How Long to get Refund on Credit Card for Cancelled Booking?

[LBCABob]

Since Search is not available at the moment, decided to post this question as a new thread:

 

How long (e.g. days) does it take RCCL to issue the refund back to your CC when you cancel a cruise?

 

I switched my May 2014 TransAtlantic from the Independence to the Liberty (almost identical fare, prefer the Liberty itinerary). Of course, this required a cancellation and new booking (done well before the dreaded Final Payment date). RCCL naturally charged my CC for the new cruise within seconds of booking but, at this writing 3 full weeks later, no refund of the original booking. My TA says it takes a month or more for RCCL to process the refund - which may well be totally correct. (Kinda got the impression the TA did not want to bother following up with RCCL - after all, there's no commission on a cancellation.)

 

Seems out of line, to me, given that I cancelled bookings with HAL and Carnival at the exact same time with the same travel agent and HAL and Carnival posted their respective refunds to my CC within 3 days.

 

BTW, RCCL dropped the booking from My Cruises on their website within a day or two of the cancellation request so it is clear they have, indeed, processed the cancellation.

 

What has been your experience with refunds on a cancelled booking? Your input will be greatly appreciated.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Since Search is not available at the moment, decided to post this question as a new thread:

 

How long (e.g. days) does it take RCCL to issue the refund back to your CC when you cancel a cruise?

 

I switched my May 2014 TransAtlantic from the Independence to the Liberty (almost identical fare, prefer the Liberty itinerary). Of course, this required a cancellation and new booking (done well before the dreaded Final Payment date). RCCL naturally charged my CC for the new cruise within seconds of booking but, at this writing 3 full weeks later, no refund of the original booking. My TA says it takes a month or more for RCCL to process the refund - which may well be totally correct. (Kinda got the impression the TA did not want to bother following up with RCCL - after all, there's no commission on a cancellation.)

 

Seems out of line, to me, given that I cancelled bookings with HAL and Carnival at the exact same time with the same travel agent and HAL and Carnival posted their respective refunds to my CC within 3 days.

 

BTW, RCCL dropped the booking from My Cruises on their website within a day or two of the cancellation request so it is clear they have, indeed, processed the cancellation.

 

What has been your experience with refunds on a cancelled booking? Your input will be greatly appreciated.

 

Whenever i have canceled a booking with RCI I have had the money back on my CC within 3-4 business days.

 

Bill

[cb at sea]

I don't know why it takes so much longer to process a refund than it does to charge you...both are but keystrokes on a machine! I suspect it's more the credit card company than the cruiseline....some CC companies take an extraordinary amount of time to post a credit to your account.

[LindaO]

I book directly with RCI... no TA... and my refund the same situation you stated was in the account within 3 business days. They told me 3 to 5 days. If you paid your TA and your TA cancelled... then the TA would get the refund within 3 to 5 days. The TA is holding your $$ not RCI. I'm not sure where you are or what the laws are in your state, but I'd ask your TA for their policy on refunds... and then I'd switch TAs...

[kc320]

The last time I cancelled a cruise it took about a week for my refund to show up on my Credit Card...just curious though...since you were booking a replacement cruise why didn't you just transfer the old booking to the new cruise? When I cancelled my cruise that was the first thing the Rep suggested...

[reallyitsmema]

Since Search is not available at the moment, decided to post this question as a new thread:

 

How long (e.g. days) does it take RCCL to issue the refund back to your CC when you cancel a cruise?

 

I switched my May 2014 TransAtlantic from the Independence to the Liberty (almost identical fare, prefer the Liberty itinerary). Of course, this required a cancellation and new booking (done well before the dreaded Final Payment date). RCCL naturally charged my CC for the new cruise within seconds of booking but, at this writing 3 full weeks later, no refund of the original booking. My TA says it takes a month or more for RCCL to process the refund - which may well be totally correct. (Kinda got the impression the TA did not want to bother following up with RCCL - after all, there's no commission on a cancellation.)

 

Seems out of line, to me, given that I cancelled bookings with HAL and Carnival at the exact same time with the same travel agent and HAL and Carnival posted their respective refunds to my CC within 3 days.

 

BTW, RCCL dropped the booking from My Cruises on their website within a day or two of the cancellation request so it is clear they have, indeed, processed the cancellation.

 

What has been your experience with refunds on a cancelled booking? Your input will be greatly appreciated.

You did not need to cancel that booking, you can just have your TA change the reservation to the new cruise. You should check with your TA to see what is going on. Did they actually cancel your reservation or are they waiting on a commission before they process it.

[Gayle V]

We got our refund from RCI very quickly, but that was a couple years ago.

 

I think cb at sea has a point, that the issue is with the card company. If they don't list any refund, ask about any pending activity. Sometimes it sits there in limbo, for quite a while, before it actually posts.

[molly361]

It seems like RCL is having a lot of cruise pricing that is for NEW BOOKINGS ONLY.

 

The same thing happened to us. I wanted to change a booking to a different sailing. The Rep told me that it was new bookings only for the price on the new one so they made me cancel and re-book.

 

Seems like more work to me but that his how they made me do it.

[sharpasice]

Whenever i have canceled a booking with RCI I have had the money back on my CC within 3-4 business days.

 

Bill

 

Same here..the last refund was back on my cc within 24 hrs!!

[LBCABob]

The last time I cancelled a cruise it took about a week for my refund to show up on my Credit Card...just curious though...since you were booking a replacement cruise why didn't you just transfer the old booking to the new cruise? When I cancelled my cruise that was the first thing the Rep suggested...

 

I actually booked the Liberty (to get the available price drop, preferred cabin, etc.) and then cancelled the Independence a few days later. I needed time to investigate changing my flight to Florida (LOS sails May 1, IOS on May 4) as well as the arrangements at the other end (LOS arrives Barcelona, IOS Southampton).

 

The TA may have suggested just switching the original booking to the new itinerary but I do not recall (even if did, would not have done it for reasons mentioned above).

 

Will contact CC company just to see if they are sitting on the credit for some reason of their own (interesting to note that the HAL and Carnival credits were on a different CC than the RCCL - so it could well be a CC company issue rather than cruise line).

[LovesCruising]

I book directly with RCI... no TA... and my refund the same situation you stated was in the account within 3 business days. They told me 3 to 5 days. If you paid your TA and your TA cancelled... then the TA would get the refund within 3 to 5 days. The TA is holding your $$ not RCI. I'm not sure where you are or what the laws are in your state, but I'd ask your TA for their policy on refunds... and then I'd switch TAs...

 

Im not quite understanding what you are saying - when you book with a reputable TA the TA will process the deposit thru Royal Caribbean and the charge comes thru as a Royal Caribbean Charge - not the travel agency charge. When a cancel is done, TA does the cancel - Royal Credits the clients Credit Card - the travel agent doesn't see any money until the trip is paid in full - all they see is their commission. The travel agent is not holding the money.