Royal Cancels Cruises

[NS8VN]

You know, across multiple websites I am well known for being an "apologist" for cruise lines or resorts when it comes to their changing itineraries or other such changed due to weather or mechanical problems, even drydock delays.  Things happen and sometimes people get a bit too worked up over something out of everyone's control.  Even with the recent Coco Cay to Miami change that was talked about I didn't think anyone was overreacting as it appears to be a problem of RCCL's own doing, but I was still trying to find some positive thing to say for the company.

This is soooooo not that case.  To cancel multiple cruises with only 8 months to go because someone else wanted the boats?  Unbelievable.  We book cruises well in advance to get the best rate, we book airfare sometimes 8-9 months in advance to get it squared way.  This isn't a hurricane, this isn't a rudder breaking, this isn't some workers' strike somewhere that is affecting them, this is them choosing to tell hundreds of people to get off their boats so they can charter it out instead.

Quite honestly this has soured my take on RCCL.  Their response to @alamode123 will be on my mind after I take my first cruise with them in a few months (gee, hopefully they don't cancel it).  I have really been hoping this could be a company I could plant my flag and show some loyalty to as we enter a phase of our lives where cruising regularly becomes an option.  But is Royal going to be loyal to their own customers, or are they willing to stab them in the back for the right price?

I hope for the best alamode123, keep us informed.

[AnnetteJackson]

I wanted to chime in on this....

I know this is disappointing, but I didn't want everyone thinking that this was just a Royal issue.

Sharla and I are this and working with Royal,  and Im sure Royal will try to work the best option for you and everyone else that got displaced from this cruise and the several other chartered cruises that were announced this week.  While right now it seems this is only a Royal issue, in my past 18 plus years in the industry I can tell you this has happened on most cruise lines - NCL, RCCL and even Disney - in fact I have had to move a group of 24 staterooms from a Disney cruise because of a charter. 

The cruise lines will put out the generic letter for what they are going to offer to each guest, but each guests situations are a little different and they do try to work with the displaced guests as best they can.  I do not want to give examples of what has been given from different cruise lines, as it is all dependent on what each situation is as to what they may authorize to do for each guest.  This is a chance for your travel planner to jump in to work for you.  Please know that MEI-Travel and the other Travel planners out there you guys are working with fight for you and your vacation plans to take some of this stress off of you especially when things go wrong.

Hang tight as we hope we can make this better.  We cant make it right, but we can try to help.

[Rose City Cruiser]

Never accept the first offer. 

At the end of the day, you can get a full refund and plan a different vacation.  Even if it is through a different cruise line.  This is your family vacation that you saved for. 

Send the CEO a gift basket of maple syrup w/ a copy of your letter may sway him to contact you.

Hope everything works out!   

[Adriana]

I am so sorry this happened, especially after all that you have done to plan and make this happen. Not to mention the time and financial constraints. Nice job with the letter. It is good if you to try to make it work with them and offer a reasonable solution. Good luck and keep us posted!

[alamode123]

My girls do not want to go on any cruise at any time, and I can't convince them otherwise. So it looks like we spend a week in Miami NOT going on a cruise and being miserable, or waste the airfare.

[twangster]

27 minutes ago, alamode123 said:

My girls do not want to go on any cruise at any time, and I can't convince them otherwise. So it looks like we spend a week in Miami NOT going on a cruise and being miserable, or waste the airfare.

Don't rush it, see what develops with Royal.  It's eight months away.  My teens are all (sort of) grown up.  I understand exactly the dynamic going on but hopefully Royal will come through for you.

Having said that, it occurs to me how not only have they alienated a past guest, they've alienated a next generation of cruisers.  Wall Street should be excited by that... not.  

[alamode123]

I'll wait and see. I have faith in Sharla and MEI. Royal, not so much.

[CGTLH]

11 hours ago, Mljstr said:

Re: the airfare debacle- Would it have made a difference if the air were booked by Air2Sea? Would the airfare have been refunded?  I'm just asking for future reference?

 

11 hours ago, twangster said:

Not specifically addressed in the Air2Sea terms and conditions.

They offer a "Lowest Price Guarantee" (24 hr window after booking) and "Assured Arrival".

A note on the bottom of a recent Air2Sea booking states this:

"You have purchased REFUNDABLE WITH FEE airline tickets through our Air2Sea program, please note that airline cancellation penalties may apply. If you have any questions regarding our airfare refund policy please contact the Air2Sea Support Desk at 800-533-7803. If you are unable to travel, the itinerary must be canceled before the departure time of your first flight, or the next flight if you have already flown the first flight. Failure to cancel in advance will result in a loss of the entire ticket value."

Looking a different Air2Sea booking I see this note:

"You have purchased NON-REFUNDABLE airline tickets through our Air2Sea program; please note that even if the fare allows changes, a fee and other restrictions may apply. Electronic Air Tickets (e-Tickets) are NOT TRANSFERABLE and name changes are NOT ALLOWED. If the reservation is cancelled on/before the originally ticketed departure date the value of the unused original non-refundable ticket may be applied within one year from original date of issue for future travel. All travel must be completed within one year from the original ticket issue date. Any unused ticket segments will have no value unless passenger cancels/changes ticketed flight reservations on/before ticketed departure date. Failure to cancel in advance can/will result in a loss of the entire ticket value."

No mention of a "If we cancel your cruise guarantee".

They seem to be passing along the standard airline verbiage for the fare type purchased.

 

This was pulled as when I was filing a claim from the Empress mess when the refurbishment had been delayed. Now if this is typical for any cancelation, not sure.

 

Guests with air transportation booked through Royal Caribbean International that transfer to another sailing will receive modified flights at no cost to them. If your client did not purchase air transportation through Royal Caribbean International, we will assist them by paying for their airline change fee, up to $200 for domestic and $300 for international flights. We ask that guests please send a copy of the receipt for the change fee, along with a brief note explaining that they were booked on the above mentioned sailing dates to the following address: Royal Caribbean International, Customer Service, 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132-2096.

Should your client be unable to rebook on one of the alternative sailings and would prefer to cancel, Royal Caribbean International will provide them with a full refund of their cruise fare paid. Cruise fare refunds will be automatically processed back to the original form of payment. Please allow four to six weeks for all transactions to be processed. Also, if your client booked air transportation through Royal Caribbean International, and chooses to cancel, they will receive a full refund.

[cruise-y]

9 hours ago, alamode123 said:

Sorry for the rant. I'm hoping RCL will get us on the Mariner of the Seas from Mon March 11th to March 15th as the same rate as when i booked the original cruise a year ago.

I'd rather not give RCL any of my money, but it's that or spend more o$1200 to switch flights, plus increase flight costs.

I'm really surprised that RCCL doesn't offer to put the displaced customers on another ship sailing from the same dates.  To me, that is the least they can do.  (Plus a ton of onboard credit, not just a measly $100.)   They probably couldn't get you an equivalent room, but they should at least transfer you.   Especially during spring break time when people are traveling on dates that just can't be moved.  I'm really disappointed in them and of course you should be furious.  I don't know how full the ships are 8 months out - I'm curious how many customers this affects.  Do you think it's half the ship?  Surely a charter wouldn't warrant that much displacement.  (Does anyone have stats on how fast the ships fill?  We never book more than 3 months out due to business and family uncertainties and usually the JS room choices are slim by then).

I could understand this during off-peak times when the ships aren't full and it's mostly elderlies who can more easily make changes - but RCCL must know they will fill the ship during spring break time.  Does a charter bring in that much more than a probably-guaranteed full ship?   It just seems very odd to me.

I surely hope you can salvage this and I think you should insist on a transfer.  Make a stink.  Keeping calling back until you get a sympathetic person on the phone.  I won't go into all the gory details, but once American Airlines did the same thing to me on a first class flight to Rome.  I had gotten a super deal with my frequent flyer miles and I figured they were just trying to pull a fast one so they could book the seats for real money.  I called several times and got the "sorry" response and then finally got a person who helped me rebook.

Good luck and keep us posted.  We're all rooting for you.

 

[twangster]

I'm hoping the letter is just the initial offer.  As Royal wades through the hundreds of impacted guests on a case by case basis hopefully we'll hear better news for @alamode123.  

[alamode123]

10 hours ago, twangster said:

No need to tell me how much your original cruise fare was but the Panoramic Ocean View on the Mar. 11, 2019  sailing of Mariner is around $1,625 for a 1L cabin on deck 12 for 3 adults.

It's actually the cheapest OV category, even less than an OV Guarantee.  Cheaper than interior too.

Is this very far off your original fare?  (Granted 1 less night)

Mariner just got out of her dry dock and is getting rave reviews.  She is the same class of ship as Navigator.

Cabin 1852 is open with direct forward facing panoramic views.  It will go fast though.  

 

Perhaps Sharla can place a hold on it while you consider your options.

the same cabin today is $2466, one day later. Everyone scrambling to pick up a cruise from the one they kicked me off of.

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, alamode123 said:

the same cabin today is $2466, one day later. Everyone scrambling to pick up a cruise from the one they kicked me off of.

Should have put a hold on it.   

[alamode123]

Just now, twangster said:

Should have put a hold on it.   

I'm letting Sharla do her work.

[Garnet21]

I love RCI but this is so wrong.  Actually,  I would have to say it's disgraceful.   There is a lot more in play here  than just the ship.  There is vacation time, air fare,  etc.  A family vacation is a precious thing and it causes all sorts of upset when things like this happen.  You may not be a frequent cruiser but in a way that makes this even more important.  When you speak to Sharla, make sure she understands that you want her to go to bat for you and get better compensation.  I hope everything works out for the very best and that you and your children have a great vacation together.  

[Mljstr]

I'm so praying this works out for you, alamode123. It's a heartwarming story wanting to give your daughters a perfect spring break. Right now my daughter is dealing with an ex who is just the opposite and it's great to know there are still loving fathers out there.

1.  

[jticarruthers]

16 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Good luck with this.  I hope he (or more likely, someone from his office, on his behalf)  gets back with you.  For an entirely different reason, recently, I sent my one and only (so far) email to his email address and never even received so much as an acknowledgement that they received the email....much less any kind of response or resolution.  Maybe you will be luckier than I was.

I went that route when I had my Adventure OTS experience ... I did actually get a call from "Michael Bailey's Office" pretty promptly but the idiot who called to work with me promptly proved that he hadn't even bothered to read my email by launching into the stock speech they had prepared and ignoring every point I had made. 

[monctonguy]

5 hours ago, Garnet21 said:

I love RCI but this is so wrong.  Actually,  I would have to say it's disgraceful.   There is a lot more in play here  than just the ship.  There is vacation time, air fare,  etc.  A family vacation is a precious thing and it causes all sorts of upset when things like this happen.  You may not be a frequent cruiser but in a way that makes this even more important.  When you speak to Sharla, make sure she understands that you want her to go to bat for you and get better compensation.  I hope everything works out for the very best and that you and your children have a great vacation together.  

This is a normal practice for Royal...we all know it. I have seen multiple threads here and on other cruise sites over the years about these types of things.

 

It comes down to the bottom dollar...always has, always will....they don't care about your situation or cruise plans....IF they did, they wouldn't have cancelled it 8 mths out...lol.

 

What's the definition of insanity?!....

[Michael Vitale]

I feel for you brother. What I don’t understand is, if a ship is full, and they always sail full or near full, how does a charter benefit them ?  Do they charge MORE for a charter than a full ship ??   Surely RC can institute a policy whereby charters must be reserved within say 90 days of itinerary announcements. 

[twangster]

Just now, Michael Vitale said:

What I don’t understand is, if a ship is full, and they always sail full or near full, how does a charter benefit them ?  Do they charge MORE for a charter than a full ship ??  

Why would Royal do this to existing guests this close to sail date?  Million dollar question.

My only wild guess is that an interim payment is due for Spectrum and they lack cash reserves to make that interim payment.  How do you come up several million on short notice? Charter a ship.  

I've joked before that there is a surprise cruise planner sale every time they need to make another payment for the ship that's being built at that moment.  Same effect.  Quick way to generate cash flow that's cheaper than borrowing the money.   

There are sale events every week now it seems.  Why?  If Royal can fill all their ships and booking are so strong, why the need for so many promos and sales?

Ships sail full but often some of those cabins are filled at basement rates at or below cost.  The cabin beside you may have paid twice what you paid or half what you paid.  Despite their policy they don't discount to fill the ship - they do.  Look at Alaska right now.  End of August Radiance $499 pp.  Less than half of the normal price for that cabin mid-season.  They can't fill the ship so discounts are happening.  Florida residents benefits from FL rates and specials that come and go.  Matt got a suite on Brilliance at balcony rates that isn't available out of state.  Michael Poole has bragged about single supplements being waived that weren't for out of state residents.  That's how they fill ships.  They don't market those specials, if you happen to be on the website and find them, winner!

With a charter all cabins are sold from Royal's perspective.  If the charter company can't fill the ship, the charter company takes the hit, not Royal.  If the charter company sets the price too high, they face the consequences and they absorb all risk.

This FAQ is very telling if you read between the lines:

How should the client price the staterooms in a Re-Sale Full Ship Charter?

The client is responsible for determining the pricing model for a Re-Sale Full Ship Charter program. Due to anti-trust regulations, Royal Caribbean International cannot legally advise the client how to price staterooms on a chartered sailing. Current retail pricing may be used as a guide but is a snapshot of the pricing on a particular day. This pricing would never apply to the entire ship nor would it remain constant throughout the booking life cycle for the sailing.

In other words part of Royal's secret sauce is knowing how and when to adjust pricing on a cabin by cabin basis, on a day to day basis, on a sailing by sailing basis.

 

Just now, Michael Vitale said:

  Surely RC can institute a policy whereby charters must be reserved within say 90 days of itinerary announcements. 

 Absolutely they could, but choose not to.  They sort of elude to that when they suggest they don't typically charter within 12 months of sail date.  That 'policy' wasn't followed in the cases of Enchantment and twice on Navigator for March 2019.

BTW - I found the charter for Enchantment.  https://happyvalleycruise.com/ - Just in case anyone is wondering... who would charter a ship?  

The other oddity for chartering a ship with only 8 months to sailing is that the charter company has only 8 months to market and fill the ship.  Royal needs two years to work their secret sauce.  Why on earth would a charter company take the risk and try to do this on such a compressed time schedule?  Seems risky to me. 

[coneyraven]

14 minutes ago, twangster said:

Why would Royal do this to existing guests this close to sail date?  Million dollar question.

My only wild guess is that an interim payment is due for Spectrum and they lack cash reserves to make that interim payment.  How do you come up several million on short notice? Charter a ship.  

I've joked before that there is a surprise cruise planner sale every time they need to make another payment for the ship that's being built at that moment.  Same effect.  Quick way to generate cash flow that's cheaper than borrowing the money.   

There are sale events every week now it seems.  Why?  If Royal can fill all their ships and booking are so strong, why the need for so many promos and sales?

Ships sail full but often some of those cabins are filled at basement rates at or below cost.  The cabin beside you may have paid twice what you paid or half what you paid.  Despite their policy they don't discount to fill the ship - they do.  Look at Alaska right now.  End of August Radiance $499 pp.  Less than half of the normal price for that cabin mid-season.  They can't fill the ship so discounts are happening.  Florida residents benefits from FL rates and specials that come and go.  Matt got a suite on Brilliance at balcony rates that isn't available out of state.  Michael Poole has bragged about single supplements being waived that weren't for out of state residents.  That's how they fill ships.  They don't market those specials, if you happen to be on the website and find them, winner!

With a charter all cabins are sold from Royal's perspective.  If the charter company can't fill the ship, the charter company takes the hit, not Royal.  If the charter company sets the price too high, they face the consequences and they absorb all risk.

This FAQ is very telling if you read between the lines:

How should the client price the staterooms in a Re-Sale Full Ship Charter?

The client is responsible for determining the pricing model for a Re-Sale Full Ship Charter program. Due to anti-trust regulations, Royal Caribbean International cannot legally advise the client how to price staterooms on a chartered sailing. Current retail pricing may be used as a guide but is a snapshot of the pricing on a particular day. This pricing would never apply to the entire ship nor would it remain constant throughout the booking life cycle for the sailing.

In other words part of Royal's secret sauce is knowing how and when to adjust pricing on a cabin by cabin basis, on a day to day basis, on a sailing by sailing basis.

 

 Absolutely they could, but choose not to.  They sort of elude to that when they suggest they don't typically charter within 12 months of sail date.  That 'policy' wasn't followed in the cases of Enchantment and twice on Navigator for March 2019.

BTW - I found the charter for Enchantment.  https://happyvalleycruise.com/ - Just in case anyone is wondering... who would charter a ship?  

The other oddity for chartering a ship with only 8 months to sailing is that the charter company has only 8 months to market and fill the ship.  Royal needs two years to work their secret sauce.  Why on earth would a charter company take the risk and try to do this on such a compressed time schedule?  Seems risky to me. 

Interesting about that Happy Valley Charter --- it mentions it has a "Flowrider" ---- Enchantment does NOT. --- and yet it specifically mentions Enchantment OTS.

[twangster]

1 minute ago, coneyraven said:

Interesting about that Happy Valley Charter --- it mentions it has a "Flowrider" ---- Enchantment does NOT. --- and yet it specifically mentions Enchantment OTS.

I saw that too.  They probably fell into the trap that many people do.    When you are looking at a ship and start looking at activities the Royal site can drift away from a particular ship and display activities from other ships.  It's not obvious if you don't notice where you have been led on the website.

[monctonguy]

Well at $1700 for an inside cabin that Happy Valley Charter is charging I can see how they make some money on it....

 

First off...Royal is making more money by charting it  for $2-3 million on avg then it is selling it through various travel agents. And the charter company if they are charging those kinda prices and filling it are making money as well.....its all about the "Benjamin's" baby...

 

I have to say though..being on a ship that has a large group on it, but hasn't chartered the whole ship can be even worse I would think in some cases .I know in one of my experience sit was at least..

[Rose City Cruiser]

27 minutes ago, twangster said:

Why would Royal do this to existing guests this close to sail date?  Million dollar question.

My only wild guess is that an interim payment is due for Spectrum and they lack cash reserves to make that interim payment.  How do you come up several million on short notice? Charter a ship.

Orrr  someone within Royal fudged up and should have announced the charter months ago.

[twangster]

Just now, monctonguy said:

Well at $1700 for an inside cabin that Happy Valley Charter is charging I can see how they make some money on it....

Looks like s fund raiser of sorts.  Guess they are banking on people willing to pay higher rates in the name of the event and to visit "Paternoville Coco Cay".

Just now, monctonguy said:

I have to say though..being on a ship that has a large group on it, but hasn't chartered the whole ship can be even worse I would think in some cases .I know in one of my experience sit was at least..

For sure.  I wish there was a website that tracked partial ship charters or large group events.

[NS8VN]

I wonder if Penn State had another ship chartered and for some reason it became unavailable?  That might explain the late change.  Explain, not excuse.  Ohio State does a cruise too, they have Independence chartered February 23-29, 2019, but they announce them around a year in advance.  And people absolutely pay those prices, the Ohio State one is nearly sold out.  We are considering taking one at some point, my wife is a rabid OSU fan.

Weird, seemed Penn State were distancing themselves from the Paterno name.  Guess enough time has passed, apparently.

[alamode123]

8 minutes ago, NS8VN said:

I wonder if Penn State had another ship chartered and for some reason it became unavailable?  That might explain the late change.  Explain, not excuse.  Ohio State does a cruise too, they have Independence chartered February 23-29, 2019, but they announce them around a year in advance.  And people absolutely pay those prices, the Ohio State one is nearly sold out.  We are considering taking one at some point, my wife is a rabid OSU fan.

Weird, seemed Penn State were distancing themselves from the Paterno name.  Guess enough time has passed, apparently.

From my many talks about this online in the past few days, a seasoned travel agent suggested it might be a company thing, like an Amway cruise for top sales people, and not for re-selling.

In the end I don't really care. It was catching lightening in a bottle planning a vacation that twin 15 year old girls were genuinely excited about. Now nothing that happens will make them happy about the result, and rightfully so.

[AnnetteJackson]

Just an update to this string....

If you look you will see there was a new string created with an update

We were able to jump in and work with Royal to get a satisfying resolution for alamode123.

Sometimes these situations take a little longer  - but we always strive to help take some of the stress out of planning a vacation - even if it was caused by the cruise line!

 

[Jeff L]

19 hours ago, AnnetteJackson said:

Just an update to this string....

If you look you will see there was a new string created with an update

We were able to jump in and work with Royal to get a satisfying resolution for alamode123.

Sometimes these situations take a little longer  - but we always strive to help take some of the stress out of planning a vacation - even if it was caused by the cruise line!

 

1

Glad this could be resolved!!!

[Disappointed by Royal Cari]

Option 1: Re-book Selected Sailings

 

• Re-book the following 2019 Navigator of the Seas sailings: Feb. 24thor Apr. 7th
• Or re-book the following 2019 Jewel of the Seas sailing: Feb. 10th
  • These sailings will be departing from the beautiful Port Miami and will visit some of the top Caribbean destinations, Nassau, Bahamas and our very own private destination, Labadee, Haiti!

  • I sent an email explaining...

    As I explained earlier that my vacation time is limited to the break we receive during March and if you check our previous cruise which was in March of 2018 around the same time.

    I am hoping we can find a resolution to the unfortunate situation.

    The 4 NIGHT BAHAMAS CRUISE leaving from:Miami, MON. MAR. 11 2019 FRI. MAR. 15 2019  Florida Aboard:Mariner of the Seas will work and I would like you to change my cruise and honour the "original stateroom category will be price protected at the original cruise fare rate, excluding taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items"

     Hello,

    I have spoken with two customer service advisors and explained my dilemma- re-book the following 2019 Navigator of the Seas sailings: Feb. 24th or Apr. 7th Or book the following 2019 Jewel of the Seas sailing: Feb. 10th  

    These days do not work as I have my March Break  the week of March 09 and when I checked the cost for a balcony "4 NIGHT BAHAMAS CRUISE Leaving from:Miami, Florida Aboard:Mariner of the Seas MON MAR 11 2019  FRI MAR 15 2019 is $693" and when I compared the cost "5 NIGHT WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE Leaving from:Miami, Florida Aboard:Jewel of the Seas SUN FEB 10 2019 FRI FEB 15 2019 it is $698", the costs were similar.   

    I am at a loss as to why the consultants are refusing to allow clients change to Bahamas itinerary. The cancellation of my original booking is causing anxiety that I did not expect to have. During our cruise of March 2018 we were encouraged to book in advance so that we could get the date we wanted and now that we did I find myself climbing an uphill battle to get booked on the time that I planned originally.

    Hopefully someone will get back to me

    Reservation # 5749123

    A reply to my email

    My apologies Sir, but we’re unable to offer the MA 03/11/19. Those 3 options are the only ones available to lock you in at the price you had paid for the cruise. Would you like me to request the refund for the cancelled booking Sir?

    How many cruise clients have been disappointed by cruise lines chartering/redeployee cruises that they have already sold staterooms to past consumers???

    TK