they release -- especially now that we're at the second iteration of dates that we were expecting Quantum Summer '15 -- perhaps they should not release any specific dates at all and should just say "TBA" or "Coming soon!"

 

 

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! At least they are giving us a timeframe.... Kinda. Beats looking on the site daily beginning in January! :)

 

 

 

 

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[CRUISEBOY305]

Disagree. I think people expect Royal to adhere to the days they publish. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads telling them to release dates! I think that's an inherently reasonable expectation. If there's a reasonable prospect that Royal will not be able to live up to the dates they release -- especially now that we're at the second iteration of dates that we were expecting Quantum Summer '15 -- perhaps they should not release any specific dates at all and should just say "TBA" or "Coming soon!"

 

ditto

[clojacks]

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! At least they are giving us a timeframe.... Kinda. Beats looking on the site daily beginning in January! :)

 

 

 

 

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Publishing deployment schedules is not a "courtesy" given to us exclusively by RCI. Almost all the major lines I know of do the same thing. But if you peruse their boards, the same dissatisfaction with how they are being deployed isn't present. This leads one to believe that they are either keeping pretty close to their announced deployment schedules, or their cruisers aren't as concerned about having the information released when the line said they were going to release it. I'm inclined to believe the former. RCI IS NOT going to stop releasing deployment schedules because a number of people post on a message board how amateur their process is, but it may result in them professionalizing their delivery. I HOPE!

[printingchick]

You don't need a Harvard or Wharton MBA to understand that when a business promises to start selling a product on a specific date, and then it misses that date, it causes customers to look for a product from a competitor. Customers might also question whether there will be problems with the product, once they are able to purchase.

 

RC has set various dates for various cruises. When they don't bring those cruises on line, it will send customers to NCL, Carnaval, etc. Potential cruisers might also wonder if there will be other problems, either before departure or on board the ship, if RC can't even get sailings listed according to its own schedule.

 

 

I agree. I came VERY CLOSE to booking a Celebrity cruise last time. Not that that would have HURT Royal, since it's the same company. But the delay did sent me looking around at what the competition was offering. Excellent point!

[MADflyer]

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! At least they are giving us a timeframe.... Kinda. Beats looking on the site daily beginning in January! :)

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the insightful post. I do think that those with exact expectations are basing them on documents that are only intended to give their 'travel partners' guidance on what to expect.

 

The documents all state in the fine print, 'All itineraries and opening dates subject to change without notice' I think a professional does see this as a courtesy, but do realize how frustrating it must be for a cruise passenger to wait until they have everything in order. It would be unprofessional to release something and then retract it a few weeks later in the eyes of a 'travel partner'

 

I think anything where the email address starts with 'creative' or 'loyal to you always' is meant for them and I feel privileged to gain access to this.

 

I hated when they blocked the 'Tuesday Sale' for a few weeks last year and always look forward to accessing this 'travel partner' document every Thursday evening.

[CRUISEBOY305]

You don't need a Harvard or Wharton MBA to understand that when a business promises to start selling a product on a specific date, and then it misses that date, it causes customers to look for a product from a competitor. Customers might also question whether there will be problems with the product, once they are able to purchase.

 

RC has set various dates for various cruises. When they don't bring those cruises on line, it will send customers to NCL, Carnaval, etc. Potential cruisers might also wonder if there will be other problems, either before departure or on board the ship, if RC can't even get sailings listed according to its own schedule.

 

It seems to me that RC needs to either simply announce that sailings have become available, rather than list dates on which sailings will go on line, or it should explain the delays. Did they have some cruises planned, only to find that other cruise lines have filled up dock space in ports, requiring some reshuffling of the schedules? Are ports behind on the construction of terminals, requiring smaller ships or revising entire cruises to call on other ports?

 

Excellent point.

 

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! At least they are giving us a timeframe.... Kinda. Beats looking on the site daily beginning in January! :)

 

 

 

 

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I completely disagree with you. RC living up to a schedule is not a "courtesy to us". It's Business. This is bad business.

[printingchick]

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! :)

 

 

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If we didn't have any dates, we'd have to keep checking the site daily to see when the itineraries we're interested in get posted. Hmmm....how is this different from what we're doing now?

 

This is kind of like saying - it's going to rain this month. How is that helpful? I have no better clue as to which day I should carry my umbrella.

[Case1096]

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! At least they are giving us a timeframe.... Kinda. Beats looking on the site daily beginning in January! :)

 

 

 

 

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Nobody has to check schedules daily. They can do exactly what Disney does. They issue a twitter and Facebook post on a Monday stating that on Tuesday itineraries will be announced, Gold & Platinum can book Wednesday with everyone else Thursday. No need to keep checking RCCL's site.

[CRUISEBOY305]

Nobody has to check schedules daily. They can do exactly what Disney does. They issue a twitter and Facebook post on a Monday stating that on Tuesday itineraries will be announced, Gold & Platinum can book Wednesday with everyone else Thursday. No need to keep checking RCCL's site.

 

excellent idea. Cause I saw nothing posted from RC about the sailings from last week or the Grandeur sailings this week. I found those by looking.

[SRV FAN]

If we didn't have any dates, we'd have to keep checking the site daily to see when the itineraries we're interested in get posted. Hmmm....how is this different from what we're doing now?

 

This is kind of like saying - it's going to rain this month. How is that helpful? I have no better clue as to which day I should carry my umbrella.

 

 

Well, at least the dates provided let us know when to START looking for them, hence we didn't have to start looking in Jan!

 

And yes.... It IS a courtesy, given to us by ALL lines.... They don't HAVE to provide us with this & can take it away at any time....

 

It is what it is & all the itineries will be released when they are released.... Nothing any of us can do about that.

 

 

 

 

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[SRV FAN]

Nobody has to check schedules daily. They can do exactly what Disney does. They issue a twitter and Facebook post on a Monday stating that on Tuesday itineraries will be announced, Gold & Platinum can book Wednesday with everyone else Thursday. No need to keep checking RCCL's site.

 

 

You're right! I just look here.... ;-)

 

 

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[CRUISEBOY305]

*sigh* :rolleyes:

[emilysmimi]

I just hope they can get this figured out by the time I'm on the Explorer in May. I like to make an onboard booking so I can get the OBC and discount. With the changes to buying open bookings, I'm not interested in purchasing one of those. I'm really interested in sailing on the QOTS, but I must admit that my eyes have started to wonder to other cruise lines that have started to release May 2015 itineraries...:rolleyes:

[CRUISEBOY305]

I just hope they can get this figured out by the time I'm on the Explorer in May. I like to make an onboard booking so I can get the OBC and discount. With the changes to buying open bookings, I'm not interested in purchasing one of those. I'm really interested in sailing on the QOTS, but I must admit that my eyes have started to wonder to other cruise lines that have started to release May 2015 itineraries...:rolleyes:

 

I'm sure you will love Royal as much as the rest of us. Right now things are just a little screwy and unorganized. Hopefully things will get better.

[tlatrice]

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! At least they are giving us a timeframe.... Kinda. Beats looking on the site daily beginning in January! :)

 

 

 

 

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Fine! Don't publish them. But don't give me a date and then miss it with NO EXPLANATION OR RESCHEDULING!

 

It's like saying "if you keep complaining about the guy standing you up, he may just stop asking you out!" Uh, ok! Cuz guess what? I don't like having my time wasted!!!