jmcbride2019

9 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

I contend that they did show compassion by allowing you to re-use the deposit as credit, even though you had passed the full refund date. As you say they did not have to do that per their terms, and normally wouldn't. And you did get the majority of the amount refunded, it is just the deposit at issue, not the whole amount.

 

Where the issue arose was a mistake in communication when you didn't realise there was a 1 year expiry. Absolutely they should have explained that. However, it is standard expiry time for compensation credits, and it isn't reasonable for them to last forever, so there should be an expiry. It's just it wasn't explained to you, but I don't think that makes them heartless. That's just a mistake.

 

It's also something you could have asked at some time, as it's reasonable to have an expiry. Not that you're expected to, but it's not an unexpected clause that came from nowhere either. So I don't see it was done in any heartless manner, but just a mistake that happened for something that you weren't aware. And in the end, you still got the majority of funds back, an ability to travel, and an action that wasn't done heartlessly.

 

As above, I'd take it as a lesson.

I completely disagree with you, but yes, a lesson was learned. They did not communicate there was an expiry...at all, not until I attempted to book again. And it's not that I didn't "realise" there was an expiry. They didn't tell me there was one.

1 minute ago, Another_Critic said:

 

Did they issue you FCC (future cruise credit) certificates or was this just verbally communicated?

It was a verbal communication and I was unaware of an FCC. Another lesson learned 🙂

Thank you to everyone who's shared their positive thoughts and empathies. It's means a lot, really.

Also, appreciate the suggestions to purchase travel insurance for exactly these situations. It's never a bad idea, wish I'd done that obviously. Lesson learned.

Regarding RC's handling of this situation, though, I stand by my title. They explained that we could use our initial deposit towards a future booking. We tendered their offer to do just that. It was only then, when we tried to rebook, that they said it needed to be within a year of the original booking. I don't have a problem with that policy, per se...had it been originally communicated to us. Misleading expectations, travel insurance can't correct that.

10 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

Sympathy for your wife's situation, however two words come to mind...

 

Travel Insurance.

Thank you, and yes, I know better for next time.

8 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

I can empathize with your situation, and my thoughts are with you and your family during your wife's battle.

 

However, I think that the title of this thread is a little dramatic. In the future, I would suggest travel insurance for cancellation.

Thanks for your comment, and you're right on both points. I edited the title and will certainly purchase travel insurance next time.

My wife and I booked a cruise in November 2017 to depart in September 2018. We paid in full by March 2018, but the next month, we received devastating news that my wife had Stage 2 breast cancer that required 4 months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and radiation treatments. Her oncologist estimated at least a year to complete treatment. For obvious reasons, we needed to cancel our cruise. While we were passed the period for a full refund, we asked, that given our extenuating circumstances, that we get get our money back. They said they would refund our money minus the down payment of $750, if we decide to book at a later date. While it was disappointing to lose our down payment, we had more important things to focus on. Fast forward 18 months to today (October 2019). My wife is still going through treatments, but her prognosis indicates it is ok for her to travel. I reached out to Royal Caribbean to book  travel and to use our initial $750 down payment. Per their Resolutions Department, they explained that there is a policy that our booking must occur within 12 months of the cancelled cruise. This was the first time we heard this, and I replied that while I understand the policy, I'm hoping, given the extenuating circumstances, they could honor our initial down payment. I even stated, "Look, I'm not asking for any money. In fact, I want to GIVE you money! I only ask that I can use monies I've already given you." They held firm and showed no humanity and did not let us use our previous down payment. For a multi-national, multi-billion dollar company to keep our modest $750 (which is a lot for us) really speaks to the kind of company this is. We obviously will not book with them and want to make sure other travelers know the kind of practices they employ.