Help! Anyone who’s had Covid on a RCI Ship please read

[mpk]

8 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Why would they refund part of everyone else's cruise fare just because one person was quarantined? That doesn't even make sense.

 

The OP mentioned later that the negatives in the party was not allowed to dine normally, and were barred from visiting ports.  While not quite a quarantine, it is much, much less than a normal cruise experience.

[rudeney]

56 minutes ago, mpk said:

 

The OP mentioned later that the negatives in the party was not allowed to dine normally, and were barred from visiting ports.  While not quite a quarantine, it is much, much less than a normal cruise experience.

 

In a situation like that, if the cruise line did not give me a pro-rated refund, I'd call AMEX and dispute all the charges.  That is one thing I like about AMEX - you can dispute charge up to 180 days.  

[ARandomTraveler]

53 minutes ago, mpk said:

 

The OP mentioned later that the negatives in the party was not allowed to dine normally, and were barred from visiting ports.  While not quite a quarantine, it is much, much less than a normal cruise experience.

I saw that they mentioned that after my post, I'm not sure why they didn't mention it in their original post as it seems pretty pertinent to the situation. 
 

In that case I would have been pretty adamant that I get very clear written documentation of who was going to be compensated, and how that would be handled, before leaving the ship. Just because an employee says one thing doesn't make it true, and there's no proof the employee even said it, since it was never put into writing. That's just common sense. 

 

I think that everyone is taking a risk cruising during covid times, knowing full well that vacations might be altered or ruined if someone catches covid. The fact that people go into it without travel insurance that will cover any disappointments and then complain about it later seems entitled to me. Why book a cruise that offered no written assurance before booking that you'd be refunded if that was going to be important? And why leave the ship with a piece of paper that wasn't clear and that didn't list names of guests it applied to? I would accept that only if I didn't care about the refund, which this poster clearly does care about. Sounds like this person probably wasn't fully prepared to take a vacation during covid times. 

[rudeney]

5 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I think that everyone is taking a risk cruising during covid times, knowing full well that vacations might be altered or ruined if someone catches covid. 

 

Then the cruise lines need to advertise and price accordingly.  At this point, they are back to filling ships to 100%+ capacity and pricing like there is no COVID.

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by rudeney

[ARandomTraveler]

9 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

Then the cruise lines need to advertise and price accordingly.  At this point, they are back to filling ships to 100%+ capacity and pricing accordingly. 

I see your point, but also, people are willing to pay full price to board a full ship knowing full well they might catch covid and end up on deck 3 eating room service out of a soup cup.
 

There used to be a policy about being refunded if that happened to you, or getting on board credit or some such things, but those concessions have slowly been whittled away, and people are still booking cruises.

 

Personally, I bought private insurance that covers all possible scenarios that I might care about in the event covid affects my trip. I'm also willing to risk losing part of my vacation, and part of my money, for anything that isn't covered. 
 

I just don't understand going on these vacations and then being surprised that covid might alter plans and then expect to get paid money when there's no written policy saying they'd get anything for the inconvenience, and they also didn't buy insurance.

 

That being said, I don't completely fault the OP for making an attempt to see if they can use someone else's circumstance as a way to argue their own case and get more money. However, I think it's a bit entitled and a waste of time. 

Edited August 7, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[Lottie1974]

11 hours ago, JMToke said:

I was quarantined on Symphony (7/23-30) day 3 of our second leg of a B2B. According to the paperwork that I received when I was relocated to deck 3, it clearly says “Please know that we will be providing all quarenetines guests and their travelling party with a prorated refund of your cruise fare based on your time spent in quarantine and cruise time lost. This refund will be issued to your original form(s) of payment”.

 

Before everyone jumps on the new member, one and done, yes I just subscribed but I’ve been in lurk mode long enough to know what’s coming my way.

Thank you very much for responding to my post. The section of your letter you have quoted is the same as the one scanned onto the Royal Caribbean blog site. Would you mind telling me the destination of your cruise?  I’m wondering if this extended refund applied to US cruises only and I was in Europe. 
 

Thanks indeed to everyone who has helpfully responded to my post. I should add that while I do have comprehensive cruise insurance, there is no UK insurance that would cover a cruise disruption and provide a pro rata refund of this nature . 

I accept that I was naive in not obtaining written confirmation of what I was told in explicit detail . Certainly lesson learnt. But I do take issue with being called ‘entitled’.  

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Does it not tell you in rcls terms and conditions for covid. I havent read them fully but i remember reading about refunds for pre cruise covid etc. 

[sgmn]

5 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I see your point, but also, people are willing to pay full price to board a full ship knowing full well they might catch covid and end up on deck 3 eating room service out of a soup cup.
 

Whilst frequent cruisers or CC members may know of the risk of catching covid on board, I don't think the majority of pax do. 

Certainly first timers or inexperienced cruisers may not. 

A friend if mine went on her first cruise this summer with her family out of Barcelona and was shocked when I told her about the covid risk on board and quarantine arrangements.  Sure enough within a day or two of returning home members of her party went down with covid

Another elderly lady i know caught it on a SAGA cruise (which mainly caters to elderly pax so has quite strict protocols) and was pretty ill with it and confined to her cabin.

 

To the OP I hope you get what was promised to you.  Unfortunately I think staff at the sharp end,  ie on board ship or at airports promise things that may not be correct 

Edited August 7, 2022 by sgmn

[grapau27]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:16 PM, Lottie1974 said:

 

Hoping someone can help with my question. My husband got Covid half way through our Osyssey of the Seas cruise out of Rome in July . We were told that the cost of the cruise, pro rata according to how many days he was in isolation, would be refunded for the WHOLE PARTY.

The letter from RCI given to my husband when he was finally allowed to leave the ship, stated that we would receive a refund within 30 days and we didn’t need to do anything more. There is no detail in the letter about the extent of the refund.

.

I decided to call our travel agent when the 30 days has elapsed, just in case they had to contact RCI on our behalf , despite what the letter said . I was correct - and had I not rang the Travel Agent I would doubtless still be waiting for news .

RCI have told the agent that we are only eligible for a refund for my husbands cruise fare- not the whole party. This is contrary to what I’ve read on royal carribean blog, on a cruise to Alaska, when the person who isolated and the travelling party were all compensated. I was also told by a manager at guest services on board that the refund would cover the entire party before I even asked the question.

 

I’d be so grateful if anyone who has experienced the same scenario could let me know what happened regarding their refund . We are a family of four so there is a substantial difference in price . How can they tell people one thing on the ship  and have their staff in call centres say something different ?!  I am so fed so up to have had faith in their ‘cruise with confidence ‘ and then have to try and convince the travel agent that I am telling the truth as they seem to have no clue either ! UK based btw. Thank you in advance!

I would do exactly what Biker suggested.

In my experience of a few cruise lines each complaint is looked at individually.

Good luck.

Graham.

 

[firefly333]

6 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

In a situation like that, if the cruise line did not give me a pro-rated refund, I'd call AMEX and dispute all the charges.  That is one thing I like about AMEX - you can dispute charge up to 180 days.  

As having worked in amex disputes, reminding people you can win a dispute but the merchant can still not agree or allow you to rebook later. Someone on carnival was surprised. I've seen people get the non paid amount sent to collections. The person says you said I won. No we said the amount of credit will remain on your card. Dont be surprised if you cant book more cruises with this card. 

 

It's always better to work it out with the merchant if it's you just are dissatisfied. If it's clear cut double billing or such disputes are fine. 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, Lottie1974 said:

I accept that I was naive in not obtaining written confirmation of what I was told in explicit detail . Certainly lesson learnt. But I do take issue with being called ‘entitled’.  

I was just called entitled because I objected to not being allowed to to a excursion because of my age, I was 1 year over their limit.

 

Unfortunately people here are resorting to name calling. I've been called that and worse. Cc isnt a very  nice place. Sorry. Hope you wrote to mbayley@rccl.com.. his office will answer emails.

[JMToke]

1 hour ago, Lottie1974 said:

Would you mind telling me the destination of your cruise?  I’m wondering if this extended refund applied to US cruises only and I was in Europe. 

We sailed out of Miami. It was the paper explaining what to expect while in quarantine (general care, meal & beverage service, housekeeping, etc).

[bajathree]

I have never heard of someone testing positive on a ship that got refunded for their entire group....just the person who tested positive. As far as the person who told you on the ship your entire party would be refunded....not an excuse but reality...they probably didn't know the exact corporate policy...if you asked 5 different crew members you would have probably got 5 different answers...just the way it usually is. And yes....unless you have something in writing from tht person on the ship who told you your entire group would be refunded.....what they said isn't going to mean anything.

[Lottie1974]

5 hours ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Does it not tell you in rcls terms and conditions for covid. I havent read them fully but i remember reading about refunds for pre cruise covid etc. 

I have just found the following after a Google search;

FOR ALL RCI CRUISES BOOKED PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE ON SAILINGS SCHEDULED TO SAIL ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
Denial of Embarkation or Reboarding; Quarantine and/or Disembarkation
• If you or members of your Traveling Party, or other close contacts are denied embarkation or reboarding, or quarantined or disembarked during your cruise, due to a positive COVID-19 test or being suspected of having COVID-19, you and they are entitled to a refund for the cruise fare paid to RCI in the event of denial at embarkation, or a pro-rated refund for the unused portion of your cruise fare in all other cases.

 
 

I will be quoting this to and Bayler. Thanks again everyone!

[grapau27]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I was just called entitled because I objected to not being allowed to to a excursion because of my age, I was 1 year over their limit.

 

Unfortunately people here are resorting to name calling. I've been called that and worse. Cc isnt a very  nice place. Sorry. Hope you wrote to mbayley@rccl.com.. his office will answer emails.

I hope you are well.

There is no need for name calling.

I have always enjoyed our chats on Bella's thread.

Take care.

Graham.

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, Lottie1974 said:

I have just found the following after a Google search;

FOR ALL RCI CRUISES BOOKED PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE ON SAILINGS SCHEDULED TO SAIL ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
Denial of Embarkation or Reboarding; Quarantine and/or Disembarkation
• If you or members of your Traveling Party, or other close contacts are denied embarkation or reboarding, or quarantined or disembarked during your cruise, due to a positive COVID-19 test or being suspected of having COVID-19, you and they are entitled to a refund for the cruise fare paid to RCI in the event of denial at embarkation, or a pro-rated refund for the unused portion of your cruise fare in all other cases.

 
 

I will be quoting this to and Bayler. Thanks again everyone!

Best wishes and good luck.

Graham.

[aubreyc1988]

21 hours ago, molly361 said:

I tend to think that "blogger" gets special treatment on some things

 

I mean this with no ill intent or anything, wish him the best 

 

however, how does he not get in trouble by using the his brand name?  When you go on the official Royal Caribbean website, they have a section called "Royal Caribbean Blog", if I was Royal Caribbean, I'd be like "You've got to change your name." 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

6 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

 

I mean this with no ill intent or anything, wish him the best 

 

however, how does he not get in trouble by using the his brand name?  When you go on the official Royal Caribbean website, they have a section called "Royal Caribbean Blog", if I was Royal Caribbean, I'd be like "You've got to change your name." 

When I did a search on the RCI website for "blog" it takes me to the "official" Royal Caribbean blog, not the fan one. 

 

Royal Caribbean Blog

[aubreyc1988]

5 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

When I did a search on the RCI website for "blog" it takes me to the "official" Royal Caribbean blog, not the fan one. 

 

Royal Caribbean Blog

Well that is good but I still can't believe Royal's legal team allows it. 

[poocher]

But if you just google Royal Caribbean Blog, you get Matt’s website not RC’s.  Full disclosure I am a follower of his blog.

[rudeney]

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

As having worked in amex disputes, reminding people you can win a dispute but the merchant can still not agree or allow you to rebook later. Someone on carnival was surprised. I've seen people get the non paid amount sent to collections. The person says you said I won. No we said the amount of credit will remain on your card. Dont be surprised if you cant book more cruises with this card. 

 

It's always better to work it out with the merchant if it's you just are dissatisfied. If it's clear cut double billing or such disputes are fine. 

 

I won't go into the boring details, but I had to dispute a charge on my AMEX from Verizon.  I had made many calls where their overseas CSRs all assured me it was erroneous and would be credited, but never was.  They did send it to collections.  I disputed the debt with the collection agency, and sent an email to the Verizon CEO, which was answered by someone in the executive offices who apologized profusely and sent me a signed letter stating that I owed nothing.  

 

My company creates software for debt collection attorneys, so i am very familiar with the  collections industry.  The documentation the OP @Lottie1974 posted above is very clear and RCCL should issue the refund in a timely basis.  If the charge is disputed and RCCL sends it to collections, all it should take is one letter to the collection agency disputing the debt on those grounds.  If they continue to attempt to collect, the next step is to hire a "debtor's attorney" and sue for compensation under FDCPA.  

 

You are correct, though, that the cruise line could refuse to allow you to book future trips with them.  That is their prerogative and right.  Personally, a company that would treat me that way no longer  earns my business.

[the penguins]

On 8/6/2022 at 6:03 PM, Lottie1974 said:

Thanks I’m aware of that ,but the poster on the blog was relating his experience and that included a pro rata refund for his whole party . I’ve no reason to disbelieve him

My suggestion. You have been given the bosses email. Send him a polite message simply explaining what you were told and ask him to confirm. Personally I see no reason to refund any passenger who wasn't quarantined as they lost nothing. Best of luck and please post the outcome.

[firefly333]

18 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

I won't go into the boring details, but I had to dispute a charge on my AMEX from Verizon.  I had made many calls where their overseas CSRs all assured me it was erroneous and would be credited, but never was.  They did send it to collections.  I disputed the debt with the collection agency, and sent an email to the Verizon CEO, which was answered by someone in the executive offices who apologized profusely and sent me a signed letter stating that I owed nothing.  

 

My company creates software for debt collection attorneys, so i am very familiar with the  collections industry.  The documentation the OP @Lottie1974 posted above is very clear and RCCL should issue the refund in a timely basis.  If the charge is disputed and RCCL sends it to collections, all it should take is one letter to the collection agency disputing the debt on those grounds.  If they continue to attempt to collect, the next step is to hire a "debtor's attorney" and sue for compensation under FDCPA.  

 

You are correct, though, that the cruise line could refuse to allow you to book future trips with them.  That is their prerogative and right.  Personally, a company that would treat me that way no longer  earns my business.

You say you are very familiar ...then say if rcl sends the charge to collections. Never would that happen over a dispute. If the credit stays on your account either it was a small charge and amex wrote it off or charged the merchant back.

 

There have been times I said when we charged the merchant back and they sent the charge to collections. Often small charges under say $100 we write off. Not worth the time it takes to send out dispute letters. Our time is worth a certain amount. Each cardholder has a $$$ value. If they charge a lot a bigger charge might be written off for a situation where they were unhappy. And merchant disagreed. 

 

Never would amex send a charge to collections that was disputed. There are also laws how long amex has to handle a dispute. There have been times when larger write offs were written because we approached the deadline. 90 days. .. your 120 days is for something that is charged in the future. Like a wedding or a cruise has a longer time to dispute. Furniture that has to be made and delivery is later. Most disputes by law only have 90 days. There is a major fine for not closing on time. 

 

I am not aware of any flat 120 day like you said. .. depends on delivery in some rare kinds of disputes. 

 

But ok. I'm not the one answering phones, I was the one you mentioned using the software. The one closing disputes. Doesnt matter. Correcting someone who just said they did that job kinda typical of cc. Everyone knows everything. I've been pulling away more and more lately. 

[rudeney]

23 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

You say you are very familiar ...then say if rcl sends the charge to collections. Never would that happen over a dispute. If the credit stays on your account either it was a small charge and amex wrote it off or charged the merchant back.

 

There have been times I said when we charged the merchant back and they sent the charge to collections. Often small charges under say $100 we write off. Not worth the time it takes to send out dispute letters. Our time is worth a certain amount. Each cardholder has a $$$ value. If they charge a lot a bigger charge might be written off for a situation where they were unhappy. And merchant disagreed. 

 

Never would amex send a charge to collections that was disputed. There are also laws how long amex has to handle a dispute. There have been times when larger write offs were written because we approached the deadline. 90 days. .. your 120 days is for something that is charged in the future. Like a wedding or a cruise has a longer time to dispute. Furniture that has to be made and delivery is later. Most disputes by law only have 90 days. There is a major fine for not closing on time. 

 

I am not aware of any flat 120 day like you said. .. depends on delivery in some rare kinds of disputes. 

 

But ok. I'm not the one answering phones, I was the one you mentioned using the software. The one closing disputes. Doesnt matter. Correcting someone who just said they did that job kinda typical of cc. Everyone knows everything. I've been pulling away more and more lately. 

 

AMEX allows disputes well over 90 days if the cardholder can show a reason it took so long, such as if a payment for services was made that far in advance before services were to be rendered (like you mentioned for the wedding).  I am an AMEX cardmember, but have also been a merchant.  As a cardmember, I've not had to dispute anything beyond 30-60 days, but as a merchant, I had a customer dispute 6 months worth of charges.  These were monthly software support and maintenance fees.  Their claim is that our service was inadequate.  AMEX gave us a chance to answer, but ultimately sided with their cardmember.  They told us that if we felt they were in error, we were welcome to deal directly with their cardmember as a civil matter, but they (AMEX) were out of it.  Since the customer was a lawyer, we just wrote if off.  They were a "problem customer" anyhow (good riddance).

[volk904]

If your husband was in Quarantine and the rest of the family was not why should Royal being refunding the rest of the party? Just my opinion but I think Royal does a good job of covering customer who were Quarantined and asking them to cover guests who were still free to go about their cruise is asking a lot.

Edited August 7, 2022 by volk904