Embarkation/Disembarkation problems (and others) on Vision of the Seas

I thought it was important that I post the letter I sent to RCCL and
their subsequent reply. Obviously they have some work to do.

Gazza

Dear Mr. Fain,

My family of twelve were passengers on the December 23, 2005 sailing on
the Vision of the Seas This cruise was chosen to celebrate my
in-law's 60th wedding anniversary. I am writing this letter to
identify problems that occurred in both the embarkation, the end of the
cruise and disembarkation.

Embarkation
On December 23rd we were met at LAX by the RCCL air/sea representatives
who took us out to the bus. Once on the bus that ended the
participation of the RCCL and we did not see another representative
until check-in.

Upon arriving at the pier our bags were offloaded onto the curb. We saw
no stevedores to take our bags to the arrival area and two reps (I
assume they were reps, they had no badges on) came up and argued; one
saying that we should carry our own bags to a long line and they would
be taken by the stevedores, the other argued that we "should leave
our bags here and he would watch them" and "when stevedores become
available our bags would be taken care of." We were also told that
there was another ship in town and there were not enough stevedores to
handle both ships. Half of our group opted to take their bags and stand
in line. I opted to leave my bags on the sidewalk.

I walked in the embarkation hall and was sent to a line because I had
forgotten my already filled out information to get the Sea Pass (it had
nobody in line) and the rest of my family was sent to another line
(which had approximately 20 people in line). These were the only two
lines at check-in. I waited for 10 minutes while a position opened. The
person that eventually checked me in was just setting up (and was
having problems with her computer), even though check-in had started
well over an hour before. Check-in took about 10 minutes and when I
looked back the other line had not moved (so that meant at least 20
minutes).

The rest of my family got to the cleared embarkation area about 45
minutes later...and they already had filled out their information for
their Sea Pass beforehand. It turned out that no one was directing the
lines and the line I was in kept being helped before the other line and
this continued for some time before the line complained.

While sitting in the embarkation area (approximately one hour later) I
received a call from my niece who drove up and saw our bags sitting on
the sidewalk unattended. This being the time of security I was shocked
that this was allowed. I found a RCCL rep who got on the phone to tell
someone to take care of our bags. I have no idea if this took place in
a timely manner. I did get my bags approximately 8:00 PM.

Filthy Ship
After New Year's Eve everything went downhill. Since the Vision of
the Seas was going into dry dock in a couple of days I guess it
didn't matter that there were passengers on board. Carpet's had
leftover confetti on the floor until disembarkation two days later. The
night before arrival into LAX we could not get the specialty drinks we
wanted because everything had been boxed away so they could get a head
start on dry dock.

Disembarkation
I do not really know where to start with this botched, incompetent and
dangerous disembarkation. I guess I'll start at the beginning.

We arrived at San Pedro on time at 6:00. My wife and I went to
breakfast at 6:00, knowing we would be disembarked by 9:00 at the
latest (as per RCCL docs handed out the night before).

We headed up the public area designated for our group at 8:00. The
express group disembarked first and things seemed to be moving slow.
Someone continued to come on the PA to tell people that immigration
officials would not clear the ship until everyone moved away from the
gangways.

Your repeat passengers were then disembarked and things came to a halt.
No one came on the PA to tell us what the delay was. Approximately 9:30
the people that had paid for your City Tour were let off. A little
while later the group that was supposed to disembark after us was
allowed to go off. This is where things came to a halt.

My group was with your air/sea passengers. My thought is that this
group is your bread and butter, they have booked with you and they
should be handled differently. Nothing could be so far from the truth
(see Embarkation above).

No one came on the PA to tell us anything until 11:00. The cruise
director told us that the inclement weather had caused damage to
gangway, although after more than 100 cruises I had never seen this
before. The CD said they should have it secured in approximately 10
minutes.

No other announcements were made until our group was called at 12:00.
The group had been split into 4 and included only the air/sea
passengers. We were called all at once! People ran for the stairways
because all of these people needed to catch flights. Panic was in the
air and the staircases became extremely crowded and claustrophobic. My
wife was terrified because she was afraid to be trampled. I should have
told her "don't worry, this is nothing compared to what is ahead of
us".

There must have been at least 500 people left off at the same time and
they hit the area with the bags all at the same time. Even though we
were all segmented into 4 groups with the same color, the bags were not
sorted in this manner. In fact there were no signs directing you to the
color.

The situation was again dangerous at best. Elderly people were
struggling to stay together and find their bags. My three year old
granddaughter had to be moved off to the side and watched because of
this situation. People were screaming to find each other and their
bags. Once they found them they had to get into a customs line which
snaked through the still unclaimed bags. The few stevedores that were
available struggled to wind their way through the madness. In the end I
gathered my family off to the side and waited for the majority of the
group to leave, afraid that they would allow another group off and
start the chaos again.

I saw many people in with colors that were supposed to disembark much
later than us finding their luggage. I should have known. The colors
don't mean a thing when no one controlling the disembarkation.

Not one RCCL rep in site.

We found a stevedore to help us with our 14 bags and he took us towards
the bus area. Hundreds of people were standing around tying to figure
out what to do.

Again, not one RCCL rep in site.

The buses were full with no prospect of other buses coming. When I
finally found the same person who told me he would watch my bags upon
embarking he told me to ask the driver where they were going. Turns out
that certain buses were supposed to go to certain terminals, however
there were no signs on the buses to tell us, bags were everywhere and
the chaos ratcheted up. The person got into an argument with a bus
driver about if they should go to one terminal or all terminals.

Meanwhile people are missing their flights.

We waited well over 45 minutes for more buses to come. During that time
I was on the phone with the Miami office rebooking flights for some of
my family. I was told by Miami that the RCCL reps at LAX were aware of
the problem and would assist (of course there were no reps).

When the first bus arrived the grouped lunged forward. I saw one woman
get pushed over and got a bloodied face. Even though my wife and
granddaughter were at the doors of the bus a group of people pushed
them out of the way. Meanwhile I got underneath the bus and loaded my
own luggage (14 bags). It was the only way to ensure that we would get
seats on the bus.

We left the pier after 1:00 with well over 75 people on the pier
waiting for buses. I don't know how RCCL cannot calculate the correct
amount of required buses when you booked the air.

As we left it became very clear what the real issue was. There was a
sister RCCL ship and a Celebrity ship (also RCCL) doing turnarounds. It
was evident that:
· RCCL does not have the minimum required staff to do two
disembarkations, let alone three
· RCCL has no reps outside of the ship to help with embarkation and
disembarkation
· RCCL does not pay for enough stevedores to expedite the
disembarkation (see embarkation and disembarkation)
· Since the Vision of the Seas was going into dry dock preference was
given to the other two ships since these ships were required to sail
with passengers in a few hours
· The Air/Sea program is a sham. It simply provides transfers to the
airport/pier with no assistance in between.

The Ride to the Airport
Our bus arrived with signs on it for Celebrity so I assume that the bus
was taken from that cruise. I knew we were in for trouble when a rep
(low and behold a rep, albeit with no badge) had to give him
instructions on how to find the "turnout" at LAX. Turns out the
driver was from San Diego and had never driven in Los Angeles.

We did point out to the driver (after the second freeway sign) that he
had missed the LAX exits. My brother-in-law, who lived in LA for years
was able to redirect him back to the airport (after going through
residential areas). About 20 minutes lost.

We headed back to LAX and on one of the busiest travel days of the year
proceeded to take the exit for Arrivals instead of Departures. Traffic
was at a standstill and people were very upset. I finally suggested
that I get out of the bus and ask a Hertz bus driver how to get back to
Departures. About 45 minutes lost.

The Airport
No RCCL reps were there upon arrival and this being one of the busiest
travel days things were backed up for miles. I got my family in line
for curbside check-in and $35 later we got rid of our bags. As a United
1K (100,000 mile flyer) the skycap got my boarding passes for me.

We sat down for a meal at approximately 4:00 (first food since
breakfast). I checked my granddaughters boarding pass and was stunned
when I saw that she had no seat and was designated an infant. Being
three years old this would mean she would be denied boarding because
she did not have a seat.

I contacted Miami and was put in touch with a rep. She spent the next
40 minutes putting me on hold (the first time she came back was 15
minutes to ask me my passenger number). In the end, 30 minutes before
the flight she said that "she did not know why she was booked infant
since that is not what they show" and "you will need to get a room
and send us the bills because she could not get a hold of anyone to
help".

I ran to the United Red Carpet club and they were able to assist. I'm
sure if I was not a 1K flyer that I would not have had my granddaughter
on the flight.

BTW: I talked to a passenger that took the City Tour and arrived an
hour BEFORE us. That means they got off the ship, took a tour and got
there way before us.

SFO and Beyond
When I first saw my flight itinerary, I was surprised that RCCL booked
a flight out of LAX at 5:30. My original thought is that I could easily
make one of the other three LAX-SFO-Medford, OR flights, but in the end
had about 20 minutes to spare on this flight.

Any earlier flight would have helped because we were turned back from
Medford because of fog at 10PM, sent to Arcata and eventually back to
SFO at 12:45AM. All of the other flights that day made it into Medford.

At that point our only option was to rent two vehicles ($400) and drive
seven hours to Medford. We arrived at 10:00AM, 25 hours after I thought
we would be disembarking the Vision of the Seas.

Home Sweet Home
Since our bags could not fit in the car, they were delivered two days
later. Like everyone in our family, all of our clothes were soaking
wet.

I'm not sure how I should end this letter. I'm sure I'll hear
something about the inclement weather or some other excuse. BTW: every
single rep on the pier (that I did see) and bus drivers said that RCCL
is the worst and it is like this every time.

My Background
From 1990 - 1995 I worked for Kloster (Royal Viking, Royal Cruise
Line, Seabourne) as a PSR. My main job was to fly to one of our ships
throughout the world, be the liaison between the San Francisco office
and the ship, and most importantly be in charge of the disembarkation
process.

Royal Cruise Line started the air/sea concept in 1974 with the Golden
Odyssey. They understood that the last thing people remember (and the
first impression) is the embarkation/disembarkation. Air/Sea passengers
were given first priority by flight departure time, each having a
different color card. Passengers were not allowed off without the
appropriate color card.

With Royal Cruise line, all luggage was placed on the pier in the
appropriate color group. Employee's with nametags directed them to
their luggage, to a stevedore and then directed them to the awaiting
(signed) buses. Reps were on the bus and waiting at the airport to
assist with check-in. I can see how RCCL does not have to supply reps
on the bus or at the airport but I CANNOT see how RCCL cannot supply
ANY reps to help.

I did smile when just yesterday one of your reps in Miami told me to
write directly to the Chairman and CEO. That is what I used to tell my
passengers. I know that you will never see this letter and some other
division will.

Those are the facts, coming from someone who worked on ships for years.
Should the 12 of us ask for some compensation for our nightmares?


---------------------------------

The reply:

Thank you for your letter to Mr. Fain's Office. He appreciated your
candid evaluation of your embarkation and debarkation experiences He
has asked that I review your concerns and respond on his behalf.

We recognize how important the guest experience during transfer,
boarding and departure is because it formulates the first and last
impression our guests have of our service. Please note, however, that
the stevedores who offer their services at the various ports our ships
call on are not employees of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd: the port
employs them. Likewise, independent contractors, who are not our
employees, provide transfer services. Nevertheless, we expect that
they would treat our guests with the utmost care, and offer a high
level of service. We regret that you found your experience did not
exemplify these expectations.

It is also unfortunate that your experience was compounded by the
inclement weather that flooded the Port of San Pedro. Nevertheless, we
regret the service delays you and your family experienced on boarding
and departure from the ship. As our crew and Guest Port Services Staff
work diligently to ensure timely processes, be assured that this matter
will be thoroughly reviewed and any necessary improvements implemented
to prevent a recurrence.

Your comments regarding the tickets and flights secured for your family
were also of tremendous concern to us. We must concede that an
unintentional error occurred which resulted in the problems you
experienced with your granddaughter's ticket. While we are pleased
that you have since been refunded for the additional ticket you had to
purchase, please accept our apologies, as we regret this unfortunate
service failure

Moreover, it is also important to note that airlines allocate only a
certain amount of seats for cruise lines on flights. We do not have
access to every seat on an aircraft at our contracted fare rate. Rule
of thumb - the more popular a flight, the fewer seats the airline will
sell us at our contracted rate. If you have a time of day departure
preference, or a desire for a non-stop flight, and are willing to pay a
little more, please request and use our Custom Air service. Our Custom
Air agents are able to design an itinerary that meets your specific
needs. Yet again, we regret that circumstances seemed to further
compound the situation, as your flight was cancelled due to inclement
weather. We trust, however, that the decision by the airline to cancel
the flight was made in the best interests of the safety of all
concerned.

Mr. Frost, all of your additional comments regarding the condition of
the ship were also noted and will be thoroughly reviewed with the
ship's Hotel Director to ensure our high quality service standards are
consistently achieved. Thank you for bringing these matters to our
attention. While we cannot negate or alter the disappointing aspects
of your experience, we do believe them to represent rare departures
from our usual exemplary service. Therefore, it remains our hope that
we may have another opportunity to welcome you and your family back
onboard in the near future. We are confident that your next cruise
will be completely satisfying.

Sincerely,

Heather Williams
Corporate Guest Relations

You should probably post this on cruisecritic.com. Go to the site for info
on joining (it is free) and finding the correct board.




"Gazza" wrote in message
oups.com...
I thought it was important that I post the letter I sent to RCCL and
their subsequent reply. Obviously they have some work to do.

Gazza

Dear Mr. Fain,

My family of twelve were passengers on the December 23, 2005 sailing on
the Vision of the Seas This cruise was chosen to celebrate my
in-law's 60th wedding anniversary. I am writing this letter to
identify problems that occurred in both the embarkation, the end of the
cruise and disembarkation.

Embarkation
On December 23rd we were met at LAX by the RCCL air/sea representatives
who took us out to the bus. Once on the bus that ended the
participation of the RCCL and we did not see another representative
until check-in.

Upon arriving at the pier our bags were offloaded onto the curb. We saw
no stevedores to take our bags to the arrival area and two reps (I
assume they were reps, they had no badges on) came up and argued; one
saying that we should carry our own bags to a long line and they would
be taken by the stevedores, the other argued that we "should leave
our bags here and he would watch them" and "when stevedores become
available our bags would be taken care of." We were also told that
there was another ship in town and there were not enough stevedores to
handle both ships. Half of our group opted to take their bags and stand
in line. I opted to leave my bags on the sidewalk.

I walked in the embarkation hall and was sent to a line because I had
forgotten my already filled out information to get the Sea Pass (it had
nobody in line) and the rest of my family was sent to another line
(which had approximately 20 people in line). These were the only two
lines at check-in. I waited for 10 minutes while a position opened. The
person that eventually checked me in was just setting up (and was
having problems with her computer), even though check-in had started
well over an hour before. Check-in took about 10 minutes and when I
looked back the other line had not moved (so that meant at least 20
minutes).

The rest of my family got to the cleared embarkation area about 45
minutes later...and they already had filled out their information for
their Sea Pass beforehand. It turned out that no one was directing the
lines and the line I was in kept being helped before the other line and
this continued for some time before the line complained.

While sitting in the embarkation area (approximately one hour later) I
received a call from my niece who drove up and saw our bags sitting on
the sidewalk unattended. This being the time of security I was shocked
that this was allowed. I found a RCCL rep who got on the phone to tell
someone to take care of our bags. I have no idea if this took place in
a timely manner. I did get my bags approximately 8:00 PM.

Filthy Ship
After New Year's Eve everything went downhill. Since the Vision of
the Seas was going into dry dock in a couple of days I guess it
didn't matter that there were passengers on board. Carpet's had
leftover confetti on the floor until disembarkation two days later. The
night before arrival into LAX we could not get the specialty drinks we
wanted because everything had been boxed away so they could get a head
start on dry dock.

Disembarkation
I do not really know where to start with this botched, incompetent and
dangerous disembarkation. I guess I'll start at the beginning.

We arrived at San Pedro on time at 6:00. My wife and I went to
breakfast at 6:00, knowing we would be disembarked by 9:00 at the
latest (as per RCCL docs handed out the night before).

We headed up the public area designated for our group at 8:00. The
express group disembarked first and things seemed to be moving slow.
Someone continued to come on the PA to tell people that immigration
officials would not clear the ship until everyone moved away from the
gangways.

Your repeat passengers were then disembarked and things came to a halt.
No one came on the PA to tell us what the delay was. Approximately 9:30
the people that had paid for your City Tour were let off. A little
while later the group that was supposed to disembark after us was
allowed to go off. This is where things came to a halt.

My group was with your air/sea passengers. My thought is that this
group is your bread and butter, they have booked with you and they
should be handled differently. Nothing could be so far from the truth
(see Embarkation above).

No one came on the PA to tell us anything until 11:00. The cruise
director told us that the inclement weather had caused damage to
gangway, although after more than 100 cruises I had never seen this
before. The CD said they should have it secured in approximately 10
minutes.

No other announcements were made until our group was called at 12:00.
The group had been split into 4 and included only the air/sea
passengers. We were called all at once! People ran for the stairways
because all of these people needed to catch flights. Panic was in the
air and the staircases became extremely crowded and claustrophobic. My
wife was terrified because she was afraid to be trampled. I should have
told her "don't worry, this is nothing compared to what is ahead of
us".

There must have been at least 500 people left off at the same time and
they hit the area with the bags all at the same time. Even though we
were all segmented into 4 groups with the same color, the bags were not
sorted in this manner. In fact there were no signs directing you to the
color.

The situation was again dangerous at best. Elderly people were
struggling to stay together and find their bags. My three year old
granddaughter had to be moved off to the side and watched because of
this situation. People were screaming to find each other and their
bags. Once they found them they had to get into a customs line which
snaked through the still unclaimed bags. The few stevedores that were
available struggled to wind their way through the madness. In the end I
gathered my family off to the side and waited for the majority of the
group to leave, afraid that they would allow another group off and
start the chaos again.

I saw many people in with colors that were supposed to disembark much
later than us finding their luggage. I should have known. The colors
don't mean a thing when no one controlling the disembarkation.

Not one RCCL rep in site.

We found a stevedore to help us with our 14 bags and he took us towards
the bus area. Hundreds of people were standing around tying to figure
out what to do.

Again, not one RCCL rep in site.

The buses were full with no prospect of other buses coming. When I
finally found the same person who told me he would watch my bags upon
embarking he told me to ask the driver where they were going. Turns out
that certain buses were supposed to go to certain terminals, however
there were no signs on the buses to tell us, bags were everywhere and
the chaos ratcheted up. The person got into an argument with a bus
driver about if they should go to one terminal or all terminals.

Meanwhile people are missing their flights.

We waited well over 45 minutes for more buses to come. During that time
I was on the phone with the Miami office rebooking flights for some of
my family. I was told by Miami that the RCCL reps at LAX were aware of
the problem and would assist (of course there were no reps).

When the first bus arrived the grouped lunged forward. I saw one woman
get pushed over and got a bloodied face. Even though my wife and
granddaughter were at the doors of the bus a group of people pushed
them out of the way. Meanwhile I got underneath the bus and loaded my
own luggage (14 bags). It was the only way to ensure that we would get
seats on the bus.

We left the pier after 1:00 with well over 75 people on the pier
waiting for buses. I don't know how RCCL cannot calculate the correct
amount of required buses when you booked the air.

As we left it became very clear what the real issue was. There was a
sister RCCL ship and a Celebrity ship (also RCCL) doing turnarounds. It
was evident that:
· RCCL does not have the minimum required staff to do two
disembarkations, let alone three
· RCCL has no reps outside of the ship to help with embarkation and
disembarkation
· RCCL does not pay for enough stevedores to expedite the
disembarkation (see embarkation and disembarkation)
· Since the Vision of the Seas was going into dry dock preference was
given to the other two ships since these ships were required to sail
with passengers in a few hours
· The Air/Sea program is a sham. It simply provides transfers to the
airport/pier with no assistance in between.

The Ride to the Airport
Our bus arrived with signs on it for Celebrity so I assume that the bus
was taken from that cruise. I knew we were in for trouble when a rep
(low and behold a rep, albeit with no badge) had to give him
instructions on how to find the "turnout" at LAX. Turns out the
driver was from San Diego and had never driven in Los Angeles.

We did point out to the driver (after the second freeway sign) that he
had missed the LAX exits. My brother-in-law, who lived in LA for years
was able to redirect him back to the airport (after going through
residential areas). About 20 minutes lost.

We headed back to LAX and on one of the busiest travel days of the year
proceeded to take the exit for Arrivals instead of Departures. Traffic
was at a standstill and people were very upset. I finally suggested
that I get out of the bus and ask a Hertz bus driver how to get back to
Departures. About 45 minutes lost.

The Airport
No RCCL reps were there upon arrival and this being one of the busiest
travel days things were backed up for miles. I got my family in line
for curbside check-in and $35 later we got rid of our bags. As a United
1K (100,000 mile flyer) the skycap got my boarding passes for me.

We sat down for a meal at approximately 4:00 (first food since
breakfast). I checked my granddaughters boarding pass and was stunned
when I saw that she had no seat and was designated an infant. Being
three years old this would mean she would be denied boarding because
she did not have a seat.

I contacted Miami and was put in touch with a rep. She spent the next
40 minutes putting me on hold (the first time she came back was 15
minutes to ask me my passenger number). In the end, 30 minutes before
the flight she said that "she did not know why she was booked infant
since that is not what they show" and "you will need to get a room
and send us the bills because she could not get a hold of anyone to
help".

I ran to the United Red Carpet club and they were able to assist. I'm
sure if I was not a 1K flyer that I would not have had my granddaughter
on the flight.

BTW: I talked to a passenger that took the City Tour and arrived an
hour BEFORE us. That means they got off the ship, took a tour and got
there way before us.

SFO and Beyond
When I first saw my flight itinerary, I was surprised that RCCL booked
a flight out of LAX at 5:30. My original thought is that I could easily
make one of the other three LAX-SFO-Medford, OR flights, but in the end
had about 20 minutes to spare on this flight.

Any earlier flight would have helped because we were turned back from
Medford because of fog at 10PM, sent to Arcata and eventually back to
SFO at 12:45AM. All of the other flights that day made it into Medford.

At that point our only option was to rent two vehicles ($400) and drive
seven hours to Medford. We arrived at 10:00AM, 25 hours after I thought
we would be disembarking the Vision of the Seas.

Home Sweet Home
Since our bags could not fit in the car, they were delivered two days
later. Like everyone in our family, all of our clothes were soaking
wet.

I'm not sure how I should end this letter. I'm sure I'll hear
something about the inclement weather or some other excuse. BTW: every
single rep on the pier (that I did see) and bus drivers said that RCCL
is the worst and it is like this every time.

My Background
From 1990 - 1995 I worked for Kloster (Royal Viking, Royal Cruise
Line, Seabourne) as a PSR. My main job was to fly to one of our ships
throughout the world, be the liaison between the San Francisco office
and the ship, and most importantly be in charge of the disembarkation
process.

Royal Cruise Line started the air/sea concept in 1974 with the Golden
Odyssey. They understood that the last thing people remember (and the
first impression) is the embarkation/disembarkation. Air/Sea passengers
were given first priority by flight departure time, each having a
different color card. Passengers were not allowed off without the
appropriate color card.

With Royal Cruise line, all luggage was placed on the pier in the
appropriate color group. Employee's with nametags directed them to
their luggage, to a stevedore and then directed them to the awaiting
(signed) buses. Reps were on the bus and waiting at the airport to
assist with check-in. I can see how RCCL does not have to supply reps
on the bus or at the airport but I CANNOT see how RCCL cannot supply
ANY reps to help.

I did smile when just yesterday one of your reps in Miami told me to
write directly to the Chairman and CEO. That is what I used to tell my
passengers. I know that you will never see this letter and some other
division will.

Those are the facts, coming from someone who worked on ships for years.
Should the 12 of us ask for some compensation for our nightmares?


---------------------------------

The reply:

Thank you for your letter to Mr. Fain's Office. He appreciated your
candid evaluation of your embarkation and debarkation experiences He
has asked that I review your concerns and respond on his behalf.

We recognize how important the guest experience during transfer,
boarding and departure is because it formulates the first and last
impression our guests have of our service. Please note, however, that
the stevedores who offer their services at the various ports our ships
call on are not employees of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd: the port
employs them. Likewise, independent contractors, who are not our
employees, provide transfer services. Nevertheless, we expect that
they would treat our guests with the utmost care, and offer a high
level of service. We regret that you found your experience did not
exemplify these expectations.

It is also unfortunate that your experience was compounded by the
inclement weather that flooded the Port of San Pedro. Nevertheless, we
regret the service delays you and your family experienced on boarding
and departure from the ship. As our crew and Guest Port Services Staff
work diligently to ensure timely processes, be assured that this matter
will be thoroughly reviewed and any necessary improvements implemented
to prevent a recurrence.

Your comments regarding the tickets and flights secured for your family
were also of tremendous concern to us. We must concede that an
unintentional error occurred which resulted in the problems you
experienced with your granddaughter's ticket. While we are pleased
that you have since been refunded for the additional ticket you had to
purchase, please accept our apologies, as we regret this unfortunate
service failure

Moreover, it is also important to note that airlines allocate only a
certain amount of seats for cruise lines on flights. We do not have
access to every seat on an aircraft at our contracted fare rate. Rule
of thumb - the more popular a flight, the fewer seats the airline will
sell us at our contracted rate. If you have a time of day departure
preference, or a desire for a non-stop flight, and are willing to pay a
little more, please request and use our Custom Air service. Our Custom
Air agents are able to design an itinerary that meets your specific
needs. Yet again, we regret that circumstances seemed to further
compound the situation, as your flight was cancelled due to inclement
weather. We trust, however, that the decision by the airline to cancel
the flight was made in the best interests of the safety of all
concerned.

Mr. Frost, all of your additional comments regarding the condition of
the ship were also noted and will be thoroughly reviewed with the
ship's Hotel Director to ensure our high quality service standards are
consistently achieved. Thank you for bringing these matters to our
attention. While we cannot negate or alter the disappointing aspects
of your experience, we do believe them to represent rare departures
from our usual exemplary service. Therefore, it remains our hope that
we may have another opportunity to welcome you and your family back
onboard in the near future. We are confident that your next cruise
will be completely satisfying.

Sincerely,

Heather Williams
Corporate Guest Relations

Thank you...I will do that there as well!

"Gazza" wrote in message
oups.com...
I thought it was important that I post the letter I sent to RCCL and
their subsequent reply. Obviously they have some work to do.

It sounds as though you got ticked off from the very beginning of the trip &
were just looking for things to complain about. Perhaps they should refund
you complete cruise fare similar to Cunard since they didn't provide you
with acceptable cruise conditions.