Screwed by RCI .....once again

[isdoo]

so where are these ads?

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Unsure how things work overseas (I am from Australia) but here, if you purchase tickets & transfers with the cruise line, the ship will wait if your flight is delayed.

 

But if you purchase your own flights & transfers, and your flight is delayed...the ship will not wait and WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU.

 

That is the only benefit of booking with the cruiseline, but then again, from the other side of the argument, by booking your own transportation, you get control over what time you want your flight to leave and how soon you can get to the ship.

 

We have booked flights and transfers for these reasons too.;)

 

However, if I have to wait over 2 hours for a transfer bus when being told 30 minutes, I would not be happy at all, this OP lost half a day holiday, if they had told them every two hours, Im sure they would have booked a taxi.I expect they relied on them to be telling the truth. I dont think any of us would be happy missing that amount of time on the ship, especially on a short cruise.

[ma3]

Another blame on the cutbacks. Years ago we waited more then 1 1/2hrs for the transfer. We learned immediately - No more transfers from RCL. We do it on our own. Couldn't blame the cutbacks back then.

[marci22]

For our first RC cruise we did the transfers and waited 2 hours to board the bus to the port--never again. (they kept saying 'just a few more minutes...)

 

The transfers themselves were worth about $12 pp and I was told that if I hadn't used them ( and had gotten my own transportation) they would have been refunded.

 

Since they told you it would be so long, I probably would have gotten a taxi rather than wait, and worried about getting a refund later.

[cruisegirl1]

I can understand the OP’ s frustrations.

 

We had the EXACT issue when taking RCCL transfers from Seattle to Vancouver. We sat at the airport and waited 6 hours. We were never told exactly when the bus would leave to so were afraid to get lunch or leave the area. Because of the small number of folks reserved for transfers, there was only one bus so they were waiting till the last passengers flew in. We actually flew in the night prior and took a cab ( early in the morning) back to the airport to catch the “shuttle”

 

We were given a bottle of water and a granola bar for the 2 hour bus ride, when we could have been enjoying a nice lunch and exploring the ship. We too arrived at the pier at Muster time. We had planned to met folks for an informal M&M from these board at 3 on boarding day and of course were not able to make it.

 

 

Lesson learned – Try to arrange alternate transportation.

M

[CruisinManiac]

We used the RCL transfers in and out of Galveston on our most recent cruise. Our TA told them we would be there about 1pm. We arrived earlier, about 11am. It seems alot of people had the same thought. The had planned on using a smaller van for that time frame. Because so many of us got there early, they had to substitute a full size bus/coach so that they could transfer all of us to the port. We waited maybe an hour but not any longer. Once on the bus we had to wait while they put the luggage on the bus. I kind of felt sorry for them. It was one woman and her son. Apparently, these are services that are contracted out by RCL to local people.

Things happen, sometimes out of anyone's control.

 

I am glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

We had the EXACT issue when taking RCCL transfers from Seattle to Vancouver. We sat at the airport and waited 6 hours. We were never told exactly when the bus would leave to so were afraid to get lunch or leave the area. Because of the small number of folks reserved for transfers, there was only one bus so they were waiting till the last passengers flew in. We actually flew in the night prior and took a cab ( early in the morning) back to the airport to catch the “shuttle”

 

Now I am worried! :eek: We are flying into Houston this Saturday, and spending the night at an airport hotel. Because we booked the Voyager at the last minute, and there are only two of us, we felt the best option was to catch the RCCL transfer from the airport on Sunday morning. We too, have had marginal experiences with cruiseline transfers, but we felt that for this cruise, the transfer would be less expensive. Normally, we have our family with us and can share a limo, cab or shuttle.

 

My TA made the arrangements and told us to be back at the airport by 8:00 am. She said that IAH is the hub for Continental, and that most cruisers from the north would be coming in on an 8:00 flight that morning. Therefore, the transfer bus would fill up fast.:) This all sounded good to us, until I read on the RCCL web page that the transfer bus would leave at 10:00. That's a 2 hour wait! Although we knew we would have to wait for the bus to fill up, we didn't think that we would have to wait 2 hours. :eek: A 1 hour wait is acceptable, because we thought we could check-in with the reps, and then DH could go grab us something for breakfast. We could eat while waiting for the flight passengers to board, and then get on the bus ourselves. With so many Texans on our Roll call board, I am afraid that there will not be many passengers coming in from the north, and we will be waiting all day for that bus to fill up...just like the OP and cruisegirl1:eek:

 

Yes, we know all about the advantages of planning our own air (which we did) and getting your own transportation (which we didn't this time) but, we just didn't think we had much of a choice at this late date. :(

 

Does anyone know if transfers can be cancelled?

[xpcdoojk]

Before this is turned into a slam on the elderly, let me make it clear that it clearly IS NOT. I just described the adjunct staff of RCI who worked at the airport. They were very nice, just slow and methodical. I am elderly myself, so I have not problem with the elderly.

 

The bus driver, however, was not elderly, but he certainly couldn't 'get the lead out' and get us on our way. He and the staff hanging around the bus were very lackadaisical in their way and attitude.

 

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't the ONLY one who had to sit for 2+ hours and wait for the bus departure. There were several folks in the same boat and they were as disappointed and disgruntled as we were.

 

:)

 

I used cruise transfers one time in 2000 with Celebrity in Milan Italy for a cruise out of Genoa. We were herded around the Milan airport for an hour, stand here, wait. Stand there wait. Finally they lead us to the parking lot where there are several buses waiting. We load on the bus we sit. Our bus is 95% full and we sit. Finally about an hour after loading on the bus we and 5 or 6 other buses pulled out of the airport parking lot. We drive for about an hour and stop at an Autostrada gas station/deli/souvineer shop. We sit in the lot for an hour as 5 buses try to filter people thru the deli/shop/bathrooms. Finally we drive the last hour or so to the port, where we arrive at peak getting on board time. It was the worst cruise day of my life.

 

Moral to the story, I have booked Cruise transfers one time, and I will never book cruise transfers again.

 

There is a time when you are a tourist (me prior to October 2000), and a time when you are world traveler (me after October 2000). The difference, I took responsibilty for my vacations. I started to research my trips in detail, and I no longer play a pliable tourists dependant on anyone else for my happiness. I joined CC about that time, and I have taken an active roll in completely understanding whatever I am getting into ever since.

 

The OPs transfer seems pretty typical to me... hence I avoid them like the plague. That tends to apply to cruise ship tours in ports as well. If I choose a cruise ship tour, I maintain very modest expectations about what will happen. :D

 

jc

[luvscruising2007]

CruisinManiac I know you don't want to wait but the 10am transfer will get you to the port about 11am; if they leave on time. I think our TA said the RCL shuttles leave every 2 hours or so. Keep in mind they won't let you board until the ship is cleared, so even if you got a shuttle at 8:30 you would probably have to wait at the port.

We were in the baggage claim area waiting for the shuttle. We checked in with an RCL rep and she kept us informed. It was an opportunity to meet fellow passengers. We got to the ship in plenty of time to get our first meal at the Windjammer, dump our carry-on in the cabin, prepare for muster and un-pack. We explored the ship and had a great day.

I don't know if you can cancel your transfers. I believe you can and get a refund. Check with your TA or Rcl, whoever you booked with.

Have a great cruise.

[bike1964]

Thats why I refuse to cruise out of Port Canaveral. It's almost cheaper to fly in a day early, rent a car and spend the night in a hotel, then pay the round trip transfer costs to the port from the airport, and be @ the lliberty of waiting for a bus to fill up before you can start your vacation.:mad:

[HMSDingy]

I don't know if I'm extra tired tonight or just dense, but I'm not getting the "again" part. :confused:

 

Is the OP alleging he was screwed by RCI for something besides the transfer?

 

I noticed that too. Does the OP imply that they've had this problem once before?

[Toddcan]

Wow.. lots of Monday morning quarterbacks posting here. "That's why I never book cruiseline transfers, etc etc.." Save it.. that's not the point.

 

IF there is really documentation that indicates the buses run every 30-60 minutes, THEN I am with the OP on this one. I too enjoy the few hours before the muster drill. This is especially true on a short cruise.

 

IF there is no documentation saying this, and it was the OPs expectations, THEN, you have no right to expect a 30 minute wait.

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the cruise though.

[crusinmama06]

OK well I won't be a Monday morning quarterback ;). So to the OP, if you have written info saying "leaving every 30 minutes" then I would present it in a letter to Royal Caribbean.

 

I haven't done RCCL transfers since my first cruise back in 1997. It just isn't the way I want to start my vacation. :)

 

The way I was reading your post, I thought you missed the entire cruise...not just a few hours. I wouldn't switch cruise lines over this, just would switch cruise transfers.

 

When in MCO, call a towncar service. They pick you up at the airport at the time YOU select and drop you off at the port 45 minutes later.

[fridaythe13th]

It's a hard lesson learned, but it's a lesson. We did the pre-cruise hotel with transfers ONCE and actually ended up getting cab because the lobby was filled with cruisers and total chaos! I didn't even want to find out how long of I wait I was in for.

[lurkernomore]

I think there is a certain "comfort factor" booking everything through the cruiseline.

Our first two cruises we booked everything through RCCL, including the pre-stay at the Sheraton OSJ. We leave on the Serenade on Saturday (ahhh!), and this time we have booked our own airfare, precruise hotel, and we are doing our own transportation. But, I am still doing RCCL excursions. I hope to feel comfortable enough to book private excursions eventually but I am not there yet.

The bus transfers are not glamourous, but they get you where you need to be - just not necessarily when you want to be there!

[dutchess43]

I use to book my air & transfers through the cruiselines because I thought that the ship will wait for you if your flight is late. I have come to the realization & have had it happen to several friends that the ship does not wait for you with cruiseline air. Hopefully they will get you on a plane to your next port of call, & you better have travel insurance as well. We also had a very bad experience with transfers in FLL with waiting for the bus to fill up. That did it when we can we book our own air & especially our own transfers the cost usually is not that much different & the service is a whole lot better.

[Cuizer2]

We just returned from a 2/13 three night Bahamas cruise on Monarch. The cruise in itself was actually pretty good.

 

But...here's what happened on the first day...

 

We arrived at the Orlando Airport around 12:40 (via RCI arranged custom air). By the time we walked to baggage claim and retrieved our luggage, it was about 12:55. We immediately connected with a very elderly RCI lady who steered us down the hall to meet an elderly RCI gentleman, who directed us to the RCI desk.

 

Once at the desk, they took our information and put on our luggage tags. The lady nodded her head, and said, "Go over there and wait for the bus." (Our RCI transfers were included in our price for air).

 

In advertisements, they say, "buses departing every 30 minutes to an hour". So, expecting the bus any minute, I said, "How long do you think it will be?" She said, "Oh, about 2:45."

 

2:45? My gosh, that was an hour and 45 minutes! Plus, with a 45 minute drive to the pier, our afternoon on ship would be non-existent.

 

Trying to accept it, I said, "Well, can we leave our luggage with you and go have lunch?" Of course, that wasn't acceptable, so we could either drag our luggage to lunch with us or just sit there and wait.

 

2;45 finally arrived and no bus. Around 2:55, a bus rolls in and we are taken to the bus. After everyone boards and luggage is loaded, the driver and the 2/3 RCI folks stand around and shoot the bull, just hanging out. Around 3:10, the driver finally gets on the bus.

 

Of course, it's almost 4:00 before we arrive at the pier. Then, being platinum members earns us no advantage in the line, since there isn't much of one at this point. We check in, and just as we get to our cabin, the muster drill begins. We threw our carryon luggage into our state room and headed for the muster drill.

 

So, needless to say, we lost an entire afternoon (pool, buffet, etc.) of our cruise. Others had been on the ship since 11 AM. For a 3 night cruise, this really cut into it.

 

I don't know if RCI has cut back on their bus transfer service between Orlando and Port Canaveral, but this past Friday was really POOR.

 

On the cruise, the food and entertainment was fairly good, didn't really have any complaints. So, we just missed a good part of the first day. Does RCI even care?

 

We have been very loyal RCI C&A members, but are seriously considering another cruise line for our next cruise. Besides all the problems with RCI's website, including cruise history, etc., it just gets old.

 

:(

 

I am sorry things did not turn out as you had planned. As I see it, this is just one more reason not to book cruise air. I never have and I don't plan to do so in the future. Even on a one way (the cruise left from my home port and ended in Miami) I was able to get good rates on flights I wanted.

 

What do you get for cruise air? They pick the flights - not you. You pay more for this service. And what do you get in return? Nothing.

[buckanear]

Now I am worried! :eek: We are flying into Houston this Saturday, and spending the night at an airport hotel. Because we booked the Voyager at the last minute, and there are only two of us, we felt the best option was to catch the RCCL transfer from the airport on Sunday morning. We too, have had marginal experiences with cruiseline transfers, but we felt that for this cruise, the transfer would be less expensive. Normally, we have our family with us and can share a limo, cab or shuttle.

 

My TA made the arrangements and told us to be back at the airport by 8:00 am. She said that IAH is the hub for Continental, and that most cruisers from the north would be coming in on an 8:00 flight that morning. Therefore, the transfer bus would fill up fast.:) This all sounded good to us, until I read on the RCCL web page that the transfer bus would leave at 10:00. That's a 2 hour wait! Although we knew we would have to wait for the bus to fill up, we didn't think that we would have to wait 2 hours. :eek: A 1 hour wait is acceptable, because we thought we could check-in with the reps, and then DH could go grab us something for breakfast. We could eat while waiting for the flight passengers to board, and then get on the bus ourselves. With so many Texans on our Roll call board, I am afraid that there will not be many passengers coming in from the north, and we will be waiting all day for that bus to fill up...just like the OP and cruisegirl1:eek:

 

Just because the rollcall is filled with Texans, doesn't mean the ship will not have a lot of transfers. They just seem to be more active :D I would actually be at the airport by about 9am, if not earlier if you have to find the transfer area. It does actually take a while to load the buses and it's about an hour drive. I think we get our first buses shortly after opening the doors. They get there just in time to start boarding.

 

The transfers aren't as convenient as just hopping in a car and getting to the pier whenever you want, but they do get you there and I haven't heard any complaints about it yet.

[cruiserbryce]

perfect reason why I always book my own flights and transportation. Like the OP we enjoy that first afternoon on board and schedule our plans to make sure that we get the chance the enjoy it. I feel bad for you but I cant say I am surprised that this was the experience with the RC transfers. You are kind of at their mercy when you set this up and their only concern is to simply get you on board by sailaway

[petesweet]

 

Not knowing all the background (traffic? having to wait for another group? etc.), I won't comment on this particular situation. Just wanted to jump in and say that we took a group cruise on NCL last year that involved NCL's transfers. The same thing happened to us. I think they were waiting for another group to fill the bus (but finally gave up on them). Almost didn't make it onboard. So it can happen with any cruiseline.

 

My first cruise was in the '80s, and since then, I have never used a cruiseline's transfers--except in the above group situation. I just don't want to sit and wait for a bus to fill up when I can be having fun on the ship.

[crusinmama06]

I just don't want to sit and wait for a bus to fill up when I can be having fun on the ship.

 

Exactly how I feel.

 

My first thought when I used the transfers was we were being treated like cattle. ;) Everyone come this way. Everyone wait in this line. Everyone wait on the bus to fill up before we leave.

 

Yeah no thanks. Give me my driver holding the sign with my name on it...now THAT's the way to start a cruise. :D

[jaxon41]

The OP makes a point though. If RCCL says in their advertisement that they depart every 30 minutes then why do they let people wait 2+ hours. May be the word "screwed" is a bit too harsh, but come on she paid for the transportation.

 

My husband and I would have taken a shuttle. There is no way we would have waited that long, but that is besides the point.

 

agree! I am sick and tired of companies not delivering what they have advertised. My current gripe is with Air Tran -- pay extra for a specific seat and then NOT get that seat.

[traveler/]

The reason we didn't take a taxi or shuttle is...

 

We had already spent the $ as part of the RCI air for the bus transfer. If we had taken a taxi or another shuttle, we would've been paying twice, as I knew RCI wouldn't refund the $ I had already spent on the shuttle.

How much was your air + transfers v. buying them on your own? Was the air schedule a good one? I have checked before booking to compare, and for us, making our own arrangements was the best option moneywise and schedule wise.

Personally, we prefer making our own arrangements since we can control our flight schedule and transportation schedule, and will usually arrive early (preferably 1 day early) to be onboard by 1 pm at the latest.

[crusinmama06]

agree! I am sick and tired of companies not delivering what they have advertised. My current gripe is with Air Tran -- pay extra for a specific seat and then NOT get that seat.

 

Really? Explain please. :)

 

I've had some major gripes with AirTran over the years - they overbook their flights. And once they tried to put my kids in separate rows from me, they were 3 years old at the time. :eek: They said there was "nothing they could do".

 

We just used them again last week...had assigned seats. Didn't have a problem. But what happened to you?

[sandytoes03]

Waiting over 2 hours is much too long. I can understand the frustration. :(

[CruisinManiac]

CruisinManiac I know you don't want to wait but the 10am transfer will get you to the port about 11am; if they leave on time. I think our TA said the RCL shuttles leave every 2 hours or so. Keep in mind they won't let you board until the ship is cleared, so even if you got a shuttle at 8:30 you would probably have to wait at the port.

We were in the baggage claim area waiting for the shuttle. We checked in with an RCL rep and she kept us informed. It was an opportunity to meet fellow passengers. We got to the ship in plenty of time to get our first meal at the Windjammer, dump our carry-on in the cabin, prepare for muster and un-pack. We explored the ship and had a great day.

I don't know if you can cancel your transfers. I believe you can and get a refund. Check with your TA or Rcl, whoever you booked with.

Have a great cruise.

 

So true! I hadn't thought about the fact that we would have to wait a long time at the port before boarding. We normally arrive to port around 11:00 .

 

Our "pretend" flight is at 8:08, so I think we will just plan to arrive at the Cont. baggage area at 8:30, check in and I will send DH off to get a danish and juice. :D I guess our arrival time will really depend on the hotel shuttle schedule.

 

Just because the rollcall is filled with Texans, doesn't mean the ship will not have a lot of transfers. They just seem to be more active I would actually be at the airport by about 9am, if not earlier if you have to find the transfer area. It does actually take a while to load the buses and it's about an hour drive. I think we get our first buses shortly after opening the doors. They get there just in time to start boarding.

 

The transfers aren't as convenient as just hopping in a car and getting to the pier whenever you want, but they do get you there and I haven't heard any complaints about it yet.

 

Thanks cruiseloverandagent! Hope to see you onboard. :) Are you working that day, also?

 

What time do you normally open to board in Galveston? In the past, we like to be one of the first onboard. :D Guess we will have to wait our turn since we will arrive by transfer. At least we are familiar with the Voyager class ship, so we will not have to take a complete tour.;)