We have been associated with Marriott Bonvoy and MVC for over 30 years and have enjoyed the Marriott programs. As lifetime Titanium members with Marriott Bonvoy and Presidential with MVC, we have had great experiences with the Marriott brands.
However, things have definitely changed over the last few years, and not for the better. But booking this cruise hit a new low. The cruise we were booking was within 90 days so once booked you couldn't even cancel and rebook.
Although we were able to finally resolve our booking -after twelve days of stress, and conversations with over 10 agents. I am writing to notify you of our dealings with Our Vacation Center. What started out to be a simple cruise booking became days of constant phone calls and much disappointment. This was because the first agent neglected to include the pre-paid gratuities (not the Free-At-Sea gratuities) in the reservation, to be paid with MVC points as we requested. Then we were misled about availability to upgrade (told cruise was sold out) Did finally reach someone who said they could upgrade us for $2400 but then was unable to complete reservation and would get back the next day. The next day we got a call and agent apologized and said he could upgrade but it would be $3700. I said no then called MVC directly who 3 way called they thought a supervisor, but was an agent I had spoken to days before. After explaining what happened she was quoted the same price. I demanded the same cabin for the original price quoted and she came back with the original cabin for $2900. I had enough and purchased the upgrade.
You cannot speak to a supervisor; only ask to be called back which we did for those 12 days with no call back. We just had to call back every day. We finally got a call on day 13 from a supervisor apologizing for them not being able to take care of our problem and honor the promises made by their agent. They were not even aware of all our dealings with their agents.
I would like to say we will never book a cruise with them again as I am a travel agent who takes care of my clients, but we have a lot of points and sometimes don't know what to do with them. We enjoy cruising, just will be more careful and make sure I book out more than 90 days.
Claimed loss: $500
Desired outcome: Finally Resolved but would like an apology. Would also like to know if they are working to make this better! No sense having a program you can't use.
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After 30 years of loyalty to Marriott Bonvoy and MVC, it's disheartening to see such a decline in service, especially with something as significant as booking a cruise. The fact that you were left to deal with 12 days of constant phone calls, misinformation, and escalating upgrade prices is unacceptable. It’s frustrating when agents fail to follow through, and even worse when supervisors are unreachable and unaware of your situation. Given your history as both a customer and a travel agent, you'd expect a smoother process.
The lack of communication, missed callbacks, and the unnecessary stress you experienced really tarnish the reputation that Marriott had built with you. It’s understandable why you'd think twice about booking a cruise with them again, even though the points make it a tempting option. Hopefully, Marriott takes note of your experience and addresses these issues moving forward.