Symphony Cruise Cancelled... How to book a new cruise to keep double points?

[yogimax]

My Symphony cruise in January was cancelled by  RCCL.  How do I book a new cruise to keep the double points?

 

When I called and tried to book a new cruise, I was told I would have to wait until I received a future cruise credit certificate since the double point promotion would be linked to that.   Is that correct?

 

I thought the promotion would be linked to the original reservation number but the agent refused to keep the original number saying a new booking would require a new reservation number.

 

Can anyone clarify?  Thanks!

[RosieRoo]

When my Jewel sailing was cancelled in January I transferred the booking number to a new ship and sail date. I didn’t want to have to deal with any more FCCs. I know I read something about you being able to keep the double points promo as long as you book something that sails before the end of this year. I’m not sure if that is tied to your FCCs.

[pdrcruiser]

You should be able to lift and shift your booking to a few cruises that Royal will allow you to transfer to on the same ship, and keeping your double points. That is what happened to us on an Allure cruise that was cancelled.  Tell your TA about his option or mention it to the RCCL rep.

 

 

[Cigar King]

Here's what we received:

 

Late last week, we announced the unfortunate cancellation of your upcoming February 25, 2022 Vision of the Seas sailing. Today, we want to respond to the many questions received regarding Double Points. We are happy to share that once the Future Cruise Credit (FCC) issued for this cancellation is applied to an upcoming booking, we will automatically apply the Double Points. There's nothing you need to do to ensure the points are applied.

 

As a reminder, your new FCC can be used on any Royal Caribbean International sailing that departs on or before December 31, 2022 (or one year from your original sailing - whichever is further out).

We know many of you booked your vacations because of the Double Points promotion, and we look forward to seeing you back onboard in the future.

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

[poocher]

Be aware Lift &  Shift is no longer an option and has not been for quite some time.  This means your new cruise is NOT price protected.  You can apply the FCCs to a new cruise at CURRENT pricing.

[MikeTheNFT]

That's awesome that it is tied to FCC. I have two big cruises coming up with Double Points (gimme my 100 points 😄 ) and was afraid cancellations would really mess it up.

 

I really wish I had booked more during this promo lol

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, rennyn said:

That's awesome that it is tied to FCC. I have two big cruises coming up with Double Points (gimme my 100 points 😄 ) and was afraid cancellations would really mess it up.

 

I really wish I had booked more during this promo lol

That only applied in the OP's case because Royal cancelled the cruises last minute.  This would not apply if you cancel a cruise.

[Ourusualbeach]

39 minutes ago, yogimax said:

My Symphony cruise in January was cancelled by  RCCL.  How do I book a new cruise to keep the double points?

 

When I called and tried to book a new cruise, I was told I would have to wait until I received a future cruise credit certificate since the double point promotion would be linked to that.   Is that correct?

 

I thought the promotion would be linked to the original reservation number but the agent refused to keep the original number saying a new booking would require a new reservation number.

 

Can anyone clarify?  Thanks!

Yes, they are tied to the FCC.  That doesn't stop you from booking, just call and get them to make the booking and have them extend the deposit due date while you wait for the FCC's

Edited February 7, 2022 by Ourusualbeach

[Cigar King]

It all sounds so easy.  I'd take bets it doesn't turn out that way.  We won't know if ours worked until we get back in September.  I'd love to hear experiences from anyone who uses them earlier.

 

I was surprised to see the FCC's arrive today.  Just a few days late, really, for Royal, that's a lot better than I expected so maybe I shouldn't be pessimistic.  

[Ashland]

22 hours ago, poocher said:

Be aware Lift &  Shift is no longer an option and has not been for quite some time.  This means your new cruise is NOT price protected.  You can apply the FCCs to a new cruise at CURRENT pricing.

Wasn't there a few circumstances where you could do this .... I thought there were limited cases when this was offered.

[poocher]

Have not heard anyone use this since at least last summer.  Were  there a few isolated cases? Probably but my point was it is not a normal option any more and should not be expected. A PP said you should be able to and that is not true.

[RosieRoo]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

Wasn't there a few circumstances where you could do this .... I thought there were limited cases when this was offered.

I haven’t heard of anyone who did a lift and shift that was price protected. Some of us just moved the money to new ship and sail dates without having to deal with the whole FCC thing, but we paid prevailing rates. As far as I know it was done within days of them cancelling so we were able to keep the same booking numbers and our double points promos.  This was before Royal decided to protect the double points promo on the FCCs. 

[poocher]

I did a lift and shift from Rhapsody March 2021 to Harmony March 2022 and it was fully price protected.  I am paying less than half the regular price for my Owners Suite.  That was the big draw of the original lift & shift offer.  Just moving your money to another sailing is not a lift & shift:

Edited February 8, 2022 by poocher

[RosieRoo]

50 minutes ago, poocher said:

I did a lift and shift from Rhapsody March 2021 to Harmony March 2022 and it was fully price protected.  I am paying less than half the regular price for my Owners Suite.  That was the big draw of the original lift & shift offer.  Just moving your money to another sailing is not a lift & shift:

That was in March of 2021. We are talking about the recent cancellations that Royal Caribbean just made last month and this month. I also had a great price protect for a cruise cancelled and rebooked early on. Unfortunately that option is gone, so I had to rebook at prevailing rates ☹️ even though it was Royal that cancelled my cruise. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by RosieRoo

[poocher]

Correct, the Lift & Shift program which allowed one to move their cruise 1 year ahead, give or take 4 weeks, on a sailing of the same length and approximate destination AND retain the original price has ended.  A PP suggested the OP mention this program to their TA or RCCL rep but it does not exist anymore.  You can still move your funds to another sailing but it is NOT a Lift & Shift and does not have the same parameters.

[pete98]

On 2/8/2022 at 1:26 PM, Cigar King said:

It all sounds so easy.  I'd take bets it doesn't turn out that way.  We won't know if ours worked until we get back in September.  I'd love to hear experiences from anyone who uses them earlier.

 

I was surprised to see the FCC's arrive today.  Just a few days late, really, for Royal, that's a lot better than I expected so maybe I shouldn't be pessimistic.  

 

I'm still waiting for FCC!  Was supposed to have my FCC by 2/4.  Trying to book a cruise for two weeks from now, but would really appriate our FCC first.  Last week when I called they said I'd have an e-mail by this week, but nothing yet.  I'm on the phone again - two hours and counting....   

[Cigar King]

I assume you do not have a TA, but just in case don't forget to contact them as well.

[yogimax]

1 hour ago, Cigar King said:

I assume you do not have a TA, but just in case don't forget to contact them as well.

Correct... I prefer to control my own reservation.

[Pratique]

2 hours ago, pete98 said:

 

I'm still waiting for FCC!  Was supposed to have my FCC by 2/4.  Trying to book a cruise for two weeks from now, but would really appriate our FCC first.  Last week when I called they said I'd have an e-mail by this week, but nothing yet.  I'm on the phone again - two hours and counting....   

I'm still waiting for FCCs as well (Symphony 1/8). Feb. 4 has come and gone. I did finally get all of my money refunded last week, so that's progress. Someone else said they called and got the FCC cert numbers on the phone, but I'm in no mood for a two hour hold....

[dsw39]

2 hours ago, pete98 said:

 

I'm still waiting for FCC!  Was supposed to have my FCC by 2/4.  Trying to book a cruise for two weeks from now, but would really appriate our FCC first.  Last week when I called they said I'd have an e-mail by this week, but nothing yet.  I'm on the phone again - two hours and counting....   

I canceled our 3/28 Vision of the sea and transferred to the same itinerary in December.  Keep calling to work with a representative who will waive the $100 fee and wait for the FCC, keep the deposit and book instantly. You will pay the prevailing rate for the new cruise.

The first few calls were frustrating but in the in the end I was very satisfied with the results

[SilkySal]

Still waiting on our FCC from January 23rd Majesty cancellation by RCCL. I have no desire to wait on hold for hours, so will wait a little longer before calling. Patience, grasshopper, patience! LOL!

[Ashland]

I've been able to apply an FCC before actually receiving it with no problem.

[landerslp]

Just received my future cruise credit today, which was expected Feb 4. Ended up paying for a last minute booked cruise myself Friday as final payment was due and my agent had been holding the reservation without a deposit waiting on the cruise credit. Didn’t want to lose the cruise. Luckily   I have a hold on another cruise to actually replace my Vision canceled one- my agent has been holding it over two weeks waiting on the credit.  And the extra 25% is going to cover the increase in price. So essentially it is a lift and shift for us. So with an agent you can hold cruises while waiting for the credit. RCI customer service maybe does it as well? 

Edited February 14, 2022 by landerslp
We got same letter that double points would be applied when travel credit is used.

[Cigar King]

FWIW, my wife pointed this out to me.  Seems like Royal is giving extra OBC if you use a FCC this month  on a cruise sailing this year.

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/02/11/royal-caribbean-will-give-you-extra-onboard-credit-if-you-book-cruise-your-future-cruise

Edited February 14, 2022 by Cigar King

[yogimax]

14 minutes ago, Cigar King said:

FWIW, my wife pointed this out to me.  Seems like Royal is giving extra OBC if you use a FCC this month  on a cruise sailing this year.

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/02/11/royal-caribbean-will-give-you-extra-onboard-credit-if-you-book-cruise-your-future-cruise

Thank you for the heads up.  I had not heard of this promotion.