Anthem of the Seas Feb 6th - Rebates, Discounts, and Refund Q&A

[maaaaattt]

I just got off of the phone with Royal and they said that any associated costs due to changes in transportation (for the second change in arrival time only) would only covered up to $150. To change my flight to an earlier date cost me $200, not counting the $200 for the first change. So basically I'm still out $50 for their misjudgement. Did anyone else get the same information? We were told they'd cover the costs, not cover up to $150 of the costs.

 

 

Unfortunately it seems that what was said out loud onboard didn't come with any fine print and that a lot of the promises made aren't as exciting as they once sounded.

 

I can't speak for airfare changes because I'm a local but my travel agent called me Friday and confirmed that the future cruise credit is for up to 50% of the amount spent on our Feb 6 sailing.

 

Although it was expected knowing how it's been done in the past, that isn't exactly the way it was sold to those of us that were onboard.

[csk]

I was not on this sailing buy have been following and glad everyone is safe, will travel insurance cover any of this? just a thought as we always buy insurance, because you never know

[Live Where You Play]

I didn't get travel insurance, but I did talk to United and they gave me some potential good news. If I send in confirming documentation about the cruise, they'll refund me $150 of the $200 for the changes given the situation. I'm not sure if that applies to one of both changes (I forgot to ask), but something would be better than nothing. Let's hope it works.

[kneught77]

Unfortunately it seems that what was said out loud onboard didn't come with any fine print and that a lot of the promises made aren't as exciting as they once sounded.

 

I can't speak for airfare changes because I'm a local but my travel agent called me Friday and confirmed that the future cruise credit is for up to 50% of the amount spent on our Feb 6 sailing.

 

Although it was expected knowing how it's been done in the past, that isn't exactly the way it was sold to those of us that were onboard.

 

Personally... I think thats a better deal... you could theoretically get a free cruise with that 50% voucher. If you paid lets say.. $4000 for this cruise.. that would be $2000 towards another cruise.. which you could find an inside stateroom on a decent 7 day for less than that.

 

Might not be the best "value"... but you could end up paying nothing.. or close to nothing on a decent cruise. As opposed to paying half of a better cruise.

 

IMO :D

[kneught77]

I was not on this sailing buy have been following and glad everyone is safe, will travel insurance cover any of this? just a thought as we always buy insurance, because you never know

 

Depending on the travel insurance... yes.. it would cover things like hotels... car rentals.. flight changes.. etc.

 

But lots of people (including myself) don't buy insurance. Just part of the risk I guess

[maaaaattt]

Personally... I think thats a better deal... you could theoretically get a free cruise with that 50% voucher. If you paid lets say.. $4000 for this cruise.. that would be $2000 towards another cruise.. which you could find an inside stateroom on a decent 7 day for less than that.

 

 

 

Might not be the best "value"... but you could end up paying nothing.. or close to nothing on a decent cruise. As opposed to paying half of a better cruise.

 

 

 

IMO :D

 

 

Definitely agree. And I think, in my opinion, that's the best way to do it.

 

The one question I haven't gotten answered is... does the cruise credit go to the person that paid for the Feb 6 sailing to use on a double occupancy rate in the future? Or will each individual passenger get a credit to use on a single occupancy rate for the future?

[mrsz]

Personally... I think thats a better deal... you could theoretically get a free cruise with that 50% voucher. If you paid lets say.. $4000 for this cruise.. that would be $2000 towards another cruise.. which you could find an inside stateroom on a decent 7 day for less than that.

 

Might not be the best "value"... but you could end up paying nothing.. or close to nothing on a decent cruise. As opposed to paying half of a better cruise.

 

IMO :D

 

That is not always the case. We got a 50 percent voucher for a cruise we had a problem with. It is not necessarily the total paid for the cabin. It is 50 % of the price per person. If you had a buy one get one half off you have to make sure you get the same deal. It happened to us. We had to make sure the half off for each person was the rate we paid. For instance if one person paid 3000 and the second 1500. You must apply coupon to the same person who paid 3000 and the one who paid 1500. If it's not buy one get one it doesn't work out

[Merion_Mom]

I am going to assume we do not get any C&A cruise points for this cruise because of the refund. If anyone knows different please let us all know. ;)

 

Straight from the horse's mouth:

 

"You get the points for the cruise that you paid for."

 

Pay for a 7 night cruise. Get 7 points. :)

 

Case in point: The previous two cruises: They were supposed to be a 10 night cruise (departing January 15) and a 12 night cruise (departing January 25).

 

Each turned into an 11 night cruise.

 

The first set of people got 10 points.

 

The second set of people got 12 points.

 

 

:)

[csnarpy]

We had this happen to us on our first cruise with Royal, in 05. A port strike in Barcelona caused an 18 hour delay and we missed our flights back to NA.

 

Royal ended up compensating for our full flights back, all expenses from off the boat to home and $500 certificates for each of us. We were never promised any of this but we did receive it all within a month after our cruise. We did have to use them within a year though, although we did call them and got them extended for another year.

Edited February 14, 2016 by csnarpy

[Newbcruiser1]

Unfortunately it seems that what was said out loud onboard didn't come with any fine print and that a lot of the promises made aren't as exciting as they once sounded.

 

I can't speak for airfare changes because I'm a local but my travel agent called me Friday and confirmed that the future cruise credit is for up to 50% of the amount spent on our Feb 6 sailing.

 

Although it was expected knowing how it's been done in the past, that isn't exactly the way it was sold to those of us that were onboard.

 

 

If you read the letter that we received in our staterooms on Monday closely, it's quite clear that the future cruise credit is 50% of the price paid for the Feb 6th Anthem cruise.

[Newbcruiser1]

I just got off of the phone with Royal and they said that any associated costs due to changes in transportation (for the second change in arrival time only) would only covered up to $150. To change my flight to an earlier date cost me $200, not counting the $200 for the first change. So basically I'm still out $50 for their misjudgement. Did anyone else get the same information? We were told they'd cover the costs, not cover up to $150 of the costs.

 

 

That's really a shame... I was unable to change my original airline ticket for Feb 13th (it was booked on a regional airline with really horrible policies). They actually wanted to CHARGE me $67 extra to cancel the ticket altogether (which wouldn't get me a refund or anything).

 

So I was forced to purchase a brand new ticket (on a different airline) for Feb 10th at a price of $460. This was prior to the change in arrival time to 9pm, at which time I then had to change that new ticket to February 11th (which fortunately United waived the change fee on).

 

And the new ticket purchase in the first place was prior to the fact that Royal Caribbean said they would be refunding change fees (and of course there was conveniently no stipulation on the $150 limit while on the cruise).

 

Argh!!!

[jd10367]

At first I, like others, assumed it was going to be 50% off the next cruise. Then it was later explained that it was a voucher worth 50% of what you had just paid for this cruise. Which, I guess, makes sense and is fair. Let's say someone booked an inside cabin for $700pp/do. That's $1400. Half of that is a voucher for $700, totally fair. But if those people had been told "half off the next cruise", and they went and booked a 14-night Suite for $3500pp/do, they would get a $7000 cruise for $3500.

 

I'm getting a $1000 voucher. So basically, after we get our refund, we essentially got paid $1000 to take a 4-night "cruise to nowhere" with 12 rough hours of ocean. I can live with that.

[Newbcruiser1]

Does anyone have anything documented in writing, whether from RCI or otherwise (even the news!) with the expected arrival time of 0600 on Feb 10th which was later changed to 2100?

 

If so, can you please share it as soon as possible?

[maaaaattt]

Does anyone have anything documented in writing, whether from RCI or otherwise (even the news!) with the expected arrival time of 0600 on Feb 10th which was later changed to 2100?

 

If so, can you please share it as soon as possible?

 

 

Email me at krenzam at gmail

[Newbcruiser1]

Email me at krenzam at gmail

 

 

Done! Thanks!

[mrsz]

At first I, like others, assumed it was going to be 50% off the next cruise. Then it was later explained that it was a voucher worth 50% of what you had just paid for this cruise. Which, I guess, makes sense and is fair. Let's say someone booked an inside cabin for $700pp/do. That's $1400. Half of that is a voucher for $700, totally fair. But if those people had been told "half off the next cruise", and they went and booked a 14-night Suite for $3500pp/do, they would get a $7000 cruise for $3500.

 

I'm getting a $1000 voucher. So basically, after we get our refund, we essentially got paid $1000 to take a 4-night "cruise to nowhere" with 12 rough hours of ocean. I can live with that.

 

If you booked that same cabin with Buy one get one promo one person would get voucher for half of 700 dollars or 350 dollars and the second would get voucher for half of 350 dollars or 175 dollars . You have to make sure the certificate corresponds with the fare each person paid for that cruise. I found it very tricky to rebook. I had to make sure it was a buy one get one same as I previously booked.

[Merion_Mom]

When Royal Caribbean says that you will get a 50% FCC, they ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS mean 50% of the cruisefare of your current cruise.

 

ALWAYS.

 

:)

 

(not taxes, not fees. FARE)

[foxgoodrich]

When you send in your claim in, list EVERY expense you had, whether they've told you it's reimbursable or not.. And attach a receipt (or at least a copy of your receipt, or any kind of documentation) if possible. If you had to change a flight twice and got charged a change fee twice, send them both in.

 

They are in a bit of a frenzy right now over all of this stuff. Many things have been said in terms of what they will and what they won't cover, so ask for it all. The worst that can happen is that something will be disallowed. The best that can happen is that they will send you a check for all of it.

 

When we had our hurricane cruise in 2010, we were on the back end. We were the folks whose 7 nighter became a 5 nighter. We got no refund of any kind on our cruise fare. (We, in a D8 balcony, got a $650 OBC for the 5 day cruise and we got a 25% future cruise credit, based on what we had paid.) But they covered hotel and meal expense for the 2 days we had to hang out in FLL. We were told we had to send in receipts. We were also told parking wasn't covered.

 

I didn't have receipts for every meal - I lost or misplaced one lunch receipt. So I just put an amount ($28 for two of us) on the claim for that. (They allowed it.) We had drinks/wine with our dinners, but the receipts I sent (CC receipts) were not itemized. (They allowed it.) I included tips, and they allowed it. Our hotel was a direct bill to Royal, so we just checked in and didn't pay for lodging, but we were charged $39 for parking. I sent the receipt and they allowed it. Merion Mom was on this cruise as well - I think we were all pleasantly surprised by our reimbursements. Your circumstances are different, but I advise you to ask for the moon and see what you get back.

 

So, send in every expense you have associated with the shortening of your cruise. There's no downside...:)

Judy

Edited February 15, 2016 by foxgoodrich

[Cindy]

I thought it might help if I shared my experience with a cancellation/refund. (Mine was Celebrity, but the accounting will work the same way...my refund actually came from RCCL.)

 

You need to keep your final payment statement handy, and use it to make sure your fare has been completely refunded. Your refund will most likely not come in one lump sum, but instead it will be odd amounts that don't make sense to you. That's because when you pay for a cruise the funds are disbursed to various departments and accounts. Your refund will probably come back to you in pieces, in the amounts that were allocated to various functions after you paid. I received a small refund, then a couple days later another small refund, then finally the rest of it on one day in three more separate credits to my credit card.

[robmtx]

Can anyone clear up my question about the refund for the 2/6 cruise? We were told we'd be getting a full refund of the cruise. Does this mean the cruise fare only, or the port taxes too? Because we didn't visit any ports, so I would think we'd be entitled to refund of the port fees too. And we pre-paid gratuities, so we will be getting those refunded too? We tipped crew with cash under the impression that our gratuities were being refunded but now I'm not so sure?

[foxgoodrich]

Can anyone clear up my question about the refund for the 2/6 cruise? We were told we'd be getting a full refund of the cruise. Does this mean the cruise fare only, or the port taxes too? Because we didn't visit any ports, so I would think we'd be entitled to refund of the port fees too. And we pre-paid gratuities, so we will be getting those refunded too? We tipped crew with cash under the impression that our gratuities were being refunded but now I'm not so sure?

 

The port fees and prepaid gratuities for the 2/6 will be refunded along with the basic cruise fare, so you should get it all back. As another poster pointed out, that refund will not be one lump sum on your credit card, but a series of weird amounts that add up to the total.

 

The part that take some people by surprise, though, is that your future cruise credit will be 50% of the fare only (not the fare with tax/port charges added to it.)

Judy

[stevea326]

When you send in your claim in, list EVERY expense you had, whether they've told you it's reimbursable or not.. And attach a receipt (or at least a copy of your receipt, or any kind of documentation) if possible. If you had to change a flight twice and got charged a change fee twice, send them both in.

 

They are in a bit of a frenzy right now over all of this stuff. Many things have been said in terms of what they will and what they won't cover, so ask for it all. The worst that can happen is that something will be disallowed. The best that can happen is that they will send you a check for all of it.

 

When we had our hurricane cruise in 2010, we were on the back end. We were the folks whose 7 nighter became a 5 nighter. We got no refund of any kind on our cruise fare. (We, in a D8 balcony, got a $650 OBC for the 5 day cruise and we got a 25% future cruise credit, based on what we had paid.) But they covered hotel and meal expense for the 2 days we had to hang out in FLL. We were told we had to send in receipts. We were also told parking wasn't covered.

 

I didn't have receipts for every meal - I lost or misplaced one lunch receipt. So I just put an amount ($28 for two of us) on the claim for that. (They allowed it.) We had drinks/wine with our dinners, but the receipts I sent (CC receipts) were not itemized. (They allowed it.) I included tips, and they allowed it. Our hotel was a direct bill to Royal, so we just checked in and didn't pay for lodging, but we were charged $39 for parking. I sent the receipt and they allowed it. Merion Mom was on this cruise as well - I think we were all pleasantly surprised by our reimbursements. Your circumstances are different, but I advise you to ask for the moon and see what you get back.

 

So, send in every expense you have associated with the shortening of your cruise. There's no downside...:)

Judy

 

Judy, do you have any more information on how you actually submit a claim? I was going to call and ask, but feel like I might get a run-around answer.

 

My wife and I chose to stay in NY for an extra 2 nights until our original flight left on Saturday afternoon. I'm not sure if RC would cover the hotel charge or not.

[foxgoodrich]

Steve, you should definitely ask for reimbursement on your 2 night hotel stay. You may be told 'no'....or they might invoke some kind of limit amount, like somebody said change fees were limited to $150...but it's worth a try.

 

Okay, I had to time travel back to 2012 this morning to try to answer your main question. Fortunately it was all here on my laptop. I created a memo to RC on my computer and itemized our list of expenses. I numbered the expenses, then numbered the receipts I had that matched each expense. Thus, I don't think there was an official claim form, but evidently we were given an address for sending our claims/receipts, as the TO: line on my memo was this:

Royal Caribbean International

Customer Service - Tropical Storm Isaac

1050 Caribbean Way

Miami, FL 33132-2096

(You might need to call customer service to find out the specific address you need to use. But if I had to guess, I would guess it might be the same as above with ANTHEM STORM CRUISE 2/6/2016 replacing the Isaac thing on mine.)

 

On the FROM line, I listed our full names, our booking number, our C&A numbers, our stateroom number, and our address. Then I just listed each expense, the date, and the amount. (In your case, I would make some kind of explanatory statement like Hotel expense for 2 nights lodging was less than airline change fees for changing the date of travel for 2 passengers.

 

Now...my time travel was not limited to my Documents folder! I checked Quicken too. I discovered that I was mistaken when I said we got a check. (Sorry guys, I'm old and that was a few years ago!:o) The date on my memo was Sept 6 and the date of the credit to my credit card (the one we used for the onboard account) was Sept 26, so it was fairly quick. I believe, now that I think about it, that people with cash accounts onboard did get checks. We got a credit since we'd used a card.

 

I hope this isn't too confusing! I think all you need is the mailing address and you can do your own memo.

Judy

Edited February 16, 2016 by foxgoodrich

[faymuiheng]

It will be interesting to see what happens and how long it takes for everything to clear. We were told on board, at the C & A desk that no cruise credit to status will be given. No payment = no points.

 

- told at front desk, that all change fees will be reimbursed x 2, with no cap to the amount. (only offered after they revised the arrival time from 6am to 9pm)

 

- we paid for the first change fee, but when we tried a 2nd time, found out the airline we booked was sold out til 14th feb....(Cathay Pacific). We ended up having to rebook with another airline, but our credit card company will cover that charge. (flight interruption)

 

we are going to claim for following thru ROYAL...

-non refundable hotel we booked at end of cruise

-change fees to airlines

-excess baggage fees as Cathay Pacific does not charge for one checked in piece per person.

 

Royal did in fact removed all charges to the room that they promised. All long distance charges were removed. Mini bar- as we got lazy one night and hit it early. All beverage packages are pro-rated. Internet and their Royal IQ chat also refunded.

 

It was a trying time on board, and the front desk crew did the best they could, but it did seem like they were the last to know anything, and it was good to see that a lot of us gave them the slack they needed.

[A&L_Ont]

That's really a shame... I was unable to change my original airline ticket for Feb 13th (it was booked on a regional airline with really horrible policies). They actually wanted to CHARGE me $67 extra to cancel the ticket altogether (which wouldn't get me a refund or anything).

 

So I was forced to purchase a brand new ticket (on a different airline) for Feb 10th at a price of $460. This was prior to the change in arrival time to 9pm, at which time I then had to change that new ticket to February 11th (which fortunately United waived the change fee on).

 

And the new ticket purchase in the first place was prior to the fact that Royal Caribbean said they would be refunding change fees (and of course there was conveniently no stipulation on the $150 limit while on the cruise).

 

Argh!!!

 

Which regional airline was the PIA for the wanting to charge you $67 not to fly with them? I want to avoid them.I'm guessing it was AC or some version of them.

 

It was nice to read that United waved the fee when the flight time changed on you.