Ports not matching what I booked

[Jamagerayla]

Ok- yes I can call and ask RC but I thought I'd ask here first since our cruise isn't scheduled until December and I'm sure customer service is busy with more pressing issues at the moment.

 

I've booked a five night in December with two port stops. One in Coco Cay and one in Cozumel. I booked this on Mother's Day and all was well and good. This past week anytime I log into the app or on the website it shows Nassau instead of Cozumel. My excursion options still show Cozumel? I was thinking of going ahead and booking some excursions with the holiday sale but am fine waiting. Does this happen often? Are they unsure of Mexico being an option now for a December cruise?

 

Second- we are booked on Mariner with another family. We each booked two adjoining balcony rooms. Is it possible to get four rooms adjoining? How soon should I call to make sure this happens?

[Cigar King]

59 minutes ago, Jamagerayla said:

I've booked a five night in December with two port stops. One in Coco Cay and one in Cozumel. I booked this on Mother's Day and all was well and good. <SNIP>  Does this happen often? Are they unsure of Mexico being an option now for a December cruise?

 

It happens, for a variety of reasons.  They can change the itinerary at will.  Even after you have departed.  Just roll with the changes.

 

59 minutes ago, Jamagerayla said:

Second- we are booked on Mariner with another family. We each booked two adjoining balcony rooms. Is it possible to get four rooms adjoining? How soon should I call to make sure this happens?

 

Yes, but, the sooner you do it the better.  Your TA should be able to assist with this.

[dswallow]

2 hours ago, Jamagerayla said:

Second- we are booked on Mariner with another family. We each booked two adjoining balcony rooms. Is it possible to get four rooms adjoining? How soon should I call to make sure this happens?

 

I don't see any rooms on Mariner of the Seas where there are adjacent pairs of adjoining balcony rooms. The best you'll be able to do is get one pair of adjoining rooms and two adjacent non-adjoining rooms, I think.

[dswallow]

2 hours ago, Jamagerayla said:

I've booked a five night in December with two port stops. One in Coco Cay and one in Cozumel. I booked this on Mother's Day and all was well and good. This past week anytime I log into the app or on the website it shows Nassau instead of Cozumel. My excursion options still show Cozumel? I was thinking of going ahead and booking some excursions with the holiday sale but am fine waiting. Does this happen often? Are they unsure of Mexico being an option now for a December cruise?

 

There are 4 5-night sailings of Mariner of the Seas in December 2021, two different itineraries, one which is Labadee/Nassau and the other which is Perfect Day/Cozumel. So on 12/4 there's a 5-night Labadee followed by a 5-night Perfect Day on 12/9. Then on 12/18 there's a 5-night Labadee itinerary followed by a 5-night Perfect Day itinerary on 12/23.

So they could've messed something up configuring the sailing, or something could be changing (though if that's true, I would expect the itinerary still to match the cruise planner choices). You should probably call, and if you really don't want to bother them with a call, sending a note on Twitter to @RoyalCaribbean will accomplish the same without time pressure on anybody.

[zekekelso]

Just to be picky with language, in cruise/hotel speak, “adjoining” means next to each other. “Connecting” means has an internal door between the two rooms. When calling to book, be very specific about what you want. 

[Jamagerayla]

So- I called them and was on the phone for 90 minutes. I do really hate to bother them with a December cruise when I know their phones must be ringing off the hook for July-September cruises but as a first time cruiser (well- in 20 years) with two families and 6 kids I want to make sure we got this all right. 

 

Turns out my cruise has been cancelled yet I have received no notifications of this. They are no longer offering any five day cruises. They were surprised I was even able to book this cruise in the first place. I booked Mothers Day and our travel companions booked a week after. According to them I had until March to cancel and get a refund even though I booked in May. At some point our reservation will  automatically switch to the week after (Dec 14) for four days. While on the phone I did a couple of mock bookings for five day cruises on their website with no issue so I don't know what's going on there. She did tell me since I booked after March I can get my deposit back but we were really hoping for a five day and not that close to Christmas. We also have the issue of young children that can't be vaccinated yet and I'm still on the fence about that as a whole but will cross that bridge when needed.

 

Thanks for the tip about connecting/adjoining rooms. That might pose an issue. Between our two families our kids range in age from 5-12. I was under the impression rooms opened up to each other and you could have the balcony partitions removed as well. Again, another bridge to cross when the time comes.  

[EatonDoolittle]

This is crazy...I have the 5 day Coz/CoCo Cay booked in Nov, have no desire to go to Nassau. It’s still bookable too. 
 

There are 4, 5, and 7 day trips from PC in November. I wonder if the 4 days are only in December?
 

thanks for posting, I believe I’ll call RC tomorrow rather than wait for my TA on Tuesday. 

[Jamagerayla]

1 minute ago, EatonDoolittle said:

This is crazy...I have the 5 day Coz/CoCo Cay booked in Nov, have no desire to go to Nassau. It’s still bookable too. 
 

There are 4, 5, and 7 day trips from PC in November. I wonder if the 4 days are only in December?
 

thanks for posting, I believe I’ll call RC tomorrow rather than wait for my TA on Tuesday. 

The lady I spoke to specifically told me there were no five days available in November or December and even checked Ft. Lauderdale ( we are booked out of Canaveral) even though their website states otherwise. Maybe yours is just full? Don't know but worth a call. My kids have winter break the month of December which is why we booked for then. She told me I could book a 4 day November 18 (?), 30 or December 16.

[AF-1]

Jamagerayla;  if you booked directly with the cruise line they should send you an email for the cancellation.  If you used a travel agent, the cruise line will notify them of the cancellation or changes.

[Coralc]

1 hour ago, Jamagerayla said:

So- I called them and was on the phone for 90 minutes. I do really hate to bother them with a December cruise when I know their phones must be ringing off the hook for July-September cruises but as a first time cruiser (well- in 20 years) with two families and 6 kids I want to make sure we got this all right. 

 

Turns out my cruise has been cancelled yet I have received no notifications of this. They are no longer offering any five day cruises. They were surprised I was even able to book this cruise in the first place. I booked Mothers Day and our travel companions booked a week after. According to them I had until March to cancel and get a refund even though I booked in May. At some point our reservation will  automatically switch to the week after (Dec 14) for four days. While on the phone I did a couple of mock bookings for five day cruises on their website with no issue so I don't know what's going on there. She did tell me since I booked after March I can get my deposit back but we were really hoping for a five day and not that close to Christmas. We also have the issue of young children that can't be vaccinated yet and I'm still on the fence about that as a whole but will cross that bridge when needed.

 

Thanks for the tip about connecting/adjoining rooms. That might pose an issue. Between our two families our kids range in age from 5-12. I was under the impression rooms opened up to each other and you could have the balcony partitions removed as well. Again, another bridge to cross when the time comes.  

Something doesn't sound right with this conversation?  If your cruise was indeed cancelled, you are entitled to a refund of all the monies paid. I don't know enough to advise you, but you need to push this a little further. And you should certainly still be eligible for a refund if you booked in May and your cruise is cancelled. That March refund date is a lie. 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Coralc

[Jamagerayla]

I haven't heard a peep from the cruise line and both me and our other family booked directly through them. No TA. I even purchased the discounted beverage package yesterday. I'm very confused by all of this. At this point I've only paid for the beverage package and our $500.00 down payment for two rooms which should all be refundable. But why is their website showing and allowing us to book cruises that don't exist?

[agslc5]

5 minutes ago, Jamagerayla said:

I haven't heard a peep from the cruise line and both me and our other family booked directly through them. No TA. I even purchased the discounted beverage package yesterday. I'm very confused by all of this. At this point I've only paid for the beverage package and our $500.00 down payment for two rooms which should all be refundable. But why is their website showing and allowing us to book cruises that don't exist?

I am a travel agent. Whoever you spoke to on the phone is 100% wrong. I can even book it on the travel agent site.. This happens a lot sadly.. The people in the customer service department are often clueless. I suggest you call back and speak to someone else. 

[agslc5]

8 minutes ago, Jamagerayla said:

I haven't heard a peep from the cruise line and both me and our other family booked directly through them. No TA. I even purchased the discounted beverage package yesterday. I'm very confused by all of this. At this point I've only paid for the beverage package and our $500.00 down payment for two rooms which should all be refundable. But why is their website showing and allowing us to book cruises that don't exist?

Also are you on the Dec 9th sailing?   If so ask if you can have rooms 7662 and 7664 they are connecting and then your friends could get 7674 and 7676 which are also connecting.. You will have 4 cabins between your friends but at least you will be very close and each family can have connecting cabins.. They don't make 4 connecting cabins that just doesn't exist.. 

[NJsharon]

We have a 9 night Bermuda in July.  Now it is called perfect Bahamas & Coco Cay.  We specifically chose it as it was Bermuda & not Bahamas.  But when I looked at the itinerary it still got to Bermuda for 2 days, Nassau for one, then Coco Cay.  I can live with that, if we even sail at all!

[Jamagerayla]

Wait!!!! So December 9th is still a go? That's our original date. Oh my god. I'm more confused than ever now! How do I talk to someone who knows what they are doing? 

 

I called right after booking because I accidently typed a kids bday in wrong and wanted to make sure it got fixed. I put the wrong year. The person I spoke to said they would fix it and make sure to have someone sing Happy Birthday to him when we were on board. Nevermind the fact that his birthday is in August and we sail in December. I finally figured out how to manually change it myself but this person sounded like the exact same person I spoke to the last time. 

[dswallow]

1 hour ago, Jamagerayla said:

Thanks for the tip about connecting/adjoining rooms. That might pose an issue. Between our two families our kids range in age from 5-12. I was under the impression rooms opened up to each other and you could have the balcony partitions removed as well. Again, another bridge to cross when the time comes.  

 

Just to clarify...
 

Often balcony partitions can be unlocked and allow movement via the balcony between cabins; there will be some that may for some reason not be configurable that way, and some ships where they were not designed that way or simply may be against ship policy for some reason. I'm not sure how you might even identify when it can or cannot be done between any two cabins.

An official connecting balcony cabin will have an interior door between the cabins. On the deck plans these are identified with a small black two-headed arrow placed on a wall that is shared by two cabins. From the deck plans, there are simply no 2 connecting cabins that are adjacent to another 2 connecting cabins (i.e., 4 cabins in a row, each pair connecting internally, possibly allowing balcony partitions to be opened between cabins).

[agslc5]

11 hours ago, Jamagerayla said:

Wait!!!! So December 9th is still a go? That's our original date. Oh my god. I'm more confused than ever now! How do I talk to someone who knows what they are doing? 

 

I called right after booking because I accidently typed a kids bday in wrong and wanted to make sure it got fixed. I put the wrong year. The person I spoke to said they would fix it and make sure to have someone sing Happy Birthday to him when we were on board. Nevermind the fact that his birthday is in August and we sail in December. I finally figured out how to manually change it myself but this person sounded like the exact same person I spoke to the last time. 

Yes according to the travel agent site its still a go. I really think you spoke to someone who has no clue what they are talking about. I would suggest calling the crown and anchor line even though you have no status. Explain what happened to you and usually they have people who are more qualified to speak with. 

[RedIguana]

12 hours ago, dswallow said:

An official connecting balcony cabin will have an interior door between the cabins. On the deck plans these are identified with a small black two-headed arrow placed on a wall that is shared by two cabins. From the deck plans, there are simply no 2 connecting cabins that are adjacent to another 2 connecting cabins (i.e., 4 cabins in a row, each pair connecting internally, possibly allowing balcony partitions to be opened between cabins).

I think it is hard enough to create enough empty wall space for a door on one side of the cabin. It would be a strange cabin layout to have a door on 2 walls.

[Peak city]

We were booked in an aft balcony on Mariner for a 4 night leaving Dec 4th to Nassau and Coco Cay.  In March I received a notice that they rearranged the Mariner schedule for November - April 2022.  In April the RCI website showed us in the same cabin for a 5 day to Cozumel on Dec. 9th.  That was fine with us because we would be getting an extra night.  Then, at the beginning of May it changed again to a 4 night, Nassau & Coco Cay, leaving on Dec. 14th and switched us to a balcony cabin on the side of the ship.  We had 2 problems with this - we specifically booked it for the aft balcony (in 12/2018 we booked at the next cruise desk for 12/2020, then utilized lift & shift and moved to the same cabin & itinerary for 12/2021) and returning on 12/18 would be too close to Christmas.  I contacted our TA and we wound up switching to an 8 day out of Miami on Jewel leaving 12/4/2021 where we were able to get an aft balcony.

 

Note: the customer service reps at RCI are terrible.  I called to see who made the changes to our reservations and was told that it was my TA, but when I called my TA she still had us on the original itinerary and no changes had been made at her end.  It just makes your head spin.

[Jamagerayla]

I have an acquaintance who is a TA. I contacted her this morning. Because she didn't book my cruise she can't really help me too much but she said she'd dig around to see what she could find out for me. 

 

Thankfully, this is still months and months away and I have time to work out the sordid details but it is frustrating when trying to look at excursions, etc.