Katie B Posted November 19, 2022 Report Share Posted November 19, 2022 I have been on hold for over 90 minutes with Royal Caribbean. I purchased a cruise which sales in 10 days, and I needed to make an update to my reservation. There are zero options to manage your actual reservation on line. Everyone must call their customer support line which is so antiquated. They don't offer an option to have a rep call you back, they don't tell you how much longer, they put you in the queue from the initial call and probably hope you hang up. I can't believe such a large Brand has an outdated and unacceptable support option for customers who have already give them money. If I wanted to spend more, by adding to my reservation or booking another cruise, I could easily do that online. But once they get your money, zero support. This is pathetic for a global Brand in 2022! rjweber3, AJL, Levi is good and 2 others 2 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King of Wales Posted November 19, 2022 Report Share Posted November 19, 2022 Great first post. In the future a Travel Agent would save you from this issue. Maybe try calling off hours, like early in the morning or late at night. It may also be worth trying to connect with them through social media. I find being nice helps PeloAl, ChessE4, FoxboroCruiser and 3 others 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted November 19, 2022 Report Share Posted November 19, 2022 Welcome to the message boards. As @King of Wales said, next time book with a good travel agent and then it's their problem. If you booked your cruise less than 30 days ago, you can still transfer to a travel agent. CruiseGus, Neesa, RCIfan1912 and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL8SWPR Posted November 19, 2022 Report Share Posted November 19, 2022 It's only because of the black Friday sale. Prior to that I've called a couple times in the last week or so with no hold times. Pooch, Neesa, WAAAYTOOO and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi is good Posted November 19, 2022 Report Share Posted November 19, 2022 I'm getting a message saying the offices are closed. Maybe they all gave up and went home. At the time I called should have been another 1.5 hours in the work day according to the web site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TiffanyMann08 Posted November 20, 2022 Report Share Posted November 20, 2022 Right now Royal Caribbean is updating their servers. I too have also called in several times before they launched their Black Friday Sales and had excellent service. That being said I have been on hold or actually on the phone with Royal Caribbean for over 9 hours and counting this weekend and am getting very frustrated. It has not been world class service this weekend, but the call operators are doing their best. The site keeps glitching and prices are changing when they shouldn't. Also some of the reservations show the correct price but try to charge you the wrong price in the cart. Be careful if you book shore excursions this weekend! NotPayinExtra and FloatyBoaty 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted November 20, 2022 Report Share Posted November 20, 2022 It still blows my mind that in 2022 going on 2023 Royal Caribbean does NOT have a chat feature. That is such a freaking joke. You should be able to chat with customer service, C&A and IT too. Its honestly sad and comical at the same time. NotPayinExtra, Vancity Cruiser and Ac8080 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 4 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said: It still blows my mind that in 2022 going on 2023 Royal Caribbean does NOT have a chat feature. That is such a freaking joke. You should be able to chat with customer service, C&A and IT too. Its honestly sad and comical at the same time. The reality of Royal is that they embrace technology in their entertainment and for some on board experiences but they absolutely suck at technology for their land based pre-cruise resources. I'm pretty sure Royal is one of those companies that only views technology in IT as a waste of money, a cost center that can't possibly generate revenue and the concept of leveraging technology to make more money is lost on them. Their original accounting office was in a trailer in a parking lot behind the corporate office. In many ways not much has changed except for the ships. barbeyg, Vancity Cruiser, CruiseGus and 3 others 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 11 hours ago, TiffanyMann08 said: Also some of the reservations show the correct price but try to charge you the wrong price in the cart. Be careful if you book shore excursions this weekend! I posted a whole other start to a thread before I saw your post here. I just ran into this exact problem. Tried to rebook a shore excursion because the website showed a new discounted sales price on an excursion I previously booked...And, after canceling my original booking and re-booking at the current sales price, a much higher price showed up in my "cart"...After several hours on "hold" on the RCCL phone and getting disconnected twice, I finally got a "Resolutions"rep who claimed there is NOTHING they can do! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJL Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 Going on 3 hours on hold…. Understand volume is high but this is pretty crazy and this is my first Cruise experience…. Making airlines look like gold Star customer service companies lol RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 11 hours ago, AJL said: Going on 3 hours on hold…. Understand volume is high but this is pretty crazy and this is my first Cruise experience…. Making airlines look like gold Star customer service companies lol That's completely unacceptable. How can it be that bad? A chat feature would alleviate some of this mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 27 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said: That's completely unacceptable. How can it be that bad? A chat feature would alleviate some of this mess. Chat feature requires human agents waiting to chat. If they had more agents the phone wait times wouldn't be horrendous. Catch 22. CruiseGus, Baked Alaska and rjweber3 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 So this just got posted today https://jobs.royalcaribbeangroup.com/job/Miramar-Site-Reliability-Engineer-FL-33132/961966000/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbeyg Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 20 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: So this just got posted today https://jobs.royalcaribbeangroup.com/job/Miramar-Site-Reliability-Engineer-FL-33132/961966000/ Well! Good luck finding someone qualified that is willing to come in and work hard to fix that mess…… WAAAYTOOO and FloatyBoaty 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 15 minutes ago, barbeyg said: Well! Good luck finding someone qualified that is willing to come in and work hard to fix that mess…… I mean in a way that'd be a fun challenge to fix. But I'd sure fear what I'd find as I peeled away the onion layers. Baked Alaska and barbeyg 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 6 hours ago, twangster said: Chat feature requires human agents waiting to chat. If they had more agents the phone wait times wouldn't be horrendous. Catch 22. They need a chat feature because it's 2022 and every other business on Earth has it. It's the easiest, fastest way to get answers. I sent an email a week ago that I'm still waiting for a response. Might as well do smoke signals at this point. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 21, 2022 Report Share Posted November 21, 2022 11 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said: They need a chat feature because it's 2022 and every other business on Earth has it. It's the easiest, fastest way to get answers. I sent an email a week ago that I'm still waiting for a response. Might as well do smoke signals at this point. The estimated wait time for your chat agent is... 243 minutes. teddy, barbeyg, Baked Alaska and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 Thousands of people all ringing in the first hour the sales went live even though they are on for 10 days will clog the lines. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbeyg Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 1 hour ago, smokeybandit said: I mean in a way that'd be a fun challenge to fix. But I'd sure fear what I'd find as I peeled away the onion layers. And they would have to compensate someone well to fix this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 11 minutes ago, barbeyg said: And they would have to compensate someone well to fix this. Free Star class suites for life? barbeyg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger L Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 On 11/19/2022 at 11:57 AM, Katie B said: I have been on hold for over 90 minutes with Royal Caribbean. I purchased a cruise which sales in 10 days, and I needed to make an update to my reservation. There are zero options to manage your actual reservation on line. Everyone must call their customer support line which is so antiquated. They don't offer an option to have a rep call you back, they don't tell you how much longer, they put you in the queue from the initial call and probably hope you hang up. I can't believe such a large Brand has an outdated and unacceptable support option for customers who have already give them money. If I wanted to spend more, by adding to my reservation or booking another cruise, I could easily do that online. But once they get your money, zero support. This is pathetic for a global Brand in 2022! I have the same problem and for 3 days I have called early in the morning and the first time I waited for 4 1/2 hours and finally hung up. The next two times I used the "we will call you back". One was a supposed 248 minutes, no call back. The next was 170 minutes, no call back. Called for a 4th time this morning with a supposedly 60 to 90 minute call back. I am not at 4 hours and 27 minutes with no call back. I also called with a different reservation number for a couple that is traveling with us, from a different phone and number and have waited for just over 2 hours with no call back. I would like to know if anyone has ever gotten through by waiting on hold or with a call back. There is no way to see, at least that I have found, as to anything about your purchased items like water or alcohol for the cabin. I placed an order for some bottled water and rum for the cabin, but it hasn't registered on my credit card and I can't get ahold of a person and can't find anyplace online that lets me know if the order has been received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger L Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 On 11/19/2022 at 2:54 PM, King of Wales said: Great first post. In the future a Travel Agent would save you from this issue. Maybe try calling off hours, like early in the morning or late at night. It may also be worth trying to connect with them through social media. I find being nice helps I have and there is no difference. Leased amount of hold time it 60 to 90 minutes and I have held for over 2 1/2 hours with that "hold time" and over 4 1/2 hours another time. I realize that many companies have trouble finding employees and I am sure it takes a bit of time for new employees to get up to speed. But that would apply to all cruse companies. I sail on Carnival as well and just talked with them Tuesday this week and only waited about 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger L Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 On 11/19/2022 at 3:28 PM, PL8SWPR said: It's only because of the black Friday sale. Prior to that I've called a couple times in the last week or so with no hold times. I could maybe buy that earlier but this is a week after Black Friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatyBoaty Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 I called twice last week - got through in 2 minutes the first time but the system was down for the thing that I needed. Called back a few hours later and was on hold less than 5 minutes & problem resolved quickly. Had my AirPods on and stuff to do while waiting, but I guess it was my lucky day! I would not want to wait on hold that long for sure and sorry it has happened to you - myself, I would hang up and try again in an hour or two. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatyBoaty Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 2 hours ago, Roger L said: There is no way to see, at least that I have found, as to anything about your purchased items like water or alcohol for the cabin. I placed an order for some bottled water and rum for the cabin, but it hasn't registered on my credit card and I can't get ahold of a person and can't find anyplace online that lets me know if the order has been received. You would receive an email receipt for orders that went through. You can also find them in your Cruise Planner under your orders for that cruise. They generally go right through with an email coming within a minute or two to confirm. RE: bottled water and rum for the cabin, - I don't believe you can order rum for the cabin, so not sure where that's coming from. @Ampurp85 posted a nice little graphic earlier on how to find your orders in the cruise planner if you're not sure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted December 4, 2022 Report Share Posted December 4, 2022 On 12/3/2022 at 3:46 PM, FloatyBoaty said: RE: bottled water and rum for the cabin, - I don't believe you can order rum for the cabin, so not sure where that's coming from. You can order Rum and other alcohol for your cabin using "Royal Gifts" under your profile, not in the online cruise planner directly. Perhaps that is what they are referencing. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatyBoaty Posted December 4, 2022 Report Share Posted December 4, 2022 29 minutes ago, DoomSlayer said: You can order Rum and other alcohol for your cabin using "Royal Gifts" under your profile, not in the online cruise planner directly. Perhaps that is what they are referencing. I (obviously) had no idea! - I've always just looked at the Royal Gifts tab. Strange that they are so different, but looking now and yay, another place to potentially spend money Thanks for letting me know! Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 On 11/20/2022 at 7:42 PM, twangster said: The reality of Royal is that they embrace technology in their entertainment and for some on board experiences but they absolutely suck at technology for their land based pre-cruise resources. I'm pretty sure Royal is one of those companies that only views technology in IT as a waste of money, a cost center that can't possibly generate revenue and the concept of leveraging technology to make more money is lost on them. Their original accounting office was in a trailer in a parking lot behind the corporate office. In many ways not much has changed except for the ships. This is a Royal Caribbean Group IT culture issue. Celebrity hold times are no better. What I find especially bad is Royal Caribbean and Celebrity SHARE the same authorization servers. I have logins on each cruise website and use the same user name for both. They must have the same password. If I change Royal's password I have use that password to login into Celebrity. Of concern is if someone hacks the Royal Caribbean database and steals sensitive information does that imply a person who has only sailed on Celebrity, never on Royal, has had their data compromised as well? Baked Alaska and RCIfan1912 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 19 minutes ago, Toby said: This is a Royal Caribbean Group IT culture issue. Celebrity hold times are no better. What I find especially bad is Royal Caribbean and Celebrity SHARE the same authorization servers. I have logins on each cruise website and use the same user name for both. They must have the same password. If I change Royal's password I have use that password to login into Celebrity. Of concern is if someone hacks the Royal Caribbean database and steals sensitive information does that imply a person who has only sailed on Celebrity, never on Royal, has had their data compromised as well? I haven't been able to login to the website since I got my new laptop in October. I can login from my phone, I can login from my Kindle Fire, I can login from my wife's laptop but my new laptop just gives me a strange message that they have my info but can't login, try again later. Well it's over 2 months later and I still can't login. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Censored Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 Welcome to the new world. Nobody wants to work. Even if they do, there is no real "work ethic " anymore. They dont care. Royal, like all other cruise lines and all other businesses around the globe are suffering post Lockdowns. Lack of employees , lack of products, lack of tech, lack of everything. Sure you can book a travel agent, ( if there are still any good ones working that is) . I book direct through Club Royal, and avoid most of what you experienced. I would phone as soon as they open or the last hour of close if it were me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNO Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 I get no better service from Club Royale than I do from any other Royal desk. It's a drag. If I'm booking, they serve me right away. if there's a problem or something needs changed, they completely ignore me. But it must work for 'em. I keep coming back. Poolside 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 4 hours ago, Toby said: This is a Royal Caribbean Group IT culture issue. Celebrity hold times are no better. What I find especially bad is Royal Caribbean and Celebrity SHARE the same authorization servers. I have logins on each cruise website and use the same user name for both. They must have the same password. If I change Royal's password I have use that password to login into Celebrity. Of concern is if someone hacks the Royal Caribbean database and steals sensitive information does that imply a person who has only sailed on Celebrity, never on Royal, has had their data compromised as well? I sent a message via Facebook yesterday and no response so I'm not sure that's a great way to go either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 As of 5:19 Central Time, I have been waiting 401 hrs for a call back from Royal on a cruise planner issue from the BF CP sale. I don't think I'm gonna get that call back. WAYNO, FloatyBoaty and WAAAYTOOO 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNO Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 23 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said: As of 5:19 Central Time, I have been waiting 401 hrs for a call back from Royal on a cruise planner issue from the BF CP sale. I don't think I'm gonna get that call back. I suspect you wont either. I've a pretty serious issue with an upcoming booking. The last time I talked with Casino Royale, they promised a resolution. It's been two weeks since our last conversation. And I'm still met with silence. A previously unresolved issue was resolved only via the concierge in the Diamond Lounge. I fear that will be my only option now, too. Baked Alaska and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 6, 2022 Report Share Posted December 6, 2022 I have to say it is not just customer support, I emailed my new MEI TA last Sunday and haven't heard back about a possible cabin upgrade. WAAAYTOOO and RCIfan1912 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertN Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Well i now have been on hold for over 2 hrs. breaking records. i have a second phone going and that one is at 1hr and 15 min. i love RC but this may push me away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 I see there is a chat feature now? Anyone use it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Censored Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 On 11/19/2022 at 12:57 PM, Katie B said: I have been on hold for over 90 minutes with Royal Caribbean. I purchased a cruise which sales in 10 days, and I needed to make an update to my reservation. There are zero options to manage your actual reservation on line. Everyone must call their customer support line which is so antiquated. They don't offer an option to have a rep call you back, they don't tell you how much longer, they put you in the queue from the initial call and probably hope you hang up. I can't believe such a large Brand has an outdated and unacceptable support option for customers who have already give them money. If I wanted to spend more, by adding to my reservation or booking another cruise, I could easily do that online. But once they get your money, zero support. This is pathetic for a global Brand in 2022! I think a lot of global brands are going through the same thing. Nothing new, as its a new world if you haven't noticed. Lack of staff, training , cost cutting measures, etc is happening all over the place. Not just cruise ships. If people give enough feedback, things might change. Every call I make I can leave an instant review of my call. To be honest, I dont experience this much, as I book direct through the casino line Club Royale and service is usually immediate. If I were to use the main phone customer service line, I would call as soon as they open or very late at night. Calling a peak business hours , there is sure to be a wait. And you can always send an email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 We use a travel agent, so she is the one who must wait. She has reported the wait times are ridiculous. Knowing that, I am patient with our agent. Cactus527 and tjcruisers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 15, 2023 Report Share Posted January 15, 2023 20 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said: I see there is a chat feature now? Anyone use it? https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/01/09/royal-caribbeans-onboard-messaging-system-now-free-heres-how-it-works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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