Beci

2 hours ago, KathyC said:

Paging @Beci

Thanks for the tag !! 

20 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

@Beci can probably help you out with a number 

Or you can go to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com and fill out the yellow form on the right hand side under GET A FREE QUOTE. MEI is a sponsor of the site and this way they'll know you're coming from here! 

Thanks for the tag Ashley!

On 2/18/2022 at 7:14 AM, Cheryl Chubokas said:

Was wondering if somebody could please give me the number for MEI travel. Would appreciate it I’ve been having some problems with my travel agent and looking for a change.

Hi Cheryl! 

 SpeedNoodles is right.  Our advisors are spread across the US and have their own direct numbers that we share once we assign one to you.  We do have a  24/7 message center that will take yoru info and pass it on to us so we can assign an advisor -- that number is 425.396.7505.

But -- its much faster if you simply visit  www,royalcaribbeanblog.com and fill out the form on the right hand side. That allows us to send the starter info to an advisor and they will be back in touch with you within a couple of hours or less. 

You can also PM or email me at [email protected] and I am happy to assign someone for you as well.  And please know you can reach out directly to us anytime we can be of service! 

1 hour ago, bryresangel said:

UPDATE:

Apparently being old school with my AOL account is NOT conducive to getting an email from MEI. My travel agent, Sue had to resend the email she sent and I FINALLY got it this time. Crisis averted!

I am so glad we were able to get things situated for you!  AOL is one of the most protective/controlling when it comes to identifying spam and often times they send suspected spam to the dumpster before you even have a chance to review it.  Thanks again for reaching out so we could ensure you are taken care of! Have a great day! 

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

I never used the form since I think my MEI TA was assigned to me when I did a blog group cruise.

Pinging @Beci @Sharla @michelle @Jacki_MEI since I know they frequent these boards. 

Thanks for pinging us Ashley!!!  We sure appreciate it so we can help resolve the problem. Have a great day! 

1 hour ago, bryresangel said:

Has anyone used the online trip request form for MEI travel? I am looking for information on our next cruise, but I haven't heard back from them. I am wondering if the request isn't going through since I'm not even getting anything saying "your request has been received". Thank you!

Good morning!  Our response time at MEI-Travel is usually same day or within 24 hours at the very latest.  We have found that some spam filters grab some of our quotes, so please be sure to check in case the quote took a left turn in cyberspace.  In the meantime, please  email me directly - [email protected] - with your contact info and I will be sure you get a follow up today.  

Thanks for posting so we have the ability to diagnose the issue and have a great day! 

On 11/3/2021 at 5:04 PM, 904Duval said:

I also like to pick my cabin online by myself. And then get my travel agent involved. I don’t understand why someone wouldn’t use a travel agent. 

Travel agents cost you nothing extra. 

Travel agents are paid a commission by the cruise line, which comes out of the cruise line’s bottom line, and not charged to you. Support this important service industry. 

In return you get expert advice and extra set of eyes.  I used my travel agent to herd my friends reservations together and then book us as a group.  
 

Here’s an excellent post by Matt 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/06/15/top-things-you-didnt-know-travel-agents-can-do-your-cruise-vacation

I couldn't have said it better myself!!!!! 

On 10/30/2021 at 10:39 AM, dcr50usa said:

While I appreciate your time to answer my question, as a cruiser it did not completely answer my question. As a business owner I use software/programs to benefit my employees and clients too.  I have been involved with them since the early 80's and whether the program is off the shelve or modified to suit my business needs, I have to know what the stated final capabilities are going to be before I invest in a new system along with its advantages to what I currently use. In this case, I believe one of the factors would be how soon your system would run after Cruise line sales are posted and TA's notified to modify the booking to the reduced rate.

Pre-pandemic there were many 3-5 day sales only and sometimes they have the best price when all is said and done for that individual cruise. TA's are entitled to their personal time off just like the rest of us are, but when the sale is advantageous to the cruiser (client) and needs to be modified quickly due to the sale time limits the TA needs to know quickly. In the past I have had trouble getting in contact with my TA (not MEI) or their agency to have the booking modified before the sale price disappears and sometimes lost a substantial fare reduction for my cruises. 

The comments on this blog  a few years ago about MEI has given me new hope (as I had been doing all the leg work for several years) and currently have 8 booked thru MEI.  Since the pandemic began my MEI-TA and myself have managed to reduce my original bookings by almost 15%:) Unfortunately some of the sale reductions I found has caused me to interrupt my TA's well earned time off and has been greatly appreciated on our part but I would like to avoid doing this.

Having an understanding of the timing of your program and its timely notification to my TA gives me the timing I need on when to check the sales so I can freely contact my TA during their regular working hours.

Thanks

Hi! 

The system enhances our efforts to price protect our clients bookings by sweeping for new prices usually once per day.  However Michelles reply was accurate that most MEI team members work in tandem with clients, and its NEVER a bother if you spot an offer before the system does.  This is part of the services we provide and we are so proud to save you money!!!

On 10/31/2021 at 5:59 PM, CruiseGus said:

I sometimes book on-line myself if I see a deal/price I like and especially if the Cabin I want is sitting there (I can be very particular about Cabin location; no connecting cabins; cabin above and below).  I then send the information off to Michelle and have her transfer it. 

I do like to do my own planning and did everything myself for a while, but I can say that since I started using Michelle it is the way I will go from now on.

 

And thats perfect!  For those who want to be a part of the process.  booking then transferring is the best of both worlds.  We are happy to have your back and advocate for you... while checking for the best deals!  Thanks for your business! 

4 minutes ago, Johnstewarth said:

Hi Everybody,

An update on our situation. I just spoke with David at MEI and he was very helpful. He promised to get us squared away with a different agent, and did confirm that we should be able to expect better service.

Thanks, @Sharlaand @Beci for your posts. I had posted a while back on a different thread about our agent not having notified us of the significant price drops on our cruise. I was kind of rebuffed by a few posters for expressing my disappointment, but I thought I had read elsewhere on the boards about your software that checked somewhat regularly for those price drops. That's why I was disappointed.

Thanks everyone for your great feedback! I look forward to updating again when I hear how things are resolved.

Thanks John.  I am so glad you spoke with David and we will get you with the right advisor that will meet your needs and exceed your expectations.  I will follow up with the agent and ensure they receive refreshed training on our rate notifications in case there is some confusion. 

Please always feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions or need help. We want to earn your confidence! 

18 minutes ago, dcr50usa said:

Beci,

As a cruiser using a MEI TA I was glad to see your reply to the issue:)  I do have a follow up on the auto price sweep system you mentioned:

Is the sweep being done automatically (on a set schedule or daily) and run based on what our TA's have entered into your system, or is it initiated by the individual MEI-TA we are using?

Thanks

Hi again!  The Royal Caribbean Blog community is very important to us!  I do tend to spend more time on the live streams myself,  and we have several advisors here watching the boards, however please feel free to reach out to me anytime!

As far as the sweeps go, its an automated process that comares the cruise lines rate to the rate entered in our system for your category -  that unfortunately we don't control the timing.  It really does help us ensure we catching as many of the changes as possible, however some offer codes may not be picked up right away.  That results in the client sometimes seeing before the advisor is aware due to after hours timing, weekends, etc.  Our policy is if we receive a reduction notice its applied at the earliest possible timeframe.  Its been a time saver,  but your advisor still works hard behind the scenes to watch all the moving part

Any other questions?  Let me know! 

9 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

I left my agent at MEI.  Somewhat similar issue.  We shouldn’t have to beg an agent to take a booking, nor to do price adjustments.
 

Hi @Pattycruise,

I am so sorry to read about your experience you noted in this thread.  You are very correct that you should never have to ask, let alone beg an advisor to provide the services they should provide as a norm. 

As a matter of fact regarding price adjustments, we have a proprietary technology that automatically sweeps the cruise lines system and compares to the rate we have for you and if the price is lower, we get a notification so we can proactively adjust. This is a benefit we have added in the last year, so if your advisor didnt provide this, I need to address it with them to improve their services.  If you are willing, would you mind PMing me the advisors name so I can address it? 

Thank you so much for helping us make the company even better! 

15 hours ago, Johnstewarth said:

We are booked on Quantum of the Seas for June 2022. We booked through an agent at MEI Travel. We had eight other family members who were already booked transfer their bookings to this agent.

Later, I found a lower rate myself on the RC website and contacted the agent to see if we could rebook. She was able to rebook us, and we saved a significant amount of money. I had to ask her to rebook the others that had transferred their reservations to her, and they saved as well, but I honestly don't think she would have rebooked them if I hadn't asked.

I then referred friends (family of four) who wanted to book the cruise to her, and it took her several days to respond to them and several more before she finally got them booked. They almost gave up on her and booked themselves.

Last Saturday, my sister, brother-in-law, and niece decided to join us on the cruise as well. They booked the cruise and emailed our agent immediately after to have their reservation transferred to her as well. They still haven't received a response. 

I called the number listed for the agent early this afternoon and spoke to someone in reception who apologized and said someone would call me back. I haven't heard back yet, but I wanted to ask if anyone has been in this kind of situation and what you did. I'm very worried that if we truly need assistance with something, this agent will be MIA. Does anyone know of an agent at MEI by whom you swear? Maybe we can get our bookings transferred to that agent instead?

I appreciate any advice.

Good morning from onboard the Celebrity Apex! 

I am so sorry you have had a disappointing experience with one of our advisors. The situation you detail is certainly not the service standard we are known for and I want to follow up with the advisor to address this issue. May I ask you to email me directly at [email protected] or send me a PM here, and we will follow up with you asap.  We know an experience like this will impact your confidence in that advisor,  so we will be very happy to help facilitate a move to another advisor. 

Please know we work very hard to ensure your trust and confidence in us, and we appreciate you letting us know so we can address it and provide additional training to help make the advisors the best they can be.  

If anyone else reading this thread has any feedback on our services or our advisors-  positive, constructive, or just need help - I invite you to always feel free to email me directly or PM me here or on Facebook. 

Thats amazing Paul!  Thanks for the @Sharla and MEI shoutout!  We LOVE helping you save money! 

4 hours ago, Matt said:

For those waiting to book, is your plan to book:

a). 1 cruise

b). 2 or 3 cruises

c). Multiple sailings

d). Live onboard with @mpoole3

If I had more room on my credit card the answer would be c) --- as many as I can fit on the calendar!   (Dean is lonely)  

On 3/18/2021 at 1:51 PM, rjac said:

For those of you who are on the fence about using a Travel Agency, PLEASE READ. This past weekend we decided to book a 7 day cruise on the Anthem out of Cape Liberty, NJ and bring our daughter and her family along with us over Easter week departing on April 22, 2022. I spent a couple of days searching the Anthem for a JS for my wife and I and two balcony adjoining rooms for our daughter and her family. I did find some of what I was looking for on different decks, near the elevators or on deck 13 (below the WJ) and they all were not acceptable. So, I contacted Michelle, MEI Travel (they also sponsor this blog) told her what I wanted and VIOLA! Today I booked a JS on deck 10 and two adjoining cabins also on deck 10. None of those cabins were available when I searched. Moral of the story here is don't waste your time, get ahold of Michelle at MEI and let her know what you want. She can make miracles happen! 

Bob, I just saw this thread and wanted to say thanks for the amazing message and for supporting Michelle and MEI-Travel!  We truly appreciate it! 

2 hours ago, dodgestang said:

Star class?  Have they started offering this amenity on this ship yet?

wouldnt that be great!!!??? 

I REALLY love Bermuda and this is a great itinerary. I just wish it was a different ship and I'd book it.

Im hoping this puts a little added pressure on the CDC.