michelle

2 minutes ago, michelle said:

Yes, agents have the ability to hold longer but its nice they are letting direct 24 hour holds again
Yes, they used to do this back in the day....

also we are seeing new enhancements on invoices now - Bedding is a line item
Which is very helpful - this below is an example of a quad cabin for clients

ex;  Bed Configuration: 2 LOWER TWIN BEDS - CONVERTED TO QUEEN, SOFA BED DOUBLE

And an example of a triple where it tells you if its an upper berth or sofabed
i'm sure these are all not 'absolutely perfect- but its helpful, like when they also added
on invoices the percentage of obstruction your cabin has - 

triple OV balcony on Freedom
Bed Configuration: 2 LOWER TWIN BEDS - CONVERTED TO QUEEN
Available Upper berths - 1

Yes, agents have the ability to hold longer but its nice they are letting direct 24 hour holds again
Yes, they used to do this back in the day....

also we are seeing new enhancements on invoices now - Bedding is a line item
Which is very helpful - this below is an example of a quad cabin for clients

ex;  Bed Configuration: 2 LOWER TWIN BEDS - CONVERTED TO QUEEN, SOFA BED DOUBLE

On 4/15/2022 at 12:25 PM, sftraveler said:

I also recently had a very bad experience with FbC. I booked the now cancelled Millennium Panama Canal 15-night cruise over the holidays. Because it's holiday season and flights can be scarce I went ahead and reserved flights through Celebrity for the return (it's a one-way cruise and we live in the departure port city). They cancelled the cruise, but shorted us $200 per person for a supposed FbC cancellation fee. I say it again: they cancelled the cruise. Never mind that a benefit of FbC is that you can cancel until final payment. The flights weren't ticketed or paid for, nor was the cruise beyond the fully refundable deposit. None of that should matter since they cancelled, not me.

They won't talk with me directly since it was booked through an agent, and she was not able to get clarification from them. I've disputed that charge on my credit card. Nightmare of a service experience.

aw this is just a lack of communication - your agent just has to ask them to refund the $200 and they will - but airfare is so tricky if you or your agent do not know "key words" when talking to air desk people is so confusing - I always tell my clients until they have air ticketed its not really active for them and you can ticket anytime once they are held, but you should not have had to go through the million calls to find this out- bummer air is the hardest part of travel nowadays

I usually get off for 1-2 hours and walk around - have a few shops i like to visit and

just walk around but I agree so many people do not like getting off the ship here

which is not great for the city itself...

On 4/17/2023 at 10:14 AM, Matt said:

I appreciate the kind words, and big thanks to @Curt From Canada for all the tips! I wasn't sure if it was worth upgrading the drink package or not.

I always upgrade the drinks and the wi-fi before boarding - well worth it I think

On 4/14/2023 at 10:38 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

Exactly.  Last year due to a Cruise Planner issue (a technical issue, not of my doing), my Alaska sailing got canceled 30 days prior to sailing.  Just....gone.  The amount of time and expertise it took for my TA (thank you @michelle and @Beci) was unbelievable.  And this was all over Mother's Day weekend.  I would not have had the time (as I worked all weekend) or the knowledge to reinstate this sailing and all cruise planner purchases (without losing any money).

I will never sail without a TA.  They are worth their weight in gold, and then some.

thanks and may was that 1 year ago?

SO crazy its not pulling up for me either - i'll be watching my mail too, thanks for the notice

I really like Celebrity - slower pace yes, and more adult friendly - they have fun wine tasting classes and unique dinners.
and restaurants that I really like.  I took Solstice to Alaska last year and loved the staff and the Sky Suite I had.  And your
Royal benefits transfer too.    The ships are different but I like the change of pace, the all-included packages I can add
and the fun shows.

On 12/13/2022 at 4:12 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

My TA got me an Owner's Suite on Odyssey of the Seas for the price of an Owner's Suite on Empress of the Seas (difference was about $7k).  Thanks @michelle!!

the good old days lol

Shoot I was hoping the ELITE benefits would be better I'm just about to do an 11 night Celebrity to New Zealand next year so
was hoping for some extras - at least Laundry for that length will be good.

4 hours ago, Cruiser79 said:

For those that have done the at home test, have you needed any extras? I have 7 in our party, and thinking I would get 9 total, is that enough?

They sell them in lots of 3 or 6 so yes 9 should be good

Hi all

Letter today says only Dec 4, 2022 sailing is cancelled- they are going to have Ship previews

for one week only it looks like.  So Nov 27, is a go right now as is Dec 11th

Just looks like those on Dec 4, 2022 are getting emails for Wonder of the Seas.

On 3/7/2022 at 10:19 AM, Jolly Ogre said:

I started out with Dannette and then when she left MEI they assigned me with @michelle. She has been nothing short of wonderful to work with.

aw thanks!

13 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

So June cruise must be paid by April? 

yes 60 days out from sailing date

22 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

July cruise - due April 10

June cruise (wife and her friends, no husbands) - due April 19

May cruise - due April 20

the Trifecta - remembers those numbers for Roulette once you are on the ships!

On 2/22/2022 at 7:04 PM, HawkeyeSarah said:

I know you asked for benefits of using a TA, but your title also mentioned cons. As a professed control freak when it comes to planning travel, I did not like the fact that Royal would not talk to me at all during the shutdown because I had originally booked with a TA due to the discounted price we got from them vs booking direct. As soon as I received my FCC, I opted to work directly with them on all our upcoming cruises and am willing to pay more to have the ability to manage my own plans. 

Hey- your TA can give permission for you to talk to Royal about anything to do with your booking -I did that alot during the shutdown. ITs a note your agent would have to call in and do but I do understand wanting to be able to speak directly to the cruise line - 

On 2/7/2022 at 1:25 PM, KristiZ said:

Currently in my planner (for an end-of-March cruise) it shows kayaks (no paddleboards) as a Kayak Adventure, 1.5 hr guided kayak excursion, for $32.99 (25% off onboard prices, for whatever that's worth).

So no all-day deal like with the snorkeling equipment or the beach mats. At least not ahead of time in the planner.

Hope that helps!

thanks you

Hi All 

For anyone that knows this answer or can help a girl out- Cruise planner team was not
too helpful unfortunately.

from a client:
Is there any way you could find out the charge for kayak/paddleboard rental at South Beach on
Perfect Day at Coco Cay and for how long we can rent the kayak/paddleboards for? 

8 hours ago, KJ1231 said:

I sent an email last night and received a response this morning. I sent the following email to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com:

Hello,

My name is Kenneth Johnston, date of birth mm/dd/yyyy and Crown and Anchor Number xxxxxx.

I have two Future Cruise Certificates that I would like to transfer to family members:

1-xxxxxxxx in the amount of $1,486

1-xxxxxxxx in the amount of $250

I would like to transfer these to my daughter, her name (DOB mm/dd/yyyy; Crown and Anchor number xxxxxxxxx). She is going on a cruise with my wife, wife's name (DOB mm/dd/yyyyyy; Crown and Anchor Number xxxxxxxxx) and I would like the FCC to be sharable between the two of them. Reservation number for Susan and Megan is xxxxxx.

Thanks!

Ken Johnston

 

Here is the reply I received:

Hello Ken,

Thank you for your time. My name is Cat and I will be happy to help you today.

Thank you for much for taking time to send us your consent to allow for your daughter Megan Illg and your wife to be able to utilize
 1-xxxxxxx and 1-xxxxxxx on their upcoming cruise res number. While we are unable to physically change the name on the certificates, 
I have notated each certificate with your direct consent to allow for advised guest to be able to use them. For security reasons, 
we are unable to make changes on a booking with anyone other than the Travel Advisor, if listed on the booking, or directly with the
 guests booked on that cruise. We kindly ask that they reach out to us or their possible advisor for assistance with application of 
the certificates.

Thank you for considering Royal Caribbean International. It is my hope that we can welcome you back onboard with us in the future.

Sincerely,

THANKS AGAIN @michelle!!!!

Glad they answered so quickly  - they are trying to be better about allowing you to transfer FCCs at least

On 11/15/2021 at 9:04 PM, KathyC said:

Welcome to the message boards!

I have a terrible time getting emails from Royal for some reason.  My suggestion - transfer the booking to a travel agent.  They can dig into your booking and get you a receipt.  Some agencies use their own confirmations which do not detail the discounts, and others just give you the Royal confirmation.  But even the ones that use their own confirmation can break out the details for you.  Plus, the travel agent will do all the waiting on hold for you, at no charge.  

This blog is sponsored by a wonderful, experienced agency that most of us here would recommend. @Beci or @michelle or @Sharla or @Jacki_MEI come to mind off the top of my head.  

thank you for the shoutout to MEI Agents

4 hours ago, 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

Thank you for this question - the system we use is great at tracking fares, but LOTS of things factor into the tracker we use too. did you get booked into one of our group rates, do you have a current OBC that will drop if we adjust the fare, are you looking at non-refundable rates online, but you book refundable deposit rates, is the system working correctly to adjust??? (issue lately) and so forth.    I work in tandem with my clients and if they see rate drops, I look at them that day they email - sometimes we have to figure it out together and yes, sometimes the system does flag me of a drop, but the system does not grab things like you booked refundable vs non-refundable that is a big one>   

Clients are never "bugging me" to ask about prices, but it can take me all day to look into if, cause I may be on the phone trying to get a refund due that is taking 5 months !

Our team values every client - this system flags when a sale happens mostly - so if Royal announces a new sale it does sweep but it does not do it all in one day it does it over the course of the sale.

Thank you for the support - and mostly for supporting MATT and this blog - Cheers

10 hours ago, ellcee said:

Never heard a complaint for @Sharla and I use Michelle @michelle

Thank you!   best to you !

8 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

+1 for Michelle

Michelle Cunningham, CTC
Certified Travel Consultant

[email protected]

Off:         571-479-4775  

 Mobile:  703-881-2727

Office Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (EST)

        Saturdays by appointment

 

Website:  www.mei-travel.com

Hugs and Kisses to you

On 9/4/2021 at 11:14 AM, FionaMG said:

Me too! Yesterday @michelle got us $743 OBC for each of our cabins on Harmony at the end of this month. Woohoo! 

The weird thing is I have been checking the price religiously every day and as far as I can see there has been no price drop. The current selling price for the same cabin category is $500 more than we paid!

However, we are not ones to look a gift horse in the mouth and I am sure we will have no trouble spending it! 

happy it worked out and have no idea how royal is pricing things these days but not going to ask

On 8/11/2021 at 9:48 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Hey, Michelle -

I'm not sure how your clients would feel about this, but my recommendation would be for them to order one of the [qualified] online test kits before leaving home and then complete the test once they get to MIA.

I admit that I have not paid enough attention to the names of the tests that are accepted (hopefully someone else can help out) and it's likely to be a bit pricey, but it would be the easiest and most reliable thing for them, IMO.

If and when we are required to do any testing this is exactly what I intend to do EVEN THOUGH I most likely can get any PCR or Antigen test here in FL for free.  It just takes the stress out of having to find a place to test, make an appointment, get there and hope that the test results are back in time.  From what I am reading, the test results are ready in 15 minutes and all of the required paperwork is provided including the doctor (or clinician....whoever that happens to be) verification of the test procedure and everything can be uploaded to the website.

It might be pricey.  I really don't know...and I really don't care.

Best of luck.  Hopefully someone will help with providing the name(s) of some of the tests that are being accepted by RCI.

Nevermind.  I just re-read your email and see that they are leaving tomorrow.  Getting the tests in the mail ahead of time isn't an option.

DRAT !

Maybe they can go to one of the pharmacies and purchase a qualified home test ?  Is that possible ?....someone....

yes, they actually found some sites on their own but yes, I have the home tests myself for back up and they are much cheaper - thanks raye