AnnetteJackson

14 hours ago, gi333 said:

Tried it already. No luck. Will try again as soon we get closer. 

They should do this for you.  Its called a complimentary upgrade - where you ask for an upgrade knowing that you will not get a refund.  Even in the TA call center we can get someone that is not aware they can do it and we have to call back.... so good luck!

3 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

Why not just cancel and rebook? Given the COVID-19 cancellation policy, couldn't you do that? Best to bring in a TA on this one.

Be careful with this..... with the amount of FCC they are going to be processing it could take a month before you get that FCC that you could then apply.  The FCC will also have the cruise you cancelled on it with the sailing and date - many times they will catch this and not allow it to be applied to the same sailing you were on, but a different one.

If you are cruising in the next month or so, I would watch for price dips so that you can possibly adjust to an upgrade for what you are already paying or pay a smaller amount to upgrade.  Seeing lots of people in March where they paid for interior and for the same price they are moving up to Balcony or even Spacious Balcony.  Cant get the refund on the cost, but at least get a better room.

They can combine it once on board but not before.  You would have to go to Guest Services and have them move it around for you.  The adult guest in that room would need to be present as well.

4 minutes ago, cile said:

We are going May 24 with "Harmony of the Seas" I hope by then Coronavirus will be gone. And non of my future cruises are drooping in price . 

You can continue to watch the cruise or ask your TA to do that for you.  The sailings are dropping in price and there are some good deals to be had.  Once you have paid in full and its past your paid in full date, you can complimentary upgrade your room to a higher category but not get a refund for the difference in price you paid.  Right now the cruise lines are so busy with the cancellations close in, that I/m sure its hard for the inventory management team to work too far out to look at pricing that might entice people to book close in cruises.  May 24th while close is a long way away from today with a lot of things that could happen.  Just keep watching.

But just to clarify on this one.... cause I already had 2 emails about why the ships are still going to Labadee......

This is a level 4 in Haiti for violence... not a level 4 from the CDC because of the virus.

Yes, but I would double check once you get on board.  Sometimes the link between your reservation gets missed when they are assigning tables.  They can fix it quickly at the dining room, but check your table numbers once you get your key.

2 hours ago, DanielB said:

Sorry to hear, I also have to do the same with my MEI agent.  My agent went on vacation and I worked with another who was very responsive and great to work with....night and day to be honest.  So not all are bad, most here praise their agents so I think that speaks volumes of the company.  

Hey there,

In reading this post, if you prefer to work with the agent that was covering. please reach out to me and we can chat about moving you to a good fit for you.  Everyone works differently as a client and a vacation planner, so sometimes its about making that right connection with the person handling your vacation.

13 hours ago, Iora38 said:

Not sure if I can agree with that recommendation. I currently have some cruises with a Mei Travel agent because of the great reviews. I am regretting my decision. The agent never does price adjustments for me and I always had to reach out to her.When I send her these emails, she always sounds very irritated. I think I will switch back to booking the cruises myself.

Hey there,

Please reach out to me so I can look into your reservations.  If things are not working well with the agent you are with, I am happy to have another agent jump in and help you.  This is not the level of service that we are wanting to provide, so I cannot jump in and make corrections if I am not aware of issues.

Please reach out to me at [email protected]

1 hour ago, Mrsdawg73 said:

Thank you!  That’s what I thought...maybe worth calling back and try to get someone else?  I don’t expect any money back, but if I could be moved into the guarantee balcony, they could resell the interior...they’d make more money. I booked this one a long time ago.  My recent booking I moved to MEI after hearing all of the great things about them on the podcast and here. 

You may have already called and taken care of this... but you can ask for them for the upgrade for no refund and they will do a price protected upgrade at no charge for you.  Sad you cant get that extra money back, but a much nicer cabin than you had paid for.... and you didnt have to play the upgrade bid game!

21 hours ago, Anastasia said:

So you’re saying I can call RC now and fix it before I board in 2 weeks?

Your travel agent will have to do it as the cruise line will not do it for you, but yes a name change between them should be doable.  If not, moving them on board will take maybe 5 minutes.  I did this for @Matt on the Freedom cruise and no big deal once on board.

2 minutes ago, Anastasia said:

Hi guys, I had a question. Currently we have 2 suites - one with 2 adults and the other with 3 adults. My travel agent got confused and mixed up the two people (so person 1 was put in person 2’s cabin and vice versa). So when I board the ship, would I go to guest services to switch the names of the passengers in each cabin?

Many thanks in advance!

Im not sure when you cruise but it might could be fixed now.  But once on board as long as there is a bed for the person in the room they will change them at guest services with no issues.

I have flown recently as well and yes you may see a few people that will have masks on when you are out, but in general most people are mentioning - even in the Atlanta airport - that everyone needs to wash their hands to help protect themselves.

The cruise lines are updating to those booked a couple of times a week and I recommend that people find out what the cruise line is recommending from the cruise line or ask your travel provider.  There is a lot of misinformation on boards, Facebook, and quite frankly in the news also, but if you have a question about how things will be handled  - i would go straight to the source and not be led astray by others.  I know they mean well, but each person has to make a decision for themselves based on facts from supplier. Doctor, and discussion with those in the know.

If you are not getting updates, call and make sure that your email is correctly loaded with the cruiseline.

3 hours ago, NancyL2648 said:

I recently received a gift certificate for an upcoming cruise for my birthday. I followed the directions and applied it to my account....that was almost a month ago.  Any idea when Royal will add it to my account for OBC?

Thanks for any info.

How nice is that!

I would give Royal a call or check with your TA to see if they can see that there is a request for OBC on your reservation.  Sometimes they do get loaded a couple of weeks before you take your cruise, but a call to ask about it might get it added early for you  

14 hours ago, MJO said:

Thanks so much @SpeedNoodles @Matt

I contacted MEI Travel and I'm currently waiting for an answer, I don't know why on earth I was under the impression that I could do this myself.

Thank you for reaching out to us!  We do work with clients all over the world, but there can be a few situations where we will not be able to take over an existing reservation.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you should need any further assistance.

On 1/28/2020 at 2:27 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

The way that I sent credit card information to pay with M.E.I. the first time was via fax (she sent me a form). Now my card is on file and I just have to email her and ask her to put whatever amount I want on the card toward a particular sailing.  I suppose I could have called with it, but I'm on the phone so much at work that I simply avoid it when I'm not at work.

Thank you so much for supporting Matt by using MEI-Travel to book your travel.  Many people hate to get on the phone so we totally have many ways we can get that number from you.  Some elect to Fax, some a quick phone call one time, and some clients will send part in an email and part in a text message.  Its amazing as a person that LOVES to talk on the phone to see how many people avoid it like the plague.  Our agents will also work with the client with what they are most comfortable with.  And yes, once we have your card on file, we can ask you with the last 4 digits if its ok to use that card.  It makes the next bookings and final payments much easier for everyone.

16 hours ago, Ken23 said:

I am also on the March 5th sailing.

I would think in the next few days Royal will likely make some changes...my guess is they change the home port away from Shanghai for a few weeks or more.

@AnnetteJackson is it too early to have @michelle asking Royal to change my March 5th sailing to something else?

Ken,

Many times when things are in limbo we advise that you wait until the cruise lines make a policy.  If you try to move before that you could miss out on the offerings they give to others booked on the same cruise.  It can be frustrating to wait for them to decide, but it is the best plan.

Hey 

Easy.. book as Baby and your last name and use the due date.  Then when the baby is born you can adjust all that on the reservation.

Congrats on the new baby!

12 minutes ago, TJ! said:

What kind of rates or ship is this?

I have never seen it that cheap before.

While these are OBC given by a particular TA remember that TAs are more than ways to get money back on your trip.  They do work for you on your cruise and the cruise line pays them a commission.  if they are giving you back a "gift" of OBC it is coming most times out of the agents pocket.  The level of service you get could suffer if they are giving you back everything they would be making on the cruise as an OBC.

I recommend interviewing a few agents and asking questions about services provided, will they price adjust for you, is there a fee as some agencies do have fees to work with them and some do not, knowledge of the product, how they communicate with clients, and gifts.  And this is a short list - haha  You are trusting this person with your vacation, memories and credit card.... make sure you know what you are getting

You can always get the towels by the pool.  I like to have my own towels to take off the ship in port because they are not as bulky and fit my bag.  Here is what I call my "shamwow" towel   

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MJKPFHC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Another vote for read the fine print closely.  AND not all RCCL Gift Cards are created equal so always check before you buy.   Some of these gift cards can not be applied to a reservation that is booked with a Travel Planner, used with a group booking, not on holiday sailings or combined with Casino Rates for example of things I have seen with these over the years.

You can always call in and ask for these to be in your room on a certain day or every night!

19 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Probably true. Some of the flights are marked "sold out" for many of the flights already (all in the basic fare, which I can't do because I can't choose my seats and I need to sit  next to my husband because he has flight phobia). so I start getting a little nervous.

Dont forget about Royals air program as well.  You can book refundable air and pay for it at final payment time.  It can be cancelled at anytime up until final payment.  It could give you a better rate - or at least a rate you would consider booking at while you shop for air.

Royal knows that this is a very popular request and has now started having restrictions on the connecting rooms.  Many times you can find connecting for 3 with 4 guests, but sometimes the connecting triples can be tough to find.  Many times for this we have to ask for exceptions and work with Royal to try to get what our clients need.  It is really hard to get rooms like this when booing online.  I suggest asking the help of a TA or calling in to ask for help with Royal.

20 hours ago, Bee-rad said:

Hello,

We are a family of four (Me, wife, 13yo son and 15yo son) sailing on the HOTS this summer.  I have done a ton of reading on how to check in and board with the app, but I do have a question.  I read that once we check in we will have electronic Set Sail passes on my phone for the four of us which will (might) expedite boarding.  I also read that once on board our physical Set Sail passes will be be waiting at our room once it's ready.  If that is all true, then how would we split up when we got on board and still be able to charge things?  I give my kids access to our main account and they can use it for whatever, and the wife and I would like to get busy drinking!  Can I purchase the little bracelets with the electronic Set Sail passes? Can I transfer the electronic Set Sail passes to my family members to use on their app?  We've sailed a few time on RC, but haven't been able to do the app check in thing yet.

 

Thanks!

If you are concerned about the time between when you board and when you can get in your room, you can take pictures of each of the passes and send to that person so they have their boarding pass with them until they get in the room.