Some good news about Cruise with Confidence

[Treacher1]

We are booked on Summit for a 10 day cruise in May.  I really do not wish to cancel, as the itinerary is unique - Newport, Charleston, and Bermuda.  We do have time to make a decision.  My thoughts (merely my thoughts) are that things will be better by then or considerably worse.  Only time will tell.  I called Celebrity and asked if we decide to cancel and take a future cruise voucher - can that be applied to a cruise already booked?  Or must it be used on a new cruise only - she did not know - had to ask a supervisor ; came back and said CAN be used on a future cruise already booked as well up till Jan 1 2022.  Of course in the past I have had different answers from different customer service reps - so hoping this answer is CORRECT.  But, still hoping we will not have to use the Cruise with Confidence policy - prefer to sail in May as planned.

[Marelaine]

Thank you. It's nice to know that Celebrity is stepping up to alleviate some of the tension. We are booked for 10 day southern Caribbean in May. If Equinox sails, we'll be on her for some much needed R&R. I'm watching our flights now. With only 24 out of 150 seats sold, I'm worried they may ask us to change flights.

 

[Fouremco]

Thanks @Treacher1, we've been keeping our fingers crossed. Now, if only they would include that important bit of information on the website.

 

[clskinsfan]

2 hours ago, Marelaine said:

Thank you. It's nice to know that Celebrity is stepping up to alleviate some of the tension. We are booked for 10 day southern Caribbean in May. If Equinox sails, we'll be on her for some much needed R&R. I'm watching our flights now. With only 24 out of 150 seats sold, I'm worried they may ask us to change flights.

 

I dont think they will make you change flights. Airplanes are going to be flying 1/4 full for quite some time regardless of where they are going.

[Fouremco]

16 minutes ago, clskinsfan said:

I dont think they will make you change flights. Airplanes are going to be flying 1/4 full for quite some time regardless of where they are going.

Maybe, but airlines have already started to reduce flights.

 

[twins_to_alaska]

I don't think they're going to be flying airplanes 1/4 full... some airlines have already reduced flights and others like Southwest have said they haven't *yet* but might if not enough demand. Amtrak just removed some Acela trains from their DC/New York route for a few months.

[HS2BS]

Teacher1

 

We are also on the May 6 cruise with you and are on the fence about what to do. To complicate our situation we are scheduled to do the b2b with the 5/19 New England cruise. With the program that Celebrity is offering I think we will wait till the end of April to make our decision.

Hal

[hcat]

We cancelled the May 6 cruise on Summit. Very sad  to let it go, but also relieved of alot of stress and uncertainty.

 

Press Release from R. FAIN  clearly says FCC  can be applied to an already booked cruise.    If they reneg, we could always add a short cruise to cover our FCC, as long as things clear by the usage deadline .

Edited March 8, 2020 by hcat

[Fouremco]

14 minutes ago, hcat said:

We cancelled the May 6 cruise on Summit. Very sad  to let it go, but also relieved of alot of stress and uncertainty.

 

Press Release from R. FAIN  clearly says FCC  can be applied to an already booked cruise.    If they reneg, we could always add a short cruise to cover our FCC, as long as things clear by the usage deadline .

As I mentioned yesterday, my initial thought was that the press release indicated that the FCC could be used for both new and  existing bookings.

 

The “Cruise With Confidence” policy allows guests on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea to cancel up to 48 hours before a sailing. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of the guest’s choice in 2020 or 2021. The policy applies to both new and existing cruise bookings.

 

Subsequently, another poster challenged that interpretation and suggested that the underlined text refers to the Cruise With Confidence policy, not to the application of an FCC. In other words, it's saying that you can use the CWC policy to cancel not only an existing booking, but any new booking made for a cruise sailing on or before July 31, 2020.

 

As much as I prefer our interpretation, the poorly written paragraph certainly does leave room for doubt and provides Celebrity an out should they choose not to allow one to apply the FCC to existing bookings. The cynic in me actually wonders if it wasn't purposely written in this ambiguous fashion so as to allow them wiggle room. Given the huge number of cancellations that they are facing, the more liberal interpretation will cost them a lot of revenue.

 

Fortunately, you and others have indicated that, so far, Celebrity is allowing the FCC's to be applied to existing bookings. Hopefully that will continue and when I cancel today or tomorrow, that will be the case.

[Laurab23]

We are also cruising May 6. We are taking a wait and see attitude. We also have a 9 day on Summit booked for next June. At least if we cancel we can apply the FCC to that cruise.

 

Laura

[nikel]

18 hours ago, clskinsfan said:

I dont think they will make you change flights. Airplanes are going to be flying 1/4 full for quite some time regardless of where they are going.

 

 

My flight has already been switched.  We were supposed to Honolulu go through San Francisco and has now been switched to LAX.

[Oville]

From “Terms and Conditions”:

 

The FCC certificate’s value may be applied toward the cruise fare due on a new booking on the brand originally purchased.

 

[Fouremco]

4 hours ago, hcat said:

Press Release from R. FAIN  clearly says FCC  can be applied to an already booked cruise. 

 

OR...

 

6 minutes ago, Oville said:

From “Terms and Conditions”:

 

The FCC certificate’s value may be applied toward the cruise fare due on a new booking on the brand originally purchased.

 

 

So when I phoned my TA to cancel our mid-April Hawaiian cruise, she contacted Celebrity to seek clarification and was told that the FCC's could definitely be applied to existing bookings. So, no more worries.

 

Well, almost, because under the T&C, there is a huge escape clause in Celebrity's favour: 🙈

 

RCCL reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions at any time without prior notice or liability. Offer can be withdrawn without notice. 

[upwarduk]

It’s a good job passengers have a way out of their booked cruise, as this has been issued today by the US state Dept:

“The U.S. State Department has issued an updated travel warning for American citizens considering travel by cruise ship.

"U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship," the State Department has said in a statement posted to its website on Sunday, March 8.

"CDC notes increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking. In some cases, local authorities have permitted disembarkation but subjected passengers to local quarantine procedures. While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities.

"This is a fluid situation. CDC notes that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships."

A death nell to the cruise industry?

[hcat]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

 

OR...

 

 

So when I phoned my TA to cancel our mid-April Hawaiian cruise, she contacted Celebrity to seek clarification and was told that the FCC's could definitely be applied to existing bookings. So, no more worries.

 

Well, almost, because under the T&C, there is a huge escape clause in Celebrity's favour: 🙈

 

RCCL reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions at any time without prior notice or liability. Offer can be withdrawn without notice. 

But would R Fain claim he made a mistake in his very own press release and advisement to  Celeb cruise reps?

[Oville]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

But would R Fain claim he made a mistake in his very own press release and advisement to  Celeb cruise reps?

 

1 hour ago, hcat said:

But would R Fain claim he made a mistake in his very own press release and advisement to  Celeb cruise reps?

His wording is iffy.  When I first read I didn’t think it meant one can cancel and use FFC.

[katrina915]

Are people getting current perks when they cancel and rebook a different cruise?

[Oville]

34 minutes ago, Oville said:

 

His wording is iffy.  When I first read I didn’t think it meant one can cancel and use FFC.

On an already booked cruise, 😐 

[Fouremco]

12 minutes ago, katrina915 said:

Are people getting current perks when they cancel and rebook a different cruise?

If you cancel and rebook, you lose the original perks and get whatever ones are available of the time of rebooking.

[mamaday]

I cancelled my cruise directly with Celebrity on Friday. No email received stating a cancellation. The cruise is still showing on my account. Anyone else have this happen?  Did you receive an email showing cancellation. My cruise date is close, 3/15/2020. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by mamaday

[Fouremco]

7 minutes ago, mamaday said:

I cancelled my cruise directly with Celebrity on Friday. No email received stating a cancellation. The cruise is still showing on my account. Anyone else have this happen?  Did you receive an email showing cancellation. My cruise date is close, 3/15/2020. 

I cancelled through my TA late this afternoon and the cruise has already been removed from my account. You might want to call Celebrity to verify that the cancellation went through.