What the heck is going on?!?!

[mguimond1990]

So a little back story. I booked a short little cruise on the enchantment for September. It would have been my first cruise. I've heard nothing but good things about RCL and it was really cheap so we said why not. Well just the other day I went to go pay off my balance and the website is down. Is it slightly inconvenient? Sure, but was it a big deal? No, the website would be back and running soon. So the next day I go on and try again, well this time my reservation was there but there was a big red error message saying that only reservations made on RCL.com could be modified. Which obviously was strange because I booked thru their site. So I called to see what was going on, and to my surprise the lady on the phone was so rude. I've recieved better service from directv and I hate directv. Anyways it got to the point where I just decided to cancel. She was exhausting. Then this morning ( it's been a couple days since I canceled) I recieved 14 emails from RCL that my "courtesy hold has expired"..mind you, I haven't booked anything or even made a dummy reservation. I have no idea what is going on, but has anyone else had problems as well?

[Clarea]

Many people have had problems with the website, more so in the last few months since they made major changes to their booking program late last year.

[Familygoboston]

mguimond, Im sorry you had this experience, and I bet Royal is going to be sorry you had this experience, because now they've lost a sale.

 

Their on line user experience is terrible and many people report that customer service and phone sales reps are alarmingly inconsistent. (my own opinion- they are poorly trained, or training materials are too complicated for them to understand. Add to that frequent inexplicable computer issues and those folks are not going to be able to provide very good service. People being asked to do things they don't understand can do a few things; get mad and frustrated, which sounds like what happened with the rep you talked to, or remain sunny and do what they hope is right or make something up completely, which bites the customer later when they learn the truth. But I haven't been in the room, so no, I don't really know what the heck is going on:(

 

It's most unfortunate because the on board experience is great!:D And I think those of us with frustrations with their pre cruise service overlook a lot because of that, but first impressions matter, and they need to make new customers, like you, to stay in business!

[lovesthebeach2]

Sorry you cancelled your cruise. I had problems when paying our balance but when I called I spoke to TWO very helpful people. I have never had issues with anyone one the phone. I ignored the red warning on the page, it wasn't meant for everyone.

[Familygoboston]

Sorry you cancelled your cruise. I had problems when paying our balance but when I called I spoke to TWO very helpful people. I have never had issues with anyone one the phone. I ignored the red warning on the page, it wasn't meant for everyone.

 

That's true... the red message is a "general message" and doesn't apply to every user (who may have booked online like the op) But the thing is, is its confusing...and usually "red" warnings on websites are specific to the user, (like when you forget to add a phone number or something, or a cabin number you enter is unavailable) so that's what you expect and a new user would immediately question seeing that red warning message, thinking it was meant specifically for them! I've misunderstood it myself once or twice.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Familygoboston

[golf43]

So a little back story. I booked a short little cruise on the enchantment for September. It would have been my first cruise. I've heard nothing but good things about RCL and it was really cheap so we said why not. Well just the other day I went to go pay off my balance and the website is down. Is it slightly inconvenient? Sure, but was it a big deal? No, the website would be back and running soon. So the next day I go on and try again, well this time my reservation was there but there was a big red error message saying that only reservations made on RCL.com could be modified. Which obviously was strange because I booked thru their site. So I called to see what was going on, and to my surprise the lady on the phone was so rude. I've recieved better service from directv and I hate directv. Anyways it got to the point where I just decided to cancel. She was exhausting. Then this morning ( it's been a couple days since I canceled) I recieved 14 emails from RCL that my "courtesy hold has expired"..mind you, I haven't booked anything or even made a dummy reservation. I have no idea what is going on, but has anyone else had problems as well?

 

I am sorry you had problems with Rccl. I had problems too the other day when I went to pay for my cruise. I tried calling and was on hold for along time that I finially had to hang up. So I just decided that I would wait until the next day and try again. The next day came and I was able to pay for our cruise. I did not receive a receipt so I had to call once again. This time I was able to get through and speak with someone. I hope you give Royal another chance as their cruises are a lot of fun.

[setsail]

If you canceled, just use the delete button for the e-mails

[mguimond1990]

I hope one day they will get it all sorted out and we can enjoy a RCL cruise. We decided that we were going to try the Carnival Liberty. We had a set destination and a certain time we could go so our options were limited. I hope the on-board carnival experience is on par with RCL, but i dont want to start that discussion haha. I will say that Carnival's website is much more user friendly. If we enjoy our first cruise ( i have every reason to believe we will) then maybe ill look again at RCL for next time :)

Edited March 12, 2014 by mguimond1990

[CroozDoggie]

Like many other people, I too have had problems with RCI's website. However, I must be in the minority when it comes to the brand specialists. I always book my cruises directly through RCI and I have never had a problem. They have always been professional, polite and very helpful. In fact, I called several days ago concerning an existing reservation and the representative was so helpful that I sent a complimentary Email to Mr. Goldstein's office to which, by the way, I received a "thank you" reply in less than thirty minutes. Just my experience. :)

[cruisinfanatic]

Sorry, hard to believe. Who calls up to make their final payment and cancels on the spur of the moment because they didn't like the way customer service was talking to them?

[mguimond1990]

Sorry, hard to believe. Who calls up to make their final payment and cancels on the spur of the moment because they didn't like the way customer service was talking to them?

 

Soooo I made it up? If you say so. :rolleyes:

[akcruz]

Sorry, hard to believe. Who calls up to make their final payment and cancels on the spur of the moment because they didn't like the way customer service was talking to them?

 

Yep, final payment on a cruise that doesn't depart until September. It is only March now.

 

With most customer service these days patience is required. Yes they are there to serve the customer, but with so many irate customers these days I would not want their job. Have learned with the RCI website if one day it looks funky, try again the next.

[cruisinfanatic]

Soooo I made it up? If you say so. :rolleyes:

More to the story I'm sure

[lovetocruise75]

I have heard about many problems with the website lately but I guess I am in the minority. I have been on that site almost daily over the last few weeks and have had zero issues. :confused:

[mguimond1990]

More to the story I'm sure

 

I explained the biggest points of my story. I really have no interest in arguing. If you don't believe me, that's fine. Everybody has their own opinions. My biggest reason for posting this topic was I wanted to know if anybody else was receiving weird emails about holds being cancelled even tho I didn't book anything else. Thats all. :)

[Tapi]

Sorry, hard to believe. Who calls up to make their final payment and cancels on the spur of the moment because they didn't like the way customer service was talking to them?

 

 

I've done it

 

 

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[Tapi]

We decided that we were going to try the Carnival Liberty.

 

I hope the on-board carnival experience is on par with RCL, but i dont want to start that discussion haha. :)

 

 

If there's one Carnival ship that I'd recommend, it is the Liberty. We've sailed on her twice and she's delivered a great cruise experience both times.

 

She's one of the most toned down and tastefully decorated ships in the Carnival fleet, with wrought iron columns, rich woods, and Murano light fixtures. At 110,000 tons, she's small compared to the largest Royal ships, but I considered her size to be ideal for a 7 night cruise.

 

One of Liberty's highlights is Harry's Steakhouse ( named after Harry Winston). Without a doubt one of the best specialty restaurant experiences at sea (better than ANYTHING that we've ever experienced on Royal).

 

And one of the best things about sailing on the Carnival Liberty is that it's consistently priced cheaper than similar itineraries on Royal. She's NOT an Oasis, Freedom, or Voyager class ship, and entertainment will be more limited, but for what you pay, you definitely get your money's worth.

 

In my opinion, the Carnival Liberty is a great choice.

 

 

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[islandchicklet]

Yep, final payment on a cruise that doesn't depart until September. It is only March now.

 

With most customer service these days patience is required. Yes they are there to serve the customer, but with so many irate customers these days I would not want their job. Have learned with the RCI website if one day it looks funky, try again the next.

 

Really??? I usually make final payment months before it's due if I don't pay it all when I book. I don't understand people and their need to contradict everyone about everything.

 

OP, I've been on 16 cruises and I have wanted to throw the computer at the wall with all the problems I've had over the years with the web sites and goofy emails I get. Like right now I get 3 emails every day trying to get me to buy the drink package on my upcoming cruise that I have ALREADY purchased. There are 4 people booked and I bought packages for 3 of us yet I get a email everyday addressed to the 3 people who I've already purchased the package for but have yet to get an email for the one person I haven't purchased for. :confused:

Edited March 12, 2014 by islandchicklet

[Waterloomarc]

Sorry, hard to believe. Who calls up to make their final payment and cancels on the spur of the moment because they didn't like the way customer service was talking to them?

 

 

I would absolutely do it. In a heartbeat.

 

I've said for years now that I would love to sail RCL but their website is/has been the absolute worst for a big corporation I have ever encountered. I refuse to book until they have a website that doesn't give me a headache ;)

 

Hopefully they'll fix it soon.

 

 

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[Sunny AZ Girl]

I tried to book a cruise online last week and had huge problems. I ended up getting charged 3X for deposits and twice the sail date was changed to the wrong date when I finalized my payment.:confused: I ended up booking on the phone. I did get a very nice representative, but I was on hold forever - I finally got through at 2 AM. Good thing I work night shift!

 

After that quickly changed over the booking to my "old faithful" TA. I will let him sit on hold forever if I need to make any changes. The problem is finding a TA who is available all of the time and responsive to my requests in a timely manner, who posts my payments directly to the cruise line and who does not charge a change or cancellation fee. Now that I found one, I will stick with him. I should have booked directly with him in the first place. Lesson learned.

[clean1owner]

So a little back story. I booked a short little cruise on the enchantment for September. It would have been my first cruise. I've heard nothing but good things about RCL and it was really cheap so we said why not. Well just the other day I went to go pay off my balance and the website is down. Is it slightly inconvenient? Sure, but was it a big deal? No, the website would be back and running soon. So the next day I go on and try again, well this time my reservation was there but there was a big red error message saying that only reservations made on RCL.com could be modified. Which obviously was strange because I booked thru their site. So I called to see what was going on, and to my surprise the lady on the phone was so rude. I've recieved better service from directv and I hate directv. Anyways it got to the point where I just decided to cancel. She was exhausting. Then this morning ( it's been a couple days since I canceled) I recieved 14 emails from RCL that my "courtesy hold has expired"..mind you, I haven't booked anything or even made a dummy reservation. I have no idea what is going on, but has anyone else had problems as well?

 

 

 

The issues with the RCCL website have been well documented on these boards.

 

I had problems with my Liberty reservation. For about a 2 week time period, every time I logged on to my cruise booking, it lost all my credit from cashing in a Free Cruise certificate. Logged in to purchase a drink package, lost the cruise credit. Logged in to rent a tux, lost the cruise credit. Logged in to shop shore excursions, lost the cruise credit. Every time I had to call RCCL and have the credit re-applied. It was the 3rd time before Royal admitted to having a web issue, and told me how to enter my reservation back-door and avoid the problem. The agents were always very nice and helpful.

Throughout the process, I always got several emails from RCCL thanking me for booking my new reservation, letting me know my cruise docs were ready to be printed, and others I don't remember.

 

Sorry, hard to believe. Who calls up to make their final payment and cancels on the spur of the moment because they didn't like the way customer service was talking to them?

 

It does seem rather mysterious the OP just joined CC today, and their first post is about how they cancelled their cruise, due to customer service issues.

[orville99]

I explained the biggest points of my story. I really have no interest in arguing. If you don't believe me, that's fine. Everybody has their own opinions. My biggest reason for posting this topic was I wanted to know if anybody else was receiving weird emails about holds being cancelled even tho I didn't book anything else. Thats all. :)

 

 

Yes, it happened to me just last week when I canceled and re-booked a cruise (while on the phone with RCL) to take advantage of the KSF promotion. Two days later I got the same "your hold has expired" email. It also happens every time we use a future cruise certificate, even though we never do any courtesy holds then either - wed always get the "hold has expired" email.

[BillOh]

So the next day I go on and try again, well this time my reservation was there but there was a big red error message saying that only reservations made on RCL.com could be modified. Which obviously was strange because I booked thru their site.

 

You probably did, but did you go ahead and try despite this message if you could? I believe that message is always there and I just go past it and pay or do what I need.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

It does seem rather mysterious the OP just joined CC today, and their first post is about how they cancelled their cruise, due to customer service issues.

 

Sometimes it takes a problem to cause people to look for an outlet for their frustrations. The OP's problems are not new or unique. We are aware of it, but others outside of the CC circle are probably not. Let's face it, most large companies have efficient websites now days. In this regard RCI is horrendously outdated. New posters should be encouraged by our community to come back to find helpful solutions to their issues and go on to enjoy all the benefits CC has to offer.

[JYD Hawkeye]

Yep, final payment on a cruise that doesn't depart until September. It is only March now.

 

With most customer service these days patience is required. Yes they are there to serve the customer, but with so many irate customers these days I would not want their job. Have learned with the RCI website if one day it looks funky, try again the next.

Shouldn't be so quick to judge. A couple things may have contributed to this situation. As far as the early payment, I have paid things off early because that is when I had money and I didn't want to spend it on something else and not have it when it was needed by deadline. Also, this person stated it was their first cruise. They haven't acquired the patience as some others have that have been dealing with RCCL for years. Who in their right mind wants their first experience of something to start off with bad altercations.OP, I say book your' cruise, pay for it how and when you want, ask all the questions on here that you want and there will be someone to help you, and ingnore the ones who try to poke you in the eye.