Debacle on AOS on 12/12/2010

[Retired LEO]

"Fire sales" on the Adventure are nothing new. They have been going on for years and they fill that ship with locals all of the time and people have complained about it and have been flamed for doing so.

 

The Serenade doesn't seem to have that issue. So if you want to sail RCI out of SJ, take the Serenade.:)

 

And as far as pax telling other pax how much they paid for their cabins, we've heard it all. And now with the Gold cards for suites be prepared to have them flashed about as well. I'm shocked some pax don't velcro the things to their foreheads so everyone knows they are suite guests.

 

No need to. They just put it in a lanyard for everyone to see.

[cruisindoggie]

Well folks I just thought I would share some bad experiences on the AOS 12/12/2010 cruise. Overall I had a good time but have the following items to share that were unfortunate.

 

1) Embarkation was a joke, we arrived at the pier around 12pm Sunday and waited 4.5 hours in line just to get to a check in booth. We learned that there was an immigration issue and the ship was on lock down. RCCL was not prepared for this and I saw several elderly folks get dehydrated and one who passed out. Everyone was in line some with no shade from the sun. RCCL had no water to offer, no bathrooms and no official explanation. I only offer what I heard from the cruise director Anna Bass who was at the CC meet and mingle the next day.

 

Many people were irritated and pushing and shoving in line once the doors to check in did open; very ridiculous.

 

2)The sliding glass door of our balcony room whistled many days and nights, and the mainteance departement who answered my call only once of many calls said they would fix it. I had to constantly play with the lock to avoid the air pressure and annoying whistling sound. I am extremely dissappointed that guest services and mainteance offered me nothing for all this trouble. Many times calling I was placed on hold with no pick up or nobody answered and the call just dropped---ridiculous.

 

3)I learned that there 1,600 residents of Puerto Rico on board, all of whom paid significantly less than any of us from anywhere else in the world. One couple from PR said they paid only $300 for a week cruise which is a fraction of what I paid. I understand trying to fill the ship with people but I feel discriminated as mainland American paying much more. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against anyone from PR; but why should pay 4 times more if I live in the midwest.

 

So if you want a deal on a cruise from San Juan perhaps we should travel with residents of PR.

 

4)Filet mignon is no longer included in your dining options unless you pay a $15 fee (apparenlty this is new). This is not a huge deal but yet another way to nickeled and dimed.

 

We still had a great time, but honestly I was dissappointed. I have been on the AOS 3 times previously and never had these issues and bragged about RCCL to my girlfriend who enjoyed her Carnival ships much more.

 

My biggest dissappointment was the room and sliding door whistling issue. Come on RCCL; I pay thousands of dollars and you can't fix this for a week?

 

I also called customer relations yesterday and spoke with a gentlemen named Ed who listened to my concerns. RCCL did not offer me anything at all.

 

I am suprised that the customer service on the ship and the corporate office acted in this manner. I would think they would see my previous cruises with them and want to keep me as a customer, but apparently not.

 

Anyway, I just wanted others on this site to know my experience. I hope your cruises are better than the one I just expereienced.

 

Best wishes.

It seems to me that you are only looking for compensation because you feel slighted that people from PR paid less for the cruise than you did.:confused:

[jsoenning]

If these price drops were small, I wouldn't gripe. But when there are such major differences, it's wrong. I would rather see RCI implement the 3 week prior to cruise D+ update policy they claim to have and sell the interior cabins that remain after the upgrades for the low ball prices. NOT undercut the prices of the balconies and suites as they have been doing lately.

 

Gina

 

On our Italy cruise, there was an English lady with her mom that paid less than we did for a suite than we did for our interior cabin...just happened to get a super deal at the right time through her travel agent.

[SEASONEDCRUZER]

I don't know how to make this any clearer....I'm not griping, and certainly not whining (I'm a grown woman) but I think its wrong. Just like when I pay $25 for a piece of luggage on the airline...I think its wrong...I pay it, I know I'll pay it, but I will complain about it. Its the same way with the differing prices on cruises, airlines, hotels, etc. I know its the way of life, but I don't have to like it and sit quietly by...can't I have a forum to say that I think its unfair? I know how it works....but just because I want to complain about how it works, I'm whining, not intelligent enough to understand...dang...give me a break.

 

IMHO, I have a right to state MHO.

 

You do have the RIGHT to state your opinion of course, however...

 

A better forum to ACTUALLY effect change would be in a letter to Adam Goldstein, no one here can do anything for you except agree or disagree.

 

Just a thought for you, would it also be fair for the cruiseline/shareholders to miss out on the local revenue support they get from selling the cabins at a discount close to sailing to the locals? The ship will sail whether it is full or half full-nothing is more useless than an empty hotel room or stateroom. The cruiseline likes the odds that people who pay less for a last minute deal may just be willing to spend a bit onboard on drinks, gambling, shopping etc. ;)

 

JMHO

[kevoz06]

We sailed out on the Serenade of the Seas on 12/11/10 from San Juan. We arrived at the port at 12:15 and were on board before 1:00pm. We got off the ship to go back to the duty free to purchase water and pop.

 

Our room was facing the dock so we were able to watch the constant steady flow of folk embarking up until 6pm.

 

I too wondered about the good number of locals that were aboard our ship. I loved it because my wife and I "Mambo Caliente'd" every night. I enjoyed the heck out of myself.

 

But it's the option of the cruise line to offer those deep discounts to locals to do what ever possible to fill up the ship. I would probably assume that discounted rate were available to at the last minute for folks from the continental U.S. but we usually book early to secure flights and hotels. My mother-in-law, who is retired, often hear of rates like these from her travel agent friend. She is so far up the skymiles rankings that she usually use points to secure her flight.

 

If you can wait to go at the last minute on adventures like this, it usually works out for ya. For us that are still working and can't leave at the drop of a dime, we have to suffer and pay higher pricing.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Alexis]

......cute Santa Alexis.....hope you have a Merry Christmas and Cruising New Year.......:)

 

Thanks and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you also.

See, there are some of us on here who can debate and maybe disagree on topics on here and still manage to become friends.

I am booked on the Serenade again for 2011. I am hoping they do not cancel it again. :(

If so, be prepared. :eek: I will come and cry on your shoulder. :o

[lilapr]

I received a Massachusetts discount on my upcoming Oasis sailing and received $600 off my price (i checked all the time)....Just a thought....Just because someone said they paid $300 does not mean that they actually did...i just did a last minute sailing on the Majesty the price for me was $109 (outside)per person, but when the taxes and port fees i actually paid $209....Thank you for sharing, I will make sure that when I go to any port, I will bring bottle water and some crackers just in case things go wrong...happy sailings and happy Holidays to everyone!!!!!

 

I am from Puerto Rico and I can tell you that their $300 price is before taxes and port fees, which usually add somewhere between $200 - $300 to the "cruise" price, and it does not include gratuities (those are extra) and TAs in PR never offer OBC unless it's the cruise line that is offering them in their website.

 

This is a marketing strategy TAs in PR use (CRUISES FOR $300), but the actual price comes to over $1000 per cabin and there are no OBC to offset it. Some people just get fixated on the $300 and that's what they tell everyone. Whenever a friend or family members tells me about their $300 cruise I always ask and the final price always comes up to over $1000. Maybe the OP paid more that people from PR, but believe me it probably wasn't by much, It's just a perspective thing.

[JTJ]

"Fire sales" on the Adventure are nothing new. They have been going on for years and they fill that ship with locals all of the time and people have complained about it and have been flamed for doing so.

 

The Serenade doesn't seem to have that issue. So if you want to sail RCI out of SJ, take the Serenade.:)

 

And as far as pax telling other pax how much they paid for their cabins, we've heard it all. And now with the Gold cards for suites be prepared to have them flashed about as well. I'm shocked some pax don't velcro the things to their foreheads so everyone knows they are suite guests.

 

As stated these sales happen in Florida too, but they have a double edge. That being the locals who are planning to cruise wait until the last minute to book knowing the residency price will drop if the ship is not full. If it doesn't happen then they move on to another week.

 

If there weren't these predictable price drops the locals might bite the bullet and book earlier at the higher rate.

[jewopaho]

I am from Puerto Rico and I can tell you that their $300 price is before taxes and port fees, which usually add somewhere between $200 - $300 to the "cruise" price, and it does not include gratuities (those are extra) and TAs in PR never offer OBC unless it's the cruise line that is offering them in their website.

 

This is a marketing strategy TAs in PR use (CRUISES FOR $300), but the actual price comes to over $1000 per cabin and there are no OBC to offset it.

 

This being the case (and I have no reason to doubt the poster) the entire discussion is moot. RCI (as well as Carnival and Princess) are always offering low cruise prices out of San Juan, presumably to attract those who must pay those high airfares to San Juan. It appears as if the locals are paying just about what others are ... perhaps a bit less, similar to Florida residents, who sometimes get a little break when sail dates aren't selling quickly enough.

 

But just in case you're a bit skeptical, here's another view ...

 

If there weren't these predictable price drops the locals might bite the bullet and book earlier at the higher rate.

 

... or they just wouldn't book at all, leaving the ship half-empty. If the ship were sold out well before the sail date, the price drop wouldn't occur ... but is generally isn't, and it's a strategy that's worked for as long as the AOS has been sailing out of San Juan (probably close to ten years). I'm certain that both Carnival and Princess do the same, so if RCI changed its policy, the competition would have the upper hand. As I stated previously, it's nothing more than a business decision.

[subtchr]

"Fire sales" on the Adventure are nothing new. They have been going on for years and they fill that ship with locals all of the time and people have complained about it and have been flamed for doing so.

 

The Serenade doesn't seem to have that issue. So if you want to sail RCI out of SJ, take the Serenade.:)

 

I never heard what kinds of "deals" anyone got, but there were plenty of locals on the 12/11/10 Serenade sailing. Of about 2315 guests, 750 were from PR, according to the announced numbers.

 

We sailed out on the Serenade of the Seas on 12/11/10 from San Juan. We arrived at the port at 12:15 and were on board before 1:00pm. We got off the ship to go back to the duty free to purchase water and pop.

 

I too wondered about the good number of locals that were aboard our ship. I loved it because my wife and I "Mambo Caliente'd" every night. I enjoyed the heck out of myself.

 

We arrived early, about 11:00, knowing we would likely have to wait for a while. Our theory is that we would rather wait at the cruise port than sit in a hotel room anxious to get to the cruise port! We were among the first on board, right around noon.

 

And although we did not "Mambo Caliente", we had an amazing cruise and really enjoyed the vibrant feel that the mix of passengers created.

 

I wrote a long review of the cruise with lots of pics, linked in my signature, if you are interested.

 

We would love to sail from SJ again!

 

Sue

[Sea and Me]

I find it hard to believe that by advertising a cruise for $300 it ends up being around $1,000 for the locals. We cruised on the AOS back in 2000 and we found that the locals did pay only $300. There were 1,700 locals on board.

Can't blame them for getting a "deal" however in some instances the behavior of some left a lot to be desired. Don't bash me it happens everywhere. Manners just weren't on that particular cruise.

[Addict]

We talked to SEVERAL others who had sailed on this exact same cruise one year prior. They ALL said they arrived to the pier around 11:00 AM or so and were boarded within 30 minutes.

 

Mrs H. The difference is that this was the first time the Adventure had returned to San Juan after the summer in Europe.

 

One year previously the ship was doing Caribbean cruises.

 

The first time it left to go to Europe was May 2010 - I know, I was on it for both cruises this year - to Europe and back to San Juan.

 

So it would not have been the same scenario for "the exact same cruise one year prior" for the "several others" you quote.

[NancyIL]

I find it hard to believe that by advertising a cruise for $300 it ends up being around $1,000 for the locals. We cruised on the AOS back in 2000 and we found that the locals did pay only $300. There were 1,700 locals on board.

Can't blame them for getting a "deal" however in some instances the behavior of some left a lot to be desired. Don't bash me it happens everywhere. Manners just weren't on that particular cruise.

 

The previous poster said the $300/pp cruises ended up costing ~ $1000 per cabin (i.e., for 2 people).

[Tapi]

So if you want a deal on a cruise from San Juan perhaps we should travel with residents of PR.

 

Bigotry and intolerance is rampant on these boards....

 

I understand that you may be angered because some people pay more than others, but that happens on ANY sailing out of ANY port. You could be sailing on a cruise out of NY, FL, TX or CA and you WILL have tons of people from those states traveling with you, many who are paying considerably less than you, whether because they took advantage of a resident rate, interline rate, senior rate, military rate or past guest rate.

 

On the flight that you took down to San Juan, there were also MANY passengers who probably paid a fraction of what you paid, even some who flew for free. Are you going to make an issue out of that too? Or only if all of those passengers who flew for less than you were also Puertorican??

[Tapi]

I find it hard to believe that by advertising a cruise for $300 it ends up being around $1,000 for the locals. We cruised on the AOS back in 2000 and we found that the locals did pay only $300. There were 1,700 locals on board.

 

In my 30 years of cruising I have NEVER learned, asked, queried, or even been interested in what my fellow cruisers are paying for their vacation...!

 

Exactly HOW are all of you claiming to know exactly how much the locals are paying finding out this information? Are you going around and stopping every Puertorican in sight and asking them how much they paid, or are they voluntarily coming to you and saying "hey, I paid $300 for this cruise"?? :confused:

 

As someone mentioned, cruise pricing sold through travel agents in Puerto Rico is advertised before port charges, commisionable charges, etc (a practice that is no longer allowed in the US mainland). Another thing that you may not know is that if you book a cruise through a TA in Puerto Rico you are also required to pre-pay your tips as part of your cruise total. When you add it all up, your fellow Puertorican cruiser is paying pretty much the same as you.

[yarcraftman]

"Another thing that you may not know is that if you book a cruAnother thing that you may not know is that if you book a cruise through a TA in Puerto Rico you are also required to pre-pay your tips as part of your cruise total. When you add it all up, your fellow Puertorican cruiser is paying pretty much the same as you. ise through a TA in Puerto Rico you are also required to pre-pay your tips as part of your cruise total. When you add it all up, your fellow Puertorican cruiser is paying pretty much the same as you. "--from Tapi

 

Tappi--you must be smoking good stuff in the islands or be totally clueless. If residents of PR pay "pretty much the same" as us then why are there 1,600 PR residents on board? Come on let's be realistic here.

 

It's definitely not flight costs overall (maybe for some but certainly not all). I am sure many mainland Americans or Europeans can spark up the extra cash to pay for their flights.

 

Anyway, this thread has gotten way out of hand. I made my point earlier about being more dissappinted in customer service and a whistling sliding glass door all week than anything else. Did the price difference bug me, sure it did. We are all entitled to our opinions.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

[drrich2]

There's another reason that lower pricing might be needed to induce locals, whether in Puerto Rico or Florida, to fill up those last empty rooms. Perceived value by locality (or climate).

 

I live in KY. In the depths of winter, a week in the tropics, whether cruising with RCI or scuba diving on the island of Bonaire, sounds wonderful. It's a chance to get out from under winter's oppressive grip and awhile, trade a week of winter for a week of summer.

 

Someone who lives in Puerto Rico or Florida isn't going to get that on a local cruise (wonder if they ever book Alaskan cruises to get something different?).

 

There is so much more to cruising that all can enjoy, but if I lived in a tropical or semi-tropical climate, cruising would be slightly less compelling to me (especially on short notice, which I suspect is often necessary to get those last minute rock bottom rates). Now, knock that price way down and let me board without paying for a flight, on the other hand, and if I can get the time off, it's party on!

 

Richard.

[grand isle joe]

Bigotry and intolerance is rampant on these boards....

 

 

 

yes I agree completely. Hailing from the riff-raff clan I can't tell you how many times we are ridiculed and made fun on these boards. Enough I say....All those who like me belong to the riff-raff clan rise up and let your voices be heard. Let the Speedos and T shirts be worn proudly.:D Black socks and sandals are a must. Formal night? I got your formal night right here......As long as there is cruising we shall be on board so get use to it.

[Tapi]

Tapi--you must be smoking good stuff in the islands or be totally clueless. If residents of PR pay "pretty much the same" as us then why are there 1,600 PR residents on board? Come on let's be realistic here.

 

Not smoking anything or being clueless. Has it occurred to you that I know what I'm taking about because I am a born and raised Puertorican? Not only have I been on my share of cruises during my life, many from San Juan, I also book my parent's cruises every year. They still live in Puerto Rico and cruise quite often, multiple times on the AOS.

 

Normally they'll call me with a special price they found on the local newspaper. I'll call the TA in Puerto Rico and then compare prices with what I find online or through TA's in the US. TRUST ME when I tell you that they are paying exactly the same as people in the US, specially when sailing on Royal Caribbean. Carnival used to have some differences in pricing,, but not recently.

 

I think I know what I'm taking about...

[ZoeyVictoria]

There's another reason that lower pricing might be needed to induce locals, whether in Puerto Rico or Florida, to fill up those last empty rooms. Perceived value by locality (or climate).

 

I live in KY. In the depths of winter, a week in the tropics, whether cruising with RCI or scuba diving on the island of Bonaire, sounds wonderful. It's a chance to get out from under winter's oppressive grip and awhile, trade a week of winter for a week of summer.

 

Someone who lives in Puerto Rico or Florida isn't going to get that on a local cruise (wonder if they ever book Alaskan cruises to get something different?).

 

There is so much more to cruising that all can enjoy, but if I lived in a tropical or semi-tropical climate, cruising would be slightly less compelling to me (especially on short notice, which I suspect is often necessary to get those last minute rock bottom rates). Now, knock that price way down and let me board without paying for a flight, on the other hand, and if I can get the time off, it's party on!

 

Richard.

 

There is no contest when you compare working or cleaning house or running errands in a tropical climate with playing and being fed and entertained in a tropical climate. Cruising is quite compelling to some of us Floridians.

[debache]

Yarcraftman, You wrote that there was 1600 Puerto Ricans on a ship that was sailing out of Puerto Rico, I would assume there would be more Puerto Ricans on a cruise out of Puerto Rico then say a cruise out of Galveston...I have been on the Explorer out of Bayonne 4 times and we jokingly call it the NY/NJ ship, there are a lot of NY/NJ people....am I to assume because there are so many from the NY area on Explorer that they all paid alot lower price then what I paid....some probably did and some probably didn't.....I don't know what the average population of Puerto Ricans on the AOS or SOS for each cruise is normally...You might be right the cruise you were on might have had a big discount for the Islanders...Happy Holidays and Happy Sailings

[rharvey999]

I'm sailing on Monarch in a few weeks...I got a Michigan residency discount on my cruise.

 

You actually got a Michigan discount? How in the world did you find out? We live in Kansas and have never, ever been offered a resident discount. We are at 18 credits now and will probably yell and holler when we Jayhawks can actually get some sort of benefit. It's bad enough that our airfare is usually the cost of an additional passenger.

[Gonzo70]

You actually got a Michigan discount? How in the world did you find out?

 

You pretend you are making a booking for the cruise you already are booked on. Be sure to select your state when starting the dummy reservation. If there is a resident discount it will show up as you are looking at the pricing on the various stateroom categories. Be sure to check frequently as these discounts can come and go fast. I was able to snag an Illinois Discount on my most recent cruise.

[scottbee]

It wasn't RCCL's fault, it was the department of Homeland Security, who simply didn't provide enough staff to do the job. We too took forever to get off the ship, and the DHS was unprepared to clear TWO large ships (there was a princess ship in port too)

 

Why is everyone blaming RCCL when the US government is completely unable to provide enough Immigration and Customs officers at any port of entry? Other countries can do it, we entered Spain in 3 minutes, we entered France with no delay (due to the Schengen agreement), but the USA seem to revel in making people wait hours to enter the USA. the wait is so bad to enter the USA from our local crossing, that I forked out the money time and effort to get a Nexus (express border crossing card), because CANADA->USA at our local crossing is always > 40 minutes (compared with <10 entering Canada)

[Coralc]

There were a ton of Floridians on our last cruise. But strangely, they all sounded like they were from New York or New Jersey. :rolleyes::D

 

And when questioned, they did confess to being "originally..." from New York or New Jersey. I am starting to wonder how many people are really "from" Florida. :D:):D