Cruise with confidence enhanced

[Tree_skier]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Can you give me time needed to get from Airport to Cruise Ports for both? I assume we could pay RCCL to transportation, is that what most people do? I guess I should be asking these kind of questions on the Port of Call Board and not hyjack this one.

I don't know about Barcelona as it was only a port stop for us.  If I remember right, there was no direct train service between the airport and the cruise port, which I thought was odd.  The train went from the airport to the city centre then change trains and off you go to cruise port.  That worked for us since we spent a couple of day in Rome before and after our med cruise.  I think the cab/uber ride directly from the airport was about 60 minutes but we didn't take it so I can't say with certainty..  

[RG306]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

I pretty much believe we can get non-stops to both Barcelona and Rome, from one of the NY Airports.........Just not sure  which we would like a couple of pre or post stays at. How do you decide which is best, we have been to neither?

If I have 3 days or more pre or post cruise, I would chose Rome. It is quite aways from the port (an hour to an hour and a half each way) and has so much to offer.  A day does not do it justice.  We chose Barcelona because we'll be lucky to have a day maybe two at either end because of work schedules and because we have companion vouchers to use with an airline that only has direct flights to Barcelona.  

[Ginlyn]

16 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

We paid $2500 more for our Owners Suite then your Ocean View,  this way for whatever ship we shifted to I knew there would be no questions asked as to what cabin we could switch to. Owner Suites are on every ship no matter what class. Still happy with our overall price for one of these cabins for a Europe sailing.

We’ve thought maybe we would/could do an upgrade on Explorer first and then switch.  Really can’t afford to spend as much as you did but perhaps there is something that would work for us.  I will be calling but just wanted some information before they hit me with all the “can’t” do things!!!

[Ourusualbeach]

20 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Can you give me time needed to get from Airport to Cruise Ports for both? I assume we could pay RCCL to transportation, is that what most people do? I guess I should be asking these kind of questions on the Port of Call Board and not hyjack this one.

taxi flat rate from FCO to Rome was 45 Euros, about an hour depending on traffic.

[gdy0354]

If you booked thru an outside travel agent ie. Cruise.com, do you deal directly with them or go thru RCCL to take advantage of these new cancellation options?

 

 

[heatherb1958]

Don’t get too excited folks .
 

I just enquired about doing the Lift and Shift for our cancelled 16th May 2020 Rhapsody cruise to 29th May 2021, exact same ship, itinerary and cabin grade , it has so far been declined . 
When we booked we had the UK promotion of free flights , for us that was Manchester to Venice return.The new Lift and Shift states it will protect the cancelled cruise pricing AND promotion though apparently not the free flights one. 
I will phone tomorrow and see if I can speak to a human to discuss it , I did suggest to the online customer service person that perhaps a disclaimer could be added to the advertising  showing that the promotion we had is exempt for Lift and Shift . 
 

We will request a full refund if the answer is still no.

 

RCI regularly did Free flights promos here in the UK, I do appreciate that the airline industry is screwed at the moment .

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by heatherb1958

[Jimbo]

35 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

I don't know about Barcelona as it was only a port stop for us.  If I remember right, there was no direct train service between the airport and the cruise port, which I thought was odd.  The train went from the airport to the city centre then change trains and off you go to cruise port.  That worked for us since we spent a couple of day in Rome before and after our med cruise.  I think the cab/uber ride directly from the airport was about 60 minutes but we didn't take it so I can't say with certainty..  

 

34 minutes ago, RG306 said:

If I have 3 days or more pre or post cruise, I would chose Rome. It is quite aways from the port (an hour to an hour and a half each way) and has so much to offer.  A day does not do it justice.  We chose Barcelona because we'll be lucky to have a day maybe two at either end because of work schedules and because we have companion vouchers to use with an airline that only has direct flights to Barcelona.  

 

23 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

taxi flat rate from FCO to Rome was 45 Euros, about an hour depending on traffic.

Mapquest says 30 minutes from FCO to Center of Rome, must be no traffice because of Covid-19, then from Rome to Cruise port 1 hour.

Seems like flying into FCO will be our best option, still leaves us with possible Western(Harmony of the Seas) and Eastern(Odyssey of the Seas, some previously said that went from Explorer of the Seas and was able to get Eastern) both leave from Rome.

Probably do 3 pre-day stays and 1 or 2 post day stays depending on flight ability.

Edited May 10, 2020 by Jimbo

[NancyIL]

48 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

 

That's exactly what we did.  The Rome cruise port is actually in Civitavecchia.  It was a two and a half hour train ride from Civi to Rome so any excursion into Rome requires a minimum of 5 hours just for transportation time.  In Barcelona, you get off the ship and you are right there with a myriad of transportation options and sights to see within walking distance or at worst a short bus ride.  Barcelona was our favorite port of call.  To do Rome right you need a few days.

 

The drive from Rome to the port is a little over an hour each way. RCI's excursions say allow 1.5  hours each way.

[Jimbo]

4 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

 

The drive from Rome to the port is a little over an hour each way. RCI's excursions say allow 1.5  hours each way.

Yeah, we will not be using a train, that can be a PITA with bags and such. not sure I would get a rental car either, sounds like more trouble then it would be worth, leaving the driving to someone else.

Edited May 10, 2020 by Jimbo

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

21 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

I was allowed to change from Radiance out of Vancouver to Ovation from Seattle.  Both were Alaska and both offered next year.   I was told my a not well informed CSR that in  a case similar to yours that Western Carib could not be changed to Eastern Carib.  I believe this is wrong but decided to try again later.

Thank you, I’m glad you were able to make the change you wanted for at least one of your cruises.  I hope you are successful in getting the other changed.  It is frustrating that the Lift & Shift is being applied so differently by each RCCl rep.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, LorraineP said:

Do you think they’ll switch you to a 4D then?

We are frugal, it's an inside 6V to 4V.  With the monies saved by not booking a more expensive cabin, we will get the Unlimited Dining Package as well as the Unlimited  Drink Package.  Will stay on board and enjoy the ship when we go to Nassau and Port Canaveral and only get off at Coco Cay.  Will end up shifting our Mardi Gras sailing to August of 2022 when bookings open up. And probably doing the lift and shift with our June Bermuda cruise if it's an option when they cancel it later this week.   If not an option, we'll probably  take the refund.

[Ourusualbeach]

12 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Mapquest says 30 minutes from FCO to Center of Rome, must be no traffice because of Covid-19

We went at 4am from the Vatican, no traffic and it was 40 minutes. Wait till you see the traffic in a Rome. 

[little britain]

58 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Can you give me time needed to get from Airport to Cruise Ports for both? I assume we could pay RCCL to transportation, is that what most people do? I guess I should be asking these kind of questions on the Port of Call Board and not hyjack this one.

Airport to port in Barcelona is an easy cab ride taking about 25 mins and it is a fixed fare of €39

Airport to port in Rome is longer - allow 90 mins due to traffic, you can preorder a driver and allow about €100 for 2.

[Ourusualbeach]

25 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said:

Don’t get too excited folks .
 

I just enquired about doing the Lift and Shift for our cancelled 16th May 2020 Rhapsody cruise to 29th May 2021, exact same ship, itinerary and cabin grade , it has so far been declined . 
When we booked we had the UK promotion of free flights , for us that was Manchester to Venice return.The new Lift and Shift states it will protect the cancelled cruise pricing AND promotion though apparently not the free flights one. 
I will phone tomorrow and see if I can speak to a human to discuss it , I did suggest to the online customer service person that perhaps a disclaimer could be added to the advertising  showing that the promotion we had is exempt for Lift and Shift . 
 

We will request a full refund if the answer is still no.

 

RCI regularly did Free flights promos here in the UK, I do appreciate that the airline industry is screwed at the moment .

 

 

 

So the cruise is fine...it’s just the flights that are the issue.

[Ourusualbeach]

28 minutes ago, gdy0354 said:

If you booked thru an outside travel agent ie. Cruise.com, do you deal directly with them or go thru RCCL to take advantage of these new cancellation options?

 

 

You have to deal with whoever booked your cruise. 

[little britain]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

So the cruise is fine...it’s just the flights that are the issue.

But the cruise in May has already been cancelled - thought you have to have an active booking?  

 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by little britain

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, little britain said:

But the cruise in May has already been cancelled - you have to have an active booking?  

Good catch.  That sailing is excluded.  I wasn’t even looking at the date. 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[Ourusualbeach]

31 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said:

Don’t get too excited folks .
 

I just enquired about doing the Lift and Shift for our cancelled 16th May 2020 Rhapsody cruise to 29th May 2021, exact same ship, itinerary and cabin grade , it has so far been declined . 
When we booked we had the UK promotion of free flights , for us that was Manchester to Venice return.The new Lift and Shift states it will protect the cancelled cruise pricing AND promotion though apparently not the free flights one. 
I will phone tomorrow and see if I can speak to a human to discuss it , I did suggest to the online customer service person that perhaps a disclaimer could be added to the advertising  showing that the promotion we had is exempt for Lift and Shift . 
 

We will request a full refund if the answer is still no.

 

RCI regularly did Free flights promos here in the UK, I do appreciate that the airline industry is screwed at the moment .

 

 

 

You cannot do a Lift and Shift on an already cancelled cruise.

 

 As of May 6, 2020, Royal Caribbean’s “Cruise with Confidence” policy has been enhanced. What changes can be expected?
Adding a few new options to Royal Caribbean’s existing Cruise with Confidence policy, your clients can now choose the one that is most suitable to their scenario. To be eligible, the reservation must be an active booking (not previously cancelled) with no other cancellation offers previously accepted.

 

[alonzo7]

After two hours of torture on hold was able to switch from December on Harmony and was also able to switch from Western to Eastern.  First call the operator hung up on us so had to start over.  Get to keep the exact room we had before.

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Ginlyn said:

We’ve thought maybe we would/could do an upgrade on Explorer first and then switch.  Really can’t afford to spend as much as you did but perhaps there is something that would work for us.  I will be calling but just wanted some information before they hit me with all the “can’t” do things!!!

What I failed to mention earlier, When I first booked Explorer of the Seas yesterday for August 2020, I booked directly on the RCL site, what I failed to check was the travel agency I use to book most my cruises on. Turns out they were offering a $525 OBC for booking an Owners Suite.  So instead of just booking a regular balcony(OBC was only $75) it was a no brainer taking the OS for $3200.00.

 

So I thought what the heck call RCL back up and try to cancel it, it was only 3 hours later. lady puts me on hold and comes back and says no problem since you just booked it but if you had called back a day later the deposit would have been  Not refundable.

 

So then I went right to the travel agency's web site and rebooked the OS and got the $525 OBC on my booking..............Hopefully it will transfer over to the new ship and sailing I pick, Right now it is still showing the same OBC for the August 2021 sailing on both Harmony and Oydessey. So it better not be a problem.

 

Time will tell once I call the Travel agency, they will have to do all the dealings with RCL. Should be fun!!

Edited May 10, 2020 by Jimbo

[Blizzard54]

21 minutes ago, alonzo7 said:

After two hours of torture on hold was able to switch from December on Harmony and was also able to switch from Western to Eastern.  First call the operator hung up on us so had to start over.  Get to keep the exact room we had before.

I will be trying to change some western to eastern as well.  My first attempt I was told no.  I have 5 western b5b and there just are not enough westerns next year keep them if some are not eastern.

[CruisingHogFan]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Since the booking number stays the same the answer is most likely no. It has always been that you can only go from refundable to non-refundable.

Royal gave me a new booking number

[CruisingHogFan]

50 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

So the cruise is fine...it’s just the flights that are the issue.

You can’t lift and shift a canceled cruise so I’m not sure it matters. I would just rebook with the FCC 

[heatherb1958]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

You cannot do a Lift and Shift on an already cancelled cruise.

 

 As of May 6, 2020, Royal Caribbean’s “Cruise with Confidence” policy has been enhanced. What changes can be expected?
Adding a few new options to Royal Caribbean’s existing Cruise with Confidence policy, your clients can now choose the one that is most suitable to their scenario. To be eligible, the reservation must be an active booking (not previously cancelled) with no other cancellation offers previously accepted.

 

Thanks for the info but that  is still ambiguous . We have not  formally requested a refund or FCC yet so it is still live in their system isn’t it ? I know splitting hairs here . 
Anyway , I had further contact from the person who initially contacted me so will wait until tomorrow to hear from them , fingers crossed for good news . I will report back. 

[livylotte]

 

Before I make the phone call.

Does anyone know how L&S works for guarantee cabins.  I have a guarantee cabin not yet assigned.  I'm presuming that the L&S would have to be to the same category guarantee cabin on the new alternative sailing,  but there are no guarantee cabins available on the cruise I want to switch to.

Would I need to upgrade to a specific cabin on the original sailing first?