ryan.aubin Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Less than 100 days away from a 12nt Anthem sailing, and I just can't wait... Perhaps someone could shed some light onto a question I was unable to find an answer to here. I booked Anthem while onboard NotS last December, and as a result was able to take advantage of the $75 per pax OBC for the Anthem sailing. Like any good cruiser I watched those prices like a hawk and waited for the right moment to strike for my upgrade. When I upgraded they were offering $100 per pax OBC. I was glancing over my reservation receipt as it's almost time to bid $3200 a fond farewell, and noticed the $75 next cruise OBC was gone. I thought I would have been able to keep that and combine it with the promotion that was being offered at the time as when I booked onboard NotS RCI was offering an additional OBC promotion and both the Next Cruise and RCI promo appeared on my receipt. Any help would be awesome. You're all such a pleasure to interact with, so thanks in advance!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 The NextCruise OBC bonus should be combinable with whatever promotion RC was running at the time of booking. Where are you seeing the $75 OBC gone? At the time of booking, did you defer the OBC for the sailing or did you take it for the sailing you were on? Also, whom did you book with? RC directly or a travel agent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan.aubin Posted August 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Hey @Matt, Ive attached the original line from the email receipt I received when booking, and the one I received after upgrading. I booked our upcoming cruise the very last night of our previous one, so I deferred the OBC to the Anthem sailing. I booked this directly with RC in the Next Cruise office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 @ryan.aubin I tried to find an old NextCruise booking receipt I made, but no dice. If I were you, I'd call RC and ask them that exact question. It's possible the NextCruise OBC bonus is listed elsewhere and it will be available onboard. It's also possible whomever upgraded you neglected to include the NextCruise cert with the booking. Eitherway, you need RC to explain what happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan.aubin Posted August 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 As always, thanks for the help! Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 ...and be sure and get it in writing (new confirmation) if they say that you rate it. After you are onboard it will be too late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutcherl Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Same exact thing happened to me. I switched booking to a travel agent after the cruise. Then later changed sailing and that's where I lost the next cruise obc of $76. Had my TA go to bat for me and contact RC. RC wouldn't budge. I wasn't exactly sure which sailing I wanted. The Next cruise manager explained that it was a no brainer to book while onboard because the next cruise obc would follow even if/when I changed sailing. To be bamboozled by the manager, of all next cruise reps, really shocked me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan.aubin Posted August 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 I have an update. I contacted our friends at the RC 800 number. After a good ten minutes on hold, and without much of a black and white answer, she explained that I had opted to 'choose' the higher rate of OBC and that I was actually coming out ahead. I want to preface my next few statements by saying, I would never speak down, or become angry with a call center representative. I'm not entirely convinced at times they have even a notch in the lowest part of the totem pole. I can say with 100% certainty every representative I've spoken to from RCI has been nothing but helpful and prompt. So with knowing they have little sway with my issue... I explained to her that, as a previous poster mentioned, I received the exact same line from the NextCruise representative. Not only did I receive it my most recent cruise, I've received it every time before. It's as if it's a go to sales line. Firstly, I did not come out ahead. I booked onboard NotS in December '16 to take advantage of the 150 per room OBC. At the time, the only promo RC was offering was an additional $25 OBC. Right or wrong, I always book an interior room, with the intention of upgrading later. When the 200 per room OBC offer, plus the balcony at a wash to what I'd already reserved was available, I jumped on it. To me, based on what I'd been repeatedly told, I should be at 350 OBC per room. Had I known I could, and presumably would, lose my NextCruise OBC when upgrading, I would have taken the NextCruise OBC on my previous cruise, and then walked into this 200 OBC when I upgraded. So to say I 'came out ahead' is, to me, a little disingenuous at best and to say the transparency is a little lacking would be an understatement. In a nice way, I tried to explain my position to the call center representative, prefacing that I knew she couldn't do much about it. She conceded there was not much she could do, but completely appreciated my position. (FYI: 'I appreciate your position' is one of my favorite passive call center lines :-D ) So where do I go from here? Let's just put it all out there: my vacation isn't ruined, I'm not going to go on some Facebook crusade that will only make me look unstable, and I'm certainly not going to bebop over to another 'cruise website' and start a petition to withhold gratuities from wait staff and cabin crew. I'm going to be just fine and have a wonderful time, and no doubt I'll eventually sail RC again. However, to say I'm disappointed with this outcome would be a mild understatement. I feel that since my last cruise on Navigator in December, I've had several 'disappointed' moments in RC courtesy of policy & fee changes. I'm not their highest level C&A member, I don't cruise more than twice a year, most times only once. I am, by no means, a Royal Caribbean VIP. And yet I've always been treated by the staff as a VIP. With my whopping 54 cruise points I've had a lot of fantastic experiences on RC ships. People ask why I never go to another line and my answer is always the same: I don't need to. I'll report back and let you know how my 3/31/18 sailing on MSC Seaside is. Loyalty match, included drinks, included internet, included 100 pp OBC for less than the comparable RC cruise from Miami that day. I guess I shall see if the grass is truly greener. RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 @ryan.aubin, no option to have the rep you spoke with pass you off to a supervisor, and keep moving up the CSR chain if need be? Like you said, the "line workers" generally have no say on those matters and have to stick to their script; it's only the supervisors who have any authority to look deeper into things and/or make the call to "make you happy". My wife works in customer support and she's told me more times than I can count how she's wanted to help folks out who clearly had some kind of snafu happen that wasn't the customer's fault, but always had to pass them up to a supervisor (and usually then only if the customer directly requests it, unless the script itself states it's a situation where immediate escalation is required). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutcherl Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 4 hours ago, ryan.aubin said: I have an update. I contacted our friends at the RC 800 number. After a good ten minutes on hold, and without much of a black and white answer, she explained that I had opted to 'choose' the higher rate of OBC and that I was actually coming out ahead. I want to preface my next few statements by saying, I would never speak down, or become angry with a call center representative. I'm not entirely convinced at times they have even a notch in the lowest part of the totem pole. I can say with 100% certainty every representative I've spoken to from RCI has been nothing but helpful and prompt. So with knowing they have little sway with my issue... I explained to her that, as a previous poster mentioned, I received the exact same line from the NextCruise representative. Not only did I receive it my most recent cruise, I've received it every time before. It's as if it's a go to sales line. Firstly, I did not come out ahead. I booked onboard NotS in December '16 to take advantage of the 150 per room OBC. At the time, the only promo RC was offering was an additional $25 OBC. Right or wrong, I always book an interior room, with the intention of upgrading later. When the 200 per room OBC offer, plus the balcony at a wash to what I'd already reserved was available, I jumped on it. To me, based on what I'd been repeatedly told, I should be at 350 OBC per room. Had I known I could, and presumably would, lose my NextCruise OBC when upgrading, I would have taken the NextCruise OBC on my previous cruise, and then walked into this 200 OBC when I upgraded. So to say I 'came out ahead' is, to me, a little disingenuous at best and to say the transparency is a little lacking would be an understatement. In a nice way, I tried to explain my position to the call center representative, prefacing that I knew she couldn't do much about it. She conceded there was not much she could do, but completely appreciated my position. (FYI: 'I appreciate your position' is one of my favorite passive call center lines :-D ) So where do I go from here? Let's just put it all out there: my vacation isn't ruined, I'm not going to go on some Facebook crusade that will only make me look unstable, and I'm certainly not going to bebop over to another 'cruise website' and start a petition to withhold gratuities from wait staff and cabin crew. I'm going to be just fine and have a wonderful time, and no doubt I'll eventually sail RC again. However, to say I'm disappointed with this outcome would be a mild understatement. I feel that since my last cruise on Navigator in December, I've had several 'disappointed' moments in RC courtesy of policy & fee changes. I'm not their highest level C&A member, I don't cruise more than twice a year, most times only once. I am, by no means, a Royal Caribbean VIP. And yet I've always been treated by the staff as a VIP. With my whopping 54 cruise points I've had a lot of fantastic experiences on RC ships. People ask why I never go to another line and my answer is always the same: I don't need to. I'll report back and let you know how my 3/31/18 sailing on MSC Seaside is. Loyalty match, included drinks, included internet, included 100 pp OBC for less than the comparable RC cruise from Miami that day. I guess I shall see if the grass is truly greener. Well said. Yes, it is only a few dollars and won't hamper my cruise as well. Sometimes it's just the principle no matter how big or small. I will reach Diamond after this cruise(not sure why that milestone ever mattered to me) and will definitely explore other lines each and every time I plan out our annual cruise. RC is still my preferred line and who knows if I'll ever stray. I do know that I'll definitely be looking around. I never tried handling it myself by calling RC since I have a TA. I figured it best to let them try. After that failed I just moved on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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