WAAAYTOOO

We were on Oasis in Dec. 19. What a gorgeous new ship ! So many things to do and so many of the good ol' venues have been spruced up. You are going to love it. So much fun !

This is such a shame. I will refrain from blaming this outcome on the Agency but I have just heard so many, many, many similar stories that it makes me think that those big box Agencies just don't care.... Just so that you have some misery, as company, this exact same thing happened to me, too...and I have an awesome Agent. She was never able to get through and by the next day, all of the upper category suites had disappeared.

I agree. I have a sick feeling it is coming but don't tell anybody. ?

I thought I would just share something that is brewing in our universe. Dan works for the Navy at a big government site. They are being very proactive with possible isolation scenarios, alternate working environments etc.; very positive and proactive. One of the things that they are currently strongly enforcing is the requirement that anyone visiting ANY foreign country must now get prior permission to do so. This has always been a kind of "rule" where cleared personnel must advise the government of proposed foreign travel, but frankly, Caribbean countries visited during cruises have never been destinations of scrutiny and it was simply a formality. Not so, now. So, there is a possibility that #1, they would disapprove any "request" to visit any of the countries on our cruise itineraries or #2, that once we returned, he could be subject to self quarantine for a period of time. Obviously, #1 is a hard down show stopper. End of story. Done. #2 isn't a huge deal if they permitted him to work from home (which is one of the self isolation plans already in development). However, there could be ramifications of total self quarantine; things that we just aren't thinking of at the moment. I have not heard of anyone being refused clearance to go on a cruise YET. It's just a new complication that we have to consider, going forward. So while we are 100% #stillgoing at this time, it may be taken out of our hands if the government feels that ANY travel outside of the US becomes problematic.

This is an unfortunate example of the worst that can happen. So unfortunate. Good luck @Jim S with your plans.

I LOVE it. #stillgoing !!!!

You are correct that your cruise fare cannot be adjusted after final payment date. If the prices on cabins have fallen recently, your best bet is to try and get an upgrade. If the price of a cabin category above yours has fallen sufficiently that the price of the upgraded cabin is equal to or less than what you paid for your cabin, they will often upgrade you to the higher cabin category at no charge. They will NEVER give you any money back though. An upgrade is the best you can hope for at this point, if you still intend to sail. Yes, you can, but you would have to pay the entire cost of the "new" cruise up front. You will receive the FCC later, which can be used to either book a new cruise or pay down an existing cruise, but the FCC would not be available quickly enough to use on the existing cruise. There is also discussion on some threads that the cruise line would not allow you to use the FCC towards the cruise from which it was generated. Again, your best bet is to try for an upgrade. Taxes, ports fees and prepaid gratuities are not included in any FCC. They are refunded directly to the original form of payment (credit card used to pay for the cruise). The only thing included in an FCC is the cruise fare.

I think you need to call back again. This is most likely not correct. Royal is offering Future Cruise Credits for anyone who wants to postpone their cruise.

So sorry to hear this. I will agree....this does not sound good. Hoping all turns out well foe everyone involved.

Yes, the FCC’s can be applied to the new cruise fare even if it exceeds his portion of the new cruise fare.

Grand Marnier Soufflé. Mmmmmmmmm.......

Ugh. So sorry to hear this. Ask @SpeedNoodles. It’s a hard lesson to learn. There is a way to change Agencies but it’s very painful and rarely successful. The best you can really do is wait for “next time”. One word of caution...if you choose to go to Next Cruise to book a cruise while you’re on a cruise AND if you’re not happy with the Agency that booked the cruise you are currently on...make SURE that you tell the Next Cruise folks that you do NOT want your current Agency to get the booking that you are making onboard. Next Cruise will automatically give the booking to the “Agency of Record” (which is the Agency that booked the cruise you are on) unless you directly tell them not to. Even if you don’t know who you want your new Agent to be, just book directly with Royal and once you get home, you can easily move that booking to a new Agency of your choice. THAT kind of switch is easy to do.

Yikes ! That’s a creepster !

No, it cannot. The FCC applies to cruise fare only.

Ahhhh....thank you so much. I am doing great. Already ditched the walker and using a cane only. Stitches out next Monday. Can’t wait ! Thanks for thinking of me !

I always advise you to be honest with your Agent. It is their job to keep you out of trouble. Remember....sometimes it is NOT cheaper to book for 2 vs solo so if your Agent really believes there are 2 of you, he/she might not advise you properly. If you don’t feel you can be honest with your Agent, you need a new Agent. ?? What you are contemplating is not sketchy or semi-illegal. It is perfectly legal and ethical. Sometimes the rules the cruise lines make are to our advantage (granted, it’s rare !) and in this case you are just using their rules to your advantage. I also advise you to discuss the fact that you will be having the second person as a “no-show” or would it be better to cancel them at the last minute so that will get double points. It would be a shame to go to all of this secret squirrel work and then have them tell you, you won’t get double points, as Daniel recently had happen. Best to maximize all of the benefits here....let’s not find out the hard way that we could have made a very simple change and gotten it ALL ! ?

We’ve done Grandeur for Christmas many times. It’s always great.

Or if they wanted cash

Unfortunately, yes, they do. On our recent Anthem cruise, we had the UDP and had scheduled Chops for Valentine’s Day dinner. Only after we had boarded and a couple of days had passed did the Concierge advise us that we would not be able to go to Chops on VD b/c they had a “special” VD dinner that night. That was the first time I had even heard about any special VD dinner. It never appeared in the Cruise Planner that I can recall. We ate elsewhere that night (can’t remember where) but it kinda sucked. I had no idea it was even on the schedule. So, my advice to you is, be prepared to eat at somewhere other than Chops on 12-31. My guess is that they will be having some kind of special dinner that night that will not work with your UDP. The good news is, if is a sea day, you can do lunch at Chops and dinner somewhere else if you have the UDP.

Yes. Your agent should be able to help you apply everything

Correct. Only the base cruise fare. Yes, if the cruise you re-book does not consume all of the value of your FCC, the remainder will be reissued in a new FCC but it is my understanding that the new FCC will have the original expiration date as the first FCC so you will still have to use the remainder by the original expiration date.

Michelle tried all day yesterday to get through but could not. I would urge you to continue to try and NOT wait. Some JS that were available yesterday on my May Majesty sailing are now gone. Nothing you can do about the phones; they are what they are. But things are extremely fluid right now. Those who wait could miss out.

You should definitely be able to upgrade your CP balcony to the oceanview balcony at no cost but you will not receive any kind of rebate either in cash or in OBC.

Yes, you absolutely CAN apply an FCC to the cruise you have booked in April 2021. FCC does not have to be used to book a new cruise. Can be applied to any existing cruise - even one that is paid in full.

Wow !