henry1005

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. Your pictures are beautiful and it was nice to see you travel with your mom.

Safe travels home!

2 minutes ago, vacruisincouple said:

Hi Henry.  Pretty sure it is only offered to the upper suites.  I think it might be capacity controlled.  It has to be arranged with the shoreside concierge before embarkation.

Thanks for your quick reply. I'll keep this in mind if we travel with others that aren't in a suite. Always complicated if we're in a suite and our companions are not. 

Thanks for the detailed review. Is the RPP available to all suite guests or only the upper suites? How do you arrange this prior to embarkation?

Loving your review and pictures. You and your husband have had a lot of fun and adventures before the cruise to Alaska even begins!

We arrived in Vancouver today...all went well. Was a little concerned that we would be randomly selected for covid testing. We are feeling lucky to not have to add this to pre-cruise preparations.

Can't wait to be on the ship tomorrow!

17 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Packing is probably easier for us as we can both share clothing as well as being Zenith get free laundry.  

 

Our strategy has been we pack for 7 days regardless of the length of cruise and then send laundry out ever 2-3 days.   I'm sure that we will not be the only ones that you see wearing the same thing more than once, or twice or three times.   LOL

Love this Jim! Gave me a nice chuckle this morning. Have a great time...looking forward to travelling vicariously with you and Lain.

5 hours ago, Mummble said:

 

I'm in a very similar situation.  So, I called, but no luck.  The guy I spoke to said it only applies to sailing currently scheduled between June 12 2020 and May 4th 2022.  It does not apply to previously cancelled cruises.  😞  Ah well, it was worth a shot! 🙂

This doesn't seem to match the FAQ on the Celebrity website: 

Just received our refund for Choice Air tickets for our Celebrity cancelled 4/30/20 Ultimate Alaska cruise to our Amex account. Full refund received as promised.  Still waiting for the FCC and port/tax refund.

Just now, Blackduck59 said:

Henry1005, in your circumstance that works out perfect and is a great use of the credit. That will work for many who already have cruises booked and they still have to make final payment. As many have pointed out other circumstances, not so much.

My point exactly...I wasn't referring to your comments, but the comments of others throughout this thread.  It seems that some want others to join them so that they feel vindicated for the decision they made to not take the 125% FCC...everyone should investigate on Celebrity.com, read the boards, and make their own decision.

The 125% FCC might be a good deal for some of us with cruises previously booked  with excellent rates/perks and final payment still due.  It's really a matter of individual comfort with risk and reward...we chose the 125% FCC as we will have an extra $1k for future travel.  I choose to believe RCCL (Celebrity) will be around for many years to come.  For others, the refund is the way to go.

There isn't one answer that fits everyone so I find it troubling when so many are urging everyone to take refunds vs. FCC...this might be the best answer for your circumstances, but not for others. 

3 minutes ago, Mr. Click said:

Because I have seen statements here that Celebrity had changed there minds and made it only new bookings just like they changed their mind and made it all FCC rather than cash and FCC when all of this started I reached out and asked Celebrity directly because we have one cruise coming up in May that I feel will be canceled and if it is we, under current rules, would be offered 125% FCC or a full refund.  If that happens I would choose the FCC and apply it another cruuise we have book in the fall or one we have booked in 2021.  Anyway, that is the information I got today from Celebrity, if you have FCC from a cruise that is canceled or you chose to cancel under Cruise with Confidence it can only be applied to a new booking.  Maybe I am wrong, maybe "Anthony" was wrong...but if my next cruise is canceled I am taking the cash unless the offer me something in writing confirming I that I can use the FCC for a currently booked cruise.  Time will tell.

You have the option of converting the FCC to a cash refund through 12/31/21 based upon current Celebrity information...so you can change your mind if you  don't like the deal in the future. 25% is a fairly large bonus if you have a cruise already booked to apply it to...I agree that Celebrity currently is allowing this to occur.  My travel agent has confirmed this as well.

3 hours ago, Doubt It said:

 

grandgeezer - exactly said.

 

Full refund and handling fee - nothing more or less. Did not receive the product contracted = refund.

 

The FCC is a scam.  

I think it's best for everyone to make their own decision.  For some the extra 25% FCC if Celebrity cancels will help pay for already purchased or newly purchased cruises and can be a sizable amount (i.e. 25% of $4k is $1k)...for some the 100% refund (if this is an option for you) is the way to go...neither option is absolutely correct for everyone.  

Also, as has been shared by Celebrity and other cruisers, anyone that takes FCC and uses it would get it refunded if the subsequently purchased cruise is canceled.

Finally, people can take the FCC at 125% for cancelled cruises and subsequently request a refund as long as they do so before 12/31/21 per the Celebrity website FAQs.

It's important to have all information when making individual decisions. There is no right or wrong answer at this point.

It's my understanding that you can take the FCC and then opt for a cash refund as long as you do so by 12/31/21.  This is on the Celebrity website FAQs. I posted the text in an earlier reply.

I realize everyone is in a unique situation and needs to make their own decision; however this gives me comfort as we have a cruise later this year and would benefit from 25% extra FCC if our cruise in late April 2020 is cancelled as we can apply to our already booked cruise that is at a great price with excellent perks.  If this doesn't work as stated, I can ask for a refund instead of the 125% of FCC.

I believe RCCL (Celebrity) will survive this and understand the risks.

14 minutes ago, tartantiara said:

I am also a bit concerned about what another poster said about if your next cruise is cancelled you will not get your FCC back as it can only be used once , seems very unfair because surely the FCC is just another form of payment 

Here's the information from Celebrity's website:

Q: What happens if you used your FCC to pay for an existing cruise and now you wish to cancel under the Cruise with Confidence terms?

A: The original Future Cruise Credit will be reinstated with the prior FCC amount and expiration date. If expired or due-to-expire before October 31st, 2020, you will be granted an extension through October 31st, 2020 to redeem. Your will also receive a new Future Cruise Credit based on the remaining amount paid and following the Cruise with Confidence policy terms.

Also, it seems that one could take the 125% FCC and later decide to opt for the cash refund...unless you are worried about Celebrity not honoring in the future (seems very unlikely) the 25% bonus makes sense--especially if you have other cruises later this year or next.

Here's the excerpt posted on another thread: "In order to compensate you for this cancellation, all booked guests will automatically receive a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) valid until December 31^st, 2021.  Should you prefer a 100% refund to your original method of payment you may contact us anytime up until the expiration date of your FCC.  To avoid waiting on the phone to cancel, please click here and we will get the process started for you.

Thoughts?

We booked during the 123 promotion earlier last year for the Panama Canal cruise on the Infinity.

I've noticed several price reductions after final payment...not a lot, but one option was to switch to a guarantee cabin and hope for an upgrade to C1 or C2--we booked C3.

Celebrity has confirmed that we can move to a higher cost category; however we would loose all perks that are currently attached to our reservation. Oddly, the worst we could do would be that we would remain in our C3 cabin and the best is that we would be upgraded to C2 or C1. I wasn't asking for the difference in price, just the option for the upgrade. Loosing the beverage package for a 17 night cruise isn't an option--a no-brainer actually.

We are Elite members and have committed a lot of travel cash to Celebrity...seems like their absolute rules over such small issues like the $100 the original poster is concerned with or our request to move from C3 to a guarantee in the category.

Our travel agency hasn't been helpful so we are moving on and know that we will enjoy our cruise. I probably will book a lower category when booking so far in advance to allow for these options to upgrade at lower prices than someone who committed to Celebrity long ago...