Disappointed with RCCL

[laurac22]

Laurel was the lady that helped me with my lost luggage issue 2 years ago when we sailed the Allure. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have had the documentation that I needed for my travel insurance claim. The lost luggage department, yes they have one, was absolutely no help. Laurel is the one that came through for me!!!

Yes she was very nice, that's why after talking with her I truly believe that she wants to help.

[HopefulCruiser123]

That would mean that each and every RCI rep would have to board each and every RCI ship and inspect each and every cabin category to be properly informed of their contents.:eek:

 

The reps go by the planning guide, the same planning guide that Travel Agents and Loyalty Ambassadors use when someone books a cruise on board. If the guide is wrong it certainly isn't the reps fault.

 

The buck has to stop somewhere. The customer needs to deal with the RCI rep and therefore, through training, retraining and REtraining again the RCI rep should be equipped to provide accurate information. RCI not training them adequately is no excuse.

[Ocean Boy]

The buck has to stop somewhere. The customer needs to deal with the RCI rep and therefore, through training, retraining and REtraining again the RCI rep should be equipped to provide accurate information. RCI not training them adequately is no excuse.

 

So it is the reps' fault that RCI neither trains them properly nor supplies them with correct information?

[broberts]

So it is the reps' fault that RCI neither trains them properly nor supplies them with correct information?

 

Not sure what the hang-up with fault/no fault vis-à-vis the reps. The company is at fault. That means every person in the company involved in any way in disseminating the incorrect information is at fault.

[funfamilyof6]

One important fact that many are overlooking here is that customers do not always work with a RCCL rep or TA, they sometimes book their cruise themselves via the RCCL website. In this situation, you only have the deckplans to look at.

 

IMO, the deckplans are the culprit here and need to be fixed to reflect the chairbeds.

[trinty1]

This exact issue happened with us on Freedom in September of 2012. We were told by our PVP that our room would have a pull out sofa. Upon arrival, we were shocked to see just a chair. The room had a Pullman bed but that was not what our travel agent told us. Had we had the correct information, we would have booked a different room. We were told for 2 days they couldn't tell us if any other cabins would be available until they confirmed cabin availability. Our steward brought us a fold out bed that sunk in the middle and literally looked like the letter V. Needless to say, we made do, however upon coming home, our TA said RCCL gave him the wrong information on the phone when he booked. RCCL said it is the agents fault. This was not the first time traveling with RCCL. Will it be the last? Probably not. We were offered future OBC if we book. It's easy to understand information can be incorrect but it made for a miserable week!

[laurac22]

This exact issue happened with us on Freedom in September of 2012. We were told by our PVP that our room would have a pull out sofa. Upon arrival, we were shocked to see just a chair. The room had a Pullman bed but that was not what our travel agent told us. Had we had the correct information, we would have booked a different room. We were told for 2 days they couldn't tell us if any other cabins would be available until they confirmed cabin availability. Our steward brought us a fold out bed that sunk in the middle and literally looked like the letter V. Needless to say, we made do, however upon coming home, our TA said RCCL gave him the wrong information on the phone when he booked. RCCL said it is the agents fault. This was not the first time traveling with RCCL. Will it be the last? Probably not. We were offered future OBC if we book. It's easy to understand information can be incorrect but it made for a miserable week!

I completely understand your frustration! Were you in an accessible cabin? How many were in you cabin?

[laurac22]

One important fact that many are overlooking here is that customers do not always work with a RCCL rep or TA, they sometimes book their cruise themselves via the RCCL website. In this situation, you only have the deckplans to look at.

 

IMO, the deckplans are the culprit here and need to be fixed to reflect the chairbeds.

EXACTLY!

 

I have to say that I have been looking at all the different ships accessible accommodations. I am very upset to find out the limited availability of 3 person ocean view balcony cabins. There seems to be none on most ships. Maybe someone that knows more about the workings of the cabins can pipe in,( Funfamily?) But am I to understand that if the cabin capacity shows 2 that there is no way to get a third person in the cabin even with a rollaway or anything? I know that we had an Ocean View Balcony on our Freedom cruise and there where three of us in the cabin. I don't remember the bedding situation, but I know there was a sofa. Why are there such limited 3 person accessible cabins?

[Aquahound]

Not sure what the hang-up with fault/no fault vis-à-vis the reps.

 

I agree. "Hang up" is a good way of putting it. Either way, this is RCI's fault. The rest is just petty stuff that is mostly irrelevent.

Edited May 20, 2013 by Aquahound

[laurac22]

EXACTLY!

 

I have to say that I have been looking at all the different ships accessible accommodations. I am very upset to find out the limited availability of 3 person ocean view balcony cabins. There seems to be none on most ships. Maybe someone that knows more about the workings of the cabins can pipe in,( Funfamily?) But am I to understand that if the cabin capacity shows 2 that there is no way to get a third person in the cabin even with a rollaway or anything? I know that we had an Ocean View Balcony on our Freedom cruise and there where three of us in the cabin. I don't remember the bedding situation, but I know there was a sofa. Why are there such limited 3 person accessible cabins?

I guess I kind of hijacked my own thread with this! LOL maybe I should of started a new thread. Its just that I would never be able to trust what I'm looking at on the deck plans again. I would not know how to start looking for another accessible room, and be sure I understand what I am getting. I'm a little gun shy:

[funfamilyof6]

EXACTLY!

 

I have to say that I have been looking at all the different ships accessible accommodations. I am very upset to find out the limited availability of 3 person ocean view balcony cabins. There seems to be none on most ships. Maybe someone that knows more about the workings of the cabins can pipe in,( Funfamily?) But am I to understand that if the cabin capacity shows 2 that there is no way to get a third person in the cabin even with a rollaway or anything? I know that we had an Ocean View Balcony on our Freedom cruise and there where three of us in the cabin. I don't remember the bedding situation, but I know there was a sofa. Why are there such limited 3 person accessible cabins?

 

I guess I kind of hijacked my own thread with this! LOL maybe I should of started a new thread. Its just that I would never be able to trust what I'm looking at on the deck plans again. I would not know how to start looking for another accessible room, and be sure I understand what I am getting. I'm a little gun shy:

 

Can you actually hijack your own thread LOL? The big question is will RCCL fix this problem?

 

Although RCCL is supposedly one of the better cruiselines to book regarding handicapped accessibility, there is definitely room for improvement.

 

As I have said in a previous post, I don't see RCCL fixing this problem since it means changing many deckplans and this issue does not affect a lot of people. I don't know why they didn't do it right in the first place, but to fix it now is probably more than they want to do. RCCL HAS BEEN aware of this problem for at least 2 years, but they still haven't fixed it yet. I do hope that RCCL proves me wrong!

 

Laura I completely understand why you feel the way you do! I'm not even confident that the special needs department has the correct details of each cabin, although this is not what I have been told. The only way that RCCL could assure you of what you were getting would be to provide a photo of the cabin with details of the bedding of the exact cabin you were booking which I would imagine would be very difficult for them to get. Laura I sincerely wish I could be more inspirational, but if I was in your situation I would feel the same exact way you feel!

[laurac22]

Can you actually hijack your own thread LOL? The big question is will RCCL fix this problem?

 

Although RCCL is supposedly one of the better cruiselines to book regarding handicapped accessibility, there is definitely room for improvement.

 

As I have said in a previous post, I don't see RCCL fixing this problem since it means changing many deckplans and this issue does not affect a lot of people. I don't know why they didn't do it right in the first place, but to fix it now is probably more than they want to do. RCCL HAS BEEN aware of this problem for at least 2 years, but they still haven't fixed it yet. I do hope that RCCL proves me wrong!

 

Laura I completely understand why you feel the way you do! I'm not even confident that the special needs department has the correct details of each cabin, although this is not what I have been told. The only way that RCCL could assure you of what you were getting would be to provide a photo of the cabin with details of the bedding of the exact cabin you were booking which I would imagine would be very difficult for them to get. Laura I sincerely wish I could be more inspirational, but if I was in your situation I would feel the same exact way you feel!

unfortunately I'm afraid your probably right. I think our problem doesn't effect enough passengers, so it most likely isn't at the top of their "to fix list". To be honest, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be receiving from Corporate. I certainly hope its not just a lot of words with no intentions of doing anything. Corporate also did not mention any form of compensation for us either. I don't know what to expect with this whole thing, but I'm guessing not a lot:( The bright side is hopefully the people here on CC that has read this thread will make sure they know what there getting when they book a cabin!

[Merion_Mom]

Can you actually hijack your own thread LOL? The big question is will RCCL fix this problem?

 

Although RCCL is supposedly one of the better cruiselines to book regarding handicapped accessibility, there is definitely room for improvement.

 

As I have said in a previous post, I don't see RCCL fixing this problem since it means changing many deckplans and this issue does not affect a lot of people. I don't know why they didn't do it right in the first place, but to fix it now is probably more than they want to do. RCCL HAS BEEN aware of this problem for at least 2 years, but they still haven't fixed it yet. I do hope that RCCL proves me wrong!

 

Laura I completely understand why you feel the way you do! I'm not even confident that the special needs department has the correct details of each cabin, although this is not what I have been told. The only way that RCCL could assure you of what you were getting would be to provide a photo of the cabin with details of the bedding of the exact cabin you were booking which I would imagine would be very difficult for them to get. Laura I sincerely wish I could be more inspirational, but if I was in your situation I would feel the same exact way you feel!

I am not an IT person. Far from it. But if they gave me admin privileges to their website, I could have this problem fixed in less than 10 minutes. :rolleyes:

[funfamilyof6]

unfortunately I'm afraid your probably right. I think our problem doesn't effect enough passengers, so it most likely isn't at the top of their "to fix list". To be honest, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be receiving from Corporate. I certainly hope its not just a lot of words with no intentions of doing anything. Corporate also did not mention any form of compensation for us either. I don't know what to expect with this whole thing, but I'm guessing not a lot:( The bright side is hopefully the people here on CC that has read this thread will make sure they know what there getting when they book a cabin!

 

Yeah, I was wondering about that. Pretty sad, IMO. I am sure A LOT of people will appreciate what you have done, although there are a lot of handicapped cruisers who don't know about Cruise Critic who aren't aware of this issue which is what annoys me! :mad:

 

 

I am not an IT person. Far from it. But if they gave me admin privileges to their website, I could have this problem fixed in less than 10 minutes. :rolleyes:

 

LOL, you and many others!!! ;)

[Starry Eyes]

unfortunately I'm afraid your probably right. I think our problem doesn't effect enough passengers, so it most likely isn't at the top of their "to fix list". To be honest, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be receiving from Corporate. I certainly hope its not just a lot of words with no intentions of doing anything. Corporate also did not mention any form of compensation for us either. I don't know what to expect with this whole thing, but I'm guessing not a lot:( The bright side is hopefully the people here on CC that has read this thread will make sure they know what there getting when they book a cabin!

 

Laura, did you post the information on the disabled Cruise Travel Forum. To maximize the "bright side" of sharing info, posting on that special interest forum may reach more people who need to know about accessible cabins.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

[cruiselife4me]

That is so sad. Perhaps your letter to Corporate could affect change in how they post the accessible rooms in the future!!

[laurac22]

Laura, did you post the information on the disabled Cruise Travel Forum. To maximize the "bright side" of sharing info, posting on that special interest forum may reach more people who need to know about accessible cabins.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

Yes, I did already post to the disabled board. Thank you:)

 

There is so much planning that goes into a vacation(or anything for that matter) with a person with special needs. Think about the all the questions asked on this site by cruisers without special circumstances, and you can understand how hard it would be to make sure that all needs are met for the person with special needs. I really hope that this reaches some of those people.

[laurac22]

That is so sad. Perhaps your letter to Corporate could affect change in how they post the accessible rooms in the future!!

I sure hope so:)

[broberts]

Can you actually hijack your own thread LOL? The big question is will RCCL fix this problem?

 

. . .

 

Part of the problem is that as far as Royal Caribbean is concerned these chairs are sofa beds, albeit single sofa beds. So I'm not sure that they see a problem other than a few people who misunderstand their terminology.

[Merion_Mom]

Part of the problem is that as far as Royal Caribbean is concerned these chairs are sofa beds, albeit single sofa beds. So I'm not sure that they see a problem other than a few people who misunderstand their terminology.

 

Yes, clearly Royal Caribbean thinks that a sofa is a chair.

 

No one thinks that. They just don't seem to care.

 

As I and many others have written on this thread, NO ONE should have to sleep on that THING in Laura's picture.

[laurac22]

Part of the problem is that as far as Royal Caribbean is concerned these chairs are sofa beds, albeit single sofa beds. So I'm not sure that they see a problem other than a few people who misunderstand their terminology.

That is exactly what they said to me. I don't think they have any intention of pulling the "Chairs off every ship. They are just planning on changing the terminology on the plans. I still think those Chairs are ridiculous, but as least you will know what your getting. Hopefully!

[EVALUATOR]

I am not an IT person. Far from it. But if they gave me admin privileges to their website, I could have this problem fixed in less than 10 minutes. :rolleyes:

 

If their intranet is anything like the internet on the ships it would take longer than 10 minutes just to log on.:eek:

[AZAficionado]

Reading this thread brought tears to my eyes and at the same time gave me a feeling of hope that maybe RCI will do right by you and your family. I am so sorry this happened to you.

 

Space is so limited on the ships that RCI can't afford a mismatch like what happened here, especially for those who have special needs. When it comes to someone in a wheelchair or the like, there needs to be both the accommodations and the space for accessibility, no excuses. And the information about the cabin needs to be absolutely clear and correct at the time of booking. Let's hope this is the last time something like this ever happens to anyone.

[time4u2go]

I wonder what they would change the description to, if they do indeed change it. Chair-beds? Pull-out chairs? They should obviously change it to something, but I can't think of a name they'd give it that won't result in a lot more confusion. The confusion alone might be reason enough for them not to change it, even though they obviously should.

Edited May 22, 2013 by time4u2go

[Madjacksmom]

I wonder what they would change the description to, if they do indeed change it. Chair-beds? Pull-out chairs? They should obviously change it to something, but I can't think of a name they'd give it that won't result in a lot more confusion. The confusion alone might be reason enough for them not to change it, even though they obviously should.

 

Twin size pull-out chair would be clear to me. I actually think all sofa bed descriptions should disclose size - queen, full, etc. Two people might be fine in a queen sized sofa bed but might be uncomfortable in a full sized one.