In any event, on the advice of some other cruisers, I called Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society Desk to book our cruise, rather than the usual 800 number. I had heard that the staff was much better, and given our Diamond status in the program, I expected at least the same level of cheerful service we usually receive onboard Royal Caribbean’s ships.
Don’t remember her name, but the lady that answered seemed to audibly sigh when I said that I’d like to book a cruise. She wasn’t “mean” but she surely wasn’t pleasant either. In the booking process, she asked for my Crown & Anchor number as one would expect. Then she asked if I had a wife, to which I jokingly responded that I will when we cruise because this is our honeymoon. She recorded Lady Astrojets’ number as well. The next question out of her mouth was “will you be celebrating any special occasion?” Maybe it’s just me, but I think that the honeymoon I just told her about qualifies.
In any event, we got it booked, without even a thank you for calling. Disappointing to say the least. Although I did call back later that evening to change our cabin, and this agent was much better.
I know you’re bound to get a bad apple every once in a while in any organization. But given the overwhelmingly positive experiences we’ve had with Royal Caribbean, this phone transaction did not meet my expectations.
I think it’s time to find a good travel agent to take care of things like this for me.
Using a travel agent is the way to get the BEST service, the SAME price as what the cruise lines are offering and sometimes even a ‘thank you gift’ ! I know– I have been a travel agent for 14 years — never charged a fee for booking a cruise and can offer every deal that the cruise line is offering. Be sure to check, as some travel agents, Expedia, etc all may charge a booking fee or a consultation fee. Call around — you will find a travel agent who is happy to handle your booking.
Gerry, All Travel travel agent
Bummer on the C&A service. Took me awhile to sort out all the cruises I had taken on RCI and get full credit for them.
Drop by my RCI site, we’d love an airline expert like yourself! http://www.RoyalCaribbeanFan.com