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Complaint escalation


AllenW

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Hi.  New to the group.  Could use your assistance.

Already cruised but had complaints.  Went through RC customer service then their post cruise department.  Did not find their resolution satisfactory.  Also did not appreciate the way I was handled.  Would like to take this further.  The post cruise department stated that there no 'further' as their department was the final decision.  Would like to contact corporate.  Google search showed (305) 539-6000 in Miami.  But the auto answer system doesn't allow live contact.  Could really use any assistance or direction in taking this further.  Much appreciation in advance.  Thank you.

Allen

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33 minutes ago, AllenW said:

Hi.  New to the group.  Could use your assistance.

Already cruised but had complaints.  Went through RC customer service then their post cruise department.  Did not find their resolution satisfactory.  Also did not appreciate the way I was handled.  Would like to take this further.  The post cruise department stated that there no 'further' as their department was the final decision.  Would like to contact corporate.  Google search showed (305) 539-6000 in Miami.  But the auto answer system doesn't allow live contact.  Could really use any assistance or direction in taking this further.  Much appreciation in advance.  Thank you.

Allen

 

You can try emailing mbayley@rccl.com.  Will go to the executive relations team, someone should get back to you eventually.  Provide a phone number, sometimes they will call back instead of emailing.

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Thank you for the speedy reply.  Saw that on a cruisecritic thread as well.  Believe the current CEO is Jason Liberty.  Was going to try jliberty@rccl

Funny that on that same cruisecritic thread someone else was also looking to contact corporate because they didn't like the way they were talked to using the usual channels first.

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Welcome to the boards.

For future reference, it is much better/easier to have complaints and problems resolved during the cruise than to try to gain resolution post-cruise.

As stated above, your can use the Michael Bayley email address listed above, but it may take some time to get a response.

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Thx for the welcome, SPS.  I did address my complaint while on board.  But was told nothing they could do about it.

Hey smokeybandit (I got one - a 1980 turbo Pontiac Trans Am).  Calm now typing here.  Was 'less' calm having to make multiple phone calls following up when I was told I would be contacted but never was.

And after exhausting the usual means first I find that I do have to escalate this to corporate, if able.  Not only not satisfied with what they called an offer but insulted by the way I was spoke to.  Definitely wasn't so calm then.

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41 minutes ago, AllenW said:

Thx for the welcome, SPS.  I did address my complaint while on board.  But was told nothing they could do about it.

Good thing you did the complaint onboard. The one time I had to escalate my complaint I had gone to guest services on 3 separate occasions AND called Royal while onboard.  When I got home I had escalated in a short detailed letter and received the relief that the male next door to me was offered (same complaints, non loyal to Royal and received a nice offer while onboard), you bet I also mentioned sexism in my complaint!

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Apologies in advance for the long narrative (inhaling deep breathe).

It started right at embarkation.  Arrived just before my designated time assigned by RC.  The pier was complete bedlam.  People and cars all over the place.  No signage or personnel to help or direct cruisers where to go, where to drop luggage... 

This pier was not only for RC but several other lines as well.  It looked like there were people and luggage willy-nilly all over the place.  Finally approached one of the baggage handlers - believe he worked for the pier, not RC - asking where should luggage go.  He basically stated to drop it anywhere on the side of the pier we were at.  No warm fuzzy feeling there.  Not feeling safe about that or secure that the bags would make it we lugged our bags around with us.  Now had to figure out where to go as no clear signage nor was there a single RC personnel to direct people.

So you know those ridiculous lines at Disney that just snake back and forth?  Well starting at the terminal building visually followed the line that snaked 4 times basically about 3/4 the length of the Ovation of the Seas itself and asking several people if they 'were the end of the line' to find where to queue.  After about 2 hours and snaking back and forth finally saw an RC personnel.  She said that it had basically been like that all day, that the RC assigned embarkation time window 'meant nothing', and had no explanation (or apology) regarding the lack of signal or personnel, or the chaos.  Frankly she looked as haggard as she sounded so didn't press her.  But when flights are delayed some airlines have trotted out snacks and/or water to try to make the waiting more accommodating.  Luckily I had a water bottle.  But there was much grumbling from people that didn't.  After almost 3 hours - yes, that is correct - was aboard and very much looking forward to getting to our stateroom and sitting down.

When booking our stateroom 2 main factors were that it had to be a balcony and an unobstructed view, especially sailing to Alaska.  Upon entering 13600 there was a balcony but the stateroom was tucked into - we called it the armpit - of the deck overhanging above.  So much so that the view was only straight ahead and the balcony and room didn't get much natural light.  Reported this and our embarkation experience right away to guest services.  Was informed nothing they could - or would - do.

While at guest services I also informed them (and had done so also ahead of time when booking with RC directly) that we were sailing for our anniversary.  They happily tried to sell me additional packages.  But when i declined I was told to let the wait staff know at dinner and they could maybe bring us some dessert.  But isn't dessert ALREADY included?

In light of this being for our anniversary tried to make the best of the situation.  But found out later that the lack of natural light was a bummer and definitely not conducive to making use of the balcony.  And though there was not a life boat blocking the view you could not see anything above the horizon.  Maybe OK if was the Caribbean or while at sea only.  But when cruising Alaska where the scenery to quite straight up, especially in the fjords or when closer to land, this is an obstructed view.  If the scenery was, say, 100 stories high we could only view the 1st story, ground level.  We felt we missed out on quite a bit, had to go up top to really see anything (and get more sunlight), and didn't get the full enjoyment of the balcony stateroom.  And by extension, a big aspect of the cruise itself.

Brought all this up with RC's customer service when got back.  Was told they would have to look into it then get back to me.  After no response I had to follow up.  Was told they could offer me a 10% off the base rate on a future sailing.  I stated that I did not want to discuss further business until this present business was dealt with so asked that the matter be escalated.  After not hearing again I, again, had to follow up.  Was offered 20% off a future cruise.  I again stated about no future business vs. dealing with the present business.  And all the rep would do was keep repeating that I could either take the 10% off or the 20% off.  After her literally saying this about 5 times or more I had to ask her to stop saying that because (1) of course, anyone would choose the 20% off but that (2) I felt very insulted that this was put that way and the way she was/kept saying it.

So as I cannot seem to find satisfaction - or even a sympathetic ear - I feel I have to go corporate (exhaling again finally).

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5 hours ago, AllenW said:

Apologies in advance for the long narrative (inhaling deep breathe).

It started right at embarkation.  Arrived just before my designated time assigned by RC.  The pier was complete bedlam.  People and cars all over the place.  No signage or personnel to help or direct cruisers where to go, where to drop luggage... 

This pier was not only for RC but several other lines as well.  It looked like there were people and luggage willy-nilly all over the place.  Finally approached one of the baggage handlers - believe he worked for the pier, not RC - asking where should luggage go.  He basically stated to drop it anywhere on the side of the pier we were at.  No warm fuzzy feeling there.  Not feeling safe about that or secure that the bags would make it we lugged our bags around with us.  Now had to figure out where to go as no clear signage nor was there a single RC personnel to direct people.

So you know those ridiculous lines at Disney that just snake back and forth?  Well starting at the terminal building visually followed the line that snaked 4 times basically about 3/4 the length of the Ovation of the Seas itself and asking several people if they 'were the end of the line' to find where to queue.  After about 2 hours and snaking back and forth finally saw an RC personnel.  She said that it had basically been like that all day, that the RC assigned embarkation time window 'meant nothing', and had no explanation (or apology) regarding the lack of signal or personnel, or the chaos.  Frankly she looked as haggard as she sounded so didn't press her.  But when flights are delayed some airlines have trotted out snacks and/or water to try to make the waiting more accommodating.  Luckily I had a water bottle.  But there was much grumbling from people that didn't.  After almost 3 hours - yes, that is correct - was aboard and very much looking forward to getting to our stateroom and sitting down.

When booking our stateroom 2 main factors were that it had to be a balcony and an unobstructed view, especially sailing to Alaska.  Upon entering 13600 there was a balcony but the stateroom was tucked into - we called it the armpit - of the deck overhanging above.  So much so that the view was only straight ahead and the balcony and room didn't get much natural light.  Reported this and our embarkation experience right away to guest services.  Was informed nothing they could - or would - do.

While at guest services I also informed them (and had done so also ahead of time when booking with RC directly) that we were sailing for our anniversary.  They happily tried to sell me additional packages.  But when i declined I was told to let the wait staff know at dinner and they could maybe bring us some dessert.  But isn't dessert ALREADY included?

In light of this being for our anniversary tried to make the best of the situation.  But found out later that the lack of natural light was a bummer and definitely not conducive to making use of the balcony.  And though there was not a life boat blocking the view you could not see anything above the horizon.  Maybe OK if was the Caribbean or while at sea only.  But when cruising Alaska where the scenery to quite straight up, especially in the fjords or when closer to land, this is an obstructed view.  If the scenery was, say, 100 stories high we could only view the 1st story, ground level.  We felt we missed out on quite a bit, had to go up top to really see anything (and get more sunlight), and didn't get the full enjoyment of the balcony stateroom.  And by extension, a big aspect of the cruise itself.

Brought all this up with RC's customer service when got back.  Was told they would have to look into it then get back to me.  After no response I had to follow up.  Was told they could offer me a 10% off the base rate on a future sailing.  I stated that I did not want to discuss further business until this present business was dealt with so asked that the matter be escalated.  After not hearing again I, again, had to follow up.  Was offered 20% off a future cruise.  I again stated about no future business vs. dealing with the present business.  And all the rep would do was keep repeating that I could either take the 10% off or the 20% off.  After her literally saying this about 5 times or more I had to ask her to stop saying that because (1) of course, anyone would choose the 20% off but that (2) I felt very insulted that this was put that way and the way she was/kept saying it.

So as I cannot seem to find satisfaction - or even a sympathetic ear - I feel I have to go corporate (exhaling again finally).

I think it was very generous to get an offer of 20% credit based on the items your brought up.  I'm not sure you would get much more, if anything, but I've not read of your type of experience. before.  While I think 20% is generous I would be more inclined to want to know from them "how will you fix the embarkation problem?" or "was the embarkation issue specific to that sailing?". 
I don't think there is anything they could have done for the cabin view you were unhappy with.  They sell a cabin, not a view.   As for the anniversary, I've seen a lot of people mention sailing for special occasions.  If you have a fixed dining time in the main dining room it is in your best interest to ask your waiter for a "special dessert for our anniversary".  We do it for birthdays all the time.  It's always been one of their Royal Chocolate cakes with a candle and perhaps the words Happy Birthday written on the plate in a dessert topping.  That's about as special as it gets.  I think you had some grandiose ideas for your anniversary and they just don't do that type of thing on this line (that I know of). 

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I too applaud you calm relating of your issue but, except for the boarding fiasco which may or may not have been Royal’s fault, I don’t see actionable problems.  We were celebrating my daughter’s birthday on our last cruise AND informed the suites concierge.  Dinner came and went with no acknowledgement.  A cupcake with a candle would have been nice but there is no guarantee that anything will be done.

As for your view, there are many sites through which you can research cabins.  A good TA can also assist.  It’s not Royal’s fault your view was not up to your expectations.  If view was very important, as I’m sure it was, you needed to be more proactive in choosing your cabin.

Sorry JMHO

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I’m sorry you had such a difficult time on Ovation. We sail Ovation in August and have big hopes and positive vibes for our sailing. Just like the others, I agree the 20% was generous. To put it in perspective, we sailed Star Class in November. Our bags, which based on previous Star sailings, should always stay with us, they were lost…for 8 hrs. Turns out RC sends them to be sanitized now due to covid. Now we know. Then, our Star suite had brown /red spots everywhere in the bathroom. We asked the stateroom attendant and he said it was construction glue.  It wiped with a wet tissue. We were on the next sailing after a “special” cruise and didnt want to take chances.  Both our toilets also broke that day too. We voiced our concern. At our first port, the Housekeeping Manager, our attendant and another officer scrubbed the walls clean. We still asked to see the manager. He of course came and we let him have it. Not about our issues but that due to short staff, our poor attendant was left by himself trying  to take care of these rooms by himself. SC usually has 2 attendants per room. My poor man had 6 rooms by himself. We assured the manager that our attendant was top notch, overworked and still did everything with a smile and a hello every time we saw him. Our concern was management wasn’t pitching in to help and that is why our stateroom wasn’t SC clean. We thanked the manager for his help cleaning the bathroom and left it at that. The Mgr saw to it we were given a voucher for 15% off the next cruise. Obviously we were disappointed in our Star Class experience but we didn’t use that voucher because nothing ruined our great vacation. All was handled without one word to the genie. We tipped our attendant more than the genie on that one. We haven’t stopped booking Star either. Royal, IMHO always tries to set things right and we always appreciate the gesture and which is why, even with our complaints, we don’t want to sample the grass someplace else. Loyal to Royal until too old. Then Celebrity, lol. BTW, we were married in Cozumel quite a few years ago on an Allure sailing. This dumb new husband left our marriage license on a pile of shirts in a shop at the port. Found out after we departed. I’ve only seen my wife truly angry once and this was that time. After giving me a joking hard time, Allure crew immediately contacted the shore crew. Our license was found and was waiting for us via Fedex when we got home. Wheew!  You can’t put a price on that. We love Royal. 

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I needed to contact Royal and emailed Michael Bayley…was contacted the very next day by one or his assistants and the correspondence kept moving until I had the result I needed.  This was regarding FCC stuff not cruising complaints.

FYI @AllenW:  the cruise line does not provide anniversary decorations or whatever you were looking for.  There are decorations you can purchase on the cruise planner.  Yes, you can ask for a special dessert but that’s about it.  It’s not realistic to expect something for nothing for a birthday or anniversary.  Heck…there could be hundreds of people celebrating something on their cruise…it would take a lot of extra hands to deal with that if everyone wanted something for nothing!

 I also agree with a few others who answered above…when choosing your room there are so many ways to check it out before booking.    I am sorry you experienced things you did not expect but I truly do not think the cruise line owes you anything at this point.  

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I too want to echo that the 10/20% offer was generous. On one of my cruises, I fell coming off the ramp going to PDCC. Not my fault as the ramp came down and had to be fixed back up. I did hurt myself and ended up with a bruise and soreness. I didn't do much the remaining days of my cruise, not that I planned to, but the soreness was a mood damper. I received a curtesy call and that's all. I was told a trip to medical would cost, however the gentleman next to me was complaining about the ramp collapsing and his camera bag getting caught. He did not fall but he could have, and he deserved compensation.  Guest services gave him whatever discount and he huffed away, no thank you either. I can't bring myself to "beg" for something, but I have learned to make any issues known before I disembark. 

I hate to say it, but OP complaint is just that a complaint. Nothing of which they spoke is under RCG control. OP chose a room and that is what OP got. People are always celebrating occasions and the offerings for said occasion are usually cheap. You want something big, loud and fancy; you have to pay. People are people, some are rude and entitled: they have a 1pm check-in and show up at 10am affecting people who have a 10:30 check-in. RCG did their part by assigning check-ins, hoping to avoid chaos but people love chaos. Even if OP talks to corporate, the 10/20% will still be the most they get and they should feel lucky. 

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I'm sorry you didn't have the experience that you were looking for on your cruise.

As a newbie cruiser, I checked this Blog and several sites before picking a room to ensure we could use the balcony and have a good view line from it. I wish you would have just done a Google search and it could have helped you avoid the largest part of your complaint. 

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First, I'm sorry you had issues with your cruise.  It does sound like you are fairly new to cruising and may have learned a few lessons so you won't repeat the errors on future cruises.

I am a veteran of over 60 cruises now...on ten different cruise lines.  I can tell you many of the "issues" you experience are widespread and found on many cruise lines.  We've learned, over the years, from trial and error.  Our first cruise, we picked a terrible cabin location...not the room itself or the view...But we had a 3 year old and a 5 year old with us...and we learned too late that our cabin was on the other end of the ship from the kids' club...carried the sleepy kids the length of the ship every night.  And we booked a redeye from the West Coast to Florida.  Learned from that as well...never again.  Learned lots of lessons on our early cruises.

A few notes on yours:

1) The terminal appearing to be "bedlam"?  More common than you think.  Those porters are really busy.  They're unloading several thousand people off the prior cruise and taking in the luggage from several thousand on yours.  Excuse them if they seem distracted.  When they tell you to just leave your luggage...do just that...trust me, they will get them to your cabin.  Inside, yes, there may be lines...especially now when, with Covid test results and all, there are added steps to check-in.  Be patient...oh, and learn to get there early.

2) Those arrival windows?  They WISH they could get everone to arrive on schedule in an orderly fashion...but it just doesn't work that way.  People get there when they get there and they do their best to get them on.  Better than trying to allow a worse mess in the terminal.

3)  Your cabin?  One thing we learned early on was the importance of cabin selection.  We ALWAYS book early if we can...and carefully select our cabin.  They can't ALL be equal, they can't ALL be good.  Some views are better than others.  Some decks have lifeboats below them, some have overhangs, some have visable equipment.  Some cabins are below the pool deck and the crew moves chairs around early in the morning, some are below a disco dance floor.  For us, location on the ship is important.  We prefer midship and proximity to the elevators, some folks prefer the aft for the views.  Many cabins have larger balconies.  Learn to Google cabin photos or videos.  Even some "obstructed views" are way better than others.  Some on some ships and some lines really aren't obstructed at all.  Oh, some people actually like balconies with more shade...and privacy...and less effect from wind...others like more open and more sun.  The cruise line did not choose to give you a cabin you wouldn't like.  They gave you the one you booked.

4)  Anniversaries, Birthdays, etc.?  Yes EVERY cruise line will deliver you a small cake to your dinner table...and, yes, it is unneccessary and redundant.  But that is what they do for FREE.  You can always buy extras.  Buy your wife a night in a specialty restaurant, buy her a massage in the spa, buy a bottle of champagne. You can get anything you want.  But, for free, they will send you an extraneous cake.

Trust me, over sixty cruises, we have had FAR WORSE happen on cruises.  Just before the pandemic, we had major construction, starting at 6 am right below our cabin.  Worth complaining about.  Completely the responsibility of the cruise line as they knew in advance it would be an issue...after all, they scheduled it.  And yes, after THREE days, they finally found an open cabin to move us to...so, at least we got the final 9 nights of the 12 night cruise in peace--but with a smaller balcony than the one we booked and not as convenient a location.  And they gave us a $700 credit toward a future cruise (a fraction of what we paid for that one)...and we appreciated it.  Remember, the ships most often sail FULL.  Not easy to just move you to a better cabin when they are all taken.  And, of course, the difference with that cruise and yours, is that we actually booked a very good cabin..and the issue was reasonably unforeseen by us...and should have been apparent to the cruise line.  With your cabin issue, the cruise line really didn't do anything wrong.

BTW, if your balcony cabin was that bad, it was likely a lesser category that you got at a discounted price.  Buy a higher category cabin and likely have fewer issues.  AND, again, check it out before booking....or, at least, while there are still other available cabins to be moved to.

5) The offered discount on a future cruise?  Actually very generous on Royal Caribbean's part.  If you take them up on it and book another, RESEARCH your cabin choice. 

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Thank you all for your responses.  Have been on a handful of cruises compared to the experience/number of those that have replied.  But my other previous cruises had gone much better.  Maybe just lucky.  But having spent a fair amount of my professional career in management, customer service, and hospitality I still feel there legitimate issues.

- I had done much research before booking the stateroom, online and thru travel agents and other sources.  Purposely did not book the lowest class of cabin.  Picked what we though would have been a good location.  And not classified as an obstructed view.  Guess the definition of obstructed view is subjective.  Maybe just an expensive lesson to learn.  But definitely adversely affected our Alaska cruise experience.

- Not blaming the madhouse at the post only on RC.  But fully believe it could have been handled better - regardless of people showing whenever they feel.  Airlines have agents that patrol the terminal to assist/direct passengers.  The situation could have vastly been improved if there was signage and RC personnel present. 

- Was not looking for a handout when told guest services that our sailing was for our anniversary.  It was mentioned in context that this was a special cruise for us, that we didn't want it lessened.  Understanding they can't just manifest a room out of thin air to change us to I wanted to just register that there were issues.  BTW, in my time in hospitality not recognizing a special occasion - no matter the gesture - was a wasted opportunity.  And I don't mean a wasted opportunity to just sell an upgrade.

- Maybe I didn't understand the compensation they offered.  I heard 20% off the base rate of a future cruise.  What I received was an email stating that compensation was $336 ($168/person).  And it had to be used within a year.  Just on this cruise I was able to get more of a savings than that just by doing research. 

Maybe the things I experienced are not uncommon.  But that doesn't make them right.  Maybe I just expected more/better or that I've just been luckier with my previous cruise experiences.

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I myself was curious about the overhang complaint.  but then a quick search of Google "ovation of the seas cabin 13600 pictures from balcony" revealed what was seen.

I can understand the OP's disappointment if trying to view the sail down Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier with the steep embankment.  But as others have said it is Cabin selection and really not the fault of Royal. 

in reference to the pier at embarkation, since OP mentioned Ovation of the Seas I assumed that was the ship and it sailed this Alaska season from Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91., a quick look at the pier schedule show that on any Ovation sailing there is only one other ship that being Celebrity Solstice.  Although last year when i sailed from 91 it was a mess also, so probably typical when 2 ship are there.

Again i understand the frustration, but I would agree with others that a 20% discount on a future sailing is generous.  Personaly i don't see OP's complaint getting any better traction from Corporate, nor should it.

 

 

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58 minutes ago, AllenW said:

Have been on a handful of cruises compared to the experience/number of those that have replied.  But my other previous cruises had gone much better. 

- I had done much research before booking the stateroom, online and thru travel agents and other sources.  Purposely did not book the lowest class of cabin.  Picked what we though would have been a good location.  And not classified as an obstructed view.  Guess the definition of obstructed view is subjective.

Common comments about cabin selection has always been "Cabins above you and Cabins below you" along with many saying never below the pool deck. 

Don't know if your view up would have improved one deck lower or not.

I have to believe that your $336 can be applied after the best price that you can find offered, but without reading the terms i couldn't say for sure.

Good Luck, Hope your next cruise goes smoother.  BTW keep reading this forum lots of good info can be gained

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Hi Allen, 

I can't recall how much I paid for the membership but I am positive its paid for itself several times over in the last year...but a great tool for help in cabin selection is this site: 

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com -pictures and sometimes video plus floor plans and the cabin guru section will let you know of anything you should watch out for, for the most part. It's not 100% guaranteed you will find details for every cabin on every ship but it's a great place to start. 

I also always search here and on another board for cabin reviews and of course there is always YouTube for great reviews too. Even if you can't find your exact ship and cabin, you can almost always find a review of a similar cabin in the same class of ship you will be sailing on. 

Hope that helps!

~T

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Thank you all for your suggestions.  Pls understand that I had done research before booking, having checked out some of the same sources cited.  Just saying that most, if not all, my gripes wouldn't have been that much of an issue had things been handled differently.

- If there had been more - any - RC personnel at the pier.

- Like concert/show venues where there are seats, obstructed view seats, and partially obstructed view seats if this stateroom had been marked as such then it would have been my choice.

Yes, there are many resources out there.  There is a whole business of resources for cruising.  And yes, some of the things I mentioned may be commonplace.  But that doesn't make it right.  Nor should I/the sailing public in general feel that I/we couldn't expect better.

 

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2 hours ago, AllenW said:

Yes, saw scenery like that before I booked.  And like I said, not an issue on sea days aside from not much natural light.  But here's an example of our view on the days that we felt it really mattered.

image.thumb.jpeg.1e210db7c1254d0a07c1ccd93d5cda20.jpeg

Just a litte more on views from balcony cabins.  Think about it...most ships--on ANY cruise line--have maybe five to seven decks of residential cabins one over the next.  The ship goes straight up and down on the sides--it is not "terraced".  So virtually EVERY balcony cabin will have an "overhang" above it.  If you are on, say, deck 7, it's the bottom of the balcony from deck 8 that hangs over you.  Often the top deck of balcony cabins--under the pool deck--has a larger overhang--because the pool deck is often oversized.  That photo you posted appears to be taken from WELL BACK BEHIND THE RAIL.  Likely, you get a less obstructed photo by merely moving to the rail.  Any scenic viewing from any balcony will be less than a 180 degree panorama...not only is there the overhang, there are also the dividers for the balconies next to you.  MOVING TO THE RAIL gives you your optimum view...but, even when I've cruised in suites with large balconies, for special view days, I've often gone up to the top open deck--or to the heliuport, if invited, to get a better panoramic view.  Balconies are great for many reasons--fresh air, more space, nice area to relax...but they are not perfect.  You cannot give everyone a complete unobstructed view from every cabin on a ship.

I am not sure that there is any cabin on the ship that might haave given you exactly what you want.

I spent an entire career as a corporate attorney for some large national and international corporations, some in the hospitality industry (a major hotel chain and major restaurant chains) for which I directed and advised the Customer Relations departments.  They get a lot of complaints--many are very solid--and things under the direct control of the company and require a certain level of response.  Others are venting customers unhappy with some issue or another --which may not have derived from any action or negligence of corporate employees.  And, yes, for these, at times, they will do a token gesture to keep good PR with the customer.  And a 20% discount is far beyond token.  In your case, the cabin selection was yours and the cabin likely not unreasonable.  Your dissatisfaction was not caused by any act or negligence of RCCL.  The "bedlam" at the cruise terminal is not necessarily in the control of RCCL.  I've done over 20 RCCL cruises and another 20+ on their sister line, Celebrity.  They have ALWAYS had personnel in the cruise terminal and at the doors...But, remember, if there were two ships in adjacent berths, the cruise lines (and port peronnel--porters, security, other jobs are the port's, not the cruise lines') are moving mybe 5-6,000 people off of cruises and another 5-6,000 onto cruises that morning.  It is going to be crowded.  Maybe you were just unable to spot the cruise line personnel in the crowd...  Of course, normally, the porters can and will direct you to where to go next as you leave your luggage...and you DID speak to a porter.

OTOH, yours is NOT the most baseless complaint I've ever read on cruise message boards.  Many years ago, on another well-known cruise message board.  There was a poster who was dead serious...His complaint was that Royal Caribbean hd "misrepresented" his cabin.  The brochure said it was 189 square feet...but he took along a tape measure on his cruise and measured it himself.  And, according tio HIS calculations, the cabin only measured 182 square feet (not that most laymen not in the real estate or architecture business really understand how space measurements work)...So, he was shorted an entire 7 square feet of cabin space...and demanded RCCL return his entire cruise fare!!!  Seriously.

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@AllenW Sorry your experience was so poor. We sailed Ovation June 17th, I did some research and found a few videos that all said Pier 91 was a mess. So I expected it. The porters all had bibs that clearly identified which cruise line they were collecting bags for. We had JR suite so got to bypass some of the line. We were there at 10:45 for our 11:00 time and there was already quite a line, they didn't open the doors till 11. Took a video of the boarding line at 12:30 and looked massive.

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2 hours ago, AllenW said:

Yes, saw scenery like that before I booked.  And like I said, not an issue on sea days aside from not much natural light.  But here's an example of our view on the days that we felt it really mattered.

image.thumb.jpeg.1e210db7c1254d0a07c1ccd93d5cda20.jpeg

@AllenW  I can now really see your point and I might have been a little disappointed also.  I hope when you saw this you exited your cabin and took in the view from the upper open decks.  NOTE to Self - Do Not book a Balcony Cabin on deck 13 for an Alaska cruise aboard a Quantum-class cruise ship

46 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

Just a little more on views from balcony cabins.  Think about it...most ships--on ANY cruise line--have maybe five to seven decks of residential cabins one over the next.  The ship goes straight up and down on the sides--it is not "terraced".  So virtually EVERY balcony cabin will have an "overhang" above it.  If you are on, say, deck 7, it's the bottom of the balcony from deck 8 that hangs over you.  Often the top deck of balcony cabins--under the pool deck--has a larger overhang--because the pool deck is often oversized.  That photo you posted appears to be taken from WELL BACK BEHIND THE RAIL.  Likely, you get a less obstructed photo by merely moving to the rail.

@Bruin Steve you are correct about the those lower decks having the the higher deck on top of them.  But if you look closely at the video and the pictures you should notice that on this ship the pool deck overhangs deck 13 by at least 4 feet.  It over hangs by so much that there are even support beams attached to the underside of the overhang.  This is something i have never noticed before on other ships.  Now Icould be wrong on that and just have never noticed it to that degree before.

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27 minutes ago, CruiseGus said:

 

@Bruin Steve you are correct about the those lower decks having the the higher deck on top of them.  But if you look closely at the video and the pictures you should notice that on this ship the pool deck overhangs deck 13 by at least 4 feet.  It over hangs by so much that there are even support beams attached to the underside of the overhang.  This is something i have never noticed before on other ships.  Now Icould be wrong on that and just have never noticed it to that degree before.

I mentioned that if you keep reading that comment...The deck right below the pool deck usually has a larger overhang...because the pool deck is larger...and, yes, often there are beams impacting the view as well.  It's not just Quantum class...it's most ships, most lines.  We don't book that deck...it's not just the overhang, it's noise from the pool deck as well. 

An interesting note:  On Princess, on most of their now-older ships, the "Caribe" deck--Deck 10--has larger balconies and the outer half is completely uncovered as those ships narrow starting at deck 11 (poorly named the "Baja" deck--those with knowledge of Spanish will see the irony).  When cruising on those ships, we almost always book the Caribe deck.  And, believe it or not, a lot of people hate those cabins--because they complain about "lack of privacy" because everyone on decks 11, 12 and higher can watch you on your balcony.  On the newer Princess ships--Regal, Royal, Majestic--we go out of our way to book what they term an "obstructed view cabin".  Those ships have some oversized cabins near the front of Deck 8 (E110, E108 and the ones on the other side).  Cabins are bigger--with large seating area...and balconies are about double normal size.  AND there is NO lifeboat or machinery in front of it.  What Princess thinks is an obstruction is that the railing is made of metal rather than plexiglass...But that doesn't really affect the view for anyone taller than, say, 4'0"!!!  And they sell them at a much discounted price.

The lesson is, on ANY ship, it pays to KNOW THE SHIP.  And, if you don't know the ship, you can usually find the info somewhere on the net.  I've even seem some websites with photos of the views from "obstructed view cabins" on entire cruise lines.

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3 hours ago, Pooch said:

And frankly, I would imagine a large percentage of passengers are celebrating a “special” cruise, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, thank God we can cruise again, etc etc etc.  I spent 25 years as a customer service manager.  Sometimes you just can’t fulfill every expectation.

I was going to say just this. On our last cruise, my husband's 50th birthday landed on our first sea day. My MIL had actually ordered the birthday package to our room; it was never delivered. No worries though as I brought enough birthday room decor for several cabins 😅. He did get a slice of cake at dinner and the waitstaff sang (I snuck down to the MDR earlier to remind them); it was quite fun. Our cabin attendant also left a card which was super nice. Nothing big was done despite it being a milestone birthday but I also figured that lots of people are celebrating big things on a cruise and frankly....it was alllll good. Nothing to complain about. The only thing we did was to tell MIL to call for a refund of the package she ordered. 

 

As for the room situation; yeah, I would have been annoyed, sure,  if I had not been expecting it. However, as others have pointed out, there are tons of sites that review cabins and decks; many with photos. I'm sure the overhang is noted on many sites. And yes, it is the traveller's responsibility (IMO) to research rooms. Anyhow, I'm in agreement with the others that 20% is super generous considering no serious issues occurred 🤷🏼‍♀️

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4 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

I mentioned that if you keep reading that comment...The deck right below the pool deck usually has a larger overhang...because the pool deck is larger...and, yes, often there are beams impacting the view as well.  It's not just Quantum class...it's most ships, most lines.  We don't book that deck...it's not just the overhang, it's noise from the pool deck as well. 

An interesting note:  On Princess, on most of their now-older ships, the "Caribe" deck--Deck 10--has larger balconies and the outer half is completely uncovered as those ships narrow starting at deck 11 (poorly named the "Baja" deck--those with knowledge of Spanish will see the irony).  When cruising on those ships, we almost always book the Caribe deck.  And, believe it or not, a lot of people hate those cabins--because they complain about "lack of privacy" because everyone on decks 11, 12 and higher can watch you on your balcony.  On the newer Princess ships--Regal, Royal, Majestic--we go out of our way to book what they term an "obstructed view cabin".  Those ships have some oversized cabins near the front of Deck 8 (E110, E108 and the ones on the other side).  Cabins are bigger--with large seating area...and balconies are about double normal size.  AND there is NO lifeboat or machinery in front of it.  What Princess thinks is an obstruction is that the railing is made of metal rather than plexiglass...But that doesn't really affect the view for anyone taller than, say, 4'0"!!!  And they sell them at a much discounted price.

The lesson is, on ANY ship, it pays to KNOW THE SHIP.  And, if you don't know the ship, you can usually find the info somewhere on the net.  I've even seem some websites with photos of the views from "obstructed view cabins" on entire cruise lines.

Caribe Deck is the bommmmmmb....(Caribbean Princess, St. Thomas, circa 2010)

P1000648.jpg

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@AllenW I think I understand your main issue…..customer relations.

As most responses have pointed out, the individual issues of port chaos, cabin selection and your anniversary are what brought you to interact with guest services. However, that interaction (both onboard and since) has not gone as well as it could have. Sometimes just having an experienced, well trained and sympathetic person listen and empathize goes a long way.

I feel having someone who is interested in what I have to say, giving me the time to express my dissatisfaction…and then calmly, clearly and honestly making an attempt to set things right…even if I am not completely satisfied…is all I can ask for and expect. But, at least I have the feeling of being heard and understood.

I’m sorry you have yet to find that special person. I hope you eventually do.

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  • 3 months later...

I admit the way the agents would handle the situations could change your mood. Some of them are frustrating and could ruin your whole day. the reason I'm in this group cause the agent refused to resolve the issue even i have a valid documentation of what had transpired during the call...later on the other agents I've talked to were telling me I misunderstood what the former agent had said and refused to give me refund or compensation. Thanks to the ones who provided the corporate email address, I've sent the email regarding my concern just now, cause the agents I've talk to refused to give me information how to escalate my complaint and telling me they're the only ones who could help me regardless which part of the world i call from. So disappointed for the unprofessionalism. they even made me feel stupid for being such a newbie.  

Anyway, i know no amount of money could mend your  mood and hurt ego by the way they talked to you; but  at least they compensate you 20% which is reasonable. i know they want you to book again but you want to burn bridges. you can just accept the offer and let other people use it on your behalf if you don't really want to sail again.

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I had booked the Quantum to Alaska for our group (4 Balcony cabins).  Chose all upper decks 10-12.  Then I read someone saying that due to the overhang, the sun was partially blocked on the upper deck balconies, and it was cold sitting out on the balcony with so much shade.

I got my travel agent to move all cabins down to decks 7 and 8. Similar location, but a few decks lower.  Might make a difference, might not, but I did not want to take any chances. It was early enough that there was no trouble moving cabins to lower decks.

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On 7/21/2022 at 3:26 AM, Bruin Steve said:

I mentioned that if you keep reading that comment...The deck right below the pool deck usually has a larger overhang...because the pool deck is larger...and, yes, often there are beams impacting the view as well.  It's not just Quantum class...it's most ships, most lines.  We don't book that deck...it's not just the overhang, it's noise from the pool deck as well. 

An interesting note:  On Princess, on most of their now-older ships, the "Caribe" deck--Deck 10--has larger balconies and the outer half is completely uncovered as those ships narrow starting at deck 11 (poorly named the "Baja" deck--those with knowledge of Spanish will see the irony).  When cruising on those ships, we almost always book the Caribe deck.  And, believe it or not, a lot of people hate those cabins--because they complain about "lack of privacy" because everyone on decks 11, 12 and higher can watch you on your balcony.  On the newer Princess ships--Regal, Royal, Majestic--we go out of our way to book what they term an "obstructed view cabin".  Those ships have some oversized cabins near the front of Deck 8 (E110, E108 and the ones on the other side).  Cabins are bigger--with large seating area...and balconies are about double normal size.  AND there is NO lifeboat or machinery in front of it.  What Princess thinks is an obstruction is that the railing is made of metal rather than plexiglass...But that doesn't really affect the view for anyone taller than, say, 4'0"!!!  And they sell them at a much discounted price.

The lesson is, on ANY ship, it pays to KNOW THE SHIP.  And, if you don't know the ship, you can usually find the info somewhere on the net.  I've even seem some websites with photos of the views from "obstructed view cabins" on entire cruise lines.

thank you for the info, we've tried deck 13 on spectrum, there were times when you can here noises in the balcony when they're cleaning the decks...but we love to be close to the pool and wind jammer etc so I'm always chasing deck 13 but i didn't know the balcony below the pool could cause an obstruction. i hope royal caribbean would indicate that or at least make the rooms cheaper. you really get what you've paid for on the cruise. I got insomnia so even deck would be no different when i hear the creaking of the chip i couldn't sleep, sleeping in the balcony is better on perfect weather cause you could hear and smell the ocean. Im just a newbie so i check the deck plans but still the experience of the wise cruisers in this group are more helpful than just googling and reading blogs, to be honest. 

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  • 7 months later...
2 hours ago, John Devore said:

I'm new to this group. But I'm not talking about what is being said. I'm complaining about putting the money down for a cruise and couldn't go the week I was going. I lost all that money. I couldn't change my date. 4  thousand dollars GONE. 

I hope you'll consider purchasing travel insurance in the future.  For maybe a couple hundred extra, you'd have gotten all the rest of your money back (depending on the details of what type of insurance you purchased of course).

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3 hours ago, John Devore said:

I'm new to this group. But I'm not talking about what is being said. I'm complaining about putting the money down for a cruise and couldn't go the week I was going. I lost all that money. I couldn't change my date. 4  thousand dollars GONE. 

There is a thing called "Travel Insurance".

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9 hours ago, John Devore said:

I'm new to this group. But I'm not talking about what is being said. I'm complaining about putting the money down for a cruise and couldn't go the week I was going. I lost all that money. I couldn't change my date. 4  thousand dollars GONE. 

This is why you purchase travel insurance. 

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