Missed port - refunds only went to SOME passengers

[kjwent]

We purchased a Large Oceanview Cabin on Deck 3 for the 11/15/14 sailing on Vision of the Seas on 12/2/13 directly with RCI during their WOW sale. We also received a military discount. We didn’t negotiate or ask for anything special, just took the deal that was offered us.

 

Last week we were unable to dock in Cozumel due to high winds. When we inquired (each of us went to GS at different times – guess my husband didn’t believe me!) about a refund of port charges/fees we were told that if we were to receive a refund it would have already been posted to our account. I was told that not everyone was given the refund because only the people who did not get the best deals got the refunds. What ?!

 

My husband was told the same thing. Although at one point when he said he felt he was being penalized for being a veteran and getting the additional discount they were going to give him the refund – but couldn’t get it through the computer. When the boss was called, he again refused the refund.

 

While we were waiting with another couple for the shuttle to our car we started discussing this. Turns out they paid just about the same rate, for a cabin on Deck 2 and were refunded $30 for the missed port. The difference? They are Diamond and we are Platinum.

 

RCI has said they will not be discounting their fares in the coming years because it is unfair to passengers to be paying different rates. I say they are already discriminating against passengers by creating class differences. It’s one thing to reward loyalty; it’s another to treat passengers shabbily when something like a missed port happens. I’ve read the small print and know they are not required to refund any portion of my payment for any reason. But that should apply to everyone. This is passenger discrimination.

 

If the ship goes to a port and I choose not to go ashore – I still pay the fees. Seems to me if the ship doesn’t go to the port I should receive the fees I paid, no matter what amount that is. And the cabin rate doesn’t have anything to do with it.

 

I have two more cruises already booked with RCI – one next month will put us in the Emerald category. I’m seriously considering canceling my Oct 2015 cruise. This has just left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

Kathy

[CRUZBUDS]

We had the same thing -- we missed Halifax due to winds a couple of weeks ago. It was explained to a CC friend, that we had booked so far ahead the port taxes for Halifax were unknown and therefore we were not charged for them. It made sense -- sort of.

 

Someone else on the roll call had booked much later, and they didn't get a refund either.

 

We're Diamond -- so that wan't it :)

 

It didn't bother us -- more curious than anything. We paid a very low rate for our balcony cabin. :)

[setsail]

And what did rci tell you when you called them about this??

[Big_G]

And what did rci tell you when you called them about this??

 

Maybe they're on hold. :D

[BillOh]

I wouldn't think how great of a deal you go should have anything to do with the port fee refund. Those always seem to be listed separately. Ask the free cruise bingo people about the port fees.

[PuterMonkey]

Something doesn't seem to add up. I have a feeling there is a piece of information missing somewhere. You don't typically hear of refunds or credits being divied based on C&A level. You booked the cruise very far in advance. I wonder if it comes down to something more trivial, like the fees were waived in the original promo or the fees were simply lower when you booked, and adding in the missed Cozumel money still doesn't cover the current cost of the other ports.

[kjwent]

The port charges are on my contract, although they don't break them down by port so there's no telling how much was charged where. Seems to me that RCI would always charge people SOMETHING, even if they didn't know the exact amount just to cover themselves. With all the other cutbacks that are evident on their ships, waiving fees doesn't seem to be their style.

 

But it was explained to us twice that we got a good rate and wouldn't be getting the refund, while others would. That's what irked me! This was their sale and their discount offer.

 

No -- I haven't called them.

 

Kathy

[Biker19]

The first line CSRs will come up with just about any excuse to not refund the port taxes.

 

It's not the cruise fares you have to compare, it's the port taxes. Do a dummy booking for the same sailing and see what the port taxes are today.Compare that to what you paid (port taxes only - you should have that itemized on your invoice separate from cruise fare). If it's close (within a few $) you paid all the port taxes and are owed a refund, regardless of what the cruise fare was, C&A level or any other factor.

 

Don't take the CSR's word for it - talk to a manager. I had to ask twice when I called for a missed port tax refund.

[phoenix1181]

The first line CSRs will come up with just about any excuse to not refund the port taxes.

 

It's not the cruise fares you have to compare, it's the port taxes. Do a dummy booking for the same sailing and see what the port taxes are today.Compare that to what you paid (port taxes only - you should have that itemized on your invoice separate from cruise fare). If it's close (within a few $) you paid all the port taxes and are owed a refund, regardless of what the cruise fare was, C&A level or any other factor.

 

Don't take the CSR's word for it - talk to a manager. I had to ask twice when I called for a missed port tax refund.

 

What do you have that specifically identifies ONLY port fees?

 

I have two invoices. One from a TA & another direct from RCCL. Neither one breaks out the port fees separately. The one from the TA reads "taxes & fees", the other shows as "taxes, fees, & port expenses".

[kjwent]

I've checked sailings from Dec 14 - June 15. Nothing is an exact match. Seems like they are replacing Roatan with Belize. So there's probably no way I'd be able to figure it out at this time.

 

I guess I'll just have to get over it and take my next two cruises, or not and cancel the one in 2015.

 

I can say that the next time I see Cozumel it'll be from the deck of another cruise line!

 

Kathy

[ptcgal]

I was on the Vision when we missed Halifax port. I never thought about asking for a refund of port fees because I thought that the cruise line paid those to the port in advance of the cruise to reserve a place at the port. So if we missed the port then the cruise ship forfeits the fees. Does anyone know how these things work. I found the customer service reps may not have all the answers and sometimes give you the wrong info.

[Cindy]

Port fees vary depending on when you book and can change quite bit over the life of a booking. If your port fees were low and then went up, you wouldn't be asked for more money, HOWEVER if you miss a port the money you already paid would be moved over to a port where you underpaid, and could negate your refund. I don't know what your other ports were, but some countries (Bahamas is one) cluster their port fees, so if you make one port and miss the other you still pay the fees.

 

I hope that made sense. I don't think the GS people explained it properly -- if you overpaid port fees there should be an automatic refund.

[uksimonusa]

Port fees vary, by port, by ship, by length of time the ship is in port and amount of passengers. Port fees are estimated when you book, if you look at a cruise now and note the fees, and then check the same cruise in 6 weeks, the fees are probably different. If the fees come down from the time you booked, you will receive the difference as OBC, if they go up, you will not be charged the difference.

 

If you miss a port and the total port charges, minus the port charge for the missed port, come to less than you paid, then you will receive an OBC for the difference, if it is more than the price you paid, you will not be charged any extra. That is the reason that some people get different refunds and some get no refund at all, if a port is missed, it all depends on the amount originally paid

[killtheump]

We didn't miss any stops on The Oasis last week but I was credited about $29 for overages we paid on Port Fees. Showed on my final invoice.

[mulan1123]

We didn't miss any stops on The Oasis last week but I was credited about $29 for overages we paid on Port Fees. Showed on my final invoice.

 

Same here. My parents got a refund for the four of us last for about $6 per person. Since we booked our cruise in March, port fees we reduced and they got a credit back as obc last week on Freedom.

 

So it depends when you booked and what the port fees at the time vs the time of your cruise.

[Biker19]

What do you have that specifically identifies ONLY port fees?

 

I have two invoices. One from a TA & another direct from RCCL. Neither one breaks out the port fees separately. The one from the TA reads "taxes & fees", the other shows as "taxes, fees, & port expenses".

 

The fees are the cost above the cruise fare. Some part of that is the refundable portion of port fees. For the Vision now they range from $110-120 depending on the itinerary. If someone paid over $100, they are very likely due a refund.

 

You can ask someone on the roll call to tell you what their port fees were and compare to yours.

 

While there's some fluctuations in port fees (more where there are exchange rates to consider) they don't typically swing wildly.

 

The CSRs do have a way to calculate the fees but most of the time they'll try to blow you off.

[hamrag]

I guess I'll just have to get over it and take my next two cruises, or not and cancel the one in 2015.

 

I can say that the next time I see Cozumel it'll be from the deck of another cruise line!

 

Kathy

 

OK, just to be clear.....you were "denied" a total refund of $30 and, for that reason, you will not be booking any more RCI cruises......is that the case?!!

[pennielz]

Having spent many years in ocean-going shipping, I can tell you that port charges change, frequently. I have a cruise booked in May and November 2015. One has been booked since March and the second since Seotember. The port fees on my booking agreement are what was in affect when I booked. It is likely that one or more of the ports will increase their port charges effective January 1st. RCI will be paying the higher port fees but, not me.

 

If I had a good cruise and not getting a $30 refund was all that happened and I had paid a low rate, I would just "breathe in, breathe out, and move on"! :):)

 

Pennie

[pennielz]

We didn't miss any stops on The Oasis last week but I was credited about $29 for overages we paid on Port Fees. Showed on my final invoice.

 

That's because the port fees went down. They don't always go up, especially when new business comes into a port.

[Cindy]

We didn't miss any stops on The Oasis last week but I was credited about $29 for overages we paid on Port Fees. Showed on my final invoice.

 

Here's a great example of port fees varying depending on when you book. We were on the same cruise, and our credit was $31.25/person. I'd be willing to bet the amount varied greatly across the ship, depending on when the initial reservation was made. Probably people who booked at the last minute didn't receive anything at all, but paid less in taxes and fees when they paid for the cruise.

[wendyatpml]

I was on the Nov. 9 sailing of the Allure and we did not miss any ports. I noticed on our account that about $18 per person was refunded as port charges. I was surprised since we got off in every port.

[TEXASMUNK]

it is the principle of the thing.

 

Contact RCI, explain the situation, and request the refund. If it is $31.50 great, if it is a buck, great.

[cinnamon]

We were on that cruise too and received no refund. We booked more than a year ahead, with no special deals or discounts.

 

We queried the lack of refund and eventually it was explained to us by GS. If the charges increase after booking, RCI absorb the cost. However, if they reduce, as in a port missed, then that money is used to offset the money that RCI had paid to 'subsidise' our fees.

 

Our initial annoyance turned to acceptance and we were happy with the explanation.

 

 

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[Cindy]

We were on that cruise too and received no refund. We booked more than a year ahead, with no special deals or discounts.

 

We queried the lack of refund and eventually it was explained to us by GS. If the charges increase after booking, RCI absorb the cost. However, if they reduce, as in a port missed, then that money is used to offset the money that RCI had paid to 'subsidise' our fees.

 

Our initial annoyance turned to acceptance and we were happy with the explanation.

 

 

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That's as it should be, and it's standard operating procedure for all cruise lines.

[impatientlywaiting]

We were on that cruise too and received no refund. We booked more than a year ahead, with no special deals or discounts.

 

We queried the lack of refund and eventually it was explained to us by GS. If the charges increase after booking, RCI absorb the cost. However, if they reduce, as in a port missed, then that money is used to offset the money that RCI had paid to 'subsidise' our fees.

 

Our initial annoyance turned to acceptance and we were happy with the explanation.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Love your attitude.

 

We missed RCI's private island Coco Cay last Christmas and I was surprised to see the port fees refunded on my final statement, especially since it was their private island. It didn't amount to much, but it was a nice surprise!