Bumped/Dumped off of RCCL Vision of Seas

[Paulxyz2004]

Just now, jagsfan said:

Oops! I need to remember to look at posting dates!

And see, CC made the changes in format to give you your “like” button!

 

I never wanted a like button and will never use this FB like crap.

[Smag]

5 minutes ago, gatour said:

Well the whole episode sucks, you keep on mentioning "bait and switch" .  There was no bait and switch, until they have a signed contract from company chartering it is prudent for the cruise line to keep booking rooms.  They have no idea that the charter company will actually consumate the contract until the signed contract actually hits the bean counters.

 

If you read YOUR contract they have the right to cancel your sailing or change the intenary.

 

They received the contract from the charter company.  The terms were acceptable to RCCL (proabably means more guranteed dollars than what people who were booking individiual cabins for).

 

Again it sucks for people who had already booked the cruise, and I wish cruise lines would "close the charter potential" earlier but they don't.

 

Bait and switch is a legal concept and be tried in court.  Feel free to contact an attorney to see if you have any legal recourse.  My guess you will just hear crickets on the end of the phone line.

 

 

I didn't get or sign a contract, I did a reservation over the phone and was never told they could, at will, just sell my reservation to anyone else they felt like.  What would be the point of making such a non-reservation?

I got a "cruise vacation receipt", one single page, in an email, which also never mentioned such a thing in the slightest, but was sure to mention MY payment and tipping obligations.

 

Then I get a phone message to 'discuss" my reservation, and it begins.

 

When the line puts up big red and white banners on their website over Black Friday, sells an attractive cruise date at a decent price, that's baiting.  Then when they call you after the new Year and take away what you reserved, and offer to sell you more expensive options, or less valuable options at the same expense, it's switching. 

 

I'm not fool enough to believe that they sold out a cruise over black friday, then sold it again to a group charter by mistake.

 

[sfaaa]

12 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

I don’t believe OP necessarily bought a one way ticket. What we call one way tickets Brits call return. 

Does it matter how much or how little OP spent? 

The point is, he is out that money through no fault of his own. And out the cruise they booked and planned on. Again, through no fault of his own. 

Cruise Lines should have the responsibility of make good expenses already incurred by passengers when cancelling their booking because of a charter. 

He is not out of any money or the cruise. There are other cabins available with extra perks thrown in as compensation on another cruise. OP just would not consider the alternatives. His inflexible choice, his own loss as a result.

Edited January 13, 2019 by sfaaa

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, Smag said:

When the line puts up big red and white banners on their website over Black Friday, sells an attractive cruise date at a decent price, that's baiting. 

FYI - RCI has had those "bait" fake sales for the last 4+ years.

[Smag]

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

FYI - RCI has had those "bait" fake sales for the last 4+ years.

 

Kind of like that furniture store in the next town over that has had a "going out of business liquidation sale" for the last 3 years, with gaudy neon banners that burn out your eyes?

[Paulxyz2004]

6 minutes ago, Smag said:

I didn't get or sign a contract, I did a reservation over the phone and was never told they could, at will, just sell my reservation to anyone else they felt like.  What would be the point of making such a non-reservation?

I got a "cruise vacation receipt", one single page, in an email, which also never mentioned such a thing in the slightest, but was sure to mention MY payment and tipping obligations.

 

Then I get a phone message to 'discuss" my reservation, and it begins.

 

When the line puts up big red and white banners on their website over Black Friday, sells an attractive cruise date at a decent price, that's baiting.  Then when they call you after the new Year and take away what you reserved, and offer to sell you more expensive options, or less valuable options at the same expense, it's switching. 

 

I'm not fool enough to believe that they sold out a cruise over black friday, then sold it again to a group charter by mistake.

 

 

Charters are not made by mistake. Nobody said they were. They are done knowing others need to be bumped and they are a money maker. It‘s a fact you have to live with and shareholders love them making money.

[Paulxyz2004]

3 minutes ago, Smag said:

 

Kind of like that furniture store in the next town over that has had a "going out of business liquidation sale" for the last 3 years, with gaudy neon banners that burn out your eyes?

Yep, you start getting the drift of cruise business.

Is that what you want to deal with? If not take your money elsewhere.

[Smag]

3 minutes ago, Paulxyz2004 said:

Yep, you start getting the drift of cruise business.

Is that what you want to deal with? If not take your money elsewhere.

None of this is anything I want to deal with.  I personally wouldn't take the most expensive cruise these lines offered if they comped it free.  A cruise has no value whatsoever to me, it's the exact opposite of what I want in a vacation.

 

Just trying to please the family.  These lines could make it a little easier by not pulling this crap, and honoring a reservation.  I've never had this type of issue with an airline, a hotel, a resort, a tour company, anyone. 
 

[zdad59]

1 minute ago, Smag said:

None of this is anything I want to deal with.  I personally wouldn't take the most expensive cruise these lines offered if they comped it free.  A cruise has no value whatsoever to me, it's the exact opposite of what I want in a vacation.

 

Just trying to please the family.  These lines could make it a little easier by not pulling this crap, and honoring a reservation.  I've never had this type of issue with an airline, a hotel, a resort, a tour company, anyone. 
 

 

If this is something you don't ever want to deal with, why are you lingering on a site called CRUISEcritic ??

[kmsnyg]

Well, I’m glad this has been bumped.  I am new to cruising and cruise critic,and didn’t know about chartering.  Glad I’m aware even if it’s unlikely to happen.

[gatour]

54 minutes ago, Smag said:

I didn't get or sign a contract, I did a reservation over the phone and was never told they could, at will, just sell my reservation to anyone else they felt like.  What would be the point of making such a non-reservation?

I got a "cruise vacation receipt", one single page, in an email, which also never mentioned such a thing in the slightest, but was sure to mention MY payment and tipping obligations.

 

Then I get a phone message to 'discuss" my reservation, and it begins.

 

When the line puts up big red and white banners on their website over Black Friday, sells an attractive cruise date at a decent price, that's baiting.  Then when they call you after the new Year and take away what you reserved, and offer to sell you more expensive options, or less valuable options at the same expense, it's switching. 

 

I'm not fool enough to believe that they sold out a cruise over black friday, then sold it again to a group charter by mistake.

 

Basically had a verbal contract at the time of booking.  You should have asked to see the terms of the contract while you had the agent on the phone

 

Again go see a lawyer if you think you have a case.

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

I had no idea about this practice either.

 

And what astounds me, as with lots of subjects on here, is some people will defend the cruise lines at all costs, and completely not give two hoots about the inconvenience and sometime monetary loss that a customer may incur. Staggering, imho.

[brillohead]

14 hours ago, Smag said:

 

I regret my choice.

 

I'm really hoping that you decide never to cruise... I certainly wouldn't want to be on a ship with you!
 

14 hours ago, Smag said:

 

Oh, and telling my kids that daddy is a douche

Hey, at least you got one thing right!!!!

[payitforward]

16 hours ago, Smag said:

The RCCL charter racket definitely IS a bait and switch scam.  They advertise a decent rate during a holiday sale, (Black Friday, etc.)  Customer books a date, well in advance.  I booked over a year out to get a date first week of January 2020.

 

RCCL deliberately double/triple sells these popular dates (for families, these ones that are over Christmas break when the kids are out of school.

 

Then after their sale promotion is over, they "cancel" or "charter" the date, and bump all the remaining suckers off onto later dates in January or Febuary "with a guarantee on the same great rate." (for a cheaper cruise)   And many many of them take what is offered because they bought the cruise package for the family as a present or something. 

 

After you are hit with this RCCL scam, if you still need to sail over the holiday break, they will offer to sell you the New Year's cruise, conveniently priced at triple the rate of whatever it was you got bumped from.

 

It's just a cheap, callous way to sell seats on these unpopular dates by baiting and switching and hurting people with families who need to sail over the holiday break, and in good faith made the mistake of booking on RCCL.

 

First, I have to say you are totally cracking me up. Reading your posts makes the insomnia bearable because I am laughing hard. Now: why do you think your cruise was so cheap? Supply and demand - it was not popular. So, if a company comes along and wants to spend the HUGE dollars to charter an entire ship, it makes business sense to do it on dates that haven't sold well, so fewer people are affected.

 

15 hours ago, Smag said:

Whatever lingo you use in this cruise world doesn't matter to me.  If you sell thousands of tickts to the public over a holiday promotion, you don't "umm cancel" on them and then offer them a choice of 4 of your most unpopular dates as a consolation prize, plus a few bucks room credit, unless it's a scam.

 

In addition to other dates, they offered to give you all of your money back! A scam is only a scam if you're out some money.

 

15 hours ago, Smag said:

You know the look on your kid's face on Christmas when you give them a cruise?  You know what it's like when you have to watch it disappear and turn into tears?

 

RCCL knows that look.

RCCL banks on it, because it makes the customer far more desperate and likely accept "choices" like they ones they offer after pulling this scam.

 

I regret my choice.

 

 

SERIOUSLY?!?! You have an entire YEAR to plan another vacation. What did you do, tell them they will spend the holiday break locked in their rooms??

 

15 hours ago, Smag said:

 

Lol, I'm not out any money.  I'm out a lot of time spent buying a cruise, and a whole lot of faith in humanity.

 

Oh, and telling my kids that daddy is a douche and their cruise was a fantasy.

 

But on the bright side, I guess at least I won't have to have them in the hospital with a bad case of Royal Norovirus (a free upgrade better than what I was offered)

 

Here's an idea: use a travel agent.

 

13 hours ago, Smag said:

But first lemme just say: for way less than the price RCCL wanted to charge me for a lousy 4 day Miami-Bahama cruise in a 70 sqft cabin on Dec 30, (which would have doubled again once I paid for my kids to do all the rip-off stuff that's extra $) I have flown to Southeast Asia and spent 10+ days on beaches in Vietnam and Thailand, eating real food, doing real things, and being treated like a real human being by people who were genuinely glad to have business in their resorts.

 

In 2016 had a hotel owner named Ba rent me a 8th floor hardwood-finished balcony room with a view of Halong bay you couldn't dream of, give me down quilts to sleep on, had his family cook me and my daughter a wonderful meal which he ate with us, rented us  motor scooters to drive around the islands, where we explored caves, old forts, palm-tree covered beaches, rock climbing, boats, badminton tournaments, and whatever else. Treated me like I was a grandkid he hadn't seen for a decade.

 

When I checked out, he tried to charge me a total of $25.   That's less than you pay to drink bottled water for one day on one of these cruises.  Even if the lines delivered what they promised, you're still  being ripped-off.

 

So sorry if you like it, but this  whole "cruise" thing just makes me want to vomit like I just got off the Oasis.

 

Bla bla bla..I read: "I'm so wonderful, I'm a saavy world traveler, look at all I've done in this world, Royal Caribbean should have the same business practices as a tiny hotel owner in a third world county....and BTW I never wanted to cruise, so this is such a great excuse to disappoint my kids and blame someone else.

Get over it! You got your money back. If your kids really want to cruise, I can say with  100% certainty that you COULD find an alternative that works on those dates; whatever line it may be. But, since you don't want to, tell your kids you're taking them to Halong Bay. The money you got back will go a long way.

Edited January 14, 2019 by payitforward

[papaflamingo]

14 hours ago, Smag said:

I guess that says everything anybody ever needed to know about cruising. 

 

I've been all over the world, been in fancy places, slept on benches in third world countries, lots of places in between, but I've never felt more of a worthless piece of meat and fool then since my family wanted a cruise.  This whole scene has been one disgusting experience from the first minute, from the first video of one of these horrible ships I watched. 

 

I assure you it wasn't my idea or my cup of tea to be cattle-herded onto a plague infested tin can and be fed virus-infected garbage while I watch horribly lame performers and lose money in slot machines, for the purpose of bragging to people I don't even care about that I went on a cruise.  This sucks.  I got my own boat.  This was for my family who wanted it.

 

The fact that I was B&S scammed, immediately, by one of the biggest players in the industry, only drives the reality home even harder.

So...have to ask...are you going to book another cruise or are you moving on to land only  vacations?  

[mugtech]

12 hours ago, Smag said:

None of this is anything I want to deal with.  I personally wouldn't take the most expensive cruise these lines offered if they comped it free.  A cruise has no value whatsoever to me, it's the exact opposite of what I want in a vacation.

 

Just trying to please the family.  These lines could make it a little easier by not pulling this crap, and honoring a reservation.  I've never had this type of issue with an airline, a hotel, a resort, a tour company, anyone. 
 

Yes, this is a great potential learning experience for your children.  Perhaps you should follow the lyrics of South Pacific's You've Got to be Carefully Taught, as in "You've Got to be taught, before it's too late, before you are 6 or 7 or 8, to hate all the people your relatives hate. You've got to be Carefully taught."  Wish one of the ships would do South Pacific.

[parrotfeathers]

I had never heard of Halong Bay as a vacation destination so spent a few minutes reading about it.  It sounds very interesting for an adventurous adult, but I can certainly see why your child (children) has no desire to return.

[Aquahound]

13 hours ago, Smag said:

None of this is anything I want to deal with.  I personally wouldn't take the most expensive cruise these lines offered if they comped it free.  A cruise has no value whatsoever to me, it's the exact opposite of what I want in a vacation.

 

Just trying to please the family.  These lines could make it a little easier by not pulling this crap, and honoring a reservation.  I've never had this type of issue with an airline, a hotel, a resort, a tour company, anyone. 
 

 

14 hours ago, Smag said:

I am still trying.  Now I have to do it twice. The family knows I hate this.  But I want them to get what they want.  Looking at other different lines again.  But someone here said they are all crooked and will all  burn your reservation in a heartbeat if they think they can snatch up another dollar for doing it.

 

If you hate this so much, how about allowing someone else in the family to make the plans?  Just making a suggestion to save you the ulcer you seem to be forming.  

[mjkacmom]

Just a FYI, you booked your precious family a cheap 4 day booze cruise to the Bahamas, bottom of the barrel. My kids love cruising, but the only short cruise we’ve done is Disney. Our Christmas was a little emotional too, my father had a heart attack and died a few days before Christmas (lived in the same town as us), so no holly jolly Christmas here.

[A&L_Ont]

3 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

 

If you hate this so much, how about allowing someone else in the family to make the plans?  Just making a suggestion to save you the ulcer you seem to be forming.  

 

My father-in-law wore this type of “ulcer” with pride, complaining to anyone and everyone that listened. More often than not his “problems” were resolved rather quickly and the mountain quickly became mole hills. 

[Mikew0805]

14 hours ago, jagsfan said:

Do you see the Heart next to your post? 

Press it, and you’ll see three choices. One is a “like” button. 

My post was long before the switch to this new software. There were no like buttons back then.

[jagsfan]

28 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

My post was long before the switch to this new software. There were no like buttons back then.

Yes,  someone else pointed that out. My bad for not looking at the date!😧

[xpcdoojk]

Getting your cruise cancelled because a large group charter sucks.  You know what sucks worse have a large group charter on your cruise that you are not part of.  The cruise will be significantly impacted.  You may not have access to all locations.

 

FACT:  All cruiselines that I am aware of do this.  It is in every cruiselines contract that you agree to whether you read it or not.  Trashing any single cruiseline, just makes you look silly.  

 

FACT:  The large resort located on Paradise Island (Previously known as Pig Island gotta love marketing) that starts with an A.  Does charters.  We did a charter there where we had a group of almost 300 people there from 5 days up to 10 days.  Unfortunately, a larger group were there when we were.  The giant pool between the hotel and the beach was closed for the entire time we were there for a private function.

 

Again, getting your cruise cancelled sucks.  Get over it.

 

jc

[payitforward]

33 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

Getting your cruise cancelled because a large group charter sucks.  You know what sucks worse have a large group charter on your cruise that you are not part of.  The cruise will be significantly impacted.  You may not have access to all locations.

 

FACT:  All cruiselines that I am aware of do this.  It is in every cruiselines contract that you agree to whether you read it or not.  Trashing any single cruiseline, just makes you look silly.  

 

FACT:  The large resort located on Paradise Island (Previously known as Pig Island gotta love marketing) that starts with an A.  Does charters.  We did a charter there where we had a group of almost 300 people there from 5 days up to 10 days.  Unfortunately, a larger group were there when we were.  The giant pool between the hotel and the beach was closed for the entire time we were there for a private function.

 

Again, getting your cruise cancelled sucks.  Get over it.

 

jc

 

Yep. I have a group that chartered a different resort on that same island. I'll be there in March.

[SRF]

On 1/13/2019 at 1:27 PM, Smag said:

The RCCL charter racket definitely IS a bait and switch scam.  They advertise a decent rate during a holiday sale, (Black Friday, etc.)  Customer books a date, well in advance.  I booked over a year out to get a date first week of January 2020.

 

RCCL deliberately double/triple sells these popular dates (for families, these ones that are over Christmas break when the kids are out of school.

 

Then after their sale promotion is over, they "cancel" or "charter" the date, and bump all the remaining suckers off onto later dates in January or Febuary "with a guarantee on the same great rate." (for a cheaper cruise)   And many many of them take what is offered because they bought the cruise package for the family as a present or something. 

 

After you are hit with this RCCL scam, if you still need to sail over the holiday break, they will offer to sell you the New Year's cruise, conveniently priced at triple the rate of whatever it was you got bumped from.

 

So yes, RCCL will BAIT the customer with an attractive offer, appear to book them a room on a date they can sail on, then SWITCH them after the promotion is over to get as many of them shoved off onto the less popular January/February cruises as possible.

 

It's just a cheap, callous way to sell seats on these unpopular dates by baiting and switching and hurting people with families who need to sail over the holiday break, and in good faith made the mistake of booking on RCCL.

 

It is not a bait and switch.

 

The DO charter ships.  And SURPRISE, many of those charters are for popular times.

 

And you are accusing them of selling 2 - 3 times the number of cabins, only to cancel.  Hmmm, so how to the accommodate all those people on 2 or 3 sailings that already have bookings???????

 

If you believe they are really doing a bait and switch, you need to contact the Florida Attorney General's office and file and official complaint.  Of course, they will want more than wild accusations.