RCCL changed our ship

RedSox68

Retired 2021 -- All the Time to Travel Now!
Joined
Mar 16, 2009
So I am thisclose to cancelling with RCCL. This is our first cruise with them and so far they have messed with my reservation twice -- changing room and location in error, and then messing up our account and what we paid.

Now I received an email that they are changing us from Empress of the Seas next year to Cuba to Majesty of the Seas. We received this email 10 days ago and I was told last Friday that all the reservations would be finished and open to view this morning -- at 8 a.m. So I started calling at 8 a.m. because my reservation was still locked on line to view! When I called all the way until 9 a.m., I kept getting message that the offices were closed.

To make a VERY long story short -- after two 35-minute phone calls and being passed to there different departments -- NO ONE seemed to know why my reservation info had not been changed to the new ship and why nothing was completed. Oh and the phone number they had given me to call last week had been changed over the weekend!

I was promised I would know my room assignment and location by Noon, and here it is 1:38 p.m. My concern -- number one I can't sail in a forward room because I get seasick; secondly, I spent three months calling inventory control at RCCL every week for three months to try and get a triple with a pullman instead of a berth. FINALLY in September one opened up and I was beyond thrilled that all three of us would have beds on the floor. Now who knows where they're going to stick us and probably back into the tiny cubicle we had in the first place!

Are they always this confused and elusive with customer service and answers?
 
Like Disney, the answer might depend upon the representative/cast member you speak with. The only interaction I've had with RCCL customer service lately was when I did something innocuous like adding our Crown and Anchor numbers to the reservation, only to see the cost double (this was after booking and paying the deposit). Made a call to RCCL and they had no problem changing it back for me. The agent I spoke with said that once the reservation is in the system and you have online access to it that they can see a history of every transaction that you or they make.
 
Like Disney, the answer might depend upon the representative/cast member you speak with. The only interaction I've had with RCCL customer service lately was when I did something innocuous like adding our Crown and Anchor numbers to the reservation, only to see the cost double (this was after booking and paying the deposit). Made a call to RCCL and they had no problem changing it back for me. The agent I spoke with said that once the reservation is in the system and you have online access to it that they can see a history of every transaction that you or they make.

And that's what worries me -- none of the agents I spoke could confirm that we won't lose the onboard credit we got and that we won't have to pay the ridiculous price increase this itinerary now has since we booked. I like the itinerary because they spend two days in Cuba where other lines spend one, otherwise I'd change my booking in a heartbeat!
 
My first thought would be to use the "threaten to cancel" strategy in order to get bumped to someone higher up (or to customer retention) but I don't know if that would work with cruise lines.

Really sucks that you got the runaround. I hope everything works out for you.
 


Are they always this confused and elusive with customer service and answers?

Not in my experience.

Go over to cruisecritic and find the thread all about the changes on majesty and empress and ask what your next step should be.

I’m sure the changes have confused Royal as well.

Like Disney, the answer might depend upon the representative/cast member you speak with. The only interaction I've had with RCCL customer service lately was when I did something innocuous like adding our Crown and Anchor numbers to the reservation, only to see the cost double (this was after booking and paying the deposit). Made a call to RCCL and they had no problem changing it back for me. The agent I spoke with said that once the reservation is in the system and you have online access to it that they can see a history of every transaction that you or they make.

That’s a longstanding almost normal thing that happens. any rep should be able to fix that. And it might happen again. Dont worry if it does.
 
My first thought would be to use the "threaten to cancel" strategy in order to get bumped to someone higher up (or to customer retention) but I don't know if that would work with cruise lines.

Really sucks that you got the runaround. I hope everything works out for you.

Oh, trust me -- that card was played heavily. Being my first experience with RCCL, I could honestly tell them that in 17 cruises I have never had so many problems, changes, missteps and unkept promises to call or email with answers. Monday I was promised they would let me know by Noon -- and here it is Wednesday morning and nothing. AND my reservation is still locked. Another call to a "supervisor" -- 4th one this week -- another 30+ minutes on the phone, supervisor supposedly manually moved me to the new ship, got a stateroom with a pullman, moved my OBC and no changes in pricing as it was covered under a guaranty. Promise to unlock my account and send me a confirmation email. That was 30 minutes ago -- account is STILL locked and no email confirmation. So I still cannot see my reservation or what it says or what room we are for sure in! I think I'll start looking for other cruises to Cuba -- this is way more work than I should have to do and they gave me no compensation or even an "I'm sorry". Ridiculous company.
 


And that's what worries me -- none of the agents I spoke could confirm that we won't lose the onboard credit we got and that we won't have to pay the ridiculous price increase this itinerary now has since we booked. I like the itinerary because they spend two days in Cuba where other lines spend one, otherwise I'd change my booking in a heartbeat!

When they do something like change ships/move ships, you do not have to pay more and you will not lose your obc. It's only when you make changes that those things can happen.

We've been on 17 or 18 cruises with Royal and the reality is, we use a TA (friends of ours) and don't deal directly with RCI. The agents only know what they can see on their screens. Call back and ask for a supervisor. Work up the line and get it all straightened out.
 
Last edited:
When they do something like change ships/move ships, you do not have to pay more and you will not lose your obc. It's only when you make changes that those things can happen.

We've been on 17 or 18 cruises with Royal and the reality is, we use a TA (friends of ours) and don't deal directly with RCI. The agents only know what they can see on their screens. Call back and ask for a supervisor. Work up the line and get it all straightened out.

I worked up the line through three departments. The end result is that because the Majesty is configured differently, we lose the 3-bed room we had and end up with overhead bunk beds -- neither of which my daughter (with a bad back) nor my husband (with Parkinson's) can do. So I'll be looking around for other options. Even the last two reps I spoke with said that RCCL has a lot of unhappy customers right now who weren't given first priority to the rooms before they opened it to the public on Monday. As of this morning, we were all still locked out of our reservations and couldn't even make changes on line. By the time they got to my reservation, there weren't even any handicapped rooms left! There is no way the three of us can be in a cubicle on this one with my husband's mobility issues. The room we had on Empress was perfect for us. In 17 cruises, never had a line mess with my reservation so much in 8 months!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top