Royal’s Non Refundable Deposit (NRD) program no longer gives FCC

[RobInMN]

3 hours ago, idamae3218 said:

Online reservations does not offer an option without NRD;

 

6 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

It didn't.  You can easily book a refundable deposit when booking online.  It is available to select on the screen immediately after you enter your personal information.

 

I didn't catch this statement earlier, but that could be true depending on exactly what was booked (OP didn't specify). I believe everything above JS does not allow or have the option for a refundable booking, they are NRD only. Refundable deposits are only available on JS & below. According to another popular blog site, the elimination of refundable deposits on suites was made in summer 2017.

 

[Tree_skier]

5 minutes ago, RobInMN said:

 

 

I didn't catch this statement earlier, but that could be true depending on exactly what was booked (OP didn't specify). I believe everything above JS does not allow or have the option for a refundable booking, they are NRD only. Refundable deposits are only available on JS & below. According to another popular blog site, the elimination of refundable deposits on suites was made in summer 2017.

 

True, my bad... I should have been more specific.  This is true for JS's and below.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Does your travel insurance cover any of the lost deposit?

[Starry Eyes]

I am sorry this happened.  It is important to change reservations rather than cancel them.

 

Our booking experiences differ though.  When I booked online, I there was an option to select a refundable deposit as described by others.  In my case, it did not seem worthwhile, as the increased fare was more than the change fee; I understand that means change the date/ship.

 

When booking by phone recently, I was also asked (then asked again to verify my answer) if I wanted the refundable rate. I remember this well because it was a last minute booking, already in penalty phase (I did not pay more for refundable deposit 🤣)

 

 

[firefly333]

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

So you can no longer pay the $100 per person change fee and move your money to another cruise ship and different date? If that is the case, it's no longer good to book ahead. Just book a month or so before when you are sure you are going to sail on that date.

 

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Hence why it's called non-refundable. That's how deposits work basically everywhere in the world.

Jimbo surely you have enough experience to have read threads since june 1 and knew covid leniency was over. Book refundable. Get a TA and book refundable deposits at group rates dont cost extra. It's been almost 3 months since cwc ended. I thought it might have extended if you booked before it ended for cruises thru sept 30. I find it hard to believe you didnt know the policy. 

 

Smokey is right. Nonrefundable means you dont get refunded. Everything on rcl I have booked goimg forward is refundable. ..except my carnival cruise. 

[vjmatty]

4 hours ago, idamae3218 said:

I’m really disappointed in Royal. It’s been our go to cruise line for almost 20 years. First cruise was in 2001. 
 

I just learned that as of 6/1/22, their NRD program no longer gives Future Cruise Credit (FCC) if you cancel. 
I called on 6/2/22 and put three cabins on hold for our family vacation in June of 2023. My family was ok with the date and price, so on 6/3/22 I paid the deposits for all three. 
 

Last week we discovered the date in June no longer worked for us, so I called Royal to cancel. I expected at most to pay the $100pp penalty fee. But no, Royal kept the whole deposit. 
 

They said even though I called and no one told about the new policy, it was in the terms in the reservation they sent me when I put it on hold. Even though the $100pp change penalty is there, it doesn’t say they no longer give FCC.

 

We are out $1500 and did not receive anything.  After I cancelled I remembered my husband and I had another cruise planned with a group. So I called Royal back, asked for Resolution dept. I requested they apply my cabin’s deposit to this cruise. No go. 
 

I feel like it’s a money grab. Like airlines have with  baggage and seat fees. They get the our deposit and 10 months to fill the three cabins. 
 

Royal could have shown some good will to a loyal customer by salvaging part of our $1500 deposit.
 

Don’t get taken by Royal. Online reservations does not offer an option without NRD; and over the phone the agent does not mention a non NRD option.
 

I can’t believe it. Almost twenty years of cruising with Royal is over. Their methods are sneaky and deceptive. 

Now we’re looking into MSC cruises. They have newer ships that leave from our area.   

 

Did you use a travel agent or an RC vacation planner? Usually if you are going to cancel through a TA or RC they ask if you want to apply the deposit minus $100pp to another cruise so you don't lose the entire deposit.

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

 

Another great reason why I book using my great TA.  Not only is he clear about what is being offered, he offers great group space rates through his agency that are always fully refundable. 

Does he give out plastic straws as a perk?

Edited August 23, 2022 by Jimbo

[Jimbo]

57 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

 

Jimbo surely you have enough experience to have read threads since june 1 and knew covid leniency was over. Book refundable. Get a TA and book refundable deposits at group rates dont cost extra. It's been almost 3 months since cwc ended. I thought it might have extended if you booked before it ended for cruises thru sept 30. I find it hard to believe you didnt know the policy. 

 

Smokey is right. Nonrefundable means you dont get refunded. Everything on rcl I have booked goimg forward is refundable. ..except my carnival cruise. 

All I'm asking has the policy changed  where you can book a  nonrefundable rate............and if you have to change the ship and sail date can you still pay the  $100 fee per person to move to another ship and sailing date.

 

NOT ASKING about CWC..........I know CWC ended.......but that wasn't my question. Has what I wrote above in this post changed?

[RobInMN]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

All I'm asking has the policy changed  where you can book a  nonrefundable rate............and if you have to change the ship and sail date can you still pay the  $100 fee per person to move to another ship and sailing date.

 

No. This has not changed. I believe the OP was confusing cancelling with changing (as well as CWC). If you look at your cruise receipt or google the RC website, the $100pp change fee to change date and/or ship is still there and valid.

 

[Tree_skier]

Nope, I just can't do it.

Edited August 23, 2022 by Tree_skier

[idamae3218]

5 hours ago, RobInMN said:

I never tried to cancel a cruise pre-pandemic, but from my understanding of the definition of NRD, this sounds correct to me. If you want to cancel out-right, you loose your deposit. I would believe that this would have been the result for years pre-pandemic. During COVID, they added additional flexibility to encourage people to continue to book cruises, and apparently they don't feel like they need this anymore.

However, a change should still result in the $100pp change fee. This is probably what you were thinking of when you thought you could cancel for $100pp. The change fee would be for changing your booking to a new cruise (you are booking as part of the change), and as such, it would make sense that they won't let you merge the value into another already existing booking. This I did do once pre-pandemic.

Obviously you are currently upset, but if RC has been your go-to for over 20 years, I would just sit on the existing booking until you find another cruise that suites your schedule and pay the $100pp change fee.

From my most recent updated Cruise Vacation Receipt 10 days ago:

"These deposits are non-refundable and a change fee of $100 USD per guest will apply for ship or sail date changes."

Actually, that’s incorrect. NRD, non refundable deposit, you did not receive a refund, but a credit, minus the change fee. You can research this that as of 5/31/22 FCC was stopped. 

I have booked groups with Royal several times. Deposits use to be fully refundable if you cancelled before final payment. NRD is recent (last few years) and is the default for online reservations. No option for refundable deposits. Over the phone, they don’t offer refundable fares.
 

Why is that? Without FCC, if you cancel, Royal can basically keep the deposit fees of anyone that doesn’t have another cruise to book. What reputable travel company does that? A booking almost a year away should be able to receive a refund or at least a credit. 

Btw, we have several other vacations planned over the next few years and do not have any availability. I would cancel the other cruise, that’s 5+ months away, but don’t want to lose another deposit. 
 

Royal’s business model has changed too much for my family. If it works for you, great. 

[mac_tlc]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

 

Jimbo surely you have enough experience to have read threads since june 1 and knew covid leniency was over. Book refundable. Get a TA and book refundable deposits at group rates dont cost extra. It's been almost 3 months since cwc ended. I thought it might have extended if you booked before it ended for cruises thru sept 30. I find it hard to believe you didnt know the policy. 

 

Smokey is right. Nonrefundable means you dont get refunded. Everything on rcl I have booked goimg forward is refundable. ..except my carnival cruise. 

It has nothing to do with Covid leniency. Pre Covid , if you changed ship or sail date, you incurred a $100 fee and the remainder of your non-refundable deposit was returned as an FCC. That second part is what changed 6/1. 
 

CWC went further so you did not incur the $100 fee. 
 

This change has been mischaracterized as just going back to pre-Covid . It’s not that.

 

mac_tlc

[Another_Critic]

3 hours ago, RobInMN said:

 

 

I didn't catch this statement earlier, but that could be true depending on exactly what was booked (OP didn't specify). I believe everything above JS does not allow or have the option for a refundable booking, they are NRD only. Refundable deposits are only available on JS & below. According to another popular blog site, the elimination of refundable deposits on suites was made in summer 2017.

 

I don't think GTY rates offer refundable deposit.

[mac_tlc]

4 hours ago, RobInMN said:

 

I'd like to hear from someone that flat out cancelled a cruise with NRD pre-pandemic. Everything I have seen in my past cruise statements states that you can either pay $100 change fee to change ship and/or date, or you loose your NRD to cancel. There is a cancellation schedule for how much you get back of all paid amounts above the NRD from 100% (minus NRD) before final payment to 0% within 30 days. And that hasn't really changed. No where has it ever mentioned getting any form of FCC. AFAIK, FCC only existed as part of Cruise with Confidence and the pandemic changes/promotions.

 

I have done it. I cancelled a cruise. was issued an FCC for deposit-$100 per person. Later applied that FCC to a previously booked cruise. The cruise was cancelled before the final payment was due.

 

Once CWC went into effect, they basically waived the $100 fee and the entire deposit was returned as an FCC. Unfortunately, I did this a number of times in 2020-2021. 
 

I have even cancelled cruises in late-2022 and early-2023 that were not eligible for CWC, and were treated the same as pre-CWC NRD’s. Lost $100 per person, remainder of deposit returned as FCC.

 

mac_tlc

Edited August 23, 2022 by mac_tlc

[GJustice]

3 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

It didn't.  You can easily book a refundable deposit when booking online.  It is available to select on the screen immediately after you enter your personal information.

It's not ALWAYS there 🙂 Seems to be some magic algorithm, POSSIBLY linked to GTY versus PickYourOwn cabin selection.

[mac_tlc]

3 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Yes, pre-COVID NRD was lost:

 

 

No it wasn’t. Only $100 was lost. If you want to see what Royal was like pre-Covid, look at Celebrity’s current policy. 
 

You never get the actual cash back from a non-refundable deposit. That doesn’t mean that the prior policy didn’t issue funds (FCC) that had to be reused within a certain timeframe. 
 

mac_tlc

Edited August 23, 2022 by mac_tlc

[Another_Critic]

6 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

No it wasn’t. Only $100 was lost. If you want to see what Royal was like pre-Covid, look at Celebrity’s current policy. 
 

You never get the actual cash back from a non-refundable deposit. That doesn’t mean that the prior policy did issue funds that had to be reused within a certain timeframe. 
 

mac_tlc

Okay, but it's really a moot point now that the policy has changed ... for the worse.

 

P.S.  The majority (all?) of my NRD cruises pre-Covid were booked after final payment, so I haven't cancelled any.

 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Another_Critic

[mac_tlc]

2 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Okay, but it's really a moot point now that the policy has changed ... for the worse.

 

P.S.  The majority of my cruises pre-Covid were booked after final payment, so I haven't cancelled any.

 

I agree with that 😂. But it is a change for the worse for the customer and has been, I think, conveniently timed to appear more like a pandemic-related change, or return to pre-Covid policy.
 

I wish I could find attractive options past FP….. that removes a lot of uncertainty.

 

mac_tlc

[RobInMN]

26 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

I don't think GTY rates offer refundable deposit.

I believe I read that is also correct. I should have added something to that effect.

[Tree_skier]

1 hour ago, idamae3218 said:

No option for refundable deposits

You keep saying that but it is simply not true.

 

Please note, immediately after entering your personal information prior to booking online, you see this screen.  There is a prominently displayed line with check box that allows you to select a refundable deposit. If you booked a JS or below online you would have had to skip over this screen to actually book a non-refundable cruise.

 

This can also be done when booking over the phone by simply requesting a refundable deposit when you are talking to the agent.

Edited August 23, 2022 by Tree_skier

[Tree_skier]

26 minutes ago, GJustice said:

It's not ALWAYS there 🙂 Seems to be some magic algorithm, POSSIBLY linked to GTY versus PickYourOwn cabin selection.

You are right, I forgot about guaranteed cabins as I never ever book those.  One more reason not to.

 

Thanks/

[RobInMN]

24 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

I have done it. I cancelled a cruise. was issued an FCC for deposit-$100 per person. Later applied that FCC to a previously booked cruise. The cruise was cancelled before the final payment was due.

 

Once CWC went into effect, they basically waived the $100 fee and the entire deposit was returned as an FCC. Unfortunately, I did this a number of times in 2020-2021. 
 

I have even cancelled cruises in late-2022 and early-2023 that were not eligible for CWC, and were treated the same as pre-CWC NRD’s. Lost $100 per person, remainder of deposit returned as FCC.

 

mac_tlc

Interesting.

 

Could that be less on official policy and more at a CR's discretion ? All listed documentation I have seen, including on my old cruise documents, only points to what I would consider a standard definition of "Non-Refundable". That the $100pp change fee is just that, for changing dates and/or ships. Nothing about a "change" including "Cancel" such that you can cancel minus the $100. Even the Cancellation schedule, which is still the same pre & post pandemic, implies that you will loose your NRD.

 

BTW, Yes, Unfortunately, like many of us, I was forced to do the whole FCC re-book thing during the pandemic also. But hey, in the end I parlayed everything into a good portion of a B2B 24 night total Arctic Circle and Iceland & Ireland.😁 that we just returned from about a month ago.

 

 

[nelblu]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

Another great reason why I book using my great TA.  Not only is he clear about what is being offered, he offers great group space rates through his agency that are always fully refundable. 

Better than that, I book on board and only have a $100 pp risk.😀

[molly361]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

I don't think GTY rates offer refundable deposit.

I was just coming to say the same thing although some had said they have been able to get the refundable but terms say no for guarantees as well as full suites

[idamae3218]

9 hours ago, idamae3218 said:

I’m really disappointed in Royal. It’s been our go to cruise line for almost 20 years. First cruise was in 2001. 
 

I just learned that as of 6/1/22, their NRD program no longer gives Future Cruise Credit (FCC) if you cancel. 
I called on 6/2/22 and put three cabins on hold for our family vacation in June of 2023. My family was ok with the date and price, so on 6/3/22 I paid the deposits for all three. 
 

Last week we discovered the date in June no longer worked for us, so I called Royal to cancel. I expected at most to pay the $100pp penalty fee. But no, Royal kept the whole deposit. 
 

They said even though I called and no one told about the new policy, it was in the terms in the reservation they sent me when I put it on hold. Even though the $100pp change penalty is there, it doesn’t say they no longer give FCC.

 

We are out $1500 and did not receive anything.  After I cancelled I remembered my husband and I had another cruise planned with a group. So I called Royal back, asked for Resolution dept. I requested they apply my cabin’s deposit to this cruise. No go. 
 

I feel like it’s a money grab. Like airlines have with  baggage and seat fees. They get the our deposit and 10 months to fill the three cabins. 
 

Royal could have shown some good will to a loyal customer by salvaging part of our $1500 deposit.
 

Don’t get taken by Royal. Online reservations does not offer an option without NRD; and over the phone the agent does not mention a non NRD option.
 

I can’t believe it. Almost twenty years of cruising with Royal is over. Their methods are sneaky and deceptive. 

Now we’re looking into MSC cruises. They have newer ships that leave from our area.   

I appreciate the responses from most. But the ones about how I could look for the refundable rate online or that over the phone some of you were asked, (I was not & the phone recording confirms that), or if….

 

 I do not believe that because a company supposedly gives you a discount on a product, that you should be able to get a credit if you cancel. As I mentioned in another reply, I’ve booked several groups with them and deposits use to be fully refundable if you canceled before final payment. I probably didn’t pay attention to when NRD started as we’ve never cancelled (outside of Covid). 
 

Royal taking our money while providing no service versus giving a credit for a future cruise to keep their customers coming back, only leads me to believe that their business model includes collecting fees as a priority.  
 

If you’re ok with Royal doing business this way, cool. But please don’t try to make this policy sound ok. It’s not.

 

Even they greedy dollar grabbing ($ for bags, seats, food) mainstream airlines give their customers credit.