An Aussie husband has revealed how he and his wife’s holiday plans were “ruined” in an instant when they turned up to board a cruise — and were handed a letter saying their booking was cancelled.
The man wrote on Reddit that he and his wife turned up to the cruise ship terminal in his home city of Brisbane on Tuesday only to be given a letter by Royal Caribbean International saying the eight-night trip through the South Pacific on Quantum of the Seas had been overbooked.
“We regret to inform you that currently we have been unable to allocate a stateroom number to your reservation,” the letter read, as shown in a photo posted to the social media site.
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“The time and effort you took to plan your cruise is important to us and we apologise for the inconvenience.”
The man explained he and his wife were “denied boarding” and said “our holiday has been ruined”.
“I am frankly disgusted (by) how they think they can treat people with something so time-sensitive and sentimental like (a) holiday,” he wrote.
He said “12 other couples” were in the same position as he and his wife.
The letter provided alternative options for the couple including a full refund with a 25 per cent discount on a future cruise, or a different cruise with a similar itinerary at no extra cost.
The man wrote on Reddit that he believed the options were “not nearly enough compensation”.
But in a later comment he said, due to his Reddit posts “blowing up”, a Royal Caribbean representative had called him and “offered a much more generous compensation package” of a “refund, free cruise and deluxe drinks package”.
“I think due to the post blowing up they came to their senses. I got a call from head office personally apologising to me and offering a significantly improved compensation,” he said.
“So doesn’t help my holiday plans now but at least it’s more reasonable.”
Royal Caribbean said it regretted the overselling of the cruise.
“Making our guests’ vacations a reality is what we do and while disruptions to their plans can occasionally happen we do our best to minimise those chances,” it said.
“The demand for the recent November 28 cruise on board Quantum of the Seas went beyond the rooms that were available.
“Unfortunately, efforts to accommodate all those who wished to sail fell short for a group of our guests, and some were unable to sail as planned.
“Each impacted guest was given various options to choose from including alternative sail dates, or a refund and a future cruise credit.
“We take these disruptions seriously, and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused. We have worked with each guest affected to rectify the inconvenience this has caused.”
The company did not answers specific questions about how many customers have been affected by overbookings, and if it was common for cruises to be oversold.
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