Beci

On 9/23/2023 at 8:53 AM, LindaZ said:

First cruise to Alaska next year. Not familiar with Seattle port or hotels. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to stay the night before the cruise? Thanks in advance. 

Hi!  

If you have any time to spend in the city before the cruise,  my two favs are The Edgewater and the Marriott Seattle waterfront.  If you are coming in late the night prior and just need a place to sleep before boarding the ship,  the airport hotels or the lower-cost options in the city may be an option.   The Edgewater is one of the closest to the RCL port. 

1 hour ago, USCG Teacher said:

You email @Beci at [email protected], and she'll either get you set up herself or get you in contact with someone who can straight away.

Hi @USCG Teacher

The fastest way to get a quote is to -- go to royalcaribbeanblog.com   - and fill out the form on the right side. this goes directly to us and we will assign an advisor. 

If you have any trouble with the form, just email me directly and I will get you to a vacation advisor.   

Have a great day! 

18 hours ago, SUSAN1129 said:

If I already have a MEI agent can I switch?  I have asked for pricing three times she always says she’s working on it but hasn’t responded in two weeks. Do I give her more time?  I’m looking for 2024 pricing for about four cruises so that I can make a decision.  ( I have one cruise booked thru her already).

Hi @SUSAN1129 -  I posted below and realized it didn't actually tag, so posting this...  I also sent you a PM.  I havent heard back from you yet, but I will be watching for a reply and we will get you taken care of.  Thanks! 

13 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

@Beci

Thanks for the tag!!! 

1 hour ago, SUSAN1129 said:

If I already have a MEI agent can I switch?  I have asked for pricing three times she always says she’s working on it but hasn’t responded in two weeks. Do I give her more time?  I’m looking for 2024 pricing for about four cruises so that I can make a decision.  ( I have one cruise booked thru her already).

Hi @Susan1129    It should never take that long to get you a cruise price. Our policy is to always reply within one business day at most.  May I ask if you checked your spam folder?  Sometimes that creates an issue for us.  If it's not there, I am very happy to check into the situation and assign a new advisor for you. 

Please email me directly at [email protected] with the last communication you had and we will ensure you are taken care of and get the info you need by tomorrow. 

I appreciate your posting so we can course correct the situation. 

2 hours ago, Xaa said:

I think you should @SewerUrchin43.  I'm tagging in @Sara_MEI to help make sure you get the traction.

Thank you so much @Xaa!   We appreciate the opportunity to address any issues and appreciate you for the tags! 

2 hours ago, SewerUrchin43 said:

I tried using a popular TA company on the Blog for our next cruise, but after numerous times trying to reach the TA that responded to my initial email I never got a response back so I just booked it myself. After reading some of these posts I think I will give them another shot for our next cruise

Thank you so much for posting and letting us know you have had an issue.  We apologize that you didn't receive the service we are so well known to provide.  As @Sara_MEI said,  in these cases we have found spam filters tend to interfere and we would welcome the chance to make it right.  I am headed to a cruise today. so please email [email protected] and we will diagnose the issue and connect you with a Travel advisor. 

Please always feel free to reach out to either of us directly if you have any difficulties communicating with MEI-Travel. We are happy to help! 

12 hours ago, Marc Van Niekerk said:

Fair observation.  I will note that currently when I use the website to look at cruises I can as a resident of Canada on the Canadian site still select to see prices in USD. Maybe someone from MEI can enlighten us on the TA side of things as I do use an MEI agent for bookings ( @Beci )

Hi Marc,

So far we haven't been able to identify any reason why we cannot still assist our international clients,  but we are still investigating.   Thanks for the tag and I will update you as we get more info!

15 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

I'm sure if/when it gets closer @Beci will be on it!

Also maybe some other folks who have visited that area can offer some suggestions.

Hi!  yes!  I am currently working on the Navigator -- and this will be next in line with Serenade.   Have a great day!! 

Thank you so much @CruiseGus.  We are committed to responding to issues quickly and working to make it right for our clients. 

I see there are a few who posted stating they encountered issues and simply moved to book direct. Even if you are happy with that scenario, I'd appreciate hearing from you so we can address any training issues with the advisor who didn't deliver. 

My inbox is always open if anyone is having issues or even if you want to sing the praises of your advisor.  You can message me here, email me at [email protected]  or email our Client Relationship Manager Sara -- @Sara_MEI.

Thanks again -- and please always tag me and/or Sara, like @Xaa did above,  so we can jump in and address anything that needs attention. 

Happy sailing! 

Hi @andrew_amy,

I am very happy to help you find the right fit.   The perfect advisor for another guest may be precisely the opposite of what you need.  When you send in a request we do our best to match you but in the case of a transfer, we don't have a lot of info to go on,  so it may take a conversation to get to know you, your needs, and your preferred communication style to match you perfectly. 

Some clients only want emails, and others want only phone calls.  Some don't want to hear from an advisor unless there is a price drop, while others desire more info. And sometimes it's a training issue we need to work through.

Please email me directly at [email protected] with your contact info and I will have my Client Relationship manager contact you and we can address any issues.  

This is open to any of you who have run into issues.  Unfortunately, I am unable to address them if Im not aware,  so I truly appreciate your time to help us, help you.  Our biggest priority is our relationship with you!  And please tell others to contact me directly if there are issues in the future so I may address them.  (Thanks @Xaa ) 

Please forgive me for any delays. I am currently traveling in Italy but will get any feedback to my team asap. 

Thank you!

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

I signed up in 2019 and had a wonderful MEI agent who unfortunately retired in late October/early November. I was transferred to another MEI agent, who was supposed to contact me in a timely manner but didn't. I emailed them and they seemed to be okay, so I initiated a transfer of a cruise to them. I planned to book more and transfer, but something told me to wait. During black Friday I asked about upgrading a casino comp. I understand they offer little incentive for the TA but my original TA had taken it with no problem. It has now been two weeks with nothing heard from the TA. I am wondering if you can have a booking transferred back after Final Payment? I also wonder how I can get a new MEI agent.

Any help with be appreciated, thanks.

Hi!

Thanks for the message and we can certainly check for a better fit for you. There are situations where we just need to diagnose your needs and communication styles, them match you with the perfect advisor.

I will send you a PM to get that process started. 

Always feel free to PM me or email me at [email protected] with any needs or feedback. 

15 hours ago, Ticca said:

My family is about to take our first cruise.  We are so excited, we would like to start looking for our next one.  We used a MEI travel agent that responded to my request for a quote on this blog (thank you to everyone who recommended MEI).  She helped me book our cruise and seems very nice.  However, I had to find the cruise and do most of the planning myself by calling RC several times to get the information I needed.   Not to complain, but I didn't get any discount, other incentives, or advice from my TA.  She merely booked the cruise I found through my research.  I even had to call RC to find cabins that were open for us to choose from.  I would like to use MEI again, but I think I need to find a different agent.  Because I am so new to cruising, I really would like more help with the next one.  So, any advice on how to politely request a new TA from MEI?  I appreciate any help.

Hi Ticca,

Thanks so much for letting us know the advisor didnt meet the usual high level of service we are so well known for, and I appreciate the opportunity to make it right.  

I will send you a private message to see if we can find a better fit for your needs.  And please know anyone here can always feel free to message me directly here or email me at [email protected] with any feedback or issues you may encounter. 

Thanks! 

1 hour ago, DieselsCruzzzzin said:

@JC Pats @Beci I feel very outdated with the times right now but what is GroupMe and how do I become a part of the group?!?

 

Update: you can disregard this message just saw the FB post 

 

Hi! I just sent the info to the lead guests booked in the group.  Just reply to that, or message me if you have issues connecting.  Happy to help! 

Just waiting on one more piece of info from the ship --   

And group chat is coming @JC Pats- I promise

3 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

I went ahead to their website directly and redid the contact for there and they got back to me almost immediately. Thanks for the feedback!

Although, I will say that I'm trying to book connecting rooms or rooms next to each other and my prior agent was able to put the kids in their own room. MEI is telling me no to that. I know it's not a huge deal because we can get extra keys, etc. but it is honestly easier to just have the correct names associated with the room where we'll sleep...

Hi!  My apologies for the delay on the first request. Sometimes technology doesn't cooperate even with the best of intentions.  

As other have noted, you can certainly have two kids in the rooms next door or across the hall. If you are being told differently,  please DM me. 

Happy to help any way we can! 

3 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

@Beci can look into it if you don't hear something soon.

Thanks for the tag Ashley! 

On 9/24/2022 at 1:11 PM, smokeybandit said:

Random question and it may be a really silly question.

 

We're thinking of somewhat of a last minute cruise and there are limited room left in the category we want. I don't want to bother my TA on the weekend to book it. Does a TA find it "offensive" at all if a client books direct then transfers to them? I would think no but I didn't know if there was any kind of etiquette there.

Hi!   Not a silly question at all!  

Grabbing it and transferring the booking is just fine, as long as we do it within 30 days and its not paid in full.  We  really want to ensure you get the best cabin and price so if you see it, especially after hours,  book it.  Transferring to us allows us to take the reigns and watch for fare reductions, apply and additional offers we may have line OBCs or group space, and provide any additional support to make it easy for you! 

On 9/23/2022 at 3:09 PM, Fredsbabe87 said:

I planned my last few cruises myself using RCCL's website but decided to try the travel agency linked to this blog for our next cruise.  The agent got us a better cruise fare than RCCL's website and also promised us a $75 onboard credit (compared to RCCL's $50) and a complimentary specialty dining experience if we booked a balcony cabin.  So I went ahead and booked two balcony cabins with MEI Travel. 

However, the agent informed us later that the complimentary meal was available only to those on Oasis class, so she replaced it with a $50 onboard credit, which she said we could use toward a specialty lunch. However, I found out that neither of the onboard credits will be available until our 2nd cruise day, when it will be too late to book a specialty lunch. When I booked directly with RCCL before, I was able to use the onboard credits to purchase excursions or book dining reservations BEFORE the cruise. 

Also, I informed this agent early on that we would not require airfare since we live less than 2 hours from the cruise port, but she has since asked me several times about airfare. 

Maybe I just got an inexperienced agent this time, but I'm hesitant to use MEI Travel in the future.  Just my thoughts!

Thanks so much for the info and I will be happy to address the situation with the advisor you are working with to ensure they are on top of all the details.  I apologize for any confusion regarding the info you were given, but some of the promos can have very specific terms as in this case.  Sometimes we do make mistakes but we pride ourselves on offering recovering when they do happen. 

While we are unable to access your cruise planner purchases as RCL hasn't given us that ability,  we can notify you (and Matt does too) of when a CP sale starts.  Also,  we do actively monitor your cruise fare and will proactively apply any savings - so working with us can result in additional savings.  

Please email me directly with your name and the name of the TA you were assigned,  and we will follow up accordingly. If needed, we are happy to reassign you to another TA if that is desired.  My email is [email protected].  Please feel free to contact me with any additional feedback as well so we can hopefully course correct anything necessary to instill confidence in us going forward.  We appreciate the opportunity to make things right. 

Thank you! 

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

I'm not sure Danette is still with MEI.

@Beci may be able to help get you assigned to someone else or see who was supposed to have taken over for Danette? 

Thanks for the tag Ashley!!

1 hour ago, Klinkor said:

When I tried to call Danette it took me to a call center that had nothing to do with MEI travel. Has she switched jobs? Does anyone have an MEI agent they would recommend today.  When I requested an Mei agent through the website they gave me one but she is very non-responsive and I seem to be doing more work than she is.

Hi!  Thanks for the post so I can help! Danette did leave the industry quite awhile ago, and I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with your assigned advisor.  Sometimes it's a matter of communication issues but I'd like to diagnose the problem In the meantime, I'm happy to help address this and assign an advisor who is a better fit. Would you please send an email to me directly at [email protected]? 

Thank you for the opportunity!

40 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

I would just fill out the form and get assigned one. If they don't jive with you, it's perfectly acceptable to request a different one. @Beci will make sure you are taken care of!

Exactly!

18 hours ago, SuperStarian said:

How will we know what group activities are planned? Will we have to give the secret word when we see a group member at the Windjammere? 

Hi!   Our apologies for the delay. We just got the venues approved so our schedule of events should be out shortly.  Appreciate your patience! 
 

25 minutes ago, Tret said:

I just want to Thank and @Beci Jennifer and MEI-Travel.  They quickly resolved my issue and i am now fully booked for December and want to thank them for there excellent service and reaching out to me.

Thank YOU so much for the opportunity to get you the right fit!  We are excited to help you with your travels!! And we are always here to help --- Fee-Free!!!  

8 hours ago, Tret said:

Can anyone recommend a good cruise travel agent besides MEI.  Nothing against MEI, it is just I personally had a bad experience.  
 

Thank You

Hi Tret,

I am so sorry to hear we have let you down and I would like to get some additional info so I can address any issues.  Sometimes its a matter of who may be a good fit for a client, other times its a training issue.  Either way. Id like to make it right. 

If you would be willing to give us another shot, I will be happy to personally select a travel advisor for you and I will work with them in tandem to ensure we deliver. 

Either way, I would appreciate it if you would email me directly at [email protected] with the details of what happened so I can ensure the situation isn't repeated.  

Thank you!