Aussie couple fume after they are bumped from overbooked Royal Caribbean cruise and their dream holiday ruined – and you won’t believe how they were told
An Aussie couple, seconds away from boarding a holiday cruise, has been left behind after company Royal Caribbean overbooked the trip.
The couple arrived at the Port of Brisbane on Tuesday, ready to embark on an eight-night cruise through the South Pacific aboard the Quantum of the Seas.
But just as they were about to walk aboard, they were denied entry and told that none of the ship’s 2,090 cabins were available.
They then received a letter on behalf of Royal Caribbean International confirming that the trip had been overbooked.
The disappointed guests had each paid at least $595 for the cruise, but their vacation was ruined.
A couple is furious after their South Pacific cruise holiday on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas (pictured) was ruined because the ship was overbooked
Royal Caribbean’s letter states that the cruise line was “unable to assign a stateroom number” to the couple’s reservation.
“The time and effort you put into planning your cruise is important to us, and we apologize for any inconvenience,” it said.
‘Every aspect of your time with us should be enjoyable, so we’ve put together some alternative options that we hope will work for you.’
The couple were then given four options, including the offer of a refund with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.
Another option offered them a $100 credit that they could use on board if they decided to wait for a cancellation to open up a spot on the cruise they originally booked.
The other options included changing their booking to a nine-night cruise with a similar itinerary on January 29; or choose another seven- or eight-night cruise with a free ‘subject to availability’ upgrade.
The couple received a letter from Royal Caribbean stating they could choose from four options for compensation in lieu of boarding the cruise that cost at least $595 each.
The frustrated customers took the opportunity to abandon the cruise and received a full refund and 25 percent off the cost of a future trip.
Royal Caribbean International told Ny Breaking Australia that demand for the cruise had gone ‘beyond available rooms’.
“Unfortunately, efforts to accommodate all those who wanted to sail fell short for a group of our guests, and some were unable to sail as planned,” the company said in a statement.
‘We take these disruptions seriously and apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
“We have worked with each affected guest to resolve the inconvenience this has caused.”