RCI New Policy ??? any other UK cruisers heard of this

[purescottish]

OK. for the past 7 years we have booked with our TA and flown from Scotland to Orlando, RC transfers to pre cruise hotel, then travel to ship for 7 night Caribbean cruise... then transfers back to the airport where we have picked up a car and travelled on our merry way for a week at Disney..

 

Now we are being told RC will NOT transfer us back to the airport as we are taking a deviation from our holiday and want us to pay £24 each to get a transfer to the carhire at the airport ??? and say this is a new policy !

 

I think we pay enough with flights, esta's extra baggage (for formal wear !) blah, blah every penny counts right ...

just wondered if anyone else is being hit with this ??

 

thanks in advance for any replies

 

wendy

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[uksimonusa]

OK. for the past 7 years we have booked with our TA and flown from Scotland to Orlando, RC transfers to pre cruise hotel, then travel to ship for 7 night Caribbean cruise... then transfers back to the airport where we have picked up a car and travelled on our merry way for a week at Disney..

 

Now we are being told RC will NOT transfer us back to the airport as we are taking a deviation from our holiday and want us to pay £24 each to get a transfer to the carhire at the airport ??? and say this is a new policy !

 

I think we pay enough with flights, esta's extra baggage (for formal wear !) blah, blah every penny counts right ...

just wondered if anyone else is being hit with this ??

 

thanks in advance for any replies

 

wendy

x

 

 

Haven't heard this, but, instead of paying the £24 transfer fee, why not just rent a car at Cape Canaveral and drop it off at OIA?

[nellydean]

OK. for the past 7 years we have booked with our TA and flown from Scotland to Orlando, RC transfers to pre cruise hotel, then travel to ship for 7 night Caribbean cruise... then transfers back to the airport where we have picked up a car and travelled on our merry way for a week at Disney..

 

Now we are being told RC will NOT transfer us back to the airport as we are taking a deviation from our holiday and want us to pay £24 each to get a transfer to the carhire at the airport ??? and say this is a new policy !

 

I think we pay enough with flights, esta's extra baggage (for formal wear !) blah, blah every penny counts right ...

just wondered if anyone else is being hit with this ??

 

thanks in advance for any replies

 

wendy

x

 

Tim to cruise the Med instead? :) Especially after 7 years doing the same thing...

[peteukmcr]

When we had flights arranged by RCI back in 2009, even though we had transfers from Orlando airport to the hotel for the 1 night pre cruise included in the RCI deal and transfers to Port Canaveral to board Freedom the next day, they did not include tranfers at the end of the cruise as we also did a deviation too to stay on in Kissimmee for 5 days. So I don't see this as new policy. We pre booked car hire from Hertz in Cocoa Beach and returned it to Orlando airport before our flight home.

 

The one thing that is new is that now even though we are Diamond C&A they now charge us a £20 deviation fee when arranging the flights.

 

As far as the charge for ESTA is concerned, they are valid for 2 years so you don't need to pay the $14 application fee each time you travel to the US, and so if you go only once each year that's only $7 per year. It is also not a charge that RCI has any control over and would still be applicable if you visited the US without cruising, so not really connected to the cost of a cruise package with RCI.

[purescottish]

Thanks nellydean

we just returned 2 weeks ago from LOS out of Barcelona and it wasn't for us. very, very different and a bit underwhelming ! and we LOVE the caribbean.

 

uksimonusa. we were told there was no car hire at Port Canaveral, we would have to get a ride to downtown PC. which is not as far as the airport ???

I have no clue, but just wondered why it's not been a problem to transfer us before, but now it is !

 

wendy

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[purescottish]

yeah pete, I feel that there's more money needed at every turn now,

I love Caribbean and Orlando but it's looking more and more like next year may be our last !:confused:

 

wendy

x

[peteukmcr]

Thanks nellydean

we just returned 2 weeks ago from LOS out of Barcelona and it wasn't for us. very, very different and a bit underwhelming ! and we LOVE the caribbean.

 

uksimonusa. we were told there was no car hire at Port Canaveral, we would have to get a ride to downtown PC. which is not as far as the airport ???

I have no clue, but just wondered why it's not been a problem to transfer us before, but now it is !

 

wendy

x

Each major car rental company has an office in Cocoa Beach (North Atlantic Avenue) and they all run shuttles to/from the port. Due to the small size of the offices you must prebook though.

[villauk]

When we had flights arranged by RCI back in 2009, even though we had transfers from Orlando airport to the hotel for the 1 night pre cruise included in the RCI deal and transfers to Port Canaveral to board Freedom the next day, they did not include tranfers at the end of the cruise as we also did a deviation too to stay on in Kissimmee for 5 days. So I don't see this as new policy. We pre booked car hire from Hertz in Cocoa Beach and returned it to Orlando airport before our flight home.

 

The one thing that is new is that now even though we are Diamond C&A they now charge us a £20 deviation fee when arranging the flights.

 

As far as the charge for ESTA is concerned, they are valid for 2 years so you don't need to pay the $14 application fee each time you travel to the US, and so if you go only once each year that's only $7 per year. It is also not a charge that RCI has any control over and would still be applicable if you visited the US without cruising, so not really connected to the cost of a cruise package with RCI.

 

Pete,

I didn't realise we now have to pay a deviation fee. I was under the impression it was a perk and the cost was waived? Does this apply even if you book the post cruise hotel through RCI? Just wondering so I know for future reference. Thanks.

[peteukmcr]

Pete,

I didn't realise we now have to pay a deviation fee. I was under the impression it was a perk and the cost was waived? Does this apply even if you book the post cruise hotel through RCI? Just wondering so I know for future reference. Thanks.

There used to be a 'custom air fee' that was waived for Platinum and above C&A members, but when we booked air with an Allure sailing for this year (which we had to subsequently cancel) they said there was now a deviation fee and it was included on the invoice as we wanted to return 5 days after the cruise ended. We didn't pay it in 2009 so I presume it is new.

[LPCKG]

Thanks nellydean

we just returned 2 weeks ago from LOS out of Barcelona and it wasn't for us. very, very different and a bit underwhelming ! and we LOVE the caribbean.

 

uksimonusa. we were told there was no car hire at Port Canaveral, we would have to get a ride to downtown PC. which is not as far as the airport ???

I have no clue, but just wondered why it's not been a problem to transfer us before, but now it is !

 

wendy

x

 

We used Hertz, based 5 mins from the port, the last time we sailed with RCI from Port Canaveral. Hertz offered a free shuttle transfer and have an allocated collection point outside the terminal - as do most of the other hire companies. We booked two one way hire packages pre and post cruise. We booked and paid in advance and there was not real difference in the cost of our one way hire to hiring from MCO roundtrip. I'd take a look at the hire companies website to get an idea of cost to compare with paying the transfers fee.

[bubbadog]

I ALSO Think,That you should never have rci do your flghts,and yes e-mail, or call car hires yourselves,to schedule pick-ups or drop-offs,,The only thing I let rci handle,IS the cruise itself,other than that we schedule everything personally,THAT WAY THERE IS NO MISTAKES,and we have a stress free vacation.:p;)

[peteukmcr]

I ALSO Think,That you should never have rci do your flghts,and yes e-mail, or call car hires yourselves,to schedule pick-ups or drop-offs,,The only thing I let rci handle,IS the cruise itself,other than that we schedule everything personally,THAT WAY THERE IS NO MISTAKES,and we have a stress free vacation.:p;)

With flying from the UK, which is what the OP is discussing, it is sometimes more cost effective for RCI to provide the flights for this particular route (into Florida). You have to arrive the day before sailing as there are no flights that depart from the UK on the day of the cruise that will get you to the port in time.

 

Therefore, RCI provide a hotel the night before the cruise, transfers from the airport to the hotel and onto the port the next day.

 

This can make it a very stress free vacation as it is taken care of for you.

 

The point of this thread was the change in policy that no longer provides transfers back to the airport at the end of the cruise as there is a deviation in flight itinerary.

 

Also if there were some issue with the outward journey, as RCI have arranged the flight element, they would also work to ensure that you arrived to the ship in the event of a delay.

 

When you arrange the transport elements yourself, if anything goes wrong, you are responsible for getting to that ship, not RCI. So again, when travelling such a long way, it can contribute to a stress free vacation to let RCI make the arrangements.

 

To arrange all the above elements seperately can make a vacation more stressful JMHO.

[nellydean]

Thanks nellydean

we just returned 2 weeks ago from LOS out of Barcelona and it wasn't for us. very, very different and a bit underwhelming ! and we LOVE the caribbean.

 

uksimonusa. we were told there was no car hire at Port Canaveral, we would have to get a ride to downtown PC. which is not as far as the airport ???

I have no clue, but just wondered why it's not been a problem to transfer us before, but now it is !

 

wendy

x

 

It's entirely your choice, of course :), but, what didn't you like about the Med? The Caribbean is lovely, but it would become very boring very quickly if we went there all the time (same as anywhere, including Disney - are your kids still young?)

 

We've been all over the world, yet there is still so much to see, and so I would be inclined to experience as many sights, sounds and cultures as possible but, like I said, it's entirely your choice where you holiday.

 

What's the weather like up your way? Down here in the Midlands, we had our summer in MARCH, and it's been raining EVERY day for the past MONTH, including yesterday, on St Swithin's Day, when a bit of sunshine early on hoodwinked us into thinking it was going to be fine and dandy all day! :mad:

[SlimChance]

We have booked Freedom for Jan 2013 and are being charged for the return journey to the airport....!

Plus we are staying at the Hyatt in the airport so do not need a transfer when we land, just the day going to the port.

This wasn't the case last year, we were told the same that it is a new policy.

 

Aoife.

[purescottish]

Thank you for the replies everyone, and pete that is exactly why we let rci do the flights as it's stressful enough flying from Scotland...

 

Nellydean..... I was very underwhelmed with the med cruise, we love the caribbean and would go there every year if we could, but this time it was our travelling companions turn to choose, and the med was it...

I just felt there was "something missing", can't quite put my finger on it !

There was no ships horn for sail away, we had it every 5 minutes for 2 hour for the fog lol, but not the same....

no sailaway party on deck, very low key

never saw the cruise director except on the tv

no pool games, canecelled the first night and replaced it with bingo ! because of the fog which is understandable, but we thought we would get something during the week

ice carving... never saw it as a crowd gathered right round about 3 ft from the guy carving and no-one else saw a thing.

didn't like the ports...very industrial but we chose it so....

no quest !

no farewell show with the captain and staff at the end of the cruise

someone asked for steak well done in the dining room and they came back with 2 slices of roast beef ???

2 robes for 3 of us.... 2 balcony chairs for 3 of us

and of course........... the infamous soot problem !!!

all in all we did enjoy ourselves but it's the little things that mean a lot and we did notice a lot missing, but heyho..... we have just booked Freedom West Carib for next July and a week in Orlando so can't wait

 

sorry to ramble

wendy

xx

[purescottish]

nellydean.I meant to add that my daughter is 14 (going on 35 !) and loves the caribbean beaches...;)

we are not actually doing Disney this year, we are doing Discovery Cove and Universal for a wee change..

our weather man announced yesterday that Edinburgh has enjoyed exactly 2.5 HOURS of sunshine since July 1st :eek::eek:

so yeah we need to get away LOL.. kids are off school for nearly 7 weeks and it's done nothing but rain kitties and poodles since about March !

 

wendy

x

[Boo Boo]

Hi

 

I would look at hiring a car from Port Canaveral (we did Hertz one year - the free Hertz shuttle picks you up at the Port and takes you to the depot) too.

 

We cruise the Caribbean fairly regularly (well have done 8/9 Caribbean Cruises over the past 12 years) from the UK. I always book everything (cruise, flights, hotel, car hire, transfers etc) independently and seperately: you have a lot more choice and flexibility and more often than not it is cheaper too (you would be surprised!). We always fly the day before the cruise (not that it would be possible to fly the same day). I don't think that you can rely on RC to "hold the ship" if you miss it despite travel arranged by them and I always find that "middle men" tend to compound problems rather than solve them.

 

I find that having control (rather than someone else having it) makes the holiday less stressful.

 

Boo

[Lottycruiser]

I am quite shocked that Royal are classing your return to the airport as a "deviation" , had you not been spending the week after your cruise in Orlando then they would have transferred you back to the airport , it's money grabbing tactics and another nail in the coffin .

We went to the Caribbean sept 2010 , we booked through a UK travel agent , we wanted a hire car when we landed at Orlando because we had a package of 4 nights pre cruise in Orlando , so our deal was pick the car up (Avis) at the airport , drive ourselves to port Canaveral after our 4 nights in Orlando , drop the car off at the Avis rental close to the port , Avis shuttle you to the ship free of charge .then after the cruise royal provided the shuttle back to the airport , there was no charge for the shuttle back to the airport even though we opted out of the shuttle from the airport to the hotel (because we hired a car instead ) .why they class it as a deviation is beyond me , they would have shuttled you both ways had you not opted for a week in orlando , I can't see why it makes any difference to them to get you back to the airport .

I would hire a car from the port , there are several firms there and when you contact them just tell them you will need a shuttle from the ship and they will advise you where to go to get the shuttle .Dollar , Budget , Hertz and Avis are all at port Canaveral ,you can drop the hire car back at the airport , no problem , we picked up from airport and dropped it back at the port , this was no problem .

As for the Med cruising , I know exactly what you mean , it's disappointing after cruising the Caribbean , there's just something so laid back about Caribbean cruising , med cruising can be quite different , it's a totally different ball game ,some of our European counterparts could do with a lesson in how to be polite and not so loud and pushy ,i know you can't tar with the same brush but this is often the behaviour on med cruises .

Linda .

[purescottish]

Yeah I agree Lottycruiser, another way to get money out of you (as if we don't pay enough) we will also have to get esta's at £20 each...... all adds up

as for med cruising, personally I wouldn't do it again, I met some very very ignorant people on that cruise, what I could never understand was, lying at the pool deck 3 empty beds either side and a spanish lady plonks herself to my left.....right next to me and her husband plonks down on the right, right next to me.....then they shout at each other for hours right over me ???? what is that all about, why can't they sit next to each other ?.. then all the kids appear and edge on to the bottom of your lounger dripping everywhere aarrgghhhh leave me alone LOL

and the windjammer don't even go there !!!! had a few run ins there too LOL

 

wendy

x

[SPacificbound]

nellydean.I meant to add that my daughter is 14 (going on 35 !) and loves the caribbean beaches...;)

we are not actually doing Disney this year, we are doing Discovery Cove and Universal for a wee change..

our weather man announced yesterday that Edinburgh has enjoyed exactly 2.5 HOURS of sunshine since July 1st :eek::eek:

so yeah we need to get away LOL.. kids are off school for nearly 7 weeks and it's done nothing but rain kitties and poodles since about March !

 

wendy

x

 

Not to hijack your thread but just wanted to say I adore Edinburgh!

It is my very favorite city in Europe. :D

Sorry about all the rain you are having. Enjoy your cruise and land vacation. :)

[peteukmcr]

Yeah I agree Lottycruiser, another way to get money out of you (as if we don't pay enough) we will also have to get esta's at £20 each...... all adds up

as for med cruising, personally I wouldn't do it again, I met some very very ignorant people on that cruise, what I could never understand was, lying at the pool deck 3 empty beds either side and a spanish lady plonks herself to my left.....right next to me and her husband plonks down on the right, right next to me.....then they shout at each other for hours right over me ???? what is that all about, why can't they sit next to each other ?.. then all the kids appear and edge on to the bottom of your lounger dripping everywhere aarrgghhhh leave me alone LOL

and the windjammer don't even go there !!!! had a few run ins there too LOL

 

wendy

x

Wendy, although I agree with a lot that you say, I must correct you on the cost of an ESTA. They only cost $14 (around £9.30) each not £20. If you are being charged £20 by your TA then you are being ripped off. And also they are valid for 2 years, so you don't necessarily need one every year you travel to the US. Again, this charge is out of control of RCI, they didn't implement it, you'd have to get an ESTA if you travel to the US regardless if you were taking a cruise or not. So it's wrong to direct any complaint about an ESTA in the direction of RCI.

 

On another note though, hope the weather picks up for the end of the week because we're up in Edinburgh to see Madonna on Saturday. But it needs to improve in the whole of the UK! That's one reason why we picked a last minute sailing on Mariner, albeit in the Med, but the weather has to be better than here!

[Scotland01]

Totally agree with all that has been said. However Pure Scottish for once the weather in the Glasgow area has been much drier!!! Originally from Corstorphine and still love my home town. We cruise a lot and have done RCI packages as well as our own thing to Florida many times. However after the ash cloud 2 years ago when RCI would not let us transfer our booking we stick to their packages.. Agree about rudeness on Med cruises we never use Windjammer. We have a TA booked for Nov. and are staying 2 nights in New Orleans we were not charged a deviation fee. We are D+ maybe that is why.

[purescottish]

Thanks for the replies everyone xx

 

SPacificbound... thank you Edinburgh is a lovely city (and once they finish the tram works it will be even lovelier);)

 

Pete... I didn't mean to blame RC for the esta's.. I've been to Florida 10 times now and know I need one every 2 years, and £20 was just a ballpark figure, but it still all adds up ! and I hope you enjoy the Madonna concert, if the wind is right I might be able to hear it from the garden, hope it stays dry.:D

 

Scotland01... I really need to get to diamand status LOL..... and I live in Corstorphine... small world :eek:

 

 

wendy

x

 

wendy

x

[peteukmcr]

Thanks for the replies everyone xx

 

SPacificbound... thank you Edinburgh is a lovely city (and once they finish the tram works it will be even lovelier);)

 

Pete... I didn't mean to blame RC for the esta's.. I've been to Florida 10 times now and know I need one every 2 years, and £20 was just a ballpark figure, but it still all adds up ! and I hope you enjoy the Madonna concert, if the wind is right I might be able to hear it from the garden, hope it stays dry.:D

 

Scotland01... I really need to get to diamand status LOL..... and I live in Corstorphine... small world :eek:

 

 

wendy

x

 

wendy

x

Hi Wendy, I agree the extras add up and there seems to be more of them each time we travel to the US. My biggest complaint is not with RCI, but the government here who keep putting up the APD and so the tax on flights is getting silly and it's coming to the point where we cannot afford to fly to the US. Virgins price next year means that the APD and other taxes amount to 97% of the airfare. So a fare of GBP 338 gets another GBP 330 added in taxes. Outrageous.

 

Hopefully will stay dry on Sat as here it's rained most of the day, yet again!

[purescottish]

I hear ya pete. we live more or less on the doorstep of Edinburgh airport but have an hours drive at stupid o'clock for USA flights as they tell me it costs £300 more per person to fly from Edinburgh than it does Glasgow ??

and I agree it's getting dearer and dearer...added to esta's oh and £33 per week to park the car for 2 weeks !!! and of course the extra suitcase for all our goodies lol

and it's still raining kitties and poodles and it isto continue to do so for the next 3 days !!! hope it's dry for your "madge" concert, I remember seeing The Stones at Murrayfield and it was peeing down......not much fun,

hope you have a great time whatever the weather.

 

wendy

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