Royal Caribbean Horrible Customer Service... leaves family stranded

[Peachy59]

On 11/16/2022 at 10:51 AM, Homosassa said:

It took less than a minute to find the information about vaccination and testing for transatlantic cruises on the Royal Caribbean website.

 

There is absolutely no excuse for a cruiser not to know this information before leaving on a transatlantic cruise.

 

Blame away, but it is still on the cruiser to do their homework and obtain the official written policy.

 

 

There is absolutely no excuse for the telephone agents not to know this VERY IMPORTANT information before giving an answer.

[Another_Critic]

7 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Exactly, the TA crossing sailed from Barcelona on Oct 30th for a 12 day cruise to Barbados.  

 

The Rhapsody TA left Barcelona on Nov. 8th and is currently in the Atlantic due to arrive in Bridgetown on Nov. 20th.

[Tree_skier]

42 minutes ago, Peachy59 said:

There is absolutely no excuse for the telephone agents not to know this VERY IMPORTANT information before giving an answer.

We still don't know what question the OP asked.  It's hard to judge a matter until you know every detail.

[happy cruzer]

5 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

We still don't know what question the OP asked.  It's hard to judge a matter until you know every detail.

Having worked the phones for an organization, the caller rarely asks the question properly.  It is up the service employee to help them.  1) get the details first such as name, booking number... 2) tell them what they need to know 3) do they still have a question.  They don't know what they don't know - so they can't ask a specific question that will get them the help they need.  There is a difference between providing customer service and answering questions...

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, happy cruzer said:

Having worked the phones for an organization, the caller rarely asks the question properly.  It is up the service employee to help them.  1) get the details first such as name, booking number... 2) tell them what they need to know 3) do they still have a question.  They don't know what they don't know - so they can't ask a specific question that will get them the help they need.  There is a difference between providing customer service and answering questions...

What if, hypothetically, we have a caller who knows the answer but wants to shift the blame to the call center?  Perhaps they had received the email and knew the kid needed to be vaccinated but time was too short (or they just did not want to vaccinate the kid).   When asked for a reservation number they do not give one, instead making it sound like a general planning inquiry about a European cruise (rather than transatlantic).  I’m not saying it happened in this case, I’m suggesting there are sneaky people in this world 

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

The Rhapsody TA left Barcelona on Nov. 8th and is currently in the Atlantic due to arrive in Bridgetown on Nov. 20th.

Thank you for the update as I thought I saw Oct 30th as sail date on  another site with list of itineraries.   Sounds like they planned on doing an extended stay in Barbados upon arrival so maybe they hoped on a plane to Barbados.

[Sunshine3601]

25 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

What if, hypothetically, we have a caller who knows the answer but wants to shift the blame to the call center?  Perhaps they had received the email and knew the kid needed to be vaccinated but time was too short (or they just did not want to vaccinate the kid).   When asked for a reservation number they do not give one, instead making it sound like a general planning inquiry about a European cruise (rather than transatlantic).  I’m not saying it happened in this case, I’m suggesting there are sneaky people in this world 

I guess we will never know since the OP posted once, vented as she wanted, then disappeared.    

[Ret MP]

23 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

What if, hypothetically, we have a caller who knows the answer but wants to shift the blame to the call center?  Perhaps they had received the email and knew the kid needed to be vaccinated but time was too short (or they just did not want to vaccinate the kid).   When asked for a reservation number they do not give one, instead making it sound like a general planning inquiry about a European cruise (rather than transatlantic).  I’m not saying it has happened in this case, I’m suggesting there are sneaky people in this world 

Being retired from the Customer Service and Hospitality industry I can, without a doubt, state that customers lie and lie a lot.  I could tell you stories for hours about the customers in Airport Parking lots/garages, high end hotel valets, and arenas.  Some people will lie just to save a buck or get a buck back, even if it means the attendant or cashier loses his/her job over it. 

 

As far as this thread and the OP is concerned, I am always suspect of a post of such length and initial introduction to the media site and nothing but complaint.  I've waited to say this, but it looks like after about 5 pages of comments, the OP was a one and done/hit and run.  As always, I could be wrong.  But, the OP still only has one post in CC.  

[Tree_skier]

20 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Being retired from the Customer Service and Hospitality industry I can, without a doubt, state that customers lie and lie a lot.  I could tell you stories for hours about the customers in Airport Parking lots/garages, high end hotel valets, and arenas.  Some people will lie just to save a buck or get a buck back, even if it means the attendant or cashier loses his/her job over it. 

 

As far as this thread and the OP is concerned, I am always suspect of a post of such length and initial introduction to the media site and nothing but complaint.  I've waited to say this, but it looks like after about 5 pages of comments, the OP was a one and done/hit and run.  As always, I could be wrong.  But, the OP still only has one post in CC.  

It doesn't matter what the site is.  Whether it is TripAdvisor reviews or Google reviews or right here on Cruise Critic, I always look at the number of contribution someone has made to a particular site.  I will weight a reviewer's review differently depending on the whether it was their one and only review or they if they are a regular contributor to a community. Also, their experience if discernible will help weight the review as well.

[happy cruzer]

54 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

What if, hypothetically, we have a caller who knows the answer but wants to shift the blame to the call center?  Perhaps they had received the email and knew the kid needed to be vaccinated but time was too short (or they just did not want to vaccinate the kid).   When asked for a reservation number they do not give one, instead making it sound like a general planning inquiry about a European cruise (rather than transatlantic).  I’m not saying it happened in this case, I’m suggesting there are sneaky people in this world 

Absolutely happens - which is why you start with the standard request for information like name and booking number if they will not provide it then that is in the recording of the call.  Then you can give them an answer based on the limited info and request that they call back with the information so that a definitive answer can be supplied.  Every call center person should be used to the fishing trips for info or customer who knows what they want to hear and tries every way possible to the get that answer.  However some call centers are run with an extreme amount of turn over for various reasons so who knows?

 

If I were placing a bet, I would not assume the original poster risked paying for the cruise and showing up in Barcelona knowing that they did not meet the requirements.  I truly think that they were misinformed on the phone by staff who just did not know or research the requirements for a transatlantic cruise.  Just what I think based on the limited information we have.

[Xyla]

I sailed on a TA leaving Oct 31 and got an email beforehand with the vaccination requirements clearly spelled out (bolding is mine):

 

Dear Guest,

We’re excited to welcome you onboard for our Odyssey of the Seas Transatlantic sailing. Before you head to the cruise terminal, we wanted to clarify our requirements for our sailing.

Since we’re sailing on a Transatlantic itinerary, all guests 5 and older must be fully vaccinated, with the last dose of their primary vaccine regimen received no less than 14 days prior to sailing. Guests between the ages of 1-4 can sail, regardless of their vaccination status.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Xyla
wrong date

[Starry Eyes]

12 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

Absolutely happens - which is why you start with the standard request for information like name and booking number if they will not provide it then that is in the recording of the call.  Then you can give them an answer based on the limited info and request that they call back with the information so that a definitive answer can be supplied.  Every call center person should be used to the fishing trips for info or customer who knows what they want to hear and tries every way possible to the get that answer.  However some call centers are run with an extreme amount of turn over for various reasons so who knows?

 

If I were placing a bet, I would not assume the original poster risked paying for the cruise and showing up in Barcelona knowing that they did not meet the requirements.  I truly think that they were misinformed on the phone by staff who just did not know or research the requirements for a transatlantic cruise.  Just what I think based on the limited information we have.

I think we can agree either us possible; we should not assume the worst of either the poster or the phone reps, as we just do not know.  I think we can also agree that the info was available on the website had the OP really looked for it.   Also multiple people (myself included) can attest to getting emails about cruise requirements.  So the OP did have other info sources.  Plus unofficial info sources like this one.

[xpcdoojk]

On 11/16/2022 at 5:15 AM, time4u2go said:

That's pretty bad, that they told you multiple times that there were no testing or vaccination requirements.  Even if it's on the website (in fact, BECAUSE it's on the website), there's no excuse for their phone agents giving out incorrect information.

You know this actually happened?  I wasn’t on the phone with the OP, so I have no actual facts about what happened.  

 

It is fascinating, reading threads like this because there are so many real clues, and yet complete chaos follows.😇

 

jc

[John&LaLa]

5 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

You know this actually happened?  I wasn’t on the phone with the OP, so I have no actual facts about what happened.  

 

It is fascinating, reading threads like this because there are so many real clues, and yet complete chaos follows.😇

 

jc

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic

[xpcdoojk]

22 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Posts like this are instructive but I suspect not in the way the OP intended.  My suspicion is that the OP came to CC because they are bitter with the outcome of their one and only experience with Royal and they hope to dissuade anyone from cruising on Royal.  They want a little bit of vengeance. They were wronged and they want to extract a pound of flesh.

 

Unfortunately, coming to a forum primarily populated by people who are experienced cruiser and who are mostly loyal to the brand is unlikely receive the response they intended or desired.  Hence the one and done post.

 

Had there been a lot of responses that began "Oh my word, this is awful. I'm cancelling my booking..." We would have seen a second post.  As it stands now this poster will never be heard from again.

 

However, It is instructive because for the rest of us it is reminder #4379 that where you are unclear or answers are changing or there is some degree of ambiguity make sure you get in writing all you need specific to your circumstances.

This is exactly correct.

 

This thread is a text book example.  I, personally, love the reactions to the OP, they are far more illuminating that the OPs post.🤣

[xpcdoojk]

4 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic

Yep

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

As always, I could be wrong.  But, the OP still only has one post in CC.  

Drive by single post rant threads are somewhat common here. 

[Tree_skier]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Drive by single post rant threads are somewhat common here. 

And response is always entertaining. 🙂 

[volk904]

3 hours ago, Xyla said:

I sailed on a TA leaving Oct 31 and got an email beforehand with the vaccination requirements clearly spelled out (bolding is mine):

 

Dear Guest,

We’re excited to welcome you onboard for our Odyssey of the Seas Transatlantic sailing. Before you head to the cruise terminal, we wanted to clarify our requirements for our sailing.

Since we’re sailing on a Transatlantic itinerary, all guests 5 and older must be fully vaccinated, with the last dose of their primary vaccine regimen received no less than 14 days prior to sailing. Guests between the ages of 1-4 can sail, regardless of their vaccination status.

I have taken 3 cruises from Royal in the last 12 months.  Every cruise had an e-mail similar to above about the vaccine or testing requirements I have no doubt the OP was told wrong by CS but I also bet the OP received the email as well. 

.  

[topnole]

On 11/16/2022 at 8:15 PM, Starry Eyes said:

Also, it is a reminder of the value of cruise critic in general and of joining your roll call.  Had the poster mentioned unvax kiddo on a roll call, you can bet somebody would linked the FAQ.

So in the spirit of people learning, this is the policy for TA departing from Europe (as of now) as I understand it.  What about TAs to Europe leaving from the US?  Is it the same or is that different?   I read what was posted/link here and it seemed to only specify TAs leaving from Europe.  
 

[easyqueasy]

23 minutes ago, topnole said:

So in the spirit of people learning, this is the policy for TA departing from Europe (as of now) as I understand it.  What about TAs to Europe leaving from the US?  Is it the same or is that different?   I read what was posted/link here and it seemed to only specify TAs leaving from Europe.  
 

There were vaccine requirements for both transpacific and transatlantic sailings this fall. After the transpacific sailings were done, Royal took that requirement off it’s website but left transatlantic on since there are more sailings. It’ll probably be gone after the transatlantic sailings this year, hopefully. It was harder on families since they changed  the required age to be vaccinated from 12 years to 5 years at the last moment before the ocean crossings started.  Even the people on the ships don’t know when requirements are changed.  I’ve experienced that several times on the ships. You’d think that’d be communicated fleet wide when policies change. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by easyqueasy
Took off a part that might cause conflict.

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

Having worked the phones for an organization, the caller rarely asks the question properly.  It is up the service employee to help them.  1) get the details first such as name, booking number... 2) tell them what they need to know 3) do they still have a question.  They don't know what they don't know - so they can't ask a specific question that will get them the help they need.  There is a difference between providing customer service and answering questions...

So true. 

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, topnole said:

So in the spirit of people learning, this is the policy for TA departing from Europe (as of now) as I understand it.  What about TAs to Europe leaving from the US?  Is it the same or is that different?   I read what was posted/link here and it seemed to only specify TAs leaving from Europe.  
 

Will have to wait and see what the requirements are next year when they start doing crossings from US to Europe in the Spring.

[John&LaLa]

12 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

Yep

 

How was the Flow on Odyssey crossing?

[topnole]

12 hours ago, easyqueasy said:

There were vaccine requirements for both transpacific and transatlantic sailings this fall. After the transpacific sailings were done, Royal took that requirement off it’s website but left transatlantic on since there are more sailings. It’ll probably be gone after the transatlantic sailings this year, hopefully. It was harder on families since they changed  the required age to be vaccinated from 12 years to 5 years at the last moment before the ocean crossings started.  Even the people on the ships don’t know when requirements are changed.  I’ve experienced that several times on the ships. You’d think that’d be communicated fleet wide when policies change. 

So as of right now, vaccination is required for kids 5 and older on a TA leaving Europe.  That it says clearly.  But it only says leaving Europe if I’m reading it correctly.  What about if your 6 and leaving on a TA from the US to Europe.  From the website it looks like no vaccine is required?   Anyone have any idea or have direct knowledge from experience of doing a TA with, say, a 6-11 year old?