First and Last Cruise - Never Again

[dearheart]

I will spare everyone all the gory details, but suffice to say that this first cruise (our HONEYMOON!) will definitely be our last cruise.

 

Never have I been so disappointed in the lack of customer service from a company - Royal Caribbean and its associates.

 

Our flights were booked through RCI and when our first flight was cancelled, I tried to call to ask what we should do. No one was available at 9pm, so we made our own arrangements. Same story on the way home, when our flight from Dallas was also cancelled. Why do they tell you not to worry about a thing if you can't even reach them if you need them?

 

Four out of five of our shore excursions were cancelled. When we went to rebook, there was nothing else available either.

 

To top it all off, our credit card has now been charged in Canadian dollars (yes, we live in Canada). However, we specifically asked Guest Relations FIVE TIMES on board to ensure that we were billed in US dollars (as the exchange rate we get from our bank is much better than RCI's exchange rate). After being assured everything would be fine, we arrive home to find the charge in CAD.

 

After spending over two hours on the phone with an executive customer service agent, conferencing a call with the two of us to a customer service agent at the Visa call centre, and arguing with the RCI rep over and over again, it's still not fixed.

 

Any suggestions on what to do now?

[Atty]

I will spare everyone all the gory details, but suffice to say that this first cruise (our HONEYMOON!) will definitely be our last cruise.

 

Never have I been so disappointed in the lack of customer service from a company - Royal Caribbean and its associates.

 

Our flights were booked through RCI and when our first flight was cancelled, I tried to call to ask what we should do. No one was available at 9pm, so we made our own arrangements. Same story on the way home, when our flight from Dallas was also cancelled. Why do they tell you not to worry about a thing if you can't even reach them if you need them?

 

Four out of five of our shore excursions were cancelled. When we went to rebook, there was nothing else available either.

 

To top it all off, our credit card has now been charged in Canadian dollars (yes, we live in Canada). However, we specifically asked Guest Relations FIVE TIMES on board to ensure that we were billed in US dollars (as the exchange rate we get from our bank is much better than RCI's exchange rate). After being assured everything would be fine, we arrive home to find the charge in CAD.

 

After spending over two hours on the phone with an executive customer service agent, conferencing a call with the two of us to a customer service agent at the Visa call centre, and arguing with the RCI rep over and over again, it's still not fixed.

 

Any suggestions on what to do now?

 

I'm sorry to hear that your Honeymoon was not all that it should have been. The flight situation seems a bit out of line but the other two situations seem covered clearly in RCCL's documents. I have seen in many places in writing that RCI converts the charges to the guest's native currency. A good rule of thumb (not just in cruises but in general) is trust what you read; thats what is binding. As for the shore excursions, the only time I've ever seen them cancelled is because of weather which doesn't seem to be RCI's fault. That nothing else was available is unfortunate but not unusual. Shore excursions fill up fast.

 

I'm not sure that you want RCI to do about the shore excursions or following their written policy about charges. The flight situation I don't have experience with because I never book flights through the cruise line as I can always get better prices and times on my own.

 

It is a shame that your honeymoon was not as special as it should have been. I wouldn't turn off to cruises overall though just because you had problems this time. Try a different line. Book your own flight and your own shore excursions.

[dearheart]

I have seen in many places in writing that RCI converts the charges to the guest's native currency. A good rule of thumb (not just in cruises but in general) is trust what you read; thats what is binding. As for the shore excursions, the only time I've ever seen them cancelled is because of weather which doesn't seem to be RCI's fault. That nothing else was available is unfortunate but not unusual. Shore excursions fill up fast.

 

Thank you for your response. Let me clarify a few things.

 

RCI gives you the option of opting out of the currency conversion when you check in with them. After dealing with this several times on the ship, we (wrongly) assumed that they would fix it and do what they bound themselves to by written contract (we checked a box on our credit card form that indicated that we did not want to be charged in CAD.)

 

As for the shore excursions, there was nothing else available because the majority of the excursions on all days were cancelled. There were only a handful, maybe five or six, operating per day, period.

 

Any other suggestions?

[Atty]

Thank you for your response. Let me clarify a few things.

 

RCI gives you the option of opting out of the currency conversion when you check in with them. After dealing with this several times on the ship, we (wrongly) assumed that they would fix it and do what they bound themselves to by written contract (we checked a box on our credit card form that indicated that we did not want to be charged in CAD.)

 

As for the shore excursions, there was nothing else available because the majority of the excursions on all days were cancelled. There were only a handful, maybe five or six, operating per day, period.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Then there is nothing wrong with you fighting tooth and nail to get them to fulfill their contract obligations. Never having had to convert my currency I don't know how much we're talking about and whether it is worth it to fight. As for the shore excursions, I sympathize but I can't fault RCCL if the cancellations were weather related. Believe me, I've been on some excursions in smaller boats snorkling in very rough water that weren't fun :) I've had excursions cancelled and just used the money and found local excursions on the dock.

[HurricaneSally]

Thank you for your response. Let me clarify a few things.

 

RCI gives you the option of opting out of the currency conversion when you check in with them. After dealing with this several times on the ship, we (wrongly) assumed that they would fix it and do what they bound themselves to by written contract (we checked a box on our credit card form that indicated that we did not want to be charged in CAD.)

 

As for the shore excursions, there was nothing else available because the majority of the excursions on all days were cancelled. There were only a handful, maybe five or six, operating per day, period.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

If you had paid for your charges in US dollars before you left the ship, your credit card would not have been charged in CAD. That is what they mean by opting out of the CAD. Sorry about the shore excursions being cancelled, but you could have gotten great shore excursions right outside the ship, in the terminals. They always wait for cruisers leaving the ship to get you to see the island and tour with the locals. You don't have to just do the ship excursions.

[Lynnees]

If you had paid for your charges in US dollars before you left the ship, your credit card would not have been charged in CAD. That is what they mean by opting out of the CAD. Sorry about the shore excursions being cancelled, but you could have gotten great shore excursions right outside the ship, in the terminals. They always wait for cruisers leaving the ship to get you to see the island and tour with the locals. You don't have to just do the ship excursions.

 

You are mistaken about paying in US cash. Their contract does ask you which currency you want to be charged in Canadian or US and their is a box to be checked to let them know. They are not suppose to convert (by their own contract) if you don't want it converted.

[Slowboat2]

the only time I've ever seen them cancelled is because of weather which doesn't seem to be RCI's fault

Not entirely true. RCI has cancelled our excursions because there weren't enough people to fill the excusion!!!!

[klingoncruiser]

For what it is worth..... NEVER give up on a cruise line after just one cruise. It took us several years to return to Celebrity after a miserable cruise, but then had two wonderful cruises with them. The 4th one with them was the worst cruise yet. However, we still have not written them off. At some point you will find a cruise line that you really like and will be happy with. Good to shop around though.

[JanineM]

I can relate with the "miserable honeymoon" stories. On our honeymoon we both contracted montezuma's revenge, and for 10-days DH couldn't leave the hotel room for more than about 90 minutes. That's a lousy way to try to see Spain!

 

Anyway, here's my suggestion. WRITE to RCCI with your concerns about the exchange rate. Include any and all names of people you spoke to and politely explain the problem and what remedy you expect. You can't complain about excursions, because their cancelation is clearly outlined in the cruise documents. I don't know about your flights, but you might want to read ALL of the fine print before you set forth any expectations on that one. Remember that the cruise line does not have to reimburse you for anything related to weather, outside labour disputes, etc., etc.

 

Speaking of excursions, we have had them cancelled because the weather was TOO good ... when the winds were too calm for the America's Cup Sailing Regatta. It isn't always bad weather that cancels an excursion.

 

Check out RCCI's corporate web site and find the name of an individual to whom the letter should be addressed. Mail the letter, then wait about a week and then telephone and ask for that person's assistant. If you are asked what you are calling concerning, say that it is personal. Then calmly explain your problem and what you are looking for. I have found that assistants can be extremely helpful if you are rational, calm, and polite. This doesn't always solve the problem, but it is a good way to cut through the red tape.

 

I'm sure you have attempted this, but is there no way that your credit card company change make the change to the exchange rate?

 

Sorry you had a bad experience ... don't let it put you off of cruising completely!

 

Signed, a fellow Canuck

[MercedMike]

I can relate with the "miserable honeymoon" stories. On our honeymoon we both contracted montezuma's revenge, and for 10-days DH couldn't leave the hotel room for more than about 90 minutes. That's a lousy way to try to see Spain!...

 

LOL -- Now THAT'S a miserable Honeymoon!

 

Sort of makes a couple of late flights and a percentage point or two on a credit card look a bit foolish, doesn't it??

 

Geez, folks, when you travel, stuff happens. Don't let it ruin a whole week's cruising!

[sgttami]

I understand your disappointment. My son went on his honeymoon cruise in May (not RCI) and their ship was delayed due to a passenger jumpng overboard. Instead of sailing at 5:00 PM, they never left till 5:00 AM the next morning. Although their cruiseline did contact them by phone twice to let them know about the delay and to not arrive at the pier early, they still had to reschedule their limo driver to the pier who had other bookings that he had to reschedule.(No flights were involved since the ship left from NY).

 

They still sat for several hours in the terminal with hundreds of others. No food available, cranky people etc..They finally boarded the ship at 1:00 AM!!

 

They missed a port due to the delay, two of their excursions were cancelled (I forget why) and the one they were really looking forward to (St. John tour) was cancelled that morning because the tour boat broke down. They did the St. Thomas tour instead and were in a Taxi accident near Paradise Point!! No one was hurt but they were delayed by the police and missed 90% of the tour. They made it back to the ship about ten minutes before it left. (They did book the tour through the ship with about 20 others).

 

Some of their luggage never made it to the cabin until the second day. A few other negatives currently skip my mind.

 

On the good note, they got a $100 shipboard credit for the delay, full refund of the St. Thomas tour AND another $50 shipboard credit for that turmoil. My son won $900 at Bingo and his wife won $500 in the casino right before they came home. We had paid for the cruise as a wedding gift and gave them a shipboard credit as well. All in all, despite the aggravation, they still said they had a great time, even if they hadn't gotten the $$ perks!! They loved the ship and the cruise. It was their second each.

 

As far as the credit card....DH and I were in Vancouver last year prior to our Alaska cruise. I was told that a certain VISA is the card to use because our Canadian purchases would automatically be converted to US$$. I got the VISA specifically for the trip. When we got the statement, they weren't converted and when I contacted the CC company was given all kinds of "babble" which never did get resolved and I finally just paid the bill and forgot about it and cancelled that card. It wasn't worth the aggravation. We used a different CC on the ship as planned.

 

So despite the bad, did you enjoy the overall aspect of cruising???

 

If you give it another chance, book your own air and excursions(for the most part)....

 

Happy New Year

 

 

Pam

[Cruisin'Kim]

To top it all off, our credit card has now been charged in Canadian dollars (yes, we live in Canada). However, we specifically asked Guest Relations FIVE TIMES on board to ensure that we were billed in US dollars (as the exchange rate we get from our bank is much better than RCI's exchange rate). After being assured everything would be fine, we arrive home to find the charge in CAD.

 

After spending over two hours on the phone with an executive customer service agent, conferencing a call with the two of us to a customer service agent at the Visa call centre, and arguing with the RCI rep over and over again, it's still not fixed.

 

Any suggestions on what to do now?

 

We had the same thing happen to us last year - we had checked off the U.S. currency, and paid with a U.S. Visa. When I received my Credit card bill, they had converted it to Canadian currency (at their rate), then the credit card company had to convert it back to U.S.!

 

I called customer relations a litte while ago before going on our cruise this month, and they told me to go to the Pursers desk when I board and specifically tell them that I want to be charged in U.S. funds. They then told me that if it somehow got mssed, to call them when I got home and they would reimburse me the difference - judging what you're going through, I guess I'm not going to hold my breath that they'll accomodate my request this time. The actual charges for the cruise are always charged in U.S. funds as per my request without any problems, it just seems to be my onboard charges they have a problem with.

 

I'm so sorry that you had such a stressful time on your honeymoon, but don't give up on cruising - I still think it's the best way to vacation!!

 

Kim.

[unowho6]

Good luck with the currency conversion problem.

 

Twice now we have checked the box telling them to charge in US and both time they have converted to CDN. Guest relations also assured us it would be done but of course it wasn't.

[Scorpiorose]

I personally never book air with the cruise line. They are known for over charging on the air. Secondly....I don't book excursions with the ship either. I research on these boards....on the internet....and book privately. I'd encourage you to try these things before giving up! You didn't say how the rest of it was? Once we didn't book any excursions on purpose and had a great time. Not everything was perfect but......anyway! There does seem to be a relaxed attitude about pleasing the customer EVERYWHERE these days. Fight for what you deserve and dont' give up! Best of luck!

[Scorpiorose]

Oh.....and I've learned.....book with a local TA who'll back what they say. They have more at risk if you are not satisfied and are better at customer service!

[MercedMike]

....I don't book excursions with the ship either. I research on these boards....on the internet....and book privately...

 

Well, in this case it is not clear why the shore excursions were cancelled. Was the ship late getting to port? Were they unable to tender because of weather? There must have been some reason. Presumably they were refunded the price of the cancelled excursion.

 

OTOH if you had booked privately as you say you do, you would have been out the cost of the excursion, or at least your deposit. Many private companies demand a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the price. So instead of just losing your excursion you could have lost a chunk of money too.

 

I'm not opposed to booking privately. We do it quite a lot. But you just need to be aware that it is not risk free and you have to realize your possible losses.

[Michelle!]

You are mistaken about paying in US cash. Their contract does ask you which currency you want to be charged in Canadian or US and their is a box to be checked to let them know. They are not suppose to convert (by their own contract) if you don't want it converted.

 

You are right, but I have had this happen to me, where I have checked the appropriate box for charges to be made in US currency. Departure day, my bill reflected a CAD amount. I had to wait in line at the purser's desk to have this reversed. If I was in a time constraint, this may have been quite difficult. The best defense is to ensure your account on the final night/morning show a US dollar amount before disembarking.

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

If you had paid for your charges in US dollars before you left the ship, your credit card would not have been charged in CAD. That is what they mean by opting out of the CAD.

That is not correct. The cruiseline does give you a choice on which currency you would like to be billed in unfortunately they do it their way no matter which option you choose. On my last three cruises not only did I choose to be billed in US but I also wrote in huge block letters across the top to bill me in US funds. Of course when the final bill was delivered to the stateroom it was converted to Canadian both times at a rate much higher than what my own visa company would have charged me. I solved this problem by going to the pursers desk and paying off the balance shown before conversion with US travellers cheques but this isn't something I should have to do in order to solve their mistake.....IMO.

 

The thing that I find most frustrating is why give me a choice if my choice is not going to be followed. Yes the bill can be paid by cash at the end of the cruise to avoid this but its ridiculous that you have to do this when an option of billing currency is given.

 

I do feel the OPs frustration with regards to cancelled shore excursions also. I had an excursion booked that RCI cancelled before the cruise but rather than give me an option of an OB credit for the refund or another excursion they refunded my visa card and then sent me an email saying my excursion was cancelled. Needless to say I lost money on the deal due to the conversion rates and I didn't even go anywhere. It would have been just as effective to simply burn the money since I paid money to do nothing!:rolleyes: I didn't want the frustration so I just chalked it up to one of those things that happen. However, unlike the OP.......I love cruising and it would take more than this to change my mind.

 

Dearheart- I would write a letter to RCI and tell them to look at your copy of your sail and sign and request that they correct their billing mistake immediately. If you still have a copy of your invoice I would include a copy of that with your letter also. Although I agree that its frustrating I would not let it turn you off of cruising. Plus depending on why the excursions were cancelled it may have been a blessing in disguise especially if it were due to weather related issues. If you lost money on the deal like I did than I would also explain this in you letter about the cancelled excursions. Good luck!:)

 

Sandie

 

 

[BobBeaSea]

Dearheart, bummer about the problems. I may have missed it but what ship, itinerary and sail date was your cruise? How was the rest of the cruise, ship, cabin, food etc.?

 

As far as the exchange rate problem this is an RCI standard "scam". You can fill in your docs properly, write in big letters, visit Customer Relations onboard and "request" until you are blue in the face....same result. It is big money, gravy actually for RCI so I understand why they ignore instructions. This very thing happened to us in 2005 and 2006 and I was forewarned and took steps both times...never made a difference. Since you get your bill late the last night they are counting on people not wanting to line up at Guest Relations the day of disembarkation. Pretty shoddy behaviour by RCI....

[mrdood]

Not everyone is cut out for cruising, if they didn't absolutely love being on board just to enjoy all that, then maybe cruising is not their bag. I know we all hang out here because we like it, but not everyone does, which is fine...

[tkportersat]

I am sorry you had a bad trip and I hope you get your credit card problem resolved. I agree that you should definitely write a letter and follow up to make sure they take care of you.

 

I hope you won't base all cruise vacations on this one trip. Unfortunately when traveling by ship certain weather situations are beyond their control. I think all of us have had an excursion cancelled, a port change, or trip cut short by weather at some point or another - I have only had 3 of my cruises not affected in any way. I have also gotten on a tender when we probably shouldn't have been allowed to and had the boat slamming into the ship repeatedly and making it difficult for people to cross over and thought maybe it wasn't a great idea. Overall they are looking out for passenger safety, so while it is disappointing to not have everything go smoothly you have to put it in perspective.

 

I wish you many happy years as a couple :)

[broberts]

As far as the exchange rate problem this is an RCI standard "scam". You can fill in your docs properly, write in big letters, visit Customer Relations onboard and "request" until you are blue in the face....same result. It is big money, gravy actually for RCI so I understand why they ignore instructions. This very thing happened to us in 2005 and 2006 and I was forewarned and took steps both times...never made a difference. Since you get your bill late the last night they are counting on people not wanting to line up at Guest Relations the day of disembarkation. Pretty shoddy behaviour by RCI....

 

After reading the numerous posts regarding this problem I'm forewarned. I've used a highlighter on my SetSail pass to emphasize my election to be billed in US$. I'm contemplating asking whoever is checking me in to initial and write their employee number beside the check mark on my copy of the SetSail pass. If I have problems aboard, I guess I'll have to get someone at the Purser's desk to add their initials and employee number.

 

Perhaps I'm being overly cautious. Has anyone not had a problem with this. In other words, has anyone asked that their credit card be billed in US$ and actually had that happen?

[LLSullie]

Thank you for your response. Let me clarify a few things.

 

RCI gives you the option of opting out of the currency conversion when you check in with them. After dealing with this several times on the ship, we (wrongly) assumed that they would fix it and do what they bound themselves to by written contract (we checked a box on our credit card form that indicated that we did not want to be charged in CAD.)

 

As for the shore excursions, there was nothing else available because the majority of the excursions on all days were cancelled. There were only a handful, maybe five or six, operating per day, period.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Hi DearHeart ... CONGRATULATIONS on you marriage ! ! !

 

It was very disheartening to hear of your issues with RCCL. If you still have the paperwork printed with the box checked for US currency that is your solution for updating your charges.

 

Regarding your shore excursions, as we don't really have a clear idea as to why they were canceled I can't really speak to that. It would seem that there should have been some reason why they were canceled.

 

I had a not so good experience on my first cruise, cruise booked airfare. I won't make that mistake again. Booked a day early on my own, second cruise was a breeze. I booked all of my own excursions due to info received on this wonderful site :p And did things with people I met onboard.

 

Please don't let this one cruise make up your mind. RCCL is an excellent line. Give them a call back with all of your paperwork in hand, I'm sure they will work with you.

 

Was there anything good about your cruise? I can't imagine a honeymoon could be all bad ;)

[CrazyCruiseCanuck]

To the OP....sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your cruise. Perhaps you will try another some day and have a much better outcome.

 

To those Canadians who have tried in vain to have their credit cards charged in U.S. dollars.....be persistent.

 

We have taken 6 cruises with Royal Caribbean, and although I, too, check the 'do not convert' box on every piece of paperwork, the final bill is always quoted in Canadian dollars. I now make a habit of visiting the Pursor's desk on the final evening ( I just build it into the cruise routine....pack for disembarkation, have a final drink with new friends, see the farewell show, go to the Pursor's desk to fix RCCL's screw-up with the charges!!:p ). I have them correct the issue in my account file, then have them print out a copy of the bill quoting only in U.S. dollars. Although it's a pain to have to do this on every cruise, I have yet to see the RCCL charge come through in Canadian dollars on my credit card.

 

Stand your ground.....it may take a few minutes out of your cruise vacation, but don't let the cruiseline consistently go against your wishes.

 

Maybe someday it won't be necessary to correct this EVERY time.!:D

[dearheart]

Thanks for all the replies and helpful suggestions (from most people).

 

Let me just say that in no way was our honeymoon "ruined." Never did I say that. We made the best of everything and still had a great time - but ONLY due to us, NOT due to RCI. And, as I mentioned, I'm sparing you ALL the details. There were MANY.

 

After spending over two hours on the phone with RCI yesterday, I have absolutely no faith that this credit card issue will be resolved. And we're talking quite a substantial amount of money here. Not only did we pay several thousands of dollars for our honeymoon, in total, this amount, while pittance compared to that, is still valuable to us. So please don't make light of that. And, even more so, it's the principle that matters to us. If you say that you're going to bill in US dollars, then please bill in US dollars.

 

Our shore excursions were all cancelled due to non-participation by guests, NOT weather related issues. And, as I mentioned previously, we tried to rebook all of them through RCI with no luck, as only five or six excursions were available PER DAY. The majority of ALL excursions were cancelled due to non-participation.

 

Yes, of course, RCI reimbursed us for the amount. However, we had pre-booked all excursions three months in advance. So we were out that money (that could have been earning significant interest in our high-yield savings account) for quite awhile.

 

And, as this was our first cruise (and our first time to the Caribbean), we felt more comfortable booking excursions through RCI, just in case. I had read all the horror stories on here of people getting left behind and I didn't want that to happen to us on a very special vacation.

 

Oh, and we did request that Guest Relations change our billing back to US dollars...FIVE times while on board, including the last night of the cruise. When we got our final bill in the morning, it said "US dollars," so we figured they had finally figured it out. Not quite, apparently. Like I said, we got home and it had already been converted by RCI on our Visa bill.

 

Cruising is just not for us. The islands were beautiful, and we're likely to return, but not via a ship.