WAAAYTOOO

51 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

That's so good,  I am amazed she is able to perform in front of so many people.

Slightly off topic

@WAAAYTOOO   I am glad to see the surgery went well

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 !

53 minutes ago, accio7 said:

As I've never done this before, should I be honest and tell her to book me into a regular stateroom for two and advise that it's only me that's going? Or keep the solo part to myself and ask her to book a stateroom for two? Tell her that "a friend" will be joining at some point, but I'm not sure who at this point. 

Really appreciate the help with this! 

(I misspoke earlier - the voucher was for the inconveniences I experienced on my 2018 cruise.) 

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

1 minute ago, Baked Alaska said:

@WAAAYTOOO I'm trying to understand this. We are sailing on a Holiday Cruise, Dec 26, 2020  to Jan 4, 2021. The cruise planner shows the UDP and the 3 Night Dining Package. Does RCCL sell these packages knowing that we can't use these on the cruise? Or??? Just confused.

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.

2 minutes ago, accio7 said:

This is actually really helpful, I've only ever searched for one person before.

If I ask my TA, will she be able to book this for me? I have to use this 20% off voucher before the end of July (for the December 2019 cruise I cancelled). 

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

1 minute ago, EnJay said:

It sounds like the FCC can only be applied to the base cruise cost; not port fees & gratuities, is that right? We booked at rather a high rate so if we cancel, can we use the FCC towards more than one cruise? 

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 !

I'm sorry.  I am not familiar at all with CostCo or how their policies work.  I originally thought that the FCC would have to be applied through the agency but I have read subsequent posts that now lead me to believe that the FCCs do NOT have to go through the agency.  I do not know for sure which is true.  I have always just had my TA do all of the footwork with applying FCC but I do not know if you MUST use the original TA or not.

I don't see why you couldn't do that as long as you don't try and use the FCC for the same cruise.

Awesome, Joe.  Brava !!!!

2 hours ago, JackL said:

Thank you @twangster and @WAAAYTOOO !! I just rebooked my cruise, added a guest, upgraded my room, and will end up saving $2600- some in FCC and some in cash refund. Hope my friend can make it!

WOW !!!  That is a GREAT outcome !!!  Congratulations.  Enjoy this one !!!

1 hour ago, JackL said:

What is to stop someone from booking GTY for two people and having an intentional no show for the 2nd person? 

Nothing at all.  This is quite common as it is often cheaper to book 2 into a room than to pay the single supplement for 1 person.  It is done all of the time.  I can't imagine why GTY would work any differently than a regular cabin assigned room.

16 minutes ago, Mljstr said:

You are right! I just priced a cruise that I priced last week and it has gone up $300.00.

Can someone tell me how the credit works? I haven't been able to get through to cancel my cruise yet so I don't know what to expect. If I have another cruise I want to book, do I have to pay the $900.00 deposit and then wait for the credit to come in the mail to pay the remainder? Or should I wait until I get the credit and will it cover the deposit?

It depends on how quickly you want to book the replacement cruise.  If you want to lock something in right away (advisable) then yes, you would have to front the down payment and then apply the FCC once they are delivered.  Certainly, you can wait until the FCC are delivered and THEN book your replacement cruise but every day that you wait the prices are likely to increase as everyone else is also trying to reschedule their cruise.  Remember that @twangster told us, FCC canNOT be used for taxes or ports fees so no matter what, the FCC will not pay for everything.  There is going to be some out-of-pocket expense no matter how much the FCC is.  Conversely, the taxes and ports fees from the original cruise will have already been credited to the original form of payment, so it's something of an overall "wash".

@twangster is probably your best source on this question, but I don’t believe that it would make a difference whether you have a GTY reservation or a reservation for a specific cabin number.  I think the process would be the same.

It is my understanding that if one of the parties “no-shows”, the amount of taxes and ports fees are refunded and that’s it !  I have read that it is better to have the second person “no-show” than to cancel the second party ahead of time but I have no experience with this myself.

Yippee !!

Michelle told me earlier that all she has gotten all day long is a bust signal.  I would be ready to blow something up !

I totally tip my hat to the hard-working Agents. Their lives are living hell’s right now.

Thank you !

22 minutes ago, Shari3 said:

Do you know if in the MDR she would be able to get free soda in lieu of alcohol? I am planning on using my free drinks that are preloaded onto my card.  I am wondering if I need to purchase a soda package for her or not? 

Yes, she should be able to get a cola beverage as one of her 3 drink coupons.

You should be able to upgrade if the cost of an upgraded cabin has dipped sufficiently.  Get your Travel Agent to arrange an upgrade for you.  If you booked directly with a Royal, call them directly and don’t accept it if they tell you that you cannot upgrade. You can, if the prices have dropped enough.  Escalate to a supervisor if you don’t get the answer you want.

Wow.  Well.....glad you finally got it all squared away....and super glad that an accessible room popped up !!!

8 minutes ago, Chadster said:

and now is definitely the moment to have a travel agent/advocate on your side!

AMEN to that !

No, I don't think you can do this.  You can have the "at risk" person be a "no-show" for the cruise but all you would get back would be axes and ports fees.