Anyone else abandoned by RCCL at Venice airport.

[JillLovesTravel]

Something tells me the OP will not be posting again in this thread.

 

maybe they feel a little beat up...you know the usual bullies at work here..

[fishtaco]

Way too many RCCL "Fan Boys!:rolleyes:

 

The OP was Bumped on their flight home, that does not mean they didnt try to physically check in and on time? Perhaps they did a Greek island cruise with no luggage you may think? It means the agency they booked a "Fly Cruise" with did not re confirm their return flight with the airline in time so they did not have a place,it was given to others, they were 'Bumped"! This may or may not have been RCCL fault but if the agency was working for RCCL and RCCL didnt get them to the airport in due time then it also becomes their problem.

 

You shouldnt be expected to do an online check in for a return flight home with a fly cruise before you have cruised! It is the T/A or Cruieslines responsibility to confirm that passage, your responsibility is to hand over your luggage at check in!

Edited November 3, 2014 by fishtaco

[fishtaco]

A "fly cruise " is a package vacation/holiday not a cruise booking with assistance to purchase air as a stress free compliment to that cruise.

 

Fly cruises are arranged between the cruieseline and T/A or direct with the cruiseline!

 

Cruieslines offer special pricing to T/A,s where usually a fly cruise final cost is as cheap as the cruise cost itself.

[G.M.T.]

The OP says they spent 4 days in Venice: I doubt the 4 days were spent at the airport, if they were in a hotel it would have cost an arm and a leg.

 

So why didn't they book their own return flights after they got bumped and received no hlp from RCCL. Flight Venice - London costa on average €uro 100, if flights from Venice were all bsold out, the could have taken the train to Milan and got a flight to London also at a cost of Euro 100.

 

Confused?

[gerif]

maybe they feel a little beat up...you know the usual bullies at work here..

 

I don't see where the OP was bullied at all. Just was asked some questions, the answers to which apparently might have placed the blame squarely where it belongs - either on OP or his TA and he wasn't willing to admit to that, thus the failure to return to this thread.

[dcgrumpy]

Actually 20 posts is a newbie. The OP may not have been hiding in the wings like to many. 4 cruises and 20 posts here does not make one an expert. Pleeeeese! :rolleyes:

 

Give me break. Some people like to read more than post. It doesn't make them a "newbie".

 

I've been a member here for 9 years but I very rarely post. I'm able to get the answers to most of my questions through search.

[Wavemistress01]

Thank you for all of the replies. I will try to answer your questions to make things more clear.

Maureen cruiser - It took 4 days to get home because there had been a strike by easyjet the day before and the airline was trying to get these passengers home before us. Because of this there wasn't an available seats to get us to our destination for 4 days.

Yogimax - We booked air directly with RCCL as part of our package. RCCL use BA and easyjet and we did not get a choice. We had a printout of our reservation but at check in we were told that we did not confirm our return flight so although checked in we were bumped.

Phoenixcruiser - I believe whoever books the flights has the reference number to check in all passengers. We did not have the reference number for this flight. RCCL checked all passengers in for outbound and inbound flight but did not CONFIRM homeward travel therefore we were bumped. If we had been told by RCCL that we needed to confirm travel then we most certainly would have done so. No problems on outward flight so did not anticipate any problems going home.

Our problem with RCCL is that we booked a package with them to be certain that we would be looked after from commencing our journey from Gatwick airport to our return to Gatwick airport. In the UK this is what a package holiday is guaranteed to do. RCCL abandoned us at Marco Polo airport and left us to fend for ourselves (luckily we were able to do this) we were also very fortunate to be in a position to fund the extra 4 days in Venice. When things have gone wrong like this on other package holidays with other cruise lines, we were taken care of very well until we got home. I was just so disappointed with RCCL's customer service. Even the emergency number on our paperwork was wrong.

Hope i have made things a little clearer and thanks again for the replies.

(I realised that I had made the mistake of saying checked in instead of confirmed the flight)

[Wavemistress01]

Give me break. Some people like to read more than post. It doesn't make them a "newbie".

 

I've been a member here for 9 years but I very rarely post. I'm able to get the answers to most of my questions through search.

 

Thanks for that. I too like to search the forums for my answers and i also believe that it doesn't matter if your a newbie or not. we are all here to talk about cruising.

I have been on over 20 cruises with a variety of cruise companies and was just airing my disappointment with RCCL and also trying to find out if it was just us that this happened to or if there were other people affected too.

[insidecabin]

A "fly cruise " is a package vacation/holiday not a cruise booking with assistance to purchase air as a stress free compliment to that cruise.

 

Fly cruises are arranged between the cruieseline and T/A or direct with the cruiseline!

 

Cruieslines offer special pricing to T/A,s where usually a fly cruise final cost is as cheap as the cruise cost itself.

 

That is not how it works with uk bookings.

 

Most TA package cruise only with air hotel options.

they olso sell cruise only and cruise line packages.

[insidecabin]

As it was a RCI package that clarifies.

 

one thing with UK rci package air is they seem to do group bookings which is in convenient if you cant access the flight.

 

never reconfirmed a fight no idea why that was a requirement.

 

If easyjet had a backlog they might have just bumped everyone that had not checked in by a certain time

[CruisinCadie]

Our first RCI cruise is next February, but on both Celebrity and Princess, they will check you in for your flight if you pay for Luggage Valet. Someone said this is only in the US, which seems quite possible.

 

Kathy

[LMaxwell]

Sounds like a convergence of unfortunate events. It is incomprehensible and inexcusable that you were not provided accurate emergency contact information. I don't know what your TA could have done but it sounds like they should have done more. RCI airport greeters should be able to relay proper emergency contact information to get you pointed in right direction if your TA couldn't

[Wavemistress01]

Sounds like a convergence of unfortunate events. It is incomprehensible and inexcusable that you were not provided accurate emergency contact information. I don't know what your TA could have done but it sounds like they should have done more. RCI airport greeters should be able to relay proper emergency contact information to get you pointed in right direction if your TA couldn't

 

To be fair, one of the RCCL meet and greeter staff attempted to find out the correct number to call for help when we pointed out that the number we had on our paperwork was wrong. She came up with a uk number for us and they just told us to go to the airline help-desk. We did this and Easyjet helped with an airport hotel room (25km from Venice) and food vouchers to use at the hotel. The food that the hotel provided was different from the regular guests and was, in my opinion as an unfussy eater, inedible. I dont know about you but I wasnt about to spend 4 days sitting around a hotel where i couldnt even eat the food so it cost us quite a bit to travel to Venice every day and to eat out. Quite frankly, I am all Veniced out now.

[knittinggirl]

Weird stuff! In Copenhagen, our Diamond Concierge told us he couldn't check us into our flight because it was w/ choiceair. We ended up checking us into the airline ourselves using one of the ship's computers. But, we think the Concierge Lounge host would have done it w/ the same record locator.

[waterbug123]

In Europe is the Fly/Cruise booking like booking Choice air is it gaurenteed?I know with choice air there is phone # for emergencies which this surely qaulifies.Europe has a lot of consumer protections.

 

Choice Air doesn't actually guarantee anything. They say they will try to help, but if you really read what it says, there is no true guarantee.

 

it cost us quite a bit to travel to Venice every day and to eat out.

 

Would it not have been cheaper to just book your own flight home, rather than spend 4 days paying for all those restaurant meals? :confused:

[nana541]

Choice Air doesn't actually guarantee anything.

 

Would it not have been cheaper to just book your own flight home, rather than spend 4 days paying for all those restaurant meals? :confused:

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking? Even a train?

 

 

 

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[Wavemistress01]

Way too many RCCL "Fan Boys!:rolleyes:

 

The OP was Bumped on their flight home, that does not mean they didnt try to physically check in and on time? Perhaps they did a Greek island cruise with no luggage you may think? It means the agency they booked a "Fly Cruise" with did not re confirm their return flight with the airline in time so they did not have a place,it was given to others, they were 'Bumped"! This may or may not have been RCCL fault but if the agency was working for RCCL and RCCL didnt get them to the airport in due time then it also becomes their problem.

 

You shouldnt be expected to do an online check in for a return flight home with a fly cruise before you have cruised! It is the T/A or Cruieslines responsibility to confirm that passage, your responsibility is to hand over your luggage at check in!

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

We arrived at the airport before the check in desk opened and we were first in the queue. They didnt even ask if any of the other passengers in line wanted to swap with us which is the airlines obligation to do. They had made their decision to bump us before we even got there.

[Wavemistress01]

I don't see where the OP was bullied at all. Just was asked some questions, the answers to which apparently might have placed the blame squarely where it belongs - either on OP or his TA and he wasn't willing to admit to that, thus the failure to return to this thread.

If you had checked the time of my post (uk time) then I am sure you can see that it was late at night and that I had gone to bed followed by work so was unable to reply to you until now.

Im not really looking to blame, im just venting my frustration and disappointment with RCCL customer service and trying to find out if anyone else was affected on the day.

As for bullying. I do no feel bullied. I asked a question and was quite willing to hear opinions and perceptions in any form as long as they are not abusive.

Thank you for your input.

[Wavemistress01]

Just because someone has been on at least 4 cruises and is not a newbie and just may be confused doesn't mean they can't be welcomed at CC. Just saying...

Thank you for that.

Its amazing how people can read the same post and come up with a completely different perception on the context of the post.

I dont mind. It got people talking about my predicament and it has given me a few ideas on how to proceed.

[Starry Eyes]

If I flew one half of my itinerary, I'd be shocked if the airline then tried to claim they did not know I wanted the return flight/that second half of my ticket was somehow "unconfirmed." If that's what happened, it just seems crazy.

 

Never having flown Easy Jet, maybe I am misinterpreting, but it sounds like, beset with strike/delay issues, the airline decided to bump these passengers to make room on their flight for others. I'd be angry at that airline....

[Wavemistress01]

Exactly what I was thinking? Even a train?

 

 

 

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We had just completed 2 back to back cruises. We had four suitcases. I have had open heart surgery so cant pull suitcases. Taking a train/bus etc and trying to pull 4 suitcases all over rome and then the uk was not an option hence booking a package. Our car was at a hotel at Gatwick so we couldnt go to another airport in the UK. Etc Etc........

[Wavemistress01]

If I flew one half of my itinerary, I'd be shocked if the airline then tried to claim they did not know I wanted the return flight/that second half of my ticket was somehow "unconfirmed." If that's what happened, it just seems crazy.

 

Never having flown Easy Jet, maybe I am misinterpreting, but it sounds like, beset with strike/delay issues, the airline decided to bump these passengers to make room on their flight for others. I'd be angry at that airline....

Thats exactly what happened. My husband was hopping mad.

[nana541]

I don't know much of anything about UK Travel Consumer Protection Laws but I thought a travel provider who sells a package is required to take care of getting you home and paying your expenses while you are stuck?

 

Sorry this happened and given medical issues I understand why you did not hope a train.

 

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Edited November 3, 2014 by nana541

[Starry Eyes]

Thats exactly what happened. My husband was hopping mad.

 

No matter the root cause, I am very sorry this happened to you. It sounds terrible. I am glad you are now safely home.

 

From afar, it sounds like the airline has an insane confirmation policy and/or an exceptional willingness to bump passenger from original flights to accommodate others. I would not be willing to fly an airline with such policies; I'd book my own air tickets to avoid such an airline (but I am in USA).

 

Perhaps the extra protection offered to package bookings made on your side of the pond make such a package booking worth the risk. If so, I hope you fully avail yourself of each and every consumer protection that came with your package.

[swoopy2110]

Easyjet has been an airline that requires you to check yourself in prior to travel for a few years now.

 

I don't think it's their fault unfortunately.

 

Hope you got back ok in the end though :(