So exactly how much money do you have tied up right now with bookings?

[livingonthebeach]

I'm only out $300 total.  $200 for a non-refundable open next cruise deposit on Royal I bought on my last cruise.  I also have a $100 deposit (solo) on a Singapore to Hong Kong cruise on Celebrity in Feb of 2021 which I think will be a no-go.  The Royal deposit expires in December so I will book for 2022 or 2023 at that point and hope they're still around by then.  I'll have to check with Celebrity to see if the $100 is non-refundable, if so I will ask for a refund, if not I will book for another cruise closer to home in 2022 or 23. 

[LisaLeone]

11 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

.  Some families are functioning with BOTH earners unemployed or with reduced salaries which makes it really really hard if you had reserves in the bank if BOTH incomes are impacted and the best you 2 can come up with is "screw 'em" because they chose to pay for a higher priced vacation that has NRD associated with it and the refund from RCL is way past industry accepted norms (and written policies previously) 😉 😉 😉

 

Really is cold.

You said it far better than I could... thank you. I don't know why I should be disheartened by the lack of compassion I read on the the boards but I am grateful it is only the minority. 

Looking forward to brighter days ahead.

[charmy98]

On 4/17/2020 at 7:58 PM, LPut714 said:

$231.74 for casino rate Junior suite on Independence of the Seas in Nov. Can cancel up until 48 hours prior and get everything back. Just want to wait till stuff starts moving again before look for air. 

Stay safe and Healthy everyone

 

Same for us but on Oasis in Nov, Casino rate $231.99 Junior Suite. 1st time getting a Casio Rate cruise for us. I hope it sails in Nov.

Edited April 20, 2020 by charmy98
Spelling error

[suzyluvs2cruise]

12 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I don’t think it’s glib. I agree with @SNJCruisers comment. Even if someone is saving and sacrificing, the assumption is that person was able to save enough money to take the vacation at the price they booked it at, and that the cost of the vacation isn’t going to break their bank. 
 

They booked a higher cost room, knowing there were less expensive and less restrictive options, knowing also that they were agreeing to forfeit the deposit (or at least part of the deposit) if their plans changed or something unforeseeable occurred that caused them to want or need to cancel.

 

My assumption is that anyone willing to do that can afford to do so, otherwise, they’re making poor decisions with their money. It doesn’t matter if it’s a once in a lifetime trip, if you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t risk it. People can get mad about that all they want, but it’s the truth. If someone spent money they couldn’t afford to be without for 90 days if they lost their job, then they  don’t have enough money in their savings account to be taking expensive vacations. I realize a lot of people do that anyway and live on credit and what not, but don’t start crying and whining about how you can’t pay your bills because your refund isn’t coming fast enough and expect everyone to feel sorry for you or be understanding.

 

Now, people being upset that RC is taking so long with their refund because they don’t think it’s right, that’s another story. People freaking out because they can’t afford the wait, well, that’s another...

 

What you're failing to consider is this......At the time cabins were booked with a NRD the only reason most would cancel is because of a reason such as illness, death or another reason that would be covered by Insurance. COVID-19 and/or a cruise line cancelling cruises was not something any of us knew about.

 

Before you say it I know you're a huge proponent of CFAR insurance and have touted your feelings about it in more than one post on a variety of threads. Not everyone can or does purchase it. Circumstances today are far different than they were a couple of months ago. A little empathy goes a long way as none of us can or should judge the circumstances of others. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by suzyluvs2cruise

[ARandomTraveler]

3 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

What you're failing to consider is this......At the time cabins were booked with a NRD the only reason most would cancel is because of a reason such as illness, death or another reason that would be covered by Insurance. COVID-19 and/or a cruise line cancelling cruises was not something any of us knew about. Before you say it I know you're a huge proponent of CFAR insurance and touted your feelings about it in more than one post. Not everyone can or does purchase it. Circumstances today are far different than they were a couple of months ago. A little empathy goes a long way as none of us can or should judge the circumstances of others. 

I think this is the flaw in some people’s planning - they are ONLY considering death and illness. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve always operated with one income and have been taking care of a kid by myself for 18 years, but I’ve always been much more frugal with my money, planning for every sort of unknown. I’m waiting to get money back too, and while my job can be done from home, a lot of my suppliers and business partners are shut down, so business is slower, but even if it takes them a year (not saying it’s ok for a company to keep people’s money this long), I’ll survive without my refund because I don’t spend ANY money in my bank account that I might need for the next year or two to pay my bills. But I guess I’m in the minority here. 

[ARandomTraveler]

5 hours ago, LisaLeone said:

Interesting...one thing I haven't noticed on this thread is anyone saying they can't pay their bills because of a refund that may or may not be coming. Perhaps I missed it.

 

I hope you and your family, as well as all on this chat, are staying well. 

Not so much in this thread, but read any number of the rest of them and you’ll find plenty 

[ARandomTraveler]

2 hours ago, dodgestang said:

 

Wow.  So no chance that maybe people were in a position to easily afford something 90 days ago that may be experiencing significant economic distress right now in the current client that could really really use a refund for something that was cancelled on them but haven't seen it yet.

 

I've been working essentially for free for 6 weeks now because my clients, just like RCCL, have decided that paying out cash to anyone is a bad idea so my invoices go into a black hole and past due.  Lucky for me....I do keep money in the bank and can weather it....but there are 20+ million other Americans who aren't weathering it well right now.  Some families are functioning with BOTH earners unemployed or with reduced salaries which makes it really really hard if you had reserves in the bank if BOTH incomes are impacted and the best you 2 can come up with is "screw 'em" because they chose to pay for a higher priced vacation that has NRD associated with it and the refund from RCL is way past industry accepted norms (and written policies previously) 😉 😉 😉

 

Really is cold.

 

Maybe RCCL should take note (and the rest of us)....Delta has been doing the same crap playing games with refunds and is not slapped with a class action lawsuit

If link works: https://www.foxnews.com/travel/coronavirus-cancellations-delta-air-lines-lawsuit-class-action-refunds

If someone could afford something 90 days ago, and then both people lost their jobs or aren’t getting paid, then they should still be able to afford to pay their bills while they wait for the refund. The issue here is that people are poor money managers, living above their means and not keeping enough money in savings. My business has also been affected and will probably remain affected until the end of summer, maybe longer, but I can wait for my refund because I don’t book vacations without having enough cash in the bank to survive at least a year (or more). If people are living on budgets that don’t allow for more than a month or two of survival, they’re not in the market for a vacation. Or shouldn’t be. 
 

I get it that people are struggling and that sucks, but...kinda their own fault for spending money that should have been in their savings instead.

[dodgestang]

3 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I get it that people are struggling and that sucks, but...kinda their own fault for spending money that should have been in their savings instead.

 

I got it the first time.....people manage money differently than you and because of that you can offer no empathy for them even in this situation where a company is passed their own published dates to supply refunds. 

 

I posted it in another thread about the money I have tied up in RCCL cruises right now.  I oped for the FCC on my cancelled April cruise (which I haven't received yet) because I could; but with how things are going right now I wouldn't mind an extra 26k sitting in the bank and that's how a lot of people complaining about their refunds are thinking.

[ARandomTraveler]

10 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

 

I got it the first time.....people manage money differently than you and because of that you can offer no empathy for them even in this situation where a company is passed their own published dates to supply refunds. 

 

I posted it in another thread about the money I have tied up in RCCL cruises right now.  I oped for the FCC on my cancelled April cruise (which I haven't received yet) because I could; but with how things are going right now I wouldn't mind an extra 26k sitting in the bank and that's how a lot of people complaining about their refunds are thinking.

I understand empathy and I have it to a certain point. It doesn’t extend to me feeling like we should start suing businesses or asking for bailout money. Unfortunately a large portion of the population expects to not be held accountable for their bad money management so it’ll probably happen at some point.

 

It’s not that I don’t understand people being stressed out, I just get tired of hearing people not take any accountability for why they’re in this predicament. That’s when I start losing my empathy. 

[dani negreanu]

I "only" have 2460$ "invested" in a cruise for May 2021, which I hope it will be a "go"....

 

This is the amount which was paid in full for a April 1st, 2020 cancelled cruise on Apex. 100% penalty, to which I was resigned.

 

Luckily, my TA managed to rebook us for the next year cruise, keeping the same booking number and transferring the funds not as FCC (I cancelled with CWC), but as a "regular" deposit.

 

BTW, I always book with a refundable deposit, even if it costs more.

 

[dodgestang]

13 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I understand empathy and I have it to a certain point.

 

I'm with you on that but I don't think we are there with many/most cruisers complaining about refunds.  I know from my perspective all my business travel was cut off 2nd week of Feb and I know people started cancelling cruises before March....so when I hear about refunds still open....my frame of reference is that its already been 2 months for some.....and for the majority if we are past 30 days....that means they are getting close to 2 months.

[coaster]

18 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I understand empathy and I have it to a certain point. It doesn’t extend to me feeling like we should start suing businesses or asking for bailout money. Unfortunately a large portion of the population expects to not be held accountable for their bad money management so it’ll probably happen at some point.

 

It’s not that I don’t understand people being stressed out, I just get tired of hearing people not take any accountability for why they’re in this predicament. That’s when I start losing my empathy. 

 

You are basically saying that most if not all people expressing concern over the delay of refunds are people who are almost broke? Really? Sorry, had to post this while waiting in line at the food pantry... You are so wrong to assume in that twisted way.

[ARandomTraveler]

25 minutes ago, coaster said:

 

You are basically saying that most if not all people expressing concern over the delay of refunds are people who are almost broke? Really? Sorry, had to post this while waiting in line at the food pantry... You are so wrong to assume in that twisted way.

No I mentioned in one of my previous posts that some people are upset over the time it’s taking simply because they feel it’s too long for a company to take that long, and that’s one group of people, and there’s another group who is upset because they can’t afford the wait. 
 

I’m sorry you’re struggling right now, I understand why you’d be defensive given your current situation. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by ARandomTraveler

[coaster]

I was being sarcastic. Not in line for food..

[ARandomTraveler]

36 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

 

I'm with you on that but I don't think we are there with many/most cruisers complaining about refunds.  I know from my perspective all my business travel was cut off 2nd week of Feb and I know people started cancelling cruises before March....so when I hear about refunds still open....my frame of reference is that its already been 2 months for some.....and for the majority if we are past 30 days....that means they are getting close to 2 months.

Yeah, it is definitely an abnormally long time for a business to send refunds. I tend to agree with people who speculate that it’s because RC needs to have cash on hand to borrow money or keep their stock price at a certain point. It could also be that there’s just an abnormal amount of refunds being requested right now and it’s taking a while to process them, who knows. I’ve been waiting about a month now for mine, they told me it would take 7-10 days. I won’t be surprised if it takes another month. I don’t think it’s just RC doing it this way though, my insurance company has taken a couple weeks to send the money on my airfare claim, and I had another flight that got cancelled by American Airlines for a land vacation and that refund has so far taken a week and counting. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by ARandomTraveler

[suzyluvs2cruise]

1 hour ago, ARandomTraveler said:

It’s not that I don’t understand people being stressed out, I just get tired of hearing people not take any accountability for why they’re in this predicament. That’s when I start losing my empathy. 

 

Maybe it's time for you to scroll past threads about refunds. People want what's due to them......and in a timely manner. I don't think that has anything to do with not taking accountability. 

[NateUpNorth]

44 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Yeah, it is definitely an abnormally long time for a business to send refunds. I tend to agree with people who speculate that it’s because RC needs to have cash on hand to borrow money or keep their stock price at a certain point. It could also be that there’s just an abnormal amount of refunds being requested right now and it’s taking a while to process them, who knows. I’ve been waiting about a month now for mine, they told me it would take 7-10 days. I won’t be surprised if it takes another month. I don’t think it’s just RC doing it this way though, my insurance company has taken a couple weeks to send the money on my airfare claim, and I had another flight that got cancelled by American Airlines for a land vacation and that refund has so far taken a week and counting. 

 

I can’t help but wonder if you’d extend all your accounts receivable in such a magnanimous way for your own personal finances....... or if you’d perhaps have issues with missed due dates.

 

[ARandomTraveler]

2 hours ago, NateUpNorth said:

 

I can’t help but wonder if you’d extend all your accounts receivable in such a magnanimous way for your own personal finances....... or if you’d perhaps have issues with missed due dates.

 

I have - I’ve got refunds coming to me as well. All delayed quite a bit and well past the dates they were promised to me. I can afford to wait for them though, so I’m not complaining. 

[ARandomTraveler]

3 hours ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

Maybe it's time for you to scroll past threads about refunds. People want what's due to them......and in a timely manner. I don't think that has anything to do with not taking accountability. 

Why should I not be allowed to participate in the conversation just because you don’t like my point of view on personal responsibility? I get it that people want what’s due, and nobody has told them they won’t get it. They’re just being told it will take a while, which people don’t like for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons have to do with people not being able to afford to wait, and that’s where I do think it comes down to accountability. I expect my money back too, but I understand that under the circumstances, it might take a month or two (or three?). 

Edited April 20, 2020 by ARandomTraveler

[dodgestang]

6 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

 it might take a month >--------------------------------------------------------------------<   or two (or three?). 

 

And that right there  
is where the conversation shifts from personal responsibility to corporate responsibility and where you lose people with the argument 😉

Edited April 20, 2020 by dodgestang

[suzyluvs2cruise]

13 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Why should I not be allowed to participate in the conversation just because you don’t like my point of view on personal responsibility? I get it that people want what’s due, and nobody has told them they won’t get it. They’re just being told it will take a while, which people don’t like for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons have to do with people not being able to afford to wait, and that’s where I do think it comes down to accountability. I expect my money back too, but I understand that under the circumstances, it might take a month or two (or three?). 

 

No one is saying you can't participate in the conversation on this or any thread. My comment had nothing to do with your point of view and was in response to your comment where you said "I just get tired of hearing people not take any accountability for why they’re in this predicament" hence my suggestion to scroll by those posts. 

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by suzyluvs2cruise

[ARandomTraveler]

14 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

No one is saying you can't participate in the conversation on this or any thread. My comment had nothing to do with your point of view and was in response to your comment where you said "I just get tired of hearing people not take any accountability for why they’re in this predicament" hence my suggestion to scroll by those posts. 

 

Yeah true. I get wrapped up in looking at cruise critic and I could definitely be doing other things with my time once I start getting annoyed, you’re right.

[ARandomTraveler]

23 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

 

And that right there  
is where the conversation shifts from personal responsibility to corporate responsibility and where you lose people with the argument 😉

They’re 2 different arguments. One is that the businesses are taking too long with refunds. I’m not arguing either side with that, I’m kind of neutral, realizing it’s an abnormal time to give a refund, but also recognizing there’s a backlog.

 

The other argument is whether people who are in a bad financial position because they have to wait for their refund should accept responsibility or not. That’s the one I tend not to agree on. It’s just a personal viewpoint though, obviously not everyone agrees, but I don’t hear anyone giving a reasonable argument supporting any good reason why people who spent money they didn’t have shouldn’t have to accept responsibility for the financial position they’re in now. 

[tiggy85]

I feel like I’m reading a completely different thread now that there is all this debate about being able or not being able to afford a cruise. 
 

Can we get back to the original question of “how much do you have tied up in cruises right now”??

[franncos]

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