Allure of the Seas ~ Recourse

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, FLACRUISER99 said:

Maybe to get ahead of the weather.

 

Weather is in top of PC right now, moving out in the next few hours.  

 

She's down to 19 knots, only spent 2 hours at the higher speed.  Captain must have a hot date.  :) 

[FLACRUISER99]

We had a really bad storm about 1/2 hour after Harmony went by at  24 kns.. 

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I read about a poor bride/groom having to scramble to redo their entire wedding last minute as it was planned in St. Thomas. Certainly everyone can agree that RCL dropped the communication ball. 

Planning something a big as a destination wedding that depends on a cruise ship arriving at a certain place at a certain time is a risk. Any number of things can go wrong and all at the last minute. In this case in was an itererary change. People won't fly the same as a cruise departure because something might go wrong causing them to miss the ship. Does arriving at a foreign port a few hours before a wedding seem like a smart idea?

 

And yes, before I get labeled a cheerleader, communication is not always RCI's strong suite.

[davidrle]

9 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I'll say without hesitation that what you were told is absolute bull puckey.  What power consumption would they turn down?  Lights?  Ever walked around the ship late at night?  All lights on.  Galley and laundry?  Well, I suppose that is correct, but you are talking about 1%, at most of the power needed to propel the ship is being used by the galley and laundry.  Total hotel load is in the range of 8-10Mw, while propulsion can gulp up to 60Mw, and most of that hotel load is AC (which contrary to common belief on CC, they do not turn the AC down at night).

 

While I can't comment on Harmony, I remember a post on Captain Albert of Holland America Line, stating that on sea days they would drop speed just before 5am as hotel operations picked up, otherwise they'd have to bring an extra engine online, so it made more sense to sail faster overnight. We're not talking as significant changes of speed as 18 to 24 kts like this instance of Harmony, but certainly is a thing...

[chengkp75]

4 hours ago, davidrle said:

 

While I can't comment on Harmony, I remember a post on Captain Albert of Holland America Line, stating that on sea days they would drop speed just before 5am as hotel operations picked up, otherwise they'd have to bring an extra engine online, so it made more sense to sail faster overnight. We're not talking as significant changes of speed as 18 to 24 kts like this instance of Harmony, but certainly is a thing...

IF the ship were operating at night at the point where any increase in power demand would trigger starting another engine, which is difficult to maintain as the propulsion varies a little all the time, then IF they needed to reduce propulsion power to allow for daytime hotel load, the difference in speed would be, at most, 1 knot, more likely way less than that.  So, you are talking about 12 extra miles covered over a day.  That is not a significant savings.

[Tiggercat]

Here is the email that I got about changes to Mariner's ports of call:

 

Dear Travel Partner,

We are looking forward to welcoming your clients onboard Mariner' of the Seas for their March 8^th, 2019 sailing. Please share the below update to their itinerary, so they can plan their vacation accordingly.

Dear Guest,

We have an itinerary change for our Mariner of the Seas sailing on March 8^th, 2019.

Over the past year, we've been making enhancements to our private destination, CocoCay. Unfortunately, we're going to need more time than expected to finish construction of a bridge between two areas on the island. This needs to take place during this cruise and for your safety and comfort, it is best to not have anyone on the island. So, instead of sailing to CocoCay, we'll now visit Grand Bahama Island, which offers the opportunity to explore caves, swim with the dolphins at Lucaya Beach, or sightsee underwater on a glass bottom boat tour.

We are sorry for this last-minute change and while we were able to add a new destination for you to discover, to help make up further for this inconvenience, we're providing you with a refund valued at 1 day, based on the cruise fare paid. This refund will be posted to your onboard account. If your total onboard spend doesn't reach this amount, the remaining balance will be refunded to your card on file once onboard.

Below, please find our updated itinerary.

 

Day	Port of Call	Arrive	Depart
Fri	Miami, Florida		4:30 PM
Sat	Grand Bahama Island	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
Sun	Nassau, Bahamas	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Mon	Miami, Florida	6:00 AM

 

Lastly, any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursion scheduled for CocoCay will be refunded to your original form of payment. Within the next 3 business days, you'll receive an email from our Shore Excursion Department advising of your refund details. Then, feel free to browse through our Cruise Planner for additional excursions in Grand Bahama Island that may interest you.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard!

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

 

Royal Caribbean International

[Nashna]

41 minutes ago, Tiggercat said:

Here is the email that I got about changes to Mariner's ports of call:

 

Dear Travel Partner,

We are looking forward to welcoming your clients onboard Mariner' of the Seas for their March 8^th, 2019 sailing. Please share the below update to their itinerary, so they can plan their vacation accordingly.

Dear Guest,

We have an itinerary change for our Mariner of the Seas sailing on March 8^th, 2019.

Over the past year, we've been making enhancements to our private destination, CocoCay. Unfortunately, we're going to need more time than expected to finish construction of a bridge between two areas on the island. This needs to take place during this cruise and for your safety and comfort, it is best to not have anyone on the island. So, instead of sailing to CocoCay, we'll now visit Grand Bahama Island, which offers the opportunity to explore caves, swim with the dolphins at Lucaya Beach, or sightsee underwater on a glass bottom boat tour.

We are sorry for this last-minute change and while we were able to add a new destination for you to discover, to help make up further for this inconvenience, we're providing you with a refund valued at 1 day, based on the cruise fare paid. This refund will be posted to your onboard account. If your total onboard spend doesn't reach this amount, the remaining balance will be refunded to your card on file once onboard.

Below, please find our updated itinerary.

 

Day	Port of Call	Arrive	Depart
Fri	Miami, Florida		4:30 PM
Sat	Grand Bahama Island	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
Sun	Nassau, Bahamas	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Mon	Miami, Florida	6:00 AM

 

Lastly, any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursion scheduled for CocoCay will be refunded to your original form of payment. Within the next 3 business days, you'll receive an email from our Shore Excursion Department advising of your refund details. Then, feel free to browse through our Cruise Planner for additional excursions in Grand Bahama Island that may interest you.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard!

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

 

Royal Caribbean International

Thank you.  This is the type of response that I would have expected from a consumer-friendly company.  

[sgmn]

21 hours ago, brillohead said:

When a flight is delayed but still takes off, there isn't any compensation owed by the airline. 

 

In Europe there is compensation if plane is more than 3 hours delayed, EU law. 

[blueridgemama]

22 hours ago, Carnival4U said:

They are sailing full no matter what they do!

They can shoot someone on 5th Avenue and people will still sail with them!

 

great reference😊👍👍

[A&L_Ont]

OP, you never said where your third stop was.  I read Nassau, and now San Juan but didn’t read your third destination.  I would guess it is Labadee, and if that is the case the ships always leave SJ at 2pm to make it to Labadee the next morning. 

 

As for recourse there really isn’t any, other than the decisions you have to make. RC isn't going to do anything special, nor do they need too.  They never did for us when Allure had the same issue years ago. If it is after final payment there really is nothing you can do.  If it is before, you could change ships most likely at a cost or regretfully you can cancel and book with someone else. 

 

For sure St Thomas isn’t San Juan, and Nassau is just Nassau. 😉  However, many say for Oasis Class the destination is the ship. Hopefully you can make the best of this situation, as nothing said on this thread is going to change the outcome.

[chengkp75]

On 5/4/2019 at 8:32 PM, Nashna said:

Perhaps, we should call RCCL to complain as well as urge our congressmen to change the law to force cruise ships to adhere to the same rules the airlines have been forced to abide by. 

OP, not sure what "rules" the airlines "have been forced to abide by", but there is no federal law that requires an airline to compensate a passenger for a delayed flight, regardless of reason for the delay.  If the flight is cancelled, they are required to refund the fare, but that's it.  So, asking the cruise line to change their ticket contract, which you voluntarily agreed to when you booked the cruise, is like asking the airlines to compensate you for a delayed flight; they may do it, or they may not, but it is not required, and your Congressman would have nothing to do with it.

[chengkp75]

On 5/4/2019 at 8:32 PM, Nashna said:

Perhaps, we should call RCCL to complain as well as urge our congressmen to change the law to force cruise ships to adhere to the same rules the airlines have been forced to abide by. 

Duplicate

Edited May 6, 2019 by chengkp75

[5thgirl]

3 hours ago, Tiggercat said:

Here is the email that I got about changes to Mariner's ports of call:

 

Dear Travel Partner,

We are looking forward to welcoming your clients onboard Mariner' of the Seas for their March 8^th, 2019 sailing. Please share the below update to their itinerary, so they can plan their vacation accordingly.

Dear Guest,

We have an itinerary change for our Mariner of the Seas sailing on March 8^th, 2019.

Over the past year, we've been making enhancements to our private destination, CocoCay. Unfortunately, we're going to need more time than expected to finish construction of a bridge between two areas on the island. This needs to take place during this cruise and for your safety and comfort, it is best to not have anyone on the island. So, instead of sailing to CocoCay, we'll now visit Grand Bahama Island, which offers the opportunity to explore caves, swim with the dolphins at Lucaya Beach, or sightsee underwater on a glass bottom boat tour.

We are sorry for this last-minute change and while we were able to add a new destination for you to discover, to help make up further for this inconvenience, we're providing you with a refund valued at 1 day, based on the cruise fare paid. This refund will be posted to your onboard account. If your total onboard spend doesn't reach this amount, the remaining balance will be refunded to your card on file once onboard.

Below, please find our updated itinerary.

 

Day	Port of Call	Arrive	Depart
Fri	Miami, Florida		4:30 PM
Sat	Grand Bahama Island	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
Sun	Nassau, Bahamas	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Mon	Miami, Florida	6:00 AM

 

Lastly, any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursion scheduled for CocoCay will be refunded to your original form of payment. Within the next 3 business days, you'll receive an email from our Shore Excursion Department advising of your refund details. Then, feel free to browse through our Cruise Planner for additional excursions in Grand Bahama Island that may interest you.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard!

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

Director of Guest Services

 

Royal Caribbean International

As a client, this is exactly the type of email I would have liked to receive from RC. Not to mention their inconsistent approach to dealing with port changes. This shows that when RC chooses to do something they can and will have the ability to do so. Just as I can choose to deal with it, and choose to have a good time, and choose to make lemonade out of lemons, RC also has a choice. This is the point that makes me most frustrated. 

[BermudaBound2014]

16 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Planning something a big as a destination wedding that depends on a cruise ship arriving at a certain place at a certain time is a risk. Any number of things can go wrong and all at the last minute. In this case in was an itererary change. People won't fly the same as a cruise departure because something might go wrong causing them to miss the ship. Does arriving at a foreign port a few hours before a wedding seem like a smart idea?

 

And yes, before I get labeled a cheerleader, communication is not always RCI's strong suite.

 

No argument from me there as I agree completely. I do feel bad for the bride because apparently she never did receive formal communication from her TA or RCL about the change. My issue is communication (as you know). 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

OP, you never said where your third stop was.  I read Nassau, and now San Juan but didn’t read your third destination.  I would guess it is Labadee, and if that is the case the ships always leave SJ at 2pm to make it to Labadee the next morning. 

 

 

If the above is true, RCL has more explaining to do because the original itinerary had Allure leaving San Juan at 3:00. 

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, 5thgirl said:

As a client, this is exactly the type of email I would have liked to receive from RC. Not to mention their inconsistent approach to dealing with port changes. This shows that when RC chooses to do something they can and will have the ability to do so. Just as I can choose to deal with it, and choose to have a good time, and choose to make lemonade out of lemons, RC also has a choice. This is the point that makes me most frustrated. 

Maybe the refund on the “bridge construction” cruise was RCCL’s way of owning up to mis judging their construction timeline. 

[5thgirl]

24 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Maybe the refund on the “bridge construction” cruise was RCCL’s way of owning up to mis judging their construction timeline. 

Yes, I agree that's probably what it is, although this approach/response should be consistent with similar situations, i.e. misjudging a known propulsion issue.

[A&L_Ont]

5 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

I would guess it is Labadee, and if that is the case the ships always leave SJ at 2pm to make it to Labadee the next morning. 

 

 

3 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

If the above is true, RCL has more explaining to do because the original itinerary had Allure leaving San Juan at 3:00. 

 

I have to apologize, I was off by an hour. Oasis Class ships leave SJ at 3pm for Labadee. 

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by A&L_Ont

[TechPotato]

On 5/5/2019 at 6:08 AM, brillohead said:

But the cruise isn't cancelled.  The itinerary is altered, but they're still leaving on the same date and they're still returning on the same date.  You're still receiving a 7-day cruise. 

When a flight is delayed but still takes off, there isn't any compensation owed by the airline. 

Technically, it's more like:

If you are flying to Atlanta and because of engine troubles they drop you in Poughkeepsie.

Then, they keep flying the plane for a year with the same engine troubles, and redirect EVERY flight booked to Atlanta to Poughkeepsie, but don't let people who have booked the flight previously change to a different flight that will actually GO to Atlanta. 
If people have booked their flight more than 90 days in advance, they will let you change to a different flight on a different aircraft, but they will charge you a $100pp change fee. If THEY have no other flights on the same date, they will not refund any of the deposit.

 

[akcruz]

20 minutes ago, TechPotato said:

Technically, it's more like:

If you are flying to Atlanta and because of engine troubles they drop you in Poughkeepsie.

Then, they keep flying the plane for a year with the same engine troubles, and redirect EVERY flight booked to Atlanta to Poughkeepsie, but don't let people who have booked the flight previously change to a different flight that will actually GO to Atlanta. 
If people have booked their flight more than 90 days in advance, they will let you change to a different flight on a different aircraft, but they will charge you a $100pp change fee. If THEY have no other flights on the same date, they will not refund any of the deposit.

 

 

I see it more like your flight still gets to Atlanta but instead of a stopover in NYC your stopover is in Poughkeepsie.  The flight still starts and ends in the same place but takes a different route to get there.

 

I have stated on other threads about these issues I truly feel for those whose itinerary has been changed but this is part of cruising.  

 

Been cruising for many years and always tell people asking about cruises if you want to get to a certain place never book a cruise to get you there.  Too many things can happen to change itineraries, at least those impacted have time to change plans.  Most often with itinerary changes, weather, medical, mechanical, etc happen while onboard with little or no time to adjust.

[Member123]

23 hours ago, Nashna said:

You must be a huge RCCL cheerleader to come up with this assumption.  I beginning to think that either people love RCCL so much that they can't admit when their "line" is wrong...or, they are employed by RCCL.

Nope. I just wonder what motivates people, at times, to make the decisions that they do. I was casually reading this particular area of the website because I've been thinking of perhaps booking a cruise with Royal. I typically sail on Celebrity.

[nalatrixie74]

the cruises that are losing st thomas to go to san juan, do they have a sea day the next day, or a port day after? 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 5/4/2019 at 6:00 PM, dmg2253 said:

 Sadly, she is not big enough to participate in the zipline or surf simulation activities, so losing the Dreamworks stuff is a big loss for her. I really wish we had booked a different ship with water slides, ropes courses, or something else exciting for our 8 year old to do. Needless to say, this is my third and FINAL cruise with Royal Caribbean.

We just sailed on the Allure with our 8 yo. He had a blast, even though he wasn't heavy enough for the zipline and he didn't get to do the Flowrider. There was a ton of other activities and shows he enjoyed (not involving Dreamworks characters), and we only slept in our cabin... Oh, and he doesn't do kid's club, so all of the onboard time was spent doing fun things. He loved the Allure a lot more than he loved NCL's Getaway with the ropes course and water slides.

I am just saying - don't get upset in advance. She may enjoy herself a lot more than you think.

[E23NK1]

4 minutes ago, nalatrixie74 said:

the cruises that are losing st thomas to go to san juan, do they have a sea day the next day, or a port day after? 

 

Our May 12 on Allure has 2 sea days then St Kitts, then San Juan, then another sea day, then Nassau then back to Ft Laud

[chengkp75]

On 5/5/2019 at 6:52 PM, Nashna said:

You must be a huge RCCL cheerleader to come up with this assumption.  I beginning to think that either people love RCCL so much that they can't admit when their "line" is wrong...or, they are employed by RCCL.

 

1 hour ago, Member123 said:

Nope. I just wonder what motivates people, at times, to make the decisions that they do. I was casually reading this particular area of the website because I've been thinking of perhaps booking a cruise with Royal. I typically sail on Celebrity.

The problem is that the OP feels that this "problem" has been "around for years".  What has been around for years is that the bearing life of the azipod is shorter than industry standard, and shorter than the manufacturer claimed when the azipods were installed.  The current "problem" has come up recently, where a bearing has failed prematurely, or where a bearing is showing signs of premature failure.  RCI has done a lot to pro-actively address the long running "problem" of the shortened bearing life, as was shown by the Oasis drydock in the Bahamas, which was simply to renew bearings, as they were reaching their expected life span (based on previous failures), and which would not have lasted (again, based on history) until the regularly scheduled drydock in the fall.  The problem now is that there is no facility in the Western Hemisphere where the repairs needed by Allure can be done, even if there was a time slot available.