Another FCC Question

[kebrown]

Does anyone know if you can use a portion of a Future Cruise Credit to pay just the deposit amount on a cruise or do you have apply the whole credit to the cruise when you book it?  I have a FCC that I am going to use to pay for a cruise, but for now, I would rather just us it to pay the $900.00 deposit amount and I will apply the rest of the FCC to the remaining balance later.  Is it possible to do this?

[WesternBroncoCruiser]

I believe  you can split it up any way you like, but you need to call your travel agent or Celebrity to do it that way.

[Fouremco]

I've never considered the possibility of splitting FCCs in this manner. I'm curious as to what benefit you'd get from only paying the deposit amount now. I can understand not paying any more than you have to when it's money that you could be gaining (minimal) interest on, but with an FCC, I can't think of an advantage.

[Luvcrusn]

I was told by my TA that I could not use the FCC for the deposit.

[HskrCrsr]

22 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

I was told by my TA that I could not use the FCC for the deposit.

 

If you look at the FAQ (https://www.celebritycruises.com/travel-alert/frequently-asked-questions), go down to this question:

If I’m ready to rebook my Celebrity Cruises vacation, do I need to make my deposit today, or can I wait for my Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to arrive?

 

Part of that answer is "FCCs can be used only toward payment of cruise fares, including the deposits. If you have your FCC and choose to book online, you will not have to pay a separate deposit until the due date described above. Reminder, FCCs cannot be applied as payments towards taxes, fees, prepaid gratuities or MoveUp bids. "

 

[kebrown]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

I've never considered the possibility of splitting FCCs in this manner. I'm curious as to what benefit you'd get from only paying the deposit amount now. I can understand not paying any more than you have to when it's money that you could be gaining (minimal) interest on, but with an FCC, I can't think of an advantage.

The benefit of only paying the deposit now is that I can have the cruise fare repriced if the price goes down before final payment.  If I use the FCC to pay the balance in full now, I would not be able to obtain a price adjustment if the price on the cruise goes down several months from now.

[Luvcrusn]

1 minute ago, HskrCrsr said:

 

If you look at the FAQ (https://www.celebritycruises.com/travel-alert/frequently-asked-questions), go down to this question:

If I’m ready to rebook my Celebrity Cruises vacation, do I need to make my deposit today, or can I wait for my Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to arrive?

 

Part of that answer is "FCCs can be used only toward payment of cruise fares, including the deposits. If you have your FCC and choose to book online, you will not have to pay a separate deposit until the due date described above. Reminder, FCCs cannot be applied as payments towards taxes, fees, prepaid gratuities or MoveUp bids. "

 

Perhaps the difference is that I didn't book online or with X. I booked with my TA who had a group rate that was $1100 less pp than X rate and included more. That was worth it to us to book a refundable deposit paid out of pocket with the TA and then use the FCC for the balance. 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, kebrown said:

The benefit of only paying the deposit now is that I can have the cruise fare repriced if the price goes down before final payment.  If I use the FCC to pay the balance in full now, I would not be able to obtain a price adjustment if the price on the cruise goes down several months from now.

I was of the understanding that early payment in any amount above the deposit has no impact on one's ability to refare a booking prior to final payment. Can you direct me to the Celebrity webpage indicating that you lose the right to refare if you pay more than the deposit?

[kebrown]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I was of the understanding that early payment in any amount above the deposit has no impact on one's ability to refare a booking prior to final payment. Can you direct me to the Celebrity webpage indicating that you lose the right to refare if you pay more than the deposit?

I was told by a Celebrity agent that if you pay for the cruise in full and there is no balance due, you cannot have the fare repriced if the price you originally paid goes down.

[HskrCrsr]

4 minutes ago, kebrown said:

I was told by a Celebrity agent that if you pay for the cruise in full and there is no balance due, you cannot have the fare repriced if the price you originally paid goes down.

 

When is your cruise?

 

See this (https://www.celebritycruises.com/travel-alert/frequently-asked-questions) from their FAQ:

Which bookings are eligible for the Best Price Guarantee? 

Existing bookings and new bookings made May 6, 2020 through May 31, 2021, with departure dates through May 4, 2022, are eligible for the Best Price Guarantee.

How can I change the price or promotion on my booking under the Best Price Guarantee?

You may request a change in the cruise price and offer up to 48 hours prior to the departure date. You must contact your travel advisor or call Celebrity Cruises at 1-800-437-3111 in North America or (316) 554-5961 worldwide at least 48 hours prior to sailing. You may change the price and offer as many times as desired up to 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the sailing. If Celebrity Cruises’ “best price guarantee” results in a decrease in the guest’s cruise fare after the Final Payment due date, then the difference will be provided to guests in the form of a non-refundable onboard credit for use on the guest’s cruise.  If our “best price guarantee” results in a decrease in the guest’s cruise fare before the Final Payment due date, the difference will be provided in a rate adjustment. Certain promotions will be excluded from the policy. A list of exclusions will be provided.

Where does Celebrity’s original Best Price Guarantee apply?

Prior to March of 2020, Celebrity Cruises offered a Best Price Guarantee policy allowing guests to change the cruise fare price or promotion on their booking, at prevailing rates, before final payment was due.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cruise With Confidence program was launched allowing guests the opportunity to change their price or promotion or even cancel their sailing up to 48 hours prior to sailing.  Currently, Cruise With Confidence is available through 5/31/21 on sailings departing on or before 5/4/22.  All sailings departing on 5/5/22 or after would be covered by the original Best Price Guarantee program.

It sounds like the agent is mistaken. Others have often posted about getting credits for reduced fares or even cabin upgrades.

 

I hope someone will correct me if I am in error.

[Fouremco]

21 minutes ago, kebrown said:

I was told by a Celebrity agent that if you pay for the cruise in full and there is no balance due, you cannot have the fare repriced if the price you originally paid goes down.

Anyone with a refundable deposit could cancel the booking and rebook using the new fare. Someone with a non-refundable deposit could do the same thing, although it would have to be a pretty decent price drop to make it worthwhile. As Celebrity agents are known to provide incorrect information occasionally, you might want to double check if you have any difficulty splitting your FCC. I hope that it all works out for you.

[JsMom2]

21 hours ago, kebrown said:

Does anyone know if you can use a portion of a Future Cruise Credit to pay just the deposit amount on a cruise or do you have apply the whole credit to the cruise when you book it?  I have a FCC that I am going to use to pay for a cruise, but for now, I would rather just us it to pay the $900.00 deposit amount and I will apply the rest of the FCC to the remaining balance later.  Is it possible to do this?

Do not even try this.  There are too many issues with FCCs, and you will cause problems for yourself later, even if you could get someone to try to do this for you.  The FCC is intended to be used in total on a single booking. If there is anything left over it is reissued as a new FCC. I don’t believe the real time redemption tool will even allow a partial use, if there is still a balance on the booking.  But trust me, as someone who spent hours upon hours adjusting FCCs, I can tell you there is no advantage to you to even try this.  

[JsMom2]

18 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

I was told by my TA that I could not use the FCC for the deposit.

That is normally true.  However if you have a suspended sailing or cruise with confidence FCC, it can be applied in lieu of deposit, as long as it is enough to cover the deposit amount. If you have an FCC coming to you, you can request to extend the deposit date on your new cruise, so that you can use the FCC. 

[JsMom2]

18 hours ago, kebrown said:

The benefit of only paying the deposit now is that I can have the cruise fare repriced if the price goes down before final payment.  If I use the FCC to pay the balance in full now, I would not be able to obtain a price adjustment if the price on the cruise goes down several months from now.

That is not true.  The best price guarantee allows you to reprice your cruise up until final payment date - whether you have paid final or not.  After the final payment date,  you would receive any difference in cruise fare as an OBC.  If you reprice your cruise after the FCC is applied, then your booking would show an overpayment, and you would be issued a new FCC for the difference.  

Edited April 6, 2021 by JsMom2

[JsMom2]

18 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

Perhaps the difference is that I didn't book online or with X. I booked with my TA who had a group rate that was $1100 less pp than X rate and included more. That was worth it to us to book a refundable deposit paid out of pocket with the TA and then use the FCC for the balance. 

You can use an FCC for deposit even with a group.  Once you put cash on the booking, the real time redemption tool will only allow you to use the FCC for the balance due, even if the FCC has more money on it.  If your TA has a bundled rate that includes transfers etc, then it may not even be possible to refare.  But otherwise the best price guarantee still applies.  

[Luvcrusn]

23 minutes ago, JsMom2 said:

You can use an FCC for deposit even with a group.  Once you put cash on the booking, the real time redemption tool will only allow you to use the FCC for the balance due, even if the FCC has more money on it.  If your TA has a bundled rate that includes transfers etc, then it may not even be possible to refare.  But otherwise the best price guarantee still applies.  

Our FCC is unusual. We boarded a cruise on March 13, 2020 that was cut short because of the Covid world shutdown and returned to port after 4 nights. We were refunded our full fare and issued a 50% FCC. When we booked our next cruise our TA, who we have used for many years, they said we could not use the FCC for the deposit. It really doesn't matter to us because the FCC will pay for the balance still due and as I posted earlier, the TA rate was $1100 per person less than X rates at the time and included much more. Even if X rates come down significantly I cannot imagine they would reduce enough to ever reprice this booking! 

[JsMom2]

27 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

Our FCC is unusual. We boarded a cruise on March 13, 2020 that was cut short because of the Covid world shutdown and returned to port after 4 nights. We were refunded our full fare and issued a 50% FCC. When we booked our next cruise our TA, who we have used for many years, they said we could not use the FCC for the deposit. It really doesn't matter to us because the FCC will pay for the balance still due and as I posted earlier, the TA rate was $1100 per person less than X rates at the time and included much more. Even if X rates come down significantly I cannot imagine they would reduce enough to ever reprice this booking! 

Yes those FCCs aren’t included in the cruise with confidence or suspended sailing category.  Your TA will probably need to send it to coupons@rccl.com to get it applied.  

[Luvcrusn]

5 minutes ago, JsMom2 said:

Yes those FCCs aren’t included in the cruise with confidence or suspended sailing category.  Your TA will probably need to send it to coupons@rccl.com to get it applied.  

It's non a problem.  As I said,  they will apply it to the balance due and it will pay for the booking when combined with our deposit. 

[Luvcrusn]

1 hour ago, JsMom2 said:

Yes those FCCs aren’t included in the cruise with confidence or suspended sailing category.  Your TA will probably need to send it to coupons@rccl.com to get it applied.  

Not worried.  Our TA is a very large online agency that knows its way around the cruiselines and has great working relationships with all of them. It's all good!

[JsMom2]

3 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

It's non a problem.  As I said,  they will apply it to the balance due and it will pay for the booking when combined with our deposit. 

Yes I understand that.  But the FCC real time redemption tool doesn’t recognize those FCCs.  Your TA may be able to apply in Cruising Power, but if she can’t, she will need to email them in.  It’s not a problem, but it does take more time to get them applied.  

[Luvcrusn]

8 minutes ago, JsMom2 said:

Yes I understand that.  But the FCC real time redemption tool doesn’t recognize those FCCs.  Your TA may be able to apply in Cruising Power, but if she can’t, she will need to email them in.  It’s not a problem, but it does take more time to get them applied.  

This seems to only be concerning to you. Both I and the TA I use have no problem applying our FCC. Whether the deposit requirement is by my TA or X doesn't matter to me. The TA has no problem applying it. They have the FCC #s and will do it at time of final payment.  I have no problem paying a fully refundable deposit. The mechanics of how it's done are irrelevant to me as long as it gets done, which it will, if my next sailing actually happens. As I said, the TA is not a small local agency but a large TA who deals with all cruise lines and has a very excellent working relationship with them all. We have used them without any issues for well over 15 years and have been nothing less than completely satisfied with their knowledge, service and rates during that time. Happy sails and don't sweat the small stuff. 

[JsMom2]

3 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

This seems to only be concerning to you. Both I and the TA I use have no problem applying our FCC. Whether the deposit requirement is by my TA or X doesn't matter to me. The TA has no problem applying it. They have the FCC #s and will do it at time of final payment.  I have no problem paying a fully refundable deposit. The mechanics of how it's done are irrelevant to me as long as it gets done, which it will, if my next sailing actually happens. As I said, the TA is not a small local agency but a large TA who deals with all cruise lines and has a very excellent working relationship with them all. We have used them without any issues for well over 15 years and have been nothing less than completely satisfied with their knowledge, service and rates during that time. Happy sails and don't sweat the small stuff. 

I’m sorry if you think I was insulting your travel agent. I’m just a few weeks removed from working the other side of these FCCs.  I was the person who did the “fixing”.  The fact that your FCC isn’t included in the CWC or suspended sailing category, was something that wasn’t known to the reservations departments, until we started having issues.  So I just wanted to let you know that the TA will need to email it in.  It’s not something that can be done over the phone at this time. Just wanted to make things as smooth as possible for you.  (Even the largest agencies can’t keep up with all of the policies and changes for every vendor, especially right now).  I’m not concerned about your deposit.  You are correct.  You can pay the deposit and then apply the FCC.  

[Luvcrusn]

19 minutes ago, JsMom2 said:

I’m sorry if you think I was insulting your travel agent. I’m just a few weeks removed from working the other side of these FCCs.  I was the person who did the “fixing”.  The fact that your FCC isn’t included in the CWC or suspended sailing category, was something that wasn’t known to the reservations departments, until we started having issues.  So I just wanted to let you know that the TA will need to email it in.  It’s not something that can be done over the phone at this time. Just wanted to make things as smooth as possible for you.  (Even the largest agencies can’t keep up with all of the policies and changes for every vendor, especially right now).  I’m not concerned about your deposit.  You are correct.  You can pay the deposit and then apply the FCC.  

I didn't think you were insulting my TA, no worries. I have the FCC emails and have given the TA the numbers.  They have everything recorded.  It's all good!

[scidee]

An other FCC question.   Our 4th cruise just got cancelled which was expensive and paid for using FCC and cash  The FCC's are piling up and have more FCC than we owe on our upcoming cruises.  We now have 4 cruises scheduled in an 8 month period and really don't need to book another.  So here's two questions can FCC be used to pay for airline tickets if booked through Celebrity??? I'm thinking "no" but hoping "yes".  Also if we can only use part of an FCC can we request the remainder in cash at 100%?

[Fouremco]

13 minutes ago, scidee said:

An other FCC question.   Our 4th cruise just got cancelled which was expensive and paid for using FCC and cash  The FCC's are piling up and have more FCC than we owe on our upcoming cruises.  We now have 4 cruises scheduled in an 8 month period and really don't need to book another.  So here's two questions can FCC be used to pay for airline tickets if booked through Celebrity??? I'm thinking "no" but hoping "yes".  Also if we can only use part of an FCC can we request the remainder in cash at 100%?

Unfortunately, unless there's been a recent change that I've missed, the answer to both is "no".