Problems with our booking paperwork.

[NHCruzer]

With the exception of our first few cruises, we have always booked directly with RCCL, usually with the LA while on a ship. Tonight we attempted to secure a senior citizen discount on our upcoming April cruise and after contacting RCI, we were told that we do not own our booking. Somehow a cruise agency has purloined our booking and now owns it. Consequently we can do nothing with OUR booking until this conflict has been resolved. Although we have never heard of this agency, have not been in contact with the agency, and have never signed any agreement, we are now at the mercy of the hierarchy that has to pass judgment on whether the booking is ours or not. I am posting this message not as a complaint but as a warning to everyone. Check your paper work carefully. We had always checked the dollar amounts, dates, etc. but never thought to check the upper corner of the email to ensure that the booking was still ours.

[cb at sea]

Did you do this online? How in the world did someone else take possession of your reservation?

Cancel it, and re-book directly OVER THE PHONE with RCI!

[suwaneedad]

Hopefully it was a "typo" or something by the agency and you can resolve it with one phone call to the agency. We book directly thru RCI as well and have to use the phone/humans because our family of 5 cannot be handled by RCI's 4-person-centric rez system, and unfortunately they recently booked our resident (GA) fare as a senior citizen fare (even though they got our ages correct...late 30s!!). I have read nightmares on CC about being charged the full rate at the pier, so I jumped all over it with RCI. They sent me a followup PDF file that indicates "resident rate" but our cruise contract still shows "senior citizen rate" so I won't breathe easy until we're on board at the booked/paid fare. I have good records of the phone calls, RCI rep names, etc so should prevail if hassled. In the past, we have had RCI phone reps book the wrong dates, the wrong cabins, the wrong dinner seating. Always makes me wonder if they have a contest going in the call center that day to see who can book the most X before end of shift. Check EVERY element of the cruise docs emailed/mailed. I have yet to book a cruise where the papers were 100% correct the first time, other than when I first cruised and used a TA.

[seetosea]

With the exception of our first few cruises, we have always booked directly with RCCL, usually with the LA while on a ship. Tonight we attempted to secure a senior citizen discount on our upcoming April cruise and after contacting RCI, we were told that we do not own our booking. Somehow a cruise agency has purloined our booking and now owns it. Consequently we can do nothing with OUR booking until this conflict has been resolved. Although we have never heard of this agency, have not been in contact with the agency, and have never signed any agreement, we are now at the mercy of the hierarchy that has to pass judgment on whether the booking is ours or not. I am posting this message not as a complaint but as a warning to everyone. Check your paper work carefully. We had always checked the dollar amounts, dates, etc. but never thought to check the upper corner of the email to ensure that the booking was still ours.

 

We booked a cruise while on a ship and assumed that we booked through RCI. Imagine our surprise when I called them about making a payment and they said I would have to go through our TA. I told them that I booked while onboard and thought that RCI was my TA. Evidently, the LA attached our booking to a cruise agency (we'd never even heard of the agency). I was told to contact the TA. I contacted them (RCI gave me their phone number) and they said I wasn't in their "inventory". I called RCI again and said that the TA won't release me because they said I wasn't one of theirs. To make a long story short (and 2 1/2 hours on the phone), someone in resolutions moved my reservation back to RCI (keep in mind, all I wanted to do was make a payment). It caused me a lot of grief, but it all worked out in the end.

[wrp96]

Did you book this particular cruise online? I know that in the last week someone tried to book online and mistyped RCCL's website name. When they did it took them to a TA's website that looked exactly like RCCL's website.

[Darkwolfe]

Gotta watch out, there a cyber-squatter sitting on www.royalcaribean.com (notice the dropped "b") that's apprently got travel agencies signed up to receive bookings from that site. Someone else got a surprise recently there too.

 

One typo and if you don't have your wits about you, a mess.

[NHCruzer]

Rather than online, we actually booked the cruise with the Loyalty Ambassador when we were on another cruise. The paper work she gave us was correct: we owned the cruise. Some time between then and now, this cruise agency's name appeared. How it appeared is a mystery but supposedly it cannot be removed easily.

[wrp96]

Rather than online, we actually booked the cruise with the Loyalty Ambassador when we were on another cruise. The paper work she gave us was correct: we owned the cruise. Some time between then and now, this cruise agency's name appeared. How it appeared is a mystery but supposedly it cannot be removed easily.

 

 

Okay, then tomorrow morning, what you need to do is call and ask for a Resolutions Specialist. And explain that you have the paperwork from the LA showing you had no TA and want to know how it was transferred to a TA without you agreeing to it.

[NHCruzer]

Update: We contacted RCI at 11:10 this morning and to our delight we were told that the problem had already been resolved and that ownership of the booking has been returned to us. We have already received an email with the correction. We have nothing but praise for the way the situation was handled.

[wrp96]

Thanks for the update. May this be the only bump in a wonderful vacation.

[SAAdds1]

Update: We contacted RCI at 11:10 this morning and to our delight we were told that the problem had already been resolved and that ownership of the booking has been returned to us. We have already received an email with the correction. We have nothing but praise for the way the situation was handled.

 

You lucked out (or I was unlucky). I booked a cruise online with Royal Caribbean last week (I think Dec. 20), but when I clicked submit after I entered my credit card number, I got a screen that listed the travel agent. Huh?? I thought I was booking through RCCL the entire time. I have called RCCL and the travel agency numerous times(each one at least three times each) about this. RCCL told me that the travel agency needed to fax in a statement, releasing the booking to me. As of today, the travel agency said they faxed it to RCCL on 12-24-08, yet they were still on my booking. I finally just cancelled the booking. It was a real pain because everytime I called the travel agency (except for the last time today), all I got was an answering service who took my name and number. Then the travel agent would get back to me at his convenience...sometimes a day later.

 

I guess I was a bit lucky because I then booked the same cruise over the phone with RCCL and got an aft junior suite on deck 7 instead a junior suite on deck 8 (which worried me because it was under the deck with the pool and Windjammer). I think I got a better cabin.

[SAAdds1]

Did you book this particular cruise online? I know that in the last week someone tried to book online and mistyped RCCL's website name. When they did it took them to a TA's website that looked exactly like RCCL's website.

 

I don't know if this is me you're talking about, but I never figured out how I got to travel agency's website. The only thing I can think of is I clicked on the incorrect link as I always did a google search for Royal Caribbean. I don't think I mistyped the name.