RCCL changed itinerary without telling us

[brn2crz]

Only one tough left to say: We could book another cruise line and say TOUGH to RCCL.

Bill

 

Actually,it will still be tough for you,as the other mainstream cruiselines hold to this as well..

 

My parents are in the process of booking a sailing on SeaDream II...gonna cost about 15,000...They have the same type of verbage in the contract.

[Wendy Mommy]

Thanks to all who responded.

 

I booked the cruise through our TA. I called the TA to discuss the situation. They put me on hold and called RCCL to inquire as to why they were not notified of the itinerary change. RCCL did not have an answer. My TA was not happy with RCCL's response.

 

My TA has an employee that handles itinerary changes. This person calls the passengers to let them know. Certainly if RCCL had informed my TA, I have no doubt that they would have notified me.

 

This is my 9th cruise and my first experience with an itinerary change. Lesson learned.

 

Hotlantacruiser: FYI, I am a professional consultant and take pride in providing the best customer service to my clients. I can assure you that the 2 RCCL reps I spoke to were either poorly trained or having a bad day. Not to mention the other rep that my TA spoke to, who also was not very helpful.

 

We still don't know why the itinerary was changed. One of the tour guides we hired mentioned it was because there were too many ships in port on those particular days. Whatever, at least we were able to change our tours.

 

No doubt there will be thousands of people surprised when they board the ship on Friday. I am glad I am not RCCL employee at the Purser's desk!

 

Wendy

[sandbag7]

Well Wendy, the good news is no harm, no foul, at least for you. In all likelihood few of the other cruisers will be inconvenienced because they either do not book off ship excursions in advance or commonly, don't pay for them in advance. It's unfortunate for the remaining few, but I suspect that this is an industry problem and not an RCCL problem (except for their rude service to you).

[sandbag7]

Which states are square states?

[LidoBoy]

I like this list of 10 ways to lose a customer.

 

Rule No. 1: Be rude to the customer

Rule No. 2: Don't treat the customer with respect

Rule No. 3: Keep the customer in the dark

Rule No. 4: The customer is usually wrong

Rule No. 5: Inconsistency is no big deal

Rule No. 6: Keep selling, long after the customer says no

Rule No. 7: Say whatever you want in front of the customer

Rule No. 8: Ignore the customer

Rule No. 9: Tell them what you think they want to hear

Rule No. 10: Don't listen; you know what the customer wants better than they do

 

See more about this list at this USAToday.com story:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/grossman/2004-05-07-grossman_x.htm

 

RCCL broke 5 or 6 of these rules in this one encounter.

 

Way to go Wendy.

[Wendy Mommy]

When we had a meet & mingle on a Princess cruise, the Princess staff that came to our gathering told us that Princess reads Cruise Critic on a regular basis. I wonder if RCCL does the same.

[HotlantaCruiser]

Which states are square states?

 

Funny how you found that quote, hope you liked it.

 

I didn't coin the phrase, but I do enjoy using it.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Sorry to hear about that Wendy. This is another reason why we should check our cruises on RCI's website on a regular basis.

 

###

[Alexis]

Someone posted that RCCL has to notify their passengers who book directly with them.

I do book directly with RCCL and they DO NOT have to notify us of any changes. It is totally up to the people to keep checking the RCCL website to find this out for themselves. I have had more than one cruise changed and found out from these boards. The poster was notified by their TA, who notified the Cruise Critic members, and our Roll Call people. I was upset, but rather than cancel and book another, we stayed on the cruise. It was one of the greatest cruises we have taken.

The cruiselines have the right to change their itineraries without telling the passengers. Some are done once on board the ship and some are done on the websites before the cruise.

There can be many reasons for a port change that may not be the fault of the cruiseline.

[sandbag7]

Had to check you out after getting toasted by you. I am a lawyer, do litigation and practice in other areas as well, including some that would likely surprise you. Frankly, I got overly technical and carried away with the legaleses and you're right there's no legal case, and I think my post concluded that. ANYHOW, when I first checked you out I saw that phrase about the square states and didn't know what it was; I have a better idea now; I do like most of your posts, though you're wrong about the "cost of litigation", you're right that its become endemic in our society, but if you look at this country's actions overall, you will note that agression is the key word.

[sandbag7]

sorry; duplicate post; tried to respell aggression

[HotlantaCruiser]

Agree with you on that point, Sandlot.

[HotlantaCruiser]

I think someone else posted that the reason for the itinerary change may have been due to overcrowding in the port on that day. If that's the case, then RCI may have actually been working in the best interests of their passengers by flipping the schedule if it meant that there would be fewer ships in port on that day.

 

I've been on more than one Caribbean cruise where 4-6 ships are in port at the same time, and it's just unreal. If the ship had the scheduling luxury to flip ports, and it meant being 1 of 2 ships there, instead of being 1 of 6, then bravo for them.

 

Of course, all of this is suppostion, and until we know the real reason we can only continue to guess. Even once we do know, it still doesn't change anything related to the OP's complaint, but might put the situation in a different light.

[LidoBoy]

Do any of the major cruise companies have an automatic notification feature to communicate itinerary changes? I am not aware if any do. It would be a great feature. RCCL already has passengers using the web to fill out forms as part of their Set Sail process. As a web based application programmer, I believe it would be simple to add a notification feature to the Set Sail process.

 

HotlantaCruiser: It would be nice to think that RCCL changed the itinerary because of the number of ships. Since I will be on the cruise as well, I'll keep this in mind as we come into port.

[DisneyDestroyer]

Don't get me started.

 

This whole thing has always seemed wrong to me, whether it's airlines (who also change or cancel flights without telling anybody) or cruise lines or whoever.

 

The money I paid was for a specific service. If I paid for transportation from LAX to JFK on Friday, May 13th at 2:15pm, that is our agreement. If I choose to cancel the flight, very likely I have lost some or all of my money. But if the airline cancels the flight, they have the right to reschedule me at their convenience, and/or give me whatever form of compensation they decide is appropriate. If I booked a specific seat on that flight, they assert the right to bump me with minimal compensation.

 

Same carp with a cruise. If you paid for a specific cruise, that is the agreement. These specific ports, in this specific order. Once you get within 60 days and you lose $$ when you change your reservation, the cruise line should lose $$ if it makes ANY changes to the itinerary.

 

Heck, couldn't this be considered a case of false advertising? They said "seven day bahamas cruise" in big letters, then wait until you have your room picked out before giving you pages of fine print including a paragraph that they can take you to Canada instead???

 

The only exceptions I can understand are last-minute mother nature, and general safety. And the latter is still limited - if the engine broke down and you can't fly, I'm glad you aren't sending the plane up with three engines but you should have done better maintenance and replacement to prevent the failure - I don't see why I should miss my best friend's wedding without any compensation.

 

There seems to be no comprehension (or caring) that people rely on these contracts. Do you really think it's reasonable to say "well, the airline told you three months ago that they could change the flight without telling you, so you should not have expected that they could get you to the wedding on time"????? Or "well, the cruise line told you that we can change at will, so it's your own fault for hoping to have fun in this city"????? OF COURSE THAT IS NOT REASONABLE.

 

Even if they have these lines in the contract, I think they are b******t. In law, there is the eggshell doctrine (I think I remember that name correctly) - if you cause a car accident, and the damage is worse than normal because the injured party has a head as brittle as an eggshell, you are still responsible for all damages. And yet somehow the airlines want to convince you that when they cancel your flight they are not responsible for any negative consequences therein. You booked the flight in good faith that they would get you where they agreed. They broke their promise, they should pay for any costs incurred to make you whole - higher priced last minute flight at a competitor, cost of a missed cruise, whatever.

 

I suspect they get away with it because they know the damages are almost always low enough that it would fall under small claims, so it's not really worth it to them. And believe it or not, there ARE damages involved in their actions. They hide behind small print contracts, you lawyers should also know that if a contract can't be easily understood by a layperson, the portions which run counter to common sense may be nullified. Most people don't read the fine print, and if they do they might not understand the implications of that particular paragraph, and even if they do what exactly are they supposed to do about it?

 

The whole thing is annoying. The only thing worse is someone else trying to defend them. They don't have the right to push around individuals, they take advantage of the situation because they know that all competitors have the same limitations so there is no way for an individual to get a fair deal.

 

Unfortunately there isn't much a US governmental agency can do, because these ships aren't registered in the US. Can they require that any vessel visiting US space follows a set of guidelines? It wouldn't help for European cruises like the OP, but at least for all the ones starting/ending/visiting US cities...

[TrinaLC]

The reason that airlines, cruise ships and similar large scale operations have contracts that allow changes and cancellations without penalties, and that these contracts are enforceable, is that they would be out of business if they had to compensate everyone for damages everytime a change was made, or litigate over the 'justness' of for example switching Canada for Bermuda on a trip due to a weather judgment call.

 

Life is so much more pleasant if you can 'go with the flow'. Learn to live with these types of inconveniences - after all, in the scheme of life, that is all they are. (Think of the folks in NO - now that is something to get upset over. But switching 2 ports? Gimme a break.)

[kenandlaura06]

Why is nobody talking about the fact that the cruise line hung up on the OP? That was the issue I was most shocked about.

[BobBeaSea]

I have a hard time understanding why some people get so upset on this board over the smallest things. Ports change all the time. It says that it could change on the web site etc. They would be contacting people forever to let them know. Some people need to take a doggy downer and relax. Life is too short. If it that big of a problem, go cruise with carnival.

 

Cruise-nut, where did you get the idea I was upset? I am not upset at all, just explaining the facts of life in the cruising segment of the vacation industry. It is interesting to note that on all land based vacation boards I have never read anything about "the contract". Not saying it has never come up, just that "contract" talk is invisible on land vacation boards. Yes, I know cruising is "unique", however there are some amazingly "unique" land based vacations as well. Just some thoughts. Woof! Woof!

[Mike & Sue]

Wendy Mommy, I would get over it and go enjoy the cruise. Doesn't sound like you lost anything.

[logan1_2000]

As for being hung up on, there's no excuse for that. However, we are only hearing one side of this discussion, and we have not heard the tape of the call.

 

So, you are stating that the OP is not to be taken at face value because there is no corroborating evidence?

 

I can't spend much more time on this, I have to prepare for Mediation on Tuesday and then Depositions on Wednesday. Save your Tort Reform, I don't do personal injury. My firm does strictly Domestic Relations, and we don't go looking for cases. Funny, the defense of marriage act has absolutely no impact on preserving marriages.

 

Does it suck if an itinerary gets changed? Maybe. If you did your own arrangements are you at risk? Maybe. Is rudeness ever acceptable as described by the OP? Nope. Whose responsbility is it to keep an eye out for changes? The traveler and/or the TA--they are the ones who will be impacted if there is a change.

[HotlantaCruiser]

So, you are stating that the OP is not to be taken at face value because there is no corroborating evidence?.

 

Oh Please! You know these boards are notorious for people finding an audience and unloading. There is no way to know if what is being typed is true or not. I clearly stated that if the situation was as described, it was unexcusable. However, hearing only one side of ANY situation, one must be careful, and willing to admit that we don't know the exact scenario. THere is a raging thread on the RCCI board right now from a lady who wanted some compensation for an accident she had on a wet deck. Once the board peppered her with questions and a few comments of "sign said wet deck, what did you expect", she hasn't been back.

 

 

 

 

Funny, the defense of marriage act has absolutely no impact on preserving marriages.

 

You got that right. I want to know just how many marriages Newt Gingrich wants to defend. He's on his 3rd now. Last I checked Hillary Clinton was still on her first. Go figure.

[Wendy Mommy]

(1) Mike and Sue, I am over it and looking forward to a nice vacation. As mentioned in a previous post, I learned a lesson to never trust an itinerary 100% and to do my own confirmations. Nothing is carved in stone.

 

(2) Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The fact remains that RCCL's customer service department needs more training especially on phone etiquette. Whether someone is paying $10, $100, $1000 or $5000 (our cost), passengers should always be treated with respect. If it wasn't for the guests, how would cruise lines survive? My TA did complain to RCCL that the customer service rep hung up on me but RCCL didn't want to address the issue. Sweeping it under the rug does not fix the problem.

 

(3) Thanks again to those that understood and supported my concerns.

 

We are leaving Thursday for Barcelona, the ship is leaving Friday. We are traveling with 4 friends and we are all looking forward to making wonderful memories in foreign countries.

 

Happy Labor Day. Ciao!

 

Wendy & Kesh

[Ericknow32]

Wendy: Did you happen to get the name of the person that hung up on you. I am sure that someone at the company would care, you just have to find that person. Have fun on your cruise, and I am sorry that you had a hard lesson learned.

[DisneyDestroyer]

The reason that airlines, cruise ships and similar large scale operations have contracts that allow changes and cancellations without penalties, and that these contracts are enforceable, is that they would be out of business if they had to compensate everyone for damages everytime a change was made, or litigate over the 'justness' of for example switching Canada for Bermuda on a trip due to a weather judgment call.

 

Basically you're saying that the cruise company makes the individual bear the cost for their change because they couldn't afford it if they had to bear the cost.

 

It seems to me that simply means they don't have a viable business plan, if they rely on customers bearing the cost for their mistakes.

 

If you buy a chicken from my store, and you get sick so you miss work for a few days (but not life threatening), would you accept this same response? "DisneyDestroyer can't be expected to compensate you for the doctor costs or lost wages, because if that happened all the time he would be out of business." Of course not. If I operate a business in such a manner that this can happen, I should accept the hazard that goes with it.

 

If a cruise ship chooses to offer a cruise in hurricane alley during hurricane season, they should certainly bear the hurricane-related risk. They are the large company with the knowledge of the area and ability to decide when and where their ships will sail years ahead of time. Joe Shmoe from Idaho has no knowledge of the weather patterns in the Caribbean, but he is expected to bear the full cost of any results from a hurricane. He gets no warning at the time of booking regarding hurricanes (unless his TA is nice which is his good luck nothing to do with the cruise line). But if something goes wrong, he must accept whatever the cruise line wants to give him as compensation. There is no concern for the nonrefundable shore excursions he booked, and if he has five sea days instead of one there is no consideration that maybe he chose this specific cruise because it has the fewest sea days. He does not have the option to cancel the cruise if it is not what he booked, or even to apply his money to another sailing on the same line. He must bend over and take whatever they decide to shove up there.

 

And I call b******t on any company with that as their business plan.

 

Of course I am still booked on two upcoming cruises of my own... What can I say, I'm a gambling man. :rolleyes:

[DisneyDestroyer]

And don't try to tell me "Well, people book those cruises so they're giving people what they want."

 

People are stupid. They don't have any common sense. That's why there are tons of strict business regulations designed to force the business to help prevent people from hurting themselves. There is no reason a cruise ship or airline shouldn't be held to the same standard - stop offering flights that will be cancelled, or late, or overbooked so people with a confirmed seat still get bumped.

 

I predict that if you make them responsible, the problems would disappear quite shortly.

 

And don't try to tell me that the bad chicken analogy is different in any meaningful way. It is the same thing - nothing lasting, but a Pain in the A$$ until it's over with. :p