Port separation anxiety is a term I use to describe the sudden decision some cruise passengers are faced with when a member of their party has to be left behind — usually because of they don’t have a passport or the right kind of birth certificate.
royal caribbean
Gregg Brady was looking forward to his February cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Of The Seas but the winds of fate were about to blow in a different direction. Just before his vacation, he had to be hospitalized and missed his sailing.
A word of warning to anyone taking a cruse: Don’t trust anyone with your valuables.
Timing is everything when you pull a bait-and-switch. Most of them happen just before or after the purchase – an “oops-the-price-isn’t-available” or a “sorry-did-we-forget-to-mention-a-fee” stunt. But for Mary Hoefs’ Royal Caribbean cruise, she didn’t find out until she tried to board.
Here’s an odd case with a surprise ending that would probably make David Mamet proud. It’s about a refund gone awry and and unlikely solution that even this ombudsman wouldn’t have known to recommend.
Are the illegal fuel surcharges imposed by cruise lines about to be scuttled? Don’t hold your breath. Royal Caribbean today announced a settlement with Florida’s Attorney General to eliminate its controversial fuel surcharge for bookings made before Nov. 16 and to refund any fees already collected. Other major cruise lines are expected to follow.
Royal Caribbean must think its customers are royally loaded. Or royally insane. How else do you explain the pricing of an inside cabin on a June 2 sailing of the Legend of the Seas for the princely sum of $200,576?
The first of what could be several fuel charge-related lawsuits against the cruise lines was filed earlier this week in Miami. Coral Gables, Fla., attorney Harley Tropin submitted the complaint, which seeks class action status, on behalf of New York resident Jason Ablelove. It charges several large cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Carnival Corp. and Norwegian Cruise Line, with colluding to fix unreasonably high fuel surcharges.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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