Cruise Guest Goes Nuclear After Frustrating Spa Experience

One Royal Caribbean guest just had a spa experience that was anything but relaxing.

The guest, who did not specify which ship they were sailing on, took to Reddit to vent about how they were subject to a surprise “20-30 minute sales pitch” before even getting to their massage.

The passenger was so frustrated by the pushiness that they decided to walk out of the appointment. The massage they booked cost $200 and they had no plans to make additional purchases.

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“I should be in the middle of a 75 minute massage right now, but I walked out before it even started. I felt like I was being held hostage in a timeshare presentation the way my massage therapist was trying to sell me every skincare item under the sun,” the upset passenger recounted.

“When she continued after I told her I would only use products my dermatologist prescribes for me, I decided to walk out,” they continued.

A Refund Wasn’t Enough

Upon leaving the appointment, the cruiser did receive a full refund for their $200 massage. This was lucky, as Royal Caribbean typically requires a 24-hour notice to cancel spa services.

“I walked out, explained the situation to the spa manager (who had an attitude and said they simply “recommend” their products), and demanded a refund, which they provided,” the passenger wrote.

Their next stop was the guest services desk, where they made the crew members aware of the situation to try to save other passengers from the same experience.

“I wasn’t looking for anything for free – I just wanted her to know that guests don’t appreciate spending $200 on a massage and then sitting through an unnecessarily and absurdly aggressive sales pitch,” they said.

But even after saying their piece, the frustration lingered. The crew member went back to guest services for a second time and asked the team to cancel every other excursion and activity they booked for the remainder of the cruise.

“I decided to go a little scorched earth. I went down to guest services again and had them cancel and refund every single excursion and activity I booked the rest of the cruise,” the guest wrote in an edit.

They explained that they would make last-minute tour bookings with third-party vendors instead of giving Royal Caribbean “another dime” during their sailing.

Of course, they also blasted the experience on Reddit, where it has gone viral among the cruise community.

Why Do Crew Members Push for Sales?

Other cruise guests could empathize with the experience, as they had also been pushed to make additional purchases by spa staff in the past on multiple cruise lines.

“Many years ago on another cruise line I actually had to get aggressive in saying no because of how pushy they were. It was the first massage I ever got (a couples massage) very expensive and that ruined my whole experience,” one cruise fan said.

Others have even threatened to take away the gratuities of the spa workers in advance of their appointment to try to avoid the pressure to buy.

“I broke down and booked a massage on my recent cruise and put a note on the intake form that said I would only add additional gratuity if there was no upselling and it worked,” another shared.

“I think it’s ridiculous that I have to resort to this, but I did have a good experience for once,” they continued.

While this doesn’t justify the negative experience, it’s worth noting that Royal Caribbean spa workers typically have sales and services quotas that they are supposed to meet on every sailing.

These crew members are usually employed by a third-party vendor, OneSpaWorld, who puts immense pressure on these workers to meet their targets. Failure to meet these quotas can result in termination.

Crew members may push a bit extra hard because their livelihood is at stake, but it is always ok for guests to politely set boundaries or remove themselves from uncomfortable situations when necessary.