RCI Incompetence

[dubaihammer]

Recently I booked two back to back cruises out of Singapore on the Mariner on the RCI website. I paid the deposit and a first payment online and then stupidly e-mailed RCI asking them to ensure that the two bookings were seen as back to back. They have managed to do that, but now I cannot make any payments on the booking as I get the message "Please note that only reservations made on RoyalCaribbean.com with your My Cruises account can be modified online. You can however complete your Online Check-In and make advanced reservations using our Cruise Planner". I have e-mailed and used the support contact messaging but I am still unable to pay for my cruise. Any suggestions as to how to sort this out?

[Freehike]

Uhh....call them

 

 

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[voyager70]

So it will not allow you to make payments online? That's very odd. I would call the C&A department to try to get it sorted. I usually have much better luck with them.

[hancogran]

We had the same thing happen to us last year on our Brilliance transatlantic. We booked it online but then had to call a few months later because of a price drop. They gave us the requested price drop but after that, we could not make any payments online.. had to call RCI and sometimes we were on hold forever! We were getting the same message you did.

 

We ended up just waiting till final payment and paid the whole thing off. I prefer to send so much a month (and see the balance going down) but it was just too much of a hassle going through that. At times we had to wait 15 or 20 minutes, or more to speak with somebody and give them our credit card info.

 

Sorry I can't help you but we found it was easier just to wait till final payment was due and not deal with RCI till that point. I still hesitate to call them about anything for fear of something else getting screwed up! :rolleyes:

[cruisingsince94]

Recently I booked two back to back cruises out of Singapore on the Mariner on the RCI website. I paid the deposit and a first payment online and then stupidly e-mailed RCI asking them to ensure that the two bookings were seen as back to back. They have managed to do that, but now I cannot make any payments on the booking as I get the message "Please note that only reservations made on RoyalCaribbean.com with your My Cruises account can be modified online. You can however complete your Online Check-In and make advanced reservations using our Cruise Planner". I have e-mailed and used the support contact messaging but I am still unable to pay for my cruise. Any suggestions as to how to sort this out?

 

I see from your post that your in the U.A.E. Go on the RCCL website and look up the contact number for the international office for Asia. They should be able to help and get your payments processed for you.

[hancogran]

We had the same thing happen to us last year on our Brilliance transatlantic. We booked it online but then had to call a few months later because of a price drop. They gave us the requested price drop but after that, we could not make any payments online.. had to call RCI and sometimes we were on hold forever! We were getting the same message you did.

 

We ended up just waiting till final payment and paid the whole thing off. I prefer to send so much a month (and see the balance going down) but it was just too much of a hassle going through that. At times we had to wait 15 or 20 minutes, or more to speak with somebody and give them our credit card info.

 

Sorry I can't help you but we found it was easier just to wait till final payment was due and not deal with RCI till that point. I still hesitate to call them about anything for fear of something else getting screwed up! :rolleyes:

 

They got their IT department involved when we told them what was happening but even THEY didn't know the reason we couldn't pay online. :rolleyes:

[bouhunter]

Uhh....call them

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yep. The obsession with doing everything online i dont get.

[Paulette3028]

Recently I booked two back to back cruises out of Singapore on the Mariner on the RCI website. I paid the deposit and a first payment online and then stupidly e-mailed RCI asking them to ensure that the two bookings were seen as back to back. They have managed to do that, but now I cannot make any payments on the booking as I get the message "Please note that only reservations made on RoyalCaribbean.com with your My Cruises account can be modified online. You can however complete your Online Check-In and make advanced reservations using our Cruise Planner". I have e-mailed and used the support contact messaging but I am still unable to pay for my cruise. Any suggestions as to how to sort this out?

 

Pardon my ignorance, since I have never taken B2B cruises --- hopefully that will happen one day.

 

If you booked two cruises, and the second cruise is the immediate departure date that the first cruise returns to port on the very same ship.....why is there any need to take care of anything else prior to final payment date or the sale date of the first cruise?

[roquejo]

Recently I booked two back to back cruises out of Singapore on the Mariner on the RCI website. I paid the deposit and a first payment online and then stupidly e-mailed RCI asking them to ensure that the two bookings were seen as back to back. They have managed to do that, but now I cannot make any payments on the booking as I get the message "Please note that only reservations made on RoyalCaribbean.com with your My Cruises account can be modified online. You can however complete your Online Check-In and make advanced reservations using our Cruise Planner". I have e-mailed and used the support contact messaging but I am still unable to pay for my cruise. Any suggestions as to how to sort this out?

 

It did happened to me when I booked next cruise in Voyager. When I imported it to my online profile, there was a question whether I'll be the one to manage it, I incorrectly selected NO...

 

After that I am getting the same message as you. I called reservations and they say I have to pay over the phone during final payment. But I asked them to contact their IT department to set the booking manager to me. After a few days, it was fixed and I can pay online.

 

So I think what happened to you is when the RCCL staff modified your, booking he/she might have accidentally removed you as the manager of the your own online booking.

 

The default and correct settings here is if you booked online, the manager field is set to you. But if you booked via an agent, the manager field is set to that agent.

Edited March 24, 2016 by roquejo

[CVU]

I use their on line web page for research and any money to pay or booking to do I call them. I don't trust their web page for important things!:D

[DrD]

I suspect they will quickly figure out how to take your money. they are good at that.

[dln929]

Pardon my ignorance, since I have never taken B2B cruises --- hopefully that will happen one day.

 

If you booked two cruises, and the second cruise is the immediate departure date that the first cruise returns to port on the very same ship.....why is there any need to take care of anything else prior to final payment date or the sale date of the first cruise?

 

I don't get that either. We were on a B2B on the Navigator but we used two different travel agents so for that reason it wasn't recognized as a B2B. Somehow we managed just fine. :rolleyes:

[dplusd]

If you booked two cruises, and the second cruise is the immediate departure date that the first cruise returns to port on the very same ship.....why is there any need to take care of anything else prior to final payment date or the sale date of the first cruise?

 

By having your cruises linked as B2B you will be included in all of the consecutive cruiser information delivered to your stateroom. It contains important information about turnaround day, including where and when to meet to be walked off to clear immigration and re-boarded prior to general boarding for the next cruise. Depending on the sailing and number of consecutive cruisers, their may be a special lunch in the MDR, which is a very nice way to start your next cruise!

[Paulette3028]

I don't get that either. We were on a B2B on the Navigator but we used two different travel agents so for that reason it wasn't recognized as a B2B. Somehow we managed just fine. :rolleyes:

 

By having your cruises linked as B2B you will be included in all of the consecutive cruiser information delivered to your stateroom. It contains important information about turnaround day, including where and when to meet to be walked off to clear immigration and re-boarded prior to general boarding for the next cruise. Depending on the sailing and number of consecutive cruisers, their may be a special lunch in the MDR, which is a very nice way to start your next cruise!

 

I understand how turnaround day is different for B2B cruisers and inclusion in the information distribution and activities associated with the turnaround that are special is important. From DLN929's post using two different travel agents caused their cruises not to be recognized as a B2B by the cruise line, which seems silly to me, since cruisers names, address, C&A # (if applicable) would be the same on both reservations. Not withstanding as DLN929 said, they managed just fine.

 

To me, I would make sure after final payment was made that the linkage was done to assure it as being a B2B or when I got on board the first cruise head directly to Guest Services and alert them to the fact and even make sure the Loyalty Ambassador knows.

 

It would be different if Royal actually gave people some type of discount on the second leg of a B2B, then it would be important to have the two cruises linked from the time of booking. But they don't.

[Keith1010]

I would call them.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

Recently I booked two back to back cruises out of Singapore on the Mariner on the RCI website. I paid the deposit and a first payment online and then stupidly e-mailed RCI asking them to ensure that the two bookings were seen as back to back. They have managed to do that, but now I cannot make any payments on the booking as I get the message "Please note that only reservations made on RoyalCaribbean.com with your My Cruises account can be modified online. You can however complete your Online Check-In and make advanced reservations using our Cruise Planner". I have e-mailed and used the support contact messaging but I am still unable to pay for my cruise. Any suggestions as to how to sort this out?

I'd call C&A at 800-526-9723.

[Keith1010]

I always think it's best to call and speak with a live person.

 

Let us know how this turns out.

 

Keith

[Firefighterhoop]

That has happened to me a few times. Usually if you get that message you can do anything but make major changes, but at times I have been locked out of everything except for set sail. (Haven't been able to pay or anything).

 

At that point the only thing you can do is call.

[Merion_Mom]

I NEVER ask them to link my B2B cruises when I am booking them.

 

That can wait pretty much until the last minute, when it is too late for them to screw anything up.

 

:rolleyes:

[LeeW]

The key to a B2B isn't telling them in advance - it is filling out the cruise personalizer information. One of the pages indicates your plans for departure day (flying, car, ...) and a choice is Continuing Passenger. Select this on the first cruise and when you fill out a lot of information on the second it will already be there.

 

You should get information on the procedures delivered about two days before the end of the first cruise. If they give you luggage tags you know they haven't figured out you are staying on. Go to Passenger Services if this happens. They normally pass out an information sheet and may have a meeting to outline procedures.

[Tripper10]

Yep. The obsession with doing everything online i dont get.

 

There is value in not actually talking to annoying humans, that's why.

[riclop]

Recently I booked two back to back cruises out of Singapore on the Mariner on the RCI website. I paid the deposit and a first payment online and then stupidly e-mailed RCI asking them to ensure that the two bookings were seen as back to back. They have managed to do that, but now I cannot make any payments on the booking as I get the message "Please note that only reservations made on RoyalCaribbean.com with your My Cruises account can be modified online. You can however complete your Online Check-In and make advanced reservations using our Cruise Planner". I have e-mailed and used the support contact messaging but I am still unable to pay for my cruise. Any suggestions as to how to sort this out?

How about a phone call.

[Coralc]

It is the linking that fouled it up. In the future, my advice would be to not link B2B cruises, until your are just a few weeks out from the sail date.

 

Having them linked does something to the system that limits your ability to do a lot of things with your sailings.

[dplusd]

I understand how turnaround day is different for B2B cruisers and inclusion in the information distribution and activities associated with the turnaround that are special is important. From DLN929's post using two different travel agents caused their cruises not to be recognized as a B2B by the cruise line, which seems silly to me, since cruisers names, address, C&A # (if applicable) would be the same on both reservations. Not withstanding as DLN929 said, they managed just fine.

 

To me, I would make sure after final payment was made that the linkage was done to assure it as being a B2B or when I got on board the first cruise head directly to Guest Services and alert them to the fact and even make sure the Loyalty Ambassador knows.

 

On our most recent B2B my TA told me should could not link the cruises as B2B...something about one of them being a part of a "group". She told me to go to Guest Services during the first cruise and let them know we were on a B2B. We did that everything worked fine. All of the turnaround information was delivered to our stateroom and even our room steward knew and took us down the hall to meet our new steward (we had to change rooms that time).

[perfect match]

I NEVER ask them to link my B2B cruises when I am booking them.

 

That can wait pretty much until the last minute, when it is too late for them to screw anything up.

 

:rolleyes:

 

Really? There is a time when it is too late for them to screw things up? :confused: :eek:

 

So if that is true, then maybe unicorns DO exist! :D

 

Actually, I have been fortunate enough that nothing of ours has been screwed up - yet. :cool: