Would you trade your 100% FCC for 80% cash back?

[LMaxwell]

I will have to look at my travel insurance again.  It was not "cancel for any reason" but it did cover cancellations for standard reasons (work related, etc.).  My work did have a ban on international travel shortly before the cruise lines shut down and I did call to cancel w cruise line; perhaps I am entitled to the 75% refund on the policy in that circumstance? I really do not know. 

 

To the person that asked why 80%; it is an arbitrary number but I figured if the number was much below 75% most people might just take the FCC (for example, a 50% cash offer).  Also, a lower offer might shake confidence of people and slow down future bookings.  Just speculating for the sake of discussion. 

[rtazz17]

5 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

That’s not entirely true.

 

Many may be more expensive at this present time but definitely not 100% some are in line it’s really up to the individual to wait and see and know when to book what they may be looking for and if happy with the price to book then also try and be flexible if at all possible.

 

I’d like to think prices will drop but nobody knows for sure what will happen in the future or even when cruising will be recommenced.

 

 

 

Read your own last sentence. Take your money and run. Wait till things settle out. Anything and literally anything can happen. Many people on this forum may lose their jobs shortly. Take the money,you might need it. I wouldnt rebook anything right now. Not until there is some good news. You might be in the same situation needing to cancel depending how long ports stay closed across the world etc. Just because rccl wants to reopen,many other factors will prevent it.

Edited March 22, 2020 by rtazz17

[mek]

I have a NE/Canada June cruise that will not happen - I want my money back for that one.  I have a Nov cruise on Oasis and while I would go on that if things settle down, I'm not sure they will let us board as I will be 70 by then and my husband is considerably older.  I don't think any doctor will just sign off on the age release form and I have no intentions of paying for a complete physical  or even a doctors visit just to go on a cruise.

I just got off a cruise last month and unfortunately it may be my last.  Only time will tell.

[Norwich Cruiser]

1 hour ago, rtazz17 said:

Read your own last sentence. Take your money and run. Wait till things settle out. Anything and literally anything can happen. Many people on this forum may lose their jobs shortly. Take the money,you might need it. I wouldnt rebook anything right now. Not until there is some good news. You might be in the same situation needing to cancel depending how long ports stay closed across the world etc. Just because rccl wants to reopen,many other factors will prevent it.

Thank you very your recommendation of take the money and run I am sure some will and some won’t but I am comfortable with my decision not to.

 

 

[villager70]

Hi Cruisers: We have seven booked for this year and next April 27th and following May 25. Royal has not extended  cash refund/1.25  FCC cancel  past early April and I don't think they will until the last possible  day as they would rather have you take the 100% FCC that has them keeping deposit and no cash return then having to fork over cash refund and nothing for future bookings locked in .

[Bookish Angel]

I would take the money.  I can afford to lose the 20% and I have no idea when travel will return to anything remotely normal so that FCC would be useless to me at this point.

[Iamcruzin]

10 hours ago, drsel said:

I have to make different choice (with Costa.)

Either take my 2 deposits back (full refund of deposit)

or

have them transferred to 2 future Cruises sailing before 30th November 2020 and get a 30% discount on both.

What do you think I should do

 

 

Take the money and run.

[cardamon]

6 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

Thank you very your recommendation of take the money and run I am sure some will and some won’t but I am comfortable with my decision not to.

 

 

I AM FOLLOWING THIS THREAD CLOSELY. WE HAVE A 5/4 PANAMA CANAL CRUISE BOOKED. IT HAS NOT YET BEEN CANCELED.  SOMEONE POSTED THAT THEY HAD AN APRIL CRUISE BOOKED THAT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY RC AS STILL A GO. I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE PRIVATE TOUR WE HAD BOOKED IN CARTGENA HAS BEEN CANCELED. I THINK EVEN IF RC GOES AHEAD WITH THIS CRUISE, THE PORTS WILL BE CLOSED. THEY ARE REPOSITIONING THE SERENADE FOR ALASKA CRUISES. NO OTHER CANAL CRUISES ARE SCHEDULED. PANAMA CANAL IS ON MY BUCKET LIST. WOULD YOU CANCEL NOW AND GET 100% CASH BACK INSTEAD OF RC CREDIT? I APPRECIATE THE ADVISE- NOT WELL EDUCATED IN THIS AREA.

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, rtazz17 said:

Read your own last sentence. Take your money and run. Wait till things settle out. Anything and literally anything can happen. Many people on this forum may lose their jobs shortly. Take the money, you might need it. I wouldn't rebook anything right now. Not until there is some good news. You might be in the same situation needing to cancel depending how long ports stay closed across the world etc. Just because RCCL wants to reopen, many other factors will prevent it.

Good advise. Here is food for thought. The retail organization that I work for filed chapter 11 and is basically being run by the bank and liquidation company. Customers only had 30 days from the first day of liquidation to use their store credits and store gift cards. Customers were not notified of this. I had no idea that would happen. After reading all of the doom and gloom threads about cruise line bankruptcy and bail outs I wondered if the same thing would apply for FCC's should the cruise lines have to restructure. I have nothing booked at this time because I don't know how soon I will be able to find a job and when I do, how long it will be before I accrue vacation.

[drsel]

The old saying

don't work for money make money work for you

[karena1]

14 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

I canceled under the cruise with confidence offer before refunds were being offered. When they canceled and offered 100% refund or 125% FCC that was a better deal for most people.  

 

But I am looking at this from the flip side; without knowing how long this crisis continues, when cruises will resume or what pricing will look like, if my or my spouses job will be secure, or if the company survives even, I'm looking at the FCC at best as just a coupon discount on a future cruise and at worst it turns to a value of $0 (which given the nearness of my sail date would have been the refund due for cancellation unless I had used my trip insurance). 

 

That said though instead of wanting the additional credit on the FCC others got (that's great for them, I'm not jealous and don't want to take anything from them) if I had the option to forego the FCC and get 80% cash refund I would.  

 

Anyone else? 

no, I have 18 cruises booked and plan to take every one of them.  will wait for my 125% FCC and apply it to one of my cruises already booked and move on.

[Judyrem]

5 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

That’s very unfortunate for you if your air fare is more but we were talking about the cruise pricing.

 

We still being offered excellent in my humble opinion deals.

 

I’ll just throw you one cruise offer up not for everyone I know but to give you some idea it landed in my in box this morning.

 

3 nights hotel in New York stay

9 night cruise on Adventure of the Seas

Departing from the U.K. on 7th September 2020

Including flights from London Gatwick lead in price £1229.00

 

There really are still deals to be had I do hope you and your family stay safe at these uncertain times and find a cruise that suits you and your family.

Deal!

[Judyrem]

Anyone have  any idea when Royal will announce the canceling of the April 11-12 cruises that were to sail then?

 

I am playing "chicken" with Royal 😉 because I want a refund.

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, mek said:

 I will be 70 by then and my husband is considerably older.  I don't think any doctor will just sign off on the age release form and I have no intentions of paying for a complete physical  or even a doctors visit just to go on a cruise.

 

This is a major consideration for anyone in this age group. At this time it's all speculation as to what's going to happen and how long this will still be in effect once sailing commences again.  I would like to believe that clearance from a physician will no longer be needed once in the clear but who knows.

[mek]

1 minute ago, Iamcruzin said:

This is a major consideration for anyone in this age group. At this time it's all speculation as to what's going to happen and how long this will still be in effect once sailing commences again.  I would like to believe that clearance from a physician will no longer be needed once in the clear but who knows.

It's too bad because I got fantastic deals on both cruises, but it is what it is.

[Iamcruzin]

4 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

Anyone have  any idea when Royal will announce the canceling of the April 11-12 cruises that were to sail then?

 

I am playing "chicken" with Royal 😉 because I want a refund.

I'm sure at this point they are getting more cash refund requests than FCC requests. They are going to hold on until the last day of the FCC refund cancelation so they can hold on to cash. and then announce it. I will bet my first born that you are canceled. Sit tight.

[Judyrem]

1 minute ago, Iamcruzin said:

I'm sure at this point they are getting more cash refund requests than FCC requests. They are going to hold on until the last day of the FCC refund cancelation so they can hold on to cash. and then announce it. I will bet my first born that you are canceled. Sit tight.

I will!😉

[Iamcruzin]

Just now, Judyrem said:

I will!😉

As the weeks pass the flavor of these types of threads have changed. It went from I'm taking the 125% FCC and immediately booking something for next year to; I want the cash. People are finally realizing the economic effect of this situation whether it be loss of jobs or crashing stock market. The 70+ doctor note isn't helping either.

[LMaxwell]

19 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

I'm sure at this point they are getting more cash refund requests than FCC requests. They are going to hold on until the last day of the FCC refund cancelation so they can hold on to cash. and then announce it. I will bet my first born that you are canceled. Sit tight.

 

Selling future deposits...waiting until last moment to issue refunds. 

 

Prudent business, or whiff of Madoff? 

 

[LMaxwell]

12 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

As the weeks pass the flavor of these types of threads have changed. It went from I'm taking the 125% FCC and immediately booking something for next year to; I want the cash. People are finally realizing the economic effect of this situation whether it be loss of jobs or crashing stock market. The 70+ doctor note isn't helping either.

 

I didn't wait long enough to play chicken and canceled before the cruise line did. Had I waited a few more days I could have had the option of 100% cash returned, which I would have taken over a 125%, 150%, or even 200% FCC.  So the discussion, for my sake, is pretty much a hypothetical for discussion.  Thank you for your thoughtful input to the discussion and I am sorry about your working situation.  

 

I wonder if they would allow FCC's to be transferred to another name? That would open up the option of selling my FCC's at some nominal amount. But I am sure cruiselines are not concerned with helping me utilize the FCC; it is better for them if I never do. 

[Iamcruzin]

11 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

Selling future deposits...waiting until last moment to issue refunds. 

 

Prudent business, or whiff of Madoff? 

 

Neither. Madoff was a pyramid scam which isn't the case here and it's not Prudent business either. It's lack of cash flow which all businesses except medical and postal are facing right now.

[ARandomTraveler]

23 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Neither. Madoff was a pyramid scam which isn't the case here and it's not Prudent business either. It's lack of cash flow which all businesses except medical and postal are facing right now.

Grocery stores and toilet paper producers aren’t doing too bad either.

[drsel]

I wonder who really gains from this crisis

[Bookish Angel]

7 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I have nothing booked at this time because I don't know how soon I will be able to find a job and when I do, how long it will be before I accrue vacation.

So sorry you lost your job!  I was just moaning a bit about having to work from home as our station is closed to all but essential personnel though we are all getting paid our same salary. I need to remember how fortunate I am.

 

Good luck to you and your husband.  

Edited March 22, 2020 by Bookish Angel

[Iamcruzin]

3 hours ago, Bookish Angel said:

So sorry you lost your job!  I was just moaning a bit about having to work from home as our station is closed to all but essential personnel though we are all getting paid our same salary. I need to remember how fortunate I am.

 

Good luck to you and your husband.  

Thank you

Well my situation just got worse.  The Corvid-19 closed all nonessential business.  I am on medial leave and had 4 more weeks of paid sick leave before I returned to work.  I was on a conference call today that informed us that the bank took over the business and we are all terminated immediately. No severance pay and medical insurance is ended today. Fortunately my wife who works for a hospital carries our health insurance plan. Next week will be my last pay check even though I have been out on medical leave. Covid-19 is killing more than people. This country is going to wind up in a depression before all is said and done.