Rssc-not Impressed

[Iamboatman]

Just a point to consider: Always have the TA ask for a fax or email from the line confirming the payment. I do this so that there is such problem...and they do happen...even to the best TAs.

[JPR]

T2Robinson's post "my husband and I had doubts about this line from the beginning" says it all. Even excellent travel agents screw up.

 

RSSC is an excellent line that receives consistently high reviews. They may have erred her, but the "doubts" comment indicates that this poster was expecting the worst. Definitely her and her husband's loss. They will no doubt find that other cruise line's make mistakes as well, but they will never find a better cruise experience than the one RSSC offers, particularly if they like smaller luxury ships with no tipping, open seating, excellent cuisine, interesting itineraries, and nice crews!

[KatWag]

One thing which I find very interesting: If you read the Seabourn boards, you see numerous complaints about the Seabourn front office staff. Many posters comment that the front office staff in no way match the staff on the cruise ships themselves.

 

Odd that the poster seems to have such a high opinion of the Seabourn office group relative to that held by so many other experienced Seabourn cruisers.

 

Also odd that this was the person's 5th post. Only five posts and such a negative tone? No acknowledgement of the TA's responsibility? I think we have a troll.

[cruisinsince75]

One thing which I find very interesting: If you read the Seabourn boards, you see numerous complaints about the Seabourn front office staff. Many posters comment that the front office staff in no way match the staff on the cruise ships themselves.

 

Odd that the poster seems to have such a high opinion of the Seabourn office group relative to that held by so many other experienced Seabourn cruisers.

 

Also odd that this was the person's 5th post. Only five posts and such a negative tone? No acknowledgement of the TA's responsibility? I think we have a troll.

 

Sorry to disagree. I did go back and look at past posts and this seems legit. Doesn't fit the troll pattern.

 

Don

[Elquailo]

Just for grins, I went and dug out the paperwork from our RSSC cruise this past September. I notice some things that are interesting:

 

- Every document that we received from RSSC states very clearly what the total cost is, how much has been payed to date, and how much is owed (and when it is owed). Thus, if there was paperwork with a booking number that was received, it MUST have had these items on it - it's obviously a standard RSSC form! Either the paperwork says that a deposit has been applied, or it doesn't - there's no gray area here, and apparently no such thing as a booking form that doesn't include each of these items! Right?

 

- Every single time that a new transaction was recorded (initial booking, deposit made, final payment made, credit back to us due to a last minute special discount (!!!), there was NEW paperwork from RSSC that was promptly delivered to us that continued to specifically state: what the total cost is, how much had been payed, how much (if any) was owed and when, etc.

 

Thus, if a fax was actually recieved, and it stated that a specific deposit had been made against a specific booking number, AND the situation described took place (no record of the deposit after the fact), then RSSC would be at fault IMHO. In all other possible cases, RSSC is not at fault IMHO, and it would be nuts (and just plain wrong) to blame them for someone else's mistakes or oversight.

 

Just my $0.02 worth...if your fax and paperwork that was received actually states a specific deposit amount (it appears to be a standard field on the form), then I apologize! - if not, don't blame RSSC for your own mistakes or those of your TA. I still think it sounds like the TA messed up - unless there's a specific deposit amount stated on your paperwork - in which case I would be dead wrong. :-)

 

Cheers,

Ken

[simonv]

Martha,

 

You have not missed anything by not cruising on RSSC. We have tried RSSC this fall, and it is "fine", but not in the same league as Seabourn or Silversea which I'm very devoted to. Service is better than mass market lines, but doesn't have the smoothness or refinement to make it a real first class. Now I've tried Radisson, I know I'm doing the right thing by sticking to Silversea, or Seabourn in your case.

[English Voyager]

To say that RSSC is not in the same league as Silversea,or Seabourn,is not a view I share.

Service on the Diamond was on a par with that experienced by us on the Shadow,but slightly inferior to that on the Pride.

We have always found the service from RSSC's UK office extremely good.

When we had to curtail our post cruise tour in Turkey the Diamond's Concierge,together with the UK Office,were superb in resolving our difficulties.

We are looking forward to our 2005 cruises with RSSC.

[petlover]

T3,

So sorry about your bad experience! Ufortunately this could happen with any cruise line (and I'm sure it has)....but based on all the positive comments here, I do think you should give Radisson another try and not assume that something like this will ever happen again. Also, this is one of those live and learn situations where you'll keep close tabs on your credit card to make sure the charge appears within a day or two of booking.

 

I'm now curious what you meant by :

"My husband and I had doubts about this line from the beginning."

 

This has sparked my curiosity and I can't imagine what doubts you had??? Please share with us...

[joannapvb]

I, too, would be interested in what was bothering you about Radisson "from the beginning" - Joanna

[Ngaire]

I will clarify how the bookings and deposits work just for the record so people know the procedures.

 

Agent makes a booking and instantly gets a booking number. At this point this is just an "option". Within 72 hours of that booking the cruise must be deposited or the booking automatically cancels. That booking number or copy of the booking in no way means you have a secure booking - it is JUST an option to hold the cabin for 72 hours.

 

Agent calls RSSC and makes the deposit on the clients credit card by phone. The approval is instant. There is no delay. At that time the agent can get an authorization code if they ask. RSSC also instantly sends out either an email confirmation or fax confirmation depending on which the agent prefers and the deposit is clearly shown. This button to send the fax or email to the agent is pushed by the RSSC reservationist on the same phone call the deposit is made. Often it can be in the email before you hang up the phone. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes all depends on how fast the email gets there.

 

Nothing should be considered complete until this paperwork showing the deposit is in the agents hands. The only exception to this procedure is if the payment is on a credit card that is in a different name from either of the passengers. Then a form must be filled in granting permission for the charge. This is then faxed into Radisson. Of course it is imperative that the agent follow up and be sure the fax was received, the deposit credited to the booking and the confirmation fax or email received from RSSC.

 

I am not sure what confirmations this poster is talking about, if it was just from the agent that does not really confirm that RSSC has the deposit. However, if the agent had a confirmation from Radisson showing the deposit it would have been in the RSSC system. If this was the case then RSSC would stand by that and do something to make it right.

 

TA's do use their own invoices. All cruise lines have different invoices and it is easier for clients to see one style of invoice from the agent. RSSC invoices are also difficult to read and since the new computer came in are constantly changing. In fact they are going to change again in the next few weeks. If there are any unique discounts, future cruise credits, gold points etc they come off the brochure fare and people are always confused. There are no line items on the RSSC invoice at this time indicating these deductions. Also agents need to enter the data in their own data bases and this requires an invoice. The key here is for agents to never complete an invoice showing a deposit without first having that confirmation in their hand from RSSC.

 

There have been some problems with the new Radisson computer, and the paperwork is complicated now, however, it is imperative that an agent ensure that the deposit is officially on the record before completing the file, sending out their own confirmation invoice and considering it a confirmed booking.

 

I have no idea where the error was made here and do not have enough details to place blame either way. I just thought it good for people to know how it works for future reference.

[aaannnthony]

Okay, it's time for my nickel.....here's how you do it......you book it yourself, you do everything necessary to get confirm's, etc., you do everything that needs to be done b/4 final payment.....you argue with the cruise line yourself, no need for hearing from them that "your travel agent must speak to us about that", and, you get it done yourself, then, the day b/4 final payment you transfer the administration of the booking to the t/a that gave you the best deal.....he/she does nothing, you did it all......who's most interested in your well being....you are! The only way to go!

[jhp]

aaa, I respect your opinion here, but I expect my TA to do all this. No need for me to do it. The way you are doing it, you do all the work, and the TA gets the credit. Better in my mind to work with a TA who knows far more than me about RSSC and all their booking procedures. I have a TA in Fla, and had several unanswered questions about my upcoming leg of the WC. He had taken care of all of them, and I thought he was ignoring me! Just easier to have an agent in my mind.

[ticketsunlimited]

I have to agree with JHP on this one. You cant go wrong if you have a reputable TA especially if they specialize in RSSC. You cant beat the prices either.

[cwc]

You can't get the AE platinum cruise privileges if you book by yourself :p.

[aaannnthony]

My post did indicate that I transfer the administration of the booking the day before final payment to the t/a that offers the best cruise fare adjustment.

[traveller333]

aanthony, Perhaps you should find a different TA if you feel the need to do all the work yourself and then transfer to the TA who can give you the best price. This sounds crazy and doesn't sound like you ever develop a rapport with any one TA. There is no loyalty whatsoever.

 

If you always work with the same TA, he/she will know your needs and handle everything for you and make your life much easier.

[petlover]

Okay, it's time for my nickel.....here's how you do it......you book it yourself, you do everything necessary to get confirm's, etc., you do everything that needs to be done b/4 final payment.....you argue with the cruise line yourself, no need for hearing from them that "your travel agent must speak to us about that", and, you get it done yourself, then, the day b/4 final payment you transfer the administration of the booking to the t/a that gave you the best deal.....he/she does nothing, you did it all......who's most interested in your well being....you are! The only way to go!

 

aaanthony....pleeeeeze tell me you're kidding, right??......

[neviboy]

aaaaanthony, I live a 10 minute drive from RSSC offices. My Renaissance cruise was caput due to the bankruptcy and I wanted to save time by going to the HQ. of RSSC as a first time passenger. A person in charge of sales helped us with a planned cruise. We received the brochure with prices, etc. and GIVEN THE NAME OF A TA in our area, who worked closely with RSSC in the past.

They would not give any discounts, etc. nor would they hold a suite. This agent took the deposit, reduced the official price, etc. and booked the cabin.

For our next RSSC cruise, 9 months later, tried as I may, RSSC would not accept anything and constantly referred us to any TA.

This procedure may not apply to other lines who have in-house personnel capable of accepting a booking. Most brochures state to book through a TA.

How do you do it aaaaanthony ?

[aaannnthony]

Marcie, I'm not kidding....I've been doing it this way for years....I want full control of my booking to the last minute, final payment......the day b/4 final payment I "flip" it to a T/A, it's usually the same one, but, this past year I've experimented with some online agencies as well, particularly when they're willing to credit you with as much as 80% of their commission.

 

Nevi, just get on the phone and go to reservations and make a booking; at that time you are considered a "direct book".....you're your own T/A. When I made an onboard booking aboard the Voyager a few weeks ago, NanSea asked if I would be using the same T/A; I indicated no.....my paperwork showed I was a direct booking. Upon our return home, we noted a date conflict, so, I called Rad. and made a change to another cruise. My new confirmation shows the same, "direct booking". As noted above, after you've determined your best commission adjustment deal, you transfer the booking to that T/A the day b/4 final payment.

[Elquailo]

Neviboy, The experience that you describe completely contradicts my personal experience with RSSC. I am not a TA, but I always book everything direct, and received discounts from RSSC including a late $2000 discount less than 60 days before we last sailed. Aaannnthony's comments about easily being able to do it all yourself are consistent with my experience. RSSC not only did not have any issues with me dealing directly with them, but they were a pleasure to work with, and executed all transactions flawlessly.

 

That said, I would not suggest that most people attempt to do this stuff themselves - In my opinion most people are best served by a good TA, and years ago long before I accummulated over 5 million frequent flyer miles across every continent or had been on a few cruises, I too used TAs. These days I enjoy doing the arrangements myself, and the online tools and information sources make it very easy if you are so inclined - but it's not for everybody. When your own travel-related experience has eventually far exceeded that of most TAs, it's simply easier to do it yourself - but even then, if it hasn't for a specialized area of travel, then you still engage a TA or at least ask for advice IMHO.

 

Cheers,

Ken

[petlover]

In my opinion most people are best served by a good TA

 

I agree with that Elquailo. I would much rather have a professional TA who knows a lot more about Radisson than I do, earn their commission by doing what they're trained to do. We all have our own expertise.

Besides, after working in commission sales for 25 years, I think that asking a TA to kickback 80% of their commission is about as tacky as one can get!!

[Pam]

When I decided to check on the Mariner cruise we were on in November, I called RSSC to see if the suite we sailed to Alaska in was available. It was, so the incredibly nice young man reserved it for me and took my deposit. He asked me which cruise agent was going to be handling it for me, and I hesitantly told him (I hadn't actually contacted this agent, but knew I wanted her to be my agent of record). He was very enthusiastic, knew the agent personally, and initiated a 3-way conference call for me to transfer the booking.

 

I am type A, I have always handled 98% of our travel myself. But I don't WANT to handle our cruises myself, that's one area where I want to be pampered. And I am.

 

I think agents earn 110% of their commission, every day of the week.

[Elquailo]

<<<I think agents earn 110% of their commission, every day of the week.>>>

 

Pam, yes they do, except in the sad case of what happened to t3Robinson, which is what started this thread. :)

 

And I believe that life is far too short to be negotiating percentages of anyone's commission for yourself...call me crazy, but I don't mind not getting the "best" price as long as I'm getting what I believe to be a "fair" price.

 

And I'm one of those *crazy* people that enjoys doing all of the planning and booking myself, as well as taking full responsibility for it.

 

Cheers,

Ken

[Pam]

Oh, there's going to be a bad apple in every barrel ( I know...groaner) and I feel badly for t3Robinson! I've had agents do horrendous things in the past, too; one managed to bypass the inhouse computer system and book my mother on a flight that never existed to begin with. But those who do their job in the manner to which we would all like to become accustomed are more in the majority, and they are the ones who I was talking about.

 

I usually have several trips in planning stages, so the cruises are the ones I pass off to an agent I am 100% confident in. I haven't found an agent like that for everyday trips, so I handle those myself.

[aaannnthony]

Marcie, thanks for your tacky comment.

 

I did no negotiating with the online agency; perhaps you should re-read my post. They had a fare at a significantly lower price than I had booked with the cruise line....I "flipped" the booking to them after thoroughly discussing the matter with the representative. When I received their invoice, it showed the same exact fare that I had booked with the cruiseline, less a credit which equaled 12% of the total cruisefare less non-commissionable port charges.