Final payment due in 7 days

[redsox1584]

I have a Southern Caribbean cruise booked for September on Freedom of the Seas and the final payment is due in 7 days. I am debating whether to cancel now and take the FCC for our deposit amount or make the final payment. There is nothing for me to lift and shift to as there are no Southern Caribbean cruises for my window next year, they won’t let me change to an Eastern or Western.
What are the chances this cruise actually happens? I’m concerned about being able to fly to San Juan and the islands not letting ships in. I booked this cruise specifically because I wanted to see the ABC islands.

I’m not sure if I should make the final payment and then hope Royal cancels and get the 125% cruise credit. 

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

There is certainly a very good chance the cruise will be cancelled, and an even better chance that if the cruise goes it will have to be a reduced capacity in order to put in place some of the new criteria for cruises until a vaccine is available which will mean some people will be bumped from the cruise.  With that being said, it depends on how much you love cruising.  If you do I'd pay the final payment and wait and see then take the 125% for a future cruise.

[Ourusualbeach]

7 minutes ago, redsox1584 said:

I have a Southern Caribbean cruise booked for September on Freedom of the Seas and the final payment is due in 7 days. I am debating whether to cancel now and take the FCC for our deposit amount or make the final payment. There is nothing for me to lift and shift to as there are no Southern Caribbean cruises for my window next year, they won’t let me change to an Eastern or Western.
What are the chances this cruise actually happens? I’m concerned about being able to fly to San Juan and the islands not letting ships in. I booked this cruise specifically because I wanted to see the ABC islands.

I’m not sure if I should make the final payment and then hope Royal cancels and get the 125% cruise credit. 

You can also move your deposit to any other sailing but you would pay the current rates. 

[mac_tlc]

I have had the same dilemma and have chosen different options for different cruises. For our August Harmony, I cancelled before FP and took the FCC. For my September Oasis, I downgraded to an interior and will make FP and wait. It’s out of NJ and very unlikely, I think. For that one, I’ll take the chance of getting a full refund or a 25% return on my money.

 

mac_tlc

 

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by mac_tlc

[patattack]

I am booked on the Rhapsody for Oct 24, 2020 with a friend from work.  We looked at the lift and switch, but between our schedules, the only one that would work would be Sept 4, 2021 which would be out of the 4 week window and is much more costly to change without the price protection.   We can cancel and get FCC, but would like the cash back as we are really unsure when we will cruise together again.  I really hate to pay in full, and also very hesitant about going to Italy in Oct.  

 

Pat

[bonsai3s]

Difficult decision.

Freedom was our last cruise before the pandemic...ABC islands were absolutely beautiful...not to mention San Juan is a wonderful place to start a cruise.

Another option is to perhaps ask if you can delay final payment.  Not sure how you booked your cruise, but we had booked with a big box TA and our final payment was extended for 2 weeks.  It was just enough time for Royal to cancel our cruise...sigh.

[redsox1584]

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

You can also move your deposit to any other sailing but you would pay the current rates. 

That’s a good idea too!

[redsox1584]

7 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

Difficult decision.

Freedom was our last cruise before the pandemic...ABC islands were absolutely beautiful...not to mention San Juan is a wonderful place to start a cruise.

Another option is to perhaps ask if you can delay final payment.  Not sure how you booked your cruise, but we had booked with a big box TA and our final payment was extended for 2 weeks.  It was just enough time for Royal to cancel our cruise...sigh.

That’s a good idea, I might try that. I booked through a big online TA. 

[redsox1584]

1 hour ago, patattack said:

I am booked on the Rhapsody for Oct 24, 2020 with a friend from work.  We looked at the lift and switch, but between our schedules, the only one that would work would be Sept 4, 2021 which would be out of the 4 week window and is much more costly to change without the price protection.   We can cancel and get FCC, but would like the cash back as we are really unsure when we will cruise together again.  I really hate to pay in full, and also very hesitant about going to Italy in Oct.  

 

Pat

I hear ya...I’m hesitant to make the final payment and have that much money tied up

[teo403]

I cancelled two cruises before final payment date - one for August and one for September (both had NRD and both I had paid extra on)   Lift and Shift wasn't offered when I cancelled our August trip and it just didn't work for the September one.  I didn't want to tie up anymore money with them - plus money tied up in credits for airfare for a few other trips that we cancelled too.  Got the first refund about 3 weeks after I cancelled and the second trip about a week after I cancelled.  

[redsox1584]

38 minutes ago, teo403 said:

I cancelled two cruises before final payment date - one for August and one for September (both had NRD and both I had paid extra on)   Lift and Shift wasn't offered when I cancelled our August trip and it just didn't work for the September one.  I didn't want to tie up anymore money with them - plus money tied up in credits for airfare for a few other trips that we cancelled too.  Got the first refund about 3 weeks after I cancelled and the second trip about a week after I cancelled.  

Did you get a refund for the full amount of the deposit or did they charge a fee? I have a NRD as well.  And did you get a FCC or an actual cash refund?

[teo403]

Got the NRD back as a FCC.  Cash back for the amounts I paid over the deposit.  No fee charged.  I cancelled the August cruise on 4/24 and just received the FCC yesterday.  

 

[MisterBill99]

I have a similar issue except my TA wants payment tomorrow (but final payment is due next week so not a huge deal). 

 

I have 2 cabins on Oasis of the Seas out of NJ on 9/6. We were going with my daughter and son-in-law. She is currently pregnant and due in December. Her husband does not want to go because of the virus concern and does not want to commit to going next year with an infant (even though my wife would be happy to help with the baby). Complicating things is that the TA I used charges $100 to cancel a reservation. 

 

I figure I have 3 options.

 

1) I do the Lift and Shift to next year. Worst case my daughter still decides not to go I cancel and pay the $100 fee then.

2) Cancel both reservations now and pay the $100 per cabin fee

3) Pay for the cruise and wait for Royal to cancel the cruise or move it later if necessary.

 

Another option is to cancel just my daughter's reservation and pay the $100 and do option 1 or 3 for my reservation. My deposit is refundable.

 

To be honest, I think the odds of this cruise sailing are very slim. New Jersey is still under severe restrictions and hasn't really started reopening yet. The odds of them getting approval to sail and then return to the port are slim. If it were out of Florida it would be a different story.

 

Advice? If not for the $100 cancellation fee, I would likely just cancel, although I do have a pretty good rate on the cruise.  I need to read up on my options should they decide by some miracle to sail.

Edited May 31, 2020 by MisterBill99

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, redsox1584 said:

Did you get a refund for the full amount of the deposit or did they charge a fee? I have a NRD as well.  And did you get a FCC or an actual cash refund?

Refund is not an option unless RCI cancels.

[redsox1584]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

Refund is not an option unless RCI cancels.

That’s what I thought

[sellwingri]

You may want to consider using another TA if they charge you for canceling.  Most do not. 
 

I’ve now had 5 cruises canceled and have several others booked.  I wish they’d let you use your FCC right away since they know you have it coming.  I just received my credit from my canceled March 28th cruise and am still waiting for it from my May, July, and now September (Alaskan cruise) trips.  I’ve had to pay for deposits on 3 other I’ve booked even though they have over $4000 of my money. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

Tough decision. I do believe Royal is purposely delaying sail date cancellations until after final payment. It’s part of their plan to stay afloat for a long period of time. 

[Biker19]

11 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I do believe Royal is purposely delaying sail date cancellations until after final payment.

Some markets have final payments as close at 30 days out - RCI  just happens to cancels on some schedule that happens to catch most sailings booked under US rules inside final payment. Especially at the beginning I think it was more to assess the situation (even now it is very difficult to know what will be the state of cruising 90+ days out) and to avoid overwhelming their CSRs - having more customer money was a nice side benefit. When things became real obvious about Alaska, they cancelled those to July 1 (while the rest were only to June 11) and unless they figure out a way around the new Canadian prohibition, they'll cancel all those related to Canada as well.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Biker19

[Milwaukee Eight]

11 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Some markets have final payments as close at 30 days out - RCI  just happens to cancels on some schedule that happens to catch most sailings booked under US rules inside final payment. Especially at the beginning I think it was more to assess the situation (even now it is very difficult to know what will be the state of cruising 90+ days out) and to avoid overwhelming their CSRs - having more customer money was a nice side benefit. When things became real obvious about Alaska, they cancelled those to July 1 (while the rest were only to June 11) and unless they figure out a way around the new Canadian prohibition, they'll cancel all those related to Canada as well.

Within final payment?

[Biker19]

14 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Within final payment?

While it may not happen by their own deadline of June 2, if they can't get around the new Canadian port closure, I think they'll scrap the whole Alaska and NE 2020 season, so some of the sailings will be outside of US final payment.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Biker19

[Milwaukee Eight]

15 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

While it may not happen by their own deadline of June 2, if they can't get around the new Canadian port closure, I think they'll scrap the whole Alaska and NE 2020 season, so some of the sailings will be outside of US final payment.

What is your speculation regarding Barcelona? 

[Biker19]

5 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

What is your speculation regarding Barcelona? 

Month by month, as previous cancellations, unless Spanish authorities make some official declaration.

[Ginlyn]

8 hours ago, patattack said:

I am booked on the Rhapsody for Oct 24, 2020 with a friend from work.  We looked at the lift and switch, but between our schedules, the only one that would work would be Sept 4, 2021 which would be out of the 4 week window and is much more costly to change without the price protection.   We can cancel and get FCC, but would like the cash back as we are really unsure when we will cruise together again.  I really hate to pay in full, and also very hesitant about going to Italy in Oct.  

 

Pat

Hi Pat - always interesting to come across a cruise critic name that I know from past sailings.  Is your Rhapsody cruise a European one that you have booked for this fall?  We were doing a transatlantic in November on Explorer from Rome but were able to do the lift & shift for next year on the Odyssey transatlantic.  Is it Kristin you are planning to cruise with this fall?  If so, hello to her from us.  Hope your plans or changing of plans works out.  By the way, thank you for all the info about your Baltic cruise.  We had a fantastic one last August - enjoyed every minute!!!  Ginny

[patattack]

17 minutes ago, Ginlyn said:

Hi Pat - always interesting to come across a cruise critic name that I know from past sailings.  Is your Rhapsody cruise a European one that you have booked for this fall?  We were doing a transatlantic in November on Explorer from Rome but were able to do the lift & shift for next year on the Odyssey transatlantic.  Is it Kristin you are planning to cruise with this fall?  If so, hello to her from us.  Hope your plans or changing of plans works out.  By the way, thank you for all the info about your Baltic cruise.  We had a fantastic one last August - enjoyed every minute!!!  Ginny

Yes it is Kristin and I cruising again.  Glad you enjoyed the Baltic as we did.  This cruise goes out of Venice to Greece and Croatia.  Good to hear from you as well.

 

Pat

[MisterBill99]

1 hour ago, sellwingri said:

You may want to consider using another TA if they charge you for canceling.  Most do not. 
 

I’ve now had 5 cruises canceled and have several others booked.  I wish they’d let you use your FCC right away since they know you have it coming.  I just received my credit from my canceled March 28th cruise and am still waiting for it from my May, July, and now September (Alaskan cruise) trips.  I’ve had to pay for deposits on 3 other I’ve booked even though they have over $4000 of my money. 

 

I generally only use this TA (the large online agency that starts with a "C", not the warehouse club) for last minute cruises or those I am sure I am going to take. I had no intention of cancelling this one, my wife and I were extremely excited to have Oasis sailing out of Cape Liberty (which we can drive to). And I had an amazing deal which included group pricing that other agents did not have, free gratuities and a bunch of OBC. I have another agent who does not charge (and as this whole mess was starting I learned of another that also would not and offered competitive OBC). I actually a reservation on HAL for 2021 that I made while on board in early January which I did not move to that TA because they refused to agree in advance to waive the cancellation fee.

 

I am still due a bunch of FCC on Celebrity for Asian cruises I cancelled in March that I had booked with another TA. Have yet to see that and I have not booked anything new there.

 

I need to find out how much of what I have on the reservation is movable if I do the Lift. I already lost a bunch of the OBC when I repriced a couple of times. But I'm down to under $500 for a CP balcony with free tips, which is still a pretty good deal.

Edited May 31, 2020 by MisterBill99