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Majesty of the Seas - Aug 28th Delayed Boarding

DrHokie14

By DrHokie14,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Buffnuts

Buffnuts

Posted
Posted (edited)

I was on the Nov. 6th delayed maintenance cruise and it was a certified disaster. Got to the port shortly before 6 as instructed and proceeded to get herded like cattle for 4 hours before finally boarding close to 10 PM. There was no communication, no announcement, a complete lack of personnel. We were basically shuffling in line from one waiting area to the next. It started with sitting outside in 88 degree Miami humid weather for close to an hour, with 2 port employees trying to control the mass of humanity trying to get indoors. In typical lowlife Miami form, people were cutting the line, arguing with personnel and ignoring orders and it was basicallly a free for all. We saw a crowd of about 20 people arrive and cut right in front of people who had been waiting outside for an hour. We were then moved to the security checkpoint not being allowed to actually go through the scanners and we stood/sat on the floor for close to another hour before then being shifted to the check in area. Once again, no organization, no direction as first time cruisers were getting in the Diamond, Platinum and Emerald check in lines while others waited in a monstrous regular check in line.

 

Thinking we were finally seeing the end, after we checked in, we were stopped yet again for another hour before being herded to the stairs to finally board. For most of this time, no chairs, no water, no food, no explanation, nothing. Finally 3 hours into the wait, they brought these pathetic wonder bread tuna sandwiches that I wouldnt feed to a homeless person.

 

Our entire 1st day of the cruise was ruined. We ended up boarding the ship about 9 hours after we would have and were inconvenienced and made to wait like a herd of cows for 4 hours and Royal thinks $25 OBC is sufficient compensation for the loss and our time. Realize that a $25 OBC costs Royal next to nothing. Even if did cost them $25, their total loss for 2500 passengers is $62,500. Thats what shafting paying customers a day of vacation is costing them. In reality it cost them next to nothing.

 

I am an Emerald member and was really looking forward to reaching Diamond status but at this point, what's the point? The Diamond benefits aint all that anyway. Royal obviously doesnt care about its customers. All they care about is building new boats and $$$ signs. They dont care about their employees either. If you ever want to be depressed, sit and talk to an on board employee and let them tell you the horror stories about how they are treated and how much Royal has cut back their pay, their benefits and the conditions they live in. They dont even provide uniforms for the dining and stateroom staff anymore. If you have wondered where Royal's past great service has gone, there's your answer.

 

I have my attorney, who I also working for contacting them and totally intend to file a small claims suit for a full refund. I would have been happy with something that truly compensated me for a lost day, but now I am going for the full fare. I invite anyone on this ship to do the same. You have a case. Royal did not provide the cruise vacation you paid for. In small claims court the burden of proof is not as stringent as it is in regular civil or federal court and Royal is definitely a collectible judgment.

Edited by Buffnuts
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reallyitsmema

reallyitsmema

Posted
Posted (edited)

Buffnuts, there is another thread about your particular sailing that you should look for that has information from someone who was in contact with the executive office. Supposedly, they are reviewing what happened and are working on additional compensation.

 

Edit: Found a link for you.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2277091

Edited by reallyitsmema
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Buffnuts

Buffnuts

Posted
Posted
Buffnuts, there is another thread about your particular sailing that you should look for that has information from someone who was in contact with the executive office. Supposedly, they are reviewing what happened and are working on additional compensation.

 

Edit: Found a link for you.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2277091

 

Thanks. I spoke to corporate yesterday and they read from a script. Werent interested in anything and were responding with answers about Bayside which I didnt go to and unsafe ships which I wasnt even complaining about. But I will look into this link.

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Buffnuts

Buffnuts

Posted
Posted
how much are you going to pay your lawyer to get your cruise refund? As above, good luck with winning this case.

 

Nothing. He's my boss. You really dont need an attorney in small claims court anyway. Think Old People's Court episodes.

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FLACRUISER99

FLACRUISER99

Posted
Posted

From the cruise contract.

"6. CANCELLATION, DEVIATION OR SUBSTITUTION BY CARRIER:

a) Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel,

advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing, port of call, destination,

lodging or any activity. Except as provided in Section 6(e) below, Carrier shall

not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including but not limited

to loss, compensation or refund, by reason of such cancellation, advancement,

postponement, substitution or deviation"

 

"e) In the event that a Cruise (or the cruise component of a CruiseTour) is canceled

or terminated early due to mechanical failures:

i) Passenger shall have a right to a full refund of the Cruise Fare if the Cruise is

canceled in full, or a partial refund if the cruise is terminated early"

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  • 9 months later...
ET!

ET!

Posted
Posted

reviving this thread as it is happening AGAIN !

thanks to those of you who posted on past experiences..it has helped set our expectations. we are due to set sail net monday 8/22 out of Canaveral and just got the email last night that they will be doing maintenance on the water system...will delay boarding now to be from 5:30-7:30 ...this of course totally screwed up our previous days travel and hotel arrangements. and being a tad older and having back surgery, the thought of standing around on pavement for 4 plus hours really will sour the day.

 

 

made the phone call to RC customer service...first gal (english obviously not her first language) was nice but provided no additional info beyond what was already on the email....requested a supervisor..almost dozed off waiting for that one to pick up... I listened to the supervisor (Jo-anne) chide my wife on our conference call for about 30 seconds before I broke in to confirm that I understood Joanne was appointed supervisor because she had a "tone" in her very unpleasant manner...beyond that, I refrained from the normal colorful explicatives that I am lent to when I encounter such people and such circumstances.

 

Bottom line, we are stuck..and RC knows this. The wife will be blasting this on Trip Adviser after we return, we are altering arrangements on travel plans, hotel, etc , and expecting a miserable evening getting aboard.

our 8:30 dinner? ....laughable..not even expecting to see that...RC's Joanne indicated the buffet might be the option..oh boy..cheese pizza...did I mention I'm not 8 years old?

 

I guess what angers me is that I hate being suckered by the travel industry..and this is not the first time..just my luck I guess.

 

will put on a smile and make the best of things so that I don't add stress to the wife's day. But we will continue to advertise RC's bad business practice...and encourage family and friends to choose a different vacation strategy thta does not include the cruise industry. updates to this thread when we return.:mad::mad::mad:

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torpeedo

torpeedo

Posted
Posted

Ask your hotel for a late check out so you can relax before you board. If you're staying in Cocoa Beach they will probably get the message from the ship and may be able to make accommodations for you. Hopefully things will go smoothly for you once you board so I hope you can relax and have a great cruise!!

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ET!

ET!

Posted
Posted

Hi Gamecock fan..thanks for the reply...yeah we thought about that..cause our plans were to come in Sunday, enjoy the hotel/pool etc and then have a liesurely morning breakfast, cheakout and shuttle over to the dock..leaving our car at the hotel all week..just seemed lik a good plan.

 

what we will do instead now is spend monday driving, arriving in time to board that evening...then we'll move that hotel money to the back end of our trip, spend it with the good folks at orlando hilton and go enjoy Aquatica for a fraction of the price of Atlantis

 

so the Radison looses out on a night's stay revenue thanks to RC as well...and they reported that they are very sparse on bookings next week since school is now back in...

and my guess is that the RC cruise is likely lighter as well..which is why the prices kept dropping since it's post back-to-school....

 

I will make the best of this...i expect to enjoy the balance of the cruise, and it's not more abusive than the air travel industry these days..which is why we thought we might do a cruise instead.. i was just hoping to avoid this travel curse.

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torpeedo

torpeedo

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well I hope you can enjoy your cruise despite the mix up in boarding. We drive from SC and get in the day before because we're always afraid of accidents (others or our own) and traffic delays which would make us miss the cruise. We always do what you described, a leisurely morning and board. That Radisson has a lovely pool by the way! Also you may be pretty tired from a long drive.

Edited by torpeedo
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SC_Floaters

SC_Floaters

Posted
Posted (edited)
Just received this email from RCL:

 

Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International. We would like to provide you with important information regarding your sailing on Friday, August 28, onboard Majesty of the Seas. The ship is scheduled to have important maintenance performed on its water system. Because the cruise terminal at the Port of Miami is very limited in space, boarding will take place between 4 p.m. to 6.p.m. We ask that you NOT arrive at the port for boarding before 4:00 p.m. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation and we look forward to welcoming you onboard.

 

 

Has anyone had delayed boarding before? How has it affected your trip?

 

Sorry for the Post... I was thinking 2016... not 2015.

Dennis

Edited by SC_Floaters
Wrong Date Of Cruise
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ET!

ET!

Posted
Posted

yep...the Radison is the way to go and the night before thing for the very reason you say...travel delay.. I did get travel insurance just in case Murphy shows up along the way.:rolleyes:

 

have already booked the Orlando Hilton for the ending weekend..those folks are first class...and they cut us a great deal..convenient shuttle etc to Sea World..so whatever we enjoyment loose on RC, we'll look to regroup later in the week with other providers

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  • 2 months later...

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