julig22

Hah. I had 3000+ plus points that just vanished. I was told they were on the final bill (which I conveniently never received on that cruise). Started at 0 on my next cruise, so I asked what happened, they supposedly checked and said it was on my bill. Nope. Still trying to figure out what happened to my credits. The points I have now don't match what they say I've earned. Lesson learned, cash out your credits!!!!!

Either the vendor pulled the excursion or it's sold out.

Depends on the ship. Can't remember if it was the Star or the Dawn but buffet was closed off at night. But the local/O'Sheehans should have ice cream 24/7.

You do not have to book the highest category. I often choose BF, so I can do just fine with booking the cheapest OV. Just applied my points to an upcoming cruise - put all my negotiating skills to the test and now have a BF balcony for about half the current solo fare. Originally booked BF but rebooked onboard OK (obstructed OV) on board, so got an upgrade to OA which also included a 10% discount for 2023 cruises. Then used points to upgrade back to BF, getting a cabin 4 doors down from the original booking (this particular cruise is GTY for all balconies anyway). Not sure that the OK-OA upgrade made any difference, paperwork shows OK-BF upgrade - but I'm very happy with the end result, saving about 2.5K from current pricing.

Or Mexico... A few years ago I was on a San Diego-Florida reposition cruise in October. Got notified in the terminal that we'd bypass Mexico and go around the storm, since going north really wasn't an option. The other cruise ship in port that day rerouted away from Mexico and went to San Francisco.

Nobody knows for sure. It could be random but IMO "seniority" is a real possibility if it gets to that point. I personally wouldn't change my bid unless there is a problem with the credit card.

First I've heard that you had to book the best possible ov???

Similar situation, FCC was considerably more than I expected. But I took the cruise in July still waiting on the FCC! It was originally denied and I called them on it because, contrary to their original assessment, the perks were the same. Got a letter with the amount, etc but so far nothing... But I also had FCC from a different cruise and it was in my account shortly after the cruise.

One stumbling block right now is that many upcoming cruises were booked with the 35% discount and 2x/3x points. They won't qualify for FCC. I was able to pay for an upgrade however, at about half what a minimum bid would be, works for me. They did implement some fairly strict upgrade policies last year, not sure what modifications have been made in the interim. However, my understanding is that any FCC must be approved by a specific department - so your pc can request it but can't guarantee.