AnnetteJackson

Welcome to the cruising world now that she is hooked!

I love the fact that most Royal ships within a class have a familiar feel when you get onboard, but there are some slight changes that make each ship its own.

There is nothing wrong with booking the newest ship in the fleet - but know that the price will be higher because of that.  I would also look at ports of call along with which ships have been AMPlified while looking around for the next cruise.  While the ships are not all Oasis Class, they have some great new features on them.

5 minutes ago, DMLM said:

Just an update.  I was speaking to the C&A line of Royal about some other things.  I took that opportunity to mention this issue.  The representative indicated they were unable to adjust the taxes but I would receive a ~$13 refund at the end of the cruise.  A small win that made me feel even better at that moment but we will see.

 

D

This happens frequently.  But Royal has been really good to refund back to clients after the cruise once they work thru all the accounting for that cruise.

7 minutes ago, cobra614 said:

That's what I figured.  I also thought since I replied to the contract email it might not of sent correctly. 

Thanks for the help. I dont mean to disrespect Stephanie in any way, I'm just new to using a travel agent. 

No issues at all.  She is emailing you now   No disrespect at all.  

1 minute ago, cobra614 said:

I resent an email requesting that travel insurance be add to our contact to Stephanie a couple  of  days ago. I got the same contract stating refusing the coverage today. I tried calling her but it went straight to voicemail.  To be fair I didn't leave a message,  I did resend a email requesting the  coverage and already paid my deposit.  Just thought I'd respond to this post.

I have reached out to her about this.  Later tonight you should see a reply.  The system auto generates periodically to you until the invoice is signed.  It could be that what you got today is a resend automatically of what she originally sent since it has not been signed.  Because i only see your board name,  I cannot look in the system for you.  

If you do not get a reply tonight, please reach out to me directly and we will get you all straightened out.

1 hour ago, cobra614 said:

@Michelle.

I am currently working with Stephanie.  I have a May harmony cruise booked,  but haven't signed the Edocs with MEI. I asked her to add the travel protection a couple of days ago and I only got the reply to sign the original docs without travel protection.  I tried calling her number,  but it went straight to voice mail.

 

A little help? Perhaps she is on a cruise??

Hey,

I have reached out to Stephanie for you.  Michelle is an IC at MEI-Travel just like Stephanie is so it could be awkward for Michelle to reach out to Stephanie for you.

Stephanie will be in touch soon to you.  Or if you would like to reach out to me directly, I can check in on things for you.

19 hours ago, twangster said:

Yeah I cringe when I have to ask my TA something I know is beyond basic.  It will take her hours with Royal.  Other cruise lines not so much, but Royal can be a Royal Pain for TA's.  

But you know what... that is part of what you are getting when you book with a Travel Agent.  Yes it may put us on the phone for long times, but that is our jobs.  We know how to multi-task and get several things done at one time, and we love being able to know we saved you the client time so you can enjoy your cruise and not worry about the planning process 

4 minutes ago, Chaosgirl426 said:

Is there an alarm clock in the room? if not, can someone recommend a LOUD alarm clock that i could find at maybe a wal-mart or target? Thanks guys

I like to use wake up calls especially on sailings where the time may change.  You never know if your phone will actually adjust to the right time at the right part of the cruise.  

11 hours ago, Jim82Mac said:

So many people in this thread talk about how responsive and great Stephanie is. While I agree that she was extremely responsive leading up to my booking and forking over my down payment, she has not been since. With the exception of what I assume to be automated emails talking about new cruise deals offered by RCCL with a tag that states she is continually looking for better offers, she has not responded to me yet. I’ve sent two different emails weeks apart and have heard nothing. This has been my first experience with a travel agent, and I hope to not be my last. But, the lack of responding to emails is very disappointing. Particularly since it was so great on the front end...while trying to get my business. 

Hello,

I would love it if you would contact me directly with some examples and feedback so I can work with her on this.  I would be happy to move you if you are unhappy with your agent to another agent.  Just email me at [email protected] and I will jump in to make sure you are happy.

17 minutes ago, chrisb732 said:

Hello everyone! Has anyone else been able to transfer a cruise to an agent after the 60 days or is that some kind of rare thing that can be done once in a while?

I booked an Alaska cruise back in November and after seeing this post I decided to check the price again. The difference was $350 so we called Royal Caribbean and they matched the price. Has anyone else had any luck with doing that?

Is there a limit on the number of times the price of a cruise can be changed if there is a difference with each sale that happens?

Thank you!

Hey there!

We will not have any issues taking something over after the 60 day mark.  It may take a couple of days, but we can accept the transfer and start looking for discounts for you right away!

38 minutes ago, FManke said:

I just wanted to add my two cents to this thread. After reading this thread I decided to contact MEI Travel. Now, I already had booked on my own back on 4/1. After I was contacted by Danette from MEI and had given her all the info, not knowing that RCCL doesn't allow a transfer to a travel agent after 60days of booking, I received a e-mail from RCCL stating this fact. I e-mailed Danette thanking her and apologizing for wasting her time. She then said hope was not lost and she was going to contact another dept and see what she could do. Low and behold about 10 days later, my reservation transfer was approved and on top of that, she got me a price drop of almost $500 off my original reservation price, 4 months after my initial reservation and first payment, along with a OBC as a gift from her. The savings would have been more than enough. 

That's what I call service! I will never go it alone again and always recommend MEI Travel!

Thank you for giving us a try!

So glad that Danette was able to save you money along with a little extra gift!  

3 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

Wow, even if you call (maybe a few times) complaining to Royal Caribbean that the service is poor? 

It is very rare for Royal to get involved in the relationship with the client and the agent.  Royal will contact the agent to let them know that the client wants to transfer it back to them, but I have been involved in situations where the other agency would not transfer it back to the client or another agency without charging a cancellation fee.

Its really important to interview the agent or agency about fees, cancellations and level of services you expect BEFORE you book.  

22 minutes ago, CruiseGus said:

Just to be clear

I was under the impression to transfer a booking from one agent to another, the original agent has to agree to release the booking?

So an agent that charged you $xx up front to book is not in my opinion going to easily release a booking because then the will also lose out on the Comm/
Admin Rate proceeds they receive.

If you know the answer for sure tell us please

Also I agree you need a new and much better agent.

This can be really hard to get out of and even some agencies that dont charge a fee will give clients a hard time to give it back.  For MEI-Travel, we do not charge a fee to work with you (Royal pays all Travel Agents - so that fee is an add on) and if you try us and decide that it isnt right for you, we will either work to find another agent in the agency to work with you or we will transfer it back to you so fee or hard time given.  

3 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Thanks, that's ok. Very awkward indeed and rude. Its all good but thanks for the suggestion.

I know it sounds rude, but to be honest they wont know what you like unless they know what you like.   its a relationship we are building.

Trust me... Matt let me know he doesnt like Champagne or white wine..... its been dropped in conversations we have had over the years and now I know what NOT to send him

This might should have been said before now on this string......

When you book with MEI-Travel, yes you are support the sponsor, but you are ultimately support Matt and all he does with the blog.  We give back to Matt, his community and on his group cruises from all of the bookings that come from his site.  While it may not benefit you if you are not on a sailing with him on a group cruise, there are other ways that we give back to support Matt and his followers.

11 minutes ago, Cruise Newbie said:

Hello - 

Ship: Navigator of the Seas 

Me and my wife is going on our first cruise together for her birthday. Due to scheduling restrictions from our jobs and the babysitter's schedule we have no choice but to fly in on the day of Departure.

We are flying direct from DTW (6:40am) into FLL (9:40am)  and taking ground Transportation (Uber or Lyft) to the Miami port Terminal A.

Any tips on making the travel as smooth as possible? I know we are taking a risk but we want to make sure we are prepared as much as possible.

 

Thanks in Advance.

Sometimes you just cant help it and have to fly day of.  If possible to not check bags that can help, but not sure how practical that is if like me you need shoes for every day and outfit  

You should have plenty of time to get to the port in time since you are arriving early morning.  Another option might would be a private car service so they are waiting for you already.  Then you dont have to wait for someone to pick you up.

Pray for good weather and no traffic jams  - haha

On 8/4/2019 at 4:31 PM, RCIfan1912 said:

I booked Oasis for May 2020 through MEI and I was wondering if there were any perks thrown your way. Honestly it's whatever but I guess we'll find out in May. If anything I'd rather have on board credit but again it's whatever. 

Reach out to your agent to let them know you prefer OBC over Room gifts, or if you prefer you can email me and I can let them know as well.  I know its a little awkward to say hey that gift you are giving me for booking.... .make it $$  but in the end we want to make you a happy client and not send something you will not use.

21 hours ago, bmatrose said:

I'm looking at 2 interior rooms on a 7 night cruise. Is it really more of a hassle to go thru next cruise?

Hey there,

If you are using a % off it would have to be booked thru Casino, but a TA can do that for you - not all will, but they can.  Royal will not let you book a group rate and then apply the % off to the booking since it has to go thru Casino.  If you are talking OBC it should not be an issue with the booking at a lower rate.  Royal has figured out all the ways we all try to double and triple dip

18 hours ago, DanielB said:

Does MEI gift you a gift in the room at all?  I know some TA's do and some don't....if its wine though I just want to decline it and save them the extra cost.  Don't expect a gift but I know you guys will know the answer.

Hello,

Our agents will do a gift in the room but if you are looking large OBC they may consider that your gift as well.  Many people like the surprise of a thank you, while others want to have money to spend up front.

When you first get on board ask your room attendant for a fan - they have several on board the ships to bring to the rooms.  

30 minutes ago, Bigboater said:

Michelle, i just booked a 7 day western caribbean on Symphany and am interested in transfering over to you how do i do this? Thanks Chuck

Hey, you can email me and I will forward that to Michelle or if you want to contact her directly - its [email protected]

Thank you for supporting Matt and giving MEI a try!

2 hours ago, xanman2112 said:

Hi Annette,  how many of you for $35 one way?

two of us but the cab would have held 4... it was not the plan for the day as I had the group going, but I had to jump out to take care of something but sent the group ahead.

Last month when I was there and took a taxi it was $35 cash one way.  This is who I used for the group excursion to this beach.  He was early, friendly and very helpful   https://www.rickysminibus.com/

2 hours ago, wllm1969 said:

I looked on MEI website and there is no one near me. Do you serve clients that are long distance? How do you do that? 

WE have agents all over the US - even more than you saw on the site.  You can fill out the quote request and ask for someone near your home location or if you want to email me directly with how you would like to be contacted and a few details, I can match you up with an agent that will respond in the style you like.  Some people prefer text, email or phone calls and I have agents that have those preferences as well.

1 minute ago, RockerDom31 said:

That’s what I’m kind of unsure about - when you book through NEA, I don’t believe you are assigned a “Travel Agent” - I think they are more of a “booking site”. I could be wrong though...

They are offering $250-750 off, depending on stateroom category, of the lowest Royal Caribbean advertised price.

We are having our pre-Cruise meeting with our travel agent next week so I was going to ask then if there would be anything she could do on her end.

Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated! This website and forum is literally the best source of information for all things Royal. You guys are the best!

You are booked with a TA even if it seems like a booking site - especially if you are meeting with your agent before you go.  If you are pleased with the service you are getting from them then there would be no reason to change agencies.  Not all agents and agencies are created the same, but when you find someone that you work well with you should stick with them.

The process to transfer from agency to agency described by @Matt is correct.  While it sounds like a lot of forms, it goes seamless most of the time.  Always check with the agency you are booked at before you ask them to release the booking to make sure they do not have any fees they will charge you if you cancel the booking with them.

You can always get decorations from a party store and put magnets on the back of them for your door or in the room.  I know you say you want them up before he gets there, I have sent mine to take care of a "dining check" to make sure the table is good at 1 pm so that I could take things to the room and then I decorate while he is busy.