writing to the BBB!!!

[cruisinforabrusin90]

On 10/24, I booked a cruise for my family under 2 reservations for a cruise to the Bahamas on 12/14. That Cruise was cancelled on 11/2 due to the pandemic, so we planned to try cruising again on 2/1 for my husband's birthday. we were informed by Royal Caribbean that we would need to wait for a FCC to be issued for the cancelled cruise before the money we already paid could be applied to our new booking, but that the new credit would be issued BEFORE 11/30. We patiently waited until 12/2 and heard NOTHING from Royal Caribbean. I called around 8am that morning to find out what was going on and after an hour, the credit was finally applied to our new booking for 2/1. Cool right? WRONG! Not even 6 hours after finalizing the booking (2:23pm to be exact), I receive an email advising that our 2/1 cruise has now been cancelled due to a global suspension. WOW! Royal Caribbean knew perfectly well they were cancelling those cruises in a few hours and had no business allowing CSR's to take people's money for any impacted dates! To add insult to injury, we were told that we would have to wait on a whole new FFC to be issued now, they could not just let us use the one they literally JUST used to rebook for a future cruise. 2 weeks later after still not seeing an FCC certificate emailed to us (12/15 to be exact) We decided to go ahead and cancel the reservation and get our money back instead of waiting God knows how long for another FCC to be issued. I received an email confirming the cancellation and advising I would receive the refund in 30-45 days. The email literally states, "No additional action is needed on your part" EASY right? WRONG again! I patiently waited 41 days to be exact, and still nothing to my account. I called on 1/25 to inquire on a status and was told by a Rep that I requested a refund on the wrong reservation, I should have requested a refund on the reservation made for 12/14 instead of the most recent reservation, and that I would need to wait an additional 45 days for my refund to be processed. How has 41 days passed with no one from Royal Caribbean sending an email, making a phone call, sending a smoke signal, NOTHING! It took me calling AGAIN before I was told anything! I let the rep know this was unacceptable and that I wanted to speak with her supervisor. After putting me on hold for 10+ minutes, she does not come back with a supervisor, but to advise me that her supervisor told her that I could not be escalated until after the additional 45 days has passed. I had to let her know once again that this was UNACCECPTABLE and I wanted to speak to a supervisor before she finally transferred me to someone named Eric (associate ID 24912) who identified himself as one. He was completely nonchalant about me not getting my money back and refused to let me speak to anyone higher than him stating he was the highest person there was (so I guess he owns the company!), until I pressed for about 5 minutes!! Then he finally advised that he could have someone call me back in 72 hours, but they will just tell me the same thing. First, it did not take Royal Caribbean 30-45 days to draft the money from my bank account, they took it instantly!! Funny how your system can handle drafting money from millions of people at one time with no problem, but it cannot refund the money for 45 days! There is no way I could hold anyone at Royal Caribbean's paycheck for 86 days and they be fine with it, but they expect me to be ok with them keeping my money for as long as they want without providing any service to me! They want to use the Pandemic as an excuse for treating customers like they do not matter, NEWS FLASH, I am in the same pandemic, but I do not see them giving me any breaks for it, and they have billions more dollars than me! My family and I love cruising and were eager to try out Royal Caribbean to check out Coco Cay, but after this experience, Royal Caribbean will not get another DIME out of me, I will stick with other Cruise Lines!

[mugtech]

Welcome to cruise critic.  People have had similar experiences with other cruise lines.  Good luck.

[Tree_skier]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

[Biker19]

29 minutes ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

NEWS FLASH

Perhaps this is news to you, some folks were being treated just as badly before the pandemic. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Biker19

[firefly333]

40 minutes ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

I let the rep know this was unacceptable and that I wanted to speak with her supervisor.

 

My family and I love cruising and were eager to try out Royal Caribbean to check out Coco Cay, but after this experience, Royal Caribbean will not get another DIME out of me, I will stick with other Cruise Lines!

We are all tired of rebooking..be sure to mention that its cdc fault the cruises keep getting cancelled and covid. 

 

All similar cruiselines take money for cruises they know and you should know close in dates will get cancelled... maybe dont keep booking until cruises restart? It's hardly a BBB matter, write to cdc.

[Iamcruzin]

59 minutes ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

On 10/24, I booked a cruise for my family under 2 reservations for a cruise to the Bahamas on 12/14. That Cruise was cancelled on 11/2 due to the pandemic, so we planned to try cruising again on 2/1 for my husband's birthday. we were informed by Royal Caribbean that we would need to wait for a FCC to be issued for the cancelled cruise before the money we already paid could be applied to our new booking, but that the new credit would be issued BEFORE 11/30. We patiently waited until 12/2 and heard NOTHING from Royal Caribbean. I called around 8am that morning to find out what was going on and after an hour, the credit was finally applied to our new booking for 2/1. Cool right? WRONG! Not even 6 hours after finalizing the booking (2:23pm to be exact), I receive an email advising that our 2/1 cruise has now been cancelled due to a global suspension.

 

 

WOW! Royal Caribbean knew perfectly well they were cancelling those cruises in a few hours and had no business allowing CSR's to take people's money for any impacted dates! To add insult to injury, we were told that we would have to wait on a whole new FFC to be issued now, they could not just let us use the one they literally JUST used to rebook for a future cruise. 2 weeks later after still not seeing an FCC certificate emailed to us (12/15 to be exact) We decided to go ahead and cancel the reservation and get our money back instead of waiting God knows how long for another FCC to be issued.

 

I received an email confirming the cancellation and advising I would receive the refund in 30-45 days. The email literally states, "No additional action is needed on your part" EASY right? WRONG again! I patiently waited 41 days to be exact, and still nothing to my account. I called on 1/25 to inquire on a status and was told by a Rep that I requested a refund on the wrong reservation, I should have requested a refund on the reservation made for 12/14 instead of the most recent reservation, and that I would need to wait an additional 45 days for my refund to be processed.

 

How has 41 days passed with no one from Royal Caribbean sending an email, making a phone call, sending a smoke signal, NOTHING! It took me calling AGAIN before I was told anything! I let the rep know this was unacceptable and that I wanted to speak with her supervisor. After putting me on hold for 10+ minutes, she does not come back with a supervisor, but to advise me that her supervisor told her that I could not be escalated until after the additional 45 days has passed.

 

I had to let her know once again that this was UNACCECPTABLE and I wanted to speak to a supervisor before she finally transferred me to someone named Eric (associate ID 24912) who identified himself as one. He was completely nonchalant about me not getting my money back and refused to let me speak to anyone higher than him stating he was the highest person there was (so I guess he owns the company!), until I pressed for about 5 minutes!! Then he finally advised that he could have someone call me back in 72 hours, but they will just tell me the same thing.

 

First, it did not take Royal Caribbean 30-45 days to draft the money from my bank account, they took it instantly!! Funny how your system can handle drafting money from millions of people at one time with no problem, but it cannot refund the money for 45 days! There is no way I could hold anyone at Royal Caribbean's paycheck for 86 days and they be fine with it, but they expect me to be ok with them keeping my money for as long as they want without providing any service to me!

 

They want to use the Pandemic as an excuse for treating customers like they do not matter,

NEWS FLASH, I am in the same pandemic, but I do not see them giving me any breaks for it, and they have billions more dollars than me! My family and I love cruising and were eager to try out Royal Caribbean to check out Coco Cay, but after this experience, Royal Caribbean will not get another DIME out of me, I will stick with other Cruise Lines!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Sadly your story is not unique in anyway and it has happened across the board with all of the cruise lines. We have all accepted the situation so your report to the BBB will have no bearing on tarnishing the cruise lines reputation.

Why people keep booking cruises during the pandemic is beyond me. We are a year into this situation and we are no closer to cruising than we were last March. As a matter of fact I think we are worse off than last year with the new travel restrictions that were put in place today and the possibility of having to be vaccinated in order to board a cruise ship. At the rate that the vaccines are being distributed it may be another year before everyone has access to the vaccine.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Iamcruzin

[smokeybandit]

So much to digest here.  Yeah, it sucks, but I'm sure the CSR didn't know when cruises were about to be canceled again.  FCCs don't automatically get applied to your next reservation. And RC wasn't taking your money since they already had it.

 

The rest is just impatience in the midst of a total hell of a year for cruise lines.

Edited January 26, 2021 by smokeybandit

[cruisinforabrusin90]

27 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

We are all tired of rebooking..be sure to mention that its cdc fault the cruises keep getting cancelled and covid. 

 

All similar cruiselines take money for cruises they know and you should know close in dates will get cancelled... maybe dont keep booking until cruises restart? It's hardly a BBB matter, write to cdc.

The CDC did not take my money!

[firefly333]

Just now, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

The CDC did not take my money!

I've had half a dozen cancelled. Maybe get a new TA to help you rebook?

 

I see below ourusualbeach says now you can immediately rebook and stack fcc

[cruisinforabrusin90]

18 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Sadly your story is not unique in anyway and it has happened across the board with all of the cruise lines. We have all accepted the situation so your report to the BBB will have no bearing on tarnishing the cruise lines reputation. Why people keep booking cruises during the pandemic is beyond me. We are a year into this situation and we are no closer to cruising than we were last March. As a matter of fact I think we are worse off than last year with the new travel restrictions that were put in place today and the possibility of having to be vaccinated in order to board a cruise ship. At the rate that the vaccines are being distributed it may be another year before everyone has access to the vaccine.

I don't need to Tarnish their reputation, THEY ARE DOING THAT ON THEIR OWN!!!

[cruisinforabrusin90]

18 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

So much to digest here.  Yeah, it sucks, but I'm sure the CSR didn't know when cruises were about to be canceled again.  FCCs don't automatically get applied to your next reservation. And RC wasn't taking your money since they already had it.

 

The rest is just impatience in the midst of a total hell of a year for cruise lines.

I in no way blame the CSR, I know they did not know, but the higher ups did and had no business allowing those cruises to be sold!

[#55worktoplay]

1 minute ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

I don't need to Tarnish their reputation, THEY ARE DOING THAT ON THEIR OWN!!!

So you found cruise critic to complain about RCCL but you didn’t find it when you were booking a cruise in the middle of a Pandemic that was close to sailing date?   
 

Every person that booked on any cruise line was going through the same thing for the last 10 months.  You are not alone and contrary to what you think if you haven’t figured it out, they haven’t made any money during that time so they hardly have billions of dollars.  I am pretty sure you reporting them is the least of their worries. 
 

 

[Iamcruzin]

13 minutes ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

I don't need to Tarnish their reputation, THEY ARE DOING THAT ON THEIR OWN!!!

This has been going on for a year across the board. People have come to expect it. Some are shocked when the refund comes within 30 days. I don't know how much longer the cruise lines will be able to refund money. I'm sure that by now people are losing interest with the lift and shift and will want their money back and the 125% on a FCC in lieu of a cash refund must be getting old with all of the cancellations.  Take the cash back while they still have it to give. The reason it's taking so long is because cash flow tapering off.  They need to start baiting people with great cruise planner deals to get a cash flow.  The FCC's and the Lift and Shifts aren't bringing in new revenue.

[Sunshine3601]

I am sorry you are having these problems.  Sounds like you were very hopeful with booking a cruise end of october for it to sail in december.  Then again believing cruises would resume in february.  Shame you didnt ask opinions on CC before you paid in full in october.

From march 2020 to present I have had 12 cruises cancelled and received all of my refunds in 2 to 3 weeks.

The only hiccup I had was last may with issuance of 2 fccs with wrong expiration date, but they were quickly corrected.

I have 8 future cruises booked with next one to sail on 5.23, I truly doubt it will happen.

If you read stories and complaints on other cruiseline threads you will hear a lot of other upset people too.

Hope it gets resolved soon.  Good luck!

[Ethanol95]

Moral of the story: Don't book cruises when you don't know for sure they have a high chance of sailing. Why people still postpone their booking 2-3 months from their original sailing and still expect to be able to sail despite the bleak outlook of travelling is something i will never understand. You have as much responsibility for booking in a period like this where virtually no ships are sailing for as far as they eye can see, as RCL has the responsibility of refunding its customers. Maybe try to open your eyes to reality to avoid anymore of these kinds of experiences. Good luck!

[Iamcruzin]

27 minutes ago, Ethanol95 said:

Moral of the story: Don't book cruises when you don't know for sure they have a high chance of sailing. Why people still postpone their booking 2-3 months from their original sailing and still expect to be able to sail despite the bleak outlook of travelling is something i will never understand. You have as much responsibility for booking in a period like this where virtually no ships are sailing for as far as they eye can see, as RCL has the responsibility of refunding its customers. Maybe try to open your eyes to reality to avoid anymore of these kinds of experiences. Good luck!

Amen!

[Sail n Snow]

3 hours ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

On 10/24, I booked a cruise for my family under 2 reservations for a cruise to the Bahamas on 12/14. That Cruise was cancelled on 11/2 due to the pandemic, so we planned to try cruising again on 2/1 for my husband's birthday........

 

They want to use the Pandemic as an excuse for treating customers like they do not matter, NEWS FLASH, I am in the same pandemic...

I can understand your frustration but you booked a cruise in the middle of an ongoing pandemic!

 

Yes it sucks but RC has been saying this about credits for almost a year now. It should not be a surprise.  Yes RC was optimistic about cruises but the way the situation was at that time I wouldn’t have been booking any vacations. 

[MJSailors]

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Sadly your story is not unique in anyway and it has happened across the board with all of the cruise lines. We have all accepted the situation so your report to the BBB will have no bearing on tarnishing the cruise lines reputation.

Why people keep booking cruises during the pandemic is beyond me. We are a year into this situation and we are no closer to cruising than we were last March. As a matter of fact I think we are worse off than last year with the new travel restrictions that were put in place today and the possibility of having to be vaccinated in order to board a cruise ship. At the rate that the vaccines are being distributed it may be another year before everyone has access to the vaccine.

    Totally agree ,Iamcruzian.

IMHO, booking any cruise during this Covid-19 pandemic is merely an exercise in futility.

     It seems that almost everyday,we get e mail offers either from Cruise Critic,NCL,Celebrity  or Princess for future cruises. I delete the emails without reading them because I realize that it will be a long time before my DH and I will consider a cruise vacation. This is a pity as we have enjoyed many cruises since sailing on the Sapphire Princess to Alaska in 2004.

      So much needs to improve concerning the Covid situation in the world before we contemplate any future travels. At this time,we can only hope that the Covid virus will be eventually contained and suppressed to the point where enjoyable travel can be resumed. 

 

[PhoenixCruiser]

The BBB Is so 2020

[Coralc]

2 hours ago, Sail n Snow said:

I can understand your frustration but you booked a cruise in the middle of an ongoing pandemic!

 

 I wouldn’t have been booking any vacations. 

 

 But you were able to cruise! Granted, it was Singapore, but it was much more recently than any of the rest of us. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Coralc

[Sail n Snow]

45 minutes ago, Coralc said:

 

 But you were able to cruise! Granted, it was Singapore, but it was much more recently than any of the rest of us. 

Yes and the 4 day sailing prior to ours had been cut short to a COVID scare on board.  Ended up as a false negative and the next sailing was cancelled.  
 

I guess there’s just no guarantee.  We haven’t left Singapore in over a year now.  Our friends had booked a trip in a travel bubble with Hong Kong and that was shut down before it even started due to an outbreak there and even that trip required 3 swab tests had it been allowed.
 

It’s all about the risks as an individual you are willing to take during this pandemic.  We had advanced purchased (middle of last year) airline tickets for a trip back to the US for this past spring. It took 9 weeks for that refund to process!

 

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Sail n Snow

[LilBlackDress]

6 hours ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

 First, it did not take Royal Caribbean 30-45 days to draft the money from my bank account, they took it instantly!! Funny how your system can handle drafting money from millions of people at one time with no problem, but it cannot refund the money for 45 days! There is no way I could hold anyone at Royal Caribbean's paycheck for 86 days and they be fine with it, but they expect me to be ok with them keeping my money for as long as they want without providing any service to me! They want to use the Pandemic as an excuse for treating customers like they do not matter, NEWS FLASH, I am in the same pandemic, but I do not see them giving me any breaks for it, and they have billions more dollars than me! My family and I love cruising and were eager to try out Royal Caribbean to check out Coco Cay, but after this experience, Royal Caribbean will not get another DIME out of me, I will stick with other Cruise Lines!

NEWS FLASH!! Royal Caribbean offers $3.3 billion in bonds, pledges 28 ships as collateral (CC correct me if my numbers are wrong) Just to stay above water.
When they turned out not to be enough they put Azamara line up for sale... 
Before you claim someone has billions more than you, you may want to look at what they are going through as well. 

Not saying that you shouldn't be frustrated, just take it down a notch. 

5 hours ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

The CDC did not take my money!

The CDC didn't take your money but they are in control as to when ships will be sailing again

5 hours ago, cruisinforabrusin90 said:

I don't need to Tarnish their reputation, THEY ARE DOING THAT ON THEIR OWN!!!

Then I guess every cruise line, resort, travel agency etc etc etc are all tarnished because they are all doing the same things... 

Not saying you shouldn't be upset. I get that it is a lot of money. RC has a lot of my money too. But if you are going to yell at the reps and demand a supervisor when you don't get what you are asking for, chances are you aren't going to get very far. 
 

 

 

[sfaaa]

Sorry to break this to you but most people don't book their cruises based on BBB ratings. 

[mugtech]

6 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

The BBB Is so 2020

Same as the Packers

[LilBlackDress]

.

Edited January 26, 2021 by LilBlackDress
delete