Accidently Purchased Future Cruise on Using Royal App

[Jcol5786]

My wife and I were on Anthem 2 weeks ago and had a great cruise. We had been using the Royal App quite a bit on this cruise to check out the activities and MD menus.Toward the end of the cruise she was  playing with the Royal App and accidently purchased a future cruise! She was attempting to do a mock booking to get a price but instead ended up purchasing a future cruise.  We already have 2 cruises booked and we really can't book a third for some time as we don't know our holiday schedule this far out. Since this happened toward the end of the cruise guest services was getting busy so I suggested we wait and call when we get home and explain what happened and see if RC would allow us to cancel this future cruise. Well we have called twice and each time we are told that it cannot be cancelled even though it was a mistake done from within the Royal App. We understand that we have up to a year to book a cruise but our OBC will be gone after 60 days. Looks like RC has our $200 and are hanging on to it. In the end we will probably book something toward the end of the 1 year window but it was a simple mistake and I'm surprised that RC is not being a little flexible since it was done from the app. Just an FYI for those who may not have realized that the app has this feature.

[ryguy2008]

Unfortunate, but the cardinal rule is while on the ship, try to fix any problems.

 

Dealing with post-cruise support will consistently be a nightmare.

[HicksRA]

I wasn’t aware you could actually book a cruise on the Royal app. 

[snoope]

You also have a 24 hour cooling off period to cancel. Does the cruise fall within the Corono Virus new policy?

[marci22]

I guess you had your payment info stored in the app? Surprising that it is that easy to purchase a cruise by accident. 

 

I would also have dealt with it on the ship but I would call back again, tomorrow, and explain the problem again. Seems crazy that something like that could happen.

[allisonb22]

2 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

I wasn’t aware you could actually book a cruise on the Royal app. 

i didn't know this either. how/where can you? i feel like it would be much harder on an app vs a laptop

[molly361]

Wow I didn't know you could do that either.  I have enough trouble just looking at the next cruise that I am taking on the app  I don't see any option to book one on there

Edited March 8, 2020 by molly361

[reallyitsmema]

You can now purchase a Next Cruise using the app while you are on the ship, instead of having to fill the form out at the Next Cruise desk.  Not sure how you do any of it by accident though.

[Snit13]

Why would you go to Guest Services for help?  I would have gone to the Future Cruise desk for help.

[fonekween]

This was posted day before yesterday on the RCI blog. If your ooops newly booked cruise is before July 31, 2020, you may cancel and get a future cruise credit that's good through 2021.

 

 

Edited March 8, 2020 by fonekween
Added date

[Blondiemomm]

3 hours ago, Jcol5786 said:

My wife and I were on Anthem 2 weeks ago and had a great cruise. We had been using the Royal App quite a bit on this cruise to check out the activities and MD menus.Toward the end of the cruise she was  playing with the Royal App and accidently purchased a future cruise! She was attempting to do a mock booking to get a price but instead ended up purchasing a future cruise.  We already have 2 cruises booked and we really can't book a third for some time as we don't know our holiday schedule this far out. Since this happened toward the end of the cruise guest services was getting busy so I suggested we wait and call when we get home and explain what happened and see if RC would allow us to cancel this future cruise. Well we have called twice and each time we are told that it cannot be cancelled even though it was a mistake done from within the Royal App. We understand that we have up to a year to book a cruise but our OBC will be gone after 60 days. Looks like RC has our $200 and are hanging on to it. In the end we will probably book something toward the end of the 1 year window but it was a simple mistake and I'm surprised that RC is not being a little flexible since it was done from the app. Just an FYI for those who may not have realized that the app has this feature.

Umm. You cant book a cruise on the app. You might want to check out her story. lol. Also, there are many steps before its finalized..putting in cc info etc. Maybe she4s just trying to tell you something...

[Ourusualbeach]

16 minutes ago, Blondiemomm said:

Umm. You cant book a cruise on the app. You might want to check out her story. lol. Also, there are many steps before its finalized..putting in cc info etc. Maybe she4s just trying to tell you something...

Yes you can now book a next cruise on the app.  It changed a couple weeks ago.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[dswallow]

17 minutes ago, Blondiemomm said:

Umm. You cant book a cruise on the app. You might want to check out her story. lol. Also, there are many steps before its finalized..putting in cc info etc. Maybe she4s just trying to tell you something...

 

As mentioned earlier, you can now book a NextCruise through the app. It's not for a specific date, but you're purchasing a certificate good for a booking to be made within a year for a $200 deposit instead of the normal deposit. If you choose the date within 60 days, you also receive the NextCruise onboard credit offer applicable to the length/cabin of your sailing.

[SG65CB]

21 minutes ago, Blondiemomm said:

Umm. You cant book a cruise on the app. You might want to check out her story. lol. Also, there are many steps before its finalized..putting in cc info etc. Maybe she4s just trying to tell you something...

 

She didn't book an actual cruise.

 

If you go to NextCruise on a ship and book a cruise you get bonus OBC for that cruise. 

 

Now NextCruise has a promotion where you don't have to actually pick out a specific cruise, you just pay a deposit ($100 PP) and pick out the actual cruise later. You have 60 days to pick out a cruise and book it and get the bonus OBC. Or if you wait longer than 60 days you have up to a year to apply your deposit to a cruise, although you don't get the OBC. 

 

It appears that she purchased this "future cruise" without booking a specific cruise. He was billed $200 but doesn't want to go ahead and pick out a cruise and pay for it. 

 

You can only purchase this while on a ship. You won't see it in the app if you are not on the ship. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by SG65CB

[Sunshine3601]

3 hours ago, Jcol5786 said:

My wife and I were on Anthem 2 weeks ago and had a great cruise. We had been using the Royal App quite a bit on this cruise to check out the activities and MD menus.Toward the end of the cruise she was  playing with the Royal App and accidently purchased a future cruise! She was attempting to do a mock booking to get a price but instead ended up purchasing a future cruise.  We already have 2 cruises booked and we really can't book a third for some time as we don't know our holiday schedule this far out. Since this happened toward the end of the cruise guest services was getting busy so I suggested we wait and call when we get home and explain what happened and see if RC would allow us to cancel this future cruise. Well we have called twice and each time we are told that it cannot be cancelled even though it was a mistake done from within the Royal App. We understand that we have up to a year to book a cruise but our OBC will be gone after 60 days. Looks like RC has our $200 and are hanging on to it. In the end we will probably book something toward the end of the 1 year window but it was a simple mistake and I'm surprised that RC is not being a little flexible since it was done from the app. Just an FYI for those who may not have realized that the app has this feature.

How do you accidentally do this?  Didnt you have to enter passengers names and payment method?   You had 24 hours from time booked to cancel at no cost.  Shame you didnt do this while on the ship.

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

How do you accidentally do this?  Didnt you have to enter passengers names and payment method?   You had 24 hours from time booked to cancel at no cost.  Shame you didnt do this while on the ship.

On the app they have all your information.  

[Sunshine3601]

48 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

On the app they have all your information.  

Never saw that option anytime I used the app.  Glad I didn't as that would be my luck to accidentally book while playing.   Have fun cruising.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 minute ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Never saw that option anytime I used the app.  Glad I didn't as that would be my luck to accidentally book while playing.   Have fun cruising.

It was just rolled out in the past week or two and I’m not sure if it was rolled out to all ships or just some. 

[soremekun]

Here are the screenshots I took while on the Anthem.

 

 

 

[Another_Critic]

2 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Here are the screenshots I took while on the Anthem.

 

 

 

 

Kinda hard to check the "read and agree to terms"  box and click "Pay deposit now" and think it's not a real transaction.

[Sunshine3601]

11 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It was just rolled out in the past week or two and I’m not sure if it was rolled out to all ships or just some. 

Ahh that explains why I didnt see it.  Been a couple weeks since my last cruise.  That is actually a nice promotion.    I think I would take advantage of it.  

He should Check prices on the other cruises booked maybe he can cancel and rebook with his next cruise fcc.

 

[Jcol5786]

Hello - thanks for all of the replies. It's helpful to know that this option is only available when you are on the ship. I guess it makes sense to offer this option if you do not want to visit the Future Cruise desk but want to take advantage of the lower deposit on a future cruise. Lesson learned.

[twangster]

On board a ship now.  Terms and conditions if it helps:

 

I. NONREFUNDABLE DEPOSIT NEXT CRUISE ”BOOK LATER” RESERVATIONS 

(SHIP AND SAIL DATE NOT SELECTED ONBOARD)

DECIDE WITHIN 1 YEAR - TERMS AND CONDITIONS: (Shipboard Only) May 1, 2019

 

OUR NEXT CRUISE PROGRAM PROVIDES YOU WITH ONE OFFER FOR BOOK LATER RESERVATIONS. IT REQUIRES A NONREFUNDABLE DEPOSIT AND THE SHIP AND SAIL DATE MUST BE SELECTED WITHIN ONE YEAR.

With a Book Later reservation, a ship and sail date are not selected at the time of booking; however, a specific ship and sail date must be selected within one (1) year from creation of the booking or it will expire and the deposit will be forfeited.  Enrollment in the program does not guarantee stateroom or sailing availability or cruise price.

 

1. Creating Your Book Later reservation.  

Making your Book Later reservation is simple.  

First, all Book Later reservations require the payment of a nonrefundable deposit of $200 per booking on the date on which the Book Later reservation is created (the “Booking Date”).  Payment of the foregoing deposit and full names are required for each guest at the time of booking.  The deposit is not refundable at any time after it has been paid.

Second, later convert your Book Later reservation to a confirmed booking by selecting a ship and sail date no later than one (1) year after the Booking Date.  The confirmed booking will automatically be designated as having a non-refundable fare.  

If you select a ship and sail date within two (2) months after the Booking Date, you will be eligible to receive up to $600 per stateroom or suite in savings, depending on the stateroom category and length of the cruise selected.  You can choose whether you want your savings in the form of our NextCruise “Dollars Off” offer or our NextCruise “Future Onboard Credit” offer and it will be applied to the future cruise.   

If you select a ship and sail date after two (2) months after the Booking Date, you will not be eligible for either form of savings (Dollars Off or Future Onboard Credit).   Only your deposit will be applied to the future cruise, which you must select no later than one (1) year after the Booking Date.  

The stateroom or suite category selected at the time of conversion will determine if an additional deposit is required.  For Grand Suite and higher categories, full deposits for each person must be paid at the time of converting to a specific ship and sail date.  For Junior Suite and lower categories, the original deposit of $200 will satisfy the deposit requirements for a double occupancy stateroom.  For bookings of any Junior Suite and lower categories with more than two people on the reservation, an additional deposit of $100 per person will be required at the time of conversion.  The additional deposits are not refundable at any time after they have been paid.

 

2. Further Payments.  

Once your ship and sail date have been selected, payments on your Book Later reservation beyond the non-refundable deposits required shall be due in accordance with the Royal Caribbean International payment schedule applicable in your country of residence.  Visit your Cruise Sales Team onboard and/or visit the Royal Caribbean website in your country of residence for more details and full terms and conditions.   

 

3. Expiration

If a  Book Later reservation is not converted to a specific ship and sail date within one (1) year of the Booking Date, it will automatically expire and the deposit will be forfeited.  Guests are not required to sail within the foregoing one-year period, but must select a specific ship and sail date before the expiration of the one-year period.  

 

4. Cancellations.

If a  Book Later reservation is cancelled prior to selection of a specific ship and sail date, the initial $200 deposit will be forfeited and no future cruise credit will be issued.  

If a  Book Later reservation was converted to a specific ship and sail date within one (1) year of the Booking Date and later cancelled prior to the final payment due date, the cancellation terms applicable to your booking (which may vary from country to country) will apply. If additional monies have been added to the booking fulfilling the required minimum deposit amount prior to cancellation and the final payment due date, Royal Caribbean will issue a future cruise credit (“FCC”) for the required deposit amount less the $100 per person service fee to the guest named on the cancelled booking in countries where FCCs are offered.   The FCC may be used only towards the purchase of a Royal Caribbean International cruise and expires 12-months after the issue date (the "Expiration Date"). Any amount remaining after the Expiration Date will be void and forfeited. The FCC is non-transferable, non-refundable, and not redeemable for any other form of compensation, credit, or cash.  For Book Later reservations that require a deposit of $200 or less, no FCC or any other compensation or credit of any kind will be issued.  

 

5. Changes.

Subject to the restrictions set forth in the fourth and fifth paragraphs of the General Terms and Conditions (below), Book Later reservations are transferable to other people prior to the selection of a specific ship and sail date.   After a ship and sail date have been selected and all required deposits have been paid, the booking is confirmed and may not be transferred to another person. 

After a specific ship and sail date have been selected, each time you change the ship or sail date of the booking prior to the final payment due date, payments made towards the booking will be applied to the balance of the modified booking and a $100 USD per person service fee will be charged to the modified booking.   After the final payment due date, changes to the ship or sail date are not permitted and would be treated as a cancellation of the booking.

 

6.    Additional Terms.

Upon selecting a ship and sail date, Book Later reservations may be combined with most local offers, Crown & Anchor Balcony and Suite discounts, and Crown & Anchor exclusive rates.  If you change your reservation in order to combine with another offer at a later date, then your new reservation would adjust to prevailing rates as of the date of your requested change and the new offer would then be applied.  The Book Later program excludes certain promotions and discounted rates, including Interline, Travel Agent and Travel Agent Friends rates, weekly sales events, net rates or shareholder benefits and employee rates.  Single occupancy guests may receive a pro-rated onboard credit depending on the single supplement fare paid. 

International deposits and requirements may vary. Program applicable to new individual Royal Caribbean International bookings made on or after May 1, 2019.   The Book Later program may not be available in your country of residence. See your NextCruise Sales Team for details.

See Section III below for additional terms and conditions. 

Offer is subject to change without notice; capacity controlled, and may be withdrawn at any time.  Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time without prior notice. © 2019 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships registry: The Bahamas.    

 

II. General Terms and Conditions for NextCruise Bookings.

These terms and conditions apply to new NextCruise Bookings made on or after May 1, 2019.       

Onboard credits have no cash value, are not redeemable for cash, are not transferable, and will expire if not used by 10:00 PM on the last night of the cruise.   “Dollars Off” savings apply only to the cruise fare and not to any other expenses such as gratuities, taxes or fees.  

As we value our relationships with our travel partners, unless we are advised otherwise your Next Cruise booking will be attributed to the travel partner associated with your current cruise booking.  However, if you wish to have your booking reflect an alternative arrangement, please inform the team at the time of booking and a form will be provided for you to sign as your authorization. Only one onboard credit or dollars off promotion shall be awarded for each qualifying NextCruise Booking.    

A maximum of three (3) NextCruise Bookings, of up to three (3) staterooms each, can be made per person while onboard each Royal Caribbean International cruise for yourself, your friends or family.   Back to back consecutive cruises will be treated as one cruise when determining the number of NextCruise bookings a person is permitted to make.  NextCruise cannot be used for Travel Agent resale.  

You must be 21 years of age or older and sailing on a Royal Caribbean International cruise, or participating in an authorized day visit onboard a Royal Caribbean International ship, at the time of booking in order to take advantage of our NextCruise program.   At least one person named at the time when a confirmed NextCruise Booking was created onboard must sail under that booking or it will be treated as having been cancelled.   For a NextCruise Booking initially made as a  Book Later reservation, at least one person named at the time when a specific ship and sail date were selected must sail under that booking or it will be treated as having been cancelled.

Groups.  Bookings may be transferred into non-contracted groups; however, higher deposits may be required and you may lose your promotional offer and/or Onboard Credit offer.   Individual enrollment may be converted and applied to a group booking.  For information on transferring your NextCruise Booking into contracted or non-contracted group space, please contact your local Travel Professional or Royal Caribbean. 

Combinability.  The NextCruise Program offers guests a combination of: (a) a special promotional offer that may not be otherwise available to guests from outside of North America (i.e. the 50 states of the United States of America, Canada and Bermuda); and (b) a collection of NextCruise benefits, such as the NextCruise Dollars Off or NextCruise Future Onboard Credit offers.  Certain promotional offers available in your country of residence may be combinable with the Special Promotional Offer you received onboard when you made your NextCruise Booking.  This NextCruise Program is not available when sailing on an itinerary that departs from China and returns to China.   If a promotional offer is not combinable, you may be able to replace your Special Promotional Offer with that local promotional offer but in that case the pricing for the NextCruise booking would be adjusted to reflect a rate then available in your country of residence as of the date of your requested change.   At the discretion of the Cruise Line, customers upgrading their Next Cruise Booking after the final payment due date may be eligible for certain promotional offers then available in their local market.   The Special Promotional Offers available for a NextCruise Booking shall be determined by Royal Caribbean from time to time and will typically exclude the following promotional and discounted rates: Interline, Travel Agent and Travel Agent Friends rates, weekly sales events, net rates or shareholder benefits and employee rates. Confirmed bookings are combinable with most local offers, Crown & Anchor Balcony and Suite discounts and Crown & Anchor exclusive rates. 

 

Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to, change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time without prior notice. All amounts stated herein are in U.S. Dollars.  Royal Caribbean reserves the right to revoke onboard booking privileges at any time without prior notice if any type of misuse is suspected. © 2019 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships registry: The Bahamas.

[LilBlackDress]

12 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It was just rolled out in the past week or two and I’m not sure if it was rolled out to all ships or just some. 

I'm on Serenade now and it is not available 🙁

I was hoping it was so i didn't have to go back to the Next Cruise Desk... 

[LeeW]

This kind of booking of a Future Cruise Deposit has been available on Princess for quite a few years (paper form for many years, web-based "app" in last couple).  On Princess if you don't use the FCD within two years it is refunded automatically or on request.  On Princess it was never charged to the onboard account, just to the credit card you had on file or another if you specify.  On Royal you lose the onboard credit at two months and the entire deposit at a year.  OP didn't buy a cruise but did buy a reduced deposit for a future cruise.  We always have a few of these banked on Princess but haven't thought it worthwhile on RCI because of the short time to book for OBC.