Royal Caribbean ruining our Spring Break in an unbelievable way!

[Retired LEO]

These 2 threads should be merged

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2642382

[KBD1516]

You might want to look at Celebrity for that week because it is a sister line to Royal. They might even transfer the obc if you ask them to.

 

 

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[Clarea]

Who’s chartering a whole ship?

Cost must be astronomical.

Maybe find out who’s chartering it and asking to join them.

 

A few years ago, it cost between 6 and 10 million to charter an Oasis class ship for 7 days.

[CruiseGal999]

Who’s chartering a whole ship?

Cost must be astronomical.

Maybe find out who’s chartering it and asking to join them.

 

 

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It's usually a company for it's employees. I saw recently where a car dealership chartered a ship and all of the 'other' passengers were cancelled. Aren't we glad we bailed out car dealerships?

[CruiseGal999]

You mentioned having to pay a lot more for a NCL cruise, but don't forget their prices are all inclusive (drinks and dining packages) . I wouldn't hesitate to book one of their newer ships.

 

THAT isn't true. SOMETIMES they offer bonuses and you can choose a drink package, and/or dining package (you still have to pay gratuities on these packages). But not all sailings, and all ships have blanket FREE drinks & specialty dining.

[CruiseGal999]

You mentioned having to pay a lot more for a NCL cruise, but don't forget their prices are all inclusive (drinks and dining packages) . I wouldn't hesitate to book one of their newer ships.

 

THAT isn't true. SOMETIMES they offer bonuses and you can choose a drink package, and/or dining package (you still have to pay gratuities on these packages). But not all sailings, and all ships have blanket FREE drinks & specialty dining.

[not-enough-cruising]

Who’s chartering a whole ship?

Cost must be astronomical.

Maybe find out who’s chartering it and asking to join them.

 

 

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There are music charters

 

Nudist charters

 

LGBTQ charters

 

Saw this year HGTV had a charter focused around home improvement

 

Team building Fortune 500 charters.

 

It really is VERY common.

 

 

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[mr walker]

Who’s chartering a whole ship?

Cost must be astronomical.

 

Each year since 2011, a family company down here in Australia has chartered Radiance OTS each year for some 4-5 weeks in Oct/Nov for a series of music charters. They have to strump up a significant non-refundable deposit and comply with some stringent rules about payments etc. They sell the cruise to regular folk, taking a risk on filling the ship each time. It is sold as a co-charter & can only be booked thru the designated TA. C&A points are accrued.

 

A CD told me in 2013 it would cost around $5M to charter Rhapsody OTS (the ship they were using at that time) and $6M for Radiance for the week.

[ReneeFLL]

Don't forget to mention you got a full refund

 

Why does he even need to mention it? It's just common sense since RC owes him everything he paid for it.

[ReneeFLL]

It's nice to have the facts, left out of post 1

 

The fact is it's common sense that he would get a full refund. I don't know why you think he needs to mention it.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Leaving that info out doesn't change the situation at all. Again, it's common sense and everyone knows that he is entitled to the money he put into it.

[BEENSAILING]

I've never heard of a cruise being cancelled due to a charter.

 

It does and has happened with Royal.

[emdia43]

THAT isn't true. SOMETIMES they offer bonuses and you can choose a drink package, and/or dining package (you still have to pay gratuities on these packages). But no

 

t all sailings, and all ships have blanket FREE drinks & specialty dining.

 

 

 

I looked at all their Caribbean sailings for next March and they all have the Free at sea deal, which let's you choose unlimited drinks/specialty dining/excursion credits/free wifi.

which IMO makes their rates very attractive, and should not cost 2K more as the op thought.

[Sittin'OnTheDock]

Don't forget to mention you got a full refund

 

Are you sure? Does he have the money in his pocket? It was quite an effort on my part to get my $500 deposit back when Royal cancelled my cruise.

 

I waited for the refund and it never showed...so I called three different times. I got the same story each time: "sir you will get a certificate for $300 ($150 x 2). You lose $200 because it was a non refundable deposit."

 

Each time I explained Royal cancelled the cruise...not me. Each time I was told it would be straightened out.

 

Finally my refund was processed after I received two certificates for $150 each. I won't use the certificates because I did get my full refund.

 

Those refunds don't always automatically happen.

 

Cheers:)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I looked at all their Caribbean sailings for next March and they all have the Free at sea deal, which let's you choose unlimited drinks/specialty dining/excursion credits/free wifi.

which IMO makes their rates very attractive, and should not cost 2K more as the op thought.

 

For the sailing on March 24th the total for 3 in the cheapest balcony is

 

TOTAL

$ 3,581 50 after adding the $276 for the gratuities for the beverage package for the first 2 and the dining package which includes 3 nights specialty dining for the first 2.

 

 

If the 3rd wants to go they'll have to pay additional.

 

 

OP didn't say what they paid or how many are going. Could be only 2 and one of them is a school teacher or they are bringing a child or 2 that has only the one week off.

 

 

Bill

[captainannoyed!]

I am Emerald with RCCL and obviously have cruised with them many times but am shocked at what they have done and how they are treating us. Since March we have been booked on a 7 night cruise out of San Juan departing next March (Spring Break 2019). We were just told the cruise was cancelled due to it being CHARTERED. I can see the need to cancel if there are maintenance or weather issues but to cancel it just to sell it to someone else is nothing short than OFFENSIVE. We placed a non refundable deposit and were committed to RCCL but clearly it is not committed to its customers.

RCCL offered $200 OBC and to put us on cruises for different dates but that does us absolutely no good because we can only travel that week due to spring break. And because it's spring break, everything has sky rocketed in price and there is very little availability. THANKS SO MUCH FOR RUINING OUR SPRING BREAK!! (sarcasm).

We are now now looking at booking on Norwegian and paying approximately $2,000 more for similar rooms. We may be able to find something cheaper on RCCL but I can't stomach giving them the extra money. As I mentioned we are emerald but will likely be taking our business somewhere else.

 

**Sorry about the typos in the title. I'm just really worked up. Anyone know how to edit the title? Thanks.

 

RCCL does this, and won't change. I had this happen to me about 9 years ago, and basically walked away from them for all these years over it. I was offered a similar comp, with similar problems. Tried working with them thru TA at time, no satisfaction. Only after 9 years did I decide to give them another chance, and ONLY because they brought a Radiance Class (best design ever IMHO) to my home port (Boston) going to Bermuda.

 

Idk what makes them feel like $200 credit on ships/cruises THEY choose is proper compensation for being, basically, THROWN off the ship and vacation that the customers have paid for. But as has been pointed out, this is the way that all the big lines do business.

[Tapi]

It may be time to branch out and try a different cruise line.

 

I did a quick search and Celebrity, Norwegian and Carnival have ships departing from San Juan that weekend. I see prices starting at $459, which for a 7 night cruise during spring break, sounds darn cheap. I wonder if Royal will let you use the OBC on Celebrity.

 

As others said, it sucks to have a cruise canceled, but you definitely have choices.

 

 

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[momofmab]

I don't think Royal should mess with the spring break cruises. Many people are tied into only being able to travel during one specific week during that time, whether they are teachers or have kids (I have a high schooler who absolutely cannot miss more than a day), and Freedom is a popular ship. It must be a very high dollar charter since rates are already inflated for the spring break week.

 

OP - at least you have enough notice to make other plans, but I empathize with your anger and frustration.

[kuddles14]

I am Emerald with RCCL and obviously have cruised with them many times but am shocked at what they have done and how they are treating us. Since March we have been booked on a 7 night cruise out of San Juan departing next March (Spring Break 2019). We were just told the cruise was cancelled due to it being CHARTERED. I can see the need to cancel if there are maintenance or weather issues but to cancel it just to sell it to someone else is nothing short than OFFENSIVE. We placed a non refundable deposit and were committed to RCCL but clearly it is not committed to its customers.

 

 

 

RCCL offered $200 OBC and to put us on cruises for different dates but that does us absolutely no good because we can only travel that week due to spring break. And because it's spring break, everything has sky rocketed in price and there is very little availability. THANKS SO MUCH FOR RUINING OUR SPRING BREAK!! (sarcasm).

 

 

We are now now looking at booking on Norwegian and paying approximately $2,000 more for similar rooms. We may be able to find something cheaper on RCCL but I can't stomach giving them the extra money. As I mentioned we are emerald but will likely be taking our business somewhere else.

 

 

 

**Sorry about the typos in the title. I'm just really worked up. Anyone know how to edit the title? Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was on this sailing with you. I know how it feels the first time this happens to you. It is very frustrating and disappointing. I have had this same experience with other cruise lines. I was always very disappointed but did manage to find another cruise but always had to pay the prevailing rate because I was locked into that week because I was a teacher and couldn’t move to the price protected weeks. Yes, I did end up paying more but I also got my OBC but it never covered the increase in fare I had to pay but at least I was cruising.

 

This is the first time, only because I’m now retired, that it worked out for us. I’m still disappointed that I will not be

going to Bonaire and had to a cancel my snorkeling trip, but there are other opportunities that week. Just have to be willing to pay more if need be. Just take a deep breathe, sit back and see what your family has to say .

 

I wish you all the best and I’m certainly going to miss our Roll Call! It was a great one !!

 

 

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[BillOh]

No you didn't. You said you had non-refundable deposits and Royal Gave you $200 OBC.

No mention of a refund.

 

Key details to leave out there... a little misleading.

 

 

Only if your looking to be argumentative. I know people would be jumping on the beat the newbie bandwagon, but some of these posts are amazing. I hope this never happens to me, but when Royal takes the initiative to create problems for a customer, they can do a better job of making it right. So many people traveling that time of year can't change dates. They should offer a similar cruise of the same length/same cabin at the same price for a much longer period.

[MaritimeR&R]

Happened to me last winter. RC chartered the 3rd sailing out of 4 consecutive. Since I fly to Florida, staying in a hotel for 10 days while the charter was sailing would have been too costly. I wound up doing a b2b, canceling the 4th cruise. Staying in a hotel overnight in Florida and boarding another ship for another b2b. Since the new b2b was not price protected, it wound up costing me an additional 1700. For my cabins, hotel, food and transport. I got 200 obc for my "inconvenience."

[rimmit]

No matter how you cut it, it is always disappointing. Everyone who travels enough has had a fair amount of heartbreak and set backs.

 

Unfortunately, it is a business and RCI and all cruise lines have been making cutbacks and changes to further the bottom line lately. A charter is incredibly lucrative and hard to turn down.

 

http://www.royalcaribbeanincentives.com/full-ship-charter-faqs/

 

Likely at least $5,000,000 million to charter Freedom. That’s low end given it is spring break.

 

I truly sympathize with you as vacation changes are always disappointing, but if you travel enough you learn to adjust and be adaptable.

[Iamcruzin]

Don't forget to mention you got a full refund

 

 

 

That goes without saying. Anyone who follows a cruise board would know that. Actually anyone with common sense would know that. I seem to be reading more and more about Royal Caribbean canceling for charters. Last year it was Celebrity who had the charters. At least the Summit charters were early when itineraries were released.

 

 

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[cruisinfanatic]

It's usually a company for it's employees. I saw recently where a car dealership chartered a ship and all of the 'other' passengers were cancelled. Aren't we glad we bailed out car dealerships?

Was very necessary to save millions of jobs. The auto dealers as well as the banks all paid the money back

[Iamcruzin]

No you didn't. You said you had non-refundable deposits and Royal Gave you $200 OBC.

 

No mention of a refund.

 

 

 

Key details to leave out there... a little misleading.

 

 

 

I read between the lines. OP was mentioning the Nonrefundable as a way of saying that they committed to the booking and had no intention of canceling. It never crossed my mind that the cruise line would keep the deposit after canceling the cruise.

 

 

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[suesnake2002]

Op is complaining about cruise being cancelled to them.

But the flip side is I've heard people complain and try to opt out of a cruise when they find a large specialty group has booked it, and rccl wont let them opt out. Their reason being certain areas of the ship might be off limits to them, or they just don't want to be on a ship with that group.

 

Cruise ships are international, and until there is a passenger bill of rights ( like they did with the airlines), we are at their mercy

 

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