RCL Customer Service!! Vets

[Frank1959]

I sent an email to RCL, stating that it was hard for American veterans to achieve a discount, when living outside of the US. This was 48 hours ago. I received a call, from the executive office and talked with a representative. A real nice woman - Noreen. She said the the CEO had read my e mail and made comments on it. She was instructed to call me. She said that I was right in that American veterans living abroad, cannot, at this time, take advantage of some military discounts. The CEO has instructed the Revenues department to look into the matter. Maybe there will be a change in the near future!:) We had a nice conversation, for about 30 minutes.

Who says that Royal Caribbean has a bad customer service? I have taken 3 cruises and the 4th coming up in 10 days. They are very helpful. Never had a problem with them. Maybe it is the way that people approach the problem.

Vets: look in the May offers for military appreciation offers!

Edited August 25, 2015 by Frank1959
addition

[Dlanco]

I'm a combat veteran (living in the United States). I'm not exactly sure what you mean by not able to "achieve a discount, when living outside of the US." What does this mean? What specificly did they tell you about military discounts? I've always "checked the block" on the booking page to identify myself for a potential "military rate" but I have never seen an actual "discount" in the fare reduction per se when the mock booking is presented as a quote for the cruise.

[Frank1959]

I have seen an OBC being offered up to $200 per cruise for Vets. Depends on the length of the cruise. May is military appreciation month. It is supposed to be an additional incentive / discount. We will have to wait and see.:)

I had checked my booking and asked where my military discount was. It was not available in Germany... Check with your travel agent.

[sr4mjc]

I've not had much luck with military rates even being in the US. Once I got it for a Med reposition cruise.

[Dlanco]

I'm not sure but perhaps the RCCL booking site is a bit misleading. Someone who checks the military/police/fire block on the booking page assumes that ALL bookings will have a military discounted fare as part of the quote (not just the Military Appreciation Month of May) . You wanna impress me RCCL reduce the fare across the board 5 - 10% off the total booking amount ON TOP of any other discount offers for Military/Fire/Police. Then clearly state as such in the booking quote offer calculation so you can see what kind of a "discount" you are really getting.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Dlanco

[Maya57]

There are several cruise lines that offer veteran discounts. It usually is not across the board but on selective ships, and/or dates.

 

I have not had problems getting this discount when applicable. All I needed was a copy of my DD214.

[MCC retired]

Although most cruise lines offer an occasional Military rate on certain sailings ,

there are only 2 cruise lines that offer Military OBC ($$ based on cruise length) , on every ship , every sailing . Princess and Cunard

[Ren1216]

What the OP is saying is that when you live outside of the US, you do not qualify for the same fares and discounts that those living in the US can get. The booking system is different and the rules are different.

 

Frank -- I'm glad your email reached the eyes of someone important and that the company is now looking into their policy on military discounts. I hope the few minutes it took you to send that email affects change for our veterans who enjoy cruising. Kudos!

[Dlanco]

Although most cruise lines offer an occasional Military rate on certain sailings ,

there are only 2 cruise lines that offer Military OBC ($$ based on cruise length) , on every ship , every sailing . Princess and Cunard

 

So with the "limited" number of sailing dates, that RCCL offers reduction discounts for military doesn't it make sense that they remove the "military" checkbox off the booking site. It suggests you are asking for a fare reduction rate that most never gets applied.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Dlanco

[Ren1216]

So with the "limited" number of sailing dates, that RCCL offers reduction discounts for military doesn't it make sense that they remove the "military" checkbox off the booking site. It suggests you are asking for a fare reduction rate that most never gets applied.

 

The military check box serves the same purpose as the Over 55 box and the pull-down for your State of Residence. The system takes into account all of the possible discounts that you qualify for (military, age, residency promotions) and applies one if your sailing qualifies.

 

It's nice to hear that Princess always gives veterans something - thanks for sharing that info, now I know.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Ren1216

[Frank1959]

the problem was that there was no military check box in Germany's RCL site.

[christi1805]

In 2013 I wrote an email to CEO, Mr Goldstein then. After he received the email he tasked one of his directors with the military issue for/in Germany. A year passed, another HQ employee contacted me, but eventually after some 4-5 emails and 2 tel calls the matter died without a solution.

Here is my original email that was first received very enthusiastically:

 

Subject: Review of discrimination issue

 

Dear Mr Goldstein,

 

after the recent management reorganization within your HQ, I would

like to draw your attention again to an issue which should be solved by RCI.

Before I will lay out where RCCL discriminates me and my military

"breed" , I'd like to introduce myself:

xxxxxxx, Colonel, German Air Force, 38 years active service,

high Diamond Plus and a vivid fan of RCCL.

 

Discussion:

RCCL grants military rates on some cruises for US and Canadian

military, active and retired. Recently this policy has been extended

to include the UK military. We German military are excluded from

this policy although fighting together in NATO and of course

in Afghanistan AFG and other parts of the world as well, side by

side with our comrades from Canada, US and UK, but - no military

rebate granted here in Germany. BTW, we have some 4000 troops

stationed in AFG and we loose lives and body parts as well and

suffer the same miserable life there as my US-, Canadian- and

British colleagues.

I think this is a discrimination to us allied, non-US military and

should be easily solved by either stop the US/Canadian/UK military

discounting or include the NATO allies who fight the same threats

and who go with the US colleagues shoulder by shoulder into the same

harms way!

I by myself was always categorically denied the military discount

when asking RCCL Miami, even when I was stationed as a German Air

Force commanding officer in Texas and Alabama for-yes- a total of 10

years. I also fought side by side in AFG with US troops and cannot

understand the total neglecting of European military and the denial

of their sacrifices to our common Western societies. They/we die for

the same cause.

RCCL's policy for us is not comprehensible, especially that an

increasing number of cruisers with RCCL come from Germany.

 

I wish RCCL would stop this unfairness and recognizes military rates

for us German Armed Forces as well.

 

Nothing prevents RCCL from lifting the discrimination here. There

are no laws preventing discounts for certain groups or individuals,

to include the military!

 

This has been addressed and discussed in Cruise Critics several

times with full sympathies from our US and Canadian military

colleagues who support my/our pledge to treat our military equal.

 

I wish this email comes through to you and you deliberate on a

change of policy either way.

 

Sincerely

 

 

The immediate response was as follows:

 

Dear xxxx yyyy,

 

My name is A xxxx and I oversee our Corporate Guest Relations department. I would like to take a moment to thank you, not only for your email, patronage to our company, and your love for our brand, but most importantly for serving along side your NATO comrades.

 

We are also glad that you have taken time to share your thoughts on our Military Discount offerings. Mr. Goldstein has forwarded your message to me for addressing and I am glad to report that we are going to be reviewing your letter in our meeting later on this week and discussing the concerns that you have brought to our attention. While I cannot assure you of what the outcome will be, you are definitely being heard.

 

I will be in touch with you later next week with an update.

 

Again - thank you!

 

Respectully,

Edited August 26, 2015 by christi1805

[Frank1959]

Colonel,

I understand the way you are thinking, but if your own country does not support their Veterans, I do not see why an American company would. I have not seen one company, here in Germany, which extends a military veteran, service member discount to Americans or Germans. I can not receive any US Veteran benefits on the German side of the house. If there were benefits available to US Veterans, here in Germany, then it would be another matter. I have been living in Germany, as an American veteran, since 1986. I am, totally, involved in the German system, pay German taxes, as well as US taxes, and own a German business.

I guess if they extended the military benefits to all of the Veterans, in the whole world, America would be the only one who did and would lose out.

Maybe if Germany invested more into their own system and support the German service members, something could evolve. Just look at the American Veteran Administration, for example. I have German friends who would love (and deserve) it.

 

This is not a RCI opinion. Its mine.

 

Again, thanks for your service and support in the NATO missions.

[Dlanco]

Gentlemen, you are going to be very hard pressed to get a US based corporation to honor "foreign" military with specific perks/benefits (other than those already recognized). I would doubt very much the Colonel from Germany will hear back from RCCL on honoring them with a recognized “military” discount.