Excursion gone bad on Enchantment

[xrdan]

We went on the Enchantment 9-15 through 9-20 and I wanted to pass along something that happened. On the day we were in Belize my wife, her mom, and her mom's friend signed up for the Sun Island Beach break. We had heard that the beaches weren't that great in Belize, but they didn't want to go ashore. I went on a cave tubing/atv trip with our two sons (I booked this trip online at half the RCI price-we had a guide for 5 people and it looked like it was about 70 to 1 for the cruise group). That was the best day of the trip for us- no so for my wife and the others. They said the place was so bad that more than half of the people wanted to come back immediately. The beach was terrible, the water was to nasty to get in, it looked like the sewage pipes from the bathrooms went into the water next to the swimming area. After much argument they were taken back to the ship. Everyone wanted to be credited on their obc account. The next day a girl that was on the trip said that they had agreed to refund 30% of the cost of the trip. We went to the excursion desk and I said we would not take less than a 100% refund. The guy who was kind of the ringleader of the revolt the day before was passing by and we told him about the 30%. Things kind of snowballed from there. Soon there was a small mob at the desk and the girl there got the manager of Guest Relations. After much back and forth and serious threats from the ringleader he relented and credited everyone back 100%.

 

I couldn't believe that the guy wouldn't just refund the money immediately- it's not like a few people stayed all day and said they didn't like it that much, it was so bad some people wouldn't get off the tender.

 

Has anyone been through something like this before? RCI is a multi billion $ company- was it really that hard to refund $39 to a few dozen people?

 

Dan

[TEXASMUNK]

#1 The 30% was RCI's profit margin, so it was easy to give that back.

 

#2 The other 70% went to the tour operator and RCI was stuck with that portion.

 

#3 The tour desk operates as a profit center for the ship/company and the individual decision maker was not thinking 'corporately" but was thinking thinking of his or her own bottomline with the initial decision.

 

#4 Somewhere, behind the scenes, smarter heads prevailed and the 100% credit was issued.

 

We had a similar problem when in Costa Rica a few years back...A little different result. There were about 18 of us, two couples decided they would "storm" the tour desk....Loud, obnoxious, and rude. the rest? we all wrote out a request for refund.....we got it.....the two couples spent the rest of the cruise ranting. We never mentioned we got a full refund.

 

(Bus broke down, tour went from 4hrs to 45 minutes once we go to the aerial jungle ride)...

[Kruzeagain]

4 comments:

 

1) ATL's first (and only) post. Hmmm...

 

2) Do your homework re shore excursions. Ask questions. DW and I went to Belize and found out well in advance that the beaches were waaayyy down the list of desirable things to do. Buyer beware. Can you imagine a foreigner arriving in NY NY and asking where they could find a nice little patch of grass?

 

3) I work much too hard for the meager wages I make to waste virtually any of it. But there's NO way I'm going to waste even more of a hard-earned vacation by whining/complaining/organizing a revolt/etc in order to crush the spirit of some lowly staffer just to get a lousy 39 bucks back in my pocket. Move on. Get over it. Find something else to do that will put a smile on your face.

 

4) Most of all, if something really ticked you off on your trip, there's no need to try and drag everybody else down with you. Much better to find something else to do (asap!) that will put that smile back on your face. If you're gonna spread something around the ship, make it happy.

 

Happy (and I mean happy!) Cruising,

Alan

[Shannon12]

4 comments:

 

1) ATL's first (and only) post. Hmmm...

 

2) Do your homework re shore excursions. Ask questions. DW and I went to Belize and found out well in advance that the beaches were waaayyy down the list of desirable things to do. Buyer beware. Can you imagine a foreigner arriving in NY NY and asking where they could find a nice little patch of grass?

 

3) I work much too hard for the meager wages I make to waste virtually any of it. But there's NO way I'm going to waste even more of a hard-earned vacation by whining/complaining/organizing a revolt/etc in order to crush the spirit of some lowly staffer just to get a lousy 39 bucks back in my pocket. Move on. Get over it. Find something else to do that will put a smile on your face.

 

4) Most of all, if something really ticked you off on your trip, there's no need to try and drag everybody else down with you. Much better to find something else to do (asap!) that will put that smile back on your face. If you're gonna spread something around the ship, make it happy.

 

Happy (and I mean happy!) Cruising,

Alan

 

RE: #2 Thats easy, Central Park! (Actually quite a large patch of grass...)

[aurelius180]

4 comments:

 

1) ATL's first (and only) post. Hmmm...

 

2) Do your homework re shore excursions. Ask questions. DW and I went to Belize and found out well in advance that the beaches were waaayyy down the list of desirable things to do. Buyer beware. Can you imagine a foreigner arriving in NY NY and asking where they could find a nice little patch of grass?

 

3) I work much too hard for the meager wages I make to waste virtually any of it. But there's NO way I'm going to waste even more of a hard-earned vacation by whining/complaining/organizing a revolt/etc in order to crush the spirit of some lowly staffer just to get a lousy 39 bucks back in my pocket. Move on. Get over it. Find something else to do that will put a smile on your face.

 

4) Most of all, if something really ticked you off on your trip, there's no need to try and drag everybody else down with you. Much better to find something else to do (asap!) that will put that smile back on your face. If you're gonna spread something around the ship, make it happy.

 

Happy (and I mean happy!) Cruising,

Alan

 

 

Well said!! The last thing I would want to do is spend my vacation time complaining! :rolleyes: We made the mistake of doing the Breezes day excursion in Nassau last year. It was sooo boring! Rather than complain we spent an extra $2 for a bus ride back into town early and wandered around. We made the best of the situation and were just happy we were in the Caribbean and not working! ;)

[rclcruzer]

I think I would have taken the 30% and went on my way........

Although something was offered to us surprisingly on our Mariner cruise a few years back on a beach excursion we booked through the ship. (which we rarely ever do).

We boarded the bus for the 25 minuted ride to our beach and right as the doors of the bus opened, so did the sky!! 5 minutes after we exited the bus ......boom! It was a horrendous storm, winds whipping thunder black skies, relentless rain etc.....pretty scary!

 

Anyway, while the passengers took shelter as best we could, to maybe see if the storm would subside, the operators of the excursion said it was just not going to work out for us!

So back on the bus we went, and they announced to us that they would refund 100% of our payment. We all clapped and cheered, seeing as how it was in good faith they did this. I was impressed.

Later that afternoon we noticed it on our account. I don't know if this was normal procedure, but we were very pleased nonetheless. :)

[Esmerelda]

Wow, I'm glad you got your money refunded. Its a good thing there were many of you complaining or you might not have gotten that.

 

This is one of the main reasons that I have always booked my own excursions on my own (never thru the cruiseship). If I have had any problems, I took them up w/whom I booked it thru. I think in 5 cruises, I can only recall one problem and the company worked w/me and I was very satisfied. My personal opinion, the ones thru the cruislines are overpriced and there are SOO many more things to do on these islands. We have done some great off ship trips in our travels.

 

:)

[Gonzo70]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

I am glad you got the full refund; while I understand why Royal Caribbean would have been hesitant to immediately provide full refunds, once they realized how bad the excursion was they did the right thing (they are not in as good financial shape as you think; they are struggling right now like most travel related companies). Hopefully they will discontinue offering this excursion.

 

How was the rest of your cruise?

[Gonzo70]

4 comments:

 

1) ATL's first (and only) post. Hmmm...

 

2) Do your homework re shore excursions.

 

3) I work much too hard for the meager wages I make to waste virtually any of it. But there's NO way I'm going to waste even more of a hard-earned vacation by whining/complaining/organizing a revolt/etc in order to crush the spirit of some lowly staffer just to get a lousy 39 bucks back in my pocket.

 

4) Most of all, if something really ticked you off on your trip, there's no need to try and drag everybody else down with you.

 

Wow - pretty rude response you gave the OP. Why do you care so much it is their first post? What a welcome you gave them! Not everybody does "homework" on shore excursions; people often trust that the cruise line did some vetting and is not offering a horrible excursion. I think most rational people would want their money back after an experience like that. I am not sure where you are getting that the OP was "whining" or "organizing a revold" or "curshing the spirit of some lowly staffer." You are being not only rude to the OP but extremely condescending to Royal Caribbean staff. I also do not see how your surmised that the OP tried to "Drag everybody else down" (although you certainly tried to do that to the OP). Please refrain from attacking other Cruise Critic members and discouraging new people from posting.

[English_in_Spain]

This lady was not so lucky

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2836

[Shanafan]

4 comments:

 

1) ATL's first (and only) post. Hmmm...

 

2) Do your homework re shore excursions.

 

3) I work much too hard for the meager wages I make to waste virtually any of it. But there's NO way I'm going to waste even more of a hard-earned vacation by whining/complaining/organizing a revolt/etc in order to crush the spirit of some lowly staffer just to get a lousy 39 bucks back in my pocket. Move on. Get over it. Find something else to do that will put a smile on your face.

 

4) Most of all, if something really ticked you off on your trip, there's no need to try and drag everybody else down with you.

 

Happy (and I mean happy!) Cruising,

Alan

 

Wow......what a welcome!!! How on earth did you make it all the way to 250 posts without a first one? :rolleyes:

 

In response to your 3rd response: was it really necessary to imply they OP was whining and complaining? I certainly don't see anything wrong with approaching "some lowly staffer????" to discuss what happened and come to a resolution. The dollar amount was once issue, but the lost time on a nasty excursion was another issue.

 

To the OP.........not everyone has an attitude on cruise critic. Welcome, feel free to come back.......and don't let one negative response make you feel unwelcome. We all have had our first post. I know I have!

[pcur]

I was on the same cruise. Belize is like Jamaica and Haiti: very, very poor and rundown. We were on the Tale of Two Cities tour, and I wrote on my comment card they should eliminate the bus tour through Belize City. It was very sad and not an enjoyable ride. The ruins at Altun Ha were very interesting.

 

We were on the tender back to the ship when the storm hit: quite dramatic. It was over pretty quick, but it was LOUD thunder and lots of rain.

 

I predict Belize will be eliminated as a port of call, or the cruise lines will have to do what they did in Costa Maya: build a shopping and recreational center there.

 

Otherwise, the cruise was super!

 

I'm a bit shocked that people would create a mob scene at the shore excursion desk over $39 pp. I would have gladly GIVEN mine to the Belize people to help them out: they need it badly! As a matter of fact, my friend and I overtipped the bus driver and guide on our tour.

[RevSmith]

I had one experience with a tour that left without us...my cousin went to the bathroom and when we returned everyone was gone:eek: We were only gone a few minutes, honest. Well I told someone from RCI what had happened he offered to either get a taxi and drive us so we would catch up with the tour, or we could stop by the excursion desk and receive a refund. This happened on the Enchantment in the Spring of 2007 when we were at Grand Cayman...

They did not have to do that. WE missed the trip, it was our fault...and they were so kind.

I'm sorry about your problem...I would have been so embarrassed, I do not think I would have taken part in that revolt. It makes me uncomfortable just reading your story.

I sure hope that you have better experiences in the future...perhaps you should only get off the ship at ports that are not "third world". Stay on the ship and enjoy a day at the spa or pool with your family.

[Trainman-2]

My experiences with RCI Customer Service at the Purser's Desk have almost always ended up positive. Usually this is because I don't lose my cool and start screaming and shouting as many people do.

 

But the reality here is:

 

"The Customer Is Always Right!"

 

Two many Customer Service Agents forget this basic rule!

 

An unhappy customer will almost always tell his friends (and today post on-line) about his or her "terrible" story. Their friends will in turn tell other friends because "terrible" stories are more fun to pass on than "good" stories. The result of this is that, depending on the severity of the "terrible" story, a company such as a cruise line or a retail store can lose 10-12 customers for the rest of their lives!

[shipknotshore]

Wow - pretty rude response you gave the OP. Why do you care so much it is their first post? What a welcome you gave them! Not everybody does "homework" on shore excursions; people often trust that the cruise line did some vetting and is not offering a horrible excursion. I think most rational people would want their money back after an experience like that. I am not sure where you are getting that the OP was "whining" or "organizing a revold" or "curshing the spirit of some lowly staffer." You are being not only rude to the OP but extremely condescending to Royal Caribbean staff. I also do not see how your surmised that the OP tried to "Drag everybody else down" (although you certainly tried to do that to the OP). Please refrain from attacking other Cruise Critic members and discouraging new people from posting.

 

Well said! How would RCI ever know that the excursion they are offering isn't worth a plug nickel unless folks tell them their experience. If no one told them that it was awful they would continue to sell it to others. After that I would be hesitant to book any of their other excursions. Revolt is a pretty strong word but letting RCI know that they weren't going to roll over and play dead is how they ended up being able to speak with someone who could resolve their situation. $39.00 or $139.00 shouldn't make any difference....it was a rip-off either way.

[phtktz3]

My experiences with RCI Customer Service at the Purser's Desk have almost always ended up positive. Usually this is because I don't lose my cool and start screaming and shouting as many people do.

 

But the reality here is:

 

"The Customer Is Always Right!"

 

Two many Customer Service Agents forget this basic rule!

 

An unhappy customer will almost always tell his friends (and today post on-line) about his or her "terrible" story. Their friends will in turn tell other friends because "terrible" stories are more fun to pass on than "good" stories. The result of this is that, depending on the severity of the "terrible" story, a company such as a cruise line or a retail store can lose 10-12 customers for the rest of their lives!

 

Wow! You must not work in customer service! NO ONE is ALWAYS right. Although "The customer is always right" is definetly the cry of some people....others know that customers too can make mistakes.

It has been my experience that the one who crys " The customer is always right" is usually the same one who is yelling and out of control! I am willing to admit my mistakes or the mistakes of my employees.....however....I am not required to listen to anyone insult me or my crew nor will I listen to a "mob" of people all yelling at me at once. I honestly hate it when a customer starts in with this crap about always being right....for those of us in customer service...it is a red flag to the level of their intellegence!

[Kruzeagain]

Apparently my reply to the OP was taken by some in a far harsher tone than the one in which it was written.

There was no deisre on my part to "attack" the OP. If you review my other posts you'll see that I don't engage in that sort of behaviour.

Unfortunately I think that this time I stood a little too tall on my silly soapbox and preached a little too vociferously, and for that I apologize if I have offended some of you.

 

Happy Cruising,

Alan

[pcur]

$39.00 or $139.00 shouldn't make any difference....it was a rip-off either way.

 

Well, like I said: the 70% that RCCL didn't want to refund would have gone to the Belize economy, and they need it badly. Consider it a donation.

[aurelius180]

Apparently my reply to the OP was taken by some in a far harsher tone than the one in which it was written.

There was no deisre on my part to "attack" the OP. If you review my other posts you'll see that I don't engage in that sort of behaviour.

Unfortunately I think that this time I stood a little too tall on my silly soapbox and preached a little too vociferously, and for that I apologize if I have offended some of you.

 

Happy Cruising,

Alan

 

Maybe I read into your post a little too much and didn't feel it was attacking the OP. I just wonder why there are so many people who find this site when they're looking to complain about a vacation. It amazes me people don't research where they are going on vacation just because it's a cruise. If a cruiseline is traveling to a third world country does it automatically mean everything will be fine? Maybe some should put the same effort into planning a vacation as they do in looking for an outlet to complain. Although maybe the experience will create a better vacation for them in the future now that they've found this site...:)

[Aquahound]

After much back and forth and serious threats from the ringleader he relented and credited everyone back 100%.

 

...was it really that hard to refund $39 to a few dozen people?

 

Threats from the ringleader? This "mob" sounds like a bunch of irrational a$$es! And over $39? Come on! Get over it! That "ringleader is lucky he's not in jail! This should have been taken up with RC after the cruise, not with the ship's crew who had nothing to do with this excursion contract. :rolleyes:

 

Complaining about the tour and making "serious threats" are two totally different things.

[PelicanBill]

 

I predict Belize will be eliminated as a port of call, or the cruise lines will have to do what they did in Costa Maya: build a shopping and recreational center there.

 

Good call!

http://www.sanpedrosun.net/old/07-373.html

I've also seen a web site for construction of the new pier but I can't find it right now.

[shipshape sam]

Threats from the ringleader? This "mob" sounds like a bunch of irrational a$$es! And over $39? Come on! Get over it! That "ringleader is lucky he's not in jail! This should have been taken up with RC after the cruise, not with the ship's crew who had nothing to do with this excursion contract. :rolleyes:

 

Complaining about the tour and making "serious threats" are two totally different things.

 

I agree that threating and a "mob" like bravado is not appropriate, especially to an employee at at front line/point of sale position.

 

I do think that if I have had a bad experience, the best time/place to recifiy it is at the excursion desk as soon as possible. If not a positive resolution, then move up the food chain in a matter of fact manner. I have always found I get better results (typically what I am asking to be corrected/done) if I stick to the facts, and am clear as to what I think is fair. [i have though travel with some people when traveling in a group, who due to a small/subtle mistake of an employee, try to take unfair advantage of them]

 

I have not always gotten what I felt was fair, but have most of the time by practicing some respect for the person I am talking to and sticking to the facts. And yes, most times I do write a letter afterwards to the cruise line even if the problem is resolved for two reasons:

 

To alert them to a situation/problem if the situation/problem is significant

To, in most cases, note that the employee handled the situation appropriately.

[pcur]

Threats from the ringleader? This "mob" sounds like a bunch of irrational a$$es! And over $39? Come on! Get over it! That "ringleader is lucky he's not in jail! This should have been taken up with RC after the cruise, not with the ship's crew who had nothing to do with this excursion contract. :rolleyes:

 

Complaining about the tour and making "serious threats" are two totally different things.

 

Well, you worded it a tad stronger than I would, but I agree. Having observed the majority of the people on this cruise (WONDERFUL cruise, too), I am not surprised to hear of this kind of behavior. The people were quite reasonable and quiet in the common areas, but they appeared to not have, ummmm.......... a lot of "couth" shall we say? There were a lot of wife beater tees with humongous tats, and one lady's idea of formal night was to put a very large red fishnet poncho over her tank top and short jean skirt.

 

So, I am not surprised to hear that a group got upset over receiving the additional $28 back from RCCL. It was obviously a case of "kill the messenger" with the poor shore excursion employee at the desk.

[xrdan]

OP here-

 

Thanks for the warm welcome from some of you.

 

A recap- I was not on the excursion, I was on a cave tubing trip with my sons that I booked online. I was not at the desk raising a ruckus, I was trying to get a refund (in a calm way) when the guy from the day before happened by.

 

My MIL and her friend just wanted to go to the beach, they're older and were apprehensive about taking an excusion that was not through the ship. They figured it had to be at least OK if the ship sponsored it.

 

My problem with the whole thing is that a vast majority of people on the trip were unhappy, and wanted to go back to the ship right away. It should have never come to the point of the scene with the manager.

 

We've cruised 4 different lines, including RCI, before this and never had a problem with anything at all. Everyone has gone out of their way for us. I'm involved in a service industry and I've seen what some people try to get away with so I was surprised they were going to brush aside a legitimate gripe.

 

Dan

[AF-1]

Royal Caribbean tries hard to have everyone enjoy their excursions. We can fill out comment cards about the excursions. If enough comments come back negative then the cruise line looks into to changing or eliminating that excursion. Everyone wants to have a perfect vacation. RCI wants you to have a perfect vacation; they try to make that happen; sometimes it doesn't work out; as in the case of the beach excursion. Remember that the shore excursion and pursers desk is not run like the Ritz Carlton. At the Ritz Carlton front office personal are given the authority to make big decisions to make sure the customer is kept satsfied. On RCI you may have to go thru two or three layers of mgt before someone can give the authority to refund money or correct a problem. Don't give up hope; as I mentioned RCI wants you to have a wonderful vacation. Don't be too hard on the front office personnel who may not have to authority to refund all your money. Give them an honest chance to correct things and make it right. Have a wonderful day!

Cheers