My first negative experience with Royal Caribbean

[budmeister]

I received this bit of advice from an RC customer service rep., and it has worked well for me. If you see a room- or 2 that you want, book it as courtesy hold, then call. That way you can give them the booking ID for your courtesy hold, and they can get you the room you want- or the price drop you captured- even if they cannot find it on their end. Once, they just could not get it to work on their end, so I agreed to charge another deposit on my cc for the courtesy hold and the rep refunded first deposit. I got what I wanted.;)

Edited March 19, 2014 by budmeister

[Aquaman#1]

Most likely they were pulled to fill guarantees which means no, they are not available and yes, they are "booked" they just have not been assigned.

 

Again, I'm sorry but you knew this was a risk. And yes it may have worked out better for you had you called a few minutes earlier..but you didn't. That person you were transferred to? That was Resolutions. And the person they called? That was Revenue. No one overrides Revenue. They are like stateroom Gods. If Revenue said no, the answer is no.

 

Your best bet is to keep looking. Or, pay more and book assigned rooms.

 

Yes, I knew the risk, but that's not my complaint here! But after reading your post, I believe that may have been the explanation they gave me. But with them not being assigned, they could have easily been switched with mine, and they still would have had my two rooms, the same category rooms, available to assign to someone, right? I mean, where's a loss there? Does that make sense?

[Aquaman#1]

If I understand correctly, the negative experience in all of this was actually caused by the excessive wait time during your call to RCI. I can certainly relate to that. The wait times have become ridiculous. I've had to call them many times for various reasons over the last few months and have been put on hold every time. On Saturday it was for an hour, I got hung up on, had to call back and it took another 45 minutes to accomplish what I initially called about which was a price drop of $75pp the day before final payment was due and then to make that final payment. There is no reason it should take that long. But with all the complicated rules it is taking longer for their own reps to navigate the system, not to mention with all the cut backs in the name of revenue, that don't have enough hired reps to take the calls.

 

Yes, that is a very negative experience and it affects different people in different ways. But it seems to be affecting every single person who has to make that dreaded call. I can't imagine how travel agents are coping with the wait times when they need to make calls on behalf of their clients.

 

Had they taken your call immediately, you would have slipped in before they recategorized those rooms. It's a shame they did it while you were on hold.

 

Gina

 

Exactly! Thank you for paying attention! In the end, if we're not in close proximity, so be it! I just got a little perturbed that it changed while I was waiting!

[Fat Paul]

Spend some $$$$ and book a royal family suite. Problem solved

[travelplus]

Folks, back in February my wife and I decided instead of cruising with the kids this summer, we'd give it a try on their spring break, so maybe we could go alone in the fall. We picked a time and a cruise and gave Royal a call. There was such a savings on choosing 2 "Guarantee Staterooms" versus one room for all of us, we decided to go that route and save a little over $800 and have two bathrooms to get ready in for the evenings. So myself and son were booked in one, and my wife and daughter in the other. The representative told us we would get our room assignment probably a couple of weeks before the cruise, but that evening when we got confirmation, we were already assigned rooms....one on the 6th floor, ships rear, and one on the 7th at the front of the ship. Now, I booked understanding that we'd land wherever they put us, but the more I thought about it, the more I became concerned about them being separated so far from me on the ship. I called Royal and asked what my options were and was told that even though I did the stateroom guarantee, if another room of the same category was available (K), that I could switch to be closer. Unfortunately, I was told none were available. It was suggested to me by them that I call back from time to time, and perhaps there would be a cancellation, and I could move if it was available. So that was cool, I'd give it a try. I called back about a week later, still nothing available in the K category. I was given the same suggestion to check back. Today, I went online just checking prices, and low and behold, there were FOURTEEN K category rooms available, two of them having connecting staterooms beside them that were available as well! I made the call right then, and in about 15 minutes, I had someone on line. He says yep, we got them, let me transfer you to someone who can handle that for you. Great! I was on hold for about 10 more minutes, and another lady came on the line, knew my name and what I was looking to do. She asked me again the specific room number that had the connecting room, I told her the two, and she said she was just looking at them, "let me pull them up". Now she says "Well, I just saw them, but they've disappeared." She tells me to hold on, she needed to call someone else. In the meanwhile, I am sitting in front of my computer with the rooms that are available on the website, so I open another tab and pull RCCL up again, do the search again, and all of the rooms are no longer there. :confused: She finally comes back and tells me she's sorry, but the rooms have been re-categorized in some fashion (I don't remember exactly what she said) since I called by RCCL, and they were no longer available! I replied "You mean regardless of the fact that they were available when I made this call, and have been on hold and transferred that I can't get them?" She apologized again and told me she begged for who she had called to let her have the two rooms for me, but she was declined! :mad: Now again, I knew what I was getting when I booked, but I also know what they told me when I called inquiring, and to me this is just bad business!! This will be my 7th cruise with Royal, and it would seem that my loyalty to them (Only cruise line I have used!) would in turn give them some loyalty to me! So, that's my vent for today, but this is surely going to change my opinion of them as a whole. Have a good evening, thanks for listening!

 

I'm so sorry that you experienced this. Unfortunately booking into a Guaranteed Category means they can assign you any room irregardless of the floor or how far or near you are from your party. They recommend that if you want to be guaranteed a connecting room to go ahead and book it at the time of booking despite it being more expensive.

 

You took a gamble on what would be available and yes you were told correctly to keep calling which you did. When you called and saw the connecting room in Category K was available and tried to book it but it became unavailable in the time that it took you to speak to an agent who could change you does happen. One option you could have done was to place the Category K room on hold and give the reservation agent the new confirmation # and then they could take it from there be it that your payment is transfered to the new booking#.

 

The agent was not authorized to change your cabin to another category because you agreed to the Guaranteed Cabin and they in fact gave you rooms just not on the same floor. One other option is to pay up to the category you would be willing to book so as there is a connecting room available and be in the assigned category.

 

Please continue to pursue this but be warned if you want a connecting room to be ready to pay for it or hope that the next category up comes down and Royal can then upgrade you to the next category. There may even be an upsell offer giving you a better category at a good discount.

[travelplus]

BTW since its Spring Break your best bet would be to offer to pay for the next category available that has a connecting cabin. This is what I would do if I was in your situation due to the busy cruising period.

[Aquaman#1]

Spend some $$$$ and book a royal family suite. Problem solved

 

Did NOT think of that! Let me call now!! Oh....and can I borrow some money?!? ;) lol!

[travelplus]

No, they weren't booked, she told me that. I wish I could remember exactly what she said, but they were somehow re-categorized in their availability? Or something? That's why she told me she begged the lady to let me have the 2, that were available and I was inquiring about. Just in the course of waiting, even though they were available when I made the call, they weren't by the time someone who could make the changes took my call. So I'll choose that as the reason it was RC's fault, the wait!

 

Here is what I would do is contact Royal Caribbean and ask to speak to their Guest Resolutions Office or you can try emailing Adam Goldstein agoldstein@rccl.com and one of his helpful Executive Assistants can research the call for you. BTW if you have the name of the person who said you could have the cabins then I would include it in your email.

 

You may need to write to the Corporate Office because it seems like the agent you were speaking with was denied by a Customer Resolutions Representative.

The least they can do is upgrade you to another category. Also if there are accessible connecting cabins available after final payment see if they can get you into those. You are allowed to be booked into these cabins after final payment as they are released to the general public.

 

Or ask for a one category upgrade for no additional charge.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[cruisnseas]

Yes, I knew the risk, but that's not my complaint here! But after reading your post, I believe that may have been the explanation they gave me. But with them not being assigned, they could have easily been switched with mine, and they still would have had my two rooms, the same category rooms, available to assign to someone, right? I mean, where's a loss there? Does that make sense?

 

No, its really not that simple. Let's see if this explains it.

 

Say there are 100 inside staterooms and they sell 25 guarantee rooms. They will pull 25 of the inside rooms and categorize them as "guarantee pool." These rooms cannot be chosen from - they are set to randomly assign. The other 75 can be chosen from, even by someone unhappy with their assigned guarantee room (and then one room from the pool will be randomly selected and resent out to general availability). If they let you pick from the guarantee pool they are giving you preferential treatment above everyone else that books a guarantee. Its just not allowed.

 

Likely they sold more guarantees than they anticipated (it happens sometimes) so they had to pull more into the guarantee pool. Once they were pulled, they become off limits until space becomes available again.

[Aquaman#1]

No, its really not that simple. Let's see if this explains it.

 

Say there are 100 inside staterooms and they sell 25 guarantee rooms. They will pull 25 of the inside rooms and categorize them as "guarantee pool." These rooms cannot be chosen from - they are set to randomly assign. The other 75 can be chosen from, even by someone unhappy with their assigned guarantee room (and then one room from the pool will be randomly selected and resent out to general availability). If they let you pick from the guarantee pool they are giving you preferential treatment above everyone else that books a guarantee. Its just not allowed.

 

Likely they sold more guarantees than they anticipated (it happens sometimes) so they had to pull more into the guarantee pool. Once they were pulled, they become off limits until space becomes available again.

 

I can understand that. And now I am almost positive that's what she said, because now, they show guarantee staterooms as an option, with K category included along with M and another one I can't recall. That was not an option when I called. Just the fact that when I first made the call it was an option is what bothers me. I was getting no preferential treatment, the cruise line themselves told me what I inquired about would be fine if a room in the same category was available. And when I made the call, it was available. So yes, it could have been that simple. They told me I could do it, so that's that. I don't feel like they owe me anything, or any different rooms, I just have a problem that it was changed before my very eyes. I just don't see it as good customer service. You may disagree, and that's ok! But I do thank you for helping me figure it out!

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

2 things.....very hard to read your post with out any paragraph breaks and can't stand the eye ball.

 

***

[cruisnseas]

I can understand that. And now I am almost positive that's what she said, because now, they show guarantee staterooms as an option, with K category included along with M and another one I can't recall. That was not an option when I called. Just the fact that when I first made the call it was an option is what bothers me. I was getting no preferential treatment, the cruise line themselves told me what I inquired about would be fine if a room in the same category was available. And when I made the call, it was available. So yes, it could have been that simple. They told me I could do it, so that's that. I don't feel like they owe me anything, or any different rooms, I just have a problem that it was changed before my very eyes. I just don't see it as good customer service. You may disagree, and that's ok! But I do thank you for helping me figure it out!

 

If you looked online and saw a balcony room available, wanted to book it, called to book it, the rep saw it available but just as they went to grab it it was booked by someone else would you still be this upset? Unlikely. When you spoke to the first rep, you could do it. But that rep cannot make the change, you need Resolutions. So in the time you got to the correct rep, it became unavailable. Its not bad customer service anymore than someone else booking the balcony room before you would be bad customer service. Its the nature of the business.

 

The fact is, they were used for another purpose just before you could get them. Its unfortunate timing but there's nothing to be done about that. Either pay to upgrade to an assigned room or accept that you attempted to get around the minor policy to save some money and got burned.

[cruisinfanatic]

So, should I wait on your apology for your insult of my writing techniques, or no? It's not like it was an essay I was submitting in an English class....just forum talk. You know, you could have just clicked back once you realized my writing did not meet your approval.

bouhunter is not out of line. Your original post would have been much easier to read if every few lines there was a space to break it up. That's all.

[xxHadleyxx]

OP, I am sorry you are frustrated, but I am going to have to agree that booking gtys when you were not 100% positive that you would feel okay being far away from your kids is the root issue here, and your anger at RCI is unfounded.

 

If you are really worried about the kids being so far away and being on different lifeboats, etc--just sleep in the cabins you are booked in with one adult with each kid.

 

We frequently book gty rooms and generally end up on different decks and differing ends of the ship from our teens (but we and they are okay with that). I always assume with gtys that we will be nowhere near one another.

 

 

I think it is nice that the US side of RCI will allow you to move into another same category open cabin (the German side does not) at all when gtys are booked--it is a kind thing that they are not required to handle at all and it does make more work for them.

 

In this case, it sounds like, while doing that extra work, something happened and the cabins you wanted are no longer available to you. Hold times, when asking for special help beyond the most basic of bookings (and even with basic bookings, especially while a sale is running) can be long--it happens.

[harry0]

Aqua

Keep checking-Cabin availability fluctuates as much as the stock market. I have booked many guarantees and was able to change just about every time-and many times I upgraded at a bargain.

Edited March 19, 2014 by harry0

[cruisegirl1]

Yes! 1 month away! I have never used the stateroom guarantee before, and I believe this may be my last time trying it, all luck is not good luck! Still looking forward to our cruise, nonetheless!

 

If cabin location is at all important, a guarantee is NOT the way to book a cruise. Keep in mind that you booked the guarantees and saved a good amount of money so hopefully it will balance out your cabin concerns. RCCL held their promise and gave you a cabin at the level at which you booked. They are not obligated to do anything else. The fact that they sometimes allow passengers to change cabins in an assigned guarantee category is generous. I would not be surprised if that changed one day soon.

 

Enjoy

M

[robtulipe]

Most likely they were pulled to fill guarantees which means no, they are not available and yes, they are "booked" they just have not been assigned.

 

Yes, I knew the risk, but that's not my complaint here! But after reading your post, I believe that may have been the explanation they gave me. But with them not being assigned, they could have easily been switched with mine, and they still would have had my two rooms, the same category rooms, available to assign to someone, right? I mean, where's a loss there? Does that make sense?

IMO there likely weren't any cabins to switch to as these were assigned to guaranties and if they were already assigned it's unlikely RCI would switch cabins for you even if they had just been assigned to others. It was likely was a terrible timing situation and we've had the same thing happen to us trying to when trying to do a cruise reservaation. What we saw as available wasn't by the time we got to the end of that process, sometimes even disappearing after we were entered the payment information. I thought if one selected a cabin online during the reservation process it was held for you while doing that but I was told by a cruiseline agent that it could be taken by them for another booking if you hadn't completed your booking.

Another tactic you could use is there is still a Cat. K inside gty being offered but the only inside currently available for your sailing is one PR, #6607, so that cabin might be assigned to a K gty. You could call C&A, explain the situation and ask that the deck 7 forward cabin be put back in the K gty and see what happens with its re-assignment. Getting assigned that PR would make it more convenient to the deck 6 aft cabin you have retained.

In fact I've called to book a gty when there has been exactly that situation and the cruiseline assigned the superior cabin immediately to us. We're C&A Diamond and I realize you're only Emerald with your measly 7 cruises according to one poster but I would hope the C&A group would be a little flexible in this situation.

PS, I hope I've used you're and your correctly as English was not the first language spoken by me.

Edited March 19, 2014 by robtulipe

[cruisegirl1]

. We're C&A Diamond and I realize you're only Emerald with your measly 7 cruises according to one poster but I would hope the C&A group would be a little flexible in this situation.

PS, I hope I've used you're and your correctly a

 

C&A status is of no benefit regarding guarantee cabin assignment/re-assignment.

 

M

[ladylikes2cruise]

Actually, both cabins I have now have Pullmans and hold 4 people, according to the floor plans. I found that strange when I first booked and was assigned the cabins.

 

if both cabins hold 4, why not just all sleep in the better cabin....and utilize the second one for luggage, showers, naps....... You own the cabin for the duration of the cruise and still have $$$ in your pocket:confused:

[drarill]

That's right, lesson learned! All of my cruise experiences have been awesome thus far. Other than this, I expect the awesomeness will continue! Thanks!

 

Hope everything works out for you and your family. I have an idea, can you upgrade one of the rooms? You already have both of them assigned, try to find an available cabin close to one of your rooms and pay the difference. Just an idea…. you are definitely not happy with the location of your cabins.

Edited March 19, 2014 by drarill

[robtulipe]

2 things.....very hard to read your post with out any paragraph breaks and can't stand the eye ball.

 

***

Linda, thank you for your very informative and contributing post.

Also could you please compact your extra long signature a bit. I like to see a contributor's past cruises information but not when it goes on and on and your post, although brief as it is, doesn't show in it's entirety on my desktop computer's large monitor screen. Thanks and have a great day.:)

Edited March 19, 2014 by robtulipe

[hansolosmom]

1) sorry this happened, it stinks. Like others have said try doing a mock booking & put a hold on the cabins - the whole thing just seems bizzare with the cabins disappearing

 

2) I can't believe the people complaining about the paragraphs. They must not have anything better to do then complain (or maybe they live in glass houses)

[robtulipe]

C&A status is of no benefit regarding guarantee cabin assignment/re-assignment.

 

M

M, Do you really think that is so if you're speaking to the C&A society. I don't know about you but that group tends to recognize our status when I've called them with requests.

Also I've seen that mentioned on this forum previously but never had that confirmed by anyone from RCI. Are you part of that organization?

Besides that didn't you notice that I was being a bit sarcastic with the wording of that comment.:rolleyes:

[marci22]

You can write any way you want to, but if it is a wall of text, many people, including myself, will often stop reading it and move on. This may cause you to get less response on a good question.

 

If you don't like to see signatures, you can turn them off look upper left 'user CP' click on that, then 'edit options' then scroll down and uncheck 'show signatures'.

 

Ok for your question: forget about what happened and start checking the website whenever you have time. Cabins are always going off and on the market. People change their minds, even after final. I have seen some really good cabins/locations come up after final.

 

When you see it, immediately put it on hold and note the number it assigns you. (Do -not- have yourself signed in when you do this.)

 

Then call Royal; at least you know no one can take it while you are on hold. They will have you cancel your hold and then they will immediately grab it. (They will warn you that there is a chance of losing it but I have done this many times and it has always gone smoothly.)

 

Good luck. We tried booking cabins a deck away last trip (my kids are all young adults) and they really didn't like it so from now on I always book our rooms close together.

Edited March 19, 2014 by marci22

[robtulipe]

M, I was thinking of our past RCCL gty bookings as I tend to do these booking for all of us cruising together and three times we did multiple bookings for us and friends and family member using the same guarantee. Twice it was two cabins and once it was three. In all cases it was us who had the highest loyalty status, RC Diamond or X Elite, that got the best upgrade. For the three cabins booking one couple had no status with RCI and got the lowest upgrade up only one inside category from the lowest possible, my sister who had one RC cruise got upgraded to an OV and us with Diamond status got an even better upgrade than her.

Our experience with those three multiple gty bookings seem to indicate that loyalty status does come into play when guaranties are assigned but I don't have any actual proof of this and all three may have just been coincidental in the assignments they got.

Edited March 19, 2014 by robtulipe