When did deposits become non-refundable?

[wayfair816]

Hello! I have been booking and canceling royal caribbean cruises on occasion for years without fault, but went to cancel one today and was told my deposit I made was non refundable!  When did that change happen??

[Merion_Mom]

A couple of years ago.

 

The refundable option still exists, except for suites.

[Merion_Mom]

If your deposit was (for example) $250 pp, $100 is gone, but the rest, $150 pp is given to you as a FCC that must be used within one year of your cancellation date.

[NateUpNorth]

10 minutes ago, wayfair816 said:

Hello! I have been booking and canceling royal caribbean cruises on occasion for years without fault, but went to cancel one today and was told my deposit I made was non refundable!  When did that change happen??

 

Don't forget you can still choose a "refundable" option during the booking process...... it'll cost a few extra $$ but might be worth it for you.

Edited August 28, 2019 by NateUpNorth

[wayfair816]

3 minutes ago, NateUpNorth said:

 

Don't forget you can still choose a "refundable" option during the booking process...... it'll cost a few extra $$ but might be worth it for you.

 Based on some light googling I did, I think since I booked a grand suite I wasn't given that option.

[not-enough-cruising]

20 minutes ago, wayfair816 said:

 Based on some light googling I did, I think since I booked a grand suite I wasn't given that option.

You are correct. Suites can ONLY be booked with non refundable deposit 

[molly361]

36 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

A couple of years ago.

 

The refundable option still exists, except for suites.

 

4 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

You are correct. Suites can ONLY be booked with non refundable deposit 

AND guarantee cabins also are only non refundable

[Deseo1578]

17 minutes ago, molly361 said:

 

AND guarantee cabins also are only non refundable

I did purchased a guarantee ocean view balcony through the site with refundable deposit . 

[molly361]

11 minutes ago, Deseo1578 said:

I did purchased a guarantee ocean view balcony through the site with refundable deposit . 

Interesting- here's the terms from the non refundable FAQ

 

8. Why was the decision made to enforce only non-refundable deposit fare options for Suite inventory (specifically Grand Suite or higher) and Guarantee categories?

In an effort to preserve our valued Suite inventory and to ensure availability for our committed guests, a non-refundable deposit will become the only option for those guests interested in reserving an upper Suite. This also holds true for guarantee categories, including W/WS, X/XB, XN, Y/YO, and Z/ZI, where lower lead fares are typically the best deal

Edited August 28, 2019 by molly361

[Deseo1578]

6 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Interesting- here's the terms from the non refundable FAQ

 

8. Why was the decision made to enforce only non-refundable deposit fare options for Suite inventory (specifically Grand Suite or higher) and Guarantee categories?

In an effort to preserve our valued Suite inventory and to ensure availability for our committed guests, a non-refundable deposit will become the only option for those guests interested in reserving an upper Suite. This also holds true for guarantee categories, including W/WS, X/XB, XN, Y/YO, and Z/ZI, where lower lead fares are typically the best deal

yes, this was the first time I saw refundable deposit on the site. I did called in, and re-asked if the deposit was refundable. And accordgin to them it was. 

[gerif]

1 hour ago, wayfair816 said:

 Based on some light googling I did, I think since I booked a grand suite I wasn't given that option.

That’s precisely why suites are non refundable. People would gobble them up and then cancel just before final payment making them difficult to sell for full price. 

[wayfair816]

2 minutes ago, gerif said:

That’s precisely why suites are non refundable. People would gobble them up and then cancel just before final payment making them difficult to sell for full price. 

 

To be fair, the cruise I have booked is next August, so there is still a lot of time left.  Would be nice if there was an option for it to be refundable until a certain date.

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, wayfair816 said:

 

To be fair, the cruise I have booked is next August, so there is still a lot of time left.  Would be nice if there was an option for it to be refundable until a certain date.

 

That's exactly the way it used to be, fully refundable up to 90 days before the cruise. 

[Ourusualbeach]

44 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Interesting- here's the terms from the non refundable FAQ

 

8. Why was the decision made to enforce only non-refundable deposit fare options for Suite inventory (specifically Grand Suite or higher) and Guarantee categories?

In an effort to preserve our valued Suite inventory and to ensure availability for our committed guests, a non-refundable deposit will become the only option for those guests interested in reserving an upper Suite. This also holds true for guarantee categories, including W/WS, X/XB, XN, Y/YO, and Z/ZI, where lower lead fares are typically the best deal

I had this same conversation a few days ago.  I found that if you book a specific category guarantee (like a 6D guarantee) the    deposit  can be refundable.

 

You can even book suites and cat x, y and Z guarantees if you pay standard fare.  i.e no 50% off second guest.

[MississippiMom]

This non-refundable vs. refundable deposit thing has been a huge discussion in my home.  Since we weren't going to be looking at any suites, we wound up booking the more expensive refundable cabins (3).  We have never sailed RCCL, and taking the risk to put down non-refundable deposits on three cabins for a cruise that is 10 months away is just not something that we were willing to commit to right now. 

 

As a non-RCCL cruiser, I wish their website didn't default to the non-refundable deposit. It makes it hard to get an accurate idea of actual prices.

[Clarea]

10 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

 ...

As a non-RCCL cruiser, I wish their website didn't default to the non-refundable deposit. It makes it hard to get an accurate idea of actual prices.

 

Unfortunately, that is by design.  They used to show the refundable/non-refundable prices up front, but I guess the bean counters won that argument and buried that selection until after all passenger info was entered.  I think they are getting closer to making all bookings non-refundable (like they are for most of the non-US/Canadian bookings), but may be waiting for another cruise line to take the lead.

[Johnamac123]

11 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

This non-refundable vs. refundable deposit thing has been a huge discussion in my home.  Since we weren't going to be looking at any suites, we wound up booking the more expensive refundable cabins (3).  We have never sailed RCCL, and taking the risk to put down non-refundable deposits on three cabins for a cruise that is 10 months away is just not something that we were willing to commit to right now. 

 

As a non-RCCL cruiser, I wish their website didn't default to the non-refundable deposit. It makes it hard to get an accurate idea of actual prices.

You know you can complete a booking including your name, BD, etc and the software will give you the option and price of refundable deposit? Just don't complete the booking with credit card info...

[schlimazel_traveler]

5 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

If your deposit was (for example) $250 pp, $100 is gone, but the rest, $150 pp is given to you as a FCC that must be used within one year of your cancellation date.

That is good to know.

[dani negreanu]

5 minutes ago, schlimazel_traveler said:

That is good to know.

 

I like your screen name ..... Hopefully, you'll never encounter it 😁

[Billy Baltic]

6 hours ago, wayfair816 said:

Hello! I have been booking and canceling royal caribbean cruises on occasion for years without fault, but went to cancel one today and was told my deposit I made was non refundable!  When did that change happen??

 

In the U.K. and Ireland, I don’t think we ever had it any other way. You book, pay a deposit and lose it if you don’t travel. Consider yourself lucky to have a refundable rate.  

Edited August 28, 2019 by Billy Baltic

[HappilyEverAft-ers]

We booked a refundable deposit this past weekend for a B2B in 2021.  It cost us $200 more, but is worth the peace of mind.  How do I tell on the invoice that it's refundable?  I've looked over it, and not seeing it.

[mbleackl]

I used a $200 FCC plus a $700 deposit last year to book a cruise for my wife and I but had to cancel when plans changed.  The $700 was deemed non refundable so I lost $200 and any FCC benefit and got $700 back as a FCC which I have to book soon.  I think it is kind of a rip off.  I've booked and cancelled before on Royal and other cruise lines and always come back.  So now once I use the FCC I won't be back to Royal.  There are too many other options out there.

[snowglobe]

Last week, we added a cabin to our 2020 family cruise. (2 cabins were already booked with refundable deposits last December.)

 

New cabin’s RCCL math:

Non-refundable deposit = $210

Cabin with refundable deposit = total cruise fare $260 more...

 

Guess under which scenario we booked the new cabin?

[Deseo1578]

6 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I had this same conversation a few days ago.  I found that if you book a specific category guarantee (like a 6D guarantee) the    deposit  can be refundable.

 

You can even book suites and cat x, y and Z guarantees if you pay standard fare.  i.e no 50% off second guest.

however I did got my50% off, basically i paid the same amount as the non refundable deposit. 

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, Deseo1578 said:

however I did got my50% off, basically i paid the same amount as the non refundable deposit. 

Was your guarantee an x,y or z guarantee or a specific category?