Someone_else Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Hello all, Picking your brain as to QUESTION: what would be my next step as I went through Relation Guest, Resolution Team and now been waiting on a phone call from Escalation team for 2 days now. NO NEED FOR MORE JUDGEMENTS ON MY CONCERNS, BUT FOR YOU TO HAVE MORE CONTEXT.... Here is an email summarizing our situation which we sent to Royal (and will send to the proper Government authority when I find out who they are). What's my next step here??? Who I should send this to? Everyone I spoke do won't acknowledge my concern and keep repeating the sane thing: nothing they can do, pay for an upgrade. RECTIFICATION : I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO BE IN AN INTERIOR CABIN IF THEY MET THE REQUIREMENTS. BEEN IN AN INTERIOR CABIN BEFORE AND MY FAMILY AND I WERE HAPPY AS CLAMS. I AM NOT AFTER A FREE UPGRADE *** Hi again, Thank you for taking the time in listening to my concerns. To facilitate the conversation with the escalation team, here is a summary of my concerns, if you can escalate before someone calls me. We are a family of 4: two adults and two young children (6 years old and 3 years old). We cruised 3 times already with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and we have 4 more cruises that are upcoming. Before our latest cruise that occurred in December 2023, we called Royal Caribbean to ensure we had a sofa bed in our room as we didn't want to put our young kids in pullmans (your own regulations around pullmans is the following : ','We don't allow any guests to use them if they're under 6 years old, over 78" tall, weigh over 300 lbs or have mobility issues.'') We were told that our assigned room had a sofa bed. When we got to our cabin, we discovered the sofa would not convert into a bed. It was a full sailing and we had to stay in the room that was assigned to us. Our kids slept on the floor, which is not what we paid for nor were we expecting. The cabins are very small a we had next to no room to move with them sleeping on the floor, which could lead to another safety hazard in the middle of the night. Fast forward to yesterday, Thursday, April 10th 2024. We noticed that one of our cruise that is already booked (sailing November 2024 for 9 nights) was cheaper. We called to match the price and we were asked to select our cabin (we paid for an interior cabin). Before selecting our cabin, I asked which rooms had a sofa bed instead of the pullmans. The response was : none and if I wanted to have a sofa that converts to a bed, I needed to pay for an upgrade (resolution team quoted me at least $2K more than what we initially paid). We are escalating the matter with RCCL because 1) even though they know the age of the children at the time of booking, they are allowing a family with young children to be assigned a room with pullmans. 2) At the time of booking, there is no way of knowing (or very challenging to know) if the assigned room has a sofa bed or not. If GTY (where the cruise line decides on your cabin for a cheaper price), there is no way to know which cabin you will end up with until it's assigned, but yet, they are allowing families with young children to opt for a GTY cabin even though it could land in a cabin with pullmans. 3)Asking a family to pay for an upgrade to avoid injuries is discriminatory and is a safety hazard should a family opt to have their kids sleep in pullmans because of the price tag associated with the upgrade. To mitigate the issue and potential safety hazards, the rooms with pullmans should be out of reach or blocked off for family with young children OR it should at least be mentionned what type of room configuration we have at the time of booking. That way, families can make their own decision with the information that is available to them. After speaking with the resolution team agent, we took a look at what was available with a sofa bed, and we could have an ocean view for $500 more from what we paid for, not $2k (see print screen attached). Again, I will retierate that we are not willing to pay for the upgrade just because Royal Carrabean can't accomodate a family with 2 kids under 6 years of age. I would please ask that you consider having us in a room with a sofa bed (if it's the ocean view, so be it). The upgrade is not what we are asking for here. We would be more than happy with an interior room if it had something safe for our kids to sleep on. If no resolution is found, we will escalate the matter with the Government officials. Regards, H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 If this post is real, then it's a good reason to work with a travel agent. RWDW1204, Jamesszy94, Baked Alaska and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 It is real and why would I go with a Travel Agent? It won't change any of the facts provided in my post. They won't invent an interior room with a sofa bed. It may not be a concern for you, it is for me and for other families perhaps. All is well until it isn't. I advocate for the safety of my children and proactive change is always a good thing. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 I disagree that there is no way to identify staterooms with a sofa bed. Deck plans show which rooms have a convertable sofa vs. Pullmans. Do your homework before booking. Is it quick and easy during the booking process? No. Is it impossible to get the information in advance? Also no. I would also note that the implications that Royal should not allow a room with Pullmans to be booked with children younger than "permitted" to use a Pullman or that Royal is not "accomodating a family with young children" because of the existence of Pullmans as the lower cost option are both invalid. If you want the cheaper stateroom, the children can use the regular beds and the parents can use the Pullmans. We did exactly this when our youngest child was seven but very small - regular beds were Mom and youngest, Pullmans were Dad and older child. tjcruisers, RWDW1204, Cello56 and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 9 minutes ago, Someone_else said: It is real and why would I go with a Travel Agent? A good travel agent would be aware of the room configurations and find you a room that's available with the sofa bed accommodations you are seeking or suggest other ships that might have those options. Most inside cabins are smaller and would not have the space for a sofa bed, which is why they tend to have pullmans. A solution if you really need the cheaper in price accommodations and are concerned with safety would be to sleep the children on the beds and put the adults in the pullmans. It's not ideal, but it would give you back the floor space. PhillyLady, DoomSlayer, HeWhoWaits and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanHardlyWait Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 2 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said: I disagree that there is no way to identify staterooms with a sofa bed. Deck plans show which rooms have a convertable sofa vs. Pullmans. Do your homework before booking. Is it quick and easy during the booking process? No. Is it impossible to get the information in advance? Also no. I would also note that the implications that Royal should not allow a room with Pullmans to be booked with children younger than "permitted" to use a Pullman or that Royal is not "accomodating a family with young children" because of the existence of Pullmans as the lower cost option are both invalid. If you want the cheaper stateroom, the children can use the regular beds and the parents can use the Pullmans. We did exactly this when our youngest child was seven but very small - regular beds were Mom and youngest, Pullmans were Dad and older child. Technically they did offer you are cabin that accommodates your party. Beds for children and Pullmans for adults. PhillyLady, DoomSlayer, tjcruisers and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 True, the adults could sleep in the pullmans if there are concerns about the children sleeping in them. PhillyLady, Pattycruise, DoomSlayer and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 3 minutes ago, CanHardlyWait said: Technically they did offer you are cabin that accommodates your party. Beds for children and Pullmans for adults. Exactly my point - if you want an interior cabin for lower cost, parental convenience doesn't have to be a "thing." We did what worked for us. The OP believes that Royal should provide other options at low cost. RWDW1204, PhillyLady, Jamesszy94 and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 9 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said: I disagree that there is no way to identify staterooms with a sofa bed. Deck plans show which rooms have a convertable sofa vs. Pullmans. Do your homework before booking. Is it quick and easy during the booking process? No. Is it impossible to get the information in advance? Also no. I would also note that the implications that Royal should not allow a room with Pullmans to be booked with children younger than "permitted" to use a Pullman or that Royal is not "accomodating a family with young children" because of the existence of Pullmans as the lower cost option are both invalid. If you want the cheaper stateroom, the children can use the regular beds and the parents can use the Pullmans. We did exactly this when our youngest child was seven but very small - regular beds were Mom and youngest, Pullmans were Dad and older child. I said it was challenging to find the information. It should be more readily available. Well, what if I am over the height and weight limit? I won't go in a pullman, sorry. This is not a debate wheter I am right or wrong. Changes are always good. It could be easier managed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanHardlyWait Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 6 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said: Exactly my point - if you want an interior cabin for lower cost, parental convenience doesn't have to be a "thing." We did what worked for us. The OP believes that Royal should provide other options at low cost. She is out of luck on this point. Who says the Pullman's, sofa beds, etc are for children. I would have slept in the Pullman and put my kids in the bed, not on the floor. Baked Alaska, Neesa, RWDW1204 and 4 others 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Government agency??? You can’t be serious PhillyLady, CanHardlyWait, TessFromFlorida and 6 others 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 Anyways ..the goal of my post was not to find how I could make it work...you don't know if parents are over height/weight limit or have accomodation issues to be in a pullman. The goal of the post was 'what are my next steps and who should I contact next'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 27 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said: I disagree that there is no way to identify staterooms with a sofa bed. Deck plans show which rooms have a convertable sofa vs. Pullmans. Do your homework before booking. Is it quick and easy during the booking process? No. Is it impossible to get the information in advance? Also no. I would also note that the implications that Royal should not allow a room with Pullmans to be booked with children younger than "permitted" to use a Pullman or that Royal is not "accomodating a family with young children" because of the existence of Pullmans as the lower cost option are both invalid. If you want the cheaper stateroom, the children can use the regular beds and the parents can use the Pullmans. We did exactly this when our youngest child was seven but very small - regular beds were Mom and youngest, Pullmans were Dad and older child. To add on to your very sensible approach; one of the children is 6, therefore “Pullman compliant” the younger child could sleep on the sofa. tjcruisers and DoomSlayer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 For those of you that are are criticizing my concerns and post, I would please aks that you respect my opinions. ZootTX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjcruisers Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Just now, TXcruzer said: To add on to your very sensible approach; one of the children is 6, therefore “Pullman compliant” the younger child could sleep on the sofa. Was just about to post that. One cruise we had 2 pullmans and a sofa. My one son didn't want to sleep in the pullman so he sleep on the sofa. Baked Alaska and TXcruzer 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 19 minutes ago, Someone_else said: The goal of the post was 'what are my next steps and who should I contact next'. If you are trying to effect change for future builds, all you can really do is log the suggestion/complaint. There really are no next steps there. If you want to switch to a room that's guaranteed to have the bed setup you desire on your future sailing, you need to pay for the upgraded room. Baked Alaska, CanHardlyWait, Ryan79 and 10 others 10 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanHardlyWait Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 15 minutes ago, Someone_else said: For those of you that are are criticizing my concerns and post, I would please aks that you respect my opinions. Respect the facts in the replies. Children in Beds (not the floor) Adults in Pullmans. Royal Caribbean gave you an option/cabin that was safe for the age and size of the people involved. You chose and choose to not see it that way. Baked Alaska, PeloAl, Rackham and 4 others 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noskill Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 42 minutes ago, Someone_else said: Anyways ..the goal of my post was not to find how I could make it work...you don't know if parents are over height/weight limit or have accomodation issues to be in a pullman. The goal of the post was 'what are my next steps and who should I contact next'. There are no next steps and no one for you to contact that can resolve the problem you have created for yourself. I realize this is not what you want to hear but it is the truth. CanHardlyWait, Jamesszy94, CruiseGus and 5 others 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 15 minutes ago, Noskill said: There are no next steps and no one for you to contact that can resolve the problem you have created for yourself. I realize this is not what you want to hear but it is the truth. I didn't create a problem for myself. If you don't see a problem, that's on you. If you think everything is perfect the way it is, very happy for you that everything is a 'smooth sailing' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 I respect the responses. They don't work. (age/weight/height restrictions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanHardlyWait Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 6 minutes ago, Someone_else said: I respect the responses. They don't work. (age/weight/height restrictions). Switch to newer ships that only have sofa beds (no Pullman's). You can still do GTY and not worry. See if you can pay change fee and move reservations to newer ships. RWDW1204, DoomSlayer, teddy and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 10 minutes ago, Someone_else said: I respect the responses. They don't work. (age/weight/height restrictions). Then pay for a stateroom that DOES work for your situation or don't cruise, but don't blame Royal Caribbean for your family dynamic (ages) and physical characteristics (height/weight). Your opinion - better choices for families with young children and large adults should be available at lower prices. Reality - what's available is what's available. Ryan79, Rackham, PhillyLady and 6 others 7 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 26 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said: Then pay for a stateroom that DOES work for your situation or don't cruise, but don't blame Royal Caribbean for your family dynamic (ages) and physical characteristics (height/weight). Your opinion - better choices for families with young children and large adults should be available at lower prices. Reality - what's available is what's available. Well that's an inclusive response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 31 minutes ago, CanHardlyWait said: Switch to newer ships that only have sofa beds (no Pullman's). You can still do GTY and not worry. See if you can pay change fee and move reservations to newer ships. I can't - it's for an anniversary and we didn't chose anything about the cruise. We were invited and because it's a very closed relative, we are joining them. Otherwise, we don't go on older/smaller ships. My goal here really is for RC to acknowledge and perhaps revisit the configuration of the room and/or modify their booking system. As mentionned originally, I am not after a free upgrade at all. I would be more than happy in the interior cabin. But I think my concerns are valid, even if no one think they are. As I always say...everything is fine until it isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 1 hour ago, TXcruzer said: Government agency??? You can’t be serious You beat me to it. DoomSlayer, RWDW1204 and CanHardlyWait 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Dear Diary….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 2 minutes ago, teddy said: Dear Diary….. 2 minutes ago, teddy said: Dear Diary….. Don't need your sarcasm. Thank you for respecting my concerns and opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Royal Caribbean should give me a JS at the price of an interior because that really fits my needs better…………. HeWhoWaits, Jamesszy94, RWDW1204 and 7 others 2 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 You are missing the point here. I said I was not after a free upgrade. I would be totally and truely happy with an interior room IF it met the safety standards for my family. Please read what my concerns really are before posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan79 Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Paying for an interior and expecting comfort for 4??!!! DoomSlayer, teddy, HeWhoWaits and 5 others 2 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 48 minutes ago, Someone_else said: Don't need your sarcasm. Thank you for respecting my concerns and opinions. That’s your opinion RWDW1204 and Someone_else 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Your expectations and assumptions about your cabin don't align with what you paid for. You got exactly what you paid for. Sleep in the beds that fit you and your children appropriately or move your deposit to another sailing and wish your family members a "happy anniversary, but sorry, I'm booking a different cruise. I'm not happy with the cabin I reserved for your anniversary sailing." The hospitality industry doesn't care who or how one sleeps in their beds, just that they've got heads on the pillows ($$). teddy, Jamesszy94 and HeWhoWaits 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 1 hour ago, Someone_else said: You are missing the point here. I said I was not after a free upgrade. I would be totally and truely happy with an interior room IF it met the safety standards for my family. Please read what my concerns really are before posting. No other posters are missing the point. You had an interior cabin, it had Pullmans which according to you didn't meet your needs, you think Royal should have done something to improve your situation. The rest of us are just pointing out why your expectation is misguided. Neesa, Southern Dan, DoomSlayer and 5 others 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 So, what's the problem again? RWDW1204 and Jamesszy94 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 1 hour ago, Someone_else said: You are missing the point here. I said I was not after a free upgrade. I would be totally and truely happy with an interior room IF it met the safety standards for my family. Please read what my concerns really are before posting. Sorry, but no one on here feels there is anything “unsafe” about your current situation. RWDW1204 and teddy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 2 hours ago, Someone_else said: modify their booking system About this, you're not wrong. Royal could make many enhancements to the booking system. Many have been discussed on these forums, including easier access to determine a stateroom's configuration during booking. TXcruzer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 27 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said: About this, you're not wrong. Royal could make many enhancements to the booking system. Many have been discussed on these forums, including easier access to determine a stateroom's configuration during booking. While certainly they could use some IT upgrades, the number of people who truly care about stateroom configuration when booking is probably very small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Room selection is a good reason to use a travel agent, as already suggested. A TA can read deck plans that show which rooms are Pullman, which you state you want to avoid. Baked Alaska, CruiseGus, DoomSlayer and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 10 minutes ago, ChessE4 said: Room selection is a good reason to use a travel agent, as already suggested. A TA can read deck plans that show which rooms are Pullman, which you state you want to avoid. Though the RC deck plans show this same info. DoomSlayer and RWDW1204 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Someone_else Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 3 hours ago, smokeybandit said: While certainly they could use some IT upgrades, the number of people who truly care about stateroom configuration when booking is probably very small. Maybe, but still a concern of mine. Why diminish my concern just because others don't have the same concerns as mine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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