Group Cruise Issue

[Autumnrose]

We have done 9 group cruises with both Celebrity and RCI and I am always the tour conductor and they take the free berth/berths off my final payment. Don't understnad why they are not doing it for some people. We have a group on Seranade 15 night Hawaii, and they will be deducting the tour conductor credit at my final payment date 7/27/07.

 

The reason most TA's don't do this is bacause the TC's are based on the amount of people that actually sail not just the amount that book and make final payment. If people were to cancel prior to sailing you would loose the TC. If you had already paid your final payment the TA would have to go back to you and try and collect more money because of the loss of the TC.

[Guest nhrich]

We have done 9 group cruises with both Celebrity and RCI and I am always the tour conductor and they take the free berth/berths off my final payment. Don't understnad why they are not doing it for some people. We have a group on Seranade 15 night Hawaii, and they will be deducting the tour conductor credit at my final payment date 7/27/07.

Since there are only 5 cabins, there is no tour conductor berth for this group. Some agencies will not credit the TC until after the cruise, especially if it is being split among the group. That's the way we do it (because if someone cancels at final, it can affect the amount that the group is getting back), but if an individual is taking the TC, then we would credit it at final.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[Pacruzer]

All our groups get paid after they sail usually about 2 weeks that is a standard prcatice.. If people cancel after final paymnet or up until sailing the cruiseline would of paid a tour conductor to a group with less cabins..if an agency has paid before it sails it is doing it in good faith that everyone will sail and putting themselves at risk...

[vesw01]

She is not giving us anything...nada. Now they are saying this is all a clerical mistake. The other day she said we would be getting the money back after the cruise and now they are not even saying that. They want us to pay the money and shut up or cancel our cruise.

 

I honestly don't have another $400 to spend on the cruise. I have used that money to spend on an expensive shore excursion for my family - the royal dolphin swim - which is paid for in full. We already have our air etc. We are out a ton of money already.

 

I think this is sad and hurtful.

[Jeano222]

After reading all this, I went back to RCI to ask about deducting the free berth amount [in my case, it is worth 1400.00] and they told me I can take it off the final amount that is owed. There is no way I could pay 1400.00 more at final. I have never had them not apply the tour conductor credit at final payment, but just wanted to make sure nothing had changed since our group cruise last year. The group rep did say it can be done both ways, however, I wouldn't want to wait until cruise is over to get my credit. I need the credit to pay for my cruise

[lvtotrvl1]

After reading all this, I went back to RCI to ask about deducting the free berth amount [in my case, it is worth 1400.00] and they told me I can take it off the final amount that is owed. There is no way I could pay 1400.00 more at final. I have never had them not apply the tour conductor credit at final payment, but just wanted to make sure nothing had changed since our group cruise last year. The group rep did say it can be done both ways, however, I wouldn't want to wait until cruise is over to get my credit. I need the credit to pay for my cruise

 

This is true if you have not booked through an agency.

[quiltsnh]

The discount is based on the number of cabins you book not the number of people. It is 8 cabins. I have handled groups before.... Everyone has to pay their final payment and the rooms are counted. Then the group coordinator is notified and that person gets the discount or the free berth...it is taken off the group coordinators reservation. You must pay the taxes and port charges. Depending on the cruise there are other perks which might be extended to the group depending on the number involved. Once everyone got 100.00 off each cabin in addition to the free berth. But that was deducted at time of final payment. I have never seen anyone get money back after the cruise.

Hope this helps...

[OHCruisinDad]

Was your TA under the impression or have an initial committment that you would be booking 8 or more cabins? If so and you have reduced the number of cabins to less than 8, you would lose any TC credits. If the TA has always been working with just 5 cabins, then I think the problem is on their end.

 

Unfortunately, you will probably not be able to resolve this quickly. I'd use a credit card and make the final adjusted payment on the last possible due date. You will then have 60 days to dispute the fares charged. I would also contact the Consumer Affairs Department of the AG's office. It seems that since you have everything in writing and it sounds like it was also confirmed at least once, you have a reasonable claim. (As above, I am not an attorney nor do I play one on TV).

 

Have you checked this agency's record with the BBB? Just another thought. Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[Autumnrose]

The discount is based on the number of cabins you book not the number of people. It is 8 cabins. .

 

First off there is no "discount". The TC or free birth is based on passengers not cabins. Whether or not you qualify for a group is based on cabins. TC's range anywhere from 1 for 10 to 1 for 16 depending on the sailing. You could have a group with 8 cabins but if they all had a single occupancy then you would not get a TC.

[Autumnrose]

I think it sounds like this TA was trying to get a booking by giving the same rate that you were gonna get with a group. Then found out there was no way to honor the price since you did not qualify for a group.

 

Has this TA ever given you a printed invoice or just hand written notes? It seems she would have to go by the original invoice given when you deposited.

[vesw01]

It is based off the number of cabins not passengers - if you have 8 cabins with singles - they are paying double rate to be in those cabins - just not double port charges.

 

Anyway, yes she knew from the beginning it was 5 cabins. It is my immediate family. My parents, my brother and his gf, my sister and her dh, myself and my dh and our kids (we have two inside connecting). The only thing that is different is that we deleted 3 ppl off from our two cabins - 1 4th passengar and a 3rd and 4th. They were foster children (which she knew - she even told my mom over and over how impressed she was that we were foster parents yada yada) that may or may not be able to go - all depending on the court, their parents, whether they were going home, we were able to get them passports etc. The 3rd and 4th passengers have NOTHING to do with the group rate.

 

We never booked any additional cabins - never even asked her to book other cabins - never indicated that we may have other family member who may come with us. We wanted it to be just us. She and only she is the one with the group issue - she gave us the group price - she is the one who said she would honor what she told us - she is the one who booked us as a group.

 

I don't know how much a TA makes on a cruise, but wouldn't it be better to make nothing and send us on the cruise instead of cancelling us and still make nothing?

 

This is where we are at right now....

I contacted the consumers affair - they are sending out the complaint form.

 

I called RCCL there is not much they can do but they did document our account stating that she threatened to cancel without our permission.

 

I contacted a travel resolution person (they have an internet site and a travel newsletter and work for National Geographic and Fine Living Channel) who said he would call RCCL on our behalf on Monday if she would not resolve it by then (not sure what he could do, but would give it a try)

 

**********************

I have been contemplating the credit card way to go...here is my question. I would pay the amount I believe I owe on one charge and tehn the 2nd amount on a seperate charge - how do I explain why I went ahead and charged the second amount? Just tell them they were holding my trip hostage?

[Autumnrose]

It is based off the number of cabins not passengers - if you have 8 cabins with singles - they are paying double rate to be in those cabins - just not double port charges.

 

 

Taken from RCI policy

 

Tour Conductor Credits

• Cruise-only tour conductor credits are earned on the

following criteria and must be applied to a single

berth or will be paid as a marketing fund:

For all itineraries, one cruise-only tour

conductor credit is earned for every 16 full-tariff

guests, based on double occupancy.

 

What qualifies for a group also taken from RCI policy:

 

Group terms are based on a minimum size of 8

staterooms of 16 guests.

 

 

Anyway, did you ever get the original quoted agreed to price on an invoice. Perhaps when you made deposit? Typed not hand written?

[lvtotrvl1]

Autumnrose is correct..It is 8 cabins double occupancy which is 16 guests. Singles do not count towards TC's.

 

 

I don't think you will be able to fight this charge with your credit card company...RCCL is charging your card and technically they stood up to their end of the agreement. You received the invoice from what I think I have read. Your TA wrote something different on it. That has nothing to do with RCCL ...so I don't think you will have much luck there.

 

I think the travel resolution people need to deal with your TA. The issue has nothing to do with Royal Caribbean really. If you think about it, anyone (and I'm not insinuating in any way about you;) ) could try to get a lower cruise price by using the same scenario. They may scare your TA into honoring what she wrote and told you.

 

You never mentioned if you have been able to talk to a supervisor? I really hope you can get this straightened out.

[vesw01]

We don't have a group contract. We have invoices stating how much our balance is per the travel agent.

[lvtotrvl1]

Sorry, did I read this wrong?

 

"Mailed us all invoices with our RCCL confirmations on 2/20/07 with the brochure of the Mariner indicating the rate she quoted us, our deposit, the balance due and the balance due date "

 

I thought you received the RCCL confirmation...was it that she just wrote one out for you?

 

Royal Cariibbean sends a confirmation as soon as the deposit is put on, or even when it is on a courtesy hold. That is what the cruiseline will go by. It's not a group contract , just a confirmation. Maybe if you call this TA and their supervisor hourly they will get the message that you will not give up. I think you still need to proceed against the agency more...they have insurance to cover these things...Royal Caribbean really has nothing to do with it at this point.

[vesw01]

I hadn't thought about RCCL getting the charge card...<sigh> that stinks.

 

The confirmation from RCCL doesn't show anything other than the booking - does not even show the deposit - she wrote all that information on the the booking from RCCL. I don't know how it works with a group booking, I have never done this before. I don't know if each invoice is supposed to show payments or what.

 

I just went by what she sent me. Pay this on this day. To me it is a written contract between us and the TA.

 

By no means are we try to scam anyone. For goodness sakes, all I want to do is go on a vacation with my family - which is not so much of a vacation anymore. I have been posting on these boards for years, so I am not a first time poster who anyone can think - oh gee who is this person. i have literally been crying for 2 days at work.

 

I have been on 3 cruises, have this one booked and one more Mariner booked in 2009.

 

It is just sad that I can't take my kids on the vacation anymore. I honestly was looking forward to this, but don't have the money to pay the difference. Great here come the tears again.

 

Oh well, just goes to show, even getting things in writing doesn't help.

[Guest nhrich]

Would it be possible to cancel the dolphin swim to pay for the cruise? And then, of course, keep fighting the cruise fare. IMO, it would be better to lose out on the dolphin swim (or maybe somehow you could rebook that later), than to lose out on the whole cruise.

 

It's issues like this that I wish CC would let people mention travel agency names. Agents like this one give the rest of us a bad name.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[Autumnrose]

Sorry I am still just a little confused. Is the only invoice you have the one asking for final payment with the higher price? Do you have a typed invoice showing the original total amount either before or after deposit? It just seems strange to me not to have any official invoice until final payment.

[vesw01]

The typed invoice that is from RCCL has the passengars names and the amounts - but does not show deposits or anything. She wrote the deposits on there, the balance and the due date.

 

For goodness sakes, I had never booked through a travel agent before - how was I supposed to know what I was or was not supposed to receive?

 

No we can't cancel the dolphin excursion -so I lost $400 there too.

[vesw01]

BTW I just spoke to my mother. The receipt that shows my mother's balance etc was written out by the TA while she was sitting there in the office. This is what the TA agreed to in person with my mother sitting there right in front of her.

[Guest nhrich]

No we can't cancel the dolphin excursion -so I lost $400 there too.

 

I'm not sure which port you were planning on doing it with or who you booked it with, but most of them do allow cancellations. If it's Cozumel, I know that Shore Trips allows full cancellation up to 11 days prior, and Dolphin Discovery allows cancellation up to 7 days prior (with a 5% penalty). Cozumel Insider also allows cancellation up to 7 days prior, with no penalty. Perhaps there's hope for you there.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[lvtotrvl1]

Was there one price on the RCCL confirmation and the TA wrote in another? I feel terrirble for you. I am a TA also and people like this make us all look bad. I would have the people you contacted call the TA..not RCCL...the TA is where your problem is...Call them every 5 minutes and let them know you are going to call until this is settled. You have it in writing from the TA. She needs to honor it! As I said in an earlier post, every travel agency has to carry insurance to cover them in cases like this. Have you spoken to a supervisor? I think you said her office is near you...I would sit in that office all day if you have to until they honor it!

 

Good Luck and please keep us posted!

[vesw01]

We booked with the owner and she has been having some other agent deal with us. My mother faxed her her copies of the invoices yesterday and will be going in there today. She is a teacher so she can't go in until after school. I have been trying and trying to get their TA's RCCL sales manager on the phone, but no luck. I priced out my parents cabin last night - it went up $500

 

Oh did I mention (I may have) my parents booking had been cancelled 7 days after they made it and they TA said they never knew it until yesterday - they were never notified.

[piercetc4]

i posted on your other thread- if your parents cabin got cancelled ( by ??them not you accidentally) and price went up since you first booked, then this may be how they are going to get the higher price from you on your parents cabin?...... which it totally wrong! good luck and i hope you get this resolved and are able to go on your cruise

[lvtotrvl1]

The only reason for cancellation is non payment...Did your Mom use a cc? The cruiseline will not contact you or an agency if an option cancels due to non-payment. Once a payment is made, the cruiseline immediately will send a fax, showing payment, etc. Sounds like this agency did not send payment. This again, is the agency's fault. If you dealt with the owner, I would refuse to talk to anyone but her. I can't believe the mess you are in the midst of!