**Need fast advice (cruise tomorrow Mon) from experienced cruisers!! :-)

[cindyd100]

Hi there..good evening!

I will try to post this somehere else also, under questions, or complaints, but perhaps this is a good place for advice from you seasoned cruisers. ;)

I cruise tomorrow, Monday, 10/15 with RCL Sovereign of the Seas.

 

This is long, but I need to vent about something, and was hoping if you cruise a lot, you might have some advice for me if you have successfully changed cabin once on board! Any last-minute advice would be greatly appreciated! :p

 

I am STILL trying to get a better outside room. (called 3 times since booking after finding better deals available on RCL's website) I usually don't complain about anything. It takes a lot to get to me. I take it in stride, but every once in a while, if I feel something is wrong, it hits a nerve. As a solo cruiser, I paid much, much more than for 2 people was only given ONE choice for a cabin--all because I was traveling solo. CSR confirmed it. What can I say tomorrow at guest relations without paying more? I think they have 3 or so oceanview cabins still left. My first idea is to just ask and if they say no, just thank them, but I feel that true cruisers may have a way of asking in a more specific way that could help.

 

Here goes the whole story….When I booked online with RCL, I got only ONE choice of outside rooms, just 1, no other floors, or categories open....2148.....HATED it, but it's the only week I could go and it's only 45 minutes away, and I really needed to get away. So I took the only one they offered and got bottom floor, very last cabin at back of ship and paid more than the single supplement (200%-paid for 2 people) :( I called RCL right after to ask about only having 1 outside available, and the CSR said, "Oh there are lots of oceanviews open, we just don't offer them to solo travelers". He named of about 10 cabins before I stopped him. I checked online, and sure enough, when you put in 2 people, it gave me many categories and room types!!! What?? I paid the price for more than 2 people, and I can't even get a cabin a little higher up? I had ONE choice only. They offered me the worst cabin because they thought their on-board revenue would be lower. Talk about being treated unfairly! :eek:

 

I kept checking on the computer, (for 2 people, of course, so I would know what was REALLY open) and I saw an oceanview "guarantee" come up with the total for 2 people way less than what I paid as a solo. This whole calling and calling back started about 1 week after booking my cabin, ending today.) I called to tell them about the price difference. Perhaps they would revise my price, or better yet, if I could get switched to an OV guarantee, at least I would have a chance at not getting my cabin…the room above the propellers! I called and got a new person who didn't understand how to switch a guarantee and delete the second traveler, so by the time she cancelled my original res, and went to go get the guarantee, the deal went off computer, and someone else took my original room!

(I found out later she did it backwards...supposed to get the new room first, then spend the time cancelling the old room) Oh no! After holding a long time, she got the bad room back and had the nerve to tell that she could honor my original “more than 200% price”, since the price had gone up...as if I should thank her!! I didn't even really understand what she was doing, only that she said she could get me the guarantee. Not knowing what to do, she transferred me to a nice Gal in Customer Resolutions to see if she could get the guarantee back. She couldn't….it was gone for now. Only the "revenue dept" releases rooms....first come, first serve. She felt really bad for me about all this, and she told me insider info :rolleyes: on exactly what to say to the CSR when I see the guarantee come back up, and said to call them, but even with the "insider info" on how to tell them to change it quickly, they just can't seem to get it right, and the deal disappears while on the phone. Have tried 3 times, each phone call 45 minutes. As of today, the CSR said my last resort is to try Guest Relations when I get on-board. They will have all the notes of what's gone on with phone calls on my reservation in the system, and that I am unhappy about my room. (and that I feel I was discriminated against being offered only 1 choice of a bad room at 200%!) I think they only had a couple OV cabins open. The last CSR today said the final guest list/closing was going over to the ship in just a few minutes after my call with her. I understand paying the 2 person price, but I think it is poor treatment to solos when they give bad cabins just because the person is traveling alone. I must say all this has put a bad taste in my mouth with RCCL. I have never had any problems with cabins or bookings before, never complanined either. I know I'll have fun, I'm sure, but it would be nice to not have to trak the entire ship with a littl 14: round hole window at teh price I paid. Any advice would be appreciated on successful room changes and how to ask at Guest Relations once on the ship, would be wholeheartedly be appreciated! Thank you for your time!!!

Cindy :p

[ancldaca]

This is horrible! I'm basically a solo cruiser and your story left me with my jaw on the keyboard. Unfortunately, I don't have enough experience to help you here.

 

Please do copy this post under the 'Solo cruiser' boards.

 

All I can say is that reading this puts yet another nail in the in RCCL's coffin as far as I am concerned. With this it's 3 strikes (bad food and new smoking restrictions are the other two) and that means I'll definitely be canceling my 9/21 AOS reservation now.

 

The fact that one is travelling solo should have zero impact in cabin selection, especially so when paying 200%. As if cabin location would influence how much one spends on board.

 

Enjoy your cruise, but in the future, don't try to reward corporate bad behavior with giving them another sale... Being in Orlando gives you plenty of other alternatives.

[ozzy1210]

Can't your travel agent fix it for you? I've had solo cruisers in GNT cabins before.

[ancldaca]

Ozzy:

 

The OP didn't book a GTD cabin but claims that when booking as a solo, the website showed only one cabin (2148) available while if going through the exercise of looking at the website pretending to be 2 people in a cabin, whole other sections of bookable cabins were shown as available.

[krystalkruzer]

This is horrible! I'm basically a solo cruiser and your story left me with my jaw on the keyboard. Unfortunately, I don't have enough experience to help you here.

 

Please do copy this post under the 'Solo cruiser' boards.

 

All I can say is that reading this puts yet another nail in the in RCCL's coffin as far as I am concerned. With this it's 3 strikes (bad food and new smoking restrictions are the other two) and that means I'll definitely be canceling my 9/21 AOS reservation now.

 

The fact that one is travelling solo should have zero impact in cabin selection, especially so when paying 200%. As if cabin location would influence how much one spends on board.

 

Enjoy your cruise, but in the future, don't try to reward corporate bad behavior with giving them another sale... Being in Orlando gives you plenty of other alternatives.

 

Like Carnival.I book single and have never paid more than 200% even on a holiday.I also pick my stateroom.

[janabelle61]

This is horrible! I'm basically a solo cruiser and your story left me with my jaw on the keyboard. Unfortunately, I don't have enough experience to help you here.

 

Please do copy this post under the 'Solo cruiser' boards.

 

All I can say is that reading this puts yet another nail in the in RCCL's coffin as far as I am concerned. With this it's 3 strikes (bad food and new smoking restrictions are the other two) and that means I'll definitely be canceling my 9/21 AOS reservation now.

 

The fact that one is travelling solo should have zero impact in cabin selection, especially so when paying 200%. As if cabin location would influence how much one spends on board.

 

Enjoy your cruise, but in the future, don't try to reward corporate bad behavior with giving them another sale... Being in Orlando gives you plenty of other alternatives.

 

I've sailed RCL several times as a solo and never had the restrictions the OP has indicated. I've always had exactly the same choice of cabins as if there were two booking the cabin (I check online before booking), so I'm not sure why she had only one option available.

[KamloopsCruisers]

I've sailed RCL several times as a solo and never had the restrictions the OP has indicated. I've always had exactly the same choice of cabins as if there were two booking the cabin (I check online before booking), so I'm not sure why she had only one option available.

 

We have booked solo for our daughter and never had this happen either. We paid 200% for the cabin and weren't bound by a small choice.

 

To the OP - what a mess! I'm so sorry for all that has happened to go. Best wishes for trying to get some satisfaction tomorrow.

[cindyd100]

Yes, it's true, I checked on the computer many times...both ways. 1 person or 2. Lots of cabins for 2 people and fater I took the last one for solos, it starting coming none vailable in OV (except when trying 2 people :confused: ) I am not ready to give up them yet. They have the notes in the system tomorrow, Mondy, about all the attempts and failures, for one reason or another. I normally am happy, and non-confrontational, unless I felt I've been wronged and need to speak out, which isn't often. This is the first chat site I've joined. How many complaints could I have made??? Let's see what they do tomorrow, and I will let you all know the outcome after. No, I won't post under singles or solos, that's not the proer foru, and it might scare the wits out of them, when maybe this can be cleared up at the pier coordinator, or before!! But, if it turns out that I really do not get any help at all, and overpid, and was not given a good cabin on purpose, I feel no reason why I should not let other solos know what happened and and try to help them. As another poster mentiond, book a double guarantee, and oops,:rolleyes: they didn't show. A couple of these comments seem a litle stange to me being new here for onlly over a month. Yes, I get to go on cruise instead of work, but that's kind of like saying, yes, you paid the price of Guess jeans and got used thrift store...butyou still got pants. Do we do this when car buying? Pay for a Lexus and get a used Civic, but be happy...at least you get a car!

I honestly do Thank you for all the responses and help!! and I'll kep eyou posted.

Cindy :o

 

This is horrible! I'm basically a solo cruiser and your story left me with my jaw on the keyboard. Unfortunately, I don't have enough experience to help you here.

 

Please do copy this post under the 'Solo cruiser' boards.

 

All I can say is that reading this puts yet another nail in the in RCCL's coffin as far as I am concerned. With this it's 3 strikes (bad food and new smoking restrictions are the other two) and that means I'll definitely be canceling my 9/21 AOS reservation now.

 

The fact that one is travelling solo should have zero impact in cabin selection, especially so when paying 200%. As if cabin location would influence how much one spends on board.

 

Enjoy your cruise, but in the future, don't try to reward corporate bad behavior with giving them another sale... Being in Orlando gives you plenty of other alternatives.

[cindyd100]

I unfortunately, at least this time, I booked from RCCL's website directly. I did not book with a TA, I thought I would get better everything if I booked through RCCL's website. I did get insider info from the resoltins dept that they could change me to a double guarante, and canel the second person, but that meant I had to continually checkd many times a day until the OV (2 person) guarantee came back up. When it did, I called right aay (3 times) Even with guest resolutions "exact wording for me to tell teh CSRs", they were unable to get it understood and changed in time, and the offer went of the website.

 

I am not ready to give up them yet. They have the notes in the system tomorrow, Monday, about all the attempts and failures, for one reason or another, and I will see what they mightbe able to do for me about this. Maybe it was a "glitch" in the system, as a different poster suggested. We will see tomorrow. I am normally a happy, and non-confrontational person, unless I felt I've been wronged and fe the ned to speak out, which isn't often. This is the first chat site I've joined. How many complaints could I have made??? Let's see what they do tomorrow, and I will let you all know the outcome after.

I honestly do Thank you for all the responses and help!! and I'll keep you all posted.

Cindy :o

 

 

Can't your travel agent fix it for you? I've had solo cruisers in GNT cabins before.

[cindyd100]

I appeciate your empathy! Wish me luck!!

Cindy

 

 

We have booked solo for our daughter and never had this happen either. We paid 200% for the cabin and weren't bound by a small choice.

 

To the OP - what a mess! I'm so sorry for all that has happened to go. Best wishes for trying to get some satisfaction tomorrow.

[WELSH WIZARDS]

Cindy..... I feel you have been very badly treated, both before you booked with the discrimination against single travellers, and after with the continued mishandling of your problems. I am on your side. I say that in order to say something else to you ...purely for your sake.

Calm down....breathe out....chill....let it go...most importantly of all...DO NOT let it spoil your holiday. Have a great time. Your cabin is only a tiny part, get out on the ship and enjoy it. :D