Guaranteed cabin and rci have downgraded us

[marci22]

Even though this is rarely reported here (I guesstimate once every 6 months) it still stinks if it happens to you.

 

I think Royal is being unreasonable. They promised a minimum category and couldn't deliver. So they made an offer the customer didn't like and then said 'too bad'. Why not just refund the cruisefare (customer pays taxes and fees) or throw in some drink packages? It seems like it would be so easy to make the customer happy for ROYAL'S MISTAKE and yet they won't. 

 

They didn't try hard enough. That really stinks. 

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, notladjr said:

I know one thing, this thread has discouraged me from ever wanting to book a guarantee cabin if the cruise lines can bump people down from whatever category cabin they supposedly havea guarantee for. 

As was mentioned a few times in this thread, you can be bumped even if you have an assigned cabin.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

As was mentioned a few times in this thread, you can be bumped even if you have an assigned cabin.

Kinda like flying "stand by"...you might get a seat initially...but if someone with status shows up right before departure...you could get bumped off. 

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, Saab4444 said:

This is one case, funny how it develops into a big Royal strategy discussion...

Yes, that is funny.

The conspiracy theorist are inventing strategies for the company blowing past mentions of more benign explanations and also mentions on negative ramifications of such a strategy.  Sigh.

[robtulipe]

1 hour ago, shopaholic6 said:

 Wow - which ship and deck has ocean view cabins below the water line?

Atlantis submarines deck minus one which is down one from the top deck.

Edited May 27, 2019 by robtulipe

[Starry Eyes]

54 minutes ago, marci22 said:

Even though this is rarely reported here (I guesstimate once every 6 months) it still stinks if it happens to you.

 

I think Royal is being unreasonable. They promised a minimum category and couldn't deliver. So they made an offer the customer didn't like and then said 'too bad'. Why not just refund the cruisefare (customer pays taxes and fees) or throw in some drink packages? It seems like it would be so easy to make the customer happy for ROYAL'S MISTAKE and yet they won't. 

 

They didn't try hard enough. That really stinks. 

I agree that Royal had a problem to solve and did not try hard enough to solve it in this case.  This customer clearly wanted a cabin with a window, so cruiseline should have found one for them by seeking another volunteer to give up an OV for compensation.  More calls needed to be made and perhaps more compensation authorized; perhaps somebody at Royal felt to rushed to solve this properly.

 

I do hope the problem was address successfully on board.  Perhaps the OP took the letter to guest services and they were upgraded to an unclaimed cabin.  I hope we hear how it went.

[shopaholic6]

4 minutes ago, robtulipe said:

Atlantis submarines deck minus one which is down one from the top deck.

Cool - the view must be amazing! 😊

[blueridgemama]

On 5/22/2019 at 7:34 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic and sorry for your problem with RCI.  I have moved this thread from River Cruising to the Royal Caribbean International forum.

 

Is this a river cruise??

[FionaMG]

9 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

 

Is this a river cruise??

No. The OP is sailing on Royal but is new to Cruise Critic and appears to have posted on the River Cruising board by mistake, hence the Host moved their post to the correct board.

[cdunnintx]

I just want to know with the disappointment of having an interior instead of a window, if she enjoyed the cruise. Considering most don't spend a lot of time in the rooms with the exception of showering, sleeping and changing clothes, I don't see what the big deal is. I've had several types of rooms and they've all been enjoyable. I hope she's had or is having a great time. Give us an update Suemorganrose.

[FionaMG]

2 minutes ago, cdunnintx said:

Considering most don't spend a lot of time in the rooms with the exception of showering, sleeping and changing clothes, I don't see what the big deal is.

I completely get the OP's disappointment and upset. We (DH and I) are very much the out and about the ship type so we would never spend money on a balcony because it would just be a waste, but we do still want a window. We are fine with the promenade view insides for that reason but I feel uncomfortable with the idea of a "real" inside because I think it would be like sleeping in a cupboard. Never tried one, though, so I could be wrong...

[cdunnintx]

4 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

I completely get the OP's disappointment and upset. We (DH and I) are very much the out and about the ship type so we would never spend money on a balcony because it would just be a waste, but we do still want a window. We are fine with the promenade view insides for that reason but I feel uncomfortable with the idea of a "real" inside because I think it would be like sleeping in a cupboard. Never tried one, though, so I could be wrong...

I get it, and I hate elevators but I sleep with the covers over my head, so it doesn't bother me at all and it's super quiet (we take a small portable fan to create some white noise). We really don't stay in the room much with my previous exceptions but to each their own. Be excited you're going on a cruise and have a place to lay your head at night. I guess I'm just overly grateful for the things I have compared to the things that most don't have in the world. I still want to hear what she thinks of her cruise. I hope she's having fun.

Edited May 27, 2019 by cdunnintx
misspelled word.

[mayleeman]

So I guess I am a conspiracy theorist.

 

Pray tell, all ye of innocent explanations, why the letter to the OP said RCI "can't" provide any better to the OP for this problem?

 

Who the heck is preventing them?  It is a lie, pure and simple. The correct word would have been "won't".  Lies in explanations almost always connote bad faith. But maybe there is a sweet little heart-of-gold letter writer who unintentionally lied.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, mayleeman said:

 

Who the heck is preventing them?  It is a lie, pure and simple. The correct word would have been "won't".  

How do you know that not all OVs are indeed assigned and that none are available for the OP?

[mayleeman]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

How do you know that not all OVs are indeed assigned and that none are available for the OP?

It was not about the room assignment. TBH, I misquoted slightly. The sentence was: "We can not do anything about the drinks package." The OP thru the TA had indicated comping to the drinks package would be sufficient.  I am at a loss to understand how that is outside RCI's exclusive control, and that is why I distrust their approach.  Even "We feel that requesting the drink package is excessive" would have been honest.

[robtulipe]

6 hours ago, shopaholic6 said:

Cool - the view must be amazing! 😊

It is as shown below.

 

]

[not-enough-cruising]

Where are all the EU consumer protection laws that we hear so much about?

[SRF]

On 5/26/2019 at 8:00 AM, Mdepfl said:

 

Excellent find!  “You’re always guaranteed a room in your category” right there for all to see. Two words:  ALWAYS, and GUARANTEED. Unambiguous, and I don’t give a d*mn about some pdf somewhere. 

 

Royal sells guarantees at a discount to give itself flexibility. You give up choice for some money. Its an agreement. 

 

Royal (who I love) has decided they want BOTH the flexibility AND full price for the cabin you guaranteed.  “Yes, we sold you the guarantee but John and Mary are here now and will pay full price for that last cabin.  Shouldn’t have trusted us, we have way too many MBA’s around here. “

 

C’mon, even the RCCL cheerleaders here should see that. 

 

 

 

It would be interesting to court.

 

Your honor, "yes, we say always guaranteed, but really don't mean it, as we say differently in the fine print."

 

Years ago I sent a large bid pacakge via Airborne Express Overnight Service.  It arrived 2 days later.   I talked to our attorney, and then called them for a refund of the shipping costs.  They stated they do not guarantee overnight, but 2nd day, as in the fine print.

 

I pointed out, that in the title of the service, it says overnight.  And that our attorney, who hated going to court, was looking forward to seeing them in court over the entire price of the bid (over $100K in the early 80s).  The person went away, and shortly a supervisor came on and refunded the shipping cost. 🙂

 

 

[SRF]

On 5/26/2019 at 10:05 AM, TravelerThom said:

 

I can guarantee that companies can find volunteers IF they give SUFFICIENT compensation. Companies HATE additional government regulation. Obviously the OP did not consider their compensation sufficient, but RCI’s position was “too bad”. Screw your customers enough and eventually some government regulator is going to step in (ask the US and EU airlines). I have no sympathy for companies that whine about government regulation they brought on themselves. 

 

Yeap, the laws about how long passengers can sit on the airplane, due mainly to one publicized event.  Now, they just cancel the flight.  And if it due to weather, they owe the passengers nothing, except a later flight.

[shopaholic6]

1 hour ago, robtulipe said:

It is as shown below.

 

]

Amazing 😊

[mayleeman]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

Yeap, the laws about how long passengers can sit on the airplane, due mainly to one publicized event.  Now, they just cancel the flight.  And if it due to weather, they owe the passengers nothing, except a later flight.

But the required compensation for bumping involuntarily is now tripled over what it used to be, and the practice is comparatively rare. And somehow the airlines struggle on with record profits.

[Threedrones]

On 5/22/2019 at 9:05 PM, Ourusualbeach said:

They can.  Read the cruise ticket contract item 6.

 

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

 

It doesn’t mean that it’s right or that they shouldn’t offer better compensation but they are absolutely within their legal right.

Just curious. I have read item 6 twice and still don’t see how it even remotely can be used in this case. Please be more specific. Where in item 6 is a guaranteed cabin discussed?

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, Threedrones said:

Just curious. I have read item 6 twice and still don’t see how it even remotely can be used in this case. Please be more specific. Where in item 6 is a guaranteed cabin discussed?

A guaranteed cabin is no different than any other cabin.  They have the right to move you. 

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, Threedrones said:

Just curious. I have read item 6 twice and still don’t see how it even remotely can be used in this case. Please be more specific. Where in item 6 is a guaranteed cabin discussed?

A guaranteed cabin is no different than any other cabin.  They have the right to move you. 

[Threedrones]

4 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

A guaranteed cabin is no different than any other cabin.  They have the right to move you. 

Again, where is this in item 6?