Feeling a bit screwed over by RC, Irma safety/risk issue and no-refund, greed?

[Cuizer2]

I hope that was said with a sarcastic tone. 😊

 

Obviously it was.

[Cuizer2]

I was replying to you lone girl but Artemis post jumped in front of mine!

 

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That is why there is a quote button.

[Cuizer2]

I wonder why he only books junior and not full suites?

 

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There is a big difference in price when comparing a junior suite to a full suite. A junior suite is about 20% more than a balcony. A full suite is twice as much as a balcony.

[Cuizer2]

So here we are on the 11th. The mayor of Ft. Lauderdale has asked people to stay off the roads, yet Royal Caribbean insists on having several thousand people try to make their way into this devastated area. This cruise should be cancelled. I have insurance but as long as the cruise line offers an option, no matter how absurd, they won't pay. Maybe I have the wrong insurance, but it is what cruise.com offered. I live in Florida. I have a business under water and a home in shambles...hardly the time to go on a cruise. I sure could use the money to try to rebuild my life, but I understand RC has no obligation.

 

Have you read what reasons your policy will pay? Many will pay for business reasons (like suddenly having to work). Read your policy.

 

A work-related cancellation Many travel insurance policies allow you to cancel your trip for “work” reasons, offering a refund for prepaid, nonrefundable deposits. But the reasons are very specific. They may include being called back to work because of a merger or acquisition, a natural disaster, or having approved time off revoked. Note: You normally must buy your policy within two to three weeks of your initial deposit date.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/does-travel-insurance-really-cover-you-heres-what_us_58b95479e4b02eac8876cd52

 

Bad weather. If you’re visiting the Caribbean for a little sun and fun or hitting the slopes in the hopes of finding great powder, you should know that insurance will not cover inclement weather. Of course, there’s an assumption made by many travelers that travel insurance protects your entire vacation and anything that might happen that “ruins” it for you. Not so. That doesn’t mean all weather events are not covered. Some policies will cover a flood, fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, volcanic eruption, blizzard, or avalanche “due to natural causes.” It’s buried in the small print. Read it before you leave.

Edited September 12, 2017 by Cuizer2

[YoHoHo]

Have you read what reasons your policy will pay? Many will pay for business reasons (like suddenly having to work). Read your policy.

 

A work-related cancellation Many travel insurance policies allow you to cancel your trip for “work” reasons, offering a refund for prepaid, nonrefundable deposits. But the reasons are very specific. They may include being called back to work because of a merger or acquisition, a natural disaster, or having approved time off revoked. Note: You normally must buy your policy within two to three weeks of your initial deposit date.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/does-travel-insurance-really-cover-you-heres-what_us_58b95479e4b02eac8876cd52

 

Bad weather. If you’re visiting the Caribbean for a little sun and fun or hitting the slopes in the hopes of finding great powder, you should know that insurance will not cover inclement weather. Of course, there’s an assumption made by many travelers that travel insurance protects your entire vacation and anything that might happen that “ruins” it for you. Not so. That doesn’t mean all weather events are not covered. Some policies will cover a flood, fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, volcanic eruption, blizzard, or avalanche “due to natural causes.” It’s buried in the small print. Read it before you leave.

This is a great suggestion as they do seem to have a work-related claim (hmmm... though if it THEIR business maybe that would have to be under their business insurance). So it depends on what their insurance covers and what they bought through the on-line TA. Hope it was 3rd party at least for better coverage. Time to review the policy with the vendor

[YoHoHo]

I'm very confused, I read in the news section of cruise critic that RCCL offered basically 50% OBC and 50% FCC for those who still wanted to go this week (basically making the cruise free). Or the had the option to cancel for refund (not FCC). Did I read it wrong?

Do not mean to pick on you but have seen the free cruise and not replied.

 

Doing the 50%+50%=free it is really not. 50% is OBC so have to buy (perhaps unwanted) things to redeem and so no money back and no reduced cost. And the 50% FCC requires purchasing another cruise. So have to pay for two cruises and get 50% off the second one. Assuming they cost the same then $1000+1000-500=1500 or 33% off total price of two cruises. No free lunch.

 

Sorry, I admit I did not read all the post (some were just too, well...) so skipped some pages but I missed reading a full money refund option.

[MikeBTN]

Do not mean to pick on you but have seen the free cruise and not replied.

 

Doing the 50%+50%=free it is really not. 50% is OBC so have to buy (perhaps unwanted) things to redeem and so no money back and no reduced cost. And the 50% FCC requires purchasing another cruise. So have to pay for two cruises and get 50% off the second one. Assuming they cost the same then $1000+1000-500=1500 or 33% off total price of two cruises. No free lunch.

 

Sorry, I admit I did not read all the post (some were just too, well...) so skipped some pages but I missed reading a full money refund option.

 

The 50% on board credit is refundable, so anything not spent is fully refunded as either cash or on the passenger's original form of payment. So yes, its actually a free 4-night cruise plus 50% refunded as refundable OBC during the 4-night cruise and 50% as FCC.

[Ourusualbeach]

Do not mean to pick on you but have seen the free cruise and not replied.

 

Doing the 50%+50%=free it is really not. 50% is OBC so have to buy (perhaps unwanted) things to redeem and so no money back and no reduced cost. And the 50% FCC requires purchasing another cruise. So have to pay for two cruises and get 50% off the second one. Assuming they cost the same then $1000+1000-500=1500 or 33% off total price of two cruises. No free lunch.

 

Sorry, I admit I did not read all the post (some were just too, well...) so skipped some pages but I missed reading a full money refund option.

 

The OBC offered is fully refundable to your credit card if you don't spend it.

[xpcdoojk]

The 50% on board credit is refundable, so anything not spent is fully refunded as either cash or on the passenger's original form of payment. So yes, its actually a free 4-night cruise plus 50% refunded as refundable OBC during the 4-night cruise and 50% as FCC.

 

Which if you can make the cruise sounds like a good deal, except where are they going to go?

 

Hey kids we are going to Nassau for the 12 straight cruise. :evilsmile:

 

JC

[YoHoHo]

The 50% on board credit is refundable, so anything not spent is fully refunded as either cash or on the passenger's original form of payment. So yes, its actually a free 4-night cruise plus 50% refunded as refundable OBC during the 4-night cruise and 50% as FCC.

Good to know OBC part is refundable - thanks

[caribill]

So then, what do you think the Port Everglades ships should do if Port Everglades will not open the port?

 

I expect the port will be open and the ships be able to return to the port.

 

I do not expect the majority of those who have to fly home will be able to get flights out the day they disembark or possibly for several more days.

[alexmom]

All three lines showed how they will handle this situation if/when it happens again. It appears Royal will stick to what the contract says while Carnival and NCL will not. Consumers can now add those decisions to their "pros/cons" list when they decide on their next choice of cruise lines.

 

However, I'm guessing in about a month most people will forget about this decision. Even those it directly affected (like the OP) are likely to decide based on all the other differences (cost, itinerary, amenities, etc). RCI will probably lose a couple customers over this, but I think they'll be readily replaced.

 

I will not forget. Once I'm finished with the cruise I had to re-book, I will never cruise with Royal Caribbean again. I will also let people know just how badly RCI handled their customers. My TA had to call in her supervisor to let her hear how things were being handled.

 

When I re-booked they said they were crediting the new booking with my other cruise fare but said I needed to give them an additional $1000 deposit by September 11th or they would cancel the booking and because it was a non refundable deposit, I would lose my entire cruise fare. My TA finally got the guy to agree apply 100% of my cruise fare from the September sailing because it was more than the $1000 they wanted for the deposit.

 

When I looked at the amount credited, I saw it was $229.14 SHORT of the actual money I paid for the first fare.

 

When my TA called today, they couldn't find my original booking information and were about to cancel my new cruise. And the girl she was talking to at RCI was really snotty so that's when she called her supervisor in. It took more than 2 hours before they found my booking, did the math and agreed that they had indeed made an error and gave me my money back. Then they informed my TA that they still intended to cancel my cruise if I didn't pony up another $1000-which would mean RCI would now have MORE than the cruise fare, taxes and port fees for the new cruise!!! That's when the supervisor butted in. She pulled out the travel agency's credit card and told them the agency was paying only the outstanding balance of $852, not the $1000, and the agency (Bluegreen vacations) would be contacting RCI about the way this was handled.

 

This was so badly handled that I will NEVER forget it! Never! And I will exact my judgment against them in social media, by word of mouth and with my words. Maybe I will take the advice of family and friends and start a travel blog ! I wrote a play for a dinner theatre and the libretto for a musical-why not a travel blog.

 

RCI should have thought twice before biting me in the butt, I bite back.

[Luckybee]

I wonder if any of the posters affected by this situation have considered contacting the Elliott dot org folks? They've taken on cruiselines before and had some pretty decent results so it might be worth a try.

[alexmom]

There is no requirement to offer the FCC at all. They could make it expire 60 days later, or even 30 days later, and still be compliant. The FCC is purely a gift - something the cruise line is offering as a positive gesture.

 

No good deed goes unpunished I suppose.

 

The cruise line is offering FCC when it isn't required to, and yet you choose to accuse them of having no conscience. And really conscience isn't even the point: It's generosity not conscience prompting them to take onto the cruise line some of the impact of the risk the passengers originally agreed to take onto themselves.

 

It is wrong because of the hurricane, not the cruise line. They, and I for that matter, empathize with your situation. That doesn't mean that they're obligated to retroactively give you the very best travel insurance you can buy, for free. This is a discussion, and we're digging into hard truths and difficult circumstances, and in the context of your loss it would be remarkable if it didn't feel wrong. However, the reality of the terms and conditions are such that things aren't designed to break your way. There are people, in your exact same situation, who did pay extra for that coverage. Why should those passengers who didn't pay for the coverage get the same benefits as those who did? Isn't that patently unfair?

 

Bingo, but as you can see in this thread, many people are talking about mis-assigning blame. And the biggest problem with that is that it ensures that nothing ever gets better. Because the reality is X, and denying X means no one will ever think that they need to change X so that next time X isn't the reality. You said earlier that you're angry. I want to fix that. I don't want there to be as many angry people next time. There are a number of ways to do that, but expecting it to be addressed by way of one cruise line unilaterally suboptimizing its fidiciary obligations to its shareholders is naive. As Cuizer2 said:

That direction isn't going to yield any improvements. We can either fix the way the industry operates (but xpcdoojk rejected that) or we can educate ourselves and other passengers so the next time this happens, X is what more of us expect.

 

Yeah, me too. ;) And it is because I don't allow sentiment to cloud my perspective. I have some opinions about whether we should go right or left, but I don't discuss them much here. That kind of discussion isn't really allowed on Cruise Critic. What I do discuss is integrity and how it works. Agreeing to obligations means you live up to those obligations, even if it feels "wrong". What is "wrong" is criticizing others for living up to their obligations (and actually doing better than that) and not relieving you of yours.

 

I'm sorry, but I will need a minimum of 5 references, who are not related to you, to even begin to consider the veracity of your statement on empathizing with my situation. Then a thorough medical and psychological examination to reveal and verify that you are actually capable of empathy.

 

Download that into your "positronic" net, android.

[bUU]

I can guarantee you that there will be no lawyer taking on any case for this. You are being offered a FCC for the cruise cost. That is a fair settlement.

 

You can sqawk all you want on every social media site. Nothing will happen. Its the risk of taking a cruise and you agree to to costs/refund statuses when you book

You are making to much sense. Some people won't want to hear or see the truth of the matter no matter what.

 

<snip>

So because you don't like the factual and balanced answers you've received you thought it would be a good idea to engage in some childishly rude behavior. Interesting. As I said before, "And the biggest problem with that is that it ensures that nothing ever gets better." It seems that you're intent on setting yourself up for a repeat performance with the next service provider that you choose.

 

Nice chatting with you.

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

Edited September 12, 2017 by bUU

[nealstuber]

Do not mean to pick on you but have seen the free cruise and not replied.

 

 

 

Doing the 50%+50%=free it is really not. 50% is OBC so have to buy (perhaps unwanted) things to redeem and so no money back and no reduced cost. And the 50% FCC requires purchasing another cruise. So have to pay for two cruises and get 50% off the second one. Assuming they cost the same then $1000+1000-500=1500 or 33% off total price of two cruises. No free lunch.

 

 

 

Sorry, I admit I did not read all the post (some were just too, well...) so skipped some pages but I missed reading a full money refund option.

 

 

 

Now that you know the OBC is refundable at the end of the first cruise, the revised math is 1000-500+1000-500 = 1000 which is 50% of the cost of two cruises. So they are basically saying come on the 4 day cruise for free if you are able, just book another one sometime in the future.

 

I went to the news section of CC because I said there was a disparity in how the various lines were handling this situation. Refunds vs FCC, some of them time bound, some bigger than others.

I don't think anyone would disagree that the Pax actually on the ships during these past 2-3 weeks were treated very well. Near as I can tell, once a cruise is actually cancelled, (not shortened) a full refund is being provided by all of the lines. Until that determination is made, the offer to cancel and take FCC is being made available - this is a huge upgrade from how Harvey was handled.

 

 

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[cruisinfanatic]

Good to know OBC part is refundable - thanks

It was from the start. How did you miss that?

[S.A.M.J.R.]

So they are basically saying come on the 4 day cruise for free if you are able, just book another one sometime in the future.

Didn't someone say you have to book within the next 60 days for a cruise within the next year to use the FCC offered? I would agree if they gave you a couple years to use the FCC, that would be a reasonable accomodation.

[nealstuber]

I expect the port will be open and the ships be able to return to the port.

 

 

 

I do not expect the majority of those who have to fly home will be able to get flights out the day they disembark or possibly for several more days.

 

 

 

Which is why I think the shortened cruises probably will not happen. If a lot of people can't get flights and rooms while they wait for those flights, the ships will stay pier side until the next scheduled departure. Those on the ship will have the option to stay onboard for a couple of days until they fly out. Those already in town for the next cruise will be allowed to embark, maybe in a different cabin, at little or no net cost to them.

 

But that's still an if at this point. No way cruise lines can know how fast the airports will open or how quickly the airlines will be able to get planes back in the area.

 

 

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[nealstuber]

I don't believe the shortened itineraries this week (the shortened 7 day cruises that have people scrambling to get into Florida) have a cash refund option, just FCC:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/itineraryUpdates.do

 

Looks like Allure, Harmony, Oasis and Enchantment.

 

Some earlier cruises did receive refunds.

 

(If I'm reading wrong or someone has newer info, I definitely don't claim to be an expert, and there's a lot going on.)

 

I think this is the clincher paragraph:

 

"Given the changes to these sailings, if you are unable to travel and need to cancel your cruise, we will provide you with a 100% future cruise credit. Pre-booked shore excursions will be refunded to your original form of payment, and you will have the ability to book excursions in our new ports of call once onboard."

 

 

 

Thanks for the clarification, I took the Cruise Critic article as gospel, but it's been updated several times and the cruising being referenced in the attachment below may not have been on the table at the time.

 

 

 

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[nealstuber]

Thanks for the clarification, I took the Cruise Critic article as gospel, but it's been updated several times and the cruising being referenced in the attachment below may not have been on the table at the time. I think the operative word is cancelled.

What has changed since Harvey is that the option to cancel for future cruise credit is available to those who wish to cancel before a final decision is made.

 

 

 

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[bouhunter]

I can guarantee you that there will be no lawyer taking on any case for this. You are being offered a FCC for the cruise cost. That is a fair settlement.

 

You can sqawk all you want on every social media site. Nothing will happen. Its the risk of taking a cruise and you agree to to costs/refund statuses when you book

 

Pretty much sums it up. But it won't stop this thread from hitting a thousand posts...........

[nealstuber]

Looks like Miami Airport plans to be up and running by lunch time...

https://airport-departures-arrivals.com/usa-airport/miami-international-airport-live-departures/

 

 

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[S.A.M.J.R.]

Looks like Miami Airport plans to be up and running by lunch time...

https://airport-departures-arrivals.com/usa-airport/miami-international-airport-live-departures/

 

 

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Still not at full capacity. Look at all the cancelled flights after noon.

[Frick_&_Frack]

Didn't someone say you have to book within the next 60 days for a cruise within the next year to use the FCC offered? I would agree if they gave you a couple years to use the FCC, that would be a reasonable accomodation.

 

I know my FCC for the 9/10 Allure stated nothing about a booking deadline; however, it DID state that the replacement cruise HAD to start by September 8th of 2018 (within one year).

 

Again, as with all cruise lines, YMMV.