For those of you approaching final payment here's a strategy to consider.

[Hogbay]

26 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It is an easy way for those with a non refundable deposit to get it refunded without paying Royal as much money at final payment. 

we have Radiance Repo Singapore to Brisbane Australia  4 th Nov , Nextcruise booking due on Aug 26 th 2020 . We cannot cross State Boarders and a Gov International travel ban . If we make final payment it would be showing intent to travel against Gov orders . Think Royal breaking Australian Laws by not cancelling . It's a royal mess.... thanks 🤔

[Ourusualbeach]

1 minute ago, Hogbay said:

we have Radiance Repo Singapore to Brisbane Australia  4 th Nov , Nextcruise booking due on Aug 26 th 2020 . We cannot cross State Boarders and a Gov International travel ban . If we make final payment it would be showing intent to travel against Gov orders . Think Royal breaking Australian Laws by not cancelling . It's a royal mess.... thanks 🤔

Unless you actually sail Or crossed the border you wouldn’t be in violation of anything.

[breezy_carol]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

There isn’t an option for a refund if the passenger cancels after final Paymrnt. 

That is what I thought before I read this thread.

[fredflint]

It makes more sense if you are going to take the 125% to go ahead and pay it in full to get a greater refund!

 

Also they are doing 125% for onboard items so order a drink package or wifi then get 125% of that too.

Edited August 21, 2020 by fredflint
fun

[BecAus]

This is what I did yesterday.

 

Back-story:

So we had a $300 NRD down for the Ovation 19n TP in September this year.  I didn't want to make the 10K final payment.  I was going away on leave and had to sort it out a week before final was due so I moved the deposit to a 3n cruise in October 2021, which I had no intention of taking.   I needed the cruise to be far enough out that when I cancelled I could apply the $300 FCC to a NZ cruise I have booked in Jan 2022. 

If I'd done that with the Ovation cruise the FCC had to be applied and sailed by Dec 2021 which was no good for me.

Nb.  the Ovation TP ended up being one of the few cruises they DID cancel a couple of days before final was due - dammit : )

Also, for some reason I had no idea I could transfer that $300 NRD deposit to a new cruise.

I had booked a GS on the Jan 2022 Quantum cruise and paid a $600 new deposit (3 pax) stupidly without realising I could have just transferred my existing deposit to that new cruise.

 

Anyway, yesterday I got to thinking.  There is obviously a chance the 3n October 2021 Brisbane sailing will actually sail (fingers crossed) but we have no interest in being on it, we are in Perth.

 

I rang yesterday (straight through in less than a minute) and again changed the booking to a sailing THIS November, 11/13 - 2n on Voyager out of Sydney.

Booked an interior cabin for a total of $1049 and moved the $300 NRD to here.

I made the final payment yesterday of $749.  I probably could have waited.  He said final was due on 9/4/20 but just figured I'd get it out of the way.  I think it's fairly low risk to pay it at this time as further cancellations should be announced soon.

 

Currently the no sail order is till 31 October but I'm sure will be extended in the next 2 - 4 weeks and then I will apply for the refund.

 

Then, my only current outlay is $600 (NRD - as it was 5K more to make it refundable!!) for the Jan 2022 cruise.  I can live with that.

 

It was a lot of stuffing around but would have been less so if I'd -

1.  realised I could just transfer that original NRD to my new booking in 2022 and

2.  thought to transfer the deposit to this earlier November 2020 cruise when I did the changes a few weeks ago.  At that time I was just thinking along the lines of getting a FCC that had a use by date far enough out that I could make use of it.  Jan 2022 is going to be the earliest we could use it as I'm pretty sure they won't be sailing down here in AUS this year.

 

Also, as is mentioned here a lot, keep an eye out for price drops.

 

I booked a GS (our first) on a 11n NZ Quantum cruise for Jan 2022 for 3 of us.  I paid $10,173 AUD.

Two weeks later I checked the price and it was now $8,816.  Rang up and got it adjusted, no problem.

Have no idea if that's considered a good price, I do know whenever I've checked it's usually been priced at least double that, certainly when looking closer to sailing obviously.  As it's a school holiday sailing time for us cruises in mid Dec / Jan are always priced higher.

 

I know some are recommending not making any bookings till RCG are sailing again but I like to book very early and am choosy about what cabin we get + it's something to looked forward to.  If they go belly up, I can live with a $600 loss.

 

I don't think we would consider taking the 125%.  I keep reading with interest what people are saying in regards to how RCG are going to fare if this keeps going on like it is for another 12 - 18 mths (I really hope not xx) I don't think anyone can say for sure and given this has gone on so much longer than I think any of us could have possibly imagined it seems safer to just take the refund.  I would only stand to gain $200 with the 125% so not worth it for us IMHO.

 

As always, thanks to all who take their time to freely and generously offer their advice to everyone - it is a huge help!

[NthernLgts]

11 hours ago, fredflint said:

It makes more sense if you are going to take the 125% to go ahead and pay it in full to get a greater refund!

 

Also they are doing 125% for onboard items so order a drink package or wifi then get 125% of that too.

A big part of my thought process here is the fact that my 2020 cruise is coming up quick, in early December.  Its getting close.  I'm kind of betting there's no way that ship sails.  I'm much more confident that the Dec 2021 cruise WILL actually sail.  If this years sailing does happen I will just cancel the cruise and forward the money to next years sailing without an actual refund.  I can live with that.  If it cancels I'll either take the refund or the 125% FCC, which I will be able to use nearly all of it in full because of how much I downgraded this years cruise.  Part of this requires a little faith that RCI will still be viable, which I think they will.

[jean87510]

Great ideas everyone! Thank you for sharing.

[Mapleleafforever]

17 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It is an easy way for those with a non refundable deposit to get it refunded without paying Royal as much money at final payment. 

A tad off topic but still regarding cancellations. I noticed this today on the Royal website. 

 

For all sailings cancelled as part of our suspension of operations due to COVID-19:

 

• If you purchased refundable air or hotel accommodations through Royal Caribbean, they will be automatically refunded to you within 45 days after we process the cancellation.

• If you booked non-refundable air through Royal Caribbean or booked on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them.

 

Is Royal saying that if they cancel the cruise and you have non refundable airfare booked through them you have to to the Airline to see what your options are?

[Ourusualbeach]

6 minutes ago, Mapleleafforever said:

A tad off topic but still regarding cancellations. I noticed this today on the Royal website. 

 

For all sailings cancelled as part of our suspension of operations due to COVID-19:

 

• If you purchased refundable air or hotel accommodations through Royal Caribbean, they will be automatically refunded to you within 45 days after we process the cancellation.

• If you booked non-refundable air through Royal Caribbean or booked on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them.

 

Is Royal saying that if they cancel the cruise and you have non refundable airfare booked through them you have to to the Airline to see what your options are?

It’s been like that since the start.  Non refundable means you are at the mercy of the airlines and what they are offering.  

 

 

[Mapleleafforever]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It’s been like that since the start.  Non refundable means you are at the mercy of the airlines and what they are offering.  

 

 

Ah thanks, I was not aware of that. 

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, Mapleleafforever said:

Ah thanks, I was not aware of that. 

And unfortunately the Canadian Airlines only have non refundable rates through Royal.  The major US carriers all have refundable rates. 

[NancyIL]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It’s been like that since the start.  Non refundable means you are at the mercy of the airlines and what they are offering.  

 

 

 

Chances are good that your airline has or will cancel your flights or make a big enough schedule change so you qualify for a refund. It happened to us for flights we had booked on American from Europe in May,  New York in June, and Montreal in September. Read your airline's Conditions of Carriage to see what their requirements are to get a refund.

[Mapleleafforever]

7 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

And unfortunately the Canadian Airlines only have non refundable rates through Royal.  The major US carriers all have refundable rates. 

I never even noticed that before, mind you I never had a reason to notice it. 

[fredflint]

Funny I have an email from royal with no qualifiers?

 

Thank you for your e-mail. We apologize for the delay in our response and appreciate your patience.

 

If you have booked your air through our Air2Sea program and your booking cancels, your air fare will be automatically refunded. If you have any questions regarding your air, please contact our Air2Sea department directly at 1 (844) 278-9745. Please feel free to contact us again if you have any further questions or concerns.

 

Wayne, we hope you and your loved ones are healthy and doing well. We look forward to welcoming you onboard the Rhapsody of the Seas in November. Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean.

 

Sincerely,

[Sunshine3601]

On 8/20/2020 at 3:03 PM, breezy_carol said:

So if it does sail and you don't go, do you lose the entire amount?

 

We have $900 on a cruise in February and I don't want to go now and do not want to invest another $2000 and hope for a cancellation.

Is your $900 deposit non refundable?  If you know you definitely do not want to go in february.  How about the lift and shift option?  Or see about moving your $900 deposit to a cruise later in 2021?  

[breezy_carol]

10 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Is your $900 deposit non refundable?  If you know you definitely do not want to go in february.  How about the lift and shift option?  Or see about moving your $900 deposit to a cruise later in 2021?  

Thank you for your reply.  The deposit is non-refundable.  This is pretty much what I was thinking.  Until there is a vaccine, I am not comfortable cruising. The reason we booked this cruise is that it was one of the last cruises on Grandeur out of Baltimore on an itinerary we wanted.  I am going to wait until we have to make final payment then move the deposit to a much later cruise.  

[notmyrealnameoremail]

On 8/20/2020 at 10:59 AM, NthernLgts said:

We have a 12/4/20, 9 day sailing booked on the Explorer.  We originally had a 2D balcony cabin booked and nearly paid for... except for about the final $600.  Final payment was due next Wednesday 8/26.  What my TA did was rebook to an interior 6A cabin, which was $437.00 less than I've already paid.  So the 6A cabin is now paid in full, so no final payment is due next week.  The $437.00 overage is getting refunded to my credit card right away, and now I can wait to see what Royal does with the sailing before I decide to cancel & get a refund (likely) or take a 125% FCC.  The cost of the interior cabin was so much less that I will be able to apply nearly the entire 125% FCC, assuming they offer it, to my new cruise next December. 

 

Either way we will not be taking this year's cruise and, as I mentioned, have already booked the same cruise for next Dec with a much nicer aft balcony cabin.  I'm just not coughing up more money for the final payment, and I should be able to use the entire FCC on one cruise should I decide to roll the dice on that.

 

A big thanks to NancyIL for getting me to consider the rebook of the existing cabin to a lower category.  My TA also knew what I was looking to accomplish and was very helpful making it happen.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy spending time on Cruise Critic.  Fellow cruisers sharing good ideas.  At this point we are not in a position where this particular strategy makes sense for us, but a) our situation might change and b) it gets me wondering if a variation on it does.

 

Thank you for posting the idea, making it clear it might not be for everyone and providing enough detail  for folks to decide if it would work for them.

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, breezy_carol said:

Thank you for your reply.  The deposit is non-refundable.  This is pretty much what I was thinking.  Until there is a vaccine, I am not comfortable cruising. The reason we booked this cruise is that it was one of the last cruises on Grandeur out of Baltimore on an itinerary we wanted.  I am going to wait until we have to make final payment then move the deposit to a much later cruise.  

I completely understand as we were supposed to be on grandeur this past March.  Grandeur was our first ship with the rcl family.  Noone knows for sure what will happen with her.

[NthernLgts]

5 hours ago, notmyrealnameoremail said:

 

Thank you for posting the idea, making it clear it might not be for everyone and providing enough detail  for folks to decide if it would work for them.

Youre very welcome.  The worst case scenario for me is I apply 100% of this year’s reduced rate cruise to the December 2021 booking.  With 16 months to wait I have a little more faith a vaccine will be in play than I would if we were trying to sail in March or April.  I still firmly believe the December 2020 cruise will never happen.

[crusinthrough]

On 8/22/2020 at 1:48 PM, NthernLgts said:

Youre very welcome.  The worst case scenario for me is I apply 100% of this year’s reduced rate cruise to the December 2021 booking.  With 16 months to wait I have a little more faith a vaccine will be in play than I would if we were trying to sail in March or April.  I still firmly believe the December 2020 cruise will never happen.

 

Although I do not think a cruise in early Dec will happen, you can move your deposit to a cruise in Nov, which has a better chance of being cancelled.  If it's cancelled you can opt for a full refund or  the 125% FCC.  If it is not cancelled, you can use CWC and get a 100% FCC.  

[fundirector]

On 8/20/2020 at 3:03 PM, breezy_carol said:

So if it does sail and you don't go, do you lose the entire amount?

 

We have $900 on a cruise in February and I don't want to go now and do not want to invest another $2000 and hope for a cancellation.

Be very careful. They told me not to pay my final payment. So I didn’t. Then 11 days later they cancelled me 2 weeks later they canceled the cruise ( which they should have done before final payment, all other cruise lines did. And Port if Vancouver was closed. Plus a 14 quarantine by Alaska gov) now I can’t get my deposits back.  

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, fundirector said:

Be very careful. They told me not to pay my final payment. So I didn’t. Then 11 days later they cancelled me 2 weeks later they canceled the cruise ( which they should have done before final payment, all other cruise lines did. And Port if Vancouver was closed. Plus a 14 quarantine by Alaska gov) now I can’t get my deposits back.  

Almost 100% of cancellations have been after final payment. 

[Biker19]

5 hours ago, fundirector said:

They told me not to pay my final payment. So I didn’t.

That was very bad advice and poor decision on your part.

[NthernLgts]

Here’s how this all shook out.  This week the Dec 2020 cruise was officially cancelled by RCI.  We got official notification today.  Had RCI not also cancelled our Dec 2021 cruise we would have taken the 125% FCC and used it to basically pay off the 2021 cruise.  Now we will take the refund.  Either way, I’m glad we waited RCI out.  It just didn’t make sense that ships were going to sail this year.

[ReneeFLL]

Good thing you took the refund. No telling what they are going to do to cruises that they are advertising and people are booking.