Soverign of the Seas should be SORRY ON THE SEA

[nlcentralchmps03]

I don't understand why he/she hasn't come back to defend themself yet.

 

I also want to hear more about the trip.

[StormGoddess]

First, I would say if you do not want your child purchasing on board, do not set up a spending account oh his SeaPass card. There is no punch for not spending, the punch just designates age groups. If you set up his SeaPass card with a spending account, they can go all out on it. Second, depending on how long ago your sailing was, it can take 30 business days to remove transactions from a credit card.

 

As for the late to Nassau thing, it happens. I mean, I'm sorry you missed your tour but things do happen. The ship is not always late, as I know people that take this exact cruise ONCE A MONTH...or more.

 

I do agree that the terrorist alert is a terrible error, but I am sure it was just that...an error. But to say the RCCL doesn't care, is just ludicrous. They hardly try to run everyone off the ship at lightning speeds, and I would highy doubt by intentionally posting an alert of terrorism.

 

But in reality, if you think the things that happened to you are an isolated incident, I would say travel more and talk to others. Most airports have become atrocious with the things they do, not that I would complain, afterall it is security and such for us, the passengers. Write a letter, I would say in a civilized manner, not like you did here, explaining the situations. If you are courteous, you are bound to get courtesy back. Personally, if I recieved a complaint in the manner in which this original post was made, I'd probably hang up on them.

[gatorchellie]

I believe we got into Nassau aroun 1145ish?! I know the captain came on board and was happy because the weather got us in earlier than expected. Where I was, playing bingo, =) I did not witness one angry or upset person with the time of arrival. I believe the Cruise Compass even stated we weren't to arrive until 12 anyway.

[Aquahound]

Next they allowed my 11 year old son to make purchases on his card which was punched to show he was not to be extended credit.

 

I'm wondering how his card was activated for purchases to begin with. Every RCI cruise I've been on, I had to approve each card holder to charge on my account and sign to it when setting up my onboard credit.

[suezyq50]

We were on Dec.11-15 Sovereign cruise. We actually arrived in Nassau ahead of schedule. We enjoyed our cruise very much. That is why we returned.

[The Big Booper]

The OP has not returned here; that speaks volumes about him / her. And well meaning CCers take this person seriously.

 

JMHO

[Dockman123]

I'll start by saying I know this is a budget cruise but that isn't an excuse for everything. The problems started when we were an hour and a half late getting into Nassau. I had booked a shore excursion with Stewarts Cove which we missed. I knew it would be tight on time and made arrangements ahead of time should the ship be late. I later found out the ship always gets into Nassau between 12 and 12:30, not the 11:00am that was on the schedule.

 

If we use another vendor (other then RCI) one of the first questions I ask is what is the cancellation policy in the event the ship is late or possibly misses the port. Our upcoming cruise his policy is that he doesn't have one because he doesn't collect the money until after the tour. That way if the ship doesn't make it there is no problem with refunds or the loss of your payment.

[NYPFIA]

I should have been more specific on my original post. First the incident of my son charging merchandise. He knew he was not permitted to make any purchases and he is very responsible. When we attended the comedy show (Rated G) the commedian made the comment he would be signing copies of his DVD after the show and they were free! Just show your sign and sail card! It was a joke that went over my 11 year olds head. He went and got what he thought was a free DVD. They took his card and had him sign for it. When I tried to return it the individual that sold it to him was gone. I went straight to guest relations and was given the run around. It wasn't so much the cost as it was and still is the fact they won't correct such a simple problem. When they finally did take it back I had to demand a reciept for the item and it still showed up on my final bill.

Regarding the shore excursion we booked. I booked with a private company rather than RCCL because I had used them before through another cruise line. It was a much better trip than anything RCCL was offering. I did not get charged for it. I knew I would be calling it close on the times and prearranged a cancelation if the ship was late. I was upset because my room stewart told me they regularly made port closer to 12 rather than the 11am they advertised.

Another disapointment and something people may want to consider when booking a cruise is the amount of times you skip a stop because you can not be tendered to shore. I know it is for safety and I am not blaming RCCL but in the future I will stick with cruises that actually dock at a port. Talking with people on the ship afterwards we learned it's quite common to spend the day at sea if the water is to rough to tender you to shore. It always hurts to see your kids disapointed and they were looking forward to spending the day swimming and on the beach. They were bored on the ship.

On a good note, RCCL has the embarkment and disembarkment down to a science. It was much better than the others we have used. Also Port Canaveral is much better than Miami. We also found the food to be very good for a budget cruise.

In closing I would say not everthing that went wrong was RCCL's fault. My biggest complaint was the service at guest relations and the Terrorist threat message left on the disembarkment instructions. We all learn a little on every trip and we will sail again!

[Merion_Mom]

Welcome back! :)

[GoinCruisin]

Another disapointment and something people may want to consider when booking a cruise is the amount of times you skip a stop because you can not be tendered to shore. I know it is for safety and I am not blaming RCCL but in the future I will stick with cruises that actually dock at a port. Talking with people on the ship afterwards we learned it's quite common to spend the day at sea if the water is to rough to tender you to shore. It always hurts to see your kids disapointed and they were looking forward to spending the day swimming and on the beach. They were bored on the ship.

 

Rarely will you find a cruise that doesn't have a tender port... and it's really not all that common to miss a port. If the water is rough or there are high winds, sure you will miss it... but I think I've missed a total of 2 ports in 6 cruises... I think you will be missing out if you try to only cruise on ships that dock at every port. We always seem to stop in Belize which is tendered... I have no desire to stop there so I just stay on the ship... Rather than have your kids disappointed, explain to them that ports can be missed, cancelled or skipped for any reason... just as we know that, the kids should know that too... avoid the disappointment. Many kids actually enjoy staying on the ship with their friends... perhaps if they know ahead of time that the ports are never guaranteed, they won't be so disappointed. Good luck!!

[BearySweet2Cruise]

I'm wondering how his card was activated for purchases to begin with. Every RCI cruise I've been on, I had to approve each card holder to charge on my account and sign to it when setting up my onboard credit.

 

yes and I agree with that.. I always set my daughters up with no spending allowed, but as I said earlier, you still have to go to guest relations and have the card scanned to verify no spending allowed.. I have found that most of the time, the card WAS invalid for shopping, but I also found on other times that is WAS activated, when it should not have been :eek: . I worry not that she will spend anything, (because she would not) but fear more that if she lost it, someone could do alot of damage to my seapass account.:eek:

[pcur]

Guest relations on the sov are a joke. Our bathroom was not working for 3 out of our 4 day (honeymoon) cruise...guest relations did nothing and on my final call to ask to move our cabin, I was told no and the problem "is what it is" and was hung up on.

My first phone call to RC when I was home to report this wasn’t even recorded, and then my second call to RC I spoke with a very nice person who investigated the incidents and issued me and my wife each a $75 credit and apologized for both incidents.

 

Off topic comment here:

 

OK everybody, PASS THE WORD around....

if you have a problem INSIDE your cabin with something not right or not working, you ask for the HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER. They are the ones who get the plumbers, electricians, cleaners, etc. in there. Customer Service just passes the word. Go to the person that is responsible for solving your problem. Inside = housekeeping; it's on the phone's directory. Ask for the manager to come to the cabin.

 

Education is the key to successful problem solving on a cruise.

 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled thread...............

[jimmyatc]

If my child charged things after being told not to, Royal Caribbean would not be the one I'd be having serious conversations with.

 

Well said :) :) .... you win the "Greatest Parent" award for 2006 !!

 

Jim