Corona virus RCI policy

[xxHadleyxx]

1 minute ago, pineapple666 said:

Thanks for sharing. Is the future cruise credit good for one year or even longer? 

TBH I'm not sure.  My husband called from home in Germany.  I'm currently visiting my parents at their home in Mexico.   So I did not get every detail.

DH did say we can apply the credit to cruises we've already booked. 

I'll message him tomorrow and ask and post if/when he responds

[mochuck]

1 hour ago, pineapple666 said:

Has anyone successfully got full refund for the upcoming cruise due to the 14 days restriction? We are actually affected by this. I got the same email from RCI today, but they refused to give refund now since it is not yet close to sailing (in March). I wonder if I should wait until the last 14 days or call back again soon later.

In what way are you affected that you can't change before March? 

[ARandomTraveler]

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Unless you have been in or travelled through China or Hong Kong within 14 days prior to sailing there aren’t any refund options. 

 

2 hours ago, pineapple666 said:

Has anyone successfully got full refund for the upcoming cruise due to the 14 days restriction? We are actually affected by this. I got the same email from RCI today, but they refused to give refund now since it is not yet close to sailing (in March). I wonder if I should wait until the last 14 days or call back again soon later.

 

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It is only if you are within the 14 days.  As of right now you aren’t so they won’t refund you anything. 

 

Restrictions could be eased by then or be even more restrictive. 

It sounds like they’re giving people the heads up so they can try to change their flights if needed, but if people are within 14 days of their sailing then they can opt for a refund if they prefer not to bother with changing their flights? (I’m guessing/asking, not offering any clarification).

 

I’ve read other people saying they have been offered $200 towards airline change fees, but were otherwise refused any refunds. Has anyone affected by this new rule actually gotten any money back? I’m just curious. Someone on the Asia board said they had already passed through Hong Kong on their way to their cruise before they ever got the email warning, and were surprised to be denied entry to the ship. I don’t recall them mentioning being given a refund, but I’ll have to go back and check.  

Edited February 4, 2020 by ARandomTraveler

[The_Big_M]

1 hour ago, xxHadleyxx said:

We were booked on back to back cruises, sailing round-trip out of Shanghai, first one leaving 13 March.

We'd not heard ANYthing from RCI (not even the letter everyone else is getting, but then how could you sail from Shanghai without being in China?!).

 

DH called today and was able to cancel with refund of port fees and taxes and the rest given as a future cruise credit.

 

We're good with that solution.

 

So they're cancelling entirely, and only giving credit. That sounds inadequate. Should be a full refund imo.

[ARandomTraveler]

5 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

So they're cancelling entirely, and only giving credit. That sounds inadequate. Should be a full refund imo.

This is basically the same thing that happened with hurricane Maria. People were being offered future cruise credits if they didn’t want to sail, or offered 50% refunds and a future cruise credit (I don’t recall the amount) for people who chose to sail despite all the hurricane damage. 

 

A lot of people didn't like those options because they didn’t feel they could make it back within a year, but if they didn’t have cancel for any reason insurance they were S.O.L. 

Edited February 4, 2020 by ARandomTraveler

[kernow]

We are on Quantum from Singapore on 15th Feb. The cruise should have ended in Hong Kong but last week was changed to return to Singapore. Obviously we had to change flights and were told that they would pay up to $400 change fee (for overseas flights). We were able to change for free so no problem for us. We were also given the option to cancel for 100% future cruise credit. There have been many cancellations and lots of these people have said they have managed to get a full cash refund.

[Ourusualbeach]

4 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

but if people are within 14 days of their sailing then they can opt for a refund if they prefer not to bother with changing their flights?

If you have have been in or travelled through China or Hong Kong you will be denied boarding.  No exceptions. You will receive a full refund.

 

14 days is the max length of time the virus can go undetected according to WHO.

[cruiseguy1016]

We received the message from RCI yesterday in both a text and email. Our cruise is out of San Juan on March 8th.

[livylotte]

"(Reuters) - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL.N) has canceled eight cruises out of China through March 4 in response to the coronavirus outbreak in the world’s second-largest economy, the company said on Tuesday".

 

The UK Foreign Office has issued new travel advice for British Nationals.

It says -  If you're in China and able to leave, you should do so.

 

 

It's not looking good 😟

Edited February 4, 2020 by livylotte

[xxHadleyxx]

8 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

 

So they're cancelling entirely, and only giving credit. That sounds inadequate. Should be a full refund imo.

Well, officially the cruise hasn't been cancelled.  I imagine it will be eventually, or the embarkation ports changed and at that point we'd have been offered a full refund.  But we don't want to wait until the last minute. We needed to deal with airline changes, etc and plan our lives.

 

We have cruises booked for fall that we can use the FCC on, so that works for us

[xxHadleyxx]

10 hours ago, pineapple666 said:

Thanks for sharing. Is the future cruise credit good for one year or even longer? 

One year

[pineapple666]

9 hours ago, mochuck said:

In what way are you affected that you can't change before March? 

Some of us are currently in China now, and they planned to fly from China to US right before the sailing. Due to the recent massive flights cancellation and travel ban, they are not able to enter US now. Even if they could , they will be denied boarding due to the 14 days restriction by RCI. 

 

[pineapple666]

35 minutes ago, xxHadleyxx said:

One year

Thanks for checking!

[not-enough-cruising]

Just saw an article that American Airlines has halted all air service to Hong Kong effective immediately. Seems those chastising Royal for including Hong Kong on the “deny boarding” list were short sighted. 

[Unicorns]

8 hours ago, kernow said:

We are on Quantum from Singapore on 15th Feb. The cruise should have ended in Hong Kong but last week was changed to return to Singapore. Obviously we had to change flights and were told that they would pay up to $400 change fee (for overseas flights). We were able to change for free so no problem for us. We were also given the option to cancel for 100% future cruise credit. There have been many cancellations and lots of these people have said they have managed to get a full cash refund.

 

[Unicorns]

We depart on Quantum on the 24th Feb and RCCL just said they would be in touch a week before the sailing!, Doesn't give a lot of time to sort stuff out 

[fla gang]

Royal just sent the e mail to us and we are going out of Tampa at the end of this month to the Caribbean.

[kernow]

1 hour ago, Unicorns said:

We depart on Quantum on the 24th Feb and RCCL just said they would be in touch a week before the sailing!, Doesn't give a lot of time to sort stuff out 

Many on our cruise are doing a back to back with 24/02 cruise. Aren't you now leaving and returning to Singapore with a revised itinerary?

[Unicorns]

Having read the itinerary it's now had so many changes it doesn't really resemble the cruise we originally booked, we also had three days in Hong Kong before which has switched to three days in Singapore, which we also have at the end, plus three days at sea, hoped to be able to speak to some and see the options as really rather cancel but told we will get a call a week before which doesn't give a great deal of time

[kernow]

36 minutes ago, Unicorns said:

Having read the itinerary it's now had so many changes it doesn't really resemble the cruise we originally booked, we also had three days in Hong Kong before which has switched to three days in Singapore, which we also have at the end, plus three days at sea, hoped to be able to speak to some and see the options as really rather cancel but told we will get a call a week before which doesn't give a great deal of time

Did they not give you the option to cancel when they changed the embarkation port? Are you booked directly with RCL or with a TA? Which country did you book in? 

 

[Unicorns]

No option to cancel or change, booked with TA in the UK 

[kernow]

7 minutes ago, Unicorns said:

No option to cancel or change, booked with TA in the UK 

This doesn't sound right, many on our cruise (with next one) have booked with UK TAs and have cancelled, some have got full cash refund. 

Just checked the roll call for your cruise and someone posted the email from RCL which gives the option of cancelling with a 100% future cruise credit. There are several UK based people who have booked with a TA that have had a full refund. Join the roll call and keep pestering your TA, you should be able to cancel now.

 

 

[Unicorns]

12 minutes ago, kernow said:

This doesn't sound right, many on our cruise (with next one) have booked with UK TAs and have cancelled, some have got full cash refund. 

Just checked the roll call for your cruise and someone posted the email from RCL which gives the option of cancelling with a 100% future cruise credit. There are several UK based people who have booked with a TA that have had a full refund. Join the roll call and keep pestering your TA, you should be able to cancel now.

 

 

Thanks have joined and asked a few questions 

[pink845]

We are travelling on Radiance this coming March 2020 and we received the attached information today from RCCL with respect to our cruise.  

 

ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

Dear Guest, We’re looking forward to welcoming you aboard! Before you embark on our adventure, we have some important information to share with you. After consultation with medical experts and public health authorities, we’ve decided that regardless of nationality, any guest or crew member traveling from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong less than 15 days prior to their sailing will be unable to board any of our ships. We regret to have to do this, but due to the recent increase of coronavirus cases around the world, this precaution will help avoid the spread of this virus. We take this very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment on board our ships, as well as in the ports we visit. Additionally, we’ve tightened our secondary health screening requirements and the following guests will need to undergo extra screenings to ensure safety at the cruise terminal: Guests or crew members that have been in contact with individuals that have traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the last 15 days. Anyone that holds a Chinese or Hong Kong passport – regardless of when they were there last. Anyone that feels unwell or demonstrates flu-like symptoms. While these measures are conservative, our responsibility is to reduce the spread of coronavirus, in an effort to keep our ships safe and to ensure you are able to enjoy your time with us. If you or someone in your stateroom has traveled from, to, or through mainland China or Hong Kong, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately, or contact us at 1-800-256-6649 or visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/contactus  for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number. Your vacation and your health are very important to us, so in an abundance of caution, we’ve taken numerous proactive steps to maintain high health standards on board our ships. This includes: Thoroughly sanitizing the cruise ship terminal before and after every sailing, Special sanitizing of high traffic areas on board multiple times a day, Adding extra medical staff on each sailing,  Providing complimentary consultations with medical experts for all guests & crew,   Plus, the Captain will make two daily announcements during your cruise reminding everyone of how to stay healthy on board. And, you can do your part too! To ensure we all have an enjoyable cruise, here are some important tips to help keep you healthy and prevent colds, flus, and stomach viruses – both on board and on land.  After using the bathroom and before any meal or snack (it’s a cruise; we know there’s lots of that), make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If you happen to sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue (or with your upper sleeve). Avoid sneezing or coughing into your hands or without covering your nose and mouth. Use hand sanitizer as often as possible. Rub the gel thoroughly, and in-between your fingers, until your hands are dry. And remember, if you don’t feel well while you’re on board, it’s imperative that you immediately visit our medical facility on Deck 2 for a complimentary checkup. Our on board doctors and nurses are always ready to assist. Your safety and well being are always our top priorities, but we also want you to have an amazing time. Stay clean, stay healthy, stay happy! Lastly, should we have to make any changes to our newly implemented travel regulation, we will let you and your Travel Advisor know immediately. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Sincerely,

[sfaaa]

5 hours ago, pineapple666 said:

Some of us are currently in China now, and they planned to fly from China to US right before the sailing. Due to the recent massive flights cancellation and travel ban, they are not able to enter US now. Even if they could , they will be denied boarding due to the 14 days restriction by RCI. 

 

Of man, I feel for you. The last place you want to be in on this planet right now.