Who Is Making Final Payments

[KelJ]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I am booked on 12 night for dec 7th on anthem that you mention.  It is a casino cruise and not eligible for l&s so I have no choice but to wait till its cancelled to get cash refund.  I wish it was a go as I love the itinerary for this sailing but 99.9% it wont go.

 

I was also booked on Anthem 12-7-20 12-night southern Caribbean with a free casino offer.  I just got off the phone with the Casino Department (my call was answered immediately), and I canceled for a 100 percent refund to original form of payment.  We had upgraded from free ocean view to FJS and also had purchased drink and voom packages, so it's a significant amount to be refunded ($3,760.87).  The final payment date for this cruise is September 8th, so I was able to cancel without any type of penalty.  They claim the refund can take up to 45 days.

[Iamcruzin]

20 hours ago, kw2963 said:

I know the cruise companies are cash strapped at the moment but this has left us feeling a bit cheated by Royal as they intentionally waited until after the payments were due to cancel.  Not great customer loyalty.

They are in survival mode. Customer loyalty is the lowest priority. If they can't get out of this situation soon they won't need customers.  Last week I had a customer squawking because I wouldn't let him in the store to shop. The store had been closed for 30 minutes and we were just knocking down the line letting customers out. He said, "I have been a customer for 20 yrs and this is how you are treating me"? My reply I have been an associate for 24 yrs and I'm still out of job whether you buy something or not. People just don't get it.

[drsel]

If every person/ company is jobless, broke or bankrupt then where has all the money gone?
Especially the three trillion dollars dumped into the economy by the US government

[Seville2Cabo]

4 hours ago, bigrednole said:

The cruise lines will know when enough is enough, give the loan money back so they don't lose ships and private islands, pay the rest off, and file for bankruptcy. I think this will happen by the end of the year if there is still a stalemate with the CDC.

They can’t do that.  Bankruptcy has a look back period, so you can’t pay select creditors and leave the rest hanging.  

[Jeff13]

If you cancel before final payment, you get your money back.  If you wait for them to cancel it, you get 120% of your money on a credit in the future.  We are going to cruise again, so it's a good deal.  As said, the interest is not that much.  RCI is not going bankrupt any time soon.  If this goes on for 2 years maybe, but by then the world will be such a different place, no one can predict what will happen.

 

We are making final payments when they are due.

 

What we are holding off on is buying packages for next year.  The 40% off deals are very tempting though.

[rcixfan5]

I know I am in the vast minority, but we are making final payments. The 25% is more than that money will make me elsewhere, and at least in the suites I am not seeing significant price increases year over year.

I have some FCC from a back to back I was on in March 2020, they kicked us off the ship for the second week. Since then we have had 2 cancelled, and I have 5 booked for 2021, using different ships, homeports, classes, some on Royal and some on Celebrity. Trying to maximize my odds of going someday.

Way I figure I will eventually go, and if RCG goes under the world is in much deeper financial problems than whatever I have “invested” with Royal.

[Iamcruzin]

6 hours ago, drsel said:

If every person/ company is jobless, broke or bankrupt then where has all the money gone?
Especially the three trillion dollars dumped into the economy by the US government

As one who was jobless March-June , mine went to paying monthly expenses. Those who still had a job weren’t receiving the $600 on top of unemployment. 

[KelJ]

On 8/10/2020 at 11:36 AM, KelJ said:

 

I was also booked on Anthem 12-7-20 12-night southern Caribbean with a free casino offer.  I just got off the phone with the Casino Department (my call was answered immediately), and I canceled for a 100 percent refund to original form of payment.  We had upgraded from free ocean view to FJS and also had purchased drink and voom packages, so it's a significant amount to be refunded ($3,760.87).  The final payment date for this cruise is September 8th, so I was able to cancel without any type of penalty.  They claim the refund can take up to 45 days.

 

Just to update, I received full refund yesterday, so it took ten days.

[NthernLgts]

On 8/9/2020 at 8:09 AM, Empehi said:

With final payments becoming due shortly for many November and December cruises in 2020,

what does the Cruise Critic universe think about making these payment?

 

I feel that there will be no cruises in November and December cruises seems highly unlikely.

 

I realize RCL needs the cash flow - but I believe they know there will be no cruising this year

and to take our money on cruises that will not happen seems they really do not respect their

customers.

 

I made mine but have no intention of actually going on the sailing in early December.  We have the same cruise already booked again for next December.  Before the final payment date for this year‘s cruise I rebooked the cabin to the lowest/cheapest possible category.  When I did that it eliminated the need for a final payment and I actually have over $400 coming back to my cc instead of paying another $600 final pymt.  If the cruise gets canceled I will either take a full refund or the 125% credit for next year‘s cruise.  If it doesn’t get canceled I’ll just have the amount I’ve already paid applied to next year‘s cruise.  Either way by switching cabins I was able to cut down the amount of out-of-pocket/final payment money due today by about $1000.

[Roger88]

14 hours ago, KelJ said:

 

Just to update, I received full refund yesterday, so it took ten days.

10 days on a refund these days sounds like a world record. I am very happy for you. One of other things you could do in here is share your personal experience and steps you took to get it fast. The last record I heard of was like 7 days. The guy kept calling the office like twice a day a whole week straight lol 

[baldilocks]

 

We did a FCC on an April, 2020 cruise to a Nov, 2020 cruise then 'lift and shifted' to an Oct. 2021 cruise. We hope that is safe. Meanwhile, we have a Feb. 2021 Celebrity cruise coming up. Final payment is due Oct. 2020. We are not buying any excursions, dining or other services until the cruise is a go. The chances are probably 50/50 to cruise. We have a Jan. 2022 Celebrity cruise reserved. If the 2021 and 2022 cruises don't go, the lines have gone bankrupt and we will be out about $10K. Not happy about that.

 

I think it is now better to buy gold and silver than buy a cruise. At least you have something in hand.

[Empehi]

I finally cancelled my Thanksgiving 2020 cruise (before final payment)  .... took my deposit in a FCC and plan to apply to a cruise booked for the first week December 2021. I didn't lift and shift because the 2021 cruise fare is substantially lower than if I were to lift and shift plus I would have to L&S  cruise almost on top of my current 2021 cruise.

[pcur]

On 8/10/2020 at 9:59 AM, drsel said:

If every person/ company is jobless, broke or bankrupt then where has all the money gone?
Especially the three trillion dollars dumped into the economy by the US government

 

Income and jobs are tanked; personal spending was up due to the stimulus checks and extra unemployment weekly benefit.  

[drsel]

 
Income and jobs are tanked; personal spending was up due to the stimulus checks and extra unemployment weekly benefit.  

But there are many third world countries which have given negligible stimulus checks

[KelJ]

On 8/22/2020 at 1:02 AM, Roger88 said:

10 days on a refund these days sounds like a world record. I am very happy for you. One of other things you could do in here is share your personal experience and steps you took to get it fast. The last record I heard of was like 7 days. The guy kept calling the office like twice a day a whole week straight lol 

 

I called the Casino Department on August 10th to cancel, and I received full refund (including cruise planner purchases) on August 20th.  No other steps were needed.  

[pcur]

On 8/10/2020 at 8:43 AM, Iamcruzin said:

They are in survival mode. Customer loyalty is the lowest priority. If they can't get out of this situation soon they won't need customers.  Last week I had a customer squawking because I wouldn't let him in the store to shop. The store had been closed for 30 minutes and we were just knocking down the line letting customers out. He said, "I have been a customer for 20 yrs and this is how you are treating me"? My reply I have been an associate for 24 yrs and I'm still out of job whether you buy something or not. People just don't get it.

 

I agree with you.  I have to keep reminding my husband that we cannot base our opinions on what "used to be", but on the current situation.  

[GadgetCat72]

We were booked on SOS on Dec 5, but I don’t see the US allowing Europeans in by then, or would be comfortable without a vaccine to do a cruise. So did a L&S to SOS Dec 4th with price guaranteed (only $19 more in port taxes) and final payment moved to September 2021. Happy that we could do the L&S, bummer that I don’t get to cruise again this year (was on SOS late February and loved it).
Here’s hoping that by then COVID is under control/or there is a working vaccine, we can fly to the US again & SOS is sailing. 

[Ashland]

On 8/10/2020 at 2:37 PM, Jeff13 said:

If you cancel before final payment, you get your money back.  If you wait for them to cancel it, you get 120% of your money on a credit in the future.  We are going to cruise again, so it's a good deal.  As said, the interest is not that much.  RCI is not going bankrupt any time soon.  If this goes on for 2 years maybe, but by then the world will be such a different place, no one can predict what will happen.

 

We are making final payments when they are due.

 

What we are holding off on is buying packages for next year.  The 40% off deals are very tempting though.

We got 125% on an FCC for our May 2020 RCI cancelled cruise...did that change to 120% now?

[Ourusualbeach]

43 minutes ago, Ashland said:

We got 125% on an FCC for our May 2020 RCI cancelled cruise...did that change to 120% now?

Must have been a typo.  It is still 125%