If Royal cancels whole cruise - what can you expect?

[Miryam1234]

It seems my Navigator Feb 2016 cruise has been cancelled. At least it has vanished from their web page and from my My Cruises account.

 

I have not yet contacted RCI (I booked directly through them using next cruise certificate) so I don't know for sure. But I am mentally preparing myself to get a note/email/call any day soon.

 

Or?

 

Should I contact them directly? The Roll call people suggest to wait until they contact. Don't exactly understand why - but I think maybe because they'd then offer something extra.

 

What's your experience? How long does it take until they tell you your cruise has been cancelled.

What do they suggest? Another cruise at same time somewhere else?

I have some OBC connected to that "to-be-cancelled" booking (through NCC and because they screwed up the NCC once before), so I want to keep that at least.

 

It is a year ahead, so I have not done anything else, like booked flights etc. So it's not big deal that way. I havent made any plans just because I have another cruise first and my time has been connected planning that.

Still, it's annoying. I picked the cruise because it was perfect by ship, date, cabin, itinerary and price!

 

:confused:

 

Thanks for any advice!

[Hailzmick]

Our cruise got cancelled & they didn't contact us. Luckily we had friends going on the same cruise who got notified by their travel agent.

They had to pick a different cruise within 7 days (they could get it for the same price that they paid), plus they got $400 OBC for the stuff up.

I rang RCI & they said it was my travel agent who should have contacted me, etc etc.

we got $600 OBC because I went on & on & on about being a loyal cruiser & that they never contacted us!

[hallasm]

I certainly understand your fustration.

Yes - I can see that the 8 night February 20 cruise is not available anymore.

I have no experience with a similar situation but I would have expected at least an email at time of cancellation - My advise is to call RCCL and ask.

[GUT2407]

Call them.

 

Now it may just be that it is sold out and just a mix up with your cruise account, but definitely ring them.

[MADflyer]

I had this happen to me. My sailing went to NA probably about 2 months prior to notification. I then received an email a few weeks later from resolutions.

 

My situation was a change in deployment of ship, meaning the ship would sail 2 weeks later than originally planned.

 

I was 'rate protected' to book the new sailing at the same cruise fare paid.

 

I was offered a full refund if desired with no compensation.

 

I was given a 2 week window to make my decision and if I did not respond they stated I would receive a full refund and would not be able to re-book outside of this timeframe. If you did not book the offer within this timeframe the offer of any compensation was invalidated.

 

We were given specific dedicated toll free numbers to call along with an extension to the correct individual assigned to the case.

 

No compensation was or would be given for any air purchased and it was stated in my letter, "Air change fee reimbursement is not being offered."

 

The OBC offered on my sailing was just $100 for standard inside to JS and then $200 for full suite GS and above.

 

The OBC would be awarded on any sailing, while the rate protection was only on the cruise or cruises they offered. Otherwise, you had to book at current prevailing rates.

[Miryam1234]

I sent an email to specific Senior Cruise Consultant who helped me with the original booking at RCI Norway office. Received an out-of-office alert telling that he will be attending a training until 3-2-2015. Now I cannot tell if it is past (Feb 3rd) or future (March 2nd) since there is a certain difference between stating the date in Europe vs US.

 

I might not be able to find anything suitable to switch to in Feb 2016 time frame. We are bound for week 8 (Feb 22-28) because it's DD's spring break. We can add few days before and/or after but not whole week to either direction. There is nothing interesting except for Freedom leaving on 21st to Eastern Caribbean. We've done that in 2012, but can do it again if nothing else. But not with current prices! I want a balcony cabin (preferably D) and that's double the price at the moment compared to my price for Navigator 8 days in D1 cabin.

 

I am holding my breath until next week, until the RCI rep returns. I am convinced they will at least let me keep the current OBC for any future cruise - or maybe let me switch it to the April Allure TA booking.

[molly361]

If it gets cancelled they usually offer some OBC and give you an option of a couple of other dates. You would be price protected if you choose one of those dates.

 

I would wait until they contact you. Usually if you call no one will know what is going on.

[Clarea]

I agree with Ellen, don't do anything with the cruise booking until they contact you. If you cancel or change that booking, you will not be eligible for any consideration.

[Ourusualbeach]

As Ellen, Bob and others have stated you must wait for them to contact you. This happened to me with our March 2016 cruise that was eventually cancelled due to a charter.

Unfortunately if you call no one will be able to tell you anything until revenue decides to let all the other departments know. In our case this took 2 weeks but I have heard of others taking longer. Escalating to resolutions does nothing to provide concrete answers quicker.

MADflyer posted the details of the letter that you will receive. Our OBC that they offered was a bit higher so I guess that is variable to a certain extent. We were able to keep our OBC from using a next cruise certificate as well.

[Miryam1234]

Thanks, CC friends for this info.

 

Let's see how it goes. I have 50 days before Allure cruise, so I'm hoping this gets sorted out before that, if there is a chance my current OBC could be transferred from Navigator to Allure. I doubt that, but one never knows what special circumstances might bring along.

 

Other than the OBC I have no objections to just wait & see what they offer as substitute for 8 days of Navigator. If their offer is inconvenient, the worst case is just to cancel it altogether. I am fairly confident that in that case I would get full refund for the 250 EUR that I so far have invested.

 

I am not going to change or cancel before I hear what other options RCI offers. I don't even know for sure if it really is cancelled, although it sure seems to be. So far I am still going to be cruising on Navigator starting Feb 20, 2016 in my books!

[SeaBaby]

We were booked on a back to back cruise out of San Juan a couple of years ago, and had booked and paid for airfare. We were notified by Royal Caribbean a few months prior to sailing, that the ship was now being chartered for our second week, and they gave us some options. We decided to change that week for the one preceding our original first week. They gave us $200 on board credit and price protection. I can't remember if they gave us anything for the change fee for the flight.

[Cel_cruise]

I have read a few threads from when a charter was added to BOTS for December of this year. One thing that seemed clever was to book another cruise of your choice that could be cancelled if needed. Some were not able to get the price protection for that cruise but could get all of the Onboard credit applied to it. This is important if you want to make a very dramatic jump to allure 2 months later as that's not likely to be one of the choices they offer.

[CRUISEBOY305]

I'm on that same Navigator sailing. Already have an alternative cruise picked out for when they call. But yes, as others have said, DO NOT do anything with your booking until Royal Calls you.

[scootersdad]

After reading all these it seems this happens way too often. If there is not a Bill of Rights for cruisers we should ask our Congressmen to look into it.

 

:mad:Chartering a cruise out from under us

:eek:Cancelling a cruise by mistake--- just another idiotic mistake

:mad:losing reservations--- sure they did

:(price scams

 

Voting with my $

 

Diamond going elsewhere.

Edited February 27, 2015 by scootersdad

[hallasm]

I sent an email to specific Senior Cruise Consultant who helped me with the original booking at RCI Norway office. Received an out-of-office alert telling that he will be attending a training until 3-2-2015. Now I cannot tell if it is past (Feb 3rd) or future (March 2nd) since there is a certain difference between stating the date in Europe vs US.

It is March 2nd - but I would call the Norway office today - local number from Finland is 020 386 386 - office will be open until 18:00 your time.

[Miryam1234]

I have read a few threads from when a charter was added to BOTS for December of this year. One thing that seemed clever was to book another cruise of your choice that could be cancelled if needed. Some were not able to get the price protection for that cruise but could get all of the Onboard credit applied to it. This is important if you want to make a very dramatic jump to allure 2 months later as that's not likely to be one of the choices they offer.

 

Unfortunately this only works with US bookings. europeans loose the deposit (at least partly), if they cancel. For Finns it is 50 e per person, so for the three of us 150 eur. That is lot in my pocket.

[Desert Cruizers]

Thru CC I learned the Mariner was stopping all sailings from the West Coast in Jan of that year. We were due to sail the following April and was notified by the TA handling our group. I took a refund of all payments made at that time and used to pay off the cruise in the Fall. I also contacted our regular TA to let her know and she hadn't even heard from RCCL. She had a job moving all her reservations around and thanked me for letting her know.

Edited February 27, 2015 by Desert Cruizers

[Nabalab]

Same thing happened with November 30th on Brilliance (there's a few other threads about it). A few weeks ago, I noticed this sailing was no longer on the website, and eventually no longer showing up under "My cruises". And after investigating, I found the "cruise with huge" website - which pretty much implied the charter.

 

Received this e-mail last weekend - if your sailing is chartered, you will most likely receive something similar!

 

-------------------------------------------

Dear Valued Guest,

 

Please be advised that the following Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas sailing has been chartered. As a result of the changes, all guests who are currently booked on the sailing will need to be moved or cancelled. This memo addresses compensation for guests booked on the impacted sailing.

 

Guests currently booked with names and money in house on Brilliance of the Seas November 30, 2015:

 

Re-book on the select sailings below, in like accommodations, at the protected/lowest available cruise fare or any other Royal Caribbean sailing at prevailing rate. Price protection is limited to the cruise fare only. Taxes, fees, gratuities and other non-cruise fare items are subject to prevailing rates regardless of the sailing chosen.

 

Select Brilliance of the Seas Sailings

November 21, 2015

December 5, 2015

December 14, 2015

 

Receive $100 onboard credit per standard stateroom, $200 onboard credit for suites when you rebook any Royal Caribbean sailing.

 

Guests who incur a fee due to the change in their airline reservations will be reimbursed up to $150 per person, for Domestic Flights & $200 per person, for International Flights. A faxed copy of air fees accessed must be provided for reimbursement. Guests who cancel their sailing or air are not eligible for air change fee reimbursement.

 

A full refund for amounts paid will be processed to the original form of payment if guests choose to cancel; however, they will not receive any of the above compensation, including air change fee reimbursement.

 

A special help desk has been established to assist you with moving your sailing. The desk is available now, and will remain open until March 6, 2015. All reservations that are not changed by the specified close date will be cancelled and ineligible for the compensation offered.

[At Sea 4Ever]

Say your cruise gets cancelled once you are already at the pier or a day before like what happened with the BOTS this week. Could you transfer reservation to another ship sailing the next day if you can get yourself to that port. So say a cruise gets canceled out of Tampa on a Saturday could I move reservation to a sunday departure say out of port canaveral? Even if you have to pay difference in cabin if the ship isn't sold out would Royal be willing to accommodate?

[Clarea]

Say your cruise gets cancelled once you are already at the pier or a day before like what happened with the BOTS this week. Could you transfer reservation to another ship sailing the next day if you can get yourself to that port. So say a cruise gets canceled out of Tampa on a Saturday could I move reservation to a sunday departure say out of port canaveral? Even if you have to pay difference in cabin if the ship isn't sold out would Royal be willing to accommodate?

Government regulations make it difficult to book a cruise within 24 hours of sailing.

[Miryam1234]

I got a response to my inquiry. Norway office responded telling that the head office had frozen the cruise for the time being but my booking is still active. He said that he cannot do anything until head office gives instructions how to proceed. He will give me a call, when things proceed. He did say this freezing usually indicates at least changes into the cruise but it could mean any number of changes.

 

Let's keep on waiting.

[At Sea 4Ever]

Government regulations make it difficult to book a cruise within 24 hours of sailing.

 

 

How much time before sailing does one have to be put on a sailing?

[Clarea]

How much time before sailing does one have to be put on a sailing?

At least 24 hours. Someone posted here a while back that they close bookings sometime the day before sailing, so it could be noon the day before. You are probably OK booking 48 hours in advance.

[benona]

I had the same happen this week on NCL...they had moved me to a different sailing and gave me $50 OBC on a suite!!!....the new date was completely impossible so no point trying to negotiate up on OBC so I cancelled for Allure same dates and itinerary but cost me +++ more $$$...sooo stressful...I hope you find the answers and it works out for you...

[CRUISEBOY305]

I called 4 times today. Nobody has a clue whats going on.