Deceptive Advertising by Royal Carribean

[Luminated67]

Bahamas in my opinion is overrated.

 

Given the choice between Bahamas and Miami I’d pick Bahamas.

 

Though I haven’t been there myself my brother-in-law has been twice, the first time they hated it but felt it was their teen aged daughter playing up so went back the following year just him and the wife and had the exact same opinion of it.

 

At every opportunity there’s someone holding their hand out for a tip.

[Domino D]

Well, I have to say that you folks have changed my mind. After participating in this thread and thinking about it I can now say that I think Royal is absolutely legally obligated to refund the OP's money and can be challenged in court. Why? There are two sets of terms and conditions at play here- the terms of the booking (non-refundable deposit) and the cruise contract itself. In any contract there has to be offer and acceptance. When OP booked he was booking a certain itinerary with certain booking conditions. Offer and acceptance, valid contract. Royal unilaterally changed the terms of the booking by changing the itinerary. Since the OP does not accept this there is no longer an offer with acceptance and no longer a contract.

 

If I were the OP I would present it to my credit card company just this way in a credit card dispute. No need for lawyers at all.

 

I love your passion, and think you are morally correct, but there is no legal claim. Legally, you have NO expectation of booking a certain itinerary. I know that make no sense from a consumer point of view. Part of what was offered and accepted, at the time of purchase, is Section 6, which makes it clear that you understand this might happen, and what remedies will be available. You can dispute it, and why not. However, that claim will come down to this section as well. Unfortunately, this is what you agreed to, and is all they are required to provide. You can not prove deception or fraud. You can not claim failure to deliver what was promised. Legally nothing specific is promised. Quite honestly, this is the clearest contract language I have ever seen.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/content/faq/cruise-ticket-contract.pdf

 

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 on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or 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.

 

 

Again, I am not talking about fair or right. If I were in this situation, I would keep escalating it at Royal itself. I would plead for understanding and mercy. I would be polite and acknowledge that I am asking for something special. I would do this because so long as it's a fight, I'm losing. Someone at Royal can and will give you back the money, the trick is getting to that person.

[sparks1093]

You want to post those "terms of the booking"?

OP did not book an itinerary. He booked a cruise which allows the cruise line to change ports at their discretion.

 

You should try to get a refund on the tuition for your law degree.

 

Not worth it, $60 at a Holiday Inn Express.;)

[sparks1093]

I love your passion, and think you are morally correct, but there is no legal claim. Legally, you have NO expectation of booking a certain itinerary. I know that make no sense from a consumer point of view. Part of what was offered and accepted, at the time of purchase, is Section 6, which makes it clear that you understand this might happen, and what remedies will be available. You can dispute it, and why not. However, that claim will come down to this section as well. Unfortunately, this is what you agreed to, and is all they are required to provide. You can not prove deception or fraud. You can not claim failure to deliver what was promised. Legally nothing specific is promised. Quite honestly, this is the clearest contract language I have ever seen.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/content/faq/cruise-ticket-contract.pdf

 

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 on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or 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.

 

 

Again, I am not talking about fair or right. If I were in this situation, I would keep escalating it at Royal itself. I would plead for understanding and mercy. I would be polite and acknowledge that I am asking for something special. I would do this because so long as it's a fight, I'm losing. Someone at Royal can and will give you back the money, the trick is getting to that person.

 

Except that a contract that doesn't actually promise anything is legally unenforceable, at least as I understand it.

[Domino D]

Not worth it, $60 at a Holiday Inn Express.;)

 

Ha... I get it. Love that ad

[Domino D]

Except that a contract that doesn't actually promise anything is legally unenforceable, at least as I understand it.

 

Sort of. Any contract can be challenged. You have to find a legal argument in order to invalidate it. Plus, once a contract is challenged, and a judge upholds it, then it is found legally enforced. I would have to guess this has been challenged. I know it sucks, but this is pretty ironclad. Of course that is an opinion. It would cost someone a lot of money to find out if I'm right.

 

I should have been clearer, that statement was way to simplified, it doesn't promise any guarantee of where you will go, what ship you will be on, or if the cruise will go at all. It then spells out what you get if those things happen.

[Don'tNeedAName]

As I point out in post 193 I now believe they are legally required to refund the full deposit as there is no longer a valid contract. As for you last paragraph all of the cruise lines have signed onto the Passenger Bill of Rights, I see this as no different (and I see the different cruise lines as being different by offering different onboard experiences, etc., not in what should be good business practice).

 

This may sound rude in a written medium like this, but it is not intended to be--your personal belief doesn't particularly matter in a situation like this. Very often, "legally required" and personal beliefs have nothing in common. You claim there is no longer a valid contract because of a limited understanding of the terms offer and acceptance. By changing the port of call, RCI has not offered anything new in this case. They are merely acting within the confines of the contract already entered into by the two parties. The original offer* was made by OP to pay RCI to hold a spot on a "cruise". As discussed in prior posts in this thread, the "cruise" is proposed to take place on "x" ship on "y" date to "z" ports, but RCI reserves the right to make changes. OP could have offered to pay a [refundable fare], and RCI would have accepted with the understanding that OP could cancel for any reason before a given date. However, OP chose to offer a [non-refundable fare]--in consideration of which, RCI accepted a lower price than it would have otherwise accepted to enter into this contract.

 

RCI already offers refundable and non-refundable fares, and the terms of each are clear.

 

*Note, this is also a point of confusion (not only here, but in many instances) whereby many people think that RCI is offering something and OP is accepting by paying; however, an advertised price is generally considered "an offer to offer". It is actually the purchaser who makes the offer (granted, this offer will be based on the advertised price, and there are of course certain regulatory restrictions on how prices can be advertised, etc. that are beyond the scope of this discussion), then to be accepted by the seller. There are instances when this is not the case, but it generally involves the purchaser taking some other form of action in addition to merely offering to pay. Nonetheless, I think it is an important distinction here, because the reality of the situation is that OP wanted to pay a lower price for a cruise that, let's say, costs X dollars and for all intents and purposes said "hey, RCI, I will pay you X-minus-Y dollars, and I will give up my right to any refund of this deposit in order to get that price." You may also analogize the non-refundable deposit to a fee paid for an option to purchase the cruise for a set price. Simply deciding not to execute the "option" does not mean you get the fee back. Once again, the option analogy is not exact, but the law is full of nuance.

[ucfalli]

All this post does is show how people are ill equipped to handle changes/ things life throws at them. How to figure out new solutions or how to make the best of a situation.

 

For Pete’s sake. My carnival European honeymoon cruise was cancelled something like 2 months beforehand. I pulled up my big girl pants and researched an alternative cruise with the refunded credit and discount carnival gave us generously. Had an amazing Alaskan cruise instead. I’ve also had a Western Caribbean cruise changed with whole new ports to eastern and had a great time. Found out at the dock due a hurricane.

[KevinKruzer]

You seem to misunderstand the gist of what I've said overall. Do I think it would be good if Royal was more lenient in this situation? Absolutely. I have simply explained that legally, they don't have to, and apparently from a goodwill standpoint, they don't feel the need to. Never have I said that Royal shouldn't allow more liberal cancellation when this happens.

 

 

 

 

So every cruise line should do exactly as every other cruise line? if that's the case, why have different cruise lines? I, for one, am glad they do things differently. I would really dislike it if Royal and Celebrity did as Carnival does and put a daily limit on the drink package.

 

No one has suggested they do "exactly" as every other cruise line....

 

It seems we all mostly agree on two things- 1) "Legally" RCCL owes nothing. 2) They "should" be flexible in some cases, like this one, since it is so far from sailing date and port of call was BIG reason for booking. That would be imo the right thing to do and the smart thing from a customer service point of view.

 

 

For those that insist..."the contract"..... since they can, per the contract, change basically anything- ship, ports of call, cabin, etc.... suppose they did do that to you? Suppose they changed your 7 day Southern Caribbean on the Freedom turned out to be a 7 day New England on the Grandeur? :eek:

[KevinKruzer]

All this post does is show how people are ill equipped to handle changes/ things life throws at them. How to figure out new solutions or how to make the best of a situation.

 

For Pete’s sake. My carnival European honeymoon cruise was cancelled something like 2 months beforehand. I pulled up my big girl pants and researched an alternative cruise with the refunded credit and discount carnival gave us generously. Had an amazing Alaskan cruise instead. I’ve also had a Western Caribbean cruise changed with whole new ports to eastern and had a great time. Found out at the dock due a hurricane.

 

All this post does is show how people are so judgemental and will psychoanalyze complete strangers on the internet based on one post venting about a customer service issue.... :eek:

 

OP says his first step was to switch to a later sailing date. If the port that was changed was a big deal to him, wasn't that the first logical step? He did the same thing YOU did- researched an alternate cruise that was the same cruise, same ship at a later date. Your scenario was not the same.

[Don'tNeedAName]

No one has suggested they do "exactly" as every other cruise line....

 

It seems we all mostly agree on two things- 1) "Legally" RCCL owes nothing. 2) They "should" be flexible in some cases, like this one, since it is so far from sailing date and port of call was BIG reason for booking. That would be imo the right thing to do and the smart thing from a customer service point of view.

 

 

For those that insist..."the contract"..... since they can, per the contract, change basically anything- ship, ports of call, cabin, etc.... suppose they did do that to you? Suppose they changed your 7 day Southern Caribbean on the Freedom turned out to be a 7 day New England on the Grandeur? :eek:

 

The problem with the #2 above is that we don't have the whole story. For all we know, RCI may have been willing to be more flexible than OP let on. However, he said that he was on the phone with the legal department, which I have to assume means he threatened to take legal action first. Once that occurs, all of the customer-service-type "flexibility" is lost. This has been covered previously.

 

As to your example, if my cruise were changed so dramatically, I would call RCI and see if they would be willing to work with me to reach another outcome. If not, I may never cruise with RCI again. However, I would not threaten a lawsuit, nor claim that they acted deceptively (ignoring other considerations such as whether there had been a pattern of them regularly making these types of changes, or some other evidence that would indicate a willful intent to defraud).

 

They may have acted stupidly in such a case, but the scenario in your example is so far removed from the OP's scenario as to not really be relevant. RCI as a business would not want to make that drastic of a change for fear of the overall repercussions to the business. If there were some reason they had to do something like that because they needed the Freedom at that particular time, they would likely just cancel the cruise. However, a minor change to one port (which some will see as an upgrade anyway) is not going to have that large-scale effect.

 

I do feel sorry for OP that he is not getting the vacation that he wanted; it's unfortunate. However, I also feel like we're not getting the whole story.

[sparks1093]

You want to post those "terms of the booking"?

OP did not book an itinerary. He booked a cruise which allows the cruise line to change ports at their discretion.

 

You should try to get a refund on the tuition for your law degree.

 

The terms of the booking are 1) the ship, 2) the date of sailing, 3) the itinerary advertised, 4) for x dollars and 5) non-refundable deposit. These were the terms of the offer that the OP accepted. Since the change in itinerary happened well before the cruise this substantially changed the terms of the original offer, which gives the OP the right to a refund. Again, this is my opinion and I realize that most everyone else is siding with Royal but if it were me I would be doing a credit card dispute at the bare minimum. C'est la vie.

[RocketMan275]

The terms of the booking are 1) the ship, 2) the date of sailing, 3) the itinerary advertised, 4) for x dollars and 5) non-refundable deposit. These were the terms of the offer that the OP accepted. Since the change in itinerary happened well before the cruise this substantially changed the terms of the original offer, which gives the OP the right to a refund. Again, this is my opinion and I realize that most everyone else is siding with Royal but if it were me I would be doing a credit card dispute at the bare minimum. C'est la vie.

 

Except those are not the terms of the booking which are: *Price is per person (unless otherwise specified above), cruise only, reflects any promotional savings, and is subject to change and availability until booked. Non-refundable deposit: Non-refundable deposit booking (“NRDB”) cancelled prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit minus a $100 per person service fee (the “FCC”). FCC is non-transferable and expires after 12-months from issue date. 100USD/100CAD per person service fee applies to changes to NRDB ship or sail date."

[KevinKruzer]

The problem with the #2 above is that we don't have the whole story. For all we know' date=' RCI may have been willing to be more flexible than OP let on. However, he said that he was on the phone with the legal department, which I have to assume means he threatened to take legal action first. Once that occurs, all of the customer-service-type "flexibility" is lost. This has been covered previously.

 

As to your example, if my cruise were changed so dramatically, I would call RCI and see if they would be willing to work with me to reach another outcome. If not, I may never cruise with RCI again. However, I would not threaten a lawsuit, nor claim that they acted deceptively (ignoring other considerations such as whether there had been a pattern of them regularly making these types of changes, or some other evidence that would indicate a willful intent to defraud).

 

They may have acted stupidly in such a case, but the scenario in your example is so far removed from the OP's scenario as to not really be relevant. RCI as a business would not want to make that drastic of a change for fear of the overall repercussions to the business. If there were some reason they had to do something like that because they needed the Freedom at that particular time, they would likely just cancel the cruise. However, a minor change to one port (which some will see as an upgrade anyway) is not going to have that large-scale effect.

 

I do feel sorry for OP that he is not getting the vacation that he wanted; it's unfortunate. However, I also feel like we're not getting the whole story.[/quote']

 

You are absolutely correct. We probably don't have the full story. I am pretty sure, fwiw, that my initial post stated that my opinion was based on what was given, allowing that there were likely parts we didnt know....

 

 

I really think any reasonable company would try to accommodate given the circumstances (port of call was a big deal, cruise 5-6 months away, paid-in-full, etc.) and I bet RC did do that and if they didnt (yet) it could be that it wasnt escalated one level above the initial contact.

[sparks1093]

Except those are not the terms of the booking which are: *Price is per person (unless otherwise specified above), cruise only, reflects any promotional savings, and is subject to change and availability until booked. Non-refundable deposit: Non-refundable deposit booking (“NRDB”) cancelled prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit minus a $100 per person service fee (the “FCC”). FCC is non-transferable and expires after 12-months from issue date. 100USD/100CAD per person service fee applies to changes to NRDB ship or sail date."

 

Yes, for the cruise the passenger booked. The cruise line changed that, not the customer. The terms and conditions of the non-refundable deposit protect Royal from changes made by the customer, they don't protect Royal from changes made by Royal.

[Don'tNeedAName]

You are absolutely correct. We probably don't have the full story. I am pretty sure, fwiw, that my initial post stated that my opinion was based on what was given, allowing that there were likely parts we didnt know....

 

 

I really think any reasonable company would try to accommodate given the circumstances (port of call was a big deal, cruise 5-6 months away, paid-in-full, etc.) and I bet RC did do that and if they didnt (yet) it could be that it wasnt escalated one level above the initial contact.

 

On this, we definitely agree!

[Luminated67]

My wife and I booked the Visions of the Sea for a Jan 2019 cruise to the Bahamas. Specifical to see the highly advertised Coco Cay by RC. We paid for the whole trip and then a month later RC substituted Miami for our beach day at Coco Cay. We tried to change dates and they refused. The RC agents kept telling us about the great day we would have in Miami. I didn't pay for a cruise to Miami. I feel like it is false advertising and deceptive too. I have been on cruises where they can't stop somewhere due to weather of other problems but we are 4 months away from this cruise and they change itineraries after the boat is almost full. We cancelled the cuise and they are keeping $800 dollars. They say they will give us back $300 on our next booking. That will never happen! And I hear they cancelled on several other boats. Some smart lawyer is going to look at deceptive trade practises and get a class action suit going on this one. Someone at Royal Carribean was aware of the changes to Coco Cay. I hope RC feels the same pain my wife and I are feeling. This was supose to be our honeymoom cruise.

 

Ok I’ve checked both the International policy and RC cancellation policy here in the UK.

 

From what I see if you are in the USofA if you cancel for whatever reason you get a full refund so I can’t see why you wouldn’t be entitled to that.

 

In the UK it’s different in that you still lose your deposit of £150 per person.

[Don'tNeedAName]

Yes, for the cruise the passenger booked. The cruise line changed that, not the customer. The terms and conditions of the non-refundable deposit protect Royal from changes made by the customer, they don't protect Royal from changes made by Royal.

 

I'm sorry, but as has been explained previously, you are incorrect here. For the purposes of this discussion, the "cruise" is a defined term, and the ports of call under the "cruise" are subject to change according to the terms of the contract. From what has been presented here, it does not appear that RCI breached those terms. Rather, pursuant to the terms of the contract, OP was still booked on the same "cruise" as initially agreed upon based on his offer of a reduced fare and RCI's acceptance of such offer in exchange for a non-refundable deposit. Because the contract included a mutually-agreed upon term that the ports of call are subject to change, the fact that such a change occurred does not--on its own--invalidate the contract.

 

As to the idea that T&C don't protect RCI from changes made by RCI--that is patently false. In fact, one of the primary reasons for any company's standard T&C to is to lay out exactly what actions the company is permitted to take under the contract. So long as they act within the confines of those agreed upon T&C, then RCI is legally protected under the terms of the contract, unless some other legal exception applies to nullify the T&C. If you are aware of a legal (not moral or ethical) theory that would invalidate this specific term permitting RCI to change a port of call, I would be open to hearing it.

[Domino D]

I really think any reasonable company would try to accommodate given the circumstances (port of call was a big deal, cruise 5-6 months away, paid-in-full, etc.) and I bet RC did do that and if they didnt (yet) it could be that it wasnt escalated one level above the initial contact.

 

This is what I think as well. The OP got angry and frustrated (understandably) and probably didn't exhaust all the options with Royal. The one thing he wanted they couldn't do, and nothing else was going to be acceptable. In my experience, they will always give you future credit, but rarely cash back. I have always found companies very willing to work with us with in certain limits.

[RocketMan275]

Yes, for the cruise the passenger booked. The cruise line changed that, not the customer. The terms and conditions of the non-refundable deposit protect Royal from changes made by the customer, they don't protect Royal from changes made by Royal.

 

You still don't get it. OP did not book an itinerary. He booked a cruise and agreed to the T&C that allowed Royal to change the itinerary without compensation. He also booked a non-refundable deposit in exchange for a lesser fare.

 

The T&C certainly do protect Royal from changes made by Royal. These T&C explicitly state that Royal is not liable for such changes: "Carrier shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including butnot limited to loss, compensation or refund, by reason of such cancellation,advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation."

 

OP could have avoided this whole thing by booking a refundable deposit.

[nelblu]

Ok I’ve checked both the International policy and RC cancellation policy here in the UK.

 

From what I see if you are in the USofA if you cancel for whatever reason you get a full refund so I can’t see why you wouldn’t be entitled to that.

 

In the UK it’s different in that you still lose your deposit of £150 per person.

 

The Op chose a non-refundable fare which allows for changes at a $100 per change fees and balance of deposit given as credit towards a future cruise within a year.

 

The non-refundable usually is lower than the fully refundable fare. It was as you stated prior to the introduction of the non-refundable fares. Suites, other than the JR, lose the entire deposits, if I'm not mistaken. This policy was instituted to prevent Paxs from hoarding suites and then cancel at a later date.

[dchurchward]

While I think we scared the OP off with the arguing, here are some ideas for him to consider if he is still monitoring the thread.

 

 

1) If the RCL agent wasn't helpful, I would either try and get to a manager or call back and talk to a different agent. At no time would I be rude to the agent or threaten legal action because that will immediately cause any flexibility customer service might have to go away. I have often found when talking to customer service representatives that sharing your story in a way that generates sympathy goes a long way in having them look for alternatives. Overall, the OP has a pretty sympathetic story since the Bahamas matter so much to his finace.. I would then ask the agent what options there are. If the agent can’t provide any, then I would ask if I could talk to a manager.

 

 

2) If working directly with RCL customer service didn’t work, my next option would be to go to social media. As much as I enjoy the CC boards, I would take my experience to Twitter and Facebook and @mention RCL, Customer Service, and the CEO if required. Generally, most companies would like to avoid the bad customer service perception. While, legally, RCL has no obligation to return the deposit, it is much more likely they would look for alternatives to avoid the negative social media press.

 

 

3) If the OP lives in a place with a local network affiliate, many news shows have a local troubleshooter who loves to do stories on bad customer service experiences. I would send an email to the reporter who handles that segment of the news, with a summary of the issue and how RCL is being “unreasonable.” Once again, while RCL probably has no legal need to return the money, a negative story on the news can cost them potential customers.

 

 

It is possible that none of the above options may work of course, and the OP may end up looking at legal action, but all of the above are relatively low-cost ways of putting pressure on RCL to provide alternatives to the issue. While I agree that RCL doesn’t have a legal obligation, in this case, I think there are some positive ways to encourage them to be more flexible. Ultimately, it depends on what the OP wants to get out of the situation and if he and his fiance are willing to consider alternatives.

[Mikew0805]

First, changing hotels is like changing ships and cabins not itineraries. If someone booked Allure in a JS and it was substituted by Rhapsody in a balcony, then obviously they'd have a very strong argument. In fact, Yes I have been in your "scenario." We booked the Swan and Dolphin Hotel at Disney World for an Anniversary trip to Disney. We booked in Jan. for a week in May. I arrived at the hotel, and at checkin, was told that the hotel was full but they'd reserved us into a new hotel and will pay for the FIRST night (they said they knew this for a couple days and never contacted me). The "new" hotel was the All Star Sports Resort. NOW, anyone who's been to Disney knows that the All Star Sports Resort is a family hotel that is the "Motel 6" of Disney World. So, sure, it'd be like booking Allure and being sent on Carnival Ecstacy. No offense to Ecstacy, but it isn't Allure. So, my options? Take the All Star Sports Resort, or convince them to give me a different hotel. So we opted for the Caribbean Beach Resort, the "La Quinta" of Disney. Still not "Allure," but not "Ecstacy." Oh yeah, they picked up the first night, and then we had to pay for the rest at the going rate. The net difference was minimal because they paid for the first night. But it wasn't the level of hotel I originally booked. So, was I out money? Sure if you consider I paid a higher nightly rate for a lesser hotel. So, I HAVE been in your scenario. And guess what? The hotel has EVERY legal right to do that.

Second, "This is about an itinerary change 5 months out." True. So the OP could have simply cancelled for a $200 cancellation fee, and booked another ship at another time, applying the balance of what he paid to the new cruise. That is how a non-refundable deposit works. Nothing wrong with trying to get the whole thing back, but when it was clear that this wasn't going to happen, then go to plan B. Like we did with the hotel. And maybe next time he should book a refundable rate, then this wouldn't be a problem.

Using your hotel scenario. If you book a resort with 5 pools with a non-refundable rate, then are contacted and told that the "lazy river" pool was closed for maintenance. There are still 4 pools left. But you only wanted the one pool. Do you honestly believe that the hotel would refund your deposit? If you want that level of control, you need to only book refundable rates, and need to take out insurance with a "cancel for any reason" clause. This isn't "cheerleading," it's being smart enough to know the reality of the vacation market.

 

I think you are stretching it, and you know that you are... but that is fine. Maybe you are a person that is okay settling and that is fine, but twice in my life, once a car rental company, another time a hotel, attempted to do the same thing to me, that you mentioned Disney properties did to you. I do not know what the difference was, but I stood there with my documents on both occasions, and told them that anything less than what I have paid for, or a upgraded alternative, that we both agree on, was unacceptable. Both times, it did not take much effort, and it was done to my satisfaction. Now that is all besides the point.... so moving on to your response - The reality of the travel/leisure market is not one of settling. That only works on people that will settle.

 

As to your last paragraph... "Using my hotel scenario" I said nothing even remotely resembling that. I compared a destination to another destination.. with an identical hotel... not the amenities. If responding to me, please actually respond to what I said, not what you assumed I said.

[Mikew0805]

Sort of. Any contract can be challenged. You have to find a legal argument in order to invalidate it. Plus, once a contract is challenged, and a judge upholds it, then it is found legally enforced. I would have to guess this has been challenged. I know it sucks, but this is pretty ironclad. Of course that is an opinion. It would cost someone a lot of money to find out if I'm right.

 

I should have been clearer, that statement was way to simplified, it doesn't promise any guarantee of where you will go, what ship you will be on, or if the cruise will go at all. It then spells out what you get if those things happen.

 

As it stands I have not once said RCI cannot legally do what they are doing, I said it is wrong.

 

However I do have a question.. keep in mind I am NOT an attorney, so this is just that.. a question. If the cruise line accepted any reservations for the old itinerary, during a period of time where they knew they had to change, but had yet made the announcement, wouldn't this technically fall under some sort of fraud, and invalidate the contract for those individuals that booked during that period of time when RCI knew?

[Mikew0805]

All this post does is show how people are ill equipped to handle changes/ things life throws at them. How to figure out new solutions or how to make the best of a situation.

 

For Pete’s sake. My carnival European honeymoon cruise was cancelled something like 2 months beforehand. I pulled up my big girl pants and researched an alternative cruise with the refunded credit and discount carnival gave us generously. Had an amazing Alaskan cruise instead. I’ve also had a Western Caribbean cruise changed with whole new ports to eastern and had a great time. Found out at the dock due a hurricane.

 

Instead of your big girl pants, how about put on your thinking cap? This is not the same... you got a refund and a chance to book something else with your refund and discount.

 

Your words -"Carnival gave us generously."We are not debating CCL... I have always seen CCL do the right thing. We are talking about RCI... not doing the right thing/not having to do the right thing... depending on the side.