X (RCCL) discrimatory practices

[DAllenTCY]

I booked a cabin (and paid the double rate) for a cruise last summer to Alaska, round trip from San Francisco. My brother purchased another room, and also paid the premium. When the cruise was cancelled due to mechanical problems, we eached received a refund and a Future Cruise Credit.

Last year, my wife could not go, because of her work schedule. She can this year, so I tried to rebook on a 7 day Vancouver roundtrip. Now I find out that my $3,725 "credit" can only be used by myself, not for my wife and me in the same cabin class that I paid for last year! "Jack" and "Jill" who booked the cabin next to me, "Tom" and "Sue" who did the same on the deck below, each received a full credit, and can rebook for this Alaska season.....but for me....it's another $1,800 or take a hike.

So I cancelled, after more than a few phone calls to Miami, trying to figure out why the different treatment. Do you blame me?

David

[nu2sea]

Not at all. I would be furious as well. Tuggers (Gail) has mentioned in the past that X's pricing is unfriendly to single travelers. But this seems to go beyond that. Are you using a travel agent?

 

Why aren't your dollars as good as anyone else's?

 

Susan

Wait a minute, I just went back and reread your post. You got a full refund and a future cruise credit. I don't think you can use a future cruise credit for anyone other than the people originally booked; after all, it is a courtesy credit, a way the cruise line apologises for an inconvenience. Your wife was not inconvenienced, hence she is not entitled to the credit. At least that is the way it appears that X is interpreting it. And since they issued the free credit, it seems that they are entitled to interpret it the way that benefits them.

[BILLP1]

I would not give up . Call again or have your travel agent

try and get through to a higher authority at Celebrity...

[hdawson]

Talk again to your Travel Agent. However, it is a fact that you were the one inconvenienced and entitled to the credit. One pax, one credit. It's a credit for you, not cash.

[Texed]

Talk again to your Travel Agent. However, it is a fact that you were the one inconvenienced and entitled to the credit. One pax, one credit. It's a credit for you, not cash.

 

WOW! hdawson, so nice to see you post. :)

[bububr]

Its pretty clear that the future cruise credit is just for you and you only as you were the sole traveler.

 

However what Iwould do is see if you could convert the remainder to some cabin credits, maybe not all but some and this would make it easier for the both of you. Or just book what you want and think of it as a two for one, as they have already refunded your original cruise and the future cruise credit was only a polite compensation and was not really necessary as your money had been refunded.

 

It seems unfair, but they are actually being more than fair in my opinion.

 

Dave:eek:

[Andy]

Talk again to your Travel Agent. However, it is a fact that you were the one inconvenienced and entitled to the credit. One pax, one credit. It's a credit for you, not cash.

 

Hi Hdawson !

 

So nice to see you. I hope all is well. Please stay in touch !

[JLC@SD]

I booked a cabin (and paid the double rate) for a cruise last summer to Alaska, round trip from San Francisco. My brother purchased another room, and also paid the premium. When the cruise was cancelled due to mechanical problems, we eached received a refund and a Future Cruise Credit.

Last year, my wife could not go, because of her work schedule. She can this year, so I tried to rebook on a 7 day Vancouver roundtrip. Now I find out that my $3,725 "credit" can only be used by myself, not for my wife and me in the same cabin class that I paid for last year! "Jack" and "Jill" who booked the cabin next to me, "Tom" and "Sue" who did the same on the deck below, each received a full credit, and can rebook for this Alaska season.....but for me....it's another $1,800 or take a hike.

So I cancelled, after more than a few phone calls to Miami, trying to figure out why the different treatment. Do you blame me?

David

 

X (RCCL) discriminatory practices

 

.....it is not discriminatory......Tom, Sue, Jack and Jill were all booked on the cruise......along with you.....and not your wife......so the five of you got the courtesy "credit".....it was not for your wife, brother, sister, child.....etc......seems RCCL is consistent to me.....;)

[elena7seas]

What would happen if you booked the cabin as a single, and used your full credits to do so, then at some much later date, book your wife as a passenger in the cabin.

 

We were booking a balcony cabin on the Millennium for my adult daughter, and paying a fare that was almost the equivalent fare for two people. At the time we were told that we could add another person to the room at any time, and just pay the small difference in cost between a single in a balcony cabin, and two people in the same cabin.

 

Perhaps they would forget that you had used credits to pay for the cabin by the time you booked your wife on the cruise? (I tend to be an optimist :rolleyes: ).

[CaliforniaDreamin]

That said, I would have paid the $1800 for DW to join me on a cruise. That works out to $900 ea for a balcony cabin. How long was cruise? Probably 10 days. So, $90 per day each. That's not bad during high season in Alaska.

[dkjretired]

When you paid for last years cruise did you pay double or 1 and 1/2 times what the cruise fare was for the single. From what you explained and I could be wrong, the 1800 extra would bring it up to two fares for the second person. If that is the case, it seems fair, as someone else stated the other cabins paid for two.

[lysolqn]

I understand your frustration - at first glance, your predicament seems to defy logic but if you think it through, it's quite reasonable.

 

Once you received a full refund for your cancelled cruise, you were, as they say in the law, made whole again; the cruise line met its legal obligation and owed you nothing more. Remember, you were not entitled to the future cruise credit you received; it's a freebie and was offered as a gesture of good will. It was issued only to passengers whose cruise was cancelled, not to potential passengers who could have, would have, should have or might have been booked on the cruise had their schedules permitted, not is it intended to be used by folks who couldn't make it the first time but who might be able to make it some time in the future. Regardless of what you paid for the cancelled cruise, the future cruise credit entitles YOU to free passage simply because it was YOU whose cruise was cancelled, not your wife, not your sister-in-law, not your neighbor...

[DAllenTCY]

I thank all of you for your replies to my initial posting. I'm still feeling bitter.

My point is, that I paid a rate based on "double occupancy" In other words, whether or not my wife was booked into the cabin, I paid for her (in my mind). The fact that she wasn't "inconvenienced" is moot, nobody left home or boarded the ship...we all were notified several weeks in advance. In addition, my travel agent told me that I could use the credit for the two of us, and the Celebrity agent whom I booked with on March 5th (Janneth) told me I could, or I wouldn't have made the reservation! It wasn't until I received an e-mail two days ago, asking for payment of the $1,800 balance that this became an "issue".

David

[lysolqn]

My point is, that I paid a rate based on "double occupancy" In other words, whether or not my wife was booked into the cabin, I paid for her (in my mind). The fact that she wasn't "inconvenienced" is moot, nobody left home or boarded the ship...we all were notified several weeks in advance.

 

Stop torturing yourself. You paid the SINGLE rate - yes, it happens to be the equivalent of the rate for two passengers in a cabin, less one port/tax charge - but it's the SINGLE rate, nevertheless. Under no circumstances did you pay for your wife - or anyone else for that matter. You paid the single rate, you paid it knowingly and willingly and no one twisted your arm or forced you to do so. The single rate was refunded to you in full, along with a future cruise credit equivalent to another SINGLE passage. Through eyes more objective than yours can be at this time, that deal seems more than fair on the part of the cruise line. X was under no obligation whatsoever to do anything more than refund your cruise fare.

[Susan-M]

It wasn't until I received an e-mail two days ago, asking for payment of the $1,800 balance that this became an "issue".

David

 

On the bright side, you have your full refund plus $1800. in credit towards the Alaskan cruise that you want to take with your wife.

 

Could you use the $3700. for a more expensive cruise (i.e. Med), for your fare and then pay the extra for your wife. I know this means more money out of your pocket than for the Alaskan cruise, but at least you will get to use the full value of your credit and have a longer cruise. Or does the cruise have to be a similar length?

[pcur]

We used a cruise credit last December on RCCL. Same policy. We each received a certificate and it could ONLY be used for the person stated on the certificate, before an expiration date, and only for the same category of cabin.

 

They are really strict about this. It's not a general credit to be used toward a future cruise. It's a specific credit for that passenger to be used in a specific time period, and for a specific type of cabin.

 

Your TA should have explained this to you. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.

[lysolqn]

It's not a general credit to be used toward a future cruise. It's a specific credit for that passenger to be used in a specific time period, and for a specific type of cabin.

 

Exactly! Why anyone would think it's anything other than that is beyond me - you can't just morph it into something it isn't or better yet, something you'd like it to be. If the OP had booked a suite at the cost of, say $10,000, would he expect his future cruise credit to be valid for ten passengers paying $1000 per, occupying five inside cabins? I don't think so. The credit is a credit in KIND - only. To expect that you're entitled to anything else is, IMHO, unreasonable.

[Captain Jake]

But it would be nice it he could upgrade to a suite-----BT

[Susan-M]

But it would be nice it he could upgrade to a suite-----BT

Hi CJ - I see that you are new to CC today .... welcome:)

[dforeigner]

What would happen if you booked the cabin as a single, and used your full credits to do so, then at some much later date, book your wife as a passenger in the cabin.

 

We were booking a balcony cabin on the Millennium for my adult daughter, and paying a fare that was almost the equivalent fare for two people. At the time we were told that we could add another person to the room at any time, and just pay the small difference in cost between a single in a balcony cabin, and two people in the same cabin.

 

Perhaps they would forget that you had used credits to pay for the cabin by the time you booked your wife on the cruise? (I tend to be an optimist :rolleyes: ).

 

 

Right. book yourself twice for one room then change one of the passengers in that room (your other self) for your wife.

[Smitty24]

A single fare is double the price minus 1 set of port charges and taxes. I travel alone a lot. The cruiseline could care less if you're married or not. All they know and care about is YOU as a single, booked a cruise. For all they know you'll book another as a SINGLE which would then be paid for. Trust me, I'd LOVE this deal.

Plus it seems fair to me as it's a very good chance my next cruise I'd book as a single again. For once, I'm not getting screwed.

 

You're the one that was inconvenienced, so they made a goodwill gesture toward YOU. If they allowd you to use it with your wife, what's to stop someone like me from inviting anyone along that I normally wouldn't (hey baby, let me be your sugar momma..here's a free cruise!). Or, from telling my friend she can come for only $1000 paid to ME. They made restitution to you, on top of a full refund. Try looking at the good will of it and think of it as saving $1800 on your next cruise.

 

They could have just offered a voucher to you based on a double occupancy which would mean 1/2 of what you paid as a single. For me, that means coughing up another $1800 or finding someone to share a cabin and have them pay.

 

They could have offered you nothing.

Once again, with people's attitudes, apparently that's the way to do it without getting slammed.

[rcicruiser]

I booked a cabin (and paid the double rate) for a cruise last summer to Alaska, round trip from San Francisco. My brother purchased another room, and also paid the premium. When the cruise was cancelled due to mechanical problems, we eached received a refund and a Future Cruise Credit.

Last year, my wife could not go, because of her work schedule. She can this year, so I tried to rebook on a 7 day Vancouver roundtrip. Now I find out that my $3,725 "credit" can only be used by myself, not for my wife and me in the same cabin class that I paid for last year! "Jack" and "Jill" who booked the cabin next to me, "Tom" and "Sue" who did the same on the deck below, each received a full credit, and can rebook for this Alaska season.....but for me....it's another $1,800 or take a hike.

So I cancelled, after more than a few phone calls to Miami, trying to figure out why the different treatment. Do you blame me?

David

 

 

Yes, if her name is not on the certificate then you should have to pay.

[rcicruiser]

I thank all of you for your replies to my initial posting. I'm still feeling bitter.

My point is, that I paid a rate based on "double occupancy" In other words, whether or not my wife was booked into the cabin, I paid for her (in my mind). The fact that she wasn't "inconvenienced" is moot, nobody left home or boarded the ship...we all were notified several weeks in advance. In addition, my travel agent told me that I could use the credit for the two of us, and the Celebrity agent whom I booked with on March 5th (Janneth) told me I could, or I wouldn't have made the reservation! It wasn't until I received an e-mail two days ago, asking for payment of the $1,800 balance that this became an "issue".

David

 

You still do not get it you are not she was not on the cruise, so she should not get anything. It appears you TA gave you the wrong info.

[DAllenTCY]

I understand all of your comments, but you are still missing one point. I had a $0.00 balance as of five days ago for this 7 day Alaska sailing for the two of us! I had been given the credit, and suddenly told to pay up $1,800.

David

[lysolqn]

I understand your frustration and your anger, but you were given the credit by mistake and once realized, the mistake was subsequently corrected. It's really no different than if a credit of $5000 which was not owed to you appeared on your credit card statement and once realized, was reversed. You wouldn't have a leg to stand on.