fully paid cruise cancelled by RCL without our knowledge

[TeamCan]

Hi cruisers,

 

Has this situation occurred with anyone else?  I am getting the runaround from RCL and no one has given me a clear answer as to how this incident could have taken place (not once, but now twice).

 

Background information - booked and fully paid for a 3 day cruise (sailing May 2023) in November 2022.  Cruise was cancelled and full payment was refunded in December 2022 without my or my TA's knowledge.  I just happened to notice on my account as I was looking to book an excursion on a different cruise.  Upon discussion with my TA and RC, no one could tell me WHY the cruise was cancelled from RC's end.  Excuses were given from RC's end that if I had added something into my cart (such as an excursion) without paying for it, their system may deem the cruise to be in arrears because money is owed on the cruise.  The only trouble with this explanation is that I didn't add anything to my shopping cart for this cruise.  I had to pay for the cruise again (luckily the cabin was still available but had to pay extra for currency conversion) and was told there were steps taken to make sure this wouldn't happen again.

 

Today, the exact same thing happened!  The cruise was cancelled again 2 days ago from RC's end and upon speaking with my TA and RC's resolutions department, there was no clear explanation as to why the cruise was cancelled. There is a notice from RCL's invoice that a $900 deposit was due by December 18, 2022, BUT THE ENTIRE 3 DAY CRUISE WAS LESS THAN THE DEPOSIT AND WAS PAID IN FULL - the balance owing on the invoice is ZERO.  I think there is an issue with either RC's IT or finance/account department but RC could not confirm this.  They stated the old booking number may have been "corrupted" because of a "system glitch" so with the rebooking today, they assigned me a new booking number.  I had to fully pay for this cruise for the third time and I'm sure lose some money again on the currency conversion. My TA was given a verbal reassurance that this would not happen again,  but I have no confidence if RC can not give me an explanation on why this happened in the 1st place.   Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

 

 

[susi_q]

different issue ... but we also had a cruise cancelled. i also noticed when i was looking at beverages/etc. 

 

My TA is an angel ... has apparently gotten it worked out ... but still nobody can explain how it happened ....

 

apparently another travel agent, that I have never contacted, changed my booking on the same day that I made final payment ... that triggered a higher price, and since I didnt know about it, didnt get any notice ... I didnt pay the additional fee and RC cancelled the cruise ... and kept $900. Said they refunded the difference ... but it didnt show up in our account for over a week ... still waiting to get the $900 reapplied to the cruise ... RC said they would grant our booking price ... trusting it will happen ... but leaving a very bad taste for the line that doesnt communicate!

 

How does another travel agent get our booking number and change our requested cabin ... and then when the change is made we get NO NOTICE!!

[Biker19]

45 minutes ago, TeamCan said:

Any advice would be appreciated.

Accept the fact that RCI has IT issues and hope it doesn’t happen again. And, yes, cancellations like that have been reported by others. You/TA should have asked for some OBC for the issue and conversion losses. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Biker19

[CAT GIRL]

Well, thanks for telling us your experience. I just went through my cart and emptied anything that I was looking at just in case.  I hope you get your issue resolved.

[Sunshine3601]

Maybe it's a sign that you shouldn't be on that may cruise😇

[TeamCan]

40 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Accept the fact that RCI has IT issues and hope it doesn’t happen again. And, yes, cancellations like that have been reported by others. You/TA should have asked for some OBC for the issue and conversion losses. 

Thanks - I had already asked the agent in resolutions for OBC for RC's mistake and the stress and inconvenience this has caused and she said that my TA would have to send an email to guest relations to request it.  I'm just lucky I noticed the cruise was missing from my booked cruises and my cabin was still available.  Apparently RC "will take extra care and will monitor this booking so it doesn't happen again" whatever that means.

[TeamCan]

39 minutes ago, CAT GIRL said:

Well, thanks for telling us your experience. I just went through my cart and emptied anything that I was looking at just in case.  I hope you get your issue resolved.

Thank you.  I don't think it was a cart issue because I was not going to purchase anything for this 3 day cruise.  Each RC supervisor gives his/her take on what may have happened.. "booking # corrupted because of system glitch" is a serious IT issue if that is the correct reason that caused their system to automatically cancel this booking.  

[Longford]

Seems to me, there's a part of the story we're not reading.  Not saying the OP has intentionally omitted something, but as we read it ... it doesn't make sense. 🤔

[TeamCan]

Finally received an answer from my TA & and an intelligent RC supervisor that makes sense.

 

After doing a dip research on the original booking and to the Grp it belonged to, I was able to find the he had a corruption in the whole GRP and was the reason why the booking in question got cancelled several times. This corruption was originally set up to ask for a deposit (per reservation) of $900.00 Which in most of the bookings exceeded the total amount of the booking. I took care of this corruption and fixed the total deposit to what it was supposed to be since the beginning $200.00, This means that there are not going to be more cancelations from now on.

 

Also we want to apologize with your guest about the fact that they were not notified, as this was a glitch of the system. The system did not follow the normal cancelation procedures like it is to send a cancellation notice.

 

I hope this helps to understand the reason of the cancelations.

[neverbeenhere]

“IT” the Royal goblin has cancelled our paid cruises before also. Spent too many hours on the phone getting them reinstated. To have IT cancel them again. Had to go to the big boy to get a couple of the messes fixed. Even then I’ve been out additional cash, just to get the phone calls over. 

[TeamCan]

2 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

“IT” the Royal goblin has cancelled our paid cruises before also. Spent too many hours on the phone getting them reinstated. To have IT cancel them again. Had to go to the big boy to get a couple of the messes fixed. Even then I’ve been out additional cash, just to get the phone calls over. 

I'm sorry that this has happened to you too. Yes, have spent many hours on the phone with my TA and resolutions.  I am thankful for my TA and the resolution specialist who actually spent the time to figure out what happened and fixed the glitch. 

[ARandomTraveler]

Are you sure this wasn't an issue with the travel agent? Or their booking system? Maybe the way they do their bookings and collect payment make it confusing on RC's end. 
 

EDIT: Just finished reading the thread and see that the OP got an explanation. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by ARandomTraveler

[Engineroom Snipe]

7 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

“IT” the Royal goblin has cancelled our paid cruises before also. Spent too many hours on the phone getting them reinstated. To have IT cancel them again. Had to go to the big boy to get a couple of the messes fixed. Even then I’ve been out additional cash, just to get the phone calls over. 

 

This has never happened to me but I can understand when RCI seems to have monthly computer glitches or updates so many people start posting and panicking about the website going down on CC.  I cannot imagine signing into my RCI account and seeing all of my future cruises disappear.  😵😬😱 

 

That has to be a royal mess!

[nelblu]

10 hours ago, TeamCan said:

Hi cruisers,

 

Has this situation occurred with anyone else?  I am getting the runaround from RCL and no one has given me a clear answer as to how this incident could have taken place (not once, but now twice).

 

Background information - booked and fully paid for a 3 day cruise (sailing May 2023) in November 2022.  Cruise was cancelled and full payment was refunded in December 2022 without my or my TA's knowledge.  I just happened to notice on my account as I was looking to book an excursion on a different cruise.  Upon discussion with my TA and RC, no one could tell me WHY the cruise was cancelled from RC's end.  Excuses were given from RC's end that if I had added something into my cart (such as an excursion) without paying for it, their system may deem the cruise to be in arrears because money is owed on the cruise.  The only trouble with this explanation is that I didn't add anything to my shopping cart for this cruise.  I had to pay for the cruise again (luckily the cabin was still available but had to pay extra for currency conversion) and was told there were steps taken to make sure this wouldn't happen again.

 

Today, the exact same thing happened!  The cruise was cancelled again 2 days ago from RC's end and upon speaking with my TA and RC's resolutions department, there was no clear explanation as to why the cruise was cancelled. There is a notice from RCL's invoice that a $900 deposit was due by December 18, 2022, BUT THE ENTIRE 3 DAY CRUISE WAS LESS THAN THE DEPOSIT AND WAS PAID IN FULL - the balance owing on the invoice is ZERO.  I think there is an issue with either RC's IT or finance/account department but RC could not confirm this.  They stated the old booking number may have been "corrupted" because of a "system glitch" so with the rebooking today, they assigned me a new booking number.  I had to fully pay for this cruise for the third time and I'm sure lose some money again on the currency conversion. My TA was given a verbal reassurance that this would not happen again,  but I have no confidence if RC can not give me an explanation on why this happened in the 1st place.   Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

 

 

I for one would not eat any loss of moneys.  I would argue for any OBC or refund for any losses.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

I wouldnt just accept rcls apology. What about any cost you may have incurred and the stress of it all. I am not saying sue them till their eyes bleed but should at least offer to cover any extra costs and some compensation for stress and time. 

 

But glad all sorted for you. 

[NoShoes2]

We are dealing with a similar situation. After final payment and conformation, we attempted to apply a gift card that we received as a Christmas gift for onboard credit. A week or so later we got an email stating that we had an unpaid balance of the same amount as the  gift card. We've made 3 phone calls and have had our "final payment" date extended each time. 

[Jimbo]

I have another issue, Have changed this confirmation a few times so had to Pay the $200 change fee a few times.

I get the confirmation from my Travel Agent and there is a bunch of $200 change fees and Credits for paying the $200 change fees.

The issue is there is 2 extra $200 change fees on the Confirmation and no credits. So I'm charged an extra $400 for the cruise.  Simple right? Nope.

First Customer Service Rep understood but it had to go up the chain further to a Supervisor.

So now they tell me it goes to the IT Resolution Department  As an IT Ticket Problem Confirmation.........telling me to call back in a week and see if the price of the cruise is adjusted.

 

What BS, should be a simple fix right..........Nope not for Royal Caribbean.

 

Can anyone confirm when making a changes on a cruise you have booked to another ship or date you pay the $200 change fee right away right?

See no reason why those charges and credits end up on the confirmation for the cruise you book. It's a joke !

[John&LaLa]

13 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I have another issue, Have changed this confirmation a few times so had to Pay the $200 change fee a few times.

I get the confirmation from my Travel Agent and there is a bunch of $200 change fees and Credits for paying the $200 change fees.

The issue is there is 2 extra $200 change fees on the Confirmation and no credits. So I'm charged an extra $400 for the cruise.  Simple right? Nope.

First Customer Service Rep understood but it had to go up the chain further to a Supervisor.

So now they tell me it goes to the IT Resolution Department  As an IT Ticket Problem Confirmation.........telling me to call back in a week and see if the price of the cruise is adjusted.

 

What BS, should be a simple fix right..........Nope not for Royal Caribbean.

 

Can anyone confirm when making a changes on a cruise you have booked to another ship or date you pay the $200 change fee right away right?

See no reason why those charges and credits end up on the confirmation for the cruise you book. It's a joke !

 

Had a change fee once. And a waiver credit issued concurrently. TA made it happen. Zero impact to me, just a booking adjustment 

[Jimbo]

4 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Had a change fee once. And a waiver credit issued concurrently. TA made it happen. Zero impact to me, just a booking adjustment 

Regardless should be an easy adjustment right? You make the change you get charged the $200 and you pay it at the same day  and time you make the change, shouldn't still end up on your booking as a charge you still need to pay.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Jimbo

[John&LaLa]

9 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Regardless should be an easy adjustment right? You make the change you get charged the $200 and you pay it at the same day  and time you make the change, shouldn't still end up on your booking as a charge you still need to pay.

 

Just sharing my experience. 

 

The fee waiver is not necessarily automatic

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I wouldnt just accept rcls apology. What about any cost you may have incurred and the stress of it all. I am not saying sue them till their eyes bleed but should at least offer to cover any extra costs and some compensation for stress and time. 

 

But glad all sorted for you. 

 

Stress reimbursement, seriously. 🤔

 

Good luck with that

[Jimbo]

7 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Just sharing my experience. 

 

The fee waiver is not necessarily automatic

Fee Waiver probably because you are a Pin Head 😉

 

We have had some change fee waived also, but you have to have a good reason.

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Stress reimbursement, seriously. 🤔

 

Good luck with that

 

I just book another cruise to relieve the stress of the previous booking. Royal might be more diabolical than I give them credit for 😏. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, NoShoes2 said:

After final payment and conformation, we attempted to apply a gift card that we received as a Christmas gift for onboard credit.

that's the reason I apply the gift cards when already onboard.

[BecciBoo]

12 hours ago, CAT GIRL said:

Well, thanks for telling us your experience. I just went through my cart and emptied anything that I was looking at just in case.  I hope you get your issue resolved.

I don't understand how this could happen.  Any time I add a restaurant, pkg or gifts etc I have to pay for it with my credit card when I book it?????