Next Cruise WARNING....Must read if you plan on booking next cruise

[dolfinmusic]

We booked a next cruise option on the Mariner and had no problems. Filled out the form, and received a receipt in our cabin a few days later. Maybe you had a new LA or he was just overwhelmed.

 

Dawn - you just filled out a form - did NOT speak with anyone. Is this correct? So if we decide to do this, should do it early in the cruise!

[Host Karen]

The Next Cruise Program goes like this. You pay $100.00 total for the booking(which is not the normal deposit for a booking, so you save $$) You do not have to pick your cruise at the time of this payment. You will receive a receipt at this time with your reservation number on the receipt(letter). You have up to 3 years to plan your cruise, and at that time, you give the Booking Id # from your Nect Cruise Program letter and you will receive the onboard credit for the cruise you chose. You get $50.00 onboard credit for 3-5 nite, $100.00 onboard credit for 6-8 nites, and $200.00 0nboard credit for 9+ nites. The difference with this program and doing an actual onboard booking is, the deposit is only $100.00 compared to min. of $250.00p/p and you do not have to select the cruise you will be taking at that time. Remember if you cancel your booking for any reason you will no longer be eligible for the onboard credit. You have to transfer your booking ID # if you want to change your cruise plans. The phone # on my Next Cruise letter is 1-800-526-9723, maybe that number can get the people help with the problem they encountered. Good Luck!

 

This description may be a little confusing. First, the $100 NextCruise charge is per person, so if you purchase it with your SO and don't indicate you only want it for one person, you will be charged $200. Second, NextCruise does not expire, so you don't have a 3-year limit to book your cruise. Third, when you choose your cruise, you will have to pay the difference between the $100 charge and the minimum per person deposit (i.e., $250 per person for 7-night cruises, $450 for 9+ night cruises).

 

In response to those posters who mentioned the "alternate" LAs, in many cases there are people employed on the ship (dancers, singers, musicians) who take on additional jobs to make additional money. Helping the LA book cruises or assisting with the art auctions are examples of these "second jobs." One of the dancers on our cruise had been helping out the LA for a week, and she was fabulous -- bright, efficient, careful, and not afraid to ask for clarification or help from the LA. Cecilia, the LA on Serenade until she left for vacation, was terrific, too, but we've dealt with a few that seemed barely interested in the job. I guess it's the luck of the draw.

 

It's a shame that the NextCruise option wasn't handled properly by the OP's LA. I hope someone at Royal Caribbean is able to correct this situation -- if not for these folks, then for future Mariner passengers.

[nanner10]

The phone # on my Next Cruise letter is 1-800-526-9723, maybe that number can get the people help with the problem they encountered. Good Luck!

 

 

Not that they won't be able to assist you, but, this is the regular number for the Crown and Anchor customer service.

[StormGoddess]

The form you fill out and leave in the LA's box has been around for a while now. Almost since the start of the Next Cruise program.

 

Not sure who you guys had on the 9-16 on the Mariner as LA, but if it was the same one we had 2 weeks prior, I can understand why you didn't get anything. He was an, well fill in the blank!

 

But I also heard somewhere, and I am not sure if this is true, that you can use NextCruise for 72 hours after you disembark a ship too. Would be interesting to know if this is correct.

[cot427]

Speaking of Loyalty Ambassadors, who is the LA on the Freedom. I am interesting in hearing because I sail in about 11 days. Thanks so much.

[Ollie_WA]

I could not agree with you more. On previous sailings we would get a piece of paper before we left the ship with our Next Cruise Booking number on it. This past week on Mariner of the Seas, Philipa told us that we would get an email confirmation about the Next Cruise and not to worry about it. I told her I was very uncomfortable with not getting anything about the Next Cruise. (And she had NO friend certificates, SOL - she did not have any) Trying to check your email on the ship is like getting a root canal. Very, very slow!!! So I thought I would just wait until I got home. When I got home there was no email from RCI with our Next Cruise on it. Called several times and was basically told "You're out of luck". We have over 10 people on our sailing (September 16th.) who's Next Cruise DID NOT go through. This system needs to be changed. Make sure you get your Next Cruise Booking Number down in writting before you leave the ship.

 

E-Beth

 

 

We had Phillipa on our Sovereign cruise 9/10...we also filled out the form for the next cruise , along with some friends...luckily for us our friends were thinking and asked Phillipa about it and she had no info . We waited till she disembarked in Nassau and Lona came onboard..we were all on a B2B,....Thank God. We sat down with Lona and she said that Phillipa put our info in, but not the payment so it would have been dropped out of the system in a few days!!! We now have 2 next cruise certificates.....Phillipa was just terrible...I feel for the ship that got her!!!:(

[debshomespun]

We were on the 9-2-07 sailing of the Mariner. We purchased a next cruise credit. We didn't get anything while on board. I also had asked about the friends and family certificates. Carlos Ojeda, the LA at the time, told me the Mariner was the only ship that didn't have the certificates. I INSISTED that I wanted the friends an family certificates, as if I was on any other ship, I would be able to get them. He had e-mailed Crown & Anchor. Near the end of the cruise, he gave me a letter and a number to call, the C&A dept, in Kansas. I called them after returning home, and the gentleman at the C&A dept. has been more than helpful in getting my friends and family certificates taken care of. These do have to be booked within 30 days of when we returned. We are taking the 11-7-08 Jewel sailing and wanted to use the friends certificates for 2 other family members to book to get the OBC.

 

Also, my sister in law that was on the cruise with us, also filled out the next cruise credit paper. She didn't get anything, and her credit card was never charged the $100. deposit. They did give her a booking number and this was done on 9-22, and we returned on 9-9. Keep calling them until they take are of it for you.

 

IF it were me, I would continue to call C&A at 1-800-526-9723 until I was given the next cruise credit. You deserve it. AND, if your credit card was charged, they do have it somewhere in their records. It is just a matter of them finding it.

 

Good Luck to everyone. Hope it all works out.

[critterchick]

NextCruise can be a nightmare for everybody concerned. We’ve had great luck with Danney on Monarch (and he’s staying on Monarch, not going to Rhapsody, BTW), but the LA on the Jewel never charged our credit cards so even with a “confirmed” booking our 2 NextCruises were cancelled (our TA got them reinstated, but it took him 2 hours). We booked one NC on the Radiance this week and the person who did it (they have C&A people from Wichita because it’s a members’ cruise) put it down for me and “TBA” after I told her only put me on for the $100. So if my card is even charged it’ll be $200. I’m too lazy to get it straightened out, but I’m not impressed. Any change is going to create some kind of chaos, but it’s been quite a few months now and it’s still a problem.

[why2klisa]

We were on the Sovereign a few weeks ago and Phillipa was our LA. She wasn't friendly at all and seemed more interested in insisting we sign up for the RC Visa than helping us find a future cruise. I wasn't impressed with her.

[megr1125]

Not to get too far off topic here but...what are the benefits of booking next cruise on board? Can it be any ship or does it have to be the on you are currently on?

 

Sorry skyking for the inconvience....I am sooo the type to call these people everyday until I got what I thought I paid for!! Good luck to you and everyone!!! You would think that RCI would just redo things and give you what you tried to purchase on board as good customer service. You and many others are trying to go on a cruise again and you would think they would want the repeat business...sheesh.

 

 

it can be any ship..the advantages are better cabins, and OBC and if you are a C&A member, there is a discount for booking certain cabin classes.....

[cruisinisforme]

Dawn sorry I must not have told you this, I just realized it was renee I was talking to about it.

 

Anyway, dawn and I also did a FCB on the mariner, and we did get a phone call in our room about which cc to use. Well my cc was charged, but I got home and no email. Our friend renee who was with us also did the FCB and over a week after the cruise she mentioned to me that she had gotten her email while they were on the ship. So first I emailed RCCL about it, but then I ended up calling because they didnt understand the email.

 

They did straighten it out and I did get my booking mailed to me. But I also complained about the same thing. I did a FCB while I was on the enchantment, took all of about 4 minutes and the girl printed out a form and handed it to me. On the Mariner they did as Tim described. Just had you fill out a form, asked you if you wanted it charged to your seapass or another CC and then you were supposed to get an email confirming. But this was of no comfort to me once I was off the ship and realized I didnt get my email.

 

I did complain to RCCL about this and told them I felt that they should go back to printing out forms on the ship so that you were leaving knowing it was taken care of

 

I had another problem with the loyalty ambassdor which I am not going to get into, but he gave me bad information which I knew for a fact to be incorrect since I had a friend who had done the same thing on the Freedom last november. I agree, the loyalty ambassodors need to work a little harder.

 

I think with the FCB program though they are overwhelmed with people coming to see them. Being able to put down just $200 and not pick a cruise is much easier than the old system of having to put down $500 and have your cruise picked out. It was one of the reasons I never did it before. We actually had two people working there during our cruise, but they easily could have had a third to handle the volume of people going there to book cruises. Regardless I do think they need a much better system than what they having going on for the FCB. At least I was able to get my straightned out but it appears tim and his group are not having the same luck. Hope it works out for you

[truffles2]

Phillipa had just come on Mariner, but she is no newcomer as I am certain we have had her before--just can't remember where or when. Also, she is replacing Carlos--who came from Enchantment and certainly is competent. I'm not sure what happened here but they both should know what they are doing. DH booked with Jodi and had no complaints. We did not use Next cruise....booked two specific cruises.

[Inshape]

With all the problems everyone has with this next cruise program, wouldn't just be as easy to make the deposit of 250$ pp for the 7 night cruise and get all the paperwork and leave with it in hand. Also, forr those who do not know which ship and when, you just pick any ship as far out on the booking calendar and then change it when you pick the real cruise as long as you keep the same booking number. I have done this 2 times and a third in Nov and I had no problems.

[emmy]

This is the situation in our house. DS sailed on Liberty August 18 with some friends. At the urging of MOM :) I suggested he do a Next Cruise booking. Being the good son he is:) when he arrived home I asked if he had done this and he replied ..yep all taken care of.

 

I thought nothing more of it until I saw this thread I decided to ask him this evening if he received a confirmation form or number of any kind. he said No but my credit card has been charged. The charge went through after he arrived home and was not on his Seapass account.

 

They went to the LA ion the ship, filled out the form and handed it to her. No email but just his CC has been charged. He now has no booking number.

 

Whom shall I call to at least get a booking number? any suggestions are appreciated.

[Aquahound]

funny, one of the LAs on Serenade was actually part of a performing duo..los diablos gauchos or something

 

The guy who did my Next Cruise booking was one of the ice show performers. For anyone's that's been on the Explorer, he's the guy in the tall yellow hat during the show.

 

Luckly, I got a print-out and booking number the next day in my room. I would suggest booking the Next Cruise early in your trip, not the last day. This increases your chances of getting a booking number on board.

[CoronaCpl]

Interesting thread. We've been thinking about our next cruise after the next three in 2008; NextCruise was always in our discussion. May have to rethink this - or at least get useful tips on how to handle the booking from here.

 

Don't know if this has been suggested, but why not set up a couple of LAs at the pier? They can be equipped with a workstation and printer and would not be an ice show performer. With embark day being generally long, they can take your info and probably guarantee having your receipt/info delivered to your stateroom that evening.

 

Just a hurried thought.

[cruisinisforme]

Emmy I just called C&A and the girl was very helpful, I had the email confirmation within minutes sent to me. I think you are ok since your credit card has been charged like mine was, so all she has to do is look you up in the system

[Langley Cruisers]

With all the distress and negativity I'm reading about in this thread, I just wanted to mention that someone on Liberty got it right...

 

We booked NextCruise on board Liberty last month, unsure of dates and destination but knowing we would definitely use RCI again as soon as next year for our 25th anniversary cruise. When we returned home from our cruise, the confirmation e-mail was waiting for us, our travel agent had received notice of the booking, and a few short weeks later, our credit card was charged the booking deposit.

 

Since then we have booked the next cruise and are very excited about it. The OBC pays for the deposit - it's a win-win situation.

 

Sorry to hear of the problems others are having. I did, however, want to assure you that not all ships' LA's are inept. Jayne on Liberty was pleasant, professional, and handled our reservation in an accurate and timely manner.

[jillyfish]

Wow!! I just finished ready all of these posts. Seems like a whole lot of aggrevation for $100 OBC. Especially while you are on vacation, suppose to be, enjoying yourself!!! :(

[cruisinisforme]

Ok first of all someone who was with me had no problem at all, and like I said she had her email before we were off the ship.

 

Second, doing this is actually a very simple and quick procedure. I did it on the enchantment in May, took less than 5 minutes and the girl printed me out a form with my booking Id and was done.

 

The problem I think the bigger ships are having is the sheer volume of people taking advantage of the program, so they are just having you fill out a form and hand it in. You dont even need to meet with the LA to do it. Therein lies the problem, you are not getting any kind of confirmation.

 

Maybe what they need to do is hire someone to process the forms behind the scenes and send something to your cabin before you are off the ship. Even if its a "we received your request and it is being processed" form letter.

 

But I personally dont want anyone to think I wouldnt use the program again, I just think they need to change their procedures.

 

Once I called C&A I had the whole thing straightned out quickly for myself.

[aqhacruiser]

I bought 4 next cruises on the Explorer in June. I had my laptop with me and the confirmations were emailed to me right away plus one of the crew hand delivered my booking receipts the next day. :)

[jillyfish]

Maybe they should have a self serve kiosk so you can get your confirmation and print it yourself ?? :rolleyes:

[dachshunddoglover]

The program has such potential for being a great tool to encourage you to invite friends and family to go with you on that next vacation. It's sad and frustrating that the program is being handled poorly by a few Loyalty Ambassadors. The Next Cruise I handed into Phillipa was not charged to my credit card so I have very little hope of it getting resolved. I am surprised that RCI Customer Service does not have the power to handle this over the phone with a credit card within two weeks of a sailing. She could see in her computer that we had just gotten off the ship. I asked her if I could give her a Credit Card number and she could take care of it and she said "No". Hopefully Mariner will handle this better in the future.

 

E-Beth

[emmy]

Emmy I just called C&A and the girl was very helpful, I had the email confirmation within minutes sent to me. I think you are ok since your credit card has been charged like mine was, so all she has to do is look you up in the system

 

Thanks for the reassurance and I will tell DS to get on the phone with C &A and get a confirmation number.

[emmy]

With all the distress and negativity I'm reading about in this thread, I just wanted to mention that someone on Liberty got it right...

 

We booked NextCruise on board Liberty last month, unsure of dates and destination but knowing we would definitely use RCI again as soon as next year for our 25th anniversary cruise. When we returned home from our cruise, the confirmation e-mail was waiting for us, our travel agent had received notice of the booking, and a few short weeks later, our credit card was charged the booking deposit.

 

Since then we have booked the next cruise and are very excited about it. The OBC pays for the deposit - it's a win-win situation.

 

Sorry to hear of the problems others are having. I did, however, want to assure you that not all ships' LA's are inept. Jayne on Liberty was pleasant, professional, and handled our reservation in an accurate and timely manner.

 

Langley Cruisers ~ my son and his friends were on your sailing of Liberty so the LA did some right and some not so right. His friend also did not receive anything. I have seen more than the LA working in the office and sometimes it can be staff who are less experienced. Hoping the phone call to C & A will straighten it out. They did not book the Next Cruise on the last day as I suspected as I could see that happening.

 

Personally I would not hesitate to do the Next Cruise program and plan on doing it on my next cruise in April.