Cruise cancelled!!!

[vthompson]

RCL just called and told us our first cruise has been charter and we need to find another, with only 2 options and only a $200.00 ship credit. These date work perfectly with our anniveristy date and work schedule......I wish they would work with us more.......

[Merion_Mom]

RCL just called and told us our first cruise has been charter and we need to find another, with only 2 options and only a $200.00 ship credit. These date work perfectly with our anniveristy date and work schedule......I wish they would work with us more.......

 

Yes, but since they have given you seven months advance notice, they probably feel that it is adequate to give you two other choices, $200 OBC, or the opportunity to cancel without penalty.

[Darkwolfe]

Booper, that looks like some travel agency. Not real swift if they bought up a whole cruise to resell it. Kinda cheesy.

 

Edit content.

 

vthompson- You might check out that link and then see if RCI is aware that it's a travel agency that chartered out the ship. I didn't think they allowed travel agents to buy out a whole ship like that. I could be wrong of course, but it might be worth looking into.

[mrchips14]

What if you already paid for airfare?

 

Hi Darkwolfe and Big Booper. How are you guys doing. Glad to see you are

still around. We have to sail again sometime.

 

See ya

[Cuizer2]

What if you already paid for airfare?

 

Hi Darkwolfe and Big Booper. How are you guys doing. Glad to see you are

still around. We have to sail again sometime.

 

See ya

 

Booking airfare this far out is a bit risky for reasons beyond just having a cruise canceled. I don't know if travel insurance would cover this.

[IBookHePays]

Booking airfare this far out is a bit risky for reasons beyond just having a cruise canceled.

 

I disagree. I don't think 7 months is that far out. My airfare booked 7 months ago is waaaaaay lower than if I booked it now for 7 months out. JMO and I am a bit overplanner, but...

[The Big Booper]

What if you already paid for airfare?

 

Hi Darkwolfe and Big Booper. How are you guys doing. Glad to see you are

still around. We have to sail again sometime.

 

See ya

 

The Explorer May 2007, right. How you guys doing? Do you have an internet photo album?

 

Getting back to the charter, I saw that a travel agency had taken the whole ship (Love that Google). I wondered if they had some connection with affinity groups but it appears not. Going to their homepage, it appears they specialize in shorter cheap trips.

 

So who knows.

[CAT GIRL]

Just a thought... maybe Celebrity has a cruise that same week.

[Cuizer2]

I disagree. I don't think 7 months is that far out. My airfare booked 7 months ago is waaaaaay lower than if I booked it now for 7 months out. JMO and I am a bit overplanner, but...

 

Well, hopefully your cruise will not get canceled. Nonetheless, the price you paid may not look so great if your cruise is canceled.

[Darkwolfe]

What if you already paid for airfare?

 

Hi Darkwolfe and Big Booper. How are you guys doing. Glad to see you are

still around. We have to sail again sometime.

 

See ya

 

Hey you're going on Serenade too late. Move that up to January 10 and go with us! ;)

[Merion_Mom]

What if you already paid for airfare?

 

I disagree. I don't think 7 months is that far out. My airfare booked 7 months ago is waaaaaay lower than if I booked it now for 7 months out. JMO and I am a bit overplanner, but...

 

I think that that's what the $200 is for.......to cover potential air ticket change fees.

[Moeve]

Anyone with the right kind of cash and do a full Charter. Even you but the chunk you have to put down is probably a bit bigger than your petty cash box.

[nightworker]

I think that is terrible that they can just cancel your cruise like that!! What date were you going on.We are booked in Feb. on the Explorer.

[Merion_Mom]

I think that is terrible that they can just cancel your cruise like that!! What date were you going on.We are booked in Feb. on the Explorer.

 

Unless you have signatures "turned off", you can see the cruise in the OP's signature: March 2, 2009 Grandeur.

[Cuizer2]

I think that is terrible that they can just cancel your cruise like that!! What date were you going on.We are booked in Feb. on the Explorer.

I agree with you. Unfortunately Royal Caribbean is not the only one to pull this stunt.

[arbypup]

Maybe you can just rebook your cruise with this travel agency?

[Yvonne]

I have never understood this practice of cancelling people's cruises, in favor of a charter booking. I don't think groups should be able to charter a cruise that already has some staterooms booked by individuals. They should only be able to charter a cruise that hasn't opened up for individual bookings yet. It just doesn't seem fair to people who have booked their cruise, made their vacation plans (getting time off from work mainly), booked their airfare, etc. then be told "oh, sorry, we're bumping you in favor of a group." Just not right. For any cruise line, not just Royal.

[xpcdoojk]

All cruiselines do charters, and they all cancel regular customers in favor of these large groups.

 

As a general rule, I wouldn't want to be on a cruise that had a very large group but not a full ship charter. The cruise experience will be different, and generally not in a good way. I have been on one ship that had a large, but not complete charter. I was part of the charter group, and I felt sorry for those poor Texans that got invaded by our group! :D

 

So, my advice is find another cruise and count your blessings.

 

jc

[uksimonusa]

I have never understood this practice of cancelling people's cruises, in favor of a charter booking. I don't think groups should be able to charter a cruise that already has some staterooms booked by individuals. They should only be able to charter a cruise that hasn't opened up for individual bookings yet. It just doesn't seem fair to people who have booked their cruise, made their vacation plans (getting time off from work mainly), booked their airfare, etc. then be told "oh, sorry, we're bumping you in favor of a group." Just not right. For any cruise line, not just Royal.

 

It's all about return to shareholders, the company needs to make as much profit as possible. No different from an airline booking flights to 110% of plane capacity, hoping that 10% dont show and then bumping people if the 10% do show. At least with a charter like this one, there is notice given, nothing worse than sitting in an airport and being told you can't fly.

[vthompson]

I have never understood this practice of cancelling people's cruises, in favor of a charter booking. I don't think groups should be able to charter a cruise that already has some staterooms booked by individuals. They should only be able to charter a cruise that hasn't opened up for individual bookings yet. It just doesn't seem fair to people who have booked their cruise, made their vacation plans (getting time off from work mainly), booked their airfare, etc. then be told "oh, sorry, we're bumping you in favor of a group." Just not right. For any cruise line, not just Royal.

Thanks for understanding I have to change everything for the group who bumped us off the trip of a lifetime our 25th annv.

[PattyW]

Wow, that's terrible. RCCL should make sure you are "whole" if they are going to cancel your cruise. $200 OBC would probably be OK, as long as it's per person.

 

We have a cruise booked for 2009 and already booked the air (which is now double what it was when we booked). It's $150 to change each ticket; that would be $600 for our family.

 

Unless I could book a cruise that left out of the same port (or close enough - like Ft. Lauderdale/Miami), the same day, and I was able to maintain my airfare, that would be the least I would expect from the cruise line.

[familyof4cruising]

Well, hopefully your cruise will not get canceled. Nonetheless, the price you paid may not look so great if your cruise is canceled.

 

Sorry, but if we all look at this the way you did, it would be impossible as a family of 4 to cruise during ANY school breaks. I book my airfare as soon as it become available. Airfare for Christmas week, President's week and Easter Week is over priced. Paying for an inflated cruise price PLUS airfare that is inflated for a family of 4 has to be planned and booked in advance. It is a risk we take 3 times a year, but it is better then to pay $500 roundtrip to Miami. Price Christmas week a cruise and airfare and then price a cruise in September - I bet it will be almost double.

 

To the OP sorry for your cancelled cruise it has happened to us 2 times and both times we went on another ship ( I am glad we had options- because we could ONLY cruise when our kids have no school).

[PattyW]

I agree familyof4!

 

Not only do the airfares escalate immediately during Winter and Spring Breaks, but all the good flight times go quickly.

 

For our Spring Break cruise out of San Juan next year - we are on the one and only direct flight to San Juan from Chicago. We paid about $420 a ticket on the first day the flights were available for purchase. This morning they cost $937.80 apiece.

 

That's over $2,000 more for a family of 4 for those that are keeping score at home.

[booze brothers]

Thanks for understanding I have to change everything for the group who bumped us off the trip of a lifetime our 25th annv.

 

 

You'll be fine. I'll bet you'll find something even better than what you had. Have a great anniversary on whatever ship you decide.

[Cuizer2]

Sorry, but if we all look at this the way you did, it would be impossible as a family of 4 to cruise during ANY school breaks. I book my airfare as soon as it become available. Airfare for Christmas week, President's week and Easter Week is over priced. Paying for an inflated cruise price PLUS airfare that is inflated for a family of 4 has to be planned and booked in advance. It is a risk we take 3 times a year, but it is better then to pay $500 roundtrip to Miami. Price Christmas week a cruise and airfare and then price a cruise in September - I bet it will be almost double.

 

To the OP sorry for your cancelled cruise it has happened to us 2 times and both times we went on another ship ( I am glad we had options- because we could ONLY cruise when our kids have no school).

 

You plan your vacations the way you want. When I booked my Easter time cruise about 10 months in advance I purchased fully refundable tickets. The problem I ran into is one of the airlines keep change the time of the return flight. I kept having to re-plan my return plans.

 

So this year I'm just going to monitor the flights and not book until I see the plane start to fill up or we get closer to the departure date.