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Royal Caribbean Insensitivity (understatement)

fibola

By fibola,
in Royal Caribbean International

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fibola

fibola

Posted
Posted

I'm sharing my recent experience with Royal Caribbean in the hopes that it highlights an issue that needs to be addressed. 
Despite reaching out to them over a week ago with a heartfelt request to cancel my cruise plan for December due to the ongoing situation of war in Israel, I have not received a response from them until now.
When I contacted a travel agent who assisted with my booking, I was informed that Royal Caribbean is unwilling to accommodate my request for a refund, except with a staggering 75% cancellation fee. This response left me surprised and deeply disheartened.
As many of you are aware, Israel recently faced a devastating terrorist attack that has been described as one of the most heinous acts since 9/11. This has led to a state of war in Israel, resulting in the cancellation of various flights to and from the region. My planned flight in November to the United States has also been affected, making it impossible for me to even consider going on the cruise.
What is particularly bewildering is that Royal Caribbean has offered full refunds to those who had booked cruises departing from Haifa Port in Israel, showing flexibility in response to the dire situation. This inconsistency raises questions about the company's commitment to fairness and understanding which is not for their Israeli customer but to the crew alone. 
I would expect at least that after two inquiries on the subject I would receive some kind of consideration and not total disregard.

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sandensea

sandensea

Posted
Posted

so to summarize, you'd like to cancel after final payment as a result of general concerns or safety concerns in a region for an issue that may or may not be resolved by December.

 

I would say that it is not an unreasonable request but I can also see how a public corporation wouldn't honor the request at present. Perhaps as it gets closer to embarkation date, they reconsider their position.

 

Is it possible to recover via trip insurance based on the current climate in the region?

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Billy Baltic

Billy Baltic

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, fibola said:

I'm sharing my recent experience with Royal Caribbean in the hopes that it highlights an issue that needs to be addressed. 
Despite reaching out to them over a week ago with a heartfelt request to cancel my cruise plan for December due to the ongoing situation of war in Israel, I have not received a response from them until now.
When I contacted a travel agent who assisted with my booking, I was informed that Royal Caribbean is unwilling to accommodate my request for a refund, except with a staggering 75% cancellation fee. This response left me surprised and deeply disheartened.
As many of you are aware, Israel recently faced a devastating terrorist attack that has been described as one of the most heinous acts since 9/11. This has led to a state of war in Israel, resulting in the cancellation of various flights to and from the region. My planned flight in November to the United States has also been affected, making it impossible for me to even consider going on the cruise.
What is particularly bewildering is that Royal Caribbean has offered full refunds to those who had booked cruises departing from Haifa Port in Israel, showing flexibility in response to the dire situation. This inconsistency raises questions about the company's commitment to fairness and understanding which is not for their Israeli customer but to the crew alone. 
I would expect at least that after two inquiries on the subject I would receive some kind of consideration and not total disregard.


What itinerary are you booked on? If it had just planned to stop in an impacted area then they may just switch port to another country, which is within their rights. 

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, sandensea said:

so to summarize, you'd like to cancel after final payment as a result of general concerns or safety concerns in a region for an issue that may or may not be resolved by December.

 

I would say that it is not an unreasonable request but I can also see how a public corporation wouldn't honor the request at present. Perhaps as it gets closer to embarkation date, they reconsider their position.

 

Is it possible to recover via trip insurance based on the current climate in the region?

My impression from what OP posted is that they are flying from the region which affects their flights. They only mention a travel agent. I would suggest that it might be escalated to executive offices at RC. 
 

 

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not-enough-cruising

not-enough-cruising

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:


What itinerary are you booked on? If it had just planned to stop in an impacted area then they may just switch port to another country, which is within their rights. 

I believe the OP lives in the Israeli region, and can not / does not want to, leave the country to come to the US for embarkation

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not-enough-cruising

not-enough-cruising

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

Didn't the OP says she can't even get a flight to the cruise? That must mean something doesn't it? If she can't get there how is she suppose to go on the cruise?

last year bad weather made it impossible for me to secure a flight to my embarkation point.  Royal Caribbean did not give any considerations (nor were they obligated to). My insurance company handled it.

EVERY travel insurance policy I have ever had contains a "political unrest" clause.

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fibola

fibola

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i dont have insurance , as in israel we usually purchase the insurance just before the trip , as the insurance company start billing on the effective date of purchase. i didn't purchase other coverage. 

the itinerary is from Tamp to the Caribbean. 

 

I KNOW THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RC POLICY AND THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS THE ALLOW TO DO SO- THIS IS NOT MY POINT. 

 

my point is that :

1. they are not respond to any of my emails .

2. when I contact directly to the travel agency in US (Priceline) they told them that as for now its 75% cancellation fee and in November 1st it will be 100% - so I cant wait until December to find out. 

3. my flight already cancelled and even if I can make huge efforts to find flight from Israel - who want to go to vacation - including cruise when your beloved ones stays here , some of them in actual duty - not me. 

4. they could have shown more flexibility / sensitivity.

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not-enough-cruising

not-enough-cruising

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, fibola said:

i dont have insurance , as in israel we usually purchase the insurance just before the trip , as the insurance company start billing on the effective date of purchase. i didn't purchase other coverage. 

the itinerary is from Tamp to the Caribbean. 

 

I KNOW THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RC POLICY AND THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS THE ALLOW TO DO SO- THIS IS NOT MY POINT. 

 

my point is that :

1. they are not respond to any of my emails .

2. when I contact directly to the travel agency in US (Priceline) they told them that as for now its 75% cancellation fee and in November 1st it will be 100% - so I cant wait until December to find out. 

3. my flight already cancelled and even if I can make huge efforts to find flight from Israel - who want to go to vacation - including cruise when your beloved ones stays here , some of them in actual duty - not me. 

4. they could have shown more flexibility / sensitivity.

Since you are booked with a Travel Agent, Royal will not deal with you directly (at least they will not on bookings I have ever made)

 

Unfortunately, I have never heard many good things about Priceline o their service; I wish you luck and safety.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted (edited)
31 minutes ago, fibola said:

 

4. they could have shown more flexibility / sensitivity.

The travel industry and cruise lines are known not to have flexibility. You are supposed to buy insurance and encouraged to do so. You did not buy insurance. You are not supposed to wait until just before the trip. You should have bought insurence before or at  final payment. Second you booked with an online travel agency which is just a booking agent that is not a full service travel agency. I would never book with the company you booked with.They are known only as order takers.  If you want to appeal to sensitivity I suggest emailing the CEO.  Some have had luck with that. I don't have the email address but some who have participated n this thread have it and will probably post it. There is still time to recieve a different answer than you have so far. 

Edited by Charles4515
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barbeyg

barbeyg

Posted
Posted (edited)
31 minutes ago, fibola said:

i dont have insurance , as in israel we usually purchase the insurance just before the trip , as the insurance company start billing on the effective date of purchase. i didn't purchase other coverage. 

the itinerary is from Tamp to the Caribbean. 

 

I KNOW THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RC POLICY AND THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS THE ALLOW TO DO SO- THIS IS NOT MY POINT. 

 

my point is that :

1. they are not respond to any of my emails .

2. when I contact directly to the travel agency in US (Priceline) they told them that as for now its 75% cancellation fee and in November 1st it will be 100% - so I cant wait until December to find out. 

3. my flight already cancelled and even if I can make huge efforts to find flight from Israel - who want to go to vacation - including cruise when your beloved ones stays here , some of them in actual duty - not me. 

4. they could have shown more flexibility / sensitivity.

I'm truly sorry that all of you in Israel are going thru this awful time.  I hope the best for Israel in this situation.  

 

Emails, unless directed to an individual, don't really get a great response from large companies like RCI.  And unfortunately, if you booked thru Priceline, they aren't the best with customer support either.  Third parties like that are great for pricing and (in my opinion) awful with customer service when you need them.  

 

As others have mentioned, this is a very large company, and like all the other cruise lines, after final payment date, they don't normally veer from the stated contract.  If this was a cruise scheduled to sail to Israel, because of the number of people affected, they would try to find alternative routes.  The cruises sailing from Israel were a unique circumstance in which sailings couldn't take place, which is why they were responsive to that.

 

I'm not sure you will get a resolution that is satisfactory to you.

Edited by barbeyg
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sandensea

sandensea

Posted
Posted

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

The issue is not the cruise but your ability to get to the embarcation point. Definitely a difficult scenario and I can understand your frustration. It is too bad you were unable to get insurance wtihin 21 days of booking.

 

I think your best path forward is keep trying to escalate and perhaps get future cruise credit if you find a sympathetic customer service rep. I don't see a refund occurring but you never know...

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SoloAlaska

SoloAlaska

Posted
Posted

Insurance probably wouldn’t have helped either since there has been a declaration of war by Israel. Request to defer the booking is your best bet. Should the company give you a refund because of something completely out of their control, No. Could the company do something, if they want to make a nice gesture then yes. 
 

All cruise lines are incredibly busy trying to deal with all the itineraries directly affected. Your email was not the priority compared to dealing with their customers affected in the region to be safe, rebooking upcoming affected itineraries, assisting with evacuations.

 

I hope you are safe and able to reach a compromise with RCI that has you happy in the end.

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firefly333

firefly333

Posted
Posted (edited)
9 hours ago, fibola said:

I'm sharing my recent experience with Royal Caribbean in the hopes that it highlights an issue that needs to be addressed. 
Despite reaching out to them over a week ago with a heartfelt request to cancel my cruise plan for December due to the ongoing situation of war in Israel, I have not received a response from them until now.
When I contacted a travel agent who assisted with my booking, I was informed that Royal Caribbean is unwilling to accommodate my request for a refund, except with a staggering 75% cancellation fee. This response left me surprised and deeply disheartened.
As many of you are aware, Israel recently faced a devastating terrorist attack that has been described as one of the most heinous acts since 9/11. This has led to a state of war in Israel, resulting in the cancellation of various flights to and from the region. My planned flight in November to the United States has also been affected, making it impossible for me to even consider going on the cruise.
What is particularly bewildering is that Royal Caribbean has offered full refunds to those who had booked cruises departing from Haifa Port in Israel, showing flexibility in response to the dire situation. This inconsistency raises questions about the company's commitment to fairness and understanding which is not for their Israeli customer but to the crew alone. 
I would expect at least that after two inquiries on the subject I would receive some kind of consideration and not total disregard.

While I understand your situation remember others also have last minute issues that crop up. I broke my wriste and my mother died. We had the funeral friday and I was supposed to be on a ship the next Monday.  I knew their cancellation policy and still didnt go. Sometimes you do the best you can, you dont assume some company should bend rules for you. 

 

I'm sure there are other threads you can read on cancellation and all of us had good reasons to cancel. Rules are rules. Who can decide who should have exceptions? They have to apply to all. 

Edited by firefly333
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JsMom2

JsMom2

Posted
Posted

You didn’t mention if you are unable to get out of Israel at all, since you just said that your flight was “affected”.  While I understand your situation is frustrating and stressful, it’s not up to Royal Caribbean to mitigate the consequences of a terrorist attack.  Perhaps you can reroute your itinerary.  
 

Yes, it’s a horrible situation,  But Royal Caribbean has a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders.  They can’t just give out refunds to every person who fails to take out insurance.  
 

I do have compassion for your situation.  But just don’t believe you are looking at the big picture here. 
 

Good luck to you. 

 

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