RCCL still wants final payment, but now they want less of it

[Petroplex]

My family is scheduled to sail on the Explorer in July, and our final payment date is soon. I owed them about $5300, and I was not inclined to make final payment- I don't think the ship sails, and that means I would be giving them an interest-free loan for several months. I would love to use that money for some other vacation this Summer. However, I also have a non-refundable deposit I can't get back (except as a FCC) unless I make the whole payment and they eventually cancel.

 

This morning I got the email requesting final payment. I was hoping RCCL would do something like Carnival did and extend final payment dates. That would let me have longer to see how things develop. They didn't do that, but they *did* apply a promo which wasn't originally available. Without me asking, my fare due decreased from $5300 to $3900. Sooooo...... good on them for proactively applying the discount, and that makes this sailing really attractive. Sadly, I still don't want to give them a $3900 interest free loan.

Edited March 28, 2021 by Petroplex

[Biker19]

44 minutes ago, Petroplex said:

Sadly, I still don't want to give them a $3900 interest free loan.

See if there's an even cheaper cabin to switch to so that you have less money tied up until RCI cancels and you get a refund.

[Cigar King]

Not sure what your deposit is, but, why not just cancel, assuming you don't want to go, and take the FCC for your presumably smaller deposit amount?  CWC should apply, although I would check with the TA before taking any action.

 

If you do want to to sail, then I would pay it and take my chances.  I have a couple June cruises, paid for.  If Royal does cancel I evaluate my options, although I have already done some preliminary planning in that department.

[crbonfiber]

Interest free loan for a few months on $3,900? How much will that be? 42 cents? lol

[CruisingHogFan]

46 minutes ago, crbonfiber said:

Interest free loan for a few months on $3,900? How much will that be? 42 cents? lol

Exactly! I laugh every time I see posts about how much money they are losing due to Royal taking a few months for a refund.

[RCCLNYMETS41]

Did they actually reduce the cost of your cruise, or they are just asking you to pay less than full at this point in time?

[orville99]

We have the equivalent of an OV cabin fare in our savings account, and haven't touched it in the last two years. In just a few more years we will have earned enough interest to buy a cup of coffee at long as we don't order a large.😁

[sfaaa]

1 hour ago, crbonfiber said:

Interest free loan for a few months on $3,900? How much will that be? 42 cents? lol

May be so but it may negatively affect his summer vacation budget on other alternatives.

[firefly333]

If the fare was reduced, I'd want to lift and shift to next year and wait to be cancelled. Not enough info to know.

[Petroplex]

8 hours ago, crbonfiber said:

Interest free loan for a few months on $3,900? How much will that be? 42 cents? lol

Fair. My original statement was poorly put. I shall rephrase- I do not think the cruise is going. I see no particular reason to be the one to finance their next round of refunds when I could do almost anything else with the money they would keep until they got around to returning it. 

[Petroplex]

7 hours ago, RCCLNYMETS41 said:

Did they actually reduce the cost of your cruise, or they are just asking you to pay less than full at this point in time?

They straight reduced the cost of my cruise.

[Spurschick]

I agree with post 9. 
 

If price reduced lift and shift and get the price protection.

[Ourusualbeach]

7 hours ago, firefly333 said:

If the fare was reduced, I'd want to lift and shift to next year and wait to be cancelled. Not enough info to know.

 

21 minutes ago, Spurschick said:

I agree with post 9. 
 

If price reduced lift and shift and get the price protection.

The dilemma is that lift and shift is not available until Royal cancels which will most likely be until after final payment which the OP doesn’t want to make. 

[JsMom2]

10 hours ago, Petroplex said:

Fair. My original statement was poorly put. I shall rephrase- I do not think the cruise is going. I see no particular reason to be the one to finance their next round of refunds when I could do almost anything else with the money they would keep until they got around to returning it. 

Or you can make 25% on your money by taking it in an FCC!  

[Casino Comp Chick]

19 hours ago, CruisingHogFan said:

Exactly! I laugh every time I see posts about how much money they are losing due to Royal taking a few months for a refund.

If it is on a credit card it is surely more than 42 cents assuming they use it as revolving credit.

[ONECRUISER]

20 hours ago, CruisingHogFan said:

Exactly! I laugh every time I see posts about how much money they are losing due to Royal taking a few months for a refund.

Yes some, too many, happened to in past. But over 9 Refunds in last 9 months, never took longer then 2-3 weeks. From Cruisers reporting on here sounds like thats the norm last couple months

[dodgestang]

Did they change you from a 9 night to a 6-7 night and not tell you yet?

[clochette]

I am really surprised that they would just reduce the fare, do you have a travel agent?

 

[Petroplex]

51 minutes ago, clochette said:

I am really surprised that they would just reduce the fare, do you have a travel agent?

 

I do not have a travel agent. Apparently, there was a subsequent promo for 60% off the second passenger. They just applied it without me asking for it, keeping the same base fare for the first, third, and fourth passengers.

 

When my cruise was cancelled last Summer, it took months. A lift and shift sounds great, save that I am in a 2 bedroom grand suite. There aren't a whole lot of those on any ship, which means the inventory into which I can shift isn't going to be huge. 

 

Yeah, this was a combination of a straight up price reduction (after deposit and before final payment) with wanting my money for a trip which is unlikely to sail.

[bouhunter]

On 3/28/2021 at 2:40 PM, crbonfiber said:

Interest free loan for a few months on $3,900? How much will that be? 42 cents? lol

Maybe a dollar 🙂

 

[cruisinfanatic]

4 hours ago, Casino Comp Chick said:

If it is on a credit card it is surely more than 42 cents assuming they use it as revolving credit.

That would be stupid to charge a cruise on a credit card with no intention of paying it off

[cruisinfanatic]

20 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

Last year I would have earned a few hundred dollars with that amount over 6 months. If you are only making cents, I would highly recommend talking to a financial advisor. 🤣

You don't make "a few hundred dollars" on a $3900 investment in 6 months without being in stocks

[Jimbo]

Assuming you Paid $100 deposit per person for a 5 day cruise and your final payment is only $5300 for a Grand Suite 2-bedroom and now get it reduced to only oweing $3900..........So $4300 in a Grand Suite 2-bedroom, 5 night cruise is a  outstanding price. 

I would pay it and look forward to lifting and shifting when the cruise gets canceled.

[OZ.]

 

On 3/28/2021 at 3:28 PM, CruisingHogFan said:

Exactly! I laugh every time I see posts about how much money they are losing due to Royal taking a few months for a refund.

I’m surprised so many have commented that they would laugh or that he is only losing X amount. If you go back and reread his statement he is saying that he doesn’t want Royal holding on to his money when he can keep it himself and use on something else. Makes sense. 
 

On 3/28/2021 at 4:30 PM, sfaaa said:

May be so but it may negatively affect his summer vacation budget on other alternatives.

👍🏻

[Goodtime Cruizin]

20 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

The dilemma is that lift and shift is not available until Royal cancels which will most likely be until after final payment which the OP doesn’t want to make. 

RCL is getting wise. So they drop the fare 25% to entice reservations to be paid. To me, it sounds like they know they aren't sailing. So instead of issuing a 125% on $5300, they issue it on $3900.  Those that pay end up getting a 125% FCC and RCL gets to save 25% on the original cruise fare and use the money too.