RCL handling of policy change

[Eng23]

You can still get ice in your cabin if you ask. You can't still ask for an ashtray to smoke on your balcony.

 

But how come I never received an email in advance to notify me of this change? Se what I mean? That's like trying to compare an apple to an orange.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Aurora2143]

I know this will never happen, and it has nothing to do with smells or health, but how would those that like to have a drink feel, if they got on the ship with no notification that the policy changed, and you could no longer drink in your cabin or on your balcony, but the only place you could drink was one small area on an outside deck.

 

RCI should notify those that have already booked of the change. To some, having a smoke on their balcony is just as important. They should be given the opportunity to cancel the cruise by being notified. There is only a small percentage of cruisers that are on CC. I for one would have never known about the change if I wasn't on CC.

 

I was already told that the alcohol analogy was ridiculous. LOL! :)

[MR NW GUY]

This thread is about how RCL handled the policy change, not whether or not you agree with it. Please no pro or con smoking comments :)

 

How do you think did on their handling of the policy change on smoking? Personally, I am not happy. We are booked on a two week Med cruise next June. I carefully read their policies before I booked. Had I already booked my airfare or pre-paid my hotel rooms to get a better rate, I could have been out many hundreds of dollars :mad: Booking this far out for a Med cruise is pretty typical from what I have read. Not as many alternative options as there are in US ports either. Travel insurance would not have covered my loss unless I purchased the obscenely high priced "cancel for any reason" policy.

 

IMHO, RCL should have notified all currently booked passengers when they announced this policy. They say it was made in July, but news didn't break until the post on CC in September. Are we supposed to constantly monitor their policies even after booking? To be fair, I am not happy with my TA either for lack of notification. If you go by published percentages, this effects 20% of their passengers, most likely more if only one person in a couple smokes. Certainly enough people to be afforded common courtesy. While they do claim they will have more outdoor areas available, I have yet to see specifics. I have emailed a request for details, we will see what answer, if any, I receive.

 

When changes occur after booking, should RCL (or any cruise line) notify currently booked passengers? This would apply to port changes, etc. Blast emails just can't be that hard for them to do.

Time to remind some of you the topic at hand....

Please.....

[tiessa]

I was already told that the alcohol analogy was ridiculous. LOL! :)

 

It's not ridiculous and you make a good point. However, many will never get it.

[Langley Cruisers]

Time to remind some of you the topic at hand.... Please.....

 

This surprises you? No thread ever stays on topic... ever ever ever...

[gaylemh]

Does anyone know, if since the policy changed, if the RCI reps are telling people of the policy change when they call to book a cruise? Most people that smoke, that have sailed recently on RCI, would expect the policy to be the same. (unless they were on CC) I know when I book new cruises I don't read through the policies every time I make a new reservation. There should also be a notice that comes up for those booking online. Being TA's were notified, it is their responsibility to inform all the bookings.

[CI66774]

The company handled it exactly as Disney and Princess did. It's amazing to me people get their knickers in a twist over a policy change that helps them live longer (and others who have to breathe the death smoke). Ya'll should be happy. RCL may have extended your lives by a year or two.

[MR NW GUY]

This surprises you? No thread ever stays on topic... ever ever ever...

:rolleyes:

 

One can hope!

[gaylemh]

The company handled it exactly as Disney and Princess did. It's amazing to me people get their knickers in a twist over a policy change that helps them live longer (and others who have to breathe the death smoke). Ya'll should be happy. RCL may have extended your lives by a year or two.

 

It's not the policy change, a company can make any rules they want. It's the fact that no one is being notified. Everyone should be given the chance to decide if they still want to sail, if a policy is changed after they booked.

Unless you are on CC, how would you know before you get on the ship, or until you printed your documents when it's too late to cancel? People like different cruise lines for different reasons, there are a lot of people that liked RCI because they had the convenience of smoking on their balcony. Just as there were people that liked Celebrity because there was no smoking on balconies. I don't think that is only reason someone would pick a line, but it could be the deciding factor.

 

Would all of you feel the same if Celebrity changed their policy back to being able to smoke on balconies, and didn't notify you?

[Lilyrosemum]

The company handled it exactly as Disney and Princess did. It's amazing to me people get their knickers in a twist over a policy change that helps them live longer (and others who have to breathe the death smoke). Ya'll should be happy. RCL may have extended your lives by a year or two.

 

Like

[Aurora2143]

So... not sure how many of you sail in suites, and if you don't then you REALLY wouldn't understand.

 

But...what if you booked your cruise after reading all the suite perks and it sounded so good that you paid extra just for the privileges.

You get to the pier to check in on January 2nd and find out that priority boarding was no longer a perk for suites because of policy change and you never received notice.

You get on the ship and in your room. Head over to the concierge lounge and can't get in because it's no longer a suite perk. It's by special pass for a limited amount of suites guests and it's first come first serve. (You should have read the policy every week to see if there was a change and you could have made your reservation online prior to the cruise).

No priority seating at the pools or at the shows. All perks are gone and you weren't notified of the "policy" changes.

 

Only the folks who don't travel in suites will say, "It wouldn't matter to me".

 

I truly believe that they are not sending out notifications on this particular policy change because they know it will hurt their bottom line. People who are not on the internet to get their info and trust the cruise line will not have a chance to cancel. So...if they are inundated with cancellations now, imagine if they sent out the notices.

I still have not received any notice and still waiting confirmation for my cancellation through my TA.

 

Unfortunately...some will never get it. The same people who want to talk all day long about the health effects of smoking will never tell you about the health effects of drinking alcohol and the effect it has on those around them. Never heard of a smoker kill someone in an instant like a drunk driver.

[Lilyrosemum]

Wow, that's not very respectful!! The fact of the matter is your railroad is dumping toxic wastes on my balcony and I end up paying more for health care to take care of you. I'll keep trying to help you and others. Someday you'll look back and want to thank me.

 

Also Like

[gaylemh]

I truly believe that they are not sending out notifications on this particular policy change because they know it will hurt their bottom line.

 

I think you are right about that.

[Aurora2143]

[Lilyrosemum]

So... not sure how many of you sail in suites, and if you don't then you REALLY wouldn't understand.

 

But...what if you booked your cruise after reading all the suite perks and it sounded so good that you paid extra just for the privileges.

You get to the pier to check in on January 2nd and find out that priority boarding was no longer a perk for suites because of policy change and you never received notice.

You get on the ship and in your room. Head over to the concierge lounge and can't get in because it's no longer a suite perk. It's by special pass for a limited amount of suites guests and it's first come first serve. (You should have read the policy every week to see if there was a change and you could have made your reservation online prior to the cruise).

No priority seating at the pools or at the shows. All perks are gone and you weren't notified of the "policy" changes.

 

Only the folks who don't travel in suites will say, "It wouldn't matter to me".

 

I truly believe that they are now sending out notifications on this particular policy change because they know it will hurt their bottom line. People who are not on the internet to get their info and trust the cruise line will not have a chance to cancel. So...if they are inundated with cancellations now, imagine if they sent out the notices.

I still have not received any notice and still waiting confirmation for my cancellation through my TA.

And I am still waiting for emails on all the changes made over the years as well.

 

Way back when....charging for soda,

 

No more smoking in the cabins,

 

Cover charge for Johnny Rockets,

 

Not being able to combine stock ownership OBC with other discounts,

 

MTD,

 

No more buying liquor on board and bringing to cabin,

 

Adding for pay items in the MDR,

 

Kicking the Diamonds out of the Concierge Lounge,

 

Having to request Ice Service,

 

No more Chocolates at turndown service,

 

No pool towels left in the cabin and having to check them out with sea pass

card,

 

Being able to bring two bottles of wine onboard per cabin,

 

The addition of the all you can drink packages,

 

I know I am missing a million other changes but the point is I never received

an email about any of those changes and I got over it.

 

This is no different.

[Lilyrosemum]

A few months ago, a gentleman came on our roll call for this upcoming cruise to let us know that one of our ports have changed from Livorno to LaSpezia. I was not notified by RCI and had a tour scheduled in Livorno through RCI.

When I contacted RCI, I was told there was no difference between Livorno and LaSpezia and there was no need to change my tour.

Boy it was a good thing I google mapped it to find that it's about an hour away. They didn't change my tour either. I had to cancel it myself.

So, I do believe customers should be notified on certain things.

 

And I have a Med cruise on the Liberty next month. Same change of port. I found out on Cruise Critic. No email, never. Our flights on American have changed twice for Barcelona. I found out only by accident when checking online. No email from them either.

 

All I can say is get over it or cancel your cruises. This is what passes for Corporate customer service nowadays. Which basically is everyone fends for themselves. Sad but true.

 

Be proactive, which you are already doing by being on Cruise Critic.

 

Royal is not known for good corporate customer service. But they are known for good service by Cabin attendants, waiters, bartenders and casino workers. That is what keeps me coming back.

 

Call the Company to task for bad customer service for sure. But move on.

[Aurora2143]

And I am still waiting for emails on all the changes made over the years as well.

 

Way back when....charging for soda,

 

No more smoking in the cabins,

 

Cover charge for Johnny Rockets,

 

Not being able to combine stock ownership OBC with other discounts,

 

MTD,

 

No more buying liquor on board and bringing to cabin,

 

Adding for pay items in the MDR,

 

Kicking the Diamonds out of the Concierge Lounge,

 

Having to request Ice Service,

 

No more Chocolates at turndown service,

 

No pool towels left in the cabin and having to check them out with sea pass

card,

 

Being able to bring two bottles of wine onboard per cabin,

 

The addition of the all you can drink packages,

 

I know I am missing a million other changes but the point is I never received

an email about any of those changes and I got over it.

 

This is no different.

 

Wow thanks. A whole list of what this whole thread is about. Not really about SMOKING as everyone wants to make it into, but the FACT that RCI does a poor job of notifying their customers of changes. It's called CUSTOMER SERVICE.

 

I'm pretty sure if you go back to my post about not being notified about my port change which no one wants to touch and it was you that experienced this, you'd be pretty upset to find out about it after you got on board and couldn't make changes. I still haven't heard from RCI about that. So...those people who aren't on CC and don't have internet access will find out the hard way huh? How compassionate.

[Aurora2143]

And I have a Med cruise on the Liberty next month. Same change of port. I found out on Cruise Critic. No email, never. Our flights on American have changed twice for Barcelona. I found out only by accident when checking online. No email from them either.

 

All I can say is get over it or cancel your cruises. This is what passes for Corporate customer service nowadays. Which basically is everyone fends for themselves. Sad but true.

 

Be proactive, which you are already doing by being on Cruise Critic.

 

Royal is not known for good corporate customer service. But they are known for good service by Cabin attendants, waiters, bartenders and casino workers. That is what keeps me coming back.

 

Call the Company to task for bad customer service for sure. But move on.

 

What do you say for people who don't have internet access? Call customer service every week to get an update? obviously customer service doesn't have all the answers either.

[Lilyrosemum]

What do you say for people who don't have internet access? Call customer service every week to get an update? obviously customer service doesn't have all the answers either.

 

Hey Im agreeing with you. I have cruised over 22 times on Royal Caribbean. I am Diamond Plus, so are my kids and grandkids. I have sailed in Suites and Balcony cabins. Many times paying for several cabins per cruise. I can't even tell you how much money I have spent on RCCI.

 

This is the way they do business. Personally I think it is Adam Goldstein to blame but whatever. They have TERRIBLE Corporate Customer Service.

 

If you are not proactive and tech savvy and keep on the ball you should use the services of a GOOD Travel Agent.

 

But I could go on and on about Airlines, Hotels and many other Corporations who also have TERRIBLE Corporate Customer Service.

 

What I LOVE is when I get GOOD or GREAT Customer Service, keeps me coming back. RCCI, for whatever reason, has great lower level employees that interact with their customers on a day to day basis and it is them and their great Ships that keep people like me Loyal to the product. Certainly NOT Adam Goldstein and HQ at RCCI.

[Aurora2143]

Hey Im agreeing with you. I have cruised over 22 times on Royal Caribbean. I am Diamond Plus, so are my kids and grandkids. I have sailed in Suites and Balcony cabins. Many times paying for several cabins per cruise. I can't even tell you how much money I have spent on RCCI.

 

This is the way they do business. Personally I think it is Adam Goldstein to blame but whatever. They have TERRIBLE Corporate Customer Service.

 

If you are not proactive and tech savvy and keep on the ball you should use the services of a GOOD Travel Agent.

 

But I could go on and on about Airlines, Hotels and many other Corporations who also have TERRIBLE Corporate Customer Service.

 

What I LOVE is when I get GOOD or GREAT Customer Service, keeps me coming back. RCCI, for whatever reason, has great lower level employees that interact with their customers on a day to day basis and it is them and their great Ships that keep people like me Loyal to the product. Certainly NOT Adam Goldstein and HQ at RCCI.

 

You know, I totally agree. I've ALWAYS had wonderful customer service from just calling and speaking to a lower level agent. The bad port info I got was from the cruise planner they assigned to me.

My goal has been to quit smoking again before my 40th birthday which is in February, and if that happens...I will re-book the Quantum again. Hoping the GL will still be available.

[Lilyrosemum]

You know, I totally agree. I've ALWAYS had wonderful customer service from just calling and speaking to a lower level agent. The bad port info I got was from the cruise planner they assigned to me.

My goal has been to quit smoking again before my 40th birthday which is in February, and if that happens...I will re-book the Quantum again. Hoping the GL will still be available.

 

I wish you all the best in quitting. I used to smoke as well and the best gift I ever gave myself and my family was quitting!

 

Have a great cruise on the Liberty in the Med. We sail her out of Barcelona next month!

[Snooksi]

Wow thanks. A whole list of what this whole thread is about. Not really about SMOKING as everyone wants to make it into, but the FACT that RCI does a poor job of notifying their customers of changes. It's called CUSTOMER SERVICE.

 

I think it's just a fact of life in this day and age. And I agree with you, I also think RCCL is failing to notify customers because they are afraid of losing money and they don't want to spend the time/money it would take to notify all of their customers.

 

Look at DCL. They made their announcement with only 90 days notice. That gave customers only 15 days before final payment was due on that first affected cruise. At least RCCL gave more notice than that (if you are a CC member or just happen to read the new policy online); albeit only 3 wks more.

 

It's not that customer service is bad. It's the fact that there is no customer service anymore. Even though prices are always increasing, customer service is becoming a "thing of the past" and we, as customers, are expected to do more and more for ourselves (thanks largely in part to the internet)...unless of course we want to pay a hefty add-on fee.

 

Take airlines for example. I received a voucher due to cancelling a flight. I couldn't use it unless I called to book my next flight. Because I called to book my flight, they charged me $25.00 PER ticket to use the service rep. So to use my $95.00 voucher (flight was $550+ but by the time they charged all of the cancellation fees, I was left with $95), it cost me $50 and after cancelling a $550+ flight, I ended up getting back $45. They nickel and dime us to death, hoping we won't notice. By the time I purchased my tickets, paid the $50 fee to use the voucher and pay for our luggage, my new tickets ended up costing $2200 for 3 of us to fly a 20 hr drive. It's ridiculous.

 

It's the sneakiness that drives me crazy. And that's not just RCCL, it's EVERYWHERE. Look at the grocery stores. They used to have so many oz or items in a package and now you go to buy it, BAM...less items. 24 packs of coke are now 20 packs of coke. However, SAME packaging/SAME price so hopefully the consumer won't notice. It's pretty pathetic when a pound of bacon is now actually 12 oz. BE HONEST and just tell me and I'll deal with it. But to treat the consumer as if they are stupid or to try and "hide the fact" or to let us just figure it out for ourselves is not right.

 

It all boils down to how corporations can make the most amount of money spending the least amount of money. Period.

 

Remember when you used to go to a gas station and they filled the tank, washed your windshield and checked your oil for FREE? Aaah, the good old days and they are long gone, never to be seen again.

 

Remember when people were thrilled to be millionaires? Not anymore, now they want to be billionaires. Bottom line for corporations, big businesses, stock holders and the like? GREED. Nothing is ever enough. (sm businesses are barely getting by trying to compete with big businesses)

 

Customer Service is turning more and more into self service; whether it's finding out our own information, pumping our own gas, making our own airline reservations online, checking carefully to see how many items now come in a package, getting our own towels or getting our own ice. Many businesses are now charging extra for a person to get their bill in the mail rather than online. If people don't have a computer nowadays and know how to use it, they are pretty much screwed. And yes, there are still (older) people who don't have computers or know how to use them. My father will die before he ever touches a keyboard or a cell phone.

 

So my point? It's not just RCCL, it's everywhere. And I certainly don't ever see it getting better, but only worse.

[Wilda]

OP, I do think that RCI should have notified all passengers booked in a balcony cabin since these are the passengers that are most impacted. An email blast and automated telephone message are relatively simple ways to contact people.

[nbsjcruiser]

One of the things they should have done was looked at how far out it was possible to book cruises and say the day after that, the smoking policy starts. So for instance, lets say you can't book a cruise past Nov 2015. Then on December 1 2015 the new policy starts. Would have cause a whole lot less trouble and people would have not lost the commitment made to them when they booked.

[Snooksi]

One of the things they should have done was looked at how far out it was possible to book cruises and say the day after that, the smoking policy starts. So for instance, lets say you can't book a cruise past Nov 2015. Then on December 1 2015 the new policy starts. Would have cause a whole lot less trouble and people would have not lost the commitment made to them when they booked.

 

That would have been great, but my guess is....

 

Their biggest competition is Disney and I think this occurred, when it did, because Disney announced their change of policy on August 15th.

 

What I would like to know is why RCCL's website says the policy change occurred July, 2013 when that is so obviously not true. Their little white lie is only off by 2+ mos. Are they trying to beat Disney's date or what's up with that? Trying to cover themselves in case someone wants to cancel who doesn't find out until after their final payment date?