Royal Caribbean Insensitivity (understatement)

[alfaeric]

Bad situation to be in. But it seems as much an issue with the TA as it is with Royal. And I agree that you need to talk to a person as opposed to emails. Or at least email the top boss- which comes up pretty regularly here. That, I bet, would work- as it did for us concerning a much more minor concern. 
 

At least they should be able to change it to a future cruise credit. 

[firefly333]

10 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.

Try emailing.. at least a 2nd opinion. Cant hurt. Probably wouldnt help bit  ake you feel like you tried.

 

Mbayley@rccl.com 

[fibola]

Thank you all. 
i talked with Royal caribbean customer service today , and they told me , very sorry but please contact your travel agent (that i already did and they refused to them). 
thank you all for your emphatic and helpful suggestion, but it seems that I'm in a limbo when RC tell me to contact my travel agent and when my travel agent do so RC refuse)🥴🥴🥴

Seems like the money went down the drain. 

 

Has anyone maybe know on a decent platform where people sell their tickets (I think I allow to do so) 

Even If I'll sell it in 40-50% discount, it be better than 75% cancellation fee. 

 

Thank you 

[SoloAlaska]

1 hour ago, neverbeenhere said:

My flights are frequently affected, I book a new flight.  If the OP lives in Israel that is a totally different issue, but I don't read that.

Also OP has stated that even if they can get another flight they have no interest on going on this trip at this point.

[pcur]

If you used a credit card to pay for the cruise, have you contacted them about this?  Many credit cards come with trip cancellation / interruption coverage.  Here's hoping you can get some of your money back.

 

And, don't do an online "bot" chat:  speak to a human customer service staff member.

[Tree_skier]

3 hours ago, orville99 said:

Move the cruise to a future date, eat the $200 change fee, and deal with the airline issue separately.

Can you move dates for only $200 once you are inside final payment.  I thought inside final change fees = cancel fees?

[firefly333]

1 minute ago, Tree_skier said:

Can you move dates for only $200 once you are inside final payment.  I thought inside final change fees = cancel fees?

Yes its too late, he is past final payment. I saw that post then couldnt find it later, but agree, too late. Cant move dates this late. 

[dani negreanu]

6 hours 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.

 

Living in Israel, I feel for you.

 

BUT, for future reference, I'm always purchasing travel insurance the moment I'm booking an expensive vacation. YES, they bill you right away, but, considering the cost of a cruise + flight from Israel to Texas, that's peanuts. Worth it for the peace of mind.

 

In years and years of travel, I was lucky to never need the insurance. Until last March, when DH had to go to ER, 3 hours before the flight to a much awaited and expensive trip to Morocco. All expenses, including the cost of the Moroccan visa, were reimbursed, minus 50$. That's all.

 

Regarding your flight -- If you're flying El Al, they're very accommodating.

 

If you're flying with any other company, since they've all cancelled their flights to Israel, I know for a fact that they're reimbursing the cost, with some companies even adding 20% as a compensation for the inconvenience caused.

 

Your best bet will be to change sail date, and "eat" part of the cost. Good luck.

 

[Merion_Mom]

2 hours ago, fibola said:

Thank you all. 
i talked with Royal caribbean customer service today , and they told me , very sorry but please contact your travel agent (that i already did and they refused to them). 
thank you all for your emphatic and helpful suggestion, but it seems that I'm in a limbo when RC tell me to contact my travel agent and when my travel agent do so RC refuse)🥴🥴🥴

Seems like the money went down the drain. 

 

Has anyone maybe know on a decent platform where people sell their tickets (I think I allow to do so) 

Even If I'll sell it in 40-50% discount, it be better than 75% cancellation fee. 

 

Thank you 

 

Alas, no, you cannot "sell" your booking.

[sgmn]

Surely a large corporate travel company like Royal Caribbean can do the right thing in this case, their passenger is in a war zone!

OP, I hope you are in a safe area and that you, your travel agent and Royal Caribbean can work something out

[orville99]

3 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Can you move dates for only $200 once you are inside final payment.  I thought inside final change fees = cancel fees?

 

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Yes its too late, he is past final payment. I saw that post then couldnt find it later, but agree, too late. Cant move dates this late. 

Did not know that, thanks. It may be a point of negotiation with Customer Service at RCL given the circumstances - at least worth a shot for the OP.

[Cigar King]

I love how you made your problem part of the larger geo-political issue.  I mean, clearly there were no steps you could have taken to mitigate this issue.  Well played sir.

[cindyscruise]

It only  cost $200 to change your cruise to another date.  That would be better then losing the entire amount.  Talk to your travel agent about doing that.

[firefly333]

15 minutes ago, cindyscruise said:

It only  cost $200 to change your cruise to another date.  That would be better then losing the entire amount.  Talk to your travel agent about doing that.

As at least 3 posters said ... the OP is past final payment and the $100 pp change fee is only before final payment. Sometimes it helps to read other posts before posting so you wouldn't post incorrect information. Now you know the rule for next time. 

 

I suggested to the OP to write mbayley the VP. His office is good about answering. 

 

I dont know what else to suggest, and posted I ran into issues myself last January and lost my cruise money. My mom died. I'm the only trustee, I had to miss my cruise. Everyone has a good reason who wants to cancel after final payment, not just a whim.

Edited October 19, 2023 by firefly333

[cruising sister]

I had good luck posting my problem on their Facebook page. I made sure I only posted the facts without being mean. I also wrote to the email listed for MBayley and got a quick response from both. Everything was settled satisfactorily. Please do both. 

[firefly333]

28 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

I had good luck posting my problem on their Facebook page. I made sure I only posted the facts without being mean. I also wrote to the email listed for MBayley and got a quick response from both. Everything was settled satisfactorily. Please do both. 

Good to hear. I've had good luck with that email is why I posted it here. They do answer fairly fast. 

[volk904]

Tough spot for the OP to be in.  Clearly you should have taken out travel insurance by the time final payment was made for such a long trip.  That said the OP said they usually take out the insurance just before the trip.  I guess for most things this works but not this.  Maybe you take the travel insurance now and if your flight does not fly it would provide coverage?  If the fight is already canceled maybe not. 
 

 

I would follow some suggestions in this thread. 
 

check with your CC company. They may have built in coverage. Pretty sure Visa or MC does.  
 

Email the president or VP at Royal with your issue.  Maybe they will work out a future credit or refund.  I am sure someone on here can give you email address.  
 

Finally remember getting to the port is a customer issue unless you booked flights with cruise line.  Since the cruise is still on they usually follow their policy.  

Edited October 20, 2023 by volk904

[Morecruisesplz]

29 minutes ago, volk904 said:

Tough spot for the OP to be in.  Clearly you should have taken out travel insurance by the time final payment was made for such a long trip.  That said the OP said they usually take out the insurance just before the trip.  I guess for most things this works but not this.  Maybe you take the travel insurance now and if your flight does not fly it would provide coverage?  If the fight is already canceled maybe not. 
 

 

I would follow some suggestions in this thread. 
 

check with your CC company. They may have built in coverage. Pretty sure Visa or MC does.  
 

Email the president or VP at Royal with your issue.  Maybe they will work out a future credit or refund.  I am sure someone on here can give you email address.  
 

Finally remember getting to the port is a customer issue unless you booked flights with cruise line.  Since the cruise is still on they usually follow their policy.  

Thx for repeating all those earlier suggestions. 

[fibola]

3 hours ago, cruising sister said:

I had good luck posting my problem on their Facebook page. I made sure I only posted the facts without being mean. I also wrote to the email listed for MBayley and got a quick response from both. Everything was settled satisfactorily. Please do both. 

That was the first thing I wanted to do but it seems that there is no option to post anything at RC Facebook page 

[travelberlin]

Amazing the lack of empathy of many posters…For those posters who believe travel insurance covers everything, you better read the terms and conditions of your insurance. The OP seems to be unable to fly due to a war situation in his country. From internet:

 

”Most travel insurance policies exclude war, acts of war, and political unrest from trip cancellation coverage, meaning most claims related to those events are denied. However, trip insurance policies are vague regarding the definition of war, resulting in each claim being handled individually.”

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, travelberlin said:

Amazing the lack of empathy of many posters…For those posters who believe travel insurance covers everything, you better read the terms and conditions of your insurance. The OP seems to be unable to fly due to a war situation in his country. From internet:

 

”Most travel insurance policies exclude war, acts of war, and political unrest from trip cancellation coverage, meaning most claims related to those events are denied. However, trip insurance policies are vague regarding the definition of war, resulting in each claim being handled individually.”

Whether insurance would cover depends on the type of policy. If not cancel for any reason probably insurance would not cover because flights have resumed into and out of Israel. So OP is able to fly. Insurance is not going to pay out for empathy reasons and Royal Caribbean probably not for sensitivity or empathy reasons if appealed to when OP can fly to the cruise. OP not wanting to go now because of what happened is not going to be a good enough reason. 

[Greyhoundcat]

19 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Jeez. Tough crowd. Normally rules are rules but this is far from an ordinary situation. You will probably have to make contact yourself via an executive to get attention on the issue rather than a customer service agent reading off a script. 

Agree %1000. 

[chfenton]

Question--Everyone that is mentioning travel insurance--aren't acts of terrorism/declaration of war reasons that insurance will not pay?

[not-enough-cruising]

14 minutes ago, chfenton said:

Question--Everyone that is mentioning travel insurance--aren't acts of terrorism/declaration of war reasons that insurance will not pay?

Depends on the policy. My annual policy covers these events 

[Charles4515]

6 minutes ago, chfenton said:

Question--Everyone that is mentioning travel insurance--aren't acts of terrorism/declaration of war reasons that insurance will not pay?

It depends on the policy. In this case it is a moot point as OP did not buy insurance. We mention insurance because OP did not purchase insurance. The cruise industry model is you put down a deposit and you have a specified date to make final payment and after that if you cancel you are penalized an amount up to the whole payment. Both the cruise lines and third parties sell insurance to cover individuals losses from trip delays or medical emergencies etc. Some policies are cancel for any reason. Cruise lines don't operate on a you can cancel anytime for any reason model. They excpect customers to buy insurance. Some roll the dice and don't insure to save money. Cruise lines must hire employees and stock supplies based on bookings. They expect customers to buy insurance. Since the OP did not insure their trip their only recourse is to appeal to the good will of the cruise line. Several have posted here an email address to appeal to for a refund or other mitigation. The cruise line does not have to do anything for OP but they might. It does not hurt to ask.. I hope that the cruise line gives them a refund or a FCC but I won't predict an outcome.