Morganno

I fully understand your worries which are legitimate but since RC are still allowing free movement of the cruise upto 48 hours before sailing I think snagging a good price is also important especially now they have moved the rebooking date to 2022.

Thanks Twangster that is very reassuring. Honestly there are 4 level 3 trials going on for a vaccine the Oxford people are very confident their vaccine works with no major side effects. I honestly would be very surprised if we don't see a roll out before end 2020. I will be first in the queue to get one.

Me too Twanster like I said to my better half we can afford to lose this deposit. Nearer the time we can always move the cruise which I think should also move the final date for payment?

I'm very very tempted by a week 9th May Barcelona Med cruise. I am just wondering if we still can move it if things haven't gotten better. I am afraid that once the vaccine is out prices will skyrocket so looking to book now it's only £450 deposit. Even better if we find it cheaper elsewhere we can even claim an onboard credit. For me I am quietly confident that by May 2021 we shall be vaccinated and ready to go. Even if it means paying for a vaccination. Itching to get searching for drink package offers again ? Just to clarify I live in Belgium and flights to Spain are plentiful. EDIT there is no news of Royal going bust is there?

Anyone know about their European operations which don't rely on CDC?

I would but I simply don't trust people in general and definitely not drunk people so I won't be cruising.

When then I agree if they already got more than a 100% cruise credit for their original cruise in 2019 they really can't expect it again.

Did the OP get a bonus on their first credit? If so then I agree with you. They should not get 125% twice.

And the OP story is precisely why I opted for a cash refund. It is ridiculous for RCCL to state that a credit is not cash. Of course it's cash and they should be thankful to the OP for allowing them to keep the cash for months.

Update on the refund issue. My UK based TA asked for my UK bank account on Thursday, stating it would be between 90-120 days to get my refund.

Our letter says they will post to the account but we booked through a travel agency. The same day our travel agency said click here to say where you want to use your FCC NOT ONE THING about being able to apply for a refund. I'm not at all happy about it. I understand they lose commission but given the situation I found it very sneaky of them to offer no way to tell them to get a refund. Now I read from facebook that the same TA are taking 3 months to issue cash refunds. ?

Well this is depressing. How can any cruise line hope to restart then before this whole issue is over ?

I also had thought about this as well. Basically my wife doesn't drink but we are cruising in two cabins one for my son and uncle and one for my wife and I. To avail of the drinks promo I was going to put myself and Brother in Law in one cabin on the reservation and my son and wife in the other. However in reality I would be staying in my wife's cabin. Good to know they will give out extra cards as this solves our problem. ?

Totally correct. The cruise industry out of all the travel industries has taken the worst beating. Confidence is at rock bottom and higher prices will not encourage people back onto the ships. I fear they are in for a tough couple of years and hope they can ride out the storm. Most of my non cruising friends are shocked when I say I will cruise again next year.

With Europe being weeks ahead of the US with this virus what is your reasoning behind them not opening ?

Looking forward to our cruise from Southampton on 15th May visiting La Coruna, Vigo, Lisbon (overnight) and Bilbao. Can't wait. yes it's still not cancelled only 30 days to go. To be honest I thought they would cancel earlier to give us time to secure a good price for 2021 but no ... nothing yet.

What you mean the may test for more than corona and on that basis refuse future cruises? What rapid results could they have from a blood test? What if the test was done by a third party with no affliation to RCI? Genuine question. This of course means no port cruising ..... what about crew they going to be tested at every reboard?

Me too we had one planned for 15th May. ? Can't wait to be cruising again. I also have friends who have looked in shock when I mention i would go on a ship again. I always pointed out that at any given time nearly 600 000 people are at sea on ships. The reason outbreaks at sea make the news is that they are very rare but everyone know this on the boards. ? Stay safe Cile

Hi Cile, No way was that meant to be harsh, at the time this board was full of comments of people sure they would be sailing soon. I hoped we would get through it but what I feared coming to pass in the US has finally arrived. Like I said also below on my post I hope everyone makes it through to the other side of this and we get to cruising again when it passes and it will pass. Guessing when that will be is stumping even the most talented epidemiologists.

Good idea but on harmony at breakfast even with a huge buffet the line outside last august was 20 minutes, they closed the buffet at the usual time even if you were still waiting in line ? . I simply don't know how they will feed 6000 people if it's not self service.

I was booked on Anthem of the seas sailing 5/15 from Southampton. Our T/C stated that cancellations more than 57 days out we would only lose our deposit. At 11 days ago at 65 days out I emailed our TA to say we wanted to cancel. On Friday (57 day mark) I get an e-mail from my TA saying they had passed my enquiry onto their cancellations department. Now I don't want a cruise credit I want my money back as I am entitled to via their T/C. Do you think they will try to keep the money since my TA has not acted in time to cancel the cruise? First world problems but I know you guys will understand. Even if I waited for a FCC it wouldn't cover the price of rebooking (same cruise in 2021 is 160% more expensive). Thanks for reading and hope you all stay safe and healthly.

August 2021

America your pain hasn't started yet. that's all I'm saying. I hope you all stay safe and we see each other on the other side. This will pass anti viral drugs and a vaccine will come but this is our WWII but many more will die than in that war. ?

Possibly not bankrupt but administration then takeover and FCC wiped thus they just keep everyone's cash and say sorry take it up with the creditors...

A glass of wine certainly sounds nice. Our TA is overwhelmed they are only accepting cancellations buy mail. Luckily my cruise is 65 days away and if I cancel before 57 days (UK/Europe) I get a cash refund of everything apart from my deposit which I understand will be a FCC (if RC survive.)