londongal796

Hi all, just a quick update to confirm that I have received a full refund -- it appeared on my credit card on 19 March and I have given a good week just to make sure it fully 'landed' there. It's definitely there so I'm thrilled to have had a full refund. No idea what's up with the FCC, I was the only one of my party to receive one (there were three of us, and the FCC was only for my portion), I'm not going to try using it though as I have no need for it! I am very glad to have had a full refund in the end. I wish Royal Caribbean all the best and hope to cruise again with them in 2023 or later, but I couldn't see myself sailing this year. 

Wishing all the best to all of you as well, whether cruising or getting refunds! Take care!

1 hour ago, Lolly Pop said:

@londongal796 - keep us posted.  I'm on the fence post at the moment as well.  Remember when the days of going on a holiday meant joy?  Now, instead, with all that's going on around our big blue marble ... I'm just into staying put for abit with my cat in my lap and a warm cuppa tea as the snow starts to melt here in my part of Canada.

 

I couldn't have put it better myself -- I used to be so excited about my next big adventure and now the thought of international travel fills me with dread. There are sadly many unknowns and for myself, literally every single time we have travelled, a new variant has emerged which has nearly cancelled our plans every single time (and we've felt ourselves lucky!).

I called through to C&A as I am Diamond Plus, and asked for help resolving the issue. They put me on hold for a while and came back and their explanation is that the normal cancellation process causes the FCC to be created, but that there is still a ticket in the queue for them to process a full refund. So as long as I don't touch the FCC, they can still process the refund.

I'll take them at their word for now but I've noted down all the details of our conversation. They did assure me I will still receive a refund to my credit card, and it will be a few more days. We're about 2 weeks away from the '45 days max' period, so I'll keep an eye on my credit card for now!

Well, I just received a Future Cruise Credit in an email today -- not good news at all! I'll try calling them in a bit, how very frustrating!

Just a final note to add -- many thanks again all. I called up the 'cancellation' number and the first person I spoke to, after a 10minute hold, was able to sort it for me. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences so I knew to expect the 30-45day period for the refund to be processed. This gave me assurance that I was on the right path. I've noted all the details of my conversation and will keep an eye on my credit card statement. Thanks again everyone! 

Very sorry not to be cruising anytime soon but we'll get there eventually!

I really appreciate everyone's comments on their experiences. I will set some time aside tomorrow and try to see if I can end up with a cash refund following on from a CWC cancellation. Thank you everyone for your input and advice!

Hi all. 

I have been popping on here the past week trying to see if anyone else has mentioned this particular topic, so I do apologize if this is a repeat / duplicate of what I imagine is a common thread. While I have learned a lot about the current FCC usage rules, which is a really big help (especially being able to use as far out as 12/31/2022), I haven't found an answer to my specific question.

Our FCCs originated from two cancelled sailings, one in May 2020 and one in July 2020. They cover three passenger names.

We combined them and applied them in June 2021 towards a sailing dated April 2022. We (naively) assumed everything would be 'back to normal' by then.

We have received the updated Health Protocols ('Healthy Sailing Update') which is valid for cruises through April 14 2022 -- which is when ours departs. It's clear that vaccines are still mandatory, as are wearing facemasks etc.

Regardless of our actual vaccine status, am I able to telephone Royal Caribbean and request to cancel my cruise based on the health protocols, and ask to receive a monetary refund (of 100% of cruise moneys paid, NOT the 125% provided on the FCCs) for my future sailing?

Any experience or advice on this subject is very much so appreciated. We have over $3000 (almost $4000 with the 125%) tied up in this and while we have happily supported Royal Caribbean over the past two years, I'm in a position where I'd rather have my money back and be able to plan a cruise in the future that we want to take, as opposed to being forced to take one that doesn't suit our interests or needs simply because there is an expiry date involved.

Thank you for your time and help.

From what I read, it looks like it extends the timeframe for bookings to be made by 4 months but the actual expiry date remains the same (April 30 2022). This really doesn't help me much as I would always book several months in advance anyway, and I have no idea when we'll get to be able to cruise again. Oh well, I'm hoping they may extend our actual expiration dates to the end of 2022 which would be a big help.

19 hours ago, Biker19 said:

You can apply an FCC on an existing booking.

Sorry to trouble you but wondered if you have any knowledge if cancelling the second person on the reservation before requesting the FCC will result in the FCC being in one name only? My understanding is that FCC's are split between the two names on the account, but this cruise I booked and paid for completely but is for a friend and I, normally I travel with my DH but we were doing this just the two of us together. All other cruises are for me and my DH and so the FCC in my friend's name wouldn't help. 

36 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

You can apply an FCC on an existing booking.

Wow, that is super good to know. I haven't had the time to dig around to see the clauses. Thank you for sharing that so quickly.

10 hours ago, jp2746 said:

I’m just trying to get an idea of  if this March 19 RC cruise will be canceled for sure.  We have a lot of things to take care of if it is.  Until there is a final word on this cruise I feel like I am in limbo.  I hate that feeling but I refuse to cancel. So I guess I will just have to get used to it. 

I'm sorry you are in limbo but it's quite clear that the measures being taken will be in effect for at least two weeks, the length of time the schools are going to be closed, and it could be longer than that. I am very sorry but I have no hope that a cruise scheduled for 19th March will proceed.

I am due to sail on the 14 May on Grandeur but I have no idea if this will go ahead either. I've heard from two sources that the period for the port closure was specified as '2 months' but I can't actually find that anywhere, and on the government documentation it just says 'until the state of emergency is rescinded'. And who knows what that actually means!

I imagine Royal staff are working hard to reach out to impacted customers, in the order in which the sailings will take place... But they also now need to ensure the health and safety of their CURRENT passengers who are actively on board the ship and will need to go through health screenings before they can disembark. So they clearly have a range of priorities.

I'm hoping that whatever the decision is, that I can just get my money back at this point. A FCC doesn't really help me when I have two other cruises already booked and who I'd rather move the money to, instead of having to book a third cruise and lose access to my money now.

Anyway... I'm following this thread to see if anyone else hears more about what's going on and any compensation/refund options offered. The hold times to call Royal right now are outrageous so I'm not going to spend time doing that just yet.

Obviously there is no comparison between suite amenities on the all-singing all-dancing ships like Oasis-class and Quantum-class, but being in an Owner's Suite is still a fine experience on other classes of ships. I only have experienced it once, on Rhapsody, but it was a fantastically enjoyable experience.

We did do in-room dining from the Main Dining Room menu. You will also enjoy much quicker room service times, generally within a half hour (whereas other cabins may wait 60mins+ for theirs). You can also customise your order and basically they will do what they can (for example, we ordered the shrimp risotto, extra shrimp please! And we got 2x the normal portion of shrimp).

They have little events for suite-only guests throughout the cruise (usually), like a cocktail hour or even a dinner just for Suite guests. When they did the suite dinner for us, we had food from each of the different specialty restaurants served buffet-style and huge pieces of lobster, etc. It was fantastic. Lots of nice little touches.

Cabin staff were literally the best we've ever had. MDR experience was also, literally, the best we've ever had. I actually actively tried not to reveal which cabin we were in because the staff were treating us practically like royalty, and we felt ridiculous at times -- but not going to say that we didn't love the treatment!

You also will get on/off the ship must faster than others, particularly if there are tendering tickets needed, as your concierge will deliver you right to where you need to go. They almost always also do some sort of ship tour, either a bridge tour or a galley tour, something like that, and they will leave a card for you to book whichever you prefer. We usually do the bridge tour and enjoy that a lot.

Your cabin will be fantastic, as will your bathroom, and you'll probably find little 'treats' in your cabin throughout the week -- we even received a 'piano' shaped chocolate platter one time, it was very interesting! Lots of fresh fruit and danishes were delivered regularly too.

I know it's no genie but it certainly was a really enjoyable experience and one we absolutely loved it. Hope you do the same!

I'm absolutely confident this wasn't the case in this instance, but also worth noting that we experienced security stationed outside of a cabin where a death had occurred one time; however, it was only for the day when it occurred (not the whole trip). If I'm being perfectly honest, I suspect that they were waiting to remove the body until the ship would be much quieter, and this is why they positioned someone outside of the door. From word around the ship, it was an elderly passenger and the widow continued on the rest of the journey. 

I've really enjoyed reading through everyone's comments, and wanted to throw a few more questions into the mix.

I sometimes have a sensitive stomach, and eating richly decadent meals day after day can sometimes be overwhelming. I also suffer from acid reflux and sometimes I just need a 'lighter' meal. 

One of my go-to favourites used to be the salmon with some mashed potatoes which was always on the menu -- however, now it's 'fish of the day' and the 'fish' is not always salmon. Do you think if I asked for salmon, even if that isn't the fish that day, I'd likely be accommodated?

I also sometimes crave something really basic like macaroni and cheese, something I imagine would be part of the kids menu but really I have no idea -- does anyone know more about the kids menu offerings or whether or not mac and cheese is ever served in the MDR?

I appreciate your responses, and I'm sorry if these are stupid questions. We try to be as easy going as possible and stick to the menu, but I do also sometimes find myself struggling to find a dish that will settle my stomach vs unsettle it!

Probably just echoing what others have said but while there are some ships with solo cabins, it's definitely worth double-checking the pricing because these are often much more expensive than they should be, and for a few dollars more you'll find yourself in a cabin almost twice as roomy and with the double-cruise points for your Crown and Anchor account. My father often travels with us but he tends to travel in his own cabin, and this means that he is often after the elusive solo cabin. He generally sees the price for the solo cabin and ends up booking a normal cabin for 2 people, and paying the slight upcharge, because the solo cabins have terrible pricing. He did book a solo cabin on Symphony but, like another poster noted, once they decided not to build those cabins they moved him to another cabin (ended up being a central park view room, it was very nice!). We did get a GREAT price on Radiance for our Alaskan cruise next year, a truly 'solo cabin' price and also a very roomy one. It was definitely a bargain and I'm a little jealous he got such a great deal when I see the price we're paying for our cabin!

So, recap: Yes, solo cabins are out there, but you're often better off in a regular cabin. 

Yes, absolutely. I have done this many times. Just a consideration, you could do 3 nights and just pay for the lunch separately, as sometimes the lunch pricing is less than the per-meal price that you get with the dining packages. It's worth doing the math and getting the most value out of your options. (It may not be cheaper but still worth checking!)

Lunch is not always offered in the specialty restaurants, depends on the ship and whether it's a sea day, but I hope you get a chance to try all the specialty restaurants you want!

16 hours ago, dodgestang said:

They will do hot stone cooking though....which is done at the table and quite delicious.

Agree that hot rocks cooking is great, but if OP is looking for a 'hibachi' experience, the hot rocks will definitely disappoint. But easily some of the most delicious food, I love getting the seafood hot rocks! (And all of the signature rolls, too!)

Every time we have sailed in a Junior Suite, our print out for the port ('SetSail Pass') has designated us as 'SUITE' category. We have always been pointed to the 'Suite' queue. This includes Grandeur out of Baltimore in December 2017. 

I'm a total novice when it comes to hair colouring, so I'm sorry if this isn't as useful as some of the other posts.

I decided to get my hair highlighted during our transpacific cruise (18-nighter) this spring. I hadn't dyed my hair in 20 years so I had NO idea what I was doing, I don't know what the processes involved are, etc. I was on Radiance of the Seas, so I can only comment on that ships service.

I had my hair cut and highlighted, I have pretty long hair, price felt over the top, over $300 for the cut and highlighting but I have no experience (although friends have told me I paid way too much).

I'm afraid I'm not sure which hair dye brand it was they used. I had red and blonde highlights put in (well, lighter than my brunette hair, not quite blonde). The red dye still bleeds from my hair even now, 3 months after the fact, even though I take temperate showers and use the (very expensive) colour protect hair care products they sold me. For the first MONTH the hair dye bled constantly, ruining towels and bedding. The girl spent about 5 minutes rinsing out the dye (from my very long, thick hair) so I know she didn't do enough with it. Ultimately, most of my hair is now at least tinged slightly with the red dye, because it bled so much. She also gave me 0 advice on how to maintain the colouring (I didn't know hot showers were a no-no at the start so part of the bleeding into the rest of my hair was caused from the start, though I quickly Googled it and learned about proper hair care procedures). It's also worth noting I told her about 10 times I hadn't had my hair dyed since I was a kid so had no idea what to do, and needed advice on maintenance.

Personally I was super disappointed by the overall process and price, but I do love my new hair style. If you're a regular at these things, you'll probably have a better experience (as you'll know what to do and how things work) but be aware it's very overpriced. (But convenient if you have nothing else to do during a day at sea!)

17 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

Under the current deal there are *some* very good deals on the UK site for 2020, quite a bit cheaper than the US. So it isn't always the case we get screwed over. 

 

 

What extra protection do UK cruisers get? The Indy cancellations seem to suggest not many! 

Same travel protections which all European travelers get -- you are probably most familiar with the rights passengers have when flying, ie. delays lead to compensation, cancellations lead to both compensation, new flights (at no cost) and hotel stays etc where appropriate. They also have to comply with ATOL protection standards (you always hear that quip when you see adverts for travel, 'Suchandsuch is an ATOL protected company'). Simply put, 'It ensures that you don't lose the money you paid out or become stranded abroad if your travel company collapses.' All of these regulations cost money to the cruise carriers, hence pricing in the UK is more expensive.

Because we carry good travel insurance, and because I'm a US citizen and still have a US address I can use, we generally book our cruises via the US. 

Also worth mentioning that, for seemingly no rhyme or reason, sailing out of the UK specifically seems to be the most insanely priced cruise options. We now tend to fly down to Barcelona (2 hours on the plane, Barcelona port and airport are absolutely fantastic, quick and easy to use etc) to catch any Med cruises we want to do, saves us a ton of money and we get to avoid the channel crossing which tends to be rougher seas anyway!

On 6/16/2019 at 12:22 AM, cruisinfanatic said:

No one at the port cares about your food

Generally speaking we have had no problems bringing food on board; however, when we sailed out of Tampa, for whatever reason one of the security agents at the terminal refused to let us bring any 'opened' snacks. We'd started in on a pack of Wheat Thins and had to throw it out, even though we'd resealed it in the box. Anyway, just something else to be aware of. It had never been a problem before, but we are careful now to only bring sealed food items on board.

9 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Good sushi requires fresh fish.  Fish on ships are not fresh.

 

Actually, the first half of this is completely incorrect -- safe (good) sushi actually requires the fish to have been frozen to a certain temperature to ensure all of the parasites have died:
freezing fish at temperatures of -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) for seven days, or frozen at -31 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 degrees Celsius) for 15 hours, which kills any parasites

Furthermore, it's worth noting that almost ALL of the sushi rolls served at Izumi (not including the sashimi/nigiri which is a different type of sushi) are cooked in one form or another -- from rolls with tempura shrimp, to unagi (eel that's been grilled) to smoked salmon (smoking it is a form of cooking). It's all been cooked! Lobster roll, the steak roll, the spider roll (soft-shell crab) -- all cooked!!

We were on Radiance in April/May and we were able to dine on the a la carte whenever it was open. And I can confirm, the sushi at Izumi is delicious!

Just to go back to the original post --

We hit 175 cruise points on our cruise last October. As soon as the cruise points posted to our Crown and Anchor account, it reflected that we were Diamond Plus. 

So that confirms you can have exactly 175 points and be confirmed Diamond Plus. Benefits for D+ kick in at your next sailing.

We are 34 now, DH turned 34 during the cruise where we hit D+ status. I started sailing at 21 but the bulk of our points have been accrued since 2012, when my DH and I started cruising together.

We don't tend to get odd looks for going in lounges (which we rarely do anyway) but in general we tend to be some of the youngest passengers on the ship (if you don't count children), as we tend to pick longer cruise itineraries. It's never been a problem for us before but I'd happily show anyone my seapass card if challenged which clearly states my C&A tier!!

No. How do I know? I live in Europe. 

19 hours ago, WaveSplasher said:

 

Your wish is granted. Ovation Of The Seas will be meeting with Quantum Of The Seas in Singapore on 4 April 2021 and 25 April 2021. 

 

You can do a short Quantum Of The Seas Cruise before embarking on the Ovation to Japan.

 

For those interested, If you want to do the Sydney to Singapore leg arriving on 4 April 2021, you can also hop on the Quantum Of The Seas departing on the same day. 

 

There is also a Tianjin to Singapore Cruise on Quantum after which you can do a B2B with a 9 Night Cruise in October 2020. 

Thank you for posting and sharing this. Just need to convince DH now but think we will probably book very shortly!!

10 hours ago, Ethanol95 said:

 

Quantum will undergo dry dock in the 3rd/4th quarter of this year before starting her first 6 month season in Singapore, so I don't think it will be an issue in 2021. As for the itineraries, your guess is as good as mine at this point in time. One of the 4/5 night itineraries will probably coincide better with your Singapore - Tokyo leg, seeing as that is the most popular and most offered type in the region.

Thanks for this -- I appreciate your thoughts. I am mostly wondering why Quantum's sailings into the start of 2021 haven't appeared, as according to the deployment list these were due to go out w/b May 20th. 🙂