Ocean View Guarantee Not Honored by RCCL

[cruzsnooze]

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

I'm glad you got your upgrade.

 

I'm upset that it took a public forum for RCL to do the right thing. What about all the people who don't use social media ?

[AlexanderBeetle]

Great news! Glad it worked out well. Have a great cruise!

[Scotty G]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all.

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

 

Excellent. The management on Enchantment are the best. Maybe they interceded where HQ RCL did not ;) Bon Voyage!!!

[A Pisces]

Glad to read that you got a good resolution! Have a great trip!

[rt1092]

great to hear. hope to see you on the ship

[tarheelmjfan]

So, because of 1 issue that has been posted here on CC you are now assuming that RCI is going to start switching around assigned cabins as well and that this is enough to stop you from sailing on RCI.

 

I'm thinking that if you read the boards for all of the other cruise lines you will find issues of equal magnitude that would also stop you from sailing on any of them. Will you sail on Carnival, I hear they had a couple issues last year.

 

Not saying that this situation is acceptable because it clearly is not but to assume that something that has not happened will start happening seems a bit dramatic to me.

 

Since we moved to our current location, I've started reading the boards of all the cruise lines that sail from PE & POM. This is the first time I've seen any cruise line downgrade people involuntarily. All cruise lines will cancel booked reservations in favor of a charter (some are worse than others) or move people to a cabin within the same category or better, so they can open up their cabin. While most people would be unhappy to be moved without their consent, forcing downgrades on people is much worse than either of those scenarios & totally unacceptable.

 

As for this being an isolated incident, I'm fairly new to this board, but there have been multiple reports of this happening on this thread alone. It may not have happened in the past, but it's obviously happening now.

 

Carnivals issues have nothing to do with the subject at hand. You're the one going to extremes for dramatic effect. I was simply stating that we wouldn't feel comfortable booking RCI, until they realize this is totally unacceptable & put a stop to it. I realize you're passionate about your cruise line of choice, but I'm not. I'll just choose another cruise line. It's no big deal to me. There's no drama on my part at all. FWIW, we've never sailed on Carnival. It would be my last choice for a cruise line, but if I got an incredible deal I would give them a try. That is, unless they start involuntarily downgrading people. ;)

[tarheelmjfan]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all.

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

 

I'm glad it worked out for you. It sounds like they & you got lucky that someone cancelled at the last minute.

[Du vent dans les voiles]

So happy for you! Have fun on your cruise!

[critterchick]

As someone who has booked guarantee cabins in the past with success, so glad your situation was made right.....faith restored:)

 

While I am happy for the OP, I would not be so quick to say "faith restored." Enchantment probably had a list of affected people (or perhaps OP was the only one) who had been involuntarily downgraded and OP got very lucky. Had the other passenger not cancelled, s/he would have been stuck.

 

Since we moved to our current location, I've started reading the boards of all the cruise lines that sail from PE & POM. This is the first time I've seen any cruise line downgrade people involuntarily. All cruise lines will cancel booked reservations in favor of a charter (some are worse than others) or move people to a cabin within the same category or better, so they can open up their cabin. While most people would be unhappy to be moved without their consent, forcing downgrades on people is much worse than either of those scenarios & totally unacceptable.

 

As for this being an isolated incident, I'm fairly new to this board, but there have been multiple reports of this happening on this thread alone. It may not have happened in the past, but it's obviously happening now.

 

Carnivals issues have nothing to do with the subject at hand. You're the one going to extremes for dramatic effect. I was simply stating that we wouldn't feel comfortable booking RCI, until they realize this is totally unacceptable & put a stop to it. I realize you're passionate about your cruise line of choice, but I'm not. I'll just choose another cruise line. It's no big deal to me. There's no drama on my part at all. FWIW, we've never sailed on Carnival. It would be my last choice for a cruise line, but if I got an incredible deal I would give them a try. That is, unless they start involuntarily downgrading people. ;)

 

My understanding is that in this instance there was no price difference between an OV guarantee and an inside, but if the price is higher, then RCI cannot downgrade the passenger and keep the additional funds, at least not legally. Moreover, if the cruise had gone up in price since the original booking, RCI would have to refund an amount equal to the price difference at the time of booking. Otherwise they are charging a premium on top of the downgrade, which I can't imagine they have the right do to just by invoking the boilerplate language in their contract.

 

It would make far more sense to adopt the Princess "move over" model - we have overbooked, here's some money back and a cabin on a future cruise. Not interested? OK, we'll call until we find somebody who is. Yes, it costs them money when they miscalculate demand, but if it's their mistake, they should pay the price, not the passenger who booked in good faith.

 

I don't blame you for being skeptical of RCI - although they are still our favorite line for mass market cruising (which is all we do), their business model leaves a lot to be desired. They have changed a few of their policies over the years, and we usually find out about it when we go to book a cruise or read about it on CC. I understand them not wanting to trumpet changes that are adverse to their clients, but when they do things like drop independent air coverage from Cruise Care and increase the cost to single travellers, they should at least have a link on both their retail and TA websites advising us that they have done so.

 

Having vented all that, I recommend that you give them a try if you find a ship and itinerary that appeal to you. Just don't book a GTY.;)

Edited September 1, 2014 by critterchick

[Dave85]

While I am happy for the OP, I would not be so quick to say "faith restored." Enchantment probably had a list of affected people (or perhaps OP was the only one) who had been involuntarily downgraded and OP got very lucky. Had the other passenger not cancelled, s/he would have been stuck.

 

 

 

I agree 100%. Nothing in this story or the resolution leads me to believe that "Revenue" will not do the exact same thing to someone else next week. The fact that the crew onboard were able to accommodate OP is a tribute to both luck, in that there was a balcony available, and the excellent on board staff and crew we've all come to love on RCI. The trolls in the Revenue department need to be checked by someone in an executive position with the company. Until they are, expect this nonsense to continue.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[celebrity]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all.

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

 

So very happy for you that there was a resolution. After all that stress, you deserve a wonderful cruise.thanks for giving us an update. Bon Voyage!

[Langley Cruisers]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all...

 

So glad it worked out for you. :) However, I am with the others who are wondering what would have happened had that passenger not cancelled their room so you could have it. Very interesting. I am not a negative Nancy, but I can't help but wonder how this would have played out differently.

 

OP, enjoy your cruise. :)

 

.

[rhuntington3]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all.

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

 

Whew! That's great! Enjoy the cruise!

[retiredgram]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all.

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad it all worked out for the better.

[celly]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all.

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

 

Congratulations and enjoy your balcony, have a great cruise!

[WestfieldTraveler]

Royal should think of it like the airlines do when they might have to bump someone - granted, in most cases it is a flight a few hours later, but those who volunteer get the agreed-upon amount, but if it is involuntary, well, how about a refund of double the cruise fare, plus any airline fare refund...then at least, people would know what happens in that (hopefully) rare case.

[Starry Eyes]

OP, I am so glad it worked out. have a wonderful time.

 

No, the TA did not warn me, and again, I don't blame Royal for doing it - just that notification could have been better.

I am sorry that travel agent did not foresee the issue and did nothing to forestall it. I really think a good travel agent should and would have done so. From a distance, that gives me little faith in your travel agent. so maybe it is true that the TA dropped the ball first by not forewarning you followed by the cruiseline failing to notify the TA. that is possible, but I must suggest you consider that perhaps the travel agent dropped the ball on twice...not forewarning you and not notifying you. If the cruiseline says they sent notice to the TA, how can one really know? Having a middleman in these transactions occasionally caused me problems or delays; now I am more inclined to book direct; to me, a mediocre TA is more trouble than they are worth. Edited September 1, 2014 by Starry Eyes

[marci22]

I'm glad OP got a balcony.

 

Personally, after reading these threads lately, I would not book a guarantee after final as it seems that it is very difficult to negotiate with Royal once they have your money in the penalty phase.

 

Hope you enjoy your cabin~

[LMaxwell]

Glad you got a better cabin than you were stuck with, but it does not seem RCI did anything to resolve this, just that fate stepped in. Seems RCI was willing to shaft you all the same. Will beware of guarantee cabins in the future.

[Guest maddycat]

Doesn't matter about insurance or cruise cost, really. If it is so cheap, it should be very easy for Royal to offer a refund. But they didn't.

 

The important point is that OP paid for a guarantee and Royal said, when it was too late for a 'normal' refund, 'we'll give you $100 obc'. OP had to be persistent to get the extra $50, when Royal should have just REFUNDED them the money in the first place.

 

Royal offered a guarantee that they couldn't deliver, for whatever reason, and now they are arguing with the customer. It's preposterous.

 

And this is the second complaint that we have heard here, recently. I would be very careful about booking guarantees in the future.

 

In this case, RCI's customer service is unacceptable. They are not fulfilling their part of the contract and yet are refusing to let the OP out of the same contract.

[A2Mich]

So glad it worked out for you. :) However, I am with the others who are wondering what would have happened had that passenger not cancelled their room so you could have it. Very interesting. I am not a negative Nancy, but I can't help but wonder how this would have played out differently.

 

OP, enjoy your cruise. :)

 

.

 

Good point, if the line of a "cancellation" is even true. They may have had that cabin available all along just in case of a "whiner." BTW, I'm NOT implying that the OP is a whiner, though in the eyes of the cruise line, they very well may be seen in that light. They honestly may have simply held out keeping them in an inside cabin if they hadn't escalated the incident the way they did. I'm NOT defending RCI one bit here at all - the OP had booked an OV GTY and should have at least been assigned an OV from the get go. That is what the OP booked and paid for, that is what they should have been assigned as a minimum from the get go. The OP should not have had to jump through the flaming hoops that they've had to simply because RCI screwed up. If RCI screwed up, it's up to them to make it right, which they EVENTUALLY did, but the entire incident should not have even gotten to the point that it did to begin with.

[wieslaw]

Glad you got a better cabin than you were stuck with, but it does not seem RCI did anything to resolve this, just that fate stepped in. Seems RCI was willing to shaft you all the same. Will beware of guarantee cabins in the future.

 

Hi,

perhaps you are correct " it does not seem RCI did anything to resolve this" and "just that fate stepped in."

 

but how did the GS manager know about it ?

I am guessing someone from RCI had to read this tread and instructed the GS to help. I do not know the facts but I am guessing there were other people on the ship that also got 'screwed' and nothing was done for them.

 

I am a share holder and I like RCCL as a company but I answered / commented on this thread to support the OP and his reasons for a resolution that would meet his needs .

 

There might be all kinds of exclusions in the small print in the contract ( which I have never read ) but most people including the management in RCCL, know when they are getting screwed and when the guest is right and the company is wrong. Perhaps the over 20,000 hits on this thread woke somobody up at the ' main' office and they decided to give 'us' a pacifier.

 

But ( IMO) it is still wrong that they would not give a refund for a product that they could not provide, or that they would not move the cruising to a different date as the OP requested.

[Guest maddycat]

There are people who booked OV guarantees on the 2-night Oasis right now who were told the same thing: "oops, no more oceanviews; you get an interior". I am waiting to hear how that turned out.

 

That confirms it. Never book a guarantee with RCI!

[Guest maddycat]

We boarded the Enchantment an hour ago and we're immediately given an invitation to meet with the manager of Guest Services. He informed us that a passenger in a balcony room had cancelled last night and we were being upgraded to a room with a balcony. So RCCL made it (better than) right after all.

 

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am sure that someone at RCCL read it and, more than likely, that is why we were taken care of.

 

Thanks for posting. Great news. Enjoy your cruise........enjoy the balcony.

[Guest maddycat]

As someone who has booked guarantee cabins in the past with success, so glad your situation was made right.....faith restored:)

 

Until the next time that it happens. Lately, it seems to be a trend with RCI. They don't always honor a guarantee.