My sister was married aboard the Royal Caribbeans Sovereign of the Seas on February 9 in Port Canaveral, Florida prior to embarking on a three-day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. We experienced a multitude of problems that had negative effects on this once-in-a-lifetime day.
Problems began prior to boarding. Our entire wedding party, 49 sailing guests and three non-sailing guests, assembled to check-in at 10 A.M. After quickly moving through security, two wedding coordinators from Royal Romance greeted us and informed us that was an hour boarding delay because of a technical difficulty. They went on to clarify that although we would not board until approximately noon we would have plenty of time to get ready; the ceremony, originally scheduled to begin at 1 P.M., would begin at 2 P.M. We were also assured that we would have ample time for the entire ceremony and reception before sailing. Shortly after, our party completed check-in and was ushered upstairs to a private waiting area. It is at this point that events began to go awry and be mishandled.
Resolution of the technical difficulty took longer than expected, forcing us to wait three hours and discoloring the mood of our joyous occasion. Neither Royal Caribbean nor Royal Romance offered any amenities to make our wait more comfortable. It was only after a guest descended to the general boarding area that our party became aware of cookies and coffee being provided during the wait. This was audacious. The waiting area we were relegated to offered only uncomfortable chairs. At the very least a customer service representative should have informed us of these refreshments. More appropriate would have been the initial provision of a comfortable area to wait with refreshments, relaxing seating, and even a television for distraction.
Making matters worse, we couldn't board until 2 P.M., at which time the bride was hurried off to the salon for her hair appointment. We dashed to our cabins where we were pressured to begin the ceremony in 15 minutes. Understand, I am in a wheelchair, requiring the attention and assistance of my mother who also had to get herself ready. Also don't forget, the bride was not even back from the salon! Somehow, we threw ourselves together (not in a manner anyone should have to endure when preparing for their daughter's wedding) before 3 P.M.
Upon arrival at the Voltage Lounge the photographer was nowhere to be found and the brides mother was hurriedly escorted into the room before a photo could be taken of her with her daughter. That being said, the ceremony was breathtaking. For the ceremony, the room arrangement, the officiant as well as the photographer could not have been better.
Unfortunately, more calamity awaited our wedding party; unbeknownst to us the wedding reception was drastically truncated as a result of the excessive boarding delay, affecting several items of our purchased wedding package. We cannot stress enough our expectations for the wedding and reception: 1) approximately 20 minutes for the wedding ceremony, 2) 1 hour for the buffet reception, 3) 1 hour plus 1 hour premium bar service 4) 2 hours for the DJ services 5) 1 hour (as part of the Symphony package) plus 2 additional hours for the photographer. These contracted items were not fulfilled.
The lunch buffet was available for our guests for about 35 minutes. The wedding party and the immediate families could only partake in the buffet for about 25 minutes as they were engaged in photography, the first dance, bride and father dance, groom and mother dance, cake cutting, and the wedding toasts. Further, the bride and groom never had the opportunity to go to the buffet for themselves, were luckily brought food by their family, but were only able to swallow a few bites before we were ordered out of the lounge. Our contract indicated a buffet reception for one hour. As this portion of the contract was not fulfilled we feel monetary compensation is in order.
Related to the luncheon services, we paid an additional $132.50 for an ice sculpture. As the reception was less than a half-hour and the bride and groom never had the opportunity to approach the buffet line or see the ice sculpture, and it is unreasonable to expect us to pay for this service.
Next, although there was a bar in the Voltage Lounge it was not staffed. The circulating staff did not ask guests if they would like anything other than the pre-made cocktails. Consequently, no one was aware that drinks, other than the cocktails being passed, were available. This does not even address the availability of premium brand alcohol, which because of the lack of a bartender and uncommunicative circulating staff could not be taken advantage of by our guests.in addition to lack of service, the bar was only available for 35 minutes, not the contracted 3 hours. Therefore, we should not be charged for the additional 2 hours of bar service as well as any of the premium alcohol upgrade.
Similarly, we justifiably request reimbursement for the 2 hours of DJ services, since he played for 35 minutes at best. Regarding the services of the photographer we received the base one-hour but did not receive the additional 2 hours as requested.
We talked at length with the Royal Romance coordinators who said they would be submitting a report of all the problems on OUR behalf. We have no evidence this was ever done. We also expressed our frustration before disembarking to one of the Royal Caribbean managers onboard. They assured us they would convey our displeasure to you.
When we got home we sent a complaint letter to Royal Romance who responded with a generic email of apology for our inconvenience but said they would offer no compensation because the signed contract indicated boarding times were subject to US Customs and Immigration clearing the ship. Although this may be true there have to be considerations for extreme circumstances, otherwise businesses can get away with murder, which is what happened to us.
What we learned: Royal Caribbean and Royal Romance feel no obligation to uphold any reasonable customer service and consideration. WHAT WE RECOMMEND: TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE.
Maria
Medina, Ohio
U.S.A.
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