Complain about a product or service

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Royal Caribbean • Cancellations, changes • Crime • Illness, injury • Lost luggage --- News • Cruise Lines Agree To Refund $21 Million In Fuel Surcharges • New Jersey Sues Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean Cruises is the second-largest cruise operator in the world. Its fleet includes the three largest passenger ships ever built, the 137,300 gt Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas.

But as in so many other things, size isn't all that matters. While many cruise fans return time and time again to Royal Caribbean, others don't have a good experience. And as the complaints in this section show, the line is not always eager to make set things right.

William V Roeder of Orlando, FL January 2, 2008

I paid for a Feb. 11, 2008, 11 day cruise departing Miami port in full on Dec. 1, 2007 and received an invoice confirming the balance due was zero. There was an asterisk next to balance and after finding the reason for the note which informed all passengers a 5.00 fuel charge up to 2 persons per day per cabin of 110.00 would be charged. I called Royal Caribbean about the additional charge and they informed me that if you were paid in full by 11/15/2007 the charge would be waived.

Two months prior to my final payment, I received reminder notices about the due date for final payment. I was never informed about the new fuel charge. I told the representative that this was discrimination because they favored the passengers that had paid by 11/15/07 and penalized the passengers that paid by the due date without giving us the opportunity to pay by their deadline. Needless to say I was told there was nothing they could do and I owed an additional 110.00. The call was made at 1:AM 12/29/07 and at 1:15 AM, I received an invoice dated 12/29/07 it was my original invoice with the 110.00 added to the bill. In addition there was a warning that full payment was due by 12/03/07 (Obvious Conflict). Another item appeared stating if payment was in full by 11/15/07 there would be no fuel charge. This was not part of my reminder notices.

How can a business send out doctored statements legally? I have copies of the invoices. My complaint with Royal Caribbean is, if there was going to be a fuel charge it should apply to all passengers,and if there was a grandfather clause of 11/15/07 people that paid by this date should not be exempt when other passengers were not informed by E-mail or regular mail. The additional cost of 110.00 is not the issue as much as the unfair method it was applied.

It changed my attitude towards Royal Caribbean Cruise line and I will NEVER cruise with them again and I will inform all of my friends to do the same.

Brenda M. Galloway of Eastpoint, FL January 2, 2008

I have been on the phone for 5 hours trying to contact a representative to complete payment for a spring cruise. The E-mails are returned, the phone will not work, the phone contact voice-mail is full. This is not only frustrating but unprofessional.

Joan H Frank of Winston Salem, NC December 23, 2007

On Dec 2, 2007 we headed for the airport in Greensboro n.c.. We were informed our flight was canceled because of bad weather in new Jersey. The airlines Continential could not get us on another flight for us to meet our ship that was leaving at 4:00 pm. We called Royal Caribbean several times to let them know what was happening, and they couldnt' care less. I booked the cruise with Costco Travel who gave us free cruise insurance but now are telling us they cannot refund any of our money because it has to be 48 hrs that we couldn't fly. Our ship was cruising for 2 days, and the next island would have cost us 1600.00 to fly there--plus there was still bad weather up north. I tried to talk to Royal Caribbean about booking us on another cruise, but they have totally ignored me. This cruise was 4,000.00, and I cant believe no one will help me. I need your help

Loss of 4,000.00 plus mental anguish for my husband and myself.

Jason of Spring Hope, NC December 10, 2007

My wife and I booked a 5 day cruise with Royal Caribbean. The cruise took place November 26th 2007. We booked the airfare with them as well because it was guaranteed. First problem we had was the flight. It broke down before we left and nothing was going to be done about it from Royal Caribbean. We had to book our own flight which cost us a little over 400. That amount was ballpark what we paid for our guaranteed tickets as well. We make the departure of the ship on time. Once on board we find out that the itinerary was flipped. They had us going in to our first stop at 9 AM. That stop was Key West. Everything dealing with why you would go was closed. Our next stop was Cozumel. This went off without a hitch. After leaving Cozumel, a crew member was hurt and the boat returned back to Cozumel. At this point we found out our third stop to Belize would be canceled. The next day we found out we would be going to an island called CoCo Cay. This is an island owned by Royal Caribbean. The island is basically a man made island. There was no electricity on the island and it reminded me something Disney would have built off of one of their amusement parks. After our return I attempted to get our airfare money back from Royal Caribbean. They pointed their finger to US Air who we didn't pay directly.

Other than having a horrible time on the boat because of changes and canceled destinations, all we wanted was our airfare back that we couldn't use. They refuse to deal with me directly so I am currently attempting a chargeback via visa.

Kathleen of Fredericksburg, VA November 24, 2007

We traveled on Royal Caribean, Sovreign of the Seas on October 22-26,2007 out of Port Canaveral. We took our mother who is both wheel-chair and walker dependent, and who is also almost 88 years old. We booked reservations with Cruises only, and were assured that the stateroom was both wheelchair and walker were accessible. Neither fit in our mother's room, and because of  that she was unable to shower on her own for the entirety of the trip as there was no safety bar in the shower stall. We were told to contact the ship Guest Relations when the ship was underway and they would try and accomodate us. Nothing was available and no effort was made to ease the difficulty for the entire 4 days of travel. Also our cabin, had a foul sewer odor, and our steward cleaned the toilet but off and on during the trip we smelled sewer odors, in our cabin as well as in and around the ship. When our ship pulled into Nassau, they were doing a security drill with the royal navy and when we moved off the ship there were smoke bombs, guns going off, publc facilities closed off and streets leading to them were roped off. This went on for more than half the day, so we returned to the ship so that our elderly mother could rest and have some peace. In the staterooms, no toiletries were provided other than a soap despenser in the shower. Even average hotels provide lotions and shampoos, with a note to call the desk should anything else be needed if the guest has forgotten anything. Also, water and soda was in the room with a fee for both should you open them. It was an unbelievable nickel and dime experience! We will never cruise on this ship again, and the weak reponse we received from a Mr. Anthony Sanchinel gave us an indication that our grievances were not to be resolved - anything it was a defensive retort, with a false, " we will be glad to assist you on your next cruise".

For four days my mother bathed as best as possible from her bathroom sink. She had to store her walker outside the room, and we had to store her wheelchair on the bed next to her. My mother-in-law was unable to get to the bathroom once as she has difficulty maneuvering without her walker and she was humiliated. She had never been on a cruise prior to this and will never go again. Sadly this was a birthday and Christmas gift to her, and our first chance to have time with her in a year. We also had requested Royal Carribbean place a surprise in her room on arrival. That was never done or probably registered!

Mark of Somrset, NJ November 21, 2007

We took a cruise on a Royal Caribbean Adventures of the seas on Nov 11, 2007.  Overall, the cruise was very nice, but we had several complaints. Music was played very loud at 2AM in the morning from one of their shows and we heard the music in our stateroom for many hours.  We complained to guest relations and security and absolutely nothing was done about it, except to say they apoligized, which was unsatisfactory.  Since they didn't lower it, we next complained to a supervisor about the same situation, who didn't care at all.  The music finally stopped at at about 3AM in the morning and we had virtually no sleep at all. The staffs' attitude was very unprofessional which would make me think twice about taking another cruise with Royal Caribbean. The whole cruise was very noisy.  Also, out of 4 people we were traveling with, 2 of us use walking canes. When we disembarked the ship, we had to wait a very long time to get off even though they originally promised us that anyone who was handicapped would disembark first. They lied.  It never happened and we had to wait a long time, like everybody else, and there was much strain on behalf of our companions who needed assistance.  Again the staff was oblivious to our needs in this matter. Therfore, I would recommend that anyone that wants to sail on Royal Caribbean, do your homework, because they do not live up to their promises.

Marvin of Miramar, FL October 9, 2007

Upon returning from my cruise from Labadee,Jamaica,Grand Cayman,Cozumel. I logged on to my online bank account to check the status of my credit card. Upon reviewing the charges i saw that they charged me 199.50 extra for things I did not purchase on the cruise. Upon calling the stated number on my bill. The CSR John and Kareen both tried to convince me that this is something normal and when my bank settles the cahrges it would drop off.

Upon enquiring about that with my bank they said this is not so. Tried calling back but to no avail and interest will be incurred on my account at 2% per month until i pay off the charge. I sent them an email outlining the situation and no explanation has bee given to date. Their email address is crownandanchor@rccl.com

I will be paying 2% per month on the charge that i was wrongly billed for.

Ms. Harker of Carmichael, CA May 9, 2007

I booked a cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas, sailing out of Galveston TX, on February 18, 2007. The ship was in disrepair. A main dining facility, the windjammer cafe, was closed throughout our cruise, and the following cruise, for scheduled renovations. We were informed of this when we arrived at the port and received a mass produced letter. The ship's propeller was broken. We lost the first day of our cruise because the ship did not reach the port until 12 hours after its scheduled arrival.

The outdoor pool was broken and did not open until the 3rd day of the cruise. The sewers overflowed throughout the ship. Sewage entered the hallways outside my cabin and carpeting was replaced in the exterior hallway during the third day of the cruise. The elevators did not work and people were on occasion left trapped for extended periods of time. Other times the elevator doors would be open and the floor of the elevator was significantly (6 plus inches) off alignment from the entry point.

I lost a week of wages trapped on the barge and the cost of my vacation. Royal Caribbean forced a 20.00 on board credit on al passengers to cover the loss of the first day of the cruise. This was inadequate.

Rosalba of Kingston, Ontario, OTHER November 1, 2006

On June 9, 2006, I booked a Royal Caribbean repositioning cruise from Tampa to Civitavecchia (Italy)through my travel agent. There are a group of us travelling, 19 who would continue on together in Italy. For this purpose I have booked a bus that would meet us at the dock at 9 a.m. After taking us sightseeing that first day, the bus would then take us on to our hotel in Tuscany for three nights. Substantial deposits have been paid for both the bus and hotel.

On October 3rd, I was notified by my travel agent that the ship's destination will now be Barcelona, Spain, instead of Italy.

According to Royal Caribbean, their brochure has a disclaimer that allows them to make changes to their itinerary. What they have changed is the destination, not part of the itinerary. All my attempts to contact customer service at Royal Caribbean have been useless. Since I booked the trip through a travel agent they refuse to speak with me or have anything to do with me. The only thing they, through our travel agent, have agreed to do for us is to provide transportation to Barcelona airport once we dock; however, we do not have this in writing.

What this means to us is that we will now have to pay to fly from Barcelona to Rome. It also means that we will lose a whole day of our trip which, because of time restraints, we shall not be able to make up.

Cathy of Macon, GA September 25, 2006

I booked a cruise for 3 of my sisters and me on the Soverign of the Seas in August, 2006.  The day we arrived on ship we found out they were refurbishing the ship during our cruise. They were changing out the beds on our deck but the noise was not the only problem.  On the second day my sister went to the pool and because the bottom of the pool was very slippery, she fell and broke her knee.

The ship's doctor put her leg in a cast from her hip to her ankle.  We tried to get her better acommodations and a wheelchair.  They finally gave her a room with a double bed but the wheelchair that would not fit in any room or at any table.

Eric, at guest relations, helped as much as he could but we never heard from the purser or the captain. 

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