my royal romance experience so far

[catzmaru]

hi everyone! i'm new here & just wanted to thank everyone for the great wedding advice i've gotten from this forum so far. i will be getting married on the RCCL "explorer of the seas" in bermuda on 8/25/08, and can't wait! as for royal romance AKA the wedding experience...to be fair, i didn't want to add my own opinion (since there are so many - mostly negative) about them until my actual wedding day...till now & i really have to vent.

 

the purpose of this post is not to slam royal romance, but just to give a warning to future cruising wedding couples that the prices you see are not what you get...at least not by the time your wedding comes (dependent on location). & they can increase without notice...dramatically, to over 200%. even though the contract clearly states, "prices are subject to change without notice", please take this literally. for example, the original price for the wedding coordinator...for greater than 25 guests was $150 per coordinator for every 25 guests...it is now $395 (from february) PLUS $100/hour. they changed this price twice for me within a month. in other words, it will cost an extra $790 if you have more 50+ guests & so on for every 25. and i hear, they do nothing. another example is the DJ which went from $400 per hour in february to $750 an hour. & i hear the DJ is a waste of money in the first place, because all he/she does is play a list of songs you choose. by the way, these prices are for bermuda & may not be applicable elsewhere.

 

i have yet to see what my actual wedding will be like, but for the kind of customer service you get, please don't give them any more money than you need to. on a more positive note, my coordinator has been pretty quick to respond to my requests, but i wish she was more up front about these possible changes when i initially booked. she made it seem like prices change once a year, when its more like a few times a month. & it almost seems like she waited till the date came so close, so i can't cancel. on another more positive note...these prices are probably cheaper than a non-cruise wedding...but you have to figure that these prices are for only 1-2 hours!

 

hope it'll all be worth it in the end & will keep you posted on the final outcome. thanks for letting me vent :) !

[Cattie]

Catz,

 

Stories like yours make me sad for the bride, its your day! In another breath, it makes me happy I decided to just take the cruise and hire my own wedding planner in Bermuda. TWE used to sub contract out The Wedding Salon. When I booked directly with Barbara, she had told me she didn't renew her contract with TWE. Now I'm guessing you can see why.

 

Sorry you're having issues, the only thing can recomend is do something through the BBB. I hope your day ends up being beautiful though.

 

C~

[tameka94]

I just called and the prices for Baltimore have been raised $50 from $150. I was told that it was a flat rate for all ports and now the rates are changed based on the port. No other fees have changed, so far, for Baltimore. I was also told that marriage license fees have changed for some ports too. I am going to pay for what I need before prices go up again.

[esbie11]

hi everyone! i'm new here & just wanted to thank everyone for the great wedding advice i've gotten from this forum so far. i will be getting married on the RCCL "explorer of the seas" in bermuda on 8/25/08, and can't wait! as for royal romance AKA the wedding experience...to be fair, i didn't want to add my own opinion (since there are so many - mostly negative) about them until my actual wedding day...till now & i really have to vent.

 

the purpose of this post is not to slam royal romance, but just to give a warning to future cruising wedding couples that the prices you see are not what you get...at least not by the time your wedding comes (dependent on location). & they can increase without notice...dramatically, to over 200%. even though the contract clearly states, "prices are subject to change without notice", please take this literally. for example, the original price for the wedding coordinator...for greater than 25 guests was $150 per coordinator for every 25 guests...it is now $395 (from february) PLUS $100/hour. they changed this price twice for me within a month. in other words, it will cost an extra $790 if you have more 50+ guests & so on for every 25. and i hear, they do nothing. another example is the DJ which went from $400 per hour in february to $750 an hour. & i hear the DJ is a waste of money in the first place, because all he/she does is play a list of songs you choose. by the way, these prices are for bermuda & may not be applicable elsewhere.

 

i have yet to see what my actual wedding will be like, but for the kind of customer service you get, please don't give them any more money than you need to. on a more positive note, my coordinator has been pretty quick to respond to my requests, but i wish she was more up front about these possible changes when i initially booked. she made it seem like prices change once a year, when its more like a few times a month. & it almost seems like she waited till the date came so close, so i can't cancel. on another more positive note...these prices are probably cheaper than a non-cruise wedding...but you have to figure that these prices are for only 1-2 hours!

 

hope it'll all be worth it in the end & will keep you posted on the final outcome. thanks for letting me vent :) !

 

Since you are not getting married at embarkation (like many people do to allow non-sailing guests to attend), can you get married on shore rather than the ship? That way you can get a private WC? I realize it is probably too late, and you probably already gave a deposit (non-refundable in TWE fashion). That is outrageous that they upped the price that much. Absolutely inexcusable--though I know some on this board will FIND a way to justify this, it is simply unacceptable. What is the purpose of signing a contract when they can change ANYTHING and everything...the time, location, price, arrangements, anything!!! Why have a contract then? Oh, that's right, the contract locks YOU in so that YOU are stuck with them no matter what they do to you. I don't know if you read my post about RR, but they were planning my wedding in the WRONG COUNTRY!!! and they TWE coordinators didn't even know that weddings no longer take place at my location!! Yet they were planning my wedding there?!? And, had I signed there contract, I would have been stuck letting them change my location to wherever they wanted because there contract says they are allowed to do this, even though my location was never available in the first place! Have you checked out www.cruiseweddingexperience.com? It was made by yet another disgruntled poster. Boy does she have a story! This is just so unacceptable, but as long as people continue writing out checks to them, this will continue. I really hope things turn out ok:) You don't have too long of a wait:D

[TigerLady]

hi everyone! i'm new here & just wanted to thank everyone for the great wedding advice i've gotten from this forum so far. i will be getting married on the RCCL "explorer of the seas" in bermuda on 8/25/08, and can't wait! as for royal romance AKA the wedding experience...to be fair, i didn't want to add my own opinion (since there are so many - mostly negative) about them until my actual wedding day...till now & i really have to vent.

 

the purpose of this post is not to slam royal romance, but just to give a warning to future cruising wedding couples that the prices you see are not what you get...at least not by the time your wedding comes (dependent on location). & they can increase without notice...dramatically, to over 200%. even though the contract clearly states, "prices are subject to change without notice", please take this literally. for example, the original price for the wedding coordinator...for greater than 25 guests was $150 per coordinator for every 25 guests...it is now $395 (from february) PLUS $100/hour. they changed this price twice for me within a month. in other words, it will cost an extra $790 if you have more 50+ guests & so on for every 25. and i hear, they do nothing. another example is the DJ which went from $400 per hour in february to $750 an hour. & i hear the DJ is a waste of money in the first place, because all he/she does is play a list of songs you choose. by the way, these prices are for bermuda & may not be applicable elsewhere.

 

i have yet to see what my actual wedding will be like, but for the kind of customer service you get, please don't give them any more money than you need to. on a more positive note, my coordinator has been pretty quick to respond to my requests, but i wish she was more up front about these possible changes when i initially booked. she made it seem like prices change once a year, when its more like a few times a month. & it almost seems like she waited till the date came so close, so i can't cancel. on another more positive note...these prices are probably cheaper than a non-cruise wedding...but you have to figure that these prices are for only 1-2 hours!

 

hope it'll all be worth it in the end & will keep you posted on the final outcome. thanks for letting me vent :) !

I guess everyone can't have the AWESOME experience we had. EVERYTHING was perfect and Shannon was the BEST coordinator. There were no changes in pries, times, locations, anything. I was treated like rolayty.. I wish you well, and hope the best for your ceremony....

[sas80]

Yikes! :eek:

 

If you are willing to sacrifice the deposit (wasnt there just a post on here about how credit card deposit disputes are always handled in favor of the card holder?) Anyways, I would price out Bermuda wedding coordinators just to see how much it would cost for the same services on the actual island.

 

I'm sure if you choose to stay with RR your wedding will be fine, but I can understand your frustration with having prices increase randomly.

 

Good Luck!

[jsacco20]

i had to pay for multiple coordinators but nothing as obscene as that amount. i am also getting married on the explorer but in october. i am having the whole 150 guests allowed.

 

also, i never intended on getting the dj because as outlined in the brochure, the dj was $400 but there was the mandatory set up fees, etc... which was about an extra $150. i am renting the mic set up so the coordinator can do the entrances, dances, etc... and the bridal party can do the toasts.

[tameka94]

i had to pay for multiple coordinators but nothing as obscene as that amount. i am also getting married on the explorer but in october. i am having the whole 150 guests allowed.

 

also, i never intended on getting the dj because as outlined in the brochure, the dj was $400 but there was the mandatory set up fees, etc... which was about an extra $150. i am renting the mic set up so the coordinator can do the entrances, dances, etc... and the bridal party can do the toasts.

 

How were you able to get all 150 guests? I don't need that many but I need about 96. Thanks in advance.

[jsacco20]

tameka- that's between sailing and non sailing. you can't have more than 75 non-sailing but we have tons sailing. you could theoretically have 149 sailing and 1 non-sailing. they don't care how many sail and come to the reception as long as you don't hit over 150 it's cool.

[tameka94]

Ok. Thanks for clarifying. We have 9 sailing. That is cool that you have so many sailing guests.

[jsacco20]

yeah it's awesome. although the more i think about it, i may need a 2nd honeymoon. lol

[tameka94]

You may need one. :) But hopefully your guests remember it is your honeymoon and give you a lot of alone time as you enjoy the ship.:D

[catzmaru]

i WISH i could cancel if i knew months ago & technically, i still can...but since you must cancel within 60 days...i would have to plan something on the island in 2 days! i think what is most hurtful is that they told me it was $150 per coordinator when i first booked, but they suspiciously never added the cost of the coordinators in my first invoice. so, when i pointed that out i wish she charged me earlier...she said it wouldn't have mattered because they would've charged me the adjusted price anyway. i just wish they told me early on that the prices would most likely go up, so then i wouldn't have been so surprised. & they totally lost my trust when they changed the price 3 times within a few weeks. first it was $495 for 2 extra coordinators...then i questioned it...then within a day, she said it rose to $790 for 2...and then a couple weeks later...she had the nerve to add the $100 per hour per coordinator on top of that. no exaggeration...i have a copy of the invoices. i'm really feeling scammed. and if they think they're making money off me, it makes me want to cancel more enhancements...its not a good way to do business. i'm really tempted to cancel the 2nd hour of bar service to spite them & just run a tab at one of the bars.

 

esbie11: i totally agree with you...what's the point of a contract?!! its so one-sided. no decent banquet hall/wedding planner/DJ, etc., would change their prices AFTER you signed a contract. i can't believe they were planning in the wrong country...idiots!! i have to check out that website you mentioned...thanks!

 

jsacco: i'm curious to see if they changed your prices, too, without letting you know...maybe its the time of year for me that makes it so expensive. i hope they don't do the same to you.

 

cattie: what's the BBB? thanks!

 

i'm sure, in the end, it'll turn out ok. i hope the most damage has been done...i'll keep my fingers crossed until the big day. thank goodness there are those that had a good experience with them & hope there are more good stories to come, because they really shouldn't get away with this.

 

thanks to everyone for the warm wishes! :D

[Cattie]

Better Business Bureau.

 

http://welcome.bbb.org/

 

It won't really help you. But could give you peace of mind knowing in the long run it may help other brides to be.

 

C~

[catzmaru]

Better Business Bureau.

 

http://welcome.bbb.org/

 

It won't really help you. But could give you peace of mind knowing in the long run it may help other brides to be.

 

C~

 

oh..haha! thanks! i definitely will after the big day if i don't get what i pay for. but, since they have the "prices are subject to change" clause...i can't really complain. hopefully, future brides will be forewarned through this post.

[Rhib7686]

We were pretty shocked at all of the hidden fees too. We ended up paying more than $300 more than what the package was listed for. $100 for a seasonal fee, $100 for the ship we're on, etc. Sounds like we're bound to break our budget at the rate they throw around extra fees. Its frustrating and makes me feel deceived that they list things at 1 price when they have every intention of charging us a ton more.We haven't added on any extras yet but hopefully we don't have to go through what you went through. We're kind of hoping that our guest list will stay fairly small to eliminate some of the extra fees. Keep us posted and good luck!

[bermuda09]

I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you. This is exactly why I am avoiding using TWE, and going with a wedding planner on Bermuda, instead. I really hope that everything works out for you!:)

[DNineMoons]

Hey Catz - I am getting married on the Explorer on 8/9/08, on embarkation day. We are having around 75 guests (65 sailing, plus the 10 allowed since I won't be having a reception through RR). Imagine my surprise yesterday when, out of the blue, Angelica from Royal Romance calls me to ask about my champagne toast - I had bought 50 back a while, before they raised the prices, and they were calling to see if I wanted to add more. I thought this was nice of them to remind me. At no point was there any mention made of any fees for coordinators being changed, but of course I didn't specifically ask. I need to email her to get back to her with a final count for the toast, and at the same time I will also pose this question to her. I'll let you know the answer I get.

 

I understand how you feel, I hate feeling as though I'm getting ripped off, and it seems that RR leaves half their brides feeling that way.

 

Good luck with everything though!

[jsacco20]

i WISH i could cancel if i knew months ago & technically, i still can...but since you must cancel within 60 days...i would have to plan something on the island in 2 days! i think what is most hurtful is that they told me it was $150 per coordinator when i first booked, but they suspiciously never added the cost of the coordinators in my first invoice. so, when i pointed that out i wish she charged me earlier...she said it wouldn't have mattered because they would've charged me the adjusted price anyway. i just wish they told me early on that the prices would most likely go up, so then i wouldn't have been so surprised. & they totally lost my trust when they changed the price 3 times within a few weeks. first it was $495 for 2 extra coordinators...then i questioned it...then within a day, she said it rose to $790 for 2...and then a couple weeks later...she had the nerve to add the $100 per hour per coordinator on top of that. no exaggeration...i have a copy of the invoices. i'm really feeling scammed. and if they think they're making money off me, it makes me want to cancel more enhancements...its not a good way to do business. i'm really tempted to cancel the 2nd hour of bar service to spite them & just run a tab at one of the bars.

 

esbie11: i totally agree with you...what's the point of a contract?!! its so one-sided. no decent banquet hall/wedding planner/DJ, etc., would change their prices AFTER you signed a contract. i can't believe they were planning in the wrong country...idiots!! i have to check out that website you mentioned...thanks!

 

jsacco: i'm curious to see if they changed your prices, too, without letting you know...maybe its the time of year for me that makes it so expensive. i hope they don't do the same to you.

 

cattie: what's the BBB? thanks!

 

i'm sure, in the end, it'll turn out ok. i hope the most damage has been done...i'll keep my fingers crossed until the big day. thank goodness there are those that had a good experience with them & hope there are more good stories to come, because they really shouldn't get away with this.

 

thanks to everyone for the warm wishes! :D

 

 

 

i paid for everything in full when i booked so i can't imagine them telling me i owe more now considering i have a zero balance. there are definitely seasonal fees and also a fee for booking on a certain ship. that was told to me ahead of time though so i already knew it. i have no idea why they are charging you so much.

[MarinerBride]

While my wedding was very simple (20 guests in the chapel, 1-hour lunch buffet, no DJ), we booked through RR/TWE and I had very few problems. I did get frustrated with long wait times, talking to different people each time, and always getting different answers. However, the prices never changed for me, and everything went extremely well even though the ship came in late that morning.

[ashbeth609]

Not sure if I missed something but I have paid in full. Are the prices for the wedding coordinators going to go up and I have to pay the difference??

[tameka94]

Not sure if I missed something but I have paid in full. Are the prices for the wedding coordinators going to go up and I have to pay the difference??

 

I think and I am not sure but this may apply to brides who are purchasing receptions and enhancements and the balances for the services are not paid in full. Again, I am not sure but I know that is applicable to me. With the size of my reception, I will have 3 additional wedding coordinators.

[catzmaru]

thanks for all the replies & warm wishes! this is really fishy! it was also my understanding that if i paid early, that i wouldn't have to pay for any increases in the future. i paid in full early on, but she didn't include the coordinators in the balance for whatever reason. i was willing to pay for it then, but didn't question it then because i didn't think it was going to change. when i recently questioned why she didn't add it, she said it wouldn't have mattered & i would have to pay this adjusted price when the date got closer.

 

dninemoons: i originally wanted that date, but they were booked :(! i may be paying more, because the wedding will be in bermuda as opposed to in NJ, because she did mention bermuda is expensive. but, i thought the coordinators were from royal caribbean, not from bermuda. unless, they have to outsource. an explanation from RR would've been nice, if this is the case. & thanks for asking, but don't bring up anything if you don't have to. i'd hate for you to get charged unnecessarily. congrats & warm wishes to you!

 

as for the other brides that have booked, hopefully this is an isolated incident and maybe the reason for the confusion is because i was not fully informed by my coordinator. but, don't be surprised if it does happen. good luck :)!

[sas80]

thanks for all the replies & warm wishes! this is really fishy! it was also my understanding that if i paid early, that i wouldn't have to pay for any increases in the future. i paid in full early on, but she didn't include the coordinators in the balance for whatever reason. i was willing to pay for it then, but didn't question it then because i didn't think it was going to change. when i recently questioned why she didn't add it, she said it wouldn't have mattered & i would have to pay this adjusted price when the date got closer.

 

dninemoons: i originally wanted that date, but they were booked :(! i may be paying more, because the wedding will be in bermuda as opposed to in NJ, because she did mention bermuda is expensive. but, i thought the coordinators were from royal caribbean, not from bermuda. unless, they have to outsource. an explanation from RR would've been nice, if this is the case. & thanks for asking, but don't bring up anything if you don't have to. i'd hate for you to get charged unnecessarily. congrats & warm wishes to you!

 

as for the other brides that have booked, hopefully this is an isolated incident and maybe the reason for the confusion is because i was not fully informed by my coordinator. but, don't be surprised if it does happen. good luck :)!

 

NOTHING about RR/TWE is in any way remotely related to Royal Caribbean! That is why you are finding the less-than-stellar service that you are so accustomed to from Royal Caribbean.

To top that aff, RR/TWE outsources everything. All the services listed in their brochure are outsourced to contracts in the location where the wedding is supposed to take place. This is another reason why the service can be shoddy.

UNLESS, of course, you decide to have your wedding on board the ship - THEN the staff on board the vessel handles your wedding/reception.

 

Sorry to hear that they are doing this to you but i am sure that your wedding will be wonderful.

[catzmaru]

sas80: that's the weird thing...i AM having it on the ship - both ceremony & reception in bermuda (didn't want the hassle of transporting everyone back & forth to the beach). i heard that there's 2 other weddings going on the same cruise...(which is also weird, because i was told they only have 2 weddings per cruise). so, maybe they need to outsource, because of time constraints :confused:? who knows? i guess i can ask, but its sorta pointless. thanks!