My cruise was cancelled!

[LBeeE]

I have to agree with what stlouiscruisers posted: "I have to disagree with what you said. Cruise contract or not, any business worth their salt would offer apples to apples. I think it is insulting to throw the contract in someone's face when they have a legitimate complaint. If you are price protected for a 14 day cruise that is what you should be offered and not for a 10 day cruise. Royal should take the hit on profit and give them carte blanche on any 14 day cruise. IMHO they are not getting what they paid for if they purchased 14 days and get 10, in this case only RCI wins."

 

I'm a little shocked and saddened at the type of responses the OP is getting when he/she came here for help/advice, and 98% of the responses basically say "too bad, you should have known better". Shame on you.

 

To the OP - yes, call RCI and tell them what St.louiscruisers said. See if you can get a better alternative. Tell them you are new to this and were unsure what you were switching to. I'm sure it was all very overwhelming for you to pick on the spot like that. If you can't find a suitable alternative tell them you would like your money back. In the meanwhile, maybe look into a back-up plan. If you had your heart set on a holiday cruise, see what other cruise lines are offering around the same time.

 

Good luck to you!

[Merion_Mom]

Hello all,

 

I got an email today saying that my cruise I have paid a deposit on, has been chartered.

 

Here is the full story;

 

My Fiance & I saw the RCI had a great deal on, where you get a double upgrade & on-board credit.... So, we officially booked the cruise with a $400 deposit 3 weeks ago.

 

Today, I get an email saying the cruise has been chartered, and "here are 6 other sailing dates we can offer you, + we will give you an additional $200 on board credit!"

 

Sounds great right?!....... Wrong!

 

 

I called up, assuming the dates we were given to sail were for the same length of sailing, to and from round trip.

 

I booked a new date, everything was great until.....

 

I logged onto the RCI website to see that "my cruise" information was correct/updated on the system..... It said, it was a 10 night christmas cruise.

 

Sounds fun, however, I booked a 14 NIGHT CRUISE, ROUND TRIP.

This new cruise wasn't even a round trip, nor were the other sailing dates offered a round trip.

 

This isn't very fair, at all.

 

I put money down for a 14 night cruise, I expect a 14 night cruise.... Not 10 or 11 nights, where I have to then buy 2 airfares from a different country!

 

 

It does say they can book us on any other RCI cruise, however, for the "PREVAILING RATE".

 

What does that mean?.... Does it mean for the current price the room is selling for? or the price we additionally had paid for and was technically a written contract?

 

 

We had a balcony room for the price of a standard interior room because we booked during a double upgrade sale, 14 nights from Sydney to NZ, then back to Sydney as a round trip.... I've paid my deposit, I shouldn't expect any less than what I booked!

 

1. They cannot give you what you booked. You need to let go of that idea.

 

2. I agree that it is a huge change to go from roundtrip Sydney to any cruise that is NOT roundtrip Sydney.

 

Are ANY of the six offered substitutes roundtrip? If you give us more information, we can give you better advice.

 

I doubt that they are offering you the New Year's cruise, since those are traditionally the best-selling and most expensive, but that one IS roundtrip Sydney. You are correct that the other December 2016 sailings leave from one port but end in another.

 

Give us details and we can give advice.

 

:)

[Merion_Mom]

I know it's been asked several times but I'll ask again. Which cruise are you now on? I don't see any one way 10 night cruises in December.

 

Auckland to Sydney:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/10NightNewZealand-ChristmasCruise-RD10K055?currencyCode=USD&sCruiseType=CO&sDateMin=2016-12-01&sDateMax=2016-12-31&sailDate=12%2F16%2F2016

[FLACRUISER99]

Even though I am not a fan of TA's, the OP being a newbie would of defiantly ben better off using one. Maybe transferring the booking to one might be a good idea.

[knittinggirl]

We had something similar, on Rhapsody. We didn't like either of their offerings. So, we picked a different cruise at the current prices. They did give us the $150 OBC we had for the original longer cruise, and an addition $400 for the offer. They gave us a two week deadline including Thanksgiving weekend. Who works over Thanksgiving?

[dcgrumpy]

Auckland to Sydney:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/10NightNewZealand-ChristmasCruise-RD10K055?currencyCode=USD&sCruiseType=CO&sDateMin=2016-12-01&sDateMax=2016-12-31&sailDate=12%2F16%2F2016

 

I misunderstood I thought she said she was leaving from Sydney.

[Merion_Mom]

I know it's been asked several times but I'll ask again. Which cruise are you now on? I don't see any one way 10 night cruises in December.

 

Her original cruise was in October 2016. She said that the substitute cruise that she booked (without looking at it) was the Christmas cruise.

[2CatsInFlorida]

I don't understand why there are so many apologists for the bad business behavior of RCI whether in the contract or not. The OP said only other dates were given so it was reasonable to assume the cruises were the same. If you have to be a lawyer to book a cruise with RCI , there are other cruise lines available. And if cruising isn't fun why bother. Loyal to Royal should be a two way street.

[bonvoyagebites]

What a lousy situation. I hope you can find a solution that works for you so that you can learn to enjoy cruising as much as many of us do.

 

Now, for RCI to cancel your reservation is rotten, without any regard to contracts. I am taking my first Royal cruise in October, and if they cancelled, I know I would be quite upset. Sure, the contract says they can do it... but it doesn't mean it's right or fair.

 

I wish you the best and hope you have a great time with whatever solution you end up with.

 

Cheers!

[dcgrumpy]

Her original cruise was in October 2016. She said that the substitute cruise that she booked (without looking at it) was the Christmas cruise.

 

Yes I get it. Like I already said, I thought she was saying the new cruise was also leaving from Sydney which is why I wasn't seeing it.

Edited August 6, 2015 by dcgrumpy

[Mademoiselle22]

I don't understand why there are so many apologists for the bad business behavior of RCI whether in the contract or not. The OP said only other dates were given so it was reasonable to assume the cruises were the same. If you have to be a lawyer to book a cruise with RCI , there are other cruise lines available. And if cruising isn't fun why bother. Loyal to Royal should be a two way street.

 

I have quite a bit of sympathy for the OP too. Especially since it is their first cruise. Just because a Cruise company can cancel a cruise according to the contract doesn't mean that it is good business practice to do so and then to provide such poor customer service... It may be standard practice but then again we don't have to all come out and cheer them on for doing it. Anyways I wish the OP best of luck in walking out with a satisfactory resolution.

[TBone2K]

Someone else posted an experience like this a while back. I suggested doing a little research to find out who chartered the ship and the see if they could rebook with the charter. Just be aware and do your research, as some charters cater to what we might call "alternate lifestyles".

[Merion_Mom]

I don't understand why there are so many apologists for the bad business behavior of RCI whether in the contract or not. The OP said only other dates were given so it was reasonable to assume the cruises were the same. If you have to be a lawyer to book a cruise with RCI , there are other cruise lines available. And if cruising isn't fun why bother. Loyal to Royal should be a two way street.

 

It is not unusual, particularly in Australia, for cruises to be unusual or even unique. Apparently, there is not another 14 night roundtrip Sydney cruise for them to offer.

 

The cruise is 14 months away. They offered her the ability to cancel without penalty.

 

Having checked the website, these are the closest equivalents, both in ports and ship.

 

Radiance January 6, 2017

Radiance March 14, 2017

Voyager January 5, 2017

 

I would be surprised if NONE of these cruises were among the ones offered.

 

But if they were not, she should call and ask if they COULD be.

[CrusinNana]

The same thing happened to us with Celebrity. They gave us 3 alternative choices. None were even close to the cruise we had booked. I called the TA to find out if we could book a different cruise(not 1 of the 3 choices) and was told I had to pay at the prevailing rate which was much higher than the original cruise and we would loose all of the perks that went along with the original cruise.

Needless to say we cancelled that cruise and another one we had booked with Celebrity. We no longer trust Celebrity. There are plenty of other options out there for us.

Sorry this happened to you. I know how disappointed we were when it happened to us.:(

[knittinggirl]

On our cancelled cruise, Oahu to Vancouver, we had a bunch of people that had also booked the Sydney to Oahu. They re-routed the ship to Asia.

 

DH sent a rather unhappy email to Goldstein with a call to action, and we got a call from someone in his office that he'd been made aware of our email. But nothing otherwise. I think we were supposed to visit Hilo and Kona as well as two nights in Maui. Their alternate didn't offer this.

[critterchick]

In the US the letter they email you gives a date for you to make any changes. I don't know if they allow you to change more than one time before the cutoff date but it certainly would not hurt to call them and ask if you could switch again or if you could switch to the 14 day one.

 

It may cost you a bit more for the extra day. Good luck

 

Lucky you to have gotten an email. I've had 3-4 cruises cancelled and only found out about them here or when randomly checking my reservations for something.

 

.....sorry to hear but IMO you're SCREWED.......I have found out first hand RCL does squat to help you......

 

I don't think that's true at all. Every one of our cancelled cruises has been accompanied by monetary compensation, even when over 18 months out.

 

Now, the faults I find are (1) that RCI is not always good at notifying people and (2) they don't offer apples to apples replacement cruises even when they might be available. We once had a Vancouver-San Diego cruise on Jewel cancelled and they only offered partial Panama Canal cruises as an alternative (unacceptable to us). Because Radiance had a similar cruise cancelled, we were able to book one of her offered alternatives, but there's no way that a first time cruiser would know to negotiate something like that.

 

OP, I feel for you. I would also recommend calling RCI back and asking about the other 5 itineraries to see if one might suit you better (or check the website if you still have the dates). And as Merion Mom said, ask for the cruise you want to take. All they can say is no.

[missmetal]

These are the dates I was offered, with no additional information....

 

3rd December 2016

16th December 2016

6th January 2017

28th January 2017

14th March 2017

28th March 2017

 

2017 is too far away, and the 2 options I've been given for 2016, one of them leaves from Auckland & arrives in Sydney, the other leaves Sydney, arrives in Auckland.

 

I booked a trip from Sydney - NZ - Sydney..... I'm not going to purchase airfares to or from a different country.

[Merion_Mom]

These are the dates I was offered, with no additional information....

 

3rd December 2016

16th December 2016

6th January 2017

28th January 2017

14th March 2017

28th March 2017

 

2017 is too far away, and the 2 options I've been given for 2016, one of them leaves from Auckland & arrives in Sydney, the other leaves Sydney, arrives in Auckland.

 

I booked a trip from Sydney - NZ - Sydney..... I'm not going to purchase airfares to or from a different country.

 

Obviously, I do not know you personally. I do not know your circumstances. I do not know your life.

 

December 16 cruise includes Christmas. Perhaps you don't want to be away at Christmas. But that is considered an EXTREMELY desirable cruise, and I am surprised that they are offering it at all.

 

The January 6 cruise is IDENTICAL to your October cruise, and is less than three months later.

 

Seriously, you wouldn't switch to the 6th of January cruise, with additional OBC??????

 

You can't just stamp your feet and throw yourself on the floor, demanding your October cruise. It's gone. Deal with it. The alternatives are GOOD choices.

 

Or you can just get your money back and stay home.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Merion_Mom

[grand isle joe]

I would start looking at other cruise line options. Let's face it RCL just took the easy money from the charter and left you to fend for yourself. Yes they gave you some dates but not the courtesy of a phone call. Even if they offer you $200.00 big deal.....you have to spend it on the ship where everything is overprice 100 times over. They "are not really into you" as they saying goes.

[missmetal]

The December 16th Cruise also LEAVES from Auckland! How am I going to be on the ship if I live in Sydney?

[Merion_Mom]

These are the dates I was offered, with no additional information....

 

3rd December 2016

16th December 2016

6th January 2017

28th January 2017

14th March 2017

28th March 2017

 

2017 is too far away, and the 2 options I've been given for 2016, one of them leaves from Auckland & arrives in Sydney, the other leaves Sydney, arrives in Auckland.

 

I booked a trip from Sydney - NZ - Sydney..... I'm not going to purchase airfares to or from a different country.

 

How did you book your cruise in the first place? It does not sound like you used a travel agent, since you have not mentioned one.

 

Did you book by calling up Royal Caribbean directly? Did you book on the website? In either case, you clearly used the website in the first place to select the October cruise.

 

You know how to use the website.

 

I am trying to help you by looking at the website and reporting what is there.

[Merion_Mom]

The December 16th Cruise also LEAVES from Auckland! How am I going to be on the ship if I live in Sydney?

 

Ok, so you don't want to fly. (although the vast majority of cruisers on all continents fly to their cruises. It's not a big deal.)

 

Take the January 6 cruise. Identical to your October cruise.

[missmetal]

I booked via phone with RCI to book the October cruise. Then I booked for the 16th December cruise (thinking it would also be a 14 night cruise), then I logged into the RCI website to ensure the information was correct, and it said it was a 10 day Christmas cruise from Auckland NZ.

 

I live in Australia, I'm not flying to NZ to get on a cruise.

[missmetal]

January 2017 is pretty far away. I'm 25 years old.... I'll be 27 when I go on the cruise lol I would rather go on a cruise in 2016.

[grand isle joe]

The December 16th Cruise also LEAVES from Auckland! How am I going to be on the ship if I live in Sydney?

 

.....Americans have no idea just how large the CONTINENT of Australia really is......they hardly ever turn the desk globe.