Corona virus RCI policy

[kwokpot]

8 minutes ago, The Grumpus said:

I don't know a lot about that region as far as cruising logistics go.  If the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan are banning cruise ships, and no one is going in or out of China right now if they want to cruise, what other ports in Southeast Asia are still accepting cruise ships for stops or port of embarkation/debarkation?

Singapore 

[The_Big_M]

Indonesia

[RJHNorthyorks]

Dreadful experience with RCI - trying to change refund policy.

 

Think I have posted about this before but our situation is getting worse. 
We flew from the U.K. to Sydney with a 2 night break in Hong Kong. We were due to board Voyager of the Seas on 5 February for a 14 night cruise to Fiji. The cruise was the first part of a 6 week holiday in Australia.

As we were preparing to leave Hong Kong we were sent a message by a friend to say she had seen a press report to say we would not be allowed to board. We contacted our TA in the USA - she had not received notification but called RCI who confirmed it was true and that she Said had started the refund process. We had to supply our flight details which we have done and they have been passed to RCI. 

This morning I have heard from the TA that RCI are trying to issue future cruise vouchers and not refunds. This is totally unacceptable to us for a number of reasons.

- they have told our TA that we would receive a full refund

- their press release ( see below) assures people that they will get a full refund 

- I have a Twitter communication with RCI in which they said as soon as our travel details were confirmed they would issue a full refund. 
- we have an enforced 2 week land holiday in Australia that we had not anticipated. We need the refund to cover the cost of staying in one of the most expensive cities in the world ( although it is lovely.)
- our travel plans for the next 2 years are arranged and do not include RCI. Why would we want to leave 5000 USD with them on account. It makes no sense.

 

I have Tried to speak with RCI myself but first they denied all knowledge of the booking, then asked who had said we would get a refund ( I said they did and sent them copies of documents) and finally they claimed we had not been denied boarding. 
What a shambles and frankly very distressing. 
 

Their poor communication of the decision to deny boarding and their subsequent obstructive behaviour is making a bad situation worse.
They have lessons to learn about customer service. 

 

Their press release is attached 

https://presscenter.rclcorporate.com/press-release/48/coronavirus-update/

 

 

 

[mochuck]

2 minutes ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

Dreadful experience with RCI - trying to change refund policy.

 

Think I have posted about this before but our situation is getting worse. 
We flew from the U.K. to Sydney with a 2 night break in Hong Kong. We were due to board Voyager of the Seas on 5 February for a 14 night cruise to Fiji. The cruise was the first part of a 6 week holiday in Australia.

As we were preparing to leave Hong Kong we were sent a message by a friend to say she had seen a press report to say we would not be allowed to board. We contacted our TA in the USA - she had not received notification but called RCI who confirmed it was true and that she Said had started the refund process. We had to supply our flight details which we have done and they have been passed to RCI. 

This morning I have heard from the TA that RCI are trying to issue future cruise vouchers and not refunds. This is totally unacceptable to us for a number of reasons.

- they have told our TA that we would receive a full refund

- their press release ( see below) assures people that they will get a full refund 

- I have a Twitter communication with RCI in which they said as soon as our travel details were confirmed they would issue a full refund. 
- we have an enforced 2 week land holiday in Australia that we had not anticipated. We need the refund to cover the cost of staying in one of the most expensive cities in the world ( although it is lovely.)
- our travel plans for the next 2 years are arranged and do not include RCI. Why would we want to leave 5000 USD with them on account. It makes no sense.

 

I have Tried to speak with RCI myself but first they denied all knowledge of the booking, then asked who had said we would get a refund ( I said they did and sent them copies of documents) and finally they claimed we had not been denied boarding. 
What a shambles and frankly very distressing. 
 

Their poor communication of the decision to deny boarding and their subsequent obstructive behaviour is making a bad situation worse.
They have lessons to learn about customer service. 

 

Their press release is attached 

https://presscenter.rclcorporate.com/press-release/48/coronavirus-update/

 

 

 

You will probably have to wait until you get home to sort it out. Do you you have a consumer's rights dept that can assist you?

[RJHNorthyorks]

3 minutes ago, mochuck said:

You will probably have to wait until you get home to sort it out. Do you you have a consumer's rights dept that can assist you?

I really don’t think that is a solution. They have publicly announced a policy. They need to enact it 

[The Grumpus]

33 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Singapore 

Singapore might be next on the list.

[kwokpot]

Just now, The Grumpus said:

Singapore might be next on the list.

Agreed,and that's why we cancelled our quantum cruise departing Singapore march 22nd. The issue isn't so much fearing we'll catch the virus but all the unforseen issues that can arise. We have gotten full refunds for our air and Cruise. I'll go next year. 

[mochuck]

2 minutes ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

I really don’t think that is a solution. They have publicly announced a policy. They need to enact it 

You could probably try a journalist here. abc.net.au

[RJHNorthyorks]

5 minutes ago, mochuck said:

You could probably try a journalist here. abc.net.au

Good idea 

[The Grumpus]

2 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Agreed,and that's why we cancelled our quantum cruise departing Singapore march 22nd. The issue isn't so much fearing we'll catch the virus but all the unforseen issues that can arise. We have gotten full refunds for our air and Cruise. I'll go next year. 

Putting myself in your scenario, I'm certain I would have made the same call.  I couldn't imagine being stranded halfway across the world for an unknown amount of time, for something beyond my control.

[Ourusualbeach]

32 minutes ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

Dreadful experience with RCI - trying to change refund policy.

 

Think I have posted about this before but our situation is getting worse. 
We flew from the U.K. to Sydney with a 2 night break in Hong Kong. We were due to board Voyager of the Seas on 5 February for a 14 night cruise to Fiji. The cruise was the first part of a 6 week holiday in Australia.

As we were preparing to leave Hong Kong we were sent a message by a friend to say she had seen a press report to say we would not be allowed to board. We contacted our TA in the USA - she had not received notification but called RCI who confirmed it was true and that she Said had started the refund process. We had to supply our flight details which we have done and they have been passed to RCI. 

This morning I have heard from the TA that RCI are trying to issue future cruise vouchers and not refunds. This is totally unacceptable to us for a number of reasons.

- they have told our TA that we would receive a full refund

- their press release ( see below) assures people that they will get a full refund 

- I have a Twitter communication with RCI in which they said as soon as our travel details were confirmed they would issue a full refund. 
- we have an enforced 2 week land holiday in Australia that we had not anticipated. We need the refund to cover the cost of staying in one of the most expensive cities in the world ( although it is lovely.)
- our travel plans for the next 2 years are arranged and do not include RCI. Why would we want to leave 5000 USD with them on account. It makes no sense.

 

I have Tried to speak with RCI myself but first they denied all knowledge of the booking, then asked who had said we would get a refund ( I said they did and sent them copies of documents) and finally they claimed we had not been denied boarding. 
What a shambles and frankly very distressing. 
 

Their poor communication of the decision to deny boarding and their subsequent obstructive behaviour is making a bad situation worse.
They have lessons to learn about customer service. 

 

Their press release is attached 

https://presscenter.rclcorporate.com/press-release/48/coronavirus-update/

 

 

 

Your TA should be dealing with this, not you.  

[mochuck]

22 minutes ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

Good idea 

I also just noticed Royal Caribbean has a Facebook page that you could complain on. 

[brillohead]

6 hours ago, Lostdave_98 said:

From the aussie stand point, the biggest issue is they have stopped alcahol service.

From a medical standpoint, this is concerning.  If there are any alcoholics on board, the DTs from withdrawing suddenly from alcohol could be fatal.  

I hope the medical staff are being proactive in asking passengers about their normal alcohol intake and supplying booze to those who are chemically dependent upon it.  

[benjoon]

1 hour ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

Good idea 

Definitely go to the press. I’m sure if RCI know they won’t want the bad press. The cruise industry is in a state of shambles. Channel 7 and 9 enjoy broadcasting any bad press when it comes to cruising. How can they say that you weren’t denied boarding when your TA had contacted them directly.

[mochuck]

14 minutes ago, benjoon said:

Definitely go to the press. I’m sure if RCI know they won’t want the bad press. The cruise industry is in a state of shambles. Channel 7 and 9 enjoy broadcasting any bad press when it comes to cruising. How can they say that you weren’t denied boarding when your TA had contacted them directly.

There is a particular show called A Current Affair on Channel 9 who love that type of story

[Lostdave_98]

57 minutes ago, brillohead said:

From a medical standpoint, this is concerning.  If there are any alcoholics on board, the DTs from withdrawing suddenly from alcohol could be fatal.  

I hope the medical staff are being proactive in asking passengers about their normal alcohol intake and supplying booze to those who are chemically dependent upon it.  

On the other hand....You have people that are cooped up in a small room and feed them booze?
 

[ARandomTraveler]

4 hours ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

Dreadful experience with RCI - trying to change refund policy.

This morning I have heard from the TA that RCI are trying to issue future cruise vouchers and not refunds. This is totally unacceptable to us for a number of reasons.

- they have told our TA that we would receive a full refund

- their press release ( see below) assures people that they will get a full refund 

- I have a Twitter communication with RCI in which they said as soon as our travel details were confirmed they would issue a full refund. 

- our travel plans for the next 2 years are arranged and do not include RCI. Why would we want to leave 5000 USD with them on account. It makes no sense.

 

 

 

 

A full refund doesn’t mean a cash refund. It seems to be their policy to offer future cruise credits in these situations (as I keep mentioning - this situation is very reminiscent of the hurricane Maria fiasco in 2017 when people had this same issue and same complaint about not being able to use the future cruise credit). 

 

This is also why I have mentioned people should consider buying cancel for any reason insurance. I realize you may not have known about that option and it’s obviously too late for you to do that so I’m sorry you’re having to deal with the hassle of changing and paying for alternate travel plans and I imagine it’s also very disappointing. Hopefully other people can learn from these reports and be aware that  cancel for any reason insurance (or just plain travel insurance) exists so they can plan ahead if they don’t want to be stuck in similar situations in the future. 

 

I hope you work things out and enjoy Australia or can change your plane tickets to get home sooner. 

[Balsam12]

29 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

This is also why I have mentioned people should consider buying cancel for any reason insurance.

This type of insurance is not available in most countries. From my reading, it is pretty much a US thing.

[Ellyman]

It is not available in where I live, Thailand, otherwise I would have applied for it. sigh 

[ARandomTraveler]

6 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

This type of insurance is not available in most countries. From my reading, it is pretty much a US thing.

I didn’t think about that. I also learned due to my other thread about buying cancel-for-any-reason insurance that New York residents also cannot buy it, though there’s some debate about whether there are ways around that.

 

It has also been reported that depending on everyone’s individual circumstances, sometimes the insurance isn’t beneficial cost-wise. Age, destination and other factors can increase the cost of the insurance making it so high that it isn’t worth buying. 

 

That being said, for people who can buy it, they should at least look into it. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by ARandomTraveler

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, Lostdave_98 said:

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

From a medical standpoint, this is concerning.  If there are any alcoholics on board, the DTs from withdrawing suddenly from alcohol could be fatal.  

I hope the medical staff are being proactive in asking passengers about their normal alcohol intake and supplying booze to those who are chemically dependent upon it.  

 

On the other hand....You have people that are cooped up in a small room and feed them booze?

Just the ones who are daily drinkers, and just enough to prevent fatal seizures.

In the hospital we put them in a high-acuity setting and administer intravenous medications as often as every half hour to keep them alive, but considering that the medical facility on board is inundated with coronavirus patients at the moment, the easier answer in this circumstance is to drop off a six-pack of beer to the alcoholic passenger's room every day.  

[Bobal]

For those wondering about alcohol. There are updates from a female passenger on another social media site. She posted a pic of a bucket of beer and a couple of bottles of wine which had been delivered to their cabin.

[mochuck]

2 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

A full refund doesn’t mean a cash refund. It seems to be their policy to offer future cruise credits in these situations (as I keep mentioning - this situation is very reminiscent of the hurricane Maria fiasco in 2017 when people had this same issue and same complaint about not being able to use the future cruise credit). 

 

This is also why I have mentioned people should consider buying cancel for any reason insurance. I realize you may not have known about that option and it’s obviously too late for you to do that so I’m sorry you’re having to deal with the hassle of changing and paying for alternate travel plans and I imagine it’s also very disappointing. Hopefully other people can learn from these reports and be aware that  cancel for any reason insurance (or just plain travel insurance) exists so they can plan ahead if they don’t want to be stuck in similar situations in the future. 

 

I hope you work things out and enjoy Australia or can change your plane tickets to get home sooner. 

Perhaps he should check the term and conditions of the ticket.

[nomad098]

6 hours ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

Dreadful experience with RCI - trying to change refund policy.

 

Think I have posted about this before but our situation is getting worse. 
We flew from the U.K. to Sydney with a 2 night break in Hong Kong. We were due to board Voyager of the Seas on 5 February for a 14 night cruise to Fiji. The cruise was the first part of a 6 week holiday in Australia.

As we were preparing to leave Hong Kong we were sent a message by a friend to say she had seen a press report to say we would not be allowed to board. We contacted our TA in the USA - she had not received notification but called RCI who confirmed it was true and that she Said had started the refund process. We had to supply our flight details which we have done and they have been passed to RCI. 

This morning I have heard from the TA that RCI are trying to issue future cruise vouchers and not refunds. This is totally unacceptable to us for a number of reasons.

- they have told our TA that we would receive a full refund

- their press release ( see below) assures people that they will get a full refund 

- I have a Twitter communication with RCI in which they said as soon as our travel details were confirmed they would issue a full refund. 
- we have an enforced 2 week land holiday in Australia that we had not anticipated. We need the refund to cover the cost of staying in one of the most expensive cities in the world ( although it is lovely.)
- our travel plans for the next 2 years are arranged and do not include RCI. Why would we want to leave 5000 USD with them on account. It makes no sense.

 

I have Tried to speak with RCI myself but first they denied all knowledge of the booking, then asked who had said we would get a refund ( I said they did and sent them copies of documents) and finally they claimed we had not been denied boarding. 
What a shambles and frankly very distressing. 
 

Their poor communication of the decision to deny boarding and their subsequent obstructive behaviour is making a bad situation worse.
They have lessons to learn about customer service. 

 

Their press release is attached 

https://presscenter.rclcorporate.com/press-release/48/coronavirus-update/

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately you booked through an American TA according to your post so you are stuck with the American 

terms and conditions

 

American cruise contracts are very one sided and not in your favour. To file a legal grievance this would need to be done in the USA.

 

RCI are within their rights to offer a future cruise credit instead of a refund regardless of what they have stated publicly or privately.

 

If you paid using a UK credit card you may be able to claim back the money under section 75 for faliure to provide goods and services.

 

Did you take out travel insurance either in the UK or USA? as this may help.

 

UK contracts are similarly one sided,  just signed my NCL cruise contract which basically states that NCL are not liable for anything, however UK common law supersede contract law in the case of package holidays and of course unfair contract law. 

 

I have had to beat NCL, RCI and Carnival over the head metaphorically with UK package holiday law to get them to do the right thing but when I have booked through USA travel agents or cruiselines I have had to accept  that I am stuck with their terms and conditions.

 

I hope everything works out for you and best of luck

 

 

[marci22]

https://nypost.com/2020/02/06/cruise-ship-set-to-dock-in-bayonne-will-test-12-passengers-for-coronavirus/