kalaniiwow

Wow... I booked Independence of the Seas for Sept 2020 in Europe and they canceled the cruise (they moved Independence to the Caribbean instead). They gave us a really nice cruise credit (about 25% of what our cruise was supposed to cost). We re-booked for a different ship (Jewel) in Oct 2020 instead. I'm pretty happy, cause the new cruise was cheaper by a bit AND we got a nice credit.

We went on Allure with a group of 5 and for our trip it was actually cheaper to get 2 adjoining cabins than one of the suites that sleeps 5. I am SO glad we did because that extra bathroom and extra room was so nice to have.

If Allure is sailing out of Port Everglades and you do the 1st thing in the morning self disembark, you will be fine to make your flight. The airport is not far from the port.

I was pretty upset about it at first...

But we booked Jewel for a 12-day Mediterranean Greek Isles cruise out of Barcelona in October instead, for significantly cheaper, plus almost $2000 in FCC. I think overall it will actually work out better. 🙂 Spending a few days in London, then Paris, then cruising out of Barcelona instead of just London and cruising out of Southampton.

I won't get to be on the ship during my birthday like I originally planned, but the Anthem cruises available just weren't appealing to me.

43 minutes ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Aghhhhh....

 

In a nutshell that’s our wedding anniversary holiday gone up the spout...after spending loads of effort and time researching etc

 

novice cruiser sailed once with NCL and Royal Caribbean, so maybe a case of once bitten twice shy...

 

That said is 25% credit confirmed off total cruise fare, or just deposit paid??

 

Need a drink before I tell the wife!!!

 

Confirmed cruise fare according to their twitter. They corrected themselves.

OK, they changed their minds on twitter. It's now 25% FCC based on the fare (no matter what you've actually paid as a deposit).

On twitter they're definitely making it VERY clear the FCC is only for what you've paid. Like if you paid a $100 deposit you will only get a $25 FCC.

2 minutes ago, rattla said:

 

Apparently people are speaking to RC on twitter etc and being told they are only getting FCC on the monies physically paid to that point.

Maybe it’s different in UK to US.   I’ve already seen the cancellation letter someone In the US got was very different to what those In the UK received. 

The UK one simply talks about full refund, FCC of the amount PAID and refund non-refundable of air/hotel costs.

 

The letter US person received talks of cabin grade price protection and extra OBC on top of that!

I'm from the US and here's my letter:

Dear Guest,

We are reaching out to let you know that, regrettably, we must cancel our Independence of the Seas September 12, 2020 cruise. We sincerely apologize for the impact to your vacation and understand your disappointment. Please know, when we have to make these difficult decisions, we explore all options. In this case, our main priority was to share this news with you as soon as possible to ensure that we give you as much time to find an alternate sailing.

As a cruise line, we constantly look at where we deploy our ships to give guests the most desired destinations and experiences. This led us to keep Independence of the Seas in the Caribbean in 2020, due to her large success there and the evolution of our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Nevertheless, we’re happy to share that the beautiful Anthem of the Seas will be back in Southampton sailing to many extraordinary European destinations! Anthem of the Seas has something for everyone; from thrill-seeking adventures to perfect epicurean delights, this ship offers cutting edge experiences for everyone in your party. And, Allure of the Seas & Explorer of the Seas will also be in Europe sailing out of Barcelona and Rome, respectively.

Due to this cancellation, we will process a full refund of all monies paid to the original form of payment, including any non-refundable deposits. We will begin processing refunds today, and depending on your banking institution or method of payment, you should start seeing these refunds by May 17^th, 2019 or sooner.

Also, to help make up for this inconvenience, we’d like to provide all of our guests with the following compensation offer:

• A Future Cruise Credit valued at 25% of your cruise fare paid on your cancelled sailing. You can expect to receive your Future Cruise Credit via email by May 13^th, 2019 in hopes you’ll come sail with us on another cruise.
• In addition, if you already booked your air, you’ll be reimbursed for non-refundable airline charges with receipts (up to $200 per guest for Domestic flights and up to $400 per guest for International flights). Please email your airline receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.

Click here to view some alternate Anthem of the Seas 2020 itineraries that are most similar to what you originally booked. If you prefer a different itinerary and ship, you’re welcome to select any Royal Caribbean International sailing and use your Future Cruise Credit. And, don’t forget, Independence of the Seas will be sailing out of Southampton this summer, if you want to catch her before she moves to the Caribbean. Click here to view Independence of the Seas 2019 summer itineraries.

It’s important to us that you find the best vacation option. We kindly ask that you call us at (800) 256-6649 by May 16^th 2019 to advise which sail date you’d like to be rebooked on. Our teams are standing by to assist you with finding the perfect cruise.

Lastly, any pre-paid amenities, packages, or shore excursions will be refunded to the original form of payment within 7-10 business days.

Thank you for understanding. We hope you find another cruise vacation with us. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge – we have no doubt your time with us will be nothing short of amazing. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Sincerely,

Here are some helpful answers to questions you may have.

Why is my sailing being cancelled?

Your sailing is being cancelled because we’re making changes to our 2020 season that require the Independence of the Seas to remain in the Caribbean, instead of sailing to Southampton.

Our goal is provide our guests with the best itineraries that take you to exclusive parts of the world and have decided to make these changes for the 2020 season to maximize our capacity in the Caribbean. We are terribly sorry. We know this news is disappointing. We do hope you find an alternate vacation option with us.

Do you think you’ll stop operating ships out of the UK?

Absolutely not – the UK is a key market for us.

Where will Independence of the Seas sail from?

Independence of the Seas will continue to sail from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Is it true that Anthem of the Seas will replace Independence of the Seas in Southampton?

Anthem of the Seas is actually already sailing out of Southampton next year, so she isn’t replacing Independence of the Seas. And, Allure of the Seas & Explorer of the Seas will also be in Europe sailing out of Barcelona and Rome, respectively.

What kind of itineraries will Anthem of the Seas be sailing?

She will be sailing Transatlantic, Spain & Portugal, France & Spain, Northern Europe, Italy, plus more!

Why aren’t you moving me to an Anthem of the Seas sailing?

We want to make sure you find the perfect cruise. So, whether you choose to sail on a similar itinerary on Anthem of the Seas, or you decide you want to do a completely different itinerary, we want it to be your choice.

Are any other ships doing European itineraries?

Yes, Allure of the Seas will sail out of Barcelona & Explorer of the Seas will sail out of Rome in 2020.

What if my reservation had Future Cruise Credits applied?

Your FCC will be reinstated and once you are ready to apply it to a new reservation we will be happy to do so.

What if my cancelled sailing was a NextCruise booking?

NextCruise OBCs applied for Independence cancelled sailings can be reapplied to new bookings.

Wow... I am so upset. I waited for nearly a year for these sailings to open, booked on one of the first days they were open to get the exact room I wanted (a balcony off the back of the ship) for the Canaries/North Africa cruise in Sept 2020 which was over my 40th birthday and which was also planned to coincide with a London trip. The ONE remaining itinerary on Anthem during that time period doesn't have the room type I wanted available and doesn't include some of the stops that I really wanted (Morocco, Normandy, etc).

I know this is totally #firstworldproblems but damn, I am really really upset. This was a huge trip for me (a bucket list 40th birthday trip) that I've spent dozens and dozens of hours researching and planning. Now that's all in the drain and I have to figure out something else.

VERY easy. The airport is not far from the port. Just self disembark anytime before 8am. You'll be fine to make it to FLL in PLENTY of time.

They're a bit annoying to redeem and you can only use them for specific things. My brother got one for my husband and we could not use it in cruise planner for booking excursions or drink packages. We were told we could have used it towards the cost of paying off the cruise, but we had already paid in full at that point. We had to wait and use it as OBC (and you have to redeem it at least 10 days prior to your cruise or you can't use it on board, allegedly).

Mine had no listed expiration date that I can recall. We used it about 8 months after we got it.

MDR is one of my favorite parts of cruising. I love sitting at a table every night with the same people and the same servers. We made friends with everyone at our table during our last cruise and ended up doing activities on ship with them.

We checked out WJ for lunch this past cruise on Allure and it was alright. Perhaps dinner is better? I thought the food in the MDR was excellent. :) Husband and I prefer Solarium Bistro for breakfast/lunch buffets compared to the WJ.

It was medical. Ambulance took a female off. Her family also got off the ship with the luggage. Sad way to end a cruise. We are on the Allure and watched from balcony.

:( Hope she is ok!

Very interesting review :D I will never be able to afford Star class but I do love Oasis ships! Sounds like you had a (mostly) wonderful cruise. :)

Just off Allure and there were 6300 guests on board. Mid-day it would be almost impossible to find chairs at the regular pools. We usually saw about half reserved (and zero people in the pool) around 8:30am when we went to the Solarium.

One thing I wish I had this past week was towel clips!

Must haves: Kindle (+ charger) and sunglasses :D

Yes you can, I purchased it for 1 day (about halfway through the cruise) last week on Allure. I think I paid $27.99 but I got the more expensive version. The cheaper version is a few dollars less.

I forgot to bring my printout... so I just looked at the personal calendar on the TV :)

Enjoy your cruise! We just got off the Allure this morning and had an amazing week. No issues with the ship that I'm aware of :)

What happens if you show up before your allotted time? Chance of getting on or just stand around waiting?

They don't care about your appointment. We are lowly gold members and showed up hours before our appointment. We got to the port at 10:45am and were on the ship within 10 minutes once they started boarding (around 11am).

Your video is hilarious, I love it!

We just got off the Allure today and thankfully there were NOT 2000 kids for our sailing!

Thank you for your review, but could I ask you to change one thing? Please refer to your wife as “your” wife not the wife or just wife. My DH would be in really hot water if he ever referred to me as a the or just wife.

 

And Happy Anniversary to you and YOUR wife:)

Seriously? From his posts I get nothing negative from his comments at all about his wife. In fact, it's the complete opposite - it seems to me as if he adores her and thinks highly of her.

This seems like a pet peeve of yours that should be kept between you and your husband, not imposed on another couple who don't seem to have any issues with the nickname at all.

As far as the trip review, I'm loving it and all the photos. Keep it coming!

Just booked the Magic for a similar southern Caribbean itinerary in June 2019. It looks like my kids will really love the ship :) I normally sail Royal and don't spend a lot of time at the pool, but with all those slides I know my kids will want to. Apparently I need to get there early to get chairs!

I'm loving your review :) Husband and I will be sailing on Allure in less than 2 weeks!

Wow that family suite looks amazing. My kids would go nuts! Out of my price range though :D

While there might theoretically be time to go to the theme parks in Orlando during a 'day' trip off the ship, I don't think it's worth the cost. Tickets are very expensive and you're looking at 1-1.5 hours drive each way. Also, depending on the time of year you are going on the cruise the parks could be VERY VERY crowded to the point where you could only do a couple of attractions. Disney fast passes book up far in advance and Universal fast passes will cost you an additional fee (sometimes over $100, depends on how busy it is).

I would absolutely go to Kennedy Space Center though. It's closer to the port, it's amazing, and it costs less than half what a 1 day theme park ticket would cost you.