QinYao

1. I did the booking online myself, so no travel agent. 2. I didn't buy travel insurance. Honestly, if I was told about the 75% penalty I would not have cancel my trip.

I tried calling my credit card, unfortunately it has been over 90 days since I made the payment so they can't file a dispute.

Hi guys, This is my first post, I have never been on a cruise, and I'm seeking help, please hear my story below. My name is Qin Yao (James) Li. Early March 2018, I found out that my wife is pregnant. So I want to go on a vacation with her, this would be our last chance to relax before having our first kid. In March 2018 I booked a cruise for Anthem of the Seas departure on May 17, 2018. I paid the full amount during the booking, and I even paid the gratuities. We were looking forward to this cruise. In mid April we requested our obstetrician to write a letter for us to state my wife is fit to travel. As we were discussing the trip with our doctor, she informed us the risks of the ongoing Zika virus down in the Caribbean. Although I have heard about the Zika virus outbreak 2 years ago, I was not aware it was an ongoing risk. Me and my wife did not feel comfortable going on the cruise due to fear of being infected. So I called Royal Caribbean customer service to see what can be done. We send a copy of doctor's letter to prove my wife is pregnant. The customer service agent was able to change our cruise with $100 change fee per person, total in $200 change fee. On Apr 24, 2018 we decided to change our cruise to Ovation of the Seas departure on Sep 06, 2019. We paid in total $3638.38 for this booking. Fast forward few to October 01, 2018. Due to some financial concerns with starting a new family, I called Royal Caribbean customer service to ask what would happen if I cancel the cruise. I was informed that there will only be $100 cancellation fee per person (total $200), which will be deducted from the $265 non-refundable deposit per person (total $530). Which means that I will have $330 credit for my future booking that I have to use within one year. And the remaining amount will be refunded to me. Being able to get back $3000 is a lot of money which will be very helpful in our current condition. So we decided to cancel the cruise. Few days later when I check my credit card, I saw $1360.76 refunded to my card. So I called the Royal Caribbean customer service again wondering what happened. Afterward they refunded me $62.83 again because of some miscalculation. For the past few weeks, I talked to multiple people from the Resolution Department and everyone refused to help me. Everyone keeps telling me that there is nothing they can do about the 75% penalty charge, which I had no idea about it. I ask the Resolution Department to pull up the recording of the conversation between me and the agent that helped me with the cancellation, but they said they were not able to. And the reason they refused to help me is because they were not able to confirm my store. The past two weeks have been very stressful for me, fearing that I will lose close to $2000 because the agent did the cancellation for me did for me provided me with the wrong information. This is unreal, first on the Royal Caribbean website it say "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is committed to the safety and health of our guests and crew. We are closely monitoring the Zika virus situation and are aware that the CDC has issued a travel alert for certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Royal Caribbean will assist any pregnant women who do not feel comfortable sailing to countries affected with the Zika virus by providing alternate itinerary options. This may include providing guests with a future cruise credit valid for two years so that they may re-schedule their voyage for a later date, with no penalty." text from https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/zika-virus Furthermore, I have also read online forum where people got a full refund because of this. I understand this is scenario based. Second point, if I was informed about the 75% penalty, I would not have cancel my cruise. Third point, even on my cruise vacation receipt there is a cancellation schedule which show cancellation amount if you are within 89 days prior to sailing. My sailing date is 11 month from my cancellation date. Last point, no where on my cruise vacation receipt mention I was under penalty because of the change I made back in April 2018. I'm trying to start a new family and I don't want to lose almost $2000 because of agent being negligent and provided me with the wrong information. I have send an email to [email protected] hopefully they will respond soon. Please comment if anyone have other suggestions. Thanks, James